Saturday, December 31, 2005

 

Happy New Year

Thought the sky-writer had a good idea.

 

@#$%^&*&*%$#@*&^%@

I finally got a DVD player last December... December 2004. I've kind of messed around trying to get it hooked up. I would buy a cable here and there when finding that what was supplied didn't do the trick. At this time, I have the following parts. I tried to hook it up through the VCR, this morning, and got a blue picture with no sound. I finally took pictures and put them all together. I printed it out and might take it to the local Radio Shack (if I can find the place - I guess it's in the phone book) and ask them for help. All I want to do is plug the damn DVD player into the TV and watch (and hear) the DVD! Oh, and that stupid User's Manual provided.....It only shows how to hook it up if you have the newer TV! F*ckers!! Take deep breath! *smiling* but I'm okay now:) Buying Your First DVD PlayerIf you have an older TV set, the AV receptacles described above may not be present, in which case there's a possible big problem: it might not be easy to hook a DVD player up to your TV. If your older TV doesn't have AV receptacles, I'd recommend postponing the purchase of a DVD player until you get a newer TV—after all, videotape is still a pretty good way to watch a movie. However, if you're bound and determined to hook up a DVD player to your older TV set, you can probably do it. If your TV set provides a cable TV-style (that is, coaxial) connector, you can probably connect the cables that come with the DVD player to your TV through a device called an RF modulator, which you can buy for $20 to $30. And by the way, you might think you could get around this problem by connecting your DVD player to a VCR that is in turn connected to a TV, but this is usually a bad idea: the video and/or audio you get when you play a DVD with this setup is likely to be unsatisfactory.

 

Saturday cat blogging

Cotton thought he should get equal time.

Friday, December 30, 2005

 

pigeons

Must take nap, but meanwhile, here's something that gave me a laugh!

 

Friday cat blogging

Mango just hanging out with ma.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

 

Wildfires

Wildfires Char Homes in Oklahoma, Texas
CROSS PLAINS, Texas (AP) -- By the time the smoke cleared Wednesday, more than 100 homes across wildfire-stricken Texas and Oklahoma lay in ruins and at least five people were dead, including two elderly women trapped in their homes by the flames.

The hardest-hit community during Tuesday's blazes was Cross Plains, a West Texas ranching and oil-and-gas town of 1,000 people some 150 miles from Dallas. Cross Plains also lost about 50 homes and a church after the flames raced through grass dried out by the region's worst drought in 50 years...
What a horrible thing to happen, especially during a drought. According to articles, many different things helped fan the blazes.
...Wind gusting to 40 mph drove the flames across nearly 20,000 acres in the two states. At least 73 blazes were reported in Texas over two days, and dozens more broke out in Oklahoma.

Fires were still smoldering Wednesday in four Texas counties. One new fire broke out Wednesday in an isolated area of eastern Oklahoma but was quickly contained.

Severe drought set the stage for the fires, which authorities believe were started mostly by people shooting off fireworks, tossing cigarettes or burning trash in spite of bans imposed because of the drought. A fallen power line apparently started one Oklahoma blaze...
What type of natural calamity will happen next, I wonder?

I know this is pretty nasty of me to say, but at least it wasn't the trees that caused all the hardship. You know how they alway say that because the loggers weren't allowed to go in and log, the forrest fires were worse than they would have been.

 

Road Rage - Something we'd all like to see

From an E-mail sent from my friend whose goal in life is to fill my E-mail basket.

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up!

He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. "I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

 

Kitty update

Rocky Girl and Lady Fortuna. Rocky Girl still runs when I reach down to pet her, in the living room. When I'm trying to sleep, she wants to be petted and played with. She is a darling loving cat, just as her other ma said. Lady Fortuna, on the other hand, is not too enthused about being held and petted. When I put her down, she attacks any cat near, because she's pissed. They are both getting along fine with the boys.

 

Ouch....

Darwin Awards Take a look at the entries entitled Tree vs. Man, Damned if You Do..., and Crash Course for High Flyers.

Monday, December 26, 2005

 

Outrageous

Media Matters for America has an interesting article called: Most outrageous statements of 2005. I am only going to show one. You'll have to click on over there for the rest.
Rush Limbaugh: "Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 8/12/05]
I detest Limbaugh at the same level as my detestation for Ann Coulter.

Hat tip to Reality Based Nation

 

Trees at the side of the road

It was misty on Saturday, when I took this photo. It was not too cold, though. It was a beautiful day. I saw the trees and thought the colors, though muted, were still incredible. This small portion of forrest reminded me of photos from the wilderness at Roundrock Journal.

