Misc. Friday Ramblings...

Look ma, no hands.

• It's Photoshop Phriday!
  Mmmmm, delicious movie tie-ins.


• How one idiot with a camera can ruin it for the rest.
  If you're having fun with the opposite sex, the time to share is AFTERWARDS!


• Serenity starts today.
  Go see the movie about the best gorram show Fox ever farked over.


• Your shit don't stink?
  Here's the science that says it does.


• Cybersex is grounds for divorce.
  Good thing I don't live in Belgium.


• China is about to be penetrated by Longwang.
  I be he's a hit with the ladies.


• Woman Ticketed For Sitting On Park Bench With No Kids.
  Welcome to zero tolerance, which means zero thinking because laws are written with zero common sense.


• A beautiful, heavenly body.
  Get your minds out of the gutter, it's just Hyperion.


• A great new movie staring Jack Nicholson.
  Looks to be a great family movie!

Friday FIREPOWER!
Boys and girls, this weekend is a momentous occasion. The duty to retreat is gone. Read it and weep, anti-gun suckers!

The 2005 Florida Statutes

Title XLVI
CRIMES Chapter 776
JUSTIFIABLE USE OF FORCE

776.012 Use of force in defense of person.--A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:

(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or

(2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013.

776.013 Home protection; use of deadly force; presumption of fear of death or great bodily harm.--

(1) A person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another if:

(a) The person against whom the defensive force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or had unlawfully and forcibly entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or if that person had removed or was attempting to remove another against that person's will from the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle; and

(b) The person who uses defensive force knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act was occurring or had occurred.

(2) The presumption set forth in subsection (1) does not apply if:

(a) The person against whom the defensive force is used has the right to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence, or vehicle, such as an owner, lessee, or titleholder, and there is not an injunction for protection from domestic violence or a written pretrial supervision order of no contact against that person; or

(b) The person or persons sought to be removed is a child or grandchild, or is otherwise in the lawful custody or under the lawful guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force is used; or

(c) The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an unlawful activity or is using the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle to further an unlawful activity; or

(d) The person against whom the defensive force is used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who enters or attempts to enter a dwelling, residence, or vehicle in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person entering or attempting to enter was a law enforcement officer.

(3) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

(4) A person who unlawfully and by force enters or attempts to enter a person's dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence.

(5) As used in this section, the term:

(a) "Dwelling" means a building or conveyance of any kind, including any attached porch, whether the building or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night.

(b) "Residence" means a dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest.

(c) "Vehicle" means a conveyance of any kind, whether or not motorized, which is designed to transport people or property.

776.031 Use of force in defense of others.--A person is justified in the use of force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to prevent or terminate the other's trespass on, or other tortious or criminal interference with, either real property other than a dwelling or personal property, lawfully in his or her possession or in the possession of another who is a member of his or her immediate family or household or of a person whose property he or she has a legal duty to protect. However, the person is justified in the use of deadly force only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person does not have a duty to retreat if the person is in a place where he or she has a right to be.

Of course, there are those that do oppose such a thing...

Florida's 'Force with force' law sparks campaign to warn tourists about potential violence

Warning that Florida streets have the potential to morph into the O.K. Corral, gun-control advocates will launch an international campaign to alert travelers about a new state law that allows people to use deadly force in self-defense.

Because, you know, it would be bad to be able to legally defend yourself in any situation outside your home.

On Saturday it will become legal to use force on an attacker without first trying to escape the confrontation.

Only with the commission of a forcible felony. See the above listed statutes.

"Under existing law, you have a duty to try to run and maybe get chased down and beaten to death," she added. "Now, if you have a knife, firearm or pepper spray, you can use force to protect yourself."

It does a bit more than that. It prevents zealot prosecutors from using perfect hindsight and crime-scene analysis to nitpick a charge against someone because they didn't have time to try and open a door or window. Seconds count in the street, during a situation, not so much in a courtroom months later.

The Brady Campaign, established by former presidential spokesman Jim Brady and his wife Sarah, plans to aggressively advertise on the Internet to warn out-of-state tourists. Hamm said that as of Wednesday when the phrase "Florida Vacation" is typed onto some search engines a link to www.shootfirstlaw.org will pop up.

