Song that makes me smile

"The Philosopher's Song" by Monty Python. It just came on Yahoo Launch... and every time it does, I just want to yell out...

Hobbes was fond of his dram! And Rene Decartes was a drunken fart "I drink there for I am!"

* this is an ex-parrot.

You'll laugh so hard...

That you will cry. I've seen some ugly clothes but some of these dresses...

Ugly Dress.com - Bridesmaid Dresses From Hell

I know what I'm going as for Halloween next year.. one of the bridesmaids that is attempting to live up to the saying "Sure.. you can wear it again..."

Your funny for the day

What happens to Saddaam

Selective use of

Original intent. 3 counties in Kentucky must take down their 10 Commandments displays, even though they were displayes with other historical documents such as the Constitution and Magna Carta. They said that because the Commandments were originally on display all by themselves that the intent of the display was religious and we can't have that.

Fine time for the courts to see original intent. They refuse to see it in the US Constitution. If they did, we wouldn't have a "right" to abortion (among other crap that isn't in the original text.)

WorldNetDaily: Appeals panel: Decalogue unconstitutional

Holiday wishes from Ari

Happy nondenominational holiday season of consumer joys! Tis the seaon to spend our money.

From Dave Barry - I think

It sounds like him but you know how emails are... good advice anyway.

FIFTEEN THINGS THAT IT TOOK ME OVER 50 YEARS TO LEARN

by Dave Barry

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost
never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

7. Never lick a steak knife.

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven. blogger's note: yes, I make a big honkin' deal out of my birthday every year. And I will continue to do so.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age,
gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a
nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway.

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built he Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

A quote and a thought

All who have meditated on the art of governing humankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth. –Aristotle

This is related to Vox Day's column this week on teaching children to read. And Aristotle (despite not being my personal favorite philosopher) has it right. The fate of any country depends on its schools and education.

And it is this blogger's opinion that government-run schools are ruining this country. I may be a bit biased; I haven't been in a public school since the first grade but the data is there. Test scores are among the lowest in the western world. A large percentage of incoming freshman have to take remedial courses in college because they aren't prepared. The high school graduation rate hovers around 60% in some parts of the country.

I believe it is a conspiracy. A stupid, non-critically thinking population is easier to control.

More testing is not the answer, Mr. President. What we do need are teachers who are educated in their content areas (i.e. english), less relativism in the class room ("Well, 2+2 does technically equal 4 but, Timmy, 6 was close.. and maybe in your world it does equal 6."), solid answers (2+2=4 in any world), less politically correct theory, and actual athority given to the teachers.

Heaven forbid a teacher discipline a student; the parents would sue. But that's another topic.

The elves fight back

For several years, there's been Elf Bowling... well, the elves have gotten even in this game

Slingshot Santa

"How can I urinate when my people are in bondage?"

That's a new way to protest. Eventually, it will kill them off... kidney failure you know.
Defiant? He's a Ba'athist who won't bath

What's happening today

My office is a paper blizzard and I'm playing letter of recommendation oragami. I wasn't aware that you could fold them so many ways to fit in an envelope. I thought there was an etiquette to it.. but I've seem some very oddly folded paper today.

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

Well, here it is - the last update. The finale was good. No lame jury questions like "Who should be sitting there instead of you?" and fishing for your name. But the venom wasn't there.. definately some anger though.

Jonny Fairplay got his butt fair-played out. He wanted to go down as the most hated Survivor Villian ever and I think he got it. He said that he still wanted to be liked by the ladies but after his sexist comments of "if it's a physical or mental competition, I've got it. Maybe if it's a gettin' pregnant contest they would win." I like to think of myself as pretty even minded, but I was looking for a butt-whoopin' stick after that comment.

Sandra won. And I'm glad. She was abrasive, not under the radar (I actually want to see the winners on the show, thank you very much - i.e. Vee from Survivor: Marquesas). I want to see them plot and scheme; I want to see them create drama. The show is "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast."

Now, after the Superbowl, All-Star Survivor will premiere. Rupert was looking good for just having wrapped filming 4 days before the live finale. He was very tan, had a broken tooth (caused from a challenge?) and didn't appear to be too bug-bite ridden but makeup could hid alot of that. My guess is that, again, he makes the jury. And does better than Richard Hatch.

I can't wait! I get to hate Jerri all over again! :)

Best news of the day

And the best story of the year because it sucks ALL of the wind our of the Democrats foreign policy sails. For weeks, we've heard the candidates talk about how "Bush's War in Iraq is a failure" because we didn't have Saddam.

Well, we have him. Praise God!

And now the Democrat pundits are saying "today we are all Americans." Oh shove it. If today had been like last Sunday, you'd be on the talk shows griping about the cost of the war and that no apparent victories had been made. Guess what? Today, the Iraqi people have no reason to fear his return to power. The money for the attacks on our troops will soon dry up and, hopefully, peace and stability can be in Iraq.

Praise God that Saddam will face justice. Praise God that he was not hurt or that the 4th ID and special forces involved in the raid made it out unharmed. Pray for their families - that they will be comforted while their loved ones are fighting and for the families of the thousands, if not millions of Iraqis that died as a direct result of Saddam's murderous regime.

I would hate to be his defense attorney. Maybe Johnny Cochran will take up the case. But, there isn't a glove... so they can't acquit.

FOXNews.comSaddam Captured 'Like a Rat' in Raid

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

Yes, I haven't posted an update since Rupert got the boot. That would be because I stopped watching. I did see the part where Jon lied about his grandma having died. At least he went out there knowing that he would come back as the most hated man in Survivor Land.

As my co-worker said "Richard Hatch looks like Mother Teresa next to Jonny Fairplay."

To summarize: Rupert, Tijuana, Christa, and Burton were booted in that order. Burton is the first person to be booted twice for the same dumb mistake - overconfidence. And after I read about what Burton said about women, he is so not hot anymore. In his defense, he did say it was taken out of context...

And that he wouldn't have any problem getting dates.

Anyway, I decided the week Rupert was booted that I had missed doing alot of different things on Thursday nights. I've had company over. I went to a Christmas Party at my pastor's house last night. One night, I actually started reading The Hobbit.

Has my love for Survivor faded? Heck no! I just decided that I can play all the games without actually watching the TV show. I dropped from 1st to 6th and am now up to 5th. I doubt that I will some how magically wind up in first place again but, hey.. I can deal with it.

Research Ethics

Apparently what is wrong with this situation, and the reason for the law suit, is that this Professor had sex with his subjects.

The fact that he failed to obtain consent forms to participate in study is beside the point, both for the subjects and the American Psychological Association.

The University is only investigating the lack of research subject consent forms. My feeling is that its Institional Review Board missed this one.

Umm, maybe... the Professor could be wrong all the way around.. maybe?

The Chronicle: Daily news: 12/12/2003 -- 04

More reasons I'm not a democrat

Vegan computer geeks for Dean by Ann Coulter.

Lord of the Rings in real time

As an evangelical Christian, I am particularly taken with the Lord of the Rings series. The Biblical influence is very apparent to (most) believers. The struggle of good versus evil with good ultimately winning. Sorry to spoil the end of the moving for you...

In this article, Craige McMillian examines the idea that
the time of the elves is over on earth. Here. Very soon.

Holiday Spirit

I love looking at christmas displays...

Ugly Christmas Lights.com!

CD everyone should own

Charlie Byrd's "For Louis" - 2000. Best jazzy blues song ever is on it - Tin Roof Blues.

Now if I can meet someone who will dance with to that song, life will be sweet!

Pudgy people

Are husbands to blame for their wives becoming fat?

As I began to read this, I thought "well, I don't have to worry about my husband saying that because 1) I'm not married. 2) I'm already there." And as I became more enraged at the shallowness of the husbands' notes about their wives.. and the author's nerve to say such things, I took a deep breath and finished the whole thing.

He's absolutely right. Women feed more on compliments more than on Krispy Kreme. And there is nothing better tasting on this planet than a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. Male or female, who doesn't like to receive a compliment? Who doesn't like to be told they look great, their hair looks nice or that color is awesome?

Just right that down - find something good to say instead of complaining about an attitude or how someone looks. We are all special in the eyes of God and He thinks we all have worth and value.

And by the way, I look very cute today.

New Queer Eye quote

Carson: I love you more than my luggage.

Forced Fatherhood

The National Center for Men was mentioned in the below Michael Newdow article. Newdow says that the organization helps men who were tricked into being fathers, as he was. There isn't much there at the moment, so it might not be worth the click.

Now, I will acknowledge that women can be very manipulative but... uh... dude... did you miss Sex Ed in high school? Did you ever see the Discovery Channel? A sort of natural by-product of sex is a baby. If you didn't want that to happen, then maybe you should have kept your fly zipped.

This is not a comment about how unfair the legal system is in child custody matters however. There are many fathers who have had their children stripped from them and forced to fork over most of their income due to legal bias in favor of women. Wendy McElroy has written quite a bit on this topic (http://www.ifeminists.com for more).