 

Time for Dreams

Common Dreams, that is. Here's an article from Ralph Nader. Bush/Cheney Have Disgraced Their Office; They Should Resign
...An illegal, criminal war means that every related U.S. death and injury, every related Iraqi civilian death and injury, every person tortured, every home and building destroyed become war crimes as a result - under established international law.

There are those on talk radio or cable shows who scoff at international law. They rarely tell their audiences that the United States has played a key role in establishing these treaties, like the Geneva Conventions, and the United Nations Charter. When these treaties are agreed to by the U.S. government, they become as binding as our federal laws.

By these legal standards and by the requirements of the U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, the war-declaring authority), George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are probably the most impeachable President and Vice President in American history. An illegal war based on lies, deceptions, cover-ups and their repetition even after being told by officials in their own administration - not to mention critical retired generals, diplomats and security specialists - of their falsity should have prodded the House of Representatives into initiating impeachment proceedings. But then, Bush did not lie under oath about sex...
It always seemed crazy to me how we are quick to yell about other countries not abiding by the Geneva Conventions, but we feel that it's fine for us not to. Further down in the article, Nader talks about the Domestic Eavesdropping.
...The crime, says Professor David Cole of Georgetown Law School, is "punishable by five years in prison." Professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington University Law School said that the President ordered such a crime and ordered US officials to commit it..this is a serious felony..what happened here is not just a violation of Federal law, it's a violation of the U.S. Constitution.an impeachable offense."...
And there we have it. It's time to clean up the government. Having criminals in the presidential and vice-presidential seats of our country does not look good for the USA. How can we tell other countries that what they're doing is wrong, when we have leaders like this? It makes us a laughingstock to the world.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

 

It's Sunday... ok, it's also Christmas

but that won't stop me from posting this link... Bible Verses for the day, from Landover Baptist Church

Saturday, December 24, 2005

 

Happy Holidays! Stay safe, my friends!

It was misty and gray, all day. The weather didn't stop these crows from flying around.
I was searching for just the right look to put on my Happy Holidays post when I saw this full tree branch.

I guess no Christmas is complete unless the decorated tree is shown. Note that the star is made from specimen tubes. The tree is more subdued, this year, than it has been in the past.

 

Why did no one tell me?

Kung Fu Dancing Hamster
Ganesh
Some fun links from Froogle. I never knew there were Kung Fu Dancing Hamsters. I didn't realize how popular Ganesh was, either.
Vedy interesting *should be read in an Arte Johnson voice*
Hmmm. I guess the Internet(s) say the character, Wolfgang, played by Johnson, said, "Verrry interesting."

 

Mr or Mrs Seven, I presume?

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
I have to steal the first one as a mix from Scoutprime and Eli
1. Outlive George Bush and piss on his grave
2. take a long vacation
3. win powerball
4. read all the books in my place
5. hook up my dvd player
6. finish "Time for a Trailride"
7. finish the 2 paintings I started in July

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1. roll my tongue
2. spell separate without looking it up
3. get enough sleep
4. understand directions for putting some things together
5. Go through my clothes and get rid of the too small (some day I might be able to fit into them)
6. Get down to the weight I want to be
7. Clean the clutter out of my home

Seven Things That Attract Me to...Blogging
1. showing pictures of my cats
2. ranting to an unknown audience (I just imagine them all naked)
3. I can say whatever I want to say (yeah, a lot of rot, sometimes)
4. Other bloggers are great
5. Comments are cool
6. outlet for my short stories
7. outlet for bad bad poetry

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Well, hell
2. dammit to hell
3. kitty kitty kitty
4. you're such a cute boy
5. awwwww
6. and just when did you tell me?
7. stupid computer/code

Seven Books That I Love
1. The Skook - J.P. Miller
2. Chromosome 6 - Robin Cook
3. Four to Score - Janet Evanovich
4. Side Effects - Michael Palmer
5. Reflex - Dick Francis
6. Fire Horse - Bill Shoemaker
7. Contagion - Robin Cook

Seven Movies That I Watch Over and Over Again
1. Adventures in Babysitting
2. They Live
3. Blazing Saddles
4. The Jerk
5. La Fortuna (Can't remember title of this movie. I have it somewhere, can't find it, wanted to watch it, recently - If anyone knows the name, feel free to chime in. It had to do with a beautiful apartment complex with a garden courtyard space in the middle. The residents hung out on their steps and learned/co-existed with each other. Some new bold architect wanted to create a new bizarre type complex and the residents had to go to city hall to fight to keep what was there).
6. She-Devil
7. While you were Sleeping

Seven + People I Want To Join In Too
1. SB_Gypsy
2. Andi Allen
3. Rexroth's Daughter
4. Dread Pirate Roberts
5. afarensis
6. The Fat Lady Sings
7. MissouriSmile
This was actually a lot of fun. If you don't want to play, that's fine, too. If you weren't tagged, you can still put your answers in the comments:)

 

Memery is Finished!