The group is also running ads in the travel sections of the Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune and likely some London newspapers beginning Sunday. They will also be putting up billboards in places where they can be easily seen by tourists and passing out airport fliers in English and Spanish.

I will give the anti-gun blissninnies this, they do know their target audience. It is always easier to preach anti-gun messages to the choir of the disarmed.

A photo is worth a thousand lies.

The San Francisco Chronicle featured the original photograph on its front page in order to convey a positive message about the rally -- perhaps that even politically aware teenagers were inspired to show up and rally for peace, sporting the message, "People of Color say 'No to War!'" And that served the Chronicle's agenda.

But this simple analysis reveals the very subtle but insidious type of bias that occurs in the media all the time. The Chronicle did not print an inaccuracy, nor did it doctor a photograph to misrepresent the facts. Instead, the Chronicle committed the sin of omission: it told you the truth, but it didn't tell you the whole truth.

Because the whole truth -- that the girl was part of a group of naive teenagers recruited by Communist activists to wear terrorist-style bandannas and carry Palestinian flags and obscene placards -- is disturbing, and doesn't conform to the narrative that the Chronicle is trying to promote. By presenting the photo out of context, and only showing the one image that suits its purpose, the Chronicle is intentionally manipulating the reader's impression of the rally, and the rally's intent.

Such tactics -- in the no-man's-land between ethical and unethical -- are commonplace in the media, and have been for decades. It is only now, with the advent of citizen journalism, that we can at last begin to see the whole story and realize that the public has been manipulated like this all along.

Filter your sources. It is up to you to decide what is fact and what is ... well, factual to others. Air National Guard document scandal anyone?

Sabado Gigante indeed

“In Colombia, if a girl is a perfect 10, guys call her a biscocho,” says Cherrilyn’s República Deportiva reporting colleague. “It means ‘cake,’ and it’s the sexiest thing a guy can say to me in Spanish. I’m borderline obsessive with my body: I love my lips, my abs and my butt. Guys always stare at my butt.”

So, does that mean we can have our cake and eat it too?

“The Univision studios are freezing,” says this regular on the talk-entertainment show El Gordo Y La Flaca. “That’s probably why the cameramen focus on my chest. It doesn’t bother me, though—it makes me feel sexy. Honestly, this is a great place to work if you’re a guy. All the girls are hot. I think it’s a requirement to work here.”

That requirement garners the praise of men around the world.

To the cone of silence, chief...

Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.

Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding that the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since.

As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency CONTROL, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of KAOS. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack:

"Would you believe ... ?"

It became a national catchphrase.

Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss — the Chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon.

The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-cellphone telephone in a shoe.

Adams, who married and divorced three times and had seven children, served as the voice for the popular cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget" as well as the voice of Tennessee Tuxedo. In 1980, he appeared as Maxwell Smart in a feature film, "The Nude Bomb," about a madman whose bomb destroyed people's clothing.

Beans, Beans, the musical fruit...

Family Guy = comedy gold.

Misc. Friday Ramblings...

It is easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

• So deadly, so beautiful.
  

  EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 5 - 3rd STRONGEST ON RECORD
  One of the most, if not the most, intense hurricanes ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, Rita's last reported central pressure was last measured at 897mb. However, in the past 3 hours since that observation, satellite imagery indicates the convection has increased further, and the subsidence in the eye has likewise intensified. It is very likely the next RECON will find a lower central pressure. Estimated sustained surface winds are now 175mph, with gusts to 200mph -- equal to or greater than that recorded in Katrina or Camille. With additional intensification still possible - wind gusts of 210mph may be experienced at the surface.
  
  The storm is located near 24.6N /87.5W - or about 560 miles southeast of Galveston, TX. The storm is moving 280° at 8Kts and will continue on this track for the next 24 hours.
  
  Satellite imagery depicts what is now intuitively obvious -- 'The Perfect Storm' -- and it is hard to imagine that the storm can get any stronger -- but there is no particular reason for it weaken unless an eye wall replacement cycle -should begin -- though there are not indications that is imminent. The storm is still over the very warm loop current, and will be for another 8-10 hours. Once the storm moves away from the loop current, some slight weakening should occur, but the storm will remain a strong CAT 5 Hurricane for probably another 24-48 hours.
  The storm continues to grow in size, with sustained gale force winds extending 180NM from the center in the northern semi-circle.
  

