Friday, March 28, 2008

Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Bubba Tag

I've been slacking off, and haven't done the "Six Things You Don't Know About Me" meme that Uncle Bubba tagged me with what, maybe two weeks ago, now?

It seems, thanks to Ben, that I am now the last tagged standing.

Here we go. (Warning you: I'm not all that interesting, so bear with.)

I. Last Tuesday, I was called into the office and grilled about the three goldfish left swimming in the water cooler of the supervisors' office. I didn't do it, but I'm kinda enjoying the idea that some think I did.

II. I usually start a book, lose interest about half-way through, and start another, and this pattern just keeps on going. At times I have up to four books, part-way read, on the nightstand. I finish everything, eventually. My interest seems to run in the category of first or second person accounts of somebody else's biography.
Currently on the nightstand:Mother Angelica,Warlord, and Reagan. Recently finished:Shooter and My Grandfather's Son. I highly recommend both of these, by the way. Not for political reasons, but for insights into the times and circumstances about which they were written.

III. I'm up to 297 Pespsi-Points, and starting to pick out the first of my new DVD's and CD's. Go head, and send any Pepsi codes you don't want to the email address in the profile. It's all for a worthy cause.

IV. Like Ben, I also have not read "Atlas Shrugged",and I have no intention of reading it, and I don't give a damn if it's the politically/philosophically/intellectually cool thing to do. Or not.

V. I have no tattoos anywhere on my body. I don't care if other folks want to go that route or not, but personally, nothing is as much a turn-off as seeing them on women. So, to the ladies out there, one good way to avoid my attentions is to ink yourself up. Luckily for me, I grew up before all this ink fetish took hold among the every day population, or I still be without a mate.

VI. I believe that no woman should be required to change a flat tire or stand while an able bodied male sits. So, I'm a chauvinist. Get over it.
This rule is voided if the gal in question has an armful of tattoos or a bunch of hardware piercing her face that resembles a tackle box.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

D.B. Cooper Is Found Alive ...


... and well in the lore of the Pacific Northwest.
The latest:
A tattered, half-buried parachute unearthed by kids had D.B. Cooper country chattering Wednesday over the fate of the skyjacker, who leapt from a plane 36 years ago and into the lore of the Pacific Northwest.


I guess we'll soon know if the chute is authentic or not. If so, then The Man will be able to pinpoint the location of his landing.
It doesn't seem all that likely to me as it's been reported that portions of his money have been found in an unlikely place as to this latest location.

Here's my take:
If this is his buried parachute, then he obviously landed safely, or he could not have buried it. No brainer,there.
But, if he had landed safely, my question is why would he have taken the time to bury the chute instead of just getting to the business at hand of working his way out of the wilderness? What would be the point?
If he feared being tracked, simply stuffing the chute into/under a log or dead tree or something would have been a more efficient use of time.

I think if they ever find Copper, he will be just a few scattered bone fragments, and nothing more.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Crime Story:AKA Grand Theft Taco

How do you score a sackful of tacos?
A YouTuber shows you how its done.
Unfortunately, he took his video down, but like anything posted on the net, nothing is ever gone forever. I found it again, and here it is:

You gotta watch this. Hilarious.


This guy eventually got caught, and here is the story of how that went down.Link

or,
you can skip the news story link, and watch all about it here! where another YouTuber has posted his own video update.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Wear It With Pride

Perfect attire for when you're avoiding dangerous looking negroes, or attending an Obama rally.
Go Ahead,Click It

Friday, March 21, 2008

Why Be Nice?


Sometimes you just can't be nice to some people.

The leader of Germany's Jewish community said on Friday she was surprised Pope Benedict could have allowed a new version of a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews.

It is standard practice for those of any particular religion to wish for the conversion of others. Seriously, if you got something good, you would want to share it with the world, and why not? Religions generally preach charity and niceness, and what could be more charitable and nice than wanting others to share in the spiritual bounty you've been lucky enough to discover?

But I guess it's not nice to be nice to Jews. And now segments of Jewry are getting their panties in twist all over a charitable act of prayer none of them will ever have to listen to.
One day, Jews want Christians to remove Christmas trees.
Another time, they were demanding a change in Christian scriptures over a Mel Gibson movie.
And now lately, this:
Jews criticized the new version because it still says they should recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of all men. It asks that "all Israel may be saved" and Jews say it keeps an underlying call to conversion that they had wanted removed.
This is standard and traditional Christian belief. It's quite charitable of us, in my view, to wish salvation for the Jews after they had tried so hard to eliminate us back in the good old days, when Jews were in charge and weren't thinking about all that tolerance theology they wax poetic about today (now that they are in the minority.)

If you are a Jew, and reading this, here is my offer for a better 'dialogue':

Apologise, formally and profusely, for your crimes against the early Christians and atone for the blood on your own collective hands. (Easter weekend would be a fitting time, considering just what is being celebrated at the moment).