From that guy with too much time on his hands

Michael Newdow, who's suing over the Pledge in California:

"Newdow's costs mount. For the past three years, he has all but ceased working to pursue his court cases. In addition to sacrificing that income, he has been ordered to pay $300,000 of Banning's [ex-girlfriend and mom to the daughter] attorney fees because Newdow is wealthier than Banning and Mize regards him as responsible for prolonging the litigation. The money would have to come from his savings.

Newdow has filed a separate lawsuit against this order, calling it a violation of his constitutional right not to be forced to finance speech he disagrees with. The case is pending in a California appeals court." (emphasis mine)

1) Where the heck is this in the Constitution? I missed it in my reading of the Great Document.

2) Can I sue the Federal Goverment over funding cow fart studies with my tax dollars? Or the speed at which ketchup moves at various inclines? Because I REALLY DISAGREE with how they are spending our tax dollars. How about I sue whenever a Democrat is President? Would that fit his logic?

An Allegiance to Dissent (washingtonpost.com)

Something intelligent about

Multiculturalism. Yes, it was a surprise to me, too.

NEWS.com.au | Appeal to keep the Christ in Christmas

Staying at home is wrong...

Beasts of Burden is an article about the leach known as the stay-at-home wife/mother.

I have my own opinion on this matter (shock!) that I'm currently writing in response. I'll have it up soon. I'll give the guy this much: the women he described in his article deserve to be left on a street corner. They are leaches. However, he paints with too broad of a brush.

Good phrases to use

Intellectually chubby (I came up witht that on my own): a formerly well-read person who has not finished a whole book since sometime in their junior year of college. They still manage to stay on top of what is going on in the world but sometimes the analysis can be shallow. And this would be me sometimes. I am intellectually chubby.

Professionally offended (found as a title on WND.com's email page): groups such as NOW, CAIR, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Patricia Ireland, et al who make a living being offended by completely random acts of well... life. I personally like the phrase and can't WAIT to use it! I want to be paid to be offended. I can be offended easily... or I can pretend to be offended easily. That would be what they do.

Let's just cause a stink over nothing.

The solution: more government regulation

A study revealed that some children are more sexually aggressive after viewing porn on the internet. They begin to attack, abuse, and molest others. The children are usually abused themselves.

The gem quote: "Stanley called for tighter government regulation of Internet service providers (ISPs) to help protect children." Of course, let's not ask the parents to do anything about it - like monitor their time online, install filtering software, or get rid of the internet connection at home.

No. Personal responsibility - bad. Government regulation - good.

::gags::

Online Porn Driving Sexually Aggressive Children

Happy Thanksgiving!

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

It is a sad day in Survivor Land. Prince Rupert was slaughtered by the evil Jon, rascally Burton, twin dimwits Darrah and Tijuana, and well.. Lill defies description.

But unlike his former tribe mates - Rupert is currently on location playing Survivor AGAIN in the the All-Star version with such faves as
Colby and Ethan (vying for the Hunk of Survivor title though Burton is close),
Jerri (boo-hiss),
Richard (who invented the game),
Lex (everyone's favorite psycho),
Rudy (the lovable crumudegon),
and Big Tom (the funny farmer).

Anyway, I have nothing to say about the episode and you know, is it worth watching anymore now that my favorite character has been killed? Yes - just eventually see Jon get voted out. I cannot STAND his wrestling posturing. I HATE professional wrestiling (though I did like MTV's Tough Enough series on wannabe wrestlers).

Darrah wins in the end against Lill. You heard it here.

More from Vox

Look for the entry entitled "Will you take this sheep..." on gay marriage. It is about how churches should seperate themselves from government on the issue of marriage.

While the government may endorse it, the Christian Church SHOULD NOT!

"Let them have their state marriages. Let men marry men, women marry golden retrievers and whatever other combinations those of diverse inclinations will be pushing next."



Vox Popoli

And socialism is a good idea....

Alright, I'm already hacked at paying into a system that I'll never see, but it's even worse in Europe thanks to generous social welfare programs.

The 1960's are over. The workforce is not growing. These programs will have to be cut.

HoustonChronicle.com - Europe's retirees: time bomb

What I did today at work

Today! I am the great Labelini! Mistress of Labels! Keeper of the printed material... and Wizard of Sticking!

Survivor: Pearl Islands update


First, I have to gripe. For 5 seasons now, I've been participating in the local CBS station's online Survivor game. I've won the last two seasons. By now, I should have known to go with my gut. If I had, I would have been in first place all by myself. Because I didn't, I dropped from a tie for first to a tie for 5th.

And I'm pissed at myself for that. There are just some days that I wish I wasn't so competitive. And now I won't get my prize pack. If those other people were smart, they would have dropped out weeks ago knowing that it was mine. But noooooooo.

Anyway, Burton and Lil came back. Last week, Lil jumped ship and booted her former team mate, Andrew, out.

Rupert is going on a challenge run. He won both reward and immunity last night. And if he doesn't keep winning it, he will be booted in a heart beat.

Ryno got the boot last night and becomes the first member of the jury.

Baby 1986-2003

I have always had a dog. I had a dog 6 weeks before I was born when someone dumped Misty (1975-1993) on our front lawn. She was just barely weaned. Misty was a great dog – the classic mamma dog - loving and protective. You went where she wanted you to go. Of all the pups that have come through this house, Misty is still my favorite.

This shouldn’t be about Misty. This is about Baby. Baby was almost 18; she would have been 18 in January. We found her by the airport in 1987 trying to cross a 4-lane road. We picked her up and drove around thinking maybe she belonged to someone who lived nearby but no one had seen her before. Ads in the paper produced no results and now she was our dog.

Baby was a good dog though not all there. I think it was because she was abused before we found her. Eric said I named her after Jennifer Gray’s character in Dirty Dancing. I say we named her because she whined and cried all the time like a baby. She never really liked to play like other dogs. Her favorite game was tug. And she would tug until you felt like your arm would pop out of your socket and gave up. She would trot away, almost laughing, with the rope in her mouth.

Baby, as a young’un, would chase airplanes across the yard. She was so proud when they were gone. She had protected us from danger. Baby also chased squirrels, even until she was 16. I can't recall her catching a squirrel but she did get a hold of a turtle once. We released it at the lake.

Her favorite snack was dried out cat food. Hopping up and down with glee, “yippee! Yippee! Cat food! Yum!”

If we started howling, Baby would join in. She would howl at fire engines as they drove by.

Eric said that Baby moped around the house for months after our mom passed away. He believes that she never quite got over that.

You may think it’s silly for me to eulogize a dog. But, she has been with me longer than most people are married. For the first time in almost 28 1/2 years, this house is without a dog. Dogs love us unconditionally. They do anything to please us with no sense of shame or embarrassment. They love us even when we are mean to them or ignore them. They love on us when we are happy or when we are sad. How can you resist those dark eyes looking up at you longingly? Or not laugh when pinned down and licked all over your face?

I will miss my Baby-doll.

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

Best.. episode.. ever. Well, ok. maybe not the best (Jerri getting voted out was the best) but it ranks right up there.

Morgan and Drake arrive at the challenge site to find a third tribe - the outcasts. The stakes: if either Morgan or Drake lose to the Outcasts, they have to vote someone out. The Outcast will in turn vote someone back into the game.

Well, the Outcasts beat Drake by a nose and Morgan by a mile. Drake goes to tribal council and sends Shaun, the creator of so much tension and a lazy bum - he spent more time complaining about work than working (and wasn't charming like Gervase or Shawn from Marquesas), home.

Morgan arrives after a tribal meeting back at camp. Osten wanted to be voted out. He was mentally done, exhausted and ready to go home. And home he went - with a verbal spanking from Jeffie Pop (the host) about how everyone worked too darn hard for him to just quit. There was a tribe of outcasts more worthy of being in the game to begin with than him.

Even Mike S from Australia was voted out after leaving the game injured. Osten was told to go home and his torch laid on the ground in disgrace. Good riddence.

Next week: we find out who's coming back. My guess - Lill and Burton.

Wicca is not truth

''In Christianity, often there is a minister between you and God. Wiccans seek their own relationship with deity" says Willie Jones. I'm not sure what aspect of Christianity he is speaking with - maybe he has confused us with Judaism - but I have a relationship with God, my creator thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. I don't have to go through a saint, a priest, a preacher, a bible teacher, or anyone else to speak to the Heavenly Father. The veil in the temple that seperated man from God was torn when Jesus died. There is nothing seperating God from man except his own pride and sin. And the cross is the bridge.

In another interestring and misguided statement, Rev. Mary Katherine Morn says ''I think because we're all so different, we all have different ways of celebrating God" in explaining why her church had a Pagan pride day. There is not a divine-ness in the trees or even in you as another human. We were made by the divine but we are NOT little gods waiting to get somewhere. She is right in saying that we are different and there are many different ways to celebrate God, but Wicca is not one of them.