  
  Good luck and Godspeed Texas, you will be in our prayers. But, you have to admit, it is a beautiful formation.


• Russians and Japanese are causing the hurricanes.
  Using the stolen Cobra Weather Dominator, of course.


• Porsche + 110mph + Bird.
  Pic1
  Pic2
  Pic3


• Cubism.
  Smell knows no boundaries, even cube walls.


• Welcome to the fall.
  Do you know when you clocks "fall back"?


• It's Photoshop Phriday.
  The greatest police works.


• What's your cyborg name?

Friday FIREPOWER!
Gun show is this weekend, and I'm on the hunt. I've wanted a Beretta CX4 Storm for some time now. It is a carbine in 4 pistol calibers, hence CX4. Really cool that they are used in Battlestar Galactica as well.

Come to find out, the Beretta PX4 Storm, Pistol x4 calibers, has just recently come out. The two can interchange magazines. The PX4 is slim, ergonomic, yet can carry up to 20rnds of 9x19mm, or 17rnds of .40 S&W!!! More goodness can be seen here.

Something from the mailbox

I love my friends. They can be so wrong, it's gotta be right. Thanks to Kat for this one.

This is her disclaimer LOL - Lord, I apologize but this funny. For obvious reasons I am only sharing it with others as politically incorrect as me.

Things I have learned from watching the news on TV during the last eight
days:

The hurricane only hit black family's property

New Orleans was devastated and no other city was affected by the hurricane.

Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down

New Orleans has no white people

The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident

When you are hungry after a hurricane steal a big screen TV

The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New Orleans: now the city is welfare, looters and gang free and they are in your city.

White folks don't make good news stories

Don't give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, instead bitch because the government hasn't given you a debit card yet

Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts

Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give you money for being stupid

EDIT: Check out this link comparing photographically the usage of buses in hurricane evacuations. Thanks Dad.

Order up. 20 ethiopians to go.

A pride of lions has killed and devoured 20 villagers, wounded 10 others and eaten at least 70 cattle in southern Ethiopia in the past week, police said Tuesday.

The attacks have forced at least 1,000 people to flee their homes in Hadia Zone, in the Southern Nation and Nationalities People State, 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, according to a police statement.

"The lions are coming from the bush seeking food," in groups of two to four animals, according to the statement.

Lions attack and eat humans in areas where their wild prey has been reduced by over-hunting, deforestation and population growth. Older lions also become man-eaters because humans are a far easier prey than wildlife.

"The 20 people were eaten by the lions while they engaged in their daily activities in their homes and nearby places," according to the police.

"Killing these lions would be the only way to rescue the residents in the area and prevent other casualties," the police statement added.

I think Carlin wrote it best:

"Because even with all we preach about the sanctity of life, we don't practice it. Look at what we kill: Mosquitoes and flies, because they're pests. Lions and tigers, because it's fun. Chickens and pigs, because we're hungry. And people. We kill people. Because they're pests. And because it's fun! "

The lions killed people, because they're hungry....and they're pests.

Being prepared to leave when called on.

With Tropical Storm Rita hovering just below hurricane strength, residents of south Florida are going through a familiar drill.

They're hammering plywood over windows, lining up to buy gas, and evacuating low-lying areas, though some vow it could be their last such drill.

After 18 years in Key West, Julie LaMattina says she's "had enough". She says the area is "beautiful", but it's "getting scarier and scarier."

Though tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders, traffic is reportedly moving well on the lone highway out of the Keys. But lines are sprouting up at gas stations, with cars flowing out into streets.

Some people are doing their best to work around the storm. One couple from Indiana got married today at a quiet spot on the beach. They'd planned to honeymoon for a week. But after a quick toast, the newlyweds hit the road -- heading north. They joked that if they had a baby, they'd name her Rita.

People have evacuated since the weekend, and Rita will supposedly be near the keys on Tuesday. You know, when Florida got hit by four hurricanes, people were smart enough to leave if able. If not, they sure as hell knew where to go, where to get away from, and most of all, listened ahead of time and were prepared. May what happened in New Orleans stand as a reminder of how disfunctional government works that has to support the citizens. Let Florida lead by example of how functional government works with responsible citizens.

Learn about beer at college.