Remove any and all references to 'the Chosen People' from your own religious texts and prayers. I find such highly charged language to be not-very-tolerant, and dispromoting of a religious dialogue.

Stop playing the 'German guilt' card against our Pope. (psst, he's your Pope,too. Even if you don't want to believe it.)

Stop calling us 'gentiles' or 'goyim'. It is non-inclusive, dehumanising and improper for those who are 'more tolerant than thou' to speak of others in this way.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Will Somebody Turn The Damn Thing Off!?


Is it so goddamned unreasonable to expect a boy to confer with The Father of the girl he wants to marry before he proposes and gives her The Ring.





(I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard.)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Little Less Nakedness Comes To Orange County


About 15yrs ago, the wife used to work for a bank processing center. Her schedule had her and another gal there through the night, until about 6am.

One night, the two ladies were sitting in the break room and standing right outside the large window she saw some naked guy with a shirt covering his head and jerking himself. This was about 2am.
The police were called, a report was filed, but the guy was long gone by that time. Over the next two weeks, Mr. Pervert appeared three more times, and then was never seen again.

Fast forward:Link
Authorities in Orange County have captured and charged a man with numerous counts of flashing. I called the (now ex) wife to pass along the story. Going by the M.O., and what she remembers about his features, she thinks it's the same guy from 15yrs ago, but she's only about 90% sure as he wasn't wearing a nice suit at the time.

I have a feeling nobody else will be exposed to him again for at least another 16yrs.

Friday, March 14, 2008

BOTB: Arena Rock Catagory; Chicago Boys

Today we have another one. These two bands played the same hometown circuit, and shared a fan rivalry, neither one breaking fully mainstream until the late 1970's.
Without tipping my hand this time: one is a heavy favorite,my first favorite ever, providing most of my personal background noise(shared with Queen,go figure) when I was in junior high.
I had the full album collection, knew all the songs, and were first concert I ever attended. It was 1978, the Cars, still unknown, were the opening act. And I was damn lucky to get tickets. (Sold Out in minutes, but my neighbor had a friend in the box office).

The other band,though favored by my Chicago-dwelling *cousinery, weren't worth a warm bucket of spit in winter (in my opinion.) And they still aren't.

Among the similarities these two bands share:
Less than macho, piano playing front men.
Albums sales were driven more by the gratuitous 'chick favored' songs as opposed to the solid rock n roll both bands were equally and fully capable of.
The band members really seemed to be enjoying playing together, and had fun doing it.
The mutual respect among the members themselves for their unique strengths, allowing each a chance to showcase himself.

And to add: there doesn't seem to be much available video of either band from their shared heyday. But all kinds of stuff from the geriatric tours.

But, now it's time: you be the judge.

REO Speedwagon, from LiveAid,1985


VS

Styx, at Budokan,1982



*cousinery: a new word used to described a class of people to which one is related, extending beyond the immediate family, and includes people you generally only see at funerals and weddings.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

An Answer To A Question


Not bad.













(oh,I need to correct that. According to a published report, she was only costing $1,000 per hour. still a lot, if you ask me. but, what do i know about the price of hookers? zilch.)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Excuse me, but I was just wondering what a $5,000 per hour whore looks like.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

It Ain't Wrong If It's Legal


Sharper Image, retailer of overpriced crap nobody needs, .has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Not a good thing,but it sure beats Chapter 17.

Naturally, there is some fallout for consumers. Seems SI had sold a butt load of gift cards during the last holiday season, and now won't redeem them. This is theft.

Apparently, according to published reports, retailers view gift card holders as debtors, and Chapter 11 protection means they don't have to honor those cards.
To that, I say "Bullshit".
In practice, gift cards are merchandise bought and not yet picked up by the consumer.
The money has been received. It is not a debt. Debts are money owed, often with interest charged, or in the case of a retail store, due within a prescribed time-frame before additional fees are added.

When the standard retail mark-up is factored into the goods, redeemed gift cards are a net profit for the issuer, and not an account paid. Unredeemed/unhonored gift cards are free money. A wind fall.

With this announcement of the Chapter 11 filing last month, hordes of gift card recipients flooded SI stores to redeem their cards before SI closed their doors.
It wasn't pleasant for an college age associate to have to deal with irate customers when instructed to inform them their cards were not being accepted.
As Loving Dad to one of these associates, I had to deal with the fallout as well.
(Guess who she calls whenever she has a bad day?)

It ain't right for the bigwigs at corporate to issue rules to it's field hands that essentially amount to theft. It's even more hypocritical when the field hands who are suspected of the same thing are dealt with harshly.

"If I steal five bucks, they call security, and I get handcuffs. But they steal $100 from a customer, and that's called a policy."

Welcome to the business world,Sweetheart.

(deleted)

Never mind.
On second reading, it wasn't that funny.