It is a lie from the pit; it smells like smoke. It is teaching you to rely on yourself and not on God. It is self-centered (though teaches do no harm). When you build a wall around yourself - through false religions, alcohol, games, sex, tv, etc... - you are a sitting duck for the lies of Satan. You start to believe that you are one with the creator or not worthy of love and affection, that you are no good, or that you are entitled to something because you complete all the religious rules and check lists.

Source: The Tennessean - 10/31/03

Oh please... grow up

This rant is based on an editorial about how
Gen X'ers are over educated and under-employed. Somehow she was denied that right of passage to back pack across Europe because she is 25 and not 30 (the group that was the heart of the internet boom.. er.. bust).

GROW UP!

For crying out loud. And shut up! Go back to work. I am three years older than you chick and I didn't backpack anywhere (that would require sleeping in places there is no way I would sleep in). I didn't hit it big with the internet boom, and I don't know any 29 year old millionaires. If I do, they hide it well.

Stop comparing yourself to the Jones'. Alot of people didn't experience what a select few did. What is bothersome about our society, as compared to just a few generations ago, is:
1) media. It is so easy to see the Hilton sisters living the high life and want it for yourself. Martha Stewart gives every homemaker an inferiority complex if you don't make your stuff from scratch and from speciality stores instead of dressing up Pottery Barn close-outs. Because of this, we look longingly at "the good life" and forget that "the good life" would suck without people to share it with. Stop buying crap and invite someone over to sit in your living room for a chat. And it doesn't have to be perfect. We all have clutter.
2) America is fat and lazy. We have too much lesiure time. We don't have to work for anything. The hardest thing I have to do to get meet is walk into the grocery store from the far end of the parking lot. Because of this, we rarely have to work hard at anything. Therefore, when that time to work presents itself, we complain like 2 year olds. The author of the editorial is now having to face the real working world and realizes it stinks and now wants to go back to law school to avoid if for another 3 years. Honey, you will work harder in law school and as a lawyer that you do now. Think carefully. Can you find an altruistic career otherwise?

I could keep going for another 3 pages but I digress, If you don't like your job, find a new one. Take some freakin' personal responsibility. Just because your parents said "you can be what ever you want to be" doesn't mean that at some point, there won't be anyone else to blame. They will have left your sorry butt a long time ago.

For your gray hairs, talk to your stylist. There are a variety of colors on the market to cover it up. You know, you aren't going to be young forever. Accept it. You'll be happier.

For your wrinkles, BeautiControl has a line of wonderful products that will reduce the appearance of them - for any age group. Email me. I can hook you up.

Survivor: Pearl Islands Update

There once was a man named Rupert
Who both tribes thought was super.
To no ones surprise
He won them the prize.
And with the help of Christa,
Drake enjoyed a feast of lobst-ah.

At immunity time, the weight was to be across their backs.
It was not for the weak or those who are lax.
Osten dropped the bar too quickly,
Leaving folks in quite a tizzy.
For Drake it was Christa to take up the cross
But in the end, they received the loss.

Along comes a woman named Trish
To whom Rupert seemed like a fish.
He was "too strong" for her care.
so she made a plan to send him on his way
But she walked the plank instead.

More on Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ"

Mel's 'Passion': No One Would Touch It

I told you early last week that Mel Gibson would have to distribute "The Passion of Christ" himself in Europe and Australia. Yesterday, Gibson's company confirmed this, but will give Newmarket Films the license to distribute in the U.S.

Newmarket is famous for "Memento" and will have "Monster" in the Oscar race this winter.

"The Passion of Christ" will not be released on Easter, as originally planned. Instead, Newmarket will put it out on Ash Wednesday. This happens to fall on February 24, just five days before the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles. Can you imagine what Billy Crystal will do with this, especially if the release is preceded by protests and bad reviews?

I'm of the mind that "Passion" must be released and that everyone -- I mean, everyone -- should get a chance to see it. Gibson has already come across like a total nut in his interviews, especially the one in The New Yorker. Is he anti-Semitic? Is the movie? On February 24, the movie-going audience will be able to judge for itself.

The result will affect Gibson's future in show business.

Source: foxnews.com

I think I hurt myself laughing

Re: building peace palaces -

"[B]ack in June, [David] Lynch, his "Wild at Heart" actress Laura Dern and "Mulholland Drive" starlet Laura Haring, as well as Heather Graham, declared their support for a $4 million peace center in Los Angeles, where meditators would gather twice a day to practice "yogic flying," a group practice that supposedly sends positive vibrations out into the world and reduces stress and crime."

Hey! Send some positive vibrations my way.. particularly with dollar bills attached to them. Hollywood types will believe anything. It's sad.

Source: New York Post Online Edition: seven

"Hi, My name is L'Oreal..."

I admit it. As a kid, I hated my name. Half of the girls I knew were named Jennifer. I hated that my name was so unusual and so hard to spell (admit it - you've missed an "n"). However, my name is not nearly as bad as those cited in this story from the Denver Post.

I've heard of girls named Mercedes.. but DelMonte? Is she going to grow up to be Miss Chiquita Banana.. or is that a trademark violation?

And let's ask Ben Affleck his advice on foreign policy

Morissette, Mike D Declare Eco War because they don't like the US National Parks Chief. Yes, celebrities can have opinions.. but why theirs make Yahoo News and mine don't when I'm far more informed, amusing, and just a better person than the self-righteous Morissette is beyond me?

Everything got clearer for her after her visit to India several years ago you know.. it's such a peaceful place, in harmony with nature. RIGHT! Ask the people in Kashmir if they think it's so peaceful. Ask those living in fear because they converted from Hinduism to Christianity if there's a whole heck of alot of harmony floating around.

More from the Duh files...

Israeli women won't see combat because women can't march as far or carry as much as men.

Uh.. that would be because men are bigger and stronger.. and they were designed that way. Memo to feminists: men and women are NOT the same. Stop thinking that we are.. acknowledges the differences and play to strengths!

More Queer Eye Quotes

Andrew, a straight guy:
The back hair is like a guardian angel. I never see it but I know it's there.

Kyan:
Building a bridge, one manicure at a time.
Straight guy - But it says professional.
K - It's not. Trust me, I'm a professional.

Thom:
You are a nasty, nasty man.
Your sofa and chair look like they came free with a fill up.

Carson:
STOP! That's a fashion violation! Don't move!
Oh look.. plaid for every season.
You look like Ben and Jerry Affleck.
You're like a metal detector at the beach - you go straight for the plaid.
We can tease this [back hair] and everyone will think it's angora.

Survivor: Pearl Islands update


Once upon a time, a Prince named Rupert went visiting to the land of Morgan. While there, he fished, moved a hut, irked a lesser being, the Court Jester Osten(who is not amusing at all!), and became a hero when he helped the Morgan folk win reward.

But he did not partake.

The Prince at the first opportunity returned to his homeland of Drake to find that things were not as he left it. Bastard step-twin Burton had left, leaving his brother Shawn who attempted to prove that he is worthy of leadership. (He is not and should be run over with the royal horsecarts.) Prince Rupert found a new pet, a snake named Balboa. This royal observer wishes that it was big enough to eat Evil Duke Jon.

At the end of the day, Lady Sandra could not eat the fish, lost immunity, and Duchess Michelle left the land of Drake for a hot meal and a shower.

The End.

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

Yes, dear reader, I've been lax in my updates of the most recent installment of Survivor. This is actually turning out to be an excellent season. It's really good.

Skinny Ryan was voted off in week two. Lil was voted off on week three. Morgan lost 6 challenges in a row to become the suckiest tribe ever. The only reason they won this week was because Drake decided to throw the challenge.

And Burton (who is cute but not the brightest bulb in the box) took the walk down the plank. Jon is the biggest player and biggest jerk out there (He thinks he's Rob from Survivor: Amazon but somehow isn't as charming.) Jon is the one who serious orchestrated the boot with Rupert being gone...

Rupert was shipped for one day over to Morgan. Rupert wanted Burton gone for suggesting throwing the challenge..

So, Morgan still sucks. They only suck less because Rupert is there. If there is an All Star Survivor, Rupert must be on. Rupert rocks. He is so stinking cool.. and actually gets the game. I doubt he'll win but it would be great if he did.

And Osten is a whiner.

Serious Scholarship

As a former acadmic, I've always looked for good topics for research that are both interesting and professionally relevant. See The Ig Nobel Web Page for a collection of projects that are not interesting or professionally relevant.

Enough to make you cry

There's a famous photo in there, taking at Vanderbilt Medical Center (across the street from where I work.

Thank God that medical technology has advanced to the point that babies can be operated on in the womb. Be thankful that you don't live even 20 years ago.

WorldNetDaily: 'Baby Samuel' testifies before Senate

Al Franken is an irrelevant sissy

So says Vox Day.

