A view from the mushroom...

Why You Should Care About XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Features - www.GameInformer.com

2012-01-16T20:29:00.002-05:00

Why You Should Care About XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Features - www.GameInformer.com

http://www.gameinformer.com/p/xcom.aspx

"A date which will live in infamy".

2011-12-07T04:15:00.010-05:00

The attack on Pearl Harbor (called Hawaii Operation or Operation AI^[6]^[7] by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters (Operation Z in planning)^[8] and the Battle of Pearl Harbor^[9]) was a surprise military strike conducted by theImperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan). The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The base was attacked by 353^[10] Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers.^[10] All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but two of the eight were raised, repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,^{[nb 2]} and one minelayer. One hundred eighty-eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed^[12] and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8) the United States declared war on Japan. Domestic support for isolationism, which had been strong, disappeared. Clandestine support of Britain (for example the Neutrality Patrol) was replaced by active alliance. Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Germany and Italy todeclare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day.

There were numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan. However, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy".

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

“TO HONOR VETERANS OF ALL WARS”

Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Alabama, organized a Veterans Day parade for that city on November 11, 1947, to honor all of America's Veterans for their loyal service. Later, U.S. Representative Edward H. Rees of Kansas proposed legislation changing the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all who have served in America’s Armed Forces.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11th as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day. In addition to fulfilling that mission, the committee oversees the annual production and distribution of the annual Veterans Day poster and this Teacher Resource
Guide.

In 1968, Congress moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, it became apparent that the November 11th date was historically significant to a great many Americans. As a result, Congress formally returned the observance of Veterans Day to its traditional date in 1978.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America's war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The President or his representative places a wreath at the Tomb and a bugler sounds “Taps.” The balance of the ceremony, including a "Parade of Flags" by numerous Veterans service

Mobility Impaired Indeed.

2011-11-07T09:23:00.000-05:00

Borrowing the tag, perhaps?

It all comes down to this. 2 years and 215 lbs later.

2011-10-13T06:03:00.000-04:00

‎2 years ago today, I took the first steps to transforming my life forever. I got my mind right, then I started to get my body right.

2 years and 215 pounds later, here I am. 40 years old and in the best damn shape of my life.

I have so many friends and family to thank for making this possible. I will forever be indebted to them for their understanding and support of my lifestyle change.

And here is today's measurement....I think it will be the last for a while. I know how to control it. IT WILL NEVER BEAT ME!!!!

The (ideal world) math behind weight loss...

2011-09-19T12:28:00.000-04:00

All of the below is under ideal conditions and will definitely vary based on what you eat, when you eat, what you’ve eaten days before, liquid intake, bowel movements, etc. Also, most calorie counts for food and exercise are estimates. You have to allow for a fudge factor when doing the math.

From http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php

You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. The BMR Calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

Calorie Needs to lose weight
There are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight. (On average 75% of this is fat, 25% lean tissue) If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds and so on. The calorie deficit can be achieved either by calorie-restriction alone, or by a combination of fewer calories in (diet) and more calories out (exercise). This combination of diet and exercise is best for lasting weight loss. Indeed, sustained weight loss is difficult or impossible without increased regular exercise.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low.

The math:

Calculate your BMR. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Figure your intake. Use the database at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Do the math to figure out your calories burned or gained for the day.
0 calories to start the day after sleep – BMR calories – Exercise calories + Food Intake calories = Daily calories burned/gained
Do the math to remove from or add calories to the 3500 per pound total
3500 + daily calories = calorie surplus or deficit
Once the above number reached 0 or below, you should have lost one pound

My example for Sunday given that my BMR is 1800ish, I exercised for 1400ish, and ate 2200ish. Remember that this all resets per day after a good night’s sleep.

0 – 1850 – 1400 + 2200 = -1050 deficit

3500 + -1050 = 2460 calories left before one pound loss is registered

All of the above is under ideal conditions and will definitely vary based on what you eat, when you eat, what you’ve eaten days before, liquid intake, bowel movements, etc. Also, most calorie counts for food and exercise are estimates. You have to allow for a fudge factor when doing the math.

80's TV shows and movies that could be re-made.

2011-09-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

You know, I grew into maturity during the 80's. My TV tastes developed during that time as well. Here are a few shows from the 80's that should probably get a re-visit, or at least a movie of the week of SyFy.

Airwolf. Hi-tech helicopter, villian of the week, vehicular destruction. It's quite easy to see why this was one of my favorite shows during the 80's.

Automan. Computer generated crime fighter that drove a neon covered Lamborghini Countach.

Street Hawk. More vehicular fun. Super bike that could go hundreds of miles an hour. Sensing the trend here?

The Highwayman. 18-wheeler that is a transformer that can also cloak.

M.A.S.K.. More transforming vehicles as well as powered masks. That works for me.

Megaforce. Hi-tech mercenary force full of 80's camp and spandex.

Buckaroo Banzai. Peter Weller before Robocop. In the vein of Ice Pirates and Spacehunter.
Krull. Epic fantasy. Interesting premise. Very cool weapon in the Glaive.

Now, there have already been some less-than-successful remakes. Knight Rider and GI Joe come to mind. However, if Hollywood is truly out of ideas, the 80's are ripe for the picking.

Labor Day

2011-09-02T06:53:00.002-04:00

From the Department of Labor:

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Bacon

2011-08-12T06:41:00.007-04:00

http://www.dennys.com/en/baconalia/BaconCam

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

2011-06-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Zombie warnings in Cobb County | jacksonville.com

2011-06-09T18:44:00.000-04:00

Zombie warnings in Cobb County | jacksonville.com

Authorities in Cobb County say they plan two message boards on a busy thoroughfare warning drivers to be on guard for a zombie outbreak as filming of the hit drama series "The Walking Dead" begins in the suburban Atlanta county.

Cobb County police officer Mike Bowman said drivers can expect zombies and simulated gunfire, which could lead to traffic delays next week.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports the message boards will be set up on Cobb Galleria Parkway.

The filming is for the second season of the AMC series, which depicts world devastation at the hands of zombies.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-27T06:00:00.010-04:00

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day and officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Although hhere are many stories as to the actual beginnings, with over 24 cities claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead". While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Kill the clown....

2011-05-19T12:55:00.001-04:00

McDonald's CEO on Ronald: 'This Is About Choice'

McDonald's Corp. CEO Jim Skinner came out swinging Thursday when asked about Ronald McDonald and whether the burger chain hooks children with junk food.

Skinner, speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting at McDonald's headquarters outside Chicago, said that newspapers ads Wednesday calling for Ronald's retirement had prompted an outpouring of support to his office, with parents and customers asking Skinner "to defend their right to choose."

A group called Corporate Accountability International paid for the ads, which said Ronald is encouraging unhealthy eating habits and contributing to childhood obesity and related diseases such as diabetes.

Because all of my adolescent life, Ronald McDonald opened my mouth and forced Big Macs down my gullet.

At the meeting, shareholders soundly defeated a proposal the group had helped craft asking McDonald's to issue a report on its responses to childhood obesity.

When Deborah Lapidus, an organizer with the activist group, said McDonald's is interfering with political efforts to curb marketing unhealthy food to children, Skinner replied that "this is about choice."

"We believe in the democratic process and our government officials believe in the democratic process," he said to applause from the audience of McDonald's shareholders. "This is about choice, this is about personal, individual right to choose in the society we live in. That's where we play, that's where you play, and we have every right to do so."

Skinner also got applause when he called Ronald, the burger chain's smiling spokesclown, "an ambassador for good" and noted that he is the face of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

"He does not advertise unhealthy food to children," Skinner said. "We provide many choices that fit with the balanced, active lifestyle. It is up to them to choose and their parents to choose, and it is their responsibility to do so."

Personal resposibility? Why do that when it is easier to just blame "they" for all of your woes.

When another shareholder said he was disappointed that Ronald wasn't at the meeting, Skinner replied: "Ronald hasn't been here because he's out in the field busy doing work and fighting through the protestors."

Hat Tip to Ken Shima for the heads up on this...

We're Alive!

2011-05-15T13:53:00.001-04:00

We're Alive - A Zombie Story Of Survival

50 years ago today....

2011-04-12T07:42:00.003-04:00

From Today's APOD:

On April 12th, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human in space. His remotely controlled Vostok 1 spacecraft lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once around planet Earth. Commenting on the first view from space he reported, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". His view could have resembled this image taken in 2003 from the International Space Station. Alan Shepard, the first US astronaut, would not be launched until almost a month later and then on a comparatively short suborbital flight. Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was a military pilot before being chosen for the first group of cosmonauts in 1960. As a result of his historic flight he became an international hero and legend. Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight in 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral, his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall. Twenty years later, on yet another April 12th, in 1981, NASA launched the first space shuttle.