At 6 p.m. Sept. 29, Charles Bamforth will walk into a lecture hall to be met by 370 undergraduates at UC Davis. Bamforth, 53, is a Ph.D., Sc.D., who teaches "Introduction to Beer and Brewing."


What do you tell students on the first day?

Call up your mums and dads and say, "I had my first class at Davis and it was all about beer."


Are there prerequisites?

It's a general education class. I can't use words like molecule. There's an upper-division class where they actually design and brew their own beers.

If there are 50 beers on tap, what do you order?

Something out of a bottle.


Why?

Because if there are 50 beers on tap I worry that they are not being moved through those pipes as quickly as they should be.


Is there a proper way to drink bottled beer?

Put it into a glass. It drives me nuts when people drink out of the bottle or can. If you had a fancy wine you wouldn't take the cork out and drink it straight out of the bottle.

You know, I think that where I went to college could never teach this course. There would be such an uproar from the MADD, AA, and conservative Christian folks that they would completely ignore the fact that it is educational and scientific in nature. I wonder how they circumvent the drinking age. Hmmmmm.

Misc. Friday Ramblings...

And if you don't like it, you can get the ...

• It's Photoshop Phriday.
  Toned down movies for the faint at heart.


• Gold and lightning don't mix.
  He has the scars to prove it. Ouch!


• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hookers.
  They were there to learn tumbling, riiiiiiiiggggggggghhhhhhhhhtttttt.


• Parts of New Orleans to open next week.
  Part of moving on is a return to normalcy.


• Xbox 360 is coming.
  If I spent $399 on it, I will have an ex-box indeed. *ducks and runs for dear life*


• Hate crimes know no boundaries.
  Except maybe equal enforcement by the responding law enforcement officer.


• Quote of the decade:
  "Saying that Java is great because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is great since it works on all genders"


• Beware evil incarnate!
  

Friday FIREPOWER!
What happened to the gulf coast is a tragedy. What has happened since Katrina, even more of a tragedy. Why is this in the gun section. Well, a thread on THR has been documenting cases of how your rights can and will be taken away from you for your own good. Don't believe me, check out the THR thread on the NOLA confiscations, then read more about it on Geek with a .45. Hell, even the usually liberal Pagans think it's wrong. While you may think you are safe, if the government thinks otherwise, it is you versus them. Think about that.

Now, here's some truth in advertising.

Also, the gun show is coming next weekend. Be there!

From the Samurai Deli...

Police say they have arrested the man who used a samurai sword to rob a lunchtime crowd of $32.

Matthew Scott Ball, 31, was being held Wednesday at the Duval County Jail on $102,506 bail on armed robbery and possession of drug paraphernalia charges.

Ball was arrested late Monday, hours after the robbery at the Mudville Grille.

Witnesses said the robber whipped the sword across two tables, clearing the tabletops of condiments, before slamming his hand on the counter.

Several patrons emptied their pockets and the man grabbed the cash and fled in a green minivan. It was later found abandoned with the sword inside.

Police said witnesses identified Ball from a photo lineup. His next court appearance was scheduled Sept. 30 and there was no information immediately available on his legal representation.

BONZAI!!!!!!!

Thanks to MF for this.

In case of cuteness emergency....

...break glass and spray generously. Thanks to Rezzie for this one.



Hey, here's something just ran across on Fark. How to look busy when not even in the office:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/tongodeon/311999.html

Justice has a name: Bruce Lee

The ethnically divided Bosnian city of Mostar has agreed to erect a new symbol of unity -- a statue of kung fu legend Bruce Lee, worshipped by Muslims, Serbs and Croats.

A group of enthusiasts came up with the idea of honoring the childhood hero of the city's ethnic groups in 2003, on the 30th anniversary of his death. They launched the project, found donors and waited a year for the city's approval.

"We plan to erect the statue in November in the center of the city," Veselin Gatalo, a member of the Urban Movement organization, told Reuters by telephone on Monday.

"This will be a monument to universal justice that Mostar needs more than any other city I know."

Thanks to Ken for the heads up on this article.

Fleeing from the boogey man.

It started with the shooting Friday night of a New York State trooper near Plattsburgh.