In the world of strange and unusual

I've never claimed to be a fashionista but I do try to keep somewhat current in my clothing. However, this guy gives a whole new meaning to out of date and out of style. The Dorothy Hamill haircut starts it off...

Open mouth, insert foot

From Gov. Gray Davis of California:
"My vision is to make the most diverse state on earth, and we have people from every planet on the earth in this state. We have the sons and daughters of every, of people from every planet, of every country on earth."

Uh... yeah. You may want to talk to George W. and Dan Quayle about recovering from that.

Here's your sign. ::sign says - "Life-time Politician On Board - CAUTION!" ::
Source: SFgate.com

Survivor: Pearl Islands update

Well, I'm a happy girl. Survivor is back on tv and it's gonna be GOOD! Drake actually bought supplies they needed - and stole from the other tribe to increase their bartering capacity (how funny is that!) when Morgan wasn't looking. However, in Survivor history, teams that start strong rarely win in the end. Pagong in S1 won the first few challenges and ended up inventing a new word: Pagonging where one tribe picks off the other in a row at the merge.

S2: Kucha kicked butt early on but Ogakor kicked them after gaining the upper hand at the merge.

S3: Boran lost 4 challenges in a row to come back and have 4 of its members in the Final 4.

S4: Does not follow this pattern but the cocky were shot down in a flame.. and all in that alliance paid for it when they broadcast their boot order. The tribe mix-up may have had something to do with it.

S5: Sook Jai did well early with youth, vigor, and strength but couldn't hold it together and ultimately not one in the final 5.

S6: Again, not quite this pattern. They alternated visits at Tribal Council pretty equally pre-merge.

S7: Drake is more organized and team-oriented. Will a melt-down by Rupert, aka Blackbeard, cause the team to collapse with him? Will golden boys Shawn and Burton have a power struggle?
Will Tribe Morgan pull it together under Andrew's leadership when they get rid of dead weight (Ryan S.)?

Nicole was the boot for breaking two of the Golden Rules: don't plot and scheme too early and don't backstab until you have to. She didn't need to - the rumblings were to boot Lilli. What does Nicole do? Suggest to vote someone that annoys her (and is in with at least 2 other people) out. Memo to future contestants: don't do that. And don't believe them... wear your survival gear under your clothes from now on.. and not short, strapless dresses with no panties.

Till Next Time!

Pranks...

The RIAA Prank: Do They Really Care About Kazaa, Grokster, and Napster? is hysterical...!

Survivor: The Pearl Islands

It's 2:16 PM central time here.. and in less than 5 hours, I will be camped on my couch watching Survivor. Please don't call... I'm not going to answer...

::wanders away, mindlessly devoted to the coolest reality show on TV.. signed up to play all sorts of fantasy games::

Survivor: The Pearl Islands

Oh-kay.. a little over 24 hours from now, I will be camped in front of my TV for the latest installment of Survivor. Here's the scoop from various sources:

TV commercial - they are dumped with only the clothes on their back (some aren't wearing anything under the clothes on their back!) and 100 coins to barter with at the local village for the things they need.

SurvivorNews.net - Loser's lodge isn't as comfortable as it was in the past because the losers got to compete for a slot to come back into the game. Talk about a shift! It completely changed the dynamics of BB3 (when Amy came back). Wow! I can't wait to see if this is true. Bravo.. And the rumor is that the person who won came back to finish in the Final 2.

Burton reminds me of someone I used to know in Texas. He likes Ayn Rand. I'm a libertarian and I don't like Ayn Rand. Burton is the hottest one there, in my opinion. Not as cute as Colby or Ethan but definately no slouch.

Anyway... Jon has "trouble maker" all over him. Rupert has the role of comedy relief.. a la Big Tom from Survivor Africa. Michelle is your sweet, girl-next-door Neleh/Liz type but no Pappy/Rodger.

Ohhhh... I'm so excited! Yay! Survivor is starting soon!

How do you sleep?

Sleep position gives an inside to what type of person you are. I sleep in my side in the "yearner" position. Go to the site to read about it.

Survivor: The Pearl Islands Update

OK, the show hasn't actually started yet but, I've been talking about it for 2 weeks to just about everyone in ear shot. I didn't realize exactly how Survivor deprived I was until this weekend when I saw VH1's The Insider thing on Survivor. So, be sure to check this blog on Friday mornings for my version of what happened the night before and what will probably (not) happen the next week.

I will post some early spoiler information throughout the week. Bravo Mark Burnett for some interesting twists - and one that is *really* good. It's juicy, I guarentee.

Big Brother, Fear Factor, and the rest stink. Survivor rules!

Swanky Panhandlers

OH MY! Panhandlers with Gap clothing and cell phones?! Protesting materialism?! Let's make them feel like other 20 year olds because they are disaffected by giving them coupons to McDonalds and Virgin records. PLEASE! Cry my a stinking river. You are just a bunch of lazy-bums who don't want to actually work for a living.

Can you hear me screaming over here??? Dumbest story of the year - by far. And the sad thing is: some of this is not from a government agency but from a private charity. Ugh.

RIAA=gestapo

As you may be aware, the Recording Industry Assoc of America (RIAA) has launced a series of lawsuits against people who download music. Who did they sue: a 12 year old girl! Her mom admitted she stole (good) and paid the RIAA $2000 (bad).

Read about her situation here: The Brianna Project

Boycott the RIAA here

Me! Yes! I'm a libertarian! And even ANOTHER reason why!

'Click it or ticket' laws are stupid. It is just a small step in the creation of the nanny state. The scariest phrase in the world is:

"Hi. I'm here from the government and I'm here to help you." If you ever hear that: run. Run as fast as you can. They are not hear to help you. They are there to make you dependant on the milk of federal money that comes from hard working tax payers.

Do you know that you work over 5 months of the year for local, state, and federal governments? That's much time you work to pay all of your taxes. And that's a good thing?

How rich are you?

See where you fall on this scale: Global Rich List

Of course it is another piece of propaganda to make you feel bad for having been blessed to live in America. Let's all throw away our modern conveniences to live in mud huts!

Yeah - right.

Home Alone?

Macaulay Culkin tries to grow up. He plays convicted murder Michael Alig in an upcoming movie "Party Killer." But, what I really want you to see is he and Seth Gree in drag. Macaulay doesn't look half bad. Seth on the other hand....

Hurray for common sense!

Let's go celebrate with a quarter pounder with cheese. The
judge threw out the lawsuit that said McDonald's made people fat.

"Plaid boxers... How very colonial Williamsburg..."

That was a quote from Carson on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He's the fashionista that has all the great lines and is just HYSTERICAL! If you haven't seen it, I suggest watching it even for a few minutes. First, this doesn't mean that you are agreeing to support all gay/lesbian legal challenges. I don't agree with same-sex marriage.. I doubt that will change. And it doesn't mean that you are going to hell in a handbasket. Now, if your convictions are such that you shouldn't watch it, then don't.

But there are some good tips about food, fashion, and home decorating mixed in there. And you will get to hear gems like this, particularly from Carson:
"Could you be any more Chandler Bing?" (I knew a guy once who said that I sounded like some woman from Friends who would whine the word "Chandler." Having NEVER watched the show, I had no idea what he was talking about.)
Carson:
"Holy day care center Batman!"
"I'm going to need a smoothie so I can concentrate on this disaster"
"Don't use wire hangers... EVER!"
"You took away Xena and brought us a Baldwin!"
"Why does he not have his apron on? He's risking couture splatter."
"You look like a million dollars. Canadian dollars, but a million dollars."
"It takes a village, people!"
"Do you have bad credit, or just bad taste?"
Ted:
"Grits?!"
"It's a man quiche"
"Please Lord, please make these window treatments go away."
"Dried parsley? Useless! Except maybe as confetti."
Kyan:
"Call me old fashion, but I prefer my separate shampoo and conditioner"
"He has a good start but he's working with deficient materials"
"Shaving... just water and ivory soap... on the face...on the face?"
Thom:
"Minimalist? This is bleak"
"This room is just stupid."
"That's a very very very bad idea"
"We came here cause I thought it would be a good idea cause... you don't own anything"
Jai:
"Look at me! I look like a domestic"
"We're the fab five, we're here to change your life"

More from Vox Day

Another of my favorite columnists. His column this week is about being a Christian and Libertarian at the same time.

I've received that question once or twice "Are your libertarian political leanings inconsistent with your Christian faith?" No, I don't think so. And Vox explains why.

More from Wendy McElroy

Christian feminism. Is there such a thing? I have often asked radical feminists the question "Why am I, a christian, a libertarian, and a feminist, not accepted?" I know the answer - because I refuse to accept PC feminist dogma. I just like to hear how they try to explain away their intellectual discrimination. "You can't be a feminist and anti-choice."
"But my faith requires a respect for all life. I don't think that my being pro-life would completely negate all my other feminists leaning such as equal - NOT MORE - opportunity under the law."
And blah, blah blah.. until I make them look silly. Heh.