Weight loss for a fat guy - closing in

2011-04-07T05:42:00.002-04:00

Welcome back to the saga that is my weight loss. When I last checked in, October 13th of last year, I had dropped 158 pounds.

Here it is April, 2011. Have I been able to keep the weight off? Did I ever make my goal of 225 pounds (170 pounds lost). Here's a little picture that will tell the story.

What that says is 203 lbs. That's right, 203. 3 more pounds to the 200 mark. I haven't weighed in at 200 since Jr. High School.

A little on what I've changed since last year. Up until recently, I was using a iPhone only application called Nutrition Menu by Shroomies. It was a great application, but they’ve stopped updating it since the middle of 2010. As I had already programmed in a lot of custom food, I was hesitant to change. Earlier this month I switched over to a free application called MyFitnessPal.

MyFitnessPal is the same type of application, where you calculate how many total calories you need per day per body type, then track your food intake calories minus exercise calories. It uses the internet for food searches so that the most current nutritional information can be obtained without you having to input customized foods. This includes popular name brands and restaurants.

Best part is you can do this online through their website as well, if you don’t have a phone that can run the application. Go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com . You can input the same stuff you can via the phone application, and track everything via website instead of phone. I like it a lot, and hope that you will too. Best of all, it is FREE!

Bully beware

2011-03-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

From Calm Down Tom
So this Australian boy is already all over the internet like a rash. Young, isolated and bullied, Cassey Haynes lost his cool composure and went full-Zangief on a much smaller, much stupider kid.

Now the internet is full of nerds and geeks so seeing school bullies get their comeuppance will always be popular. Some might say that we shouldn’t glorify violence, that it is awlays wrong and that we should feel bad for sperading such videos. The truth is that this kind of thing happens in every single school in every country in the world, every day. In a world where we worship children like mini-messiahs, we have to realise that the truth is kids have always swore at each other, fought and generally acted like little monsters. This is how it should be. Everyone needs to learn to stand up for themselves at some point whether its physically or mentally. Children are cruel, but sometimes, just sometimes, justice is swift.

LIttle Zangief (zangief kid) Street Fighter... by shadosw

Battle: Los Angeles

2011-01-12T05:27:00.001-05:00

Remember all those who have served.

2010-11-10T10:01:00.003-05:00

Weight loss for a fat guy - one year later

2010-10-13T05:13:00.004-04:00

So, here it is. October the 13th. A year ago today I got my lazy butt up and went to the doctor. I found out that I was killing myself with my lifestyle. Now, one year later, I've gotten rid of my blood pressure issues, my liver and spleen are normal, and I've dropped 158 pounds. I still have more weight to lose to meet my final goal, but time is now on my side.

Fan-made opening to The Walking Dead

2010-09-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

THE WALKING DEAD "Opening Titles" from Daniel Kanemoto on Vimeo.

Weight Loss for the fat guy. 150 pounds down.

2010-09-17T07:06:00.004-04:00

Well, it finally happened. Just a few days ago, I weighed in 150 pounds lighter than when I started this journey Oct 13, 2009. What a journey it has been. Here is a picture (on Blogger) showing my current weight.

Guys/Gals, I can tell you it wasn't easy, and it still isn't. You will go through bouts of discouragement. You will stray. However, if you persevere with your eyes on the goal at the end, it is possible to succeed!!!

Finger in Butt Crack Sparks Knife Fight

2010-07-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

Finger in Butt Crack Sparks Knife Fight

Conan the Barbarian: The Musical (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

2010-06-30T19:53:00.000-04:00

Hope

2010-06-15T16:46:00.001-04:00

Mortal Kombat Rebirth

2010-06-09T06:59:00.001-04:00

Remember...

2010-05-26T10:19:00.001-04:00

The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.

Ouch

2010-05-24T07:04:00.000-04:00

Weight Loss for a Fat Guy: Vacation Time

2010-05-13T08:21:00.005-04:00

For a long Mother's Day weekend, the family and I decided to go out of town on vacation. Vacations can be a stumbling block to people trying to lose weight. However, I've been listening do some fitness advice on the radio. Every Monday, Lex and Terry have fitness expert David Thompson on. His advice about vacations is to go and enjoy. If you go crazy, that's fine. Just be prepared to work on it when you get back.

That's what we did. Well, not completely crazy, but there was much "bad" food eaten. I'm talking pasta, nachos, Chinese, etc. Also, I wasn't on my normal 5 small meals a day. It was three full squares. However, this was actually tempered with a lot of walking and movement. It wasn't like I was eating bad and being sedentary. I was moving from dawn until dusk. I was also drinking as much water as I possibly could. Guess what, lost some more weight as well (down to 278 as of this morning).

So, don't fear vacations. Enjoy and don't stress; that is what they are there for. Just be prepared to get back to your normal habits when you return.

Obituary: Frank Frazetta, renowned fantasy illustrator, dies at 82 - latimes.com

2010-05-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

Obituary: Frank Frazetta, renowned fantasy illustrator, dies at 82 - latimes.com

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Devon! Get the tables!

2010-05-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Weight Loss For A Fat Guy: Late April Update

2010-04-28T06:56:00.005-04:00

April 28th. A day that will....be pretty much like any other day. heh. Seriously though, since the last update some things have changed up a bit.

For one, I hit the 100 pound lost mark. So, as promised, I went off the wagon. The family and I went to Pizza Hut to enjoy a deep dish supreme pan pizza and a root beer. Unfortunately, I could only eat about 2 pieces. Then, I went home and road 10 miles. So much for the wagon. :)

Secondly, I'm eating more. I'm eating 5 portioned out meals throughout the day. What this does is keep the hunger down and energy up. I realized, based on my BMR calculation, that I was taking in too few calories throughout the day. Now, I try to hit at least 1500, but no more than 1800. With that level, based on age, weight, and activity, I can safely lose a pound a week.

Thirdly, I've lost over 110 pounds now. Also, I've lost 14 inches off of my waistline. It is so refreshing to be able to go into a normal store and find clothing that fits. Giving a size comparison, I've gone from wearing 4XL clothing to plain XL. Large, here I come. ;)

Wizard Staff

2010-04-20T10:43:00.001-04:00

At least he didn't want to cast magic missile....

Weight Loss for a Fat Guy: March Update

2010-03-16T07:03:00.005-04:00

So here it is, mid-March. I mentioned in my previous post that I was undergoing monitoring for my fatty liver. In late February, I had to go to the vampires at Quest to have more fluids removed and tested. This month, right before I was due to go back, I receive a letter from the liver doc. It states that all levels are nominal. Continue weight loss. Get another blood draw in 2 months, and don't come back to see us for another 6 months. Wha?!?!?! Holy crap, some good news!

So, not only have I dropped over 95 pounds now (97 as of this morning), but my blood pressure has gone down and my liver is back to functioning normally. Wow, this is something to this weight loss. However, I'm having a serious problem which will lead to financial difficulty. I have to go get a new wardrobe soon, and I may not need to go shopping at the Fat Ass specialty store either.

BTW. When I hit the 100 pound mark, I'm going off the wagon for one night only. Wanna come with? :P

Assault with a deadly....breast...

2010-03-09T08:49:00.001-05:00

From The Smoking Gun:

A Kentucky woman is facing a felony assault charge for allegedly squirting breast milk into the face of a female jailer. After Toni Tramel, 31, was arrested last Thursday for public intoxication, she was transported to the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro. While there, Tramel, pictured in the above mug shot, was directed to change into a jail uniform. But the uncooperative suspect was "too intoxicated to complete the task on her own," so Officer Lula Brown sought to aid her, according to the below incident report. While in the jail's shower room, Brown told Tramel that she "needed to take her shirt and bra off" before changing into a green jail smock. That is when Tramel "took off her bra, grabbed her breast and squirted breast milk, hitting me in the face and neck region," reported Brown. Tramel attempted a second lactation assault, "but was unsuccessful," added Brown. Tramel is now being held in the Daviess County lockup on $5000 bond. As for Brown, a jail press release noted that the officer was successfully able to "clean the bio-hazard off her."

Space Battleship Yamato: Live Action Trailer

2010-03-05T13:19:00.002-05:00

This won't be Star Blazers...sorry.

Scrubs Remix (DJ Steve Porter)

2010-03-05T08:59:00.003-05:00

Weight loss for a fat guy - How the iPhone is saving my life...

2010-02-23T12:20:00.014-05:00

Dateline September, 2009...

I hadn’t been feeling well. My body wasn’t handling the stress that work was putting me under like it had times before. I was thinking that at 38, I was too young for this. So when I actually succumbed to having my blood pressure taken, it was spiking to 180/100. That shocked me, and I knew that something had to change.

On October 13th 2009, I went to the doctor and everything changed. BP was 160ish over 100ish. However, weigh-in was shock number two: 395lbs. WTF?!?!? No way did I weigh that much. That couldn’t be right. I can’t weigh but maybe 20 or so pounds more than when I got married back in 1997. I was deluded. I was fooling myself. I was living in the past.