When an alert was sent to Canadian customs agents in Quebec warning of an "armed and dangerous" suspect, some 50 employees walked off the job for four hours at about 15 of 44 border crossings just before 9 a.m. yesterday.

The result was long lines for Canada-bound traffic of up to 90 minutes at St. Bernard de Lacolle, the busiest crossing in the province, officials reported.

It took management staff at the checkpoints about two hours to clear the backlog and process waiting cars, said Dominique McNeely, a spokesperson for the Canada Borders Services Agency.

"The established procedure was followed and there was at one point a significant line-up," McNeely said, confirming the delay of up to two hours. No cars were waved through, he said.

The agents, members of the Customs and Excise Union, returned to work at 1:50 p.m. after it was confirmed the suspect,

Vladimir Kulakov, 47, of Plattsburgh, who fled on foot, was arrested in Chester, N.Y.

He was driving a stolen pickup truck on Friday night. With two state troopers in pursuit, Kulakov abandoned the truck and fled into the woods.

Trooper Sean Finn, 34, located the fugitive in a grassy area when the shots were fired. The trooper was struck on the left side of his head and in both hands, and has since been released from a hospital.

The suspect is to be arraigned on attempted murder, resisting arrest and other charges.

Meanwhile at the border crossings, the protesting agents were exercising their right under the Canada Labour Code to withdraw services if they feel their life or health is threatened.

"We're not armed, we're not going to be a target," said Jean-Pierre Fortin, a union spokesperson. The union wants the federal government to supply border agents with sidearms. Ottawa says the agents' bulletproof vests, telescopic batons and pepper spray are sufficient.

If the supposed arrival of one man with a handgun can cause "the busiest crossing in the province" to shut down out of fear, think about what terrorists could do. Hey, at least the union knows what it should do...which is surprising.

Misc. Friday Ramblings...

Never go gently into that good night...

• It's Photoshop Phriday.
  Fattening up movies posters.


• Cheney finds out...
  ...some folks don't like you, even when trying to help.


• Woman refused service rams into bar.
  She'll be going away for a long time to a very hot place.


• iPod Potter.
  iPod punishment indeed.


• iPod Flea.
  When one song is just enough.


• When you have to go...
  ...go in the cemetary. Cuts out the middle man.


• Careful ordering the special outside a game preserve.
  They are the acts that screwed up.


• Holy megapixels Batman!

Friday FIREPOWER!

Thanks Dad!

How do you keep people from watching the Emmys?

Finally, Shatner will perform the theme from "Star Trek" with opera star Frederica von Stade. The song actually has lyrics - penned by series creator Gene Roddenberry - in addition to Shatner's "final frontier" narration.

The song is great, but it could use more cowbell.

So long, little buddy.

Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy first mate Gilligan on the 1960s television show "Gilligan's Island" made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died, his agent confirmed Tuesday. He was 70.

Denver, who underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier this year, died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina, according to agent Mike Eisenstadt.

The perfect wife test.

Premarital Behavior

There are several ways to live your life that can keep your girlfriend or fiancé` from turning into a total bitch. Here are some rules to live by.

1. Never call to just talk on the phone. These conversations are 99.9% pointless and take away from all the productive things a real man could be doing, like drinking.
   
2. Any night she wants to go out and do something gay, apologize and tell her its poker night. If it is not really poker night, call your friends and go to the strip club.
   
3. Never do anything that she considers “quality time”. Quality time sucks ass. It normally means you have to cook a dinner that is more fancy but tastes way worse than a beer brat or burger and then proceed to watching a sob fest movie. At this point, you might think, “I’ve put in ton of work; we are going to have unbelievable sex tonight!” This is not true. She is going to be feeling all romantic so she will not bite, will bitch when her hair is pulled, and will never go for anything other than missionary. Stay away from evenings such as these, they are a waste of time.
   
4. Never say the three dirty words… “I love y…y…yoooooohshit” I can’t even type it.
   

Obviously from someone either recently divorce, brazenly single, or Tucker Max.

You're Fired. Drop the Pizza.

A computer engineer who lost his job because he ate two pieces of pepperoni pizza left over from a company meeting has been named the winner of an offbeat Internet contest that solicited stories about outrageous firings.

A panel of Silicon Valley judges assembled by Simply Hired, a Mountain View startup that sponsored the contest, picked Jim Garrison's strange tale from more than 1,000 entries submitted during the past month.