Back in October, afarensis hit me up with the following meme. I finally finished it. I'm not happy with the finished product, but it will have to do.

1. Of all the books that you have eventually finished after many starts & stops, which one took you the longest and how long did it eventually take? I cannot answer that question. There are so many books that I have started, stopped, lost, found again, restarted, misplaced, found again and found place, and finally finished, or lost again. No titles stand out in my mind, though.

2. What great band (or album or song) have you heard so often, you wouldn't mind never hearing again even though you still think the band (or album or song) is great? I don't have any, but if I did, it would be either Aerosmith or AC/DC. I don't particularly like either group, but they have had some good songs. The radio used to play them too much.

3. Which cliché or often cited quote needs to be placed in quarantine for a few decades? "Can you hear me, now?"

4. During the 1990s "Compassion Fatigue" received a lot of press, now the media is giddy with "Donation Fatigue". What will be the next trendy fatigue? Queen had a fantastic song called, "The Prophet's Song" from the album, A Night at the Opera.
...Oh oh people of the earth
Listen to the warning
The prophet he said
For soon the cold of night will fall
Summoned by your own hand...
No, that's not the answer to the question. I don't have an answer.

5. What percentage of respondents will answer "meme fatigue" to question #4? I don't know.

I think I'll pass this on to:
Eli
scoutprime

Friday, December 23, 2005

 

This is funny - even though it's not

humor, so to speak. Watch them all back down and try to make as if that was what they were thinking all along.
"I thought the Thomas More Law Center made a huge mistake in taking this case and in pushing this case to the extent they did," Santorum said Wednesday. He said he would end his affiliation with the center.

The leading Democratic challenger in Santorum's 2006 re-election battle, state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr., accused him of backtracking on intelligent design.

Casey spokesman Larry Smar said Wednesday that Santorum's statements were "yet another example of 'Election Year Rick' changing his positions for political expediency." Casey has led Santorum in recent polls.
Santorum Breaks Ties With Law Center

 

Well, well, well

Iraqis March, Say Elections Were Rigged
Large demonstrations broke out across the country Friday to denounce parliamentary elections that protesters say were rigged in favor of the main religious Shiite coalition.
I wonder what would give them that idea? You know, they should just shut up and be happy we brought them democracy...and liberation... and soldiers to fight all those insurgents that came over their borders... and all the depleted uranium they could use. *Snark*

 

Friday cat model blogging and griping.

I get home from work and look at my E-mail and what do I see? Well, it wasn't a Christmas gift of $300.00. No, it was:
You've been tagged...
http://scoutprime.blogspot.com/2005/12/ive-been-tagged.html
scout
.
So, I go to check the comments on the last post and what do I see? It wasn't a Christmas gift of $300.00, either. No, it was:
Tag! You're it!

Mwahahahaha...
Eli | Homepage | 12.23.05 - 12:01 am | #


What does that have to do with Friday cat blogging, you ask? Not a thing. I just wanted to gripe a little.
Now, if you look at the cat model at the top left, you'll see Cotton, who's modeling a beautiful white cat fur coat. The next model, top, is Mango. He's modeling the latest in cat fur sleeping wear. In the middle is Rocky Girl. She's modeling a cat fur outfit perfect to wear as a cat burgler. Our final model, Lady Fortuna, is just showing off her Tiger blanket.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

 

Dammit!

AV companies admit huge errors
Symantec, Norton, McAfee AV flawed...THERE ARE holes in the libraries of anti-virus products from Symantec, and Norton which could be used to gain control of an infected machine....

...AntiVirus Library’s job is to detect malware by looking at a number of files in different formats. ...

...If the virus writer knows what they are doing, they can remotely control the library to gain complete control over the affected system. ...

...Symantec said the flaw affects AntiVirus Corporate Editon, Brightmail Anti-Spam; Client Security; Gateway Security; Norton AntiVirus; Norton Antivirus for Macintosh; Norton AntiVirus for Microsoft Exchange; and Norton Internet Security...
I have very little to say except it burns the hell out of me that I have to protect my computer because others choose to make viruses, trojan horses, and whatever else, they have out there, that can attack a computer. Whatever happened to the concept of leaving other folks' stuff alone?

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

 

Of course, it's true. It was in an E-mail...

and E-mails are always true, so I didn't think I had to look it up to make sure it's true. Isn't that the way news is reported? ...and no, I cannot name my source.