Shock number three was the profile the doctor said I fit. “According to my calculations, you are a man who is taking in close to 4000 calories a day”. 4000? 4000?!?!?! With the history of heart issues in my family, I was looking at an early grave. However, it was correctable. The doctor said that exercise was out of the question until I got a full cardiac profile done (stress test, blood tests, heart echo, etc). My first line of defense was diet.

The doctor gave me some great information on what I was putting in my body, what I should be putting in my body, and what to look out for when eating out. She also got me to see a nutritionist, which only further expanded my knowledge about what the do’s and do not’s are when it comes to eating “right”. This is where the iPhone comes into play.

The iPhone has many applications on it that deal with fitness. The one that I settled on had brand name nutritional information, restaurant nutritional information, and allowed me to input/correct information. The KEY to it all was the tracking. If you don’t know what is going into your body, there is no way you can honestly lose weight without hurting you. The nutritionist and doctor gave me guidelines. For an average male, take in no more than 2000 calories, 180 carbs, and 2400 sodium (for the heart).

When I first saw that, I thought that was easy enough to do. Then I started looking through the iPhone application, doctor’s literature, and on the internet. My GOD!!! I was eating myself to oblivion. Case in point was my standard Saturday night meal. I loved getting a Red Burrito from the local Hardees. It was big and loaded with “good stuff”. Know what that cost me?

From http://www.hardees.com/redburrito/menu/burritos/signature-red-burrito-beef/

Product Signature Red Burrito (Beef)
Serving Size 428, Calories 820, Calories from Fat 290, Total Fat (g) 32, Saturated Fat (g) 12, Cholesterol (mg) 65, Sodium (mg) 2820, Carbohydrates (g) 95, Dietary Fiber (g) 6, Sugars (g) 4, Protein (g) 35

This sucker, not counting the nachos, salsa, beans, and soda included in the combo, was costing 1/3 of my daily calories, ½ of my carbs, and more than a whole day of sodium.

My second weakness was soda. It had gotten bad. I was guzzling down a 2liter of Coke on a weekend. During the week, I’d start my day off with a 32oz Coke in the morning, with a refill at lunch. Know what a Coke has?

From http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/us_nutrition.html

Product Coca-Cola classic
Serving Size 8 Fl Oz, Calories 97, Calories from Fat 0, Total Fat (g) 0, Saturated Fat (g) ?, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 33, Carbohydrates (g) 27, Dietary Fiber (g) 0, Sugars (g) 27, Protein (g)0

Note the serving size. That is just for 8oz of Coke. Do you even see that anymore? Talk about garbage in. And I was downing a 2liter a weekend? I quickly weaned myself off of Coke (the headaches were a biatch), and went to strictly water.

So, the drink was taken care of, what about food? What could I have? You know, I found out quickly that if I just read the labels, ran the numbers, and adhered to the serving/portion size, I wasn’t missing out on much. See, this is where a lot of people (myself included) were misinformed. The information is right there on the can/package. Just note the serving size and make allowances in your daily allotments. It really is all about the math. What about eating out? Well, thank God for the internet (and again, iPhone). You can look up most major restaurants online. They will have nutritional information. If they don’t, there are multitudes of websites that have their own info or a copy-cat recipe with nutrition info. It may not be precise, but it worked.

Back to my tale of woe. Once I got the wake-up call, I got serious. I couldn’t do this if my head wasn’t twisted on straight. I had to buckle down and work for it, even without exercise. I used the fundamentals I was taught and learned: knowing the information, tracking the input, keeping the limitations. Between more doctor visits, my family got on board. The more questionable foods were quickly replaced with more healthy food. The sea salt shakers were replaced by Ms Dash. The regular canned veggies replaced by the low-sodium or no-sodium versions. Because my heart was still in question, we started collecting and using recipes from low-sodium cooking sites. You’d be surprised how much you don’t miss it.

So, with diet only, the pounds started to come off. Not quickly, mind you, but they did. By the time I went in for my stress test a month later, 20 pounds were gone. By Christmas, close to 40. Speaking of holidays, I have to keep reminding people when they want to cook for me that they need to make what they always do. It is UP TO ME to make sure I don’t exceed what I can have. Was it hard? Not so much. I used to load up on stuffing and gravy at Thanksgiving. I used to be able to finish off a pound of ham at Christmas. Maybe I was lucky to start this diet before the holidays, because by the time they hit, my habits had changed.

Habits built up over my lifetime were hard to overcome. However, it doesn’t take too long to reform them. You have to give yourself time. When it came to food, I was always taught to clean my plate. I would overeat to make sure I ate what I took. Well, I listen to that full feeling now. I can visualize what I know I can eat. I can mentally portion things out. It works great. I eat smaller portions of better food with greater lasting effects so I don’t get hungry. Pre-portioned meals that are commonly available in the frozen food section are a great boon! I’ve fallen in love with the Healthy Choice Café Steamers. The nutritional info is perfect for what I’m doing, and it keeps me full until dinner. Don’t buy into the old wives tale about eating breakfast big and progressively smaller meals throughout the day. Everyone is different. Everyone has to learn what their body needs and should have.

Liver issues were brought into question by some of my blood work. I got a CT scan done, and it indicated fatty liver. Off to see a specialist. Fatty liver is one of those things obese folks like I have to deal with. Your liver can store up fat, which hinders liver functions. You have to lose weight to lose the fat. So the first visit, the specialist tells me that. He likes that I am losing weight and I should continue to do it smartly. He orders more blood work and a return trip in January. So, the first week of January rolls around and I weigh in at 341. 341? That’s 50 pounds in 3 months. GOAL!!!!!

(side note: I had set some goals when I started this back in October. I wanted to lost 50 pounds by Spring 2010, and 100 by my Birthday in November 2010)

Doctor said my blood work had improved a lot and was again impressed with my weight loss. I am still going through more monitoring. This will be coming up in March. Also around this time, I got word that my heart was cleared for exercise. Fantastic! I had a coat rack…er, exercise bike that needed some loving. My family decided that the Wii Fit needed dusting off as well. I wasn’t so thrilled about this. See, the Wii Fit has a weight limit of 330 pounds. If you exceed that, you can’t use it. I had bought it in late 2008. When I first got on it, it told me that I weighed too much to use it. Ouch. However, now was a new day!

I was hesitant to get on it, but I did….and….it accepted me!!! I was pegging the high 320’s with minimal clothing, but I could do it. I combined this with the cycle for some good results. We got the newer Wii Fit Plus software, and the updates are much appreciated. I try to do 30 minutes a day minimum.

Sorry to have rambled on for so long, but as you can see, losing weight at my age is possible. It isn’t easy, but if you get your head in the game you can do it. As the 80’s cartoon GI Joe used to say “knowing is half the battle”. In my case, it was the entire battle. Once I got educated, it all fell into place. Plus, if I ever feel like going off the wagon, I have a little reminder in my pocked (iPhone) that keeps me on the right path.

Now to see if I can bust my birthday goal before spring arrives. If so, party time. Healthy with limits, of course. :)

PS. As of this morning. 308.

Sore Winner

2010-02-23T07:14:00.004-05:00

'Deadliest Catch' Captain Phil Harris has died

2010-02-10T06:45:00.001-05:00

From EW online:

Discovery announced tonight that Captain Phil Harris, known to fans of Deadliest Catch as captain of the crab fishing vessel Cornelia Maria, has died. He suffered a stroke late last month while in port off-loading at St. Paul Island in Alaska. “He was more than someone on our TV screen,” according to a statement from the network, which has documented the Cornelia Marie’s adventures on the Bering Sea for five seasons on the Emmy-winning series. “Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil’s every move.”

Harris’ sons also put out the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate his strength.”

I Am The TaxMan

2010-01-21T08:40:00.000-05:00

For Sale: One Shuttle, used.

2010-01-19T13:32:00.001-05:00

From New Scientist:

Space shuttle for sale, fully loaded, air conditioning, one careful owner. It's the ultimate bargain. NASA has cut the price of a space shuttle to $28.8 million. The vehicles will go on sale after they finish constructing the International Space Station, scheduled to be later this year. The New York Times reports that NASA had hoped to get $42 million for each vehicle but lowered the cost in the hope of sealing a deal. It has three to sell, although one of these, Discovery, is already promised to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

If an entire shuttle is beyond your budget, consider a main engine instead. NASA had hoped to charge up to $800,000 for these but lack of interest has forced it to slash the price. They are now available for free: a bargain in anybody's language. Just bear in mind that the buyer must pay for postage and packaging.

A boy's dog is a true guardian Angel

2010-01-04T07:55:00.003-05:00

From Mail Online:

A golden retriever called Angel is being hailed a hero after it stopped a mountain lion from attacking an 11-year-old boy.

The 18-month-old dog stepped between the big cat and the youngster during a dramatic encounter in western Canada.