Anyway. Wendy McElroy has an article up this week on FOXNews.com on Christian feminism. She's right. Like me.

Husband for Hire

Being a single woman sharing a house with my brother (who sometimes lacks in sharing responsibilities), I am thrilled to see this story from The Moscow Times on How to Hire a Husband for an Hour. Some feminists might say "women need to learn how to do things themselves! Empowerment! We don't need men for anything."

I beg to disagree. I don't know how to fix my vaccum cleaner... I don't want to know. If someone can fix it for a few bucks then great! It makes me happy :)

Don't Inhale in Murfreesboro

Can you believe it? Does a city not have anything better to do than legislate who can and can't wear perfume? In this article from The Tennessean you can be amused at the antics of government.

Let's not worry about terrorism.. smelly perfume is far more important.

And NOW do you see why I'm a libertarian?

Smile

WorldNetDaily: 22 things about the Bible that drives the left crazy

Top 11 1980's Cartoon Villains

"Rights" bite back

In an amusing story about created classes, a women's group is fined for a barring transsexual. Fortunately there is precedence in the US - private groups may choose to associate with whomever they want (see the case against the Boy Scouts.

Not quite as amusing is a story about prejudice - against those who would say that homosexuality is wrong. A story from World Net Daily outlines where a janitor was attacked by radicals because of what his pastor said. Truth is always offensive. Remember that.

What not to wear

Have you seen that show on TLC? It is a riot! Wayne and Stacey are hysterical. Though they have replaced Wayne with some other guy and I can tell you it just won't be the same. They have this part of the show where the fashion victim goes into a mirrored box and wears their outfit - to see themselves at all angles. Wayne and Stacey would yell comments about why that is NOT a good choice.

Well, if you've ever wondered if your choices are questionable, check out this story and see that "what not to wear" is now happening in real life.

I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV...

OK, this is just stupid. I don't mind Arnold making a run for the governorship of California considering how Gray Davis mucked it up. But in this story from FOXNews.com we learn that he may be asking former West Wing star Rob Lowe to serve in a senior leadership position in his campaign.

Is the next Democratic President going to ask Martin Sheen for advice on foreign policy? "I was never President but I won an emmy playing one and that makes me knowledgable."

Politics.

Hunting for Bambi still making news

Vox Day, a columnist forWorldNetDaily, offers up this little gem and whacks the media about being gullible. This blog admits that it was gullible too - but admitted about a week before the mainstream media did.

Mel Gibson's The Passion

This is a unusually sober entry for this blog.

I've read quite a bit about this movie of late since Mr. Gibson (a devot Roman Catholic) has allowed the media to pre screen a version of the movie. It will be released to the general public Easter 2004. I can't wait. In this commentary from World Net Daily, we learn even more about the purpose - to continue to spread the message of the Gospel - the good news to all the world through one more medium. According to the author, we are witnesses to the suffering of Jesus. And every time I think about it, I cry. I can't imagine how I will react to seeing it on screen.

Break out the tissue

Here is a touching story from a 9/11 widow who visited the troops in Iraq from FrontPage magazine.com.

Kudos to me!

My entry made the You're So Nashville If... edition of the Nashville Scene. My entry:
You're so Nashville if you know the difference between pilates and a paleta.

Read the rest of them at their website.

If you missed it

Shame on you. My birthday was yesterday. Belated gifts, cards, and expressions of regret may be sent to pink_kitty_post@yahoo.com .

A reminder

My birthday is Sunday. I'll be 28. Gifts, cards, expressions of joy may be sent to pink_kitty_post@yahoo.com .

A funny...

Last night, Andrea and I were on our way out of Pirates of the Caribbean (a fine movie.. Orlando Bloom... ). We walked by this one young man and we could hear music coming from his baggy jeans. When we were out of earshot, Andrea turned around and said "My pants got their own soundtrack."

OK - maybe it isn't as funny to you as it was to me. I'm still laughing about it. Think about it: if your pants had a soundtrack, what kind of music would they have?

Busted, old, and tight jeans - country
Baggy, saggy, hang down to your tushie - hip hop
Jeans paired with a white t-shirt - Eminem

"My pants got their own soundtrack.." HILARIOUS!

Operation Iraqi Freedom as Lord of the Rings?

Yep- an excellent analogy from this World Net Daily columnist.

Your daily funny

I love Dave Barry. He's funny, smart, hints at libertarian philosophy... :)

Here's a funny column on a weekend with his 3 year old daughter. Best line.. because it makes the lifestyle that all of my dolls when I was little make sense: "It is not clear who is paying for this lifestyle. Maybe somewhere there are a bunch of licensed taxpayer characters."

hahahahahahahaha

I haven't said it in two days

My birthday is July 27th. Put it on your calendar so you don't forget.

Only government...

This is just stinkin' outrageous! OH MY GOD! Can you believe this? The city of New York must be desperate for cash.

Good news from Iraq

All we hear about on the news are the reports of US soldiers being attacked and dying... ungrateful Iraqis staging riots and protests... and foreign ministers calling for the US to pull out and even for the return of Saddam Hussein. Here's a report from Front Page Magazine of a reporter recently returned and he has a very different picture.

In the "You'll regret that later.." category

I think the tattoo thing has gone too far.

OK so I don't always check for urban legends...

As first posited by posters in the fark.com forum, huntingforbambi.com is a hoax (there are no $10K hunts) and it's just an elaborate set up to sell videos.

See the article on snopes.com.

But regardless of the fact that it's a front for an escort service and selling porn, it does raise the question of what can consenting adults do, again legitmately asked by the US Supreme Court a couple of weeks ago in the Texas sodomy case.

To what extent should the government regulate the private lives of its citizens? What is the age of consent? Rightly argued by those in favor of leaving the Texas law alone: 1) it's a state matter - not a Constitutional/federal matter. 2) will this open a flood gate and give legitmacy/legal presidence to those with very extreme "tastes" (i.e. sleeping with dead people or animals).

In respect to pedophilia (I'm sure I've misspelled that but - hey - get over it), the general feeling is Europe is to lower the age of consent. Some feel the US Supreme Court was playing to European sensibilities and not functioning in its appropriate role. I think in some places, even in the US, it's 13 or 14. I've been of the opinion, and this blog has said many times, if you are of legal age, you are free to make your own decisions. BUT you must also bear the consequences of those decisions no matter what they may be. Now, if you run around with a "bambi" and get caught or get a disease, you got what you deserved for your behavior and failing to take precautions. Is it your significant other's fault if s/he gets ill because of your running around? Yes and no. You lied, therefore they didn't have all the information to say "Eww.. I don't want to be with you." But did they ask the question in the first place? If your "bambi" kills you, then s/he should be locked away for murder and reap that set of consequences.

Point is: you shouldn't run around in the first place!

But what about 13 year olds? Can they make the same moral judgements as an 18 year old? Or a 25 year old? From my own experience, my thought pattern, my reasoning capability as a 27 year old (soon to be 28 - don't forget, my birthday is coming up) is VASTLY different than when I was 13. Thank God in Heaven for that! At 13, I was driven by impulse and emotion and generally didn't have a stinkin' clue as to what was going on around me. I was pretty much that way for years. I never stopped to consider "If I do A, what will happen?" The unfortunate thing is that many people no longer stop to consider the consequences of their behavior on themselves or the others they meet.

In the world of insane lawsuits

We can all be highly amused by the court system. A woman spills hot coffee on herself in the parking lot and sues McDonalds because the coffee was hot. Well, imagine that... hot coffee! Next time, order it iced for safety's sake.

But this one takes the cake. In Australia, a doctor has been successfully sued to pay for a child that was born after a tubal ligation was performed. My questions for the plantiffs:

1) Didn't you know that tubal ligation isn't nearly as effective as a vascetomy?

2) Why is it the woman's responsiblity for pregnancy prevention? Didn't her husband consider having his parts nipped and tucked? It would have been a double shot and ensured extra protection.

3) Don't you know that sex=possiblity of getting pregnant? You must since you have 2 other children and I doubt they were immaculate conceptions.

4) Have you EVER heard of the concept of personal responsiblity??? Would you sue the condom manufacturers if that was your method of choice and you still got prenant? I bet you would.

They are just proof positive that the gene pool needs to be cleansed.. much like the partcipants of huntingforbambi.com.

I read a reply on a board about the huntingforbambi thing that said "don't these ----- know that bambi in the movie was a boy?"

Heh.

Hunting for Bambi

I only hate a couple of Disney movies. Pocahontas is one. It's heavy self-righteous tree hugger tone that somehow native peoples were more environmentally senstive than the explorers was just sick. Stupid revisionist history.

I also hate Ol' Yeller. I love dogs. I had a dog 6 weeks before I was born and have one ever since. The poor old dog getting shot at the end hurts.

And I hate Bambi. Thumper is cute and all but, you know.. weeping forest animals and a fawn yelling "mama!" shoots off the cuteness scale to the point of being nausiating. It IS too much for any one person to watch.