Thought you would be interested in this info.............

The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged they had, covertly, funded a project with U.S. auto makers for the past 5 years. The auto makers were installing black box voice recorders in four-wheel drive pickup trucks and SUVs in an effort to determine the circumstances of fatal accidents in the last 15 seconds before the crash.

They were surprised to find in 44 of the 50 states, the recorded last words of drivers in 61.2 percent of fatal crashes were, "Oh Shit!"

Only the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Texas were different where 89.3 percent of the final words were: "Hold my beer. I'm gonna try something."

 

What do you mean, "I have to get up"?

The picture says it all:) She really is a sweet cat.

 

We're all risk takers

Back in college, my Communications professor started one session, telling us why he considers himself a, "Risktaker". Sure, the examples he gave were exciting and daring, but.... While I don't eat out as much as some folks, I do tend to go to lunch buffets at Pizza or Chinese places. When I read articles like this, though, I am reminded of the risks involved in eating away from home, but then I remember that just about everything we do has risks, of some sort. Court OKs Payments in Hepatitis Case

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Nearly 5,000 people who got inoculations to ward off hepatitis will be each mailed checks for $162.23 next month from the bankrupt restaurant chain tied to a food-poisoning outbreak two years ago.

Chi-Chi's Inc. will pay $800,000 to those who had to get shots because they ate at a western Pennsylvania restaurant during the outbreak or because they were closely related to someone who got sick.

More than 600 people were sickened, and four eventually died, from eating at the Chi-Chi's in the Beaver Valley Mall. The settlement doesn't cover those who sued for other medical damages or death...

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

 

Sunny day, perhaps tomorrow will be warmer.


 

That's for sure!

WASHINGTON Calling Bush a president and not a king, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold says Bush overstepped his authority when he approved spying on suspected terrorists without court orders.
Feingold, Democrats blast Bush for domestic spying
I was looking for the quote, after having heard it several times on NPR, and I found several sites suggesting Feingold for President in 2008. He would be a much better candidate than Hillary, in my opinion. I wonder why I never ran across those sites before?
I enjoy reading that bit about not being a king. Dangerous Moves by Bush, and the Need for the People to Act In Their Own Interests an article from a newspaper called, Revolution has this:
Feingold said, "He is a president, not a king." Feingold later said, "The issue here is whether the president of the United States is putting himself above the law, and I believe he has done so."

Sunday, December 18, 2005

 
From AOL Welcome screen... Loving The Job You Hate
I don't hate either job, but the ten tips listed are pretty good.

Something else, totally unrelated to above, I ran across.... Our Leader celebrates another success. Look closely at the necklace.

 

Check out his photos, too.

I'm glad he's not too busy, taking photos of himself in the mirror, to write. Eli usually writes some very thought provoking posts at his blog. As I read this one, I thought, Isn't that the truth?
Breaking The Law Is AWESOME!!!
...However, there is one aspect of it that I haven't seen addressed, and that is the discrepancy between the level of anti-terrorism commitment the Administration pretends to have, vs. the level of commitment they've actually demonstrated thus far...
...For me, it begs the question: Is preventing terror attacks the end which justifies the means of violating individual rights, or are those violations an end unto themselves?
Good question. I'm beginning to think (or maybe that thought was there, but now being visualized) that the violations ARE an end unto themselves.

 

Slept late, missed church

As if... heh! Well, since it's Sunday, I did visit the Landover Baptist Church site. I had to have my religion fix, you know! Anyway, what did I find? King Kong movie review is up and, boy howdy, Pastor Deacon Fred doesn't mince words!

 

Took kitty photos today

The first kitty is Sgt Mango Goldstein. He's trying to keep warm by laying on the register. To the right of him is Sweet Lady Fortuna. She was definitely worth the donation to the Humane Society. The cat under Mango is Rocky. She's a beautiful semi longhaired tortoise-shell, but this is as close as I can get to her at this time. She moved in on Tuesday. She was living at a home that had 17 cats, several dogs, and one person. She is supposed to be a very friendly tame cat. You can't tell it by my hands. She bit me several times, two different occasions, on Wednesday. I decided to let her take her time getting to know me. Cotton is the other cat. His sadness, about Saddie being gone, has slightly lifted. Lady Fortuna and he have devised a little game to play. She hides behind a doorway and jumps out at him when he walks by. They are both very gentle shy cats and play sweetly.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

 

this could be good news for some folks

Now, Rightwingnuts and easychair warmongerers might be able to join the fight in Iraq & Afghanistan: Army accepts more low-aptitude recruits
WASHINGTON – The Army met its recruiting goal for November by again accepting a high percentage of recruits who scored in the lowest category on the military’s aptitude tests, Pentagon officials said Thursday, raising renewed concerns that the quality of the all-volunteer force will suffer.
The Army exceeded its 5,600 recruit goal by 256 for November, while the Army Reserve brought in 1,454 recruits, exceeding its target by 112. To do so, they accepted a “double digit” percentage of recruits who scored between 16 and 30 out of a possible 99 on the military’s aptitude test, said officials who requested anonymity...
Hat-tip to WhatReallyHappened.com.