Police, who later shot the cougar dead, credited Angel for saving the Austin Foreman's life.

He had gone to retrieve some firewood outside his family's home in Boston Bar, about 150 miles north-east of Vancouver.

That's when the mountain lion charged across the yard at the boy.

'I was really scared. At first, I didn't know it was a cougar. I thought it was another dog,' Austin told CTV News on Sunday.

'As soon as it went underneath the light, I saw that it was a cougar. I knew at that moment, I had to go inside.'

Angel, who had been at Austin's side, attacked the big cat.

Austin ran into the house and screamed: 'A cougar is eating Angel!'

Mrs Forman said she had to get Austin to repeat himself a few times because he was so shaken.

When she looked out the window, Mrs Foreman couldn't see anything but she could hear Angel wimpering.

'To feel so helpless, I knew I couldn't do anything,' she said.

She called her father-in-law, who told her to call the police.

Royal Canadian Mountain Police Constable Chad Gravelle was nearby and was on scene within a minute.

The officer found the cougar under the back porch and heard the dog cry out as the cougar chewed its neck, police said.

He fired two rounds into the cougar's rear end, but the cat continued its attack.

The officer closed to within five feet and shot the mountain again, killing it.

Even after it was dead, the cat's jaws were clenched on Angel's face.

Angel was silent for a few moments but then took in a big gasp of air and got up.

Forman said Angel was recovering with a local vet. The dog has numerous puncture wounds around her head and neck, as well as a swollen eye.

Mrs Forman said before the attack, Austin had come into the house to tell the family how cute it was that Angel had been following him around.

'She must've known something was up,' Forman said.

Last week, when Angel was frolicking in the snow, family members called her a 'snow angel,' the mother said.

'Now, she's our guardian angel.'

Exploding Chewing Gum Blows Off College Student's Jaw

2009-12-10T06:57:00.004-05:00

From FOXNews.com:

A chemistry student in the Ukraine was found dead with his jaw blown off by what is believed to be exploding chewing gum, according to reports.

The 25-year-old's disfigured remains were discovered at his parent's home in the northern Ukrainian city of Konotop, reports in the Eastern European country said.

The young man, who studied at Kiev Polytechnic Institute, was working at a computer late on Saturday when the alleged explosion happened.

"A loud pop was heard from the student's room," the ukranews.com Web site said, citing an aide to the city's police chief.

"When his relatives entered the room, they saw that the lower part of the young man's face had been blown off."

A forensic examination established that the chewing gum was covered with an unidentified chemical substance, thought to be some type of explosive material.

The student apparently had a bizarre habit of chewing gum after dipping it into citric acid, Russian news agency Ria Novosti said.

Officers found both citric acid packets and a similar-looking unidentified substance, believed to be some kind of explosive material, on a table near the body, the agency continued.

Investigators suspect that the student simply confused the packets and put gum covered with explosive material into his mouth.

Forensic experts were to travel from Kiev to investigate the substance, as local authorities feared it may explode if transported.

The real Bazooka gum. *rimshot*

"December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy".

2009-12-07T07:07:00.001-05:00

The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, Operation Z, as it was called by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters)[6] was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States' naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 (Hawaiian time, December 8 by Japan Standard Time), which resulted in the United States becoming militarily involved in World War II. It was intended as a preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war the Empire of Japan was planning to wage in Southeast Asia against Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353[7] aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.

The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed[8] and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not hit. Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

The attack was a major engagement of World War II. It took place before a formal declaration of war by Japan and before the last part of a 14-part message had been delivered to the State Department in Washington, D.C. The Japanese Embassy in Washington had been instructed to deliver it immediately prior to the scheduled time of the attack in Hawaii. The attack, and especially the surprise nature of it, were both factors in changing U.S. public opinion from an isolationist position to support for direct participation in the war. Germany's prompt declaration of war, unforced by any treaty commitment to Japan, quickly brought the United States into the European Theater as well. Despite numerous historical precedents of unannounced military action, the lack of any formal declaration prior to the attack led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim "December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy".

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 at TheOnion

2009-11-13T06:53:00.001-05:00

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks

To all who serve or have served. Thank you.

2009-11-09T19:01:00.001-05:00

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11:00 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America's war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The ceremony takes place inside the Memorial Amphitheater.

Man teaching gun safety shot in head, killed

2009-09-22T13:18:00.002-04:00

From KDSK-TV:

An eastern Missouri man is dead after accidentally shooting himself while teaching firearms safety to his girlfriend.

KSDK-TV reports that 40-year-old James Looney of Imperial died of a gunshot wound to the head.

The shooting happened Friday. Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer told the station that according to witnesses, Looney was demonstrating how to use the different safety mechanisms on several guns. Witnesses told authorities that Looney would put the guns to his head, ask his girlfriend if she thought the gun would go off, then pull the trigger.

The safety mechanisms worked for the first two guns. But the third gun fired. Looney died Saturday at a hospital.

Rule #1. The Gun is always loaded. Broken.
Rule #2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. Broken.

What you say can (online) can will be used against you.

2009-08-27T06:56:00.003-04:00

What are your rights as a blogger?

This privacy story has been making the rounds in New York this week. Someone anonymously created a blog called “Skanks in NYC” and used it primarily to bash model Liskula Cohen. The blogger called Cohen a skank, a ho, and an old hag, among other nasty things, and posted photos of her, taken from various websites.

Cohen was not pleased and wanted to pursue a defamation lawsuit. That’s hard though, when you don’t know the identity of the person defaming you. Her lawyer asked the judge to force Google to reveal the identity of the blogger, whose blog was hosted by Google-owned Blogger.

The blogger’s lawyer did not manage to convince the judge with that argument. On Monday, the judge ordered Google to turn the blogger in, or at least reveal her e-mail and IP address. Cohen was able to use that to figure out who the woman was. It turns out it’s someone Cohen knows socially.

According to the New York Post, it’s a classic girlfight. Port badmouthed Cohen online because Cohen had said nasty things about her to Port’s boyfriend. Gothamist hunted down Port’s photo on Facebook. It shows her lying naked in bed. It’s… well… it’s a bit skanky.

Privacy groups are concerned by the precedent set by the judge in forcing Google to reveal Port’s identity.

The San Francisco Chronicle has more experts weigh in on the case, who all agree that this is “a tough intersection of free speech and defamation.”

Interestingly, the model, Cohen, decided last night to drop her $3 million defamation suit against Port, which gives some credence to the claim that this may have been a ‘frivolous lawsuit just” to “issue a subpoena to the Web site or Internet Service Provider (ISP) involved, discover the identity of [an] anonymous critic, and intimidate” them.

I think the lesson is: if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it on the Internet unless you’re okay with the fact that you might one day get outed.

It isn't about right and wrong. It's about having enough money to use the system to your own nefarious means.

Champions Online is coming

2009-08-04T16:16:00.000-04:00

A fierce warrior up for any challenge, you will never back down from a fight. You are an honorable combatant, but that does not mean you are above deriving pleasure from the defeat of your adversaries.

Take the quiz!

This MJ mess makes no sense. Reminds me of a Cult of Personlity...

2009-07-07T16:02:00.001-04:00

Sex for chips

2009-06-24T17:47:00.001-04:00

From TheSmokingGun:

Meet Lahoma Sue Smith. The Oklahoma woman, 36, copped a plea last week to a prostitution charge for accepting a box of Frito-Lay chips in exchange for oral sex. According to the below Oklahoma City Police Department report, john Faron Jonhson told cops that he informed Smith that he did not have any money, but that she "agreed to give him a 'blow job' meaning oral sex, for a box of chips."

Johnson, a Frito-Lay employee, provided Smith with a case of chips he valued at $30. Following her February arrest, Smith, pictured in the mug shot at right, told police that she had a few prior prostitution busts. At her sentencing last week, Smith was ordered to pay a $1142 fine. Last July, with gasoline prices climbing, a Kentucky woman was arrested for accepting a $100 gasoline card in exchange for sexual favors.

Betcha can't eat just one...

Putting the Twit in Twitter.

2009-06-22T09:23:00.002-04:00

From Gizmodo:

Two things here in what seems to be the world’s first Twittercide: don’t use your computer while taking a bath. And if for whatever reason you do, don’t be like this 17-year-old Romanian girl and risk your well-being to Tweet.

The Austrian times says that Maria Barbu was, in fact, in the tub while using Twitter when she likely reached to plug in her charger with a wet hand, electrocuting herself in the process. You smell that? Yeah, that’s a Darwin Award in the making.

I wonder if her last tweet was something like:
'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Aramathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of uuggggggh'....

Jesse James is a fast dead man

2009-06-17T20:29:00.001-04:00

From Spike TV:

Jesse James, American engineer, stuntman and all around lunatic successfully shattered the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle for his latest show Jesse James Is A Dead Man – a show in which he cheats death every week by taking on a different challenge.