But, this really isn't about Disney movies. It's about a website called huntingforbambi.com. You can read about here on the safe-for-work version at foxnews.com. The premise is that guys pay $10K to hunt naked women in the Las Vegas desert for 3 days and shoot at them with paint guns.

Right or wrong is a matter of personal opinion. I feel that consenting adults are responsible for the consequences of their own actions. I was bothered by a video I saw a couple of days ago on this story where the guy after bringing down a 'bambi' groped her for oh... probably 15 seconds and discussed mounting her. And I think we both know what 'mounting' means. And the woman just has to lay there and play dead. I don't know any guy who's gone hunting and fondled the deer after killing it.

This is just twisted. It plays into wierd fantasies on both sides. Men: cave man instincts of hunting and possibly taking their aggression out on women. I wonder if any have pulled them across the dirt by their hair a la cartoon style. Women: fantasies of the chase, being the object of a man's single focus (as we all know most men have one track minds and don't multi-task too well), and of being completely dominated.

And one of the bambi's said that s/he liked to be pampered - at the guys expense. Well duh! Who doesn't! That has about as much sense to me as "I don't like getting my foot run over with a car." It's just a fact of life. We all like to be pampered now and again.

Speaking of - my birthday is coming up in 11 days... I'm in need of some pampering :) Any takers?

Tennessee has a good tax system

Of course we do: we don't have an income tax. Taxes are evil... they make goverment even bigger, more dominant, and more pervasive in our lives. In this wonderful article by Allan Reynolds, you can read about which states are screwing up when it comes to taxes (*cough cough* California) and which are doing the right thing (Texas - it's cutting its budget this year! SHOCK!)

Remember: taxes started the Revolutionary war in 1776.. and they started the Star Wars trilogy in Episode 1.

What did he know and when did he know it?

To borrow a bit from Watergate. It looks like - if the Democratic Presidential candidates have their way - there will be Uranium-gate for President Bush. OK - so the President said that Iraq attempted to buy uranium in Africa based on British intelligence. The Brits are standing by their intel. Just because Saddam went looking doesn't mean that he bought anything. I go to the store and look for shoes... but I may not buy any. Duh.

Inmate Online Personals

This is the second article I've read in two days about various inmates placing ads for pen pals and more on a couple of different internet sites. The first was about a man who was convicted of murdering a 13 year old he met online and several years later posted another personal ad seeking pen pals. Sick sick sick. The article did say that inmates.com pulled the ad without hesitation once contacted by prison authorities.

This one is about Susan Smith. Remember her? Almost 10 years ago, she pushed her car into John D. Long lake in South Carolina with her two babies, Michael and Alex, strapped in the back seat in cold-blooded murder. Even her picture is posted there. OK - maybe I should show her some compassion - I will do that by not writing her. But here, she deserves to be in prison for the rest of her natural life. I hope that she has met God, because He can forgive anything.. His grace is much more expansive than mine.

A Pair of articles on the 'decent' of man

Hey - guess what! I like men. Yay for men! Whoo-hoo! Men make up the other half the gene pool and I'm in desperate need of one if I ever get married or want to have children. Being a lesbian or in vitro fertilization just.. don't do it for me.

So, I was a bit amused to see 2 articles today on the topic of the decline of men and again how it sucks to be a man in today's society. (Bet the feminists would be surprised.. it must just suck to be alive today no matter what gender!!!!)

The first: by Maureen Dowd says this is a good thing. Then again, she is a liberal feminist.

The second: largely a carbon of the first isn't nearly as ugly... and right now I can't find the link. If I find it, I will edit the post. But there were two!

"Give Me Doubleplusgoodness or Give Me Death!"

In this article by Wendy McElroy, see how Newspeak is slowly taking over the English language... and how much closer to the Orwellian world than we really think.

Star Wars Episode III gossip

I'm trying to decide how much I want to see Episode III given that Episodes I and II rank up there with some of the worst movies ever made. On poster in a thread on this topic said that we in our late 20's and 30's remember the original movies with nostalgia because we were kids when they came out.. and George Lucas was marketing to kids (you had the toys, didn't you! Me too!!!). I disagree. The movies were just plain bad. The writing sucked. The acting was stilted and un-natural. One of the seminal scenes of Episode II where Anakin kneels at the foot of his mother's grave was so unreal - the psychology of grief and anger was not there. It was Hayden Christensen acting poorly. And as much as I love Ewan McGregor, even he wasn't that good.

I digress - here's the link to the gossip. Don't read it if you don't want what could be a spoiler.

America the not-so brave

Vox Day is one of my favorite columnists. He ranks right up there with John Leo and Wendy McElroy among those that I just have to read every week. You should read it too if you knew what's good for you. Here's this week's column about how America is just fat and lazy.. and fearful of its own government. Sounds like 1984 to me.

My hero

This man took revenge on the telemarketers... and won! Ha Ha!

From my best friend Andrea

An excellent thought on how to handle immigration:

THE # 1 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You read about all these terrorists -- most of them came here legally, but they hung around on these expired visas, some for as long as 10 -15 years. Now, compare that to Blockbuster;
you are two days late with a video and those people are all over you. Let's put Blockbuster in charge of immigration.

Why I'm not a Democrat

Or at the least, why I'm glad I'm not a Democrat. Here's a good example of why... all of the current Democratic Presidential candidates want to repeal the Bush Tax cuts and raise them back to what Clinton had during the boom '90s.

Think about it this way: the citizenry is NOT some bottomless pit that government can continue to draw from and expect growth in the overall economy. The more they suck away in taxes, the less people will have to spend on goods such as homes, cars, washing machines, and DVD's. Because they have less money to spend on goods, production has to be decreased. People lose their jobs and are forced to go onto government assistance. And because more people are now asking for help from the government, the government turns around and says to the few people still working for a living "We need to raise taxes..." and they do it, starting the nasty cycle all over again.

Taxes are evil.

Do you like low fat Oreos?

I didn't think so. I think this is just stupid. Kraft has announced that it will make smaller portions and lower fat versions of all its products.

And you know McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell, et al. now have salads? It's stave off the impending lawsuits that says it's McDonalds that makes people eat 3 Big Macs.. and not the individual chewing on them. I don't think any of these companies have marketed themselves as health food stores... ever and it's been years since they talked about health benefits of hamburgers (unless you are on the Atkins plan). COME ON! It's not Ronald McDonald's fault. He didn't hold a gun to your head and make you eat at his place.

SHOW SOME FREAKIN' PERSONAL RESPONSBILITY and move your tushie off the couch and NOT to the courtroom.

The Gore News Network

According to FoxNews.com, former Senator, VP, and Presidental candidate Al "Count 'em all" Gore wants to start a news network to counter balance the overwhelming conservative voice on cable news. I read also that they want to start a liberal radio network to balance the right-wing presence on talk radio.

Wait.. I thought that was what the major networks and CNN - the Communist News Network - was for? Oops.. can't stand a little competition from FoxNews? Fox may be fair and balanced but I'm not!

Long live FoxNews!

Brave New World

In this article from WorldNetDaily: Shot forced on newborn over parents' objections, you can see - yet again - how little control we have over our own bodies anymore. Parents lose their children to the state because of a refusal to immunize while waiting for test results? Outrageous is the understatement of the year. Were armed guards compeletly necessary? Lawyers laughing at the Constitution? A cross between Orwell's Oceania and Huxley's New World is rapidly approaching. Every day, your personal freedom is eroded in the name of the state - to protect you from you. Tell me - who's protecting me from the state?

I wasn't going to comment on Hillary Clinton's book Living History but this review entitled, Hillary yawner never gets to the good part is probably the best out there and quite amusing.

Of course, I have no love lost for our former First Lady now Senator who's lying through her teeth when she says she's not going to run for President. Can you hear it now in 2007? "No, I don't want to run... but with such overwhelming support, I will accept your support..." to the "Draft Hillary" bunch.

Incidentally, the Draft Gore rally in Nashville last weekend had less than 100 people show up. And most left early.

Anyway, so Hillary gets "drafted" to run for President. And overwhelmingly wins the nomination because the Clintonites were placed into power in the Democratic Party just before he left office. Meanwhile, the Republican Party is able to whip up a frenzy and fund-raise like never before. I'm not sure who the candidate could be.. Lamar Alexander might be in a position for another run but I think a potential one might be Bill Frist. Fred Thompson would be better. Of course, I'm partial to Tennessee Republicans. What do you expect?

I hope the US does eventually have a woman for President. I surely hope to God it isn't her!

With a biblical reason to divorce her husband years and years ago (before Chelsea was born I imagine), she chose to ride his coat tails to power and prestige. And how many lives were ruined because of Bill's predatory antics? How many people died to cover it up? Yes - I'm a part of the vast Right-wing conspiracy!