 

WTF

White House faces twin reversals Torture ban has convert in President.
In a reversal, the president bowed to pressure from the GOP-controlled Congress and accepted the proposal put forth by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on handling foreign terrorism suspects and limiting interrogation tactics used by U.S. troops.

Bush’s reluctant endorsement yesterday came after months of opposition that included White House veto threats of any bill that contained the McCain provisions.

"This is the democratic system working," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today on CBS’ "Early Show."
I didn't understand all the war mongering nuts excusing the torturing of the Iraqi prisoners. I don't see how it is okay for us to torture, but enemies are not supposed to torture. I think it's a good thing that Bush was forced to endorse the proposal and believe he and his admin are going to use this (as a "look how wonderful we are" tool) to the fullest possible, even though they had to, more or less, be forced to accept it.

Friday, December 16, 2005

 

A happier time...

Friday Cat blogging. Now, I don't have to worry about getting home in time. It is snowing out there and I have to go drive around in it! Hell!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

 

Space, the Final Frontier

I wanted to see if this would show what was next to the moon. If you clicked on the last picture in this post, it shows a nice clear view.... of Mars:)

 

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.

I saw this article, earlier today. I copied down the address thinking, "hey that would be blogworthy." Is the Pentagon spying on Americans?
...“The documents tell me that military intelligence is back conducting investigations and maintaining records on civilian political activity. The military made promises that it would not do this again,” he says...
...Since March 2004, CIFA has awarded at least $33 million in contracts to corporate giants Lockheed Martin, Unisys Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation and Northrop Grumman to develop databases that comb through classified and unclassified government data, commercial information and Internet chatter to help sniff out terrorists, saboteurs and spies...
...One of the CIFA-funded database projects being developed by Northrop Grumman and dubbed “Person Search,” is designed “to provide comprehensive information about people of interest.” It will include the ability to search government as well as commercial databases. Another project, “The Insider Threat Initiative,” intends to “develop systems able to detect, mitigate and investigate insider threats,” as well as the ability to “identify and document normal and abnormal activities and ‘behaviors,’” according to the Computer Sciences Corp. contract...
I know the article says they're getting information on terrorists, saboteurs and spies, but how do they know who is who? Paranoid yet? I am too.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

 

Untouched

I took some pictures of the moon, the other night.

There was something to the left of the moon.

I heard that Mars can be seen, just now.

Now, we know what Mars looks like!

 

Hell NO, I don't want another donut!

Krispy Kreme Lingerie Calendar. I decided not to actually post the picture. However, looking at it might make me think twice about that 6th donut or 13th cookie. Luckily, I'm not that much of a Krispy Kreme donut fan. I can eat one or two, but they're not my favorites. Dunkin Donuts, on the other hand...

 

They really are hypocrites...

The title made me look again....Rice: World Not Helping With Saddam Trial. My question is... Who insisted on going to Iraq?
WASHINGTON - The world has shirked its duty to help prosecute Saddam Hussein, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday. "The international community's effective boycott of Saddam's trial is only harming the Iraqi people, who are now working to secure the hope of justice and freedom that Saddam long denied them," Rice said...

Excuse me... but what about the harm being done to them now-a-days? Who's going to be prosecuted for the 30,000 + innocents that died, so far, during our occupation?

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

 

Hatred, Rape, Abuse

The Fat Lady Sings has an article posted at Daily Kos, asking the question: Why Do So Many Men Hate Women?
There are a lot of men out there who really hate women. I mean really, really hate them - want them suffering and/or dead hate them As with a certain class of racist, they prefer to blame every woman for any slight - real or imagined - done to them throughout the entirety of their lives. I have been appalled lately by the tone and tenor of rhetoric flying around especially as regards the subject of rape.