James, who is married to actress Sandra Bullock (who starred in Speed, somewhat fittingly), broke the world land-speed record for a hydrogen powered car yesterday in the Mojave desert. Jesse's new record speed of 199.7mph (321km/h) was documented by the Southern California Timing Association and beat the previous record holder, the BMW H2R, which previously held the land-speed record for an H2 car of 185mph (298km/h).

The vehicle he used was a 1960s relic that has been used for attempts on land-speed records before, most notably by Dees-Milodin Engineering, which named the contraption the Streamliner for fairly obvious reasons.

Now, James rebuilt the vehicle from the ground up, replacing its Chrysler engine with a twin-turbocharged 9.8L V8 engine from Chevrolet. The engine uses hydrogen gas, rather than liquid hydrogen, and considering the old 1960s Chrysler-engined Streamliner was able to hit 237mph at the Bonneville salt flats without hydrogen, yesterday’s record would have been easy going for the old girl.

James, who has done some amazingly dangerous stunts for his show already, told AutoWeek that he was not even scared of doing the run - but if it was us barrelling down a Southern Californian salt flat at world-record speeds with two tanks of hydrogen gas pressurized to 10,00psi sitting behind us we think we'd be just a little bit apprehensive.

The show was filmed yesterday and will air as the season one finale on Sunday, August 9 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on Spike TV.

Gatchaman (G-Force) vs Street Fighter = Gimme!!!

2009-06-10T09:47:00.000-04:00

The sky is failing, the sky is failing

2009-05-26T06:59:00.002-04:00

From ZDNet:

However, the convenience and utility of GPS may be impacted over the next year or two as the satellites circling our planet begin to expire while funding and management issues keep replacement satellites grounded.

GPS satellites are maintained by the US Air Force, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in a 7 May 2009 study that lack of funds means that some satellites could start to fail in 2010. There are thirty one active GPS satellites in the system over the Earth and you need four satellites to get a decent fix on your position. I often see six to eight GPS satellites connected at one time on my devices so there is some redundancy that improves positional accuracy. If a few satellites fail, I doubt most consumers will be that affected and we may have to go back to relying more on maps without the GPS real-time positioning. However, the military uses GPS for much more vital functions where accuracy is very important to successful operations.

Replacement GPS satellites were scheduled for launch in 2007, but they have still not been launched. They are scheduled for a November 2009 launch, but we will have to see if continued funding and leadership issues affect this data as well.

A European-funded GPS satellite navigation system, Galileo, is scheduled for launch later in 2010. Russia, India, and China also have satellite navigation systems.

How will Ozzy navigate his mansion if GPS fails?

What's your Sin?

2009-05-22T09:21:00.002-04:00

From the A.E.I.:

An excise tax on those goods that elected officials deem morally suspect has come roaring back. But the temptation to impose sin taxes is one that should be resisted for economic and moral reasons.

On May 18, Politico reported that the Senate Finance Committee was looking for ways to pay for President Barack Obama’s “sweeping health reform overhaul” by “slapping an excise tax on ‘sugar-sweetened beverages’ for the first time, and imposing a uniform tax across wine, beer, and liquor, which are currently taxed at different levels.” According to the Congressional Budget Office, a tax of 3 cents per 12-ounce serving of soft drink (like the 18 percent tax on sugary drinks that New York Gov. David Paterson recently failed to push through) would generate $24 billion over four years.

What’s behind this is the notion that sugary soft drinks are one of the chief culprits of a national epidemic of obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates doubled among adults between 1980 and 2000. About 60 million adults, or 30 percent of the adult population, are now obese.

Never mind if you have freely chosen to smoke a cigarette or drink a cold Coke on a hot summer’s day and, mirabile dictu, you take responsibility for your actions. The New Puritans who are ready to dramatically expand the welfare state and limit personal freedoms claim to know what’s best for you.

In “Blaming the Food Industry for Obesity,” BusinessWeek blogger Cathy Arnst recently reported that “two new studies conclude that the food industry is following the tobacco industry’s play book to ensure that we keep loading up on calories, and as a result virtually all of the weight gain in the U.S. over the last 30 years can be attributed to eating more, not moving less.”

Arnst also quotes a study by two university researchers who tipped their hand when they titled their work: “The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar Is Big Food?” Researchers Kelly D. Brownell and Kenneth E. Warner concluded that although there are differences between tobacco and food (a startling insight for sure) there are “significant similarities in the actions that these industries have taken in response to concern that their products cause harm. Because obesity is now a major global problem, the world cannot afford a repeat of the tobacco history, in which industry talks about the moral high ground but does not occupy it.”

Brownell and Warner also grudgingly acknowledged that personal responsibility and freedom are values cherished by Americans, but “they obscure the reality that some of the most significant health advances have been made by population-based public health approaches in which the overall welfare of the citizenry trumps certain individual or industry freedoms.” In other words, the government knows better than you do how to feed and raise your children.

I'm a tool

2009-05-08T16:17:00.001-04:00

I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find a center in you.
I will chew it up and leave,
I will work to elevate you
just enough to bring you down.

Good by Pa Pa. You will be missed...

2009-04-22T16:16:00.002-04:00

From Jacksonville.com:

WALLACE Ernest C. Wallace, 83, of Yulee, FL passed away on Monday April 20, 2009. He was born on November 7, 1925 in Hialeah, FL and has lived most of his life in Jacksonville, FL. He was a member of the Iron Workers Local # 597 of Jacksonville and the Woodstock Masonic Lodge. He was a veteran and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Veneta Agnes Wallace; son, Ernest Wallace of Yulee, FL; daughter, Patty Wallace Dreggors of Yulee, FL; brothers, Frank S. Wallace (Betty) of Jacksonville, FL, Robert Wallace (Ollie) of Yulee, FL and Charles Swearingen; sister, Louise “Sis” Mathews (Matt); granddaughter, Melissa Paschal (Jim) Of Yulee, FL and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Funeral services with military honors will be held at the graveside in Evergreen Cemetery Thursday, April 23 at 2:00 PM with Rev. Jimmy Flanagan officiating. The family will receive fiends on Wednesday (Today) from 6-8 PM in the chapel of Cedar Bay Funeral Home, 405 New Berlin Road, Jacksonville, 714-1110. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com

The B-AK

2009-04-15T08:20:00.002-04:00

From some bacon lover:

The BA-K-47 is a full size replica of an AK-47 made out of bacon (and wire). Quick, put it in my mouth and pull the trigger! Mmmm, lardy!
We had our first annual Bacon Day this past Saturday. As a huge fan of bacon, and all the great bacon blogs out there, I decided it was time for me to make my own bacon creation. I came up with the BA-K-47, a 1:1 scale AK-47 made out of bacon. It took a total of eight hours to create, a lot of bacon, and a blowtorch... oh yeah, and our good friend beer helped too.

ZOMG -- you know beer too?! The trouble that guy and I used to get into! Like yesterday when he told me to steal my neighbor's car and drive it into a ravine! And right now when he told me to type that despite on ongoing investigation. Hold on, door.

The Bacon AK is the preferred food of your enemies. It makes a distinctive sound when fried at you.

World War Z is coming

2009-04-14T20:21:00.001-04:00

Just when you thought you were full up on zombie films, a piece of art comes along to make you say, "Damn, I'd like to see that come to life." Case in point: The below image you see from artist Daniel LuVisi. He created the piece, entitled "The Battle of Yonkers," in an attempt to land a job on World War Z, Paramount Pictures' big-budget zombie epic based on the Max Brooks novel. Writer J. Michael Straczynski adapted the story for the screen.

Website io9 received the following message from LuVisi:

This is the image I did, to get on the film World War Z with Marc Forster, director of Quantum of Solace. Can't say whats going on or what the outcome is right now, but it's not in the negative zone :)

This was one of the most difficult images I've ever done. Incredibly challenging to the point where I wanted to quit. But through thick and thin I forced myself to complete it.

Old news, I know. However, JMS (of Babylon 5 and Spiderman fame) can pen some awesome stuff. I hope this lives up to the hype. Remember your carbine and machete.

Cop fire for passively injesting cocaine?

2009-04-09T14:30:00.004-04:00

From NY Daily News:

A decorated ex-cop who claimed he tested positive for cocaine because he ingested the drug during oral sex with his girlfriend can't have his job back, a Manhattan judge has ruled.

Supreme Court Justice Eileen Rakower last month shot down helicopter pilot Jon Goldin's attempt to overturn his April 2008 dismissal from the NYPD.

Goldin, a 15-year veteran, tested positive for cocaine in October 2006 in a random drug test using hairs from his arm.

Goldin - an adherent of the "straight edge" lifestyle that rejects substance use - didn't challenge the drug test.

He sued last year after a state appeals court rejected the NYPD's use of hair to test cops for illegal drug use.