And for her to say she didn't know... and believed him? Come ON! Every woman I know who was involved with a man who was cheating on her said she began to suspect something. Behavior changed... gifts appeared or suddenly they began working late hours. A note appeared out of now where.. phone calls. Is Hillary just that dense? I don't think so. She knew and chose to be a co-conspirator. Just ask Juanita Broderick.

For a even more virulent treatment of Hillary's fiction, see this commentary from WorldNetDaily contributor, Vox Day.

Nothing is 100% safe

In the "more reasons Europeans are insane file," a Dutch court ordered a doctor to pay for an unplanned child's education. Read about it here.

Yoga for dogs...
the story is on FOXNews.com. I love my dog but I seriously doubt Baby would do yoga. But it does give new meaning to the position down-ward facing dog.

It's been a while...

Since I've posted to my blog so I have alot to say. What has happened since I last updated my blog:

1) I graduated with my M.Ed. from Vanderbilt! Whoo-hoo!! Yipee! No more teachers, no more books! Yay!!!!

2) The War with Iraq started and finished... we won. Now the cleaning up from the Sadaam regime is underway with our troops still under attack by terrorists.

3) I saw the Matrix:Reloaded and X2. Both are excellent movies. The Matrix will blow your mind with special effects - I think I forgot to breathe for a couple of minutes.. but X2 has a better story. And it has Hugh Jackman.

4) The Episcipol Church in New Hampshire elected a gay bishop. The gentleman in question left his wife and two daughters (now grown) to live with a man in the 1980's. Last I checked, homosexuality was listed as a sexual sin.. along with adultry, lust, and sex outside of marriage. I don't care how stellar his reputation is within the church, the Bible says that it is wrong. It would be one thing if the man had been living a homosexual life, was repentant of the behavior and was now either married or living a celebate life.. but to be currently with a male partner? God calls for us to love the sinner but hate the sin... we must make the distinction. He's just another fallen man.. the body of the church in in New Hampshire has made a bad decision.

5) Gay marriage is now legal in Canada... and it may very well soon be a crime cite passages from the Bible that state homosexuality is a sin. To say that in Canada would be a hate crime. Don't tell me that the end times are not quickly approaching... the push for a UN based world government is growing stronger. It will probably soon be a crime to have even personal religion (that is if you are Christian. If you are of any other faith, it's ok). I know we have been living in the end times since Jesus went back to heaven but it looks like the signs are starting to appear.. and a whole lot of people will be surprised.

6) There is no spoon. There is no number 6.

I think that's all for this minute. If I think of anything, I'll be sure to post it! Much love to you all!

Survivor: The Amazon Update

And you thought just because the season was over that I still wouldn't talk about it. Well, that just shows how much you know... :) I still talk about the first season and how Richard Hatch set up the game for all other seasons... and Colby's challenge run in Season 2 (Jenna almost hit the high mark in the Amazon - off by one).

Anyway... just to let you know, Heidi and Jenna - Twigs and Sticks - have inked a deal to appear nude in Playboy. I guess dropping their drawers for peanut butter and chocolate wasn't enough for them... they needed greenbacks.

An announcement

Guess what! Because I do not have enough outlets to express my thoughts an opinions, my good - no best - friend and I have started a new blog to explore some of our questions about Christianity. It has a specific focus - being a single Christian in contemporary society. It has a blog and then a message board so you can comment on what we say. The link is at the left but just in case: The Single Factor

Just like you've made this a regular part of your web viewing pleasure (if you haven't, then you should), single and marrieds.. Christian and non-Christian are welcome. We want all views, life stages and experiences.

Homeschool as a threat

In this item from Foxnews.com, you'll find a quote from a professor at a College of Education saying that homeschooling is the biggest threat to public education. As well it should be. Public education in the US is largely a joke unless you are in a gifted/honors program or in a more affluent school district. Inner city schools do not get the funding they need to make education viable for the student. I believe in home schooling as a choice for parents who feel that is the best option for their child. The state (in the article, California is the major subject) is furious because they are losing dollars so they are throwing up as many roadblocks to pulling your child out of public school as they can. That is just plain wrong and against the idea of individual liberty and parental control. The state is NOT the know-it-all officials would like you to believe.

Another gem
From one of my favorite commentators, Wendy McElroy posted on FOXNews.com

Survivor: The Amazon Update

Here it is, my last update on Survivor: The Amazon. Jenna won. Can you believe it? The girl who whined about everything that she didn't win (heaven forbid someone else might win something ya know).. didn't admit to lying until pressed on it by one of the jurors (who SUCKED by the way... future Survivor competitors - if you are on the jury, ask them stinkin' hard questions! And don't press them just to hear your name because they both whooped your hiney to get there.. but ask them something harder than "Pick a number between 1 and 100" or "What modern leader did you emulate to get here?" Come ON!!!! They didn't emulate anybody... they just wanted to get to the top of the heap anyway they could.

And Christy didn't even give a good jury speech. No one did. I was very disappointed.

Overall, this season was pretty good. Couple of good twists but the winner was a bit of a drag because her attitude was so poor. Much like Vee from Survivor 4, she just didn't look like a winner. Jeff's performance at the reunion show was pretty good. I liked it. It was funny and asked some of the questions that real fans of the show would want to know.

See you this Fall for Survivor: The Pearl Islands off the coast of Panama.

Survivor: The Amazon Update

I will admit, I missed this episode. My report is based off the play by play thread on Survivor Sucks message board. In short: Christy got the ax (can't wait to see the final TC jury speech.. should be good. Talk about your woman scorned. She was hacked!)

Heidi offers Christy a deal. Christy waits. Rob offers Christy a deal. Christy waits. Rob panics and goes back to Heidi and Jenna who boot Christy because she is a wildcard - and wildcards are dangerous in the endgame. Christy was her own worst enemy.

The spoilers were all wrong.. where does this leave us? I dunno.. but I still want to see Heidi or Jenna to take the walk of shame. Blech.... gag... just get off my screen. I hate them about as much as I hate lima beans... and I really hate lima beans.

It's a dangerous thing. I'm thinking again.

The other day, I caught a bit of Madonna's video and performance of her new song "American Life" on MTV. It isn't a good song. Period. Her continued attempts at being a psudeo-intellectual by attacking the society that has afforded her a life in a London mansion are a bit on the laughable side. But I will save smacking the hypocrtical Hollywood types for another blog.

Someone please answer this for me: when the Red Communist wear become chic? All of a sudden, I've seen people, pictures, posters, and such pop up and they look very Soviet. See Madonna's album cover for a excellent example of what I'm speaking of. Black, white, and red.. Soviet realist style.. or the whole Che Guavara look is back in (see Bono). Ummm... sure. I guess since they can't be real revolutionaries because that would actually involve some personal sacrifice, they will just dress the part.

40 things...

From FrontPage magazine.com about liberals/the left. I think it's funny.

Hijacking Islam

Not being a religious scholar, I had no proof that Islamists (terrorists) were taking it horribly out of context. This this link at FrontPage magazine.com for an interview with a Muslim sheikh and scholar about Islam, Christianity, terrorism and the war.

Survivor: The Amazon Update

I know you all are just waiting with baited breath... this episode (as others from pervious seasons) highlighted the addage: pride cometh before a fall. And boy oh boy did the RATS - Rob, Alex, Twigs and Sticks - hit hard with Rob jumped ship to side with Matt, Butch and Christy. Just like the Mall Rats from Africa, Jerri in Australia, and John's alliance in Marqueses, they got too cocky and made assumptions about other players. Alex got the boot and he probably wouldn't have if he hadn't said in the DUMBEST Survivor move EVER!!
(paraphrase)
"You Rob, if I win immunity at 4, you know Heidi and Jenna aren't going to vote for each other and therefore they will vote for you. Well, I'll going to vote for you too."

Uh... yeah. Alex, can I just stamp "I'm too stupid for the game" on your forehead? Rob may not made the final four but you know.. he will last longer than you and will probably sleep better in the morning.

Spoiler information says Heidi goes next week - much to the joy of all of us who are tired of looking at her boney body and artificial boobies. She is not that cute.. no matter what she thinks.. her personality (and that with Jenna) makes her totally ugly.

Speaking of Jenna - can a girl get any more selfish? This girl has had more to eat on the show I think since Colby in Australia went on a challenge run that has yet to be rivaled, and she still thinks someone who eats when she doesn't is a fat pig, and that Christy is selfish for bidding on the letter from home. Umm. Jenna - you are the one who stripped for chocolate and peanut butter and bid $380 on it in the food auction. Christy deserved that letter just as much as you did... who's the pig? You are the one to go on the reward with Dave and Alex.. you've eaten PLENTY! And I wouldn't have been surprised if it was you who brought the granola bar.

Cheese eating surrender monkeys

Also known as the French. See this for some good quotes from the war.

Great quote...

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who ALLOWS the protester to burn the flag."

-Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, Sergeant, USMC

A cool Honda ad

The ad, called "Cog" and the article about its production.