I posted on this issue - here, and at a variety of other web sites, most of whom were either discussing the Oregon Case, or the anniversary of the Canadian Massacre. You would think that, universally, rape would be considered wrong - along with all violence against women. Well - evidently that's not the case. Many men went beyond mere paternalistic chiding that we woman were too `fixated' on the subject; I read posts overflowing with name-calling, venom spewing gender specific hatred; some of the comments tipping the scale so far into the red, alarms went off.
I have no answers. I wish there wasn't hatred in the world. Since there is, I wish haters would find a way to get along with the people they hate. Rape is an ugly hate crime. I remember back some years ago, reading a newspaper article about an angry father who castrated his daughter's rapist. I'm not going to say that was the right way to handle it, but I can certainly understand why he did it. In The Fat Lady Sings' post at her blog, she has taken a couple comments and discussed them. Apparently, one fellow has indicated that 45-50% rapes being reported are shams. Oh, really? I wonder where he got his information. I know a couple women who did not report being raped for fear (or embarrassment) that other people would find out they had been raped. As far as spousal abuse goes, no one should ever have to stay in an abusive relationship.

 

Cloud photos

Clouds over some buildings.

Moon hiding in the clouds.


Clouds were moving quickly through the sky. I kept trying to get a nice moon shot. Looks like the moon's color is purple. Now we know!

 

Psychedelic sky

I was driving home, last evening, and the sky was very odd. One side was redish and the other side was bluish. By the time I got home, the colors had merged.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

 

A good reason to hate winter

If you're a whale or a dolphin, don't go to Cape Cod... Just sayin...
Nine Whales, 24 Dolphins Die on Cape Cod
BREWSTER, Mass. (AP) -- More than two dozen whales and dolphins became stranded on the shores of Cape Cod Bay last week, and experts say the snowstorm may have contributed to their deaths.

In all, at least nine pilot whales and 24 dolphins died. Five of the whales and seven of the dolphins had to be euthanized, while the rest were found dead, according to Kristen Patchett of the Cape Cod Stranding Network, a group that works to free stranded animals...
Winds, tide fluctuations, & possible illnesses, are also considered to be reasons the whales and dolphins were trapped/stranded.

 

Crazy, the world has gone!

12 people arrested in riot in Australia
Twelve people were arrested during a riot at Cronulla beach of Sydney, Australia's largest city, on Sunday in which mobs attacked people of Middle Eastern appearance.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people gathered at the beach in response to calls to retaliate for the bashing of two lifeguards a week ago, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio...

...Meanwhile, NSW Ambulance Service said one of its vehicles, which had been transporting six injured people, was attacked.

One ambulance officer was hit over the head with a glass bottle and another on board received lacerations...
More violence against people of Middle Eastern appearance - this time in Australia. It's downright scary how much hatred has been released into the world. I think the Iraq war was a Pandora's Box. When shrub insisted on attacking them, the winds of evil were allowed to run rampant. Oh, I know... 9/11 was actually the start of the evil winds. That may be true, but Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Another link Reader reaction to the riots which has additional information on the violence noted in the article above, as well as reader comments.

Speaking of 9/11, there is a great Doonesbury cartoon that really should be read.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

 

Saturday kitties


Ah, here's Cotton.

Lady Fortuna is sitting and watching

Mango is playing with his new mouse. Actually, all three were given their own individual mouse. These don't seem to have enough catnip, though. Cotton kept asking, "Where are the other ones?" I picked up some, one year, that must have been loaded with the stuff because he seems to remember.

 

The world has gone crazy!

Police seal village after killing protesters
BEIJING (AP) - Armed with guns and shields, hundreds of riot police sealed off a southern Chinese village after fatally shooting as many as 10 demonstrators and were searching for the protest organizers, villagers said yesterday.

It was the deadliest known use of force by security forces against Chinese civilians since the killings around Tiananmen Square in 1989 and marked an escalation in the social protests that have convulsed the Chinese countryside.

During the demonstration Tuesday in Dongzhou, a village in southern Guangdong province, thousands of people gathered to protest the amount of money offered by the government as compensation for land to be used to construct a wind power plant.
There is so much violence, all over. I wonder if it would be as bad if we hadn't decided to occupy Iraq? I think that this possibly would have happened, anyway, knowing how strict the Chinese country has been, but then I think, too, if there wasn't so much violence, elsewhere, these police might have been more compassionate. It reminds me of the original "Star Trek" episode The Day of the Dove where the intruder fed off the hatred of the Klingons and Enterprise crew members. Of course, being a TV show, once they started laughing with each other, the entity fled.

 

Photos from the last couple days.

For some reason, this photo reminds me of the wildlife documentaries of the lions in Africa.
More of the sun on the same day.
It snowed the other day so I had to run out and get some snow pictures. I like the differences of color with the grass, snow, and the area directly under the grass.
The snow hadn't yet had a chance to melt off the tree.
This picture was for the snow laden bushes. The buildings looked interesting, too.