"This is a very special human being who devoted his entire life to being a police officer," said lawyer Paul Goldberger. "He would no more use drugs than the man on the moon."

Goldin's lawsuit said the cocaine in his system was the product of "passive ingestion" from performing oral sex on girlfriend Coreen McCarthy, who, once he tested positive, admitted to him that she was a regular cocaine user.

"She never told [Goldin] about her drug use," court records say.

The couple met at a punk concert and, according to court records, they "would often sweat" while having sex "three or four times per week."

They split immediately once Goldin tested positive for cocaine.

More than 70 friends went to bat for the ex-cop, saying they had never seen him take even a sip of coffee and that he abstained at bars while others drank booze.

"Clearly the wrong result was reached in this case," Goldberger said. "This guy should be a cop."

Rakower ruled that even though the appeals court put a stop to hair tests in December 2007, Goldin's firing must stand because he voluntarily cooperated with the drug test and allowed hair samples to be taken from his arm.

The state's highest court Tuesday agreed to hear an appeal from the NYPD in favor of hair testing, which the city began using in 2005.

So, his excuse wasn't the only thing that didn't pass the sniff test.

Lonely? Feeling Randy? Try a pine cone.

2009-04-01T07:05:00.002-04:00

From The Sun:

A SEX-STARVED woman has undergone a painful two-hour op to remove a giant PINE CONE.
Surgeons have revealed embarrassed spinster Mirjana Gavaric is recovering after getting steamy with the seedy item in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Dr Sava Bojovic explained: “She was lonely and she took a pine cone from a tree and unfortunately it got stuck and she needed surgery to get it out.”

By all accounts, she did have a TREE-mendous time with it though.

Enjoy your automobile, comrade citizen.

2009-03-31T07:44:00.004-04:00

From Yahoo, straight from the old USSR:

President Barack Obama's extraordinary auto industry intervention is assertive and coldly pragmatic, with a dose of caution and a sentimental nod to the automobile's place in the American psyche.

Obama's curt rejection of General Motors' and Chrysler's restructuring plans and his abrupt move to muscle out GM's CEO set the stage for a major realignment of the U.S. auto industry. He bluntly raised the prospect of a "prepackaged bankruptcy" that would reorganize the companies quickly under court protection.

But Obama did not upend Detroit in one single swoop. He gave each company a second chance at a federal bailout — 60 days for GM and 30 for Chrysler — though it was evident that from now on little would remain the same.

"We've reached the end of that road," Obama declared Monday.

Yet Obama also conceded the intangible nature of the auto industry as a national symbol, and made it clear he would not let it succumb under his watch. He called the industry an emblem of the American spirit and a pillar of the economy.

"We cannot, and must not, and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish," he said.

The forced ouster of GM CEO Richard Wagoner, the detailed review of the companies' business models and the overt threat of bankruptcy represented an increasingly hands-on approach by the government to institutions receiving federal assistance in the midst of the economic crisis.

On Tuesday, Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican whose state is home to auto manufacturing plants, said the administration's aggressive intervention in the industry sets "a very dangerous precedent."

It wasn't just the forced ouster of Wagoner that causes him concern, Corker said on CBS's "The Early Show." He accused the administration of taking a "we know best" attitude in connection with the problems in the domestic industry and said that should "send a chill throughout the country."

The president was hardly ambiguous about his desire to use the beleaguered state of the industry to press one of his top policy agendas — an energy policy that emphasizes the manufacture of fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars.

"The United States will lead the world in building the next generation of clean cars," he said.

Obama's restructuring conditions include concessions from bondholders, the investors who hold GM and Chrysler debt, as well as from the United Auto Workers, which represents the industry work force. "It will require unions and workers who have already made extraordinarily painful concessions to do more," Obama said.

Welcome to the new world.

Hey, while you're at it, check out the history behind goverment cars:
http://jalopnik.com/5188073/cars-of-the-soviet-union-the-definitive-history-by-andy-thompson

Replace Prime Minister with President and UK with USA.

2009-03-26T13:38:00.003-04:00

Waxing ban in New Jersey

2009-03-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

From New Jersey:

It looks like bikini season will come to New Jersey after all.

Perhaps realizing how silly they looked, Garden State officials on Friday scrapped plans for a ban on "Brazilian" bikini waxes.

The ban was being considered by the state's Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling because two women had been hospitalized in the last year for infections following a bare-it-all Brazilian-style treatment.

But in a letter to the board on Friday, New Jersey Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman wrote: "I cannot agree to the complete prohibition ... banning removal of hair in the genital area."

For the uninitiated, a Brazilian-style bikini wax involves the full removal of hair from what can euphemistically be called the "bikini region." Jeannette Abou-Mourad, owner of Sisters Skin Care and Waxing on Michigan Avenue, explained that despite its South American name the practice began thousands of years ago in the Middle East, a tradition considered routine and hygienic.

"It's pure cleanliness," she said. "It began in the Middle East, then traveled to Brazil and around other parts of the world before it wound up in America."

Salon owners in New Jersey cried out when they heard about the potential ban, fearing the economic impact it might have with bikini season on the horizon.

Szuchman, in his letter to the cosmetology board, wrote that he believes there are "alternate means to address any public health issues" and he encouraged the board to begin a review of the training needed to safely provide Brazilian bikini waxes.

Because in Jersey, it is camaro hair everywhere!

Mom of the year....so far...

2009-03-23T09:01:00.002-04:00

From Schenectady:

The 14-year-old girl who jumped onto the trunk of her mother's car then fell off after the woman refused to take her and her younger sister for ice cream is on the road to recovery, city police said.

The incident, which unfolded outside the family's Foster Avenue home Tuesday night, has lead to felony charges against city resident La Tasha Daniels, 38. The county has also taken her three other children.

Police say the older girl suffered brain injuries after tumbling to the ground when Daniels slammed on the brakes after driving her Honda Accord about 200 feet away, police spokesman Sgt. Eric Clifford said.

Moments earlier, Daniels' other daughter, 12, had been thrown off the roof but was unhurt, Clifford said. She hopped onto the roof because she was upset that her mother wasn't taking them to the Stewart's store on Van Vranken Avenue for ice cream. Daniels had locked the doors before the girls jumped on the car.

Clean out that recycle bin, dog-gone-it

2009-03-20T10:23:00.002-04:00

From The Smoking Gun:

Concerned that an ex-boyfriend had used her laptop to search for child pornography, the Indiana woman asked police to search the computer for illegal images, but had her plan backfire when cops discovered two videos of her engaged in illicit acts with a dog. Owen, 24, was charged last week with two felony bestiality counts in connection with the video files, which a detective found in the laptop's "recycle bin."

At the time Owen asked cops to search the computer, she was locked up in the Johnson County Jail on a public intoxication charge (which violated the terms of her release in a prior drunk driving case). According to a police affidavit, a copy of which you'll find here, a cop told Owen that he had found videos of her on the laptop and asked if she "knew what those files might be." Owen, pictured in the below mug shot, replied, "The one with the dog." Cops believe that the dog in question, Toby, is a beagle. After asking if she was "going to be charged with this," Owen said that the videos "were just something she did when she was drunk and barely remembers it," adding that she tried to "delete them the next day when she was sober."

This quack has gone to the dogs...

Proving the adage "a fool and his money"...

2009-03-19T06:55:00.003-04:00

From New Jersey:

A Green Brook resident who owns a 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo has filed suit against Circuit City and an employee for causing $50,000 in damage to the car, which had been brought to the store for a stereo installation.

In the suit filed in the Civil Division of state Superior Court, Luke Liang said he brought the vehicle valued at $185,000 to Circuit City on Route 28 in Bridgewater on Oct. 18, 2008 for an audio installation.

After he handed over the car for the work, Brian Murphy, a store employee, drove the car without permission in the parking lot and struck a curb, the suit states.

The "joyride,'' as the suit characterizes the action, resulted in $50,000 in damage, including the "destruction'' of a wheel and tire, scratches and a broken suspension system.

The suit notes that Circuit City's rules prohibit employees for taking vehicles for test rides after audio installations.

Liang claims in the suit that the incident lowered the car's value by $50,000.

The Circuit City store closed earlier this month after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.

Good luck getting money from a bankrupt store and an out-of-work install tech.

St. Patrick's Day. It isn't about the green beer ya heathens.

2009-03-17T06:55:00.003-04:00

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa AD 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by the those of Irish descent and increasingly by non-Irish people (usually in New Zealand, Australia, and North America). Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the colour green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Irish stout, Irish Whiskey or Irish Cream) and attending parades.

St. Patrick's Blue, not green, was the colour long-associated with St. Patrick. Green, the colour most widely associated with Ireland, with Irish people, and with St. Patrick's Day in modern times, may have gained its prominence through the phrase "the wearing of the green" meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing. At many times in Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. The wearing of and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the saint's holiday. The change to Ireland's association with green rather than blue probably began around the 1750's.