Definately worth viewing.

Survivor: The Amazon Update

So it's been a week since I've even thought about my blog. I've been very busy with my comprehensive exam but I did take time out to watch Survivor (ok - as if I would have missed that. I took a laptop on a vacation so I could still play in a online Survivor game!)...

Deena is this weeks bootee and the 2nd member of the jury. She backstabbed too early and to the wrong people. Matt almost won the reward challenge (he threw the last part of it to let Alex win an afternoon at the coffee bar with Jenna). Matt also won the gross food challenge to take immunity.

Next week - my speculation - Rob and Alex struggle for control of Twigs and Sticks (Heidi and Jenna). The RATS alliance begins to fracture and Rob switches sides and Alex walks. Or everyone realizes that Rob is a playa and the ATS decide that it would be better to be in a tie situation with Butch, Matt and Christy the next go-round than not have an alliance mate you couldn't trust.

Survivor: The Amazon Update

Good morning all! OK.. last night was completely predictable. We all knew from the week before Dave was next on the hit list. And Dave is just who walked out of tribal council. 8-1. Duh...

Other than that, there just isn't much to tell. Rob is playing Matt - so he thinks. I think it is vice versa. Heida and Jenna are playing Rob. Next week, according to previews, look for a power struggle and one of these three to take the walk of shame: Deena, Rob, or Alex. I think you will see those 3 walk in that order over the next 3 episodes.

Academic Freedom

A professor at Columbia is in hiding after saying that the US should face a "million Mogadishus" in Iraq. One student said the University has failed to protect him.

It raises an interesting debate on freedom of speech, and in particular academic freedom. Is Columbia University supposed to protect a faculty member who 1) makes non-class related statements? 2) calls for violence against members of the University community? I don't think so.

Academic freedom is to protect research and scholarly activity - not the idiot who wants to shoot off at the mouth in the middle of a "teach in." Does the First Amendment protect this Professor? I hope not. Calling for someone's death should not be protected speech. It isn't political speech. It is as bad as the imams calling for jihad on Americans all across the Middle East during Friday prayers. And it is just plain wrong. My recommendation to Columbia: if you don't fire him -- which you should -- severly censure him.

Don't run in the hallways at school...

or this could happen to you.

Survivor: The Amazon Update

I'm running a few days late with my update and faithful readers, I apologize. It's been a hectic week. But here we are now and Roger is now enjoying the rest of his Survivor: Amazon vacation from Losers Lodge.

Yes, our not so favorite crumdugeon was voted off.. "I wasn't out played our outwitted..." he said in his final remarks. Oh.. yeah... The fact that you (Butch and Dave - who I believe is our next target) were left out of the scheming and plotting and just "thought" that things would be as they were when the tribes came back together meant that you were outwitted.

And that you jumped off the pole in the immunity challenge without even getting a bite to eat is a huge signal that you were outplayed. He didn't have a clue as to how to play the game so he's gone, gone gone.

In other Survivor news, Heidi and Jenna stripped for chocolate cookies, peanut butter, and a coke... much to the amusement of all the guys (save for Butch who refused to look). I'm so glad that it was a full body blur.. not because they were nude but because I didn't want to see anymore of the outline of Heidi's silicone boobies or their hip bones protuding 6 inches out from their bodies. Rob and Deena deserve to be in the final 4 because they are the only ones actually playing the game. And they did paired confessionals for the first time ever. We saw Matt and Alex, Heidi and Jenna speaking to the camera at the same time. Interesting.....

Survivor is back to its regular time on Thursday night. See you then!

Think about this next time some tree hugger complains about fossil fuels

The sun is getting hotter.

The French....

"We would look really stupid if Iraqis applaud the arrival of Americans."
--Dominique Dord, a deputy from the majority UMP party in France (President Chirac's party), March 17, 2003.

Worth remembering as Iraqis in Southern Iraq cheer U.S. troops as liberators!

Because government warnings are funny....

A parody of the warnings from the US government in case of a terroist attack. Funny funny stuff. Some offensive language.

Because I hate the Communist Anti-War Movement....

While I am TOTALLY for protesters coming out and exercising their First Amendment rights to speech and expression in peaceful and lawful demonstrations.. I am NOT in favor of them clogging the streets and using limited police resources there instead of.. oh.. watching the water treatment facilities or something where a terrorist could easily get in there, drop some poison into the water supply and kill half of Nashville.

Why I support this war:
1) It will remove a dictator from power. We tried a version of containment for 12 years. It didn't work.
2) It will pave the way for a free-Iraq and will likely lead to the toppling of the theocracy in Iran in a few years.. more democracy to come in the Middle East. It's a beautiful thing.
3) Communist appeasement of evil is wrong. It hasn't worked. History has proven that. (See Lord Chamberlin's "Peace in Our Time" deal with Hitler and how well that worked....)
4) Contrary to my libertarian friends, I firmly believe in peace through superior firepower.
5) Because I dislike the French, who's current leader Jacques Chirac sold Saddam his first nuclear reactor in 1975 and has consistently ignored the UN's own resoultion to limit trade with Iraq. Talk about giving aid and comfort to the enemy. I bet when we finish, there will be a mess of stuff with "MADE IN FRANCE" stamped on the back.
6) I have yet to see an intelligent arguement about why this war is wrong. The best the protesters can do is "War is stupid" or "Let Exxon fight its own war." No.. the fact that Saddam gassed his own people, rape of women is a standard practice, attacked 2 soverign nations in the last 25 years, and routinely executes political dissenters aren't valid reasons to remove him from power.

For some great pictures, posters, t-shirts and such for the pro-America movement, visit: Protestwarrior.com

Survivor: The Amazon Update

Survivor was on a day early, which presented a challenge to me in remembering to make my picks and such. And then add to that the war on Saddam Hussein (I'll talk about that another time).. it's just been an eventful week.

Here's the scoop... Alex and Shawna were totally digging each other, which left poor Matt in the cold. Matt likes Shawna. Rob doesn't like Matt, but he doesn't trust Alex. Rob and Deena make a deal to help each other advance in the game and take out 1/2 of the new voting bloc. And I had to turn the channel when they started playing the dating game with Shawna. I just couldn't take it. I couldn't stand to hear those 3 guys just fawn all over her.

Reward and Immunity Challenge are won by Tambaqui.. all of whom now know a little bit of sign language courtesy of Christy. It has been great to see how her team was supporting her. Look to see a Butch/Christy pair pop up in the future. Add to that Roger.. maybe Dave who seems to be having a little bit of doubt about the decisions he made... And Dave - are you really that socially incompetent to tell Christy when she asked why she was kept and Jeanne wasn't that "Oh well, Jeanne was first on the boot list then we are getting rid of you." Kudos to Roger for playing nice in the sandbox and at least lying about the reasons why.

Tribal council saw little miss Shawna say good-bye.. Alex started crying. Next week (On WEDNESDAY again) - see Heidi and Jenna do their impersonation of Girls Gone Wild-Survivor Style during the individual immunity challenge after the merge. Till later!

The changing face of feminism

Another great piece of commentary from Wendy McElroy.

Nicole Kidman at the SAG awards

OK.. she looks nice except for the belt thing around her waist but what I really hand a question about was her hands.. anyone know why they are near purple??? Picture from foxnews.com

Survivor: The Amazon update

It's Friday! Guess what that means - time for your weekly dose of post-game analysis courtesy of me. Here's what happened: The youngest members in each tribe (Dave and Jenna) were selected for a reward that included food, shower, clean robes, and a bed that wasn't on the ground with mosquito netting. After dishing about their tribes (though I think Jenna did alot more dishing about the internal politics than Dave), Jeff appeared in the morning to play a game of pick up sticks where new tribes were formed. Jeanne, Christy and Heidi went to Tambuqi (with Dave, Roger and Butch). Matt, Rob, and Alex went Jaburu (with Shawna, Deena, and Jenna).

When the guys showed up, Shawna got better all of a sudden... imagine that. Post-show rumors are that Shawna and Alex are dating.. they were flirting heavily on the show.

Immunity challenge saw the new Jaburu win by a hair. The new girls on Tambuqi decided to vote Butch after a random draw but Dave gave Heidi an offer she couldn't refuse to vote out Jeanne (Dave knew she was next on the old Jaburu boot order thanks to Jenna's big mouth.) And that's who went home last night.

So my analysis... Jeanne needed to go. She was an outsider any which way you looked. Poor Christy may become a victim just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Does Dave actually think that Heidi will look out after him post-merge? Doubt it. He, Butch and Roger are pretty tight. Heidi will try to join back up with Jenna and Shawna if possible. With Shawna and Alex forming a block and Rob saying he will not cast a vote for either Jenna or Shawna if he sees boobies, where does that leave Deena and Matt? Lots of politics. Lots of possible scenarios. I hope that it won't be preditcable.

Remember- Survivor will be on WEDNESDAY due to the NCAA basketball tournament.