Friday, March 07, 2008

All Your Babies Are Belong To Us

Recently, a judge in California has ruled that parents do not have a right to home school their children, and therefore state regulations and requirements pertaining to home schooled kids must be followed. The case in question regarded a mother homeschooling her kids without the state-mandated (and issued) teacher credential.(LINK)

"California courts have held that ... parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey said in the 3-0 ruling issued on Feb. 28. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws.
This is troublesome for liberty on many counts. Personally, I believe that no parent should be required to educate their child at all. And when done, the parents should be the ones who decide what will be taught, and how much their kids are required to learn. Feel free to disagree with me, or not, and even hurl a few invectives if you so wish. Fact is: government screws the pooch on everything they say they're gonna do for us, and is not able to respect all citizens, and their personal values, once politics gets involved.

We currently have in California thousands of kids, taken into the government system, who are graduated without any education to speak of. My step-son has a couple friends: decent kids, from a shitty family background who are no less intelligent than any other 20yr olds running the neighborhood. Both of these boys cannot read past a Dr. Seuss level. I shit you not. I seen it myself. And they have High School diplomas. Step-son usually helps them fill out simple things, like employment applications, and reads them the directions on whatever widget they just bought. These kids are not idiots. Not in the slightest. But they are uneducated. And products of the California Education System.

And what happens when a parent doesn't follow the mandates for miseducation in California?

Parents can be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply, Croskey
said.

"With this case law, anyone in California who is homeschooling without a teaching credential is subject to prosecution for truancy violation, which could require community service, heavy fines and possibly removal of their children under allegations of educational neglect,"


...statutes require children ages 6 to 18 to attend a full-time day school,
either public or private, or to be instructed by a tutor who holds a state
credential for the child's grade level.


Whole lotta good it did for these two boys, didn't it?

Of course, nothing happens in the California courts without the approval of the state teachers' union. I'll quote this union thug for you:
"We're happy," said Lloyd Porter, who is on the California Teachers Association board of directors. "We always think students should be taught by credentialed teachers, no matter what the setting."
Maybe I'll add: all corrugated packaging used in California should be manufactured by card-carrying members of United Paperworkers International. See how ridiculous this sounds? Why does the Teachers Union get a pass?

"With this case law, anyone in California who is homeschooling without a
teaching credential is subject to prosecution for truancy violation, which could
require community service, heavy fines and possibly removal of their children
under allegations of educational neglect
,"

Now, I want to know, who is going to arrest and prosecute the teachers and administrators responsible for the non-education of the thousands of our kids in California who got screwed by the state?
Of course, nobody will.
Because they never were our kids in the first place.
They belong to the state.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Battle Of The Bands, Modern Punk Era,Sub Catagory: Paddybeat

Gorky Park pulled out a narrow victory in the last match up. Personally,I find that the Scorpions are more talented and musically complex than the basically primal Gorky Park. But 'primal' speaks to me, and is why I prefer them, and I still play my now-dated GP CD's on a regular basis.

Way back when this catholic boy was confirmed, Patrick of Ireland was chosen as a personal patron. This month, those of us who know better will be marking his feast day with prayer, contemplation, and just enough celebration to honor his life's work and service to the Lord.
With that in mind, this week's battle goes out to all you jig-hopping, green beer chuggin,freckled-babe lovin, Cromwell hatin, former subjects of Her Royal Majesty.

Flogging Molly


VS

Dropkick Murphys

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Soon To Be Tamed

It appears to me the Democrats will soon be free of their Hillary problem. From my vantage point, I can't honestly see where she was ever qualified to be a presidential front runner, let alone the over-the-top fawning adoration she's received as some sort of feminist icon.
She wants to tout her experience, but there is nobody out there calling her bluff. Just what is her experience?

-OK, so she graduated from Yale. Big whoop tie doo. Considering it was folks with this caliber of educational pedigree that has screwed up most of everything the government was promising to do for us, a Yale degree,it seems, don't count for much.

-A partner in the prestigious Rose Law Firm. She wasn't there for trials. Her job was to use her marriage to the governor, and subsequent contacts, to find clients by offering the promise of having an 'in' with the governor's office.

-As First Lady of Arkansas, she took it upon herself to run the educational system. After ten years, Arkansas public schools were placing 49th out of 50 states.

-In the White House, one of her first tasks was to lead the search for the first female to become Attorney General. After successive failures, she eventually managed to get Janet Reno, a disastrous AG from any standpoint, confirmed.

-She led the Clinton Health Care debacle. Need I say more?

-She managed the never-ending 'Bimbo Eruptions', and the subsequent investigation and harassment of all of her husband's mistresses. Eventually, even this proved too much for her when Paula Jones refused to go away, leading to perjury charges against her husband, impeachment, disbarment, and a large settlement payout to Ms. Jones.

-Her Best Seller, "It Takes A Village" was actually ghostwritten.

I think the Democrats are wise to choose Obama.
Obama has near zilch in the way of public policy expertise. Given his charm and likeability, there is a chance he may actually accomplish something.
Hillary's experience has already shown that she cannot.