In the past, Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated as a religious holiday. It became a public holiday in 1903, by the Money Bank. (Ireland) Act 1903, an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament introduced by the Irish MP James O'Mara.[14] O'Mara later introduced the law which required that pubs be closed on 17 March, a provision which was repealed only in the 1970s. The first St. Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931 and was reviewed by the then Minister of Defence Desmond Fitzgerald. Although secular celebrations now exist, the holiday remains a religious observance in Ireland, for both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church.

It was only in the mid-1990s that the Irish government began a campaign to use Saint Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture. The government set up a group called St. Patrick's Festival, with the aim to:

—Offer a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebrations in the world and promote excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity, grassroots involvement, and marketing activity.
—Provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent, (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations.
—Project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal, as we approach the new millennium.

Christian leaders in Ireland have expressed concern about the secularisation of St Patrick's Day. Writing in the Word magazine (March 2007), Fr. Vincent Twomey stated that, "it is time to reclaim St Patrick's Day as a church festival". He questioned the need for "mindless alcohol-fuelled revelry" and concluded that, "it is time to bring the piety and the fun together".

It isn't about green beer and getting shit-faced, ya heathens.

It's just one of those days...

2009-03-16T08:12:00.001-04:00

It's Friday the 13th, do you know where your machete is?

2009-03-13T07:33:00.003-04:00

All Tapped Out.

2009-03-12T06:50:00.003-04:00

From FOXNews:

A $300,000 Ferrari collided with a Porsche, crashed and broke in half on an Orange County roadway Saturday, killing one person and injuring another, police said. The driver of the Porsche was later arrested.

The martial arts clothing company TapouT confirmed that co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis died in the car wreck shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday in Newport Beach. Police say the Ferrari apparently collided with a Porsche and spun out of control

Lewis was a co-founder of the company and was known for signature facepaint stripes on his face. The firm says in a statement that a memorial is being planned.

The two cars were speeding north on Jamboree Road in this wealthy city when the crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m., Lt. Craig Fox said.

A patrol officer saw the red 2004 Ferrari Modena and a white 1977 Porsche coupe swerve out of control, Craig said.

"We believe they were going fast based on the skids and the damage to the vehicle," Fox told KABC-TV. "But we can't speculate at this point if they were racing or not."

"Apparently they had collided and this was the aftermath of the collision," Fox said.

Catbong

2009-03-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

From Yahoo News:

This March 1, 2009, booking photo provided by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Dept., shows Acea Schomaker of Lincoln, Neb. He was booked Sunday on suspicion of animal cruelty, after deputies caught him smoking marijuana from a bong contraption that had a cat stuffed inside its 12-inch by 6-inch base. Schomaker told Lancaster County sheriff's deputies the 6-month-old female cat named Shadow had been hyper and that he was trying to calm her. Shadow was taken to the Capital Humane Society, where she appeared to be in good condition.

Kaboom!

2009-03-03T09:35:00.000-05:00

Headphones please.

OGRE: A Lego Tank

2009-03-02T05:52:00.003-05:00

Two comments:

Steve Jackson called. He wants his board game back.

Sarah Connor called. She wants your Skynet...er, Lego experiment stopped.

And the ban is averted for now thanks to ... Pelosi?!?!

2009-02-26T19:46:00.002-05:00

From The Hill:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tossed cold water on the prospect of reinstating the assault weapons ban, highlighting Democrats’ reluctance to take on gun issues.

Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat “no” when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.

“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it's clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”

Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president, that phrase is the stock line of those who don’t want to pass new gun control laws, such as the National Rifle Association.

The White House declined to comment on Holder's remarks, referring reporters to the Department of Justice. The DoJ did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

The Ban is Back

2009-02-26T10:07:00.002-05:00

From ABC News:

The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today.

"As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder told reporters.

Holder said that putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.

Mexican government officials have complained that the availability of sophisticated guns from the United States have emboldened drug traffickers to fight over access routes into the U.S.

A State Department travel warning issued Feb. 20, 2009, reflected government concerns about the violence.

"Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades," the warning said. "Large firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico, but most recently in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez."

Because, you know, we can just run out to Wal-Mart to grab automatic weapons and grenades. Hey, maybe if the border was a bit more secured...

New ISS module needs a name.

2009-02-25T16:12:00.001-05:00

From NASA:

Help us to name another important addition to the station - Node 3 and its cupola!
Vote using the poll on the right.

Voting will be open until March 20th, 2009. NASA will announce the winning name in April 2009.

NASA wants your opinion in naming the International Space Station’s Node 3 – a connecting module and its cupola – before the two segments travel to space and are installed on the orbiting laboratory. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1- Unity- and Node 2- Harmony.

Space shuttle Endeavour will deliver the Node 3 components during the STS-130 mission targeted for December 2009. Once the cupola is attached to one of the module’s six ports, it will offer astronauts a spectacular view of both their home planet and their home in space. The cupola’s six rectangular windows and one circular window overhead will show a panoramic view that will be unrivaled by any other spacecraft ever flown. Aside from providing a perfect location to observe and photograph the Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation, where astronauts will be able to control the station’s giant robotic arm.

Serenity is in the lead. Shiny! Let's be bad guys.

Rectum?!?! It Killed 'Em!

2009-02-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

From Gizmodo:

Well, stories don't get much worse than this. A 14-year-old boy in China was killed when his chair exploded, sending chunks of metal into his rectum. The bleeding this caused killed him.

The alleged explosion came from the gas cylinder that was in the base of the chair, the part that allowed the user to adjust the seat up and down. The canister gets compressed when you sit on it, but can it actually create enough energy to make the seat cushion explode like that and kill a man? I doubt it, but this is what people are reporting.

I wonder if it was made in China.

Check the skies for Lulin

2009-02-23T14:14:00.001-05:00

From the CSM:

Over the next three nights, skywatchers should expect their best views yet of Comet Lulin. It makes its closest approach to Earth — some 38 million miles away — on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

To the naked eye, the comet looks like a fuzzy patch of hazy light against the night sky. Use binoculars or telescopes, and you’ll be able to pick out its brighter center, along with its dual tail — a brighter tail of dust, and a dimmer one of ionized gases the comet sheds as its sun-warmed ices change directly from a solid to a gas.

Lulin, formally known as C/2007 N3, will dim quickly through March, thanks to the kick it’s gotten from the sun’s gravity. Then it’s Oort-a here — heading back out to its kin in the Oort Cloud, a vast collection of icy construction debris left over from the formation of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago.

Comet Lulin will make its closest approach to Earth on Monday night. The circled X shows the comet's position at seen from Boston at 10 p.m. local time. It appears in the southeastern sky near Saturn, at the tip of Leo the Lion's hind leg.

Rockband: Bloodsport edition

2009-02-21T18:58:00.001-05:00

Drums no hit back.

Obama of borg

2009-02-20T16:26:00.002-05:00

When chimps go bad

2009-02-18T08:38:00.003-05:00

From The AP:

Travis the chimpanzee, a veteran of TV commercials, was the constant companion of a lonely Connecticut widow who fed him steak, lobster and ice cream. He could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself.

He brushed his teeth with a Water Pik, logged on to a computer to look at photos and channel-surfed television with the remote control.

But on Monday, the wild animal in him came out with a vengeance.

The 200-pound animal viciously mauled a friend of his owner before being shot to death by police.

Investigators are trying to figure out why — whether it was a bout of Lyme disease, a reaction to drugs, or a case of instinct taking over.

In recordings of calls to 911 dispatchers released Tuesday, Travis' grunts can be heard as a frantic Herold cries that her pet is "eating" Nash and must be killed. The attack lasted about 12 minutes.

"The chimp killed my friend!" says a sobbing Herold, who was hiding in her vehicle. "Send the police with a gun. With a gun!"

The dispatcher later asks, "Who's killing your friend?"

"My chimpanzee!" she cries. "He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"

After police arrive, one officer radios back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."

Police said that Travis was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp.

In humans, Xanax can cause memory loss, lack of coordination, reduced sex drive and other side effects. It can also lead to aggression in people who were unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

"Xanax could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.

Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas, said it is difficult to say what effect Xanax would have on a chimp, but he noted that chimps and humans have similar physiology.

Investigators said they were also told that Travis had Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with flu-like symptoms that can lead to arthritis and meningitis in humans.

"Maybe from the medications he was out of sorts," Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

XKCD explains the base metaphor

2009-02-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

Calvin understands the economy

2009-02-15T14:05:00.001-05:00

Teaching the oldest profession

2009-02-12T08:51:00.001-05:00

From The AP:

Authorities say an Ohio fourth-grade teacher had a side job as a prostitute, and even skipped class after using a school computer to arrange an afternoon tryst at a motel.