Friday, December 09, 2005

 

Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat

Retiring is too good for him. I'd like to place him in Iraq where the Insurgents grow. I read the headline Talk Rumsfeld to quit re-emerges and reading further, I find that Rumsfeld is saying he's not retiring. Now, what is the first thing we learned about these bastards? It's that they lie lie lie, and then after all the Fundies and Rightwingnuts badmouth the Liberals for even suggesting such a thing (whatever it is) the truth comes out. By then, the Liberals have had so much abuse heaped on them that they are uneasy about saying anything more. That is how those bastards have gotten as far as they have!

 

Friday Cat Blogging - Featuring Sgt Mango

Mango Blair...

Thursday, December 08, 2005

 

Lady Fortuna

This picture was taken during Lady Fortuna's first week with us. She still hangs out on the bed, but now and again, she forays into the living room. I told a friend that I think that during her depressive state, she must have channelled Saddie, because she has done several (endearing) things that he used to do, but only once, each action, so far.

 

Looking for answers

The Green Knight: 10 Questions useful responses to 10 common questions about the Iraq war.

Hat tip: The Gypsy's Caravan

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

 

No title needed:)

Lost is on the TV and must not be keeping my attention too well. I'm also reading my E-mail...

 

Sharing my E-mail

Associated Press Newswire
Washington DC
December 04, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------

There will be no Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this year.

The Supreme Court has ruled that there can not be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this Christmas season. This isn't for any religious reason, they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol.

There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.


What? Why are you looking at me like that? :)

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

 

Perhaps, it's only active at night.

Researchers to trap mysterious cat-fox animal
...Swiss-based environmental group WWF said on Monday its researchers photographed the strange animal, which looks like a cross between a cat and a fox, in the dense, central mountainous rainforests of Borneo...
...Researchers hope to confirm the discovery by setting cage traps to catch a live specimen, but warn that Indonesian government plans to clear the rainforest to create the world's largest palm oil plantation may interfere with plans, WWF said...
So, they plan to clear the rainforest. They find a new creature, but it's habitat is going to be razed. That really sucks. It seems there is very little protection for the non-human creatures on this planet. When I read this story, I was reminded of last bit of the song,
The Last Chant, by Jim Stafford...
Sometimes I wonder what you'd do
If a swamp moved in on you
Scratched on your screen, slipped down your waterspout,
Tapped you on yr'shoulder'n'said 'You move out.'

 

I don't understand this... at all.

Red State Rabble posted some links to the story about Professor Mirecki being beaten up. If you recall, I posted about him, here: E-mail can be a bitch sometimes. He is the religious teacher who had sent an E-mail, referring to religious conservatives as "fundies", etc.. His Chancellor pulled his E-mails and reviewed them over the weekend so Mirecki ended up apologizing and pulling the class. Anyway, Last night, afarensis linked to the Red State Rabble's Mirecki being beaten up by two men. The story is from this Lawrence Journal World newspaper article, Mirecki hospitalized after beating. They have several updating post along with a video from their TV News.
My Questions... Why did these jerks beat him up? What did he do to them?

 

I like this exit strategy suggestion!

...Any CEO of a corporation who screwed up as many things as George W. Bush would have been fired by its board of directors...

Mr. Bush, Have I Got An Exit Strategy For You by Gus R. Stelzer.
...Earlier this year, Terri Schiavo lay in a permanent coma connected to a feeding tube. Her husband said she would have wanted that tube removed. But Republican members of Congress passed a resolution to maintain the tube, causing Bush to fly from his ranch in Texas to Washington to sign that legislation. As his pen was poised to sign the document, Bush said, "If there is an error in this matter, it is best to err on the side of life." Why didn't Bush make that same judgment in early 2003 when millions of Americans protested against a possible invasion of Iraq, as did many foreign leaders? Bush had no qualms about killing and wounding thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians. In view of his miserable record, his arrogant lack of good judgment and his failure to understand the gravity of his record, President Bush (and Vice President Dick Cheney) should be shown the exit door with a proviso to never darken the Oval Office again. That should be exit strategy No. 1!...
The bolding in the text is mine. Actually, the whole paragraph should be bolded, but I'm going for subtlety.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

 

and what did you do today?

Storm windows almost all installed. Time for pictures... cats, of course:) Cotton was in his hidey place when I had the camera out.

 


I just had to tell you this because I knew you'd be excited for me.

I got a new car, and it came with unlimited lifetime washing!

And I'm going to have it washed every single day.



This is an Email I received from that person who insists on filling my E-mail basket. Some older lady told her that she would have the car washed every hour:) No, I wasn't that particular older lady!