The reward: a free Caribbean cruise that will include passengers famously fired by Donald Trump on his popular television show, "The Apprentice."

Garrison, 39, prevailed over some tough competition.

The runners-up included these bizarre stories: a furniture mover who got fired after he and a co-worker were caught fencing with some adult sex toys that they found in a customer's bedroom; a worker who misunderstood a manager's instructions to send some sensitive data to microfilm and e-mailed it to a "Michael Finn" instead; and a warehouse worker found doing perverse things with the prosthetics made by his employer.

It made for such fascinating reading that one woman posted an account about how she got fired for spending too much company time scrolling through all the postings on Simplyfired.com.

Garrison, who lives in Highlands Ranch, Colo., said he never thought he would be rewarded for getting fired. Then again, he never dreamed he would be fired after he ate two of the six pieces of pepperoni pizza left over from a company meeting.

Although he didn't work in the department that held the meeting where the pizza was served, Garrison figured it was fair game since the company had bought it and it looked like it was going to be wasted if it wasn't eaten. What he didn't know is that several other employees had already worked out a plan to take the leftover pizza home with them.

When they discovered one-third of the leftover pizza pie had been eaten, the employees reported Garrison to management, ultimately leading to his firing last November — a month after he ate the food.

"If somebody had warned me, I would have been happy to pay for the pizza," Garrison said.

On the advice of Simply Hired, Garrison declined to identify his former employer other than to say it's a large mortgage company. He is now happily employed as a programmer at a satellite TV company, but he still thinks twice about eating any leftovers sitting around the office.

Where I work, if any food is left over from a meeting, it goes in the breakroom. Once there, it is fair game. Otherwise, drop the food. Although, firing? That is a bit too harsh, and I'd love to see him seek some sort of legal recourse for that.

Misc. Friday Ramblings...

Never go gently into that good night...

• Donate if you can.


• Aftermath Imagery.


• Zero Tolerance I can get behind.
  

  President Bush warned against price-gouging of gasoline Thursday in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and said looters should be treated with zero tolerance.
  
  "I think there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this, whether it be looting, or price-gouging at the gasoline pump or taking advantage of charitable giving, or insurance fraud," Bush said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."



• Nerves frazzled over Katrina.
  Professionals are human too.


• More powerful than any bomb or weapon...
  ...the spoken word.


• The animals need to eat too.
  Yes, that is a spider. They live in the desert. Also in Iraq.

Friday FIREPOWER!
So I was listening to Boortz this morning. This particular message hit me with a dark forboding.

Now you know. In times of disaster and civil unrest the government isn't - can't be there to help you. You will, at least for some period of time, be on your own. You have a responsibility to your children, to your family members, to protect them. Are you up to it? Do you have a gun?

Well, do you?

Now, lets leave the depressing issues behind. With the destruction of this week, I thought I'd bring a little bit of hope for restoration. Dean's Gun Restorations was a topic on THR this week, with before photos and after photos being given for a M1 Garand. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

My thoughts on looters

I just want to say something here. I can empathize with people wanting to get food, water, and sundry supplies to survive until they can get out of the evacuation zone. Even the guys carrying beer, because it is a hell of a lot safer to drink that than any of the toxic soup called water in the area.

However, what I despise seeing is the people that take advantage of the situation by grabbing suits, jewelry, and drugs.

It is an attitude like the following that gets to me:

One man, who had about 10 pairs of jeans draped over his left arm, was asked if he was salvaging things from his store.

"No," the man shouted, "that's EVERYBODY'S store."

Looters filled industrial-sized garbage cans with clothing and jewelry and floated them down the street on bits of plywood and insulation as National Guard (search) lumbered by.

Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold.

"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.

Also, watch for the cries of racism in the future after this has past. Demographic makeup aside, notice how examples of looting always black people, yet the white people are finding supplies.

I think what people need to realize is that there are still folks out there in need of rescue, and that is the first priority. Looting does nothing more than take from the community in property and in personnel needed to watch looters instead of look for victims.

Okay, my thoughts. If someone is still there, they need to be escorted out of the area. If they were looking for food, help them. If they were looking for a car, jewelry, clothing, etc., shoot them. There are already dead in the water being pushed out of the way to find the living.