 

Symptoms of the BIRD FLU...

The Center for Disease Control has released a list of symptoms of bird flu. If you experience any of the following, please seek medical treatment immediately:

1. High fever
2. Congestion
3. Nausea
4. Fatigue
5. Aching in the joints
6. An irresistible urge to shit on someone's windshield.

Update: Hey, wait a minute. I received this as an E-mail. I'm not making this up... however, after re-reading, it might not be from the CDC. I already disposed of the E-mail, so can't go back and check!

 

Casino loss - and not just the paycheck

Shootout at Tahoe Casino Kills One
STATELINE, Nev. (AP) -- A shootout across a high-stakes players lounge in Harrah's Tahoe casino killed one man, injured two sheriff's deputies and sent gamblers running for the doors Saturday afternoon, authorities and witnesses said.

No one else was in the lounge, just off the main casino, at the time, Harrah's spokesman John Packer said.

Investigators were still trying to determine who fired first and what led to the confrontation. They were questioning a woman believed to have been with the suspect, a man described as about 50 who died at the casino...

I thought weapons weren't allowed in casinos. Maybe, it's up to the gamblers to leave their guns in their cars. As long as they keep them hidden, no one will know they're carrying?

 

Sunday church time

There are some who might think I'm not religious enough. I want to point out that every Sunday, or at least most, I try to have some sort of religious experience... such as the picture posted.

 

good times

Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy
I'm not sure, but all these people have a very familiar face. Free food, free booze, interesting people, why not?

Saturday, December 03, 2005

 

Molly Ivins - She is so astute

Let God Speak for Himself
...Austin, Texas -- The Lord Impersonator is back again. This fella reappears every couple of years and causes no end of trouble. The jokester goes around persuading feeble-minded persons he is the Lord Almighty and that they are to do or say some perfectly idiotic thing under his instructions...
...I kind of doubt Katrina was designed by the Lord as a form of urban renewal. I think it's a big mistake for us to go around putting our own puny interpretations on stuff that happens and then claiming the Lord meant thus-and-such by it. It is my humble opinion that some folks should do a lot more listening to God and a lot less talking for Him...
...Some Christians seem to me inclined to lose track of love, compassion and mercy. I don't think I have any special brief to go around judging them, but when the stink of hypocrisy becomes so foul in the nostrils it makes you start to puke it becomes necessary to point out there is one more good reason to observe the separation of church and state: If God keeps hanging out with politicians, it's gonna hurt his reputation...
...I'm afraid one actually has to allow for the denial and self-delusion that make it possible for people to be both self-righteous and sleazy at the same time. We are all capable of fooling ourselves in a grand variety of ways...
Sure, I should have posted this on Sunday for religion. It was so good, though, when I ran across it, I had to post it today! Great article!

 

Cool looking clouds on the way to work, yesterday


 

vote-buying

..."I can't understand why it's all right to corrupt an election when you're investigating corruption in elections," Campbell said Friday...

FBI Plants Fake Candidate in W.Va. Race
...As Faber observed, vote-buying has long been suspected in the region. Even John F. Kennedy's 1960 campaign allegedly supplied cash to Logan County's political bosses to help him win the West Virginia primary...

Friday, December 02, 2005

 

Friday cat blogging - just barely..


I got beeped so had to come home for to fix a program abend. I thought I would also upload a Lady Fortuna picture. She's coming out of her depression, I think. This morning, she came over (while I was trying to wake up) and put her little feet on my chest so I could pet her until she had enough.

 

I heard he was going to "reschedule."

President Bush is among 600 potential jurors summoned to a Texas court.
"I don't think I'll be sending the sheriff out to bring the president in," said Strother, a Republican who has a grandson serving in Iraq. "It seems to me that the president has plenty of things to occupy his attention. Jury duty is a very important civic function, but running the country, I think, especially in wartime, takes priority over jury service."
I can't think of anywhere better for him to be. Speaking of, wasn't there some discussion a while back on whether he fulfilled his guard duty? I'm thinking that even if it is re-scheduled, he might decide to give it a miss. This seems to be the big story, today. I guess because so many of us are hoping he will end up in court, but not on the jury!

Last night, on Coast to Coast, one of George Noorey's guests was talking about a possible LAX Missile Attack? Monday, November 28th. The story went that it might have been a bottle rocket or some other type flare. The guest said he heard a blip about it on the radio, then nothing more. He went on the Internet, the next day, and found very little.

 

We didn't get the memo

I still might upload a kitty picture, but thought it would be fun to show this picture. I was walking around, today, and found these two geese, also, walking around. I asked them why they hadn't, yet, flown south for the winter.

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