Logan County sheriff's officials say 35-year-old Amber Carter was arrested Tuesday at a motel parking lot in Bellefontaine (behl-FOWN'-tin) in central Ohio. She's charged with misdemeanor prostitution and a felony, unauthorized use of property, regarding the computer.

Bellefontaine City Schools Superintendent Larry Anderson says officials are shocked. He says Carter never received a reprimand in 13 years at the district.

She's now on administrative leave.

Gives a new meaning to social networking. Wonder if she was on Facebook.

Forget the gun, grab the calzone

2009-02-10T06:52:00.003-05:00

From MSNBC:

A former Brooklyn mobster turned pizza proprietor under federal witness protection has blown his cover because he couldn’t take criticism for a bad calzone, the Daily News reported.

Joseph Milano, aka Joey Calco, aka Crazy Joe of the Bonanno crime family in Brooklyn has been arrested in Florida for assault and firearm possession by a convicted felon, officials said.

On Jan. 23, a camera caught Calco jumping over the counter of his pizza shop, Goombas, to attack two customers who had complained about their calzone, they said.

Afterward, local newspapers investigating the incident discovered Calco’s true identity. Calco was spared a life sentence for turning on his boss Anthony Spero, but he served a total of nearly eight years for crimes, that included two years for admitting to a pair of murders in 2004.

U.S. marshals and New York prosecutors are said to be determining whether to keep Calco under witness protection or lock him up again.

You can take a goombah out of...aw, nevermind...

Woman assaulted after blocking video game

2009-02-04T07:08:00.003-05:00

From DesMoines Register:

Officers arrested Isac Benjamin Pettinger, 21, of 1221 E. 28th St., on charges of domestic abuse with injury, false imprisonment and obstruction of emergency communications.

Police said it all started with a video game. Here's the report:

Lacey Proctor, a 20-year-old massage therapy student, "reported that she was assaulted tonight (Monday) by her former live-in boyfriend, Isac Pettinger. Proctor said they had lived together at 1221 E. 28th St., until approximately a month ago when she moved out. Proctor said that tonight Pettinger invited her over to the house so that they could spend some time together.

"Proctor said she became frustrated with Pettinger as he would not stop playing video games. Proctor said she stood in front of Pettinger, blocking his view of the screen. At that point Pettinger's video game character died and he became very angry."

Police said he pushed her into a chair and straddled her, preventing her from getting up. He allegedly punched her in the side of the head with a closed fist. The victim yelled for him to get off but he refused.

She eventually escaped ran to a bathroom, police said. Pettinger reportedly followed her and attacked her again, beating her head against a wall. When she tried to get away, Pettinger allegedly said, 'You're not going anywhere."

Proctor reached for a cell phone and called 911. Police said Pettinger grabbed the phone and disconnected it. He called her a "cop-calling (expletive deleted)."

Police said Proctor grabbed her phone and finally was able to leave the house. Police dispatchers called her back and she met with officers at a nearby convenience store.

Must have been a raid night. *shrug* If she really wanted his attention, she should have stood in front of him nekkid. Sex > Games (most of the time).

Prom Night woes...

2009-02-03T07:05:00.001-05:00

Click to see larger version

Boot to the head

2009-01-29T08:51:00.000-05:00

Via UPI:

A footprint imprinted onto the face of an assault victim in Salford, England, may lead to the capture of the victim's assailants, police say.

Police said Wednesday the injury to 33-year-old Johnathan Robinson's forehead clearly shows the imprint of a shoe or boot worn by one of the men who attacked the bar owner this week, The Daily Mail said.

Robinson was attacked Monday by four assailants while leaving his Golden Lion bar and robbed of nearly $3,600 of his bar's earnings. One of the assailants stomped on Robinson's face during the robbery, prompting the bar owner to lose consciousness.

After Robinson's body was discovered, he was taken to an area hospital for treatment for various injuries including a broken leg.

While police are treating the attack as an attempted homicide, Robinson says he is simply ready to put the entire incident behind him.

25 random things about me.

2009-01-27T06:57:00.004-05:00

From Ken via Facebook:
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

(By the way I'm not expecting any of you to do this. You poor souls were the ones I decided to torture. I blame Allison and Linda for this shi.. mess...)
1) I'm an only child, and I'm spoiled rotten.
2) I've grown to be a very self-centric person. What’s in it for me?
3) I don't really like to be around people I don't already know. Makes getting to know new people a bitch, but I don't mind.
4) I enjoy watching bad 'B' movies from the Sci-Fi channel that are usually on at 3am.
5) Continuing from above, thank goodness for DVRs.
6) I watched professional wrasslin since the Championship Wrestling from Florida with Gordon Solie.
7) I suck at melee fighting, even though I've studied martial arts.
8) I used to play paper RPGs in high-school and college, even though it was frowned upon by other family members.
9) I've been in one wreck in my life, and it was do to me avoiding a cyclist.
10) I enjoy cable tv more than network tv, especially the Discovery channel.
11) I enjoy breakfast for dinner.
12) I enjoy cold pizza for breakfast. However, it has to be take-out/delivery pizza, because frozen pizzas don't re-heat as well.
13) I've planned trips around food stops.
14) I'm fat. I was born fat. I grew up fat. I stayed fat. Diet doesn't work. Exercise doesn't work. If I have to go out large, damn it, I’m gonna at least go out eating and doing what I want.
15) I hate discussing religion and politics, because no matter how good your debate and facts are, you aren't changing someone's mind once it has been made. All you are doing is expelling hot air.
16) I've paid off every car I've owned.
17) I enjoy playing MMO games for the game content, not the people. Kinda like hating people but loving gatherings.
18) I tend to quote movies I've seen..
19) One of my inherent skills is being able to analyze a person and say the things that will cut them to the core.
20) I am prepared for the impending zombie apocalypse.
21) Never smoked and have no desire to.
22) I don’t really care for professional sports. I mean I’ll watch it, but I don’t become emotionally invested.
23) I don’t practice organized religion. I prefer my time with my God to be one-on-one, not dictated by convention.
24) I don’t really enjoy my job anymore, even though I’m damn good at it.
25) I don't dance. Don't ask.

Somebody's Watching Me

2009-01-21T18:57:00.005-05:00

Kick ass remake of Rockwell's 80's hit "Somebody's Watching Me" by Mysto & Pizzi. It is now being heard in the Geico "cash" commercials. Download the mp3 here.

After today, you can keep the change...

2009-01-20T12:35:00.002-05:00

A new president

2009-01-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

Mondays

2009-01-19T07:31:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like you are just an inanimate object floating through a void of nothingness, getting pounded by debris, never moving on your own, held in the same motion or place by an invisible hand? No? Just Me? Figures. *shrug*

Hello from Mars. Pull my finger.

2009-01-16T07:11:00.001-05:00

From Houston Chronicle:

Scientists using Earth-based telescopes have taken detailed measurements of the gas methane on Mars, a finding that supports the possibility of underground life on the Red Planet.

The concentrations found by scientists from NASA and other U.S. institutions are consistent with methane plumes produced by underground microbes on Earth.

“It might be evidence of biology below the surface,” said Michael Mumma, director of the Center for Astrobiology at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and lead author of the methane study published today in the journal Science.

The new study found that concentrations of the gas varied greatly by location and season on Mars.

The largest plume found by the scientists contained about 19,000 metric tons of methane, which is comparable to the methane produced at the large hydrocarbon seep Coal Oil Point in California, where underwater bacteria produce methane by processing hydrocarbons.

FAAAARRRRRTTTTS IIIIINNNN SSPPPPPPAAAAAAACCCCCCEEEEEEE.

RIP Ricardo Montalban

2009-01-14T21:39:00.002-05:00

May there be much soft, corinthian leather for you in your heavenly Cordoba!

The perils of hair styling

2009-01-13T08:42:00.003-05:00

From Metro UK:

It's a medical mystery that surgeons never got to the bottom of in a hospital casualty room - how a woman patient ended up with a can of hairspray up her backside.

Mirela Gradinaru, 37, turned up at the clinic in Arad, western Romania, in agony begging doctors to help her.

But she refused to say just how the can came to be there even after a successful, delicate operation to remove the aerosol.

Doctor Mirandolina Prisca explained: "We had X-rays done to localise the object and then we carried out the operation. The patient was fine after it."

"She was very embarrassed. She was clearly in a lot of pain, however it got there.

"This was not just a little can of deodorant, this was a massive can of hairspray," said one hospital worker.

So, there was this can of hairspray, and I tripped while hair styling, and it just went right on in. Yup, that's the story.

Gimme back my kidney, biatch!

2009-01-08T06:56:00.003-05:00

From NY Daily News:

Richard Batista can live with his broken heart. He just can't bear his cheating wife living with his healthy kidney.

The Long Island doctor wants the one-time love of his life to pay $1.5 million for the organ he bestowed on her eight years ago in a gift meant to save her life and their foundering marriage.

Batista charged his wife, Dawnell, repaid his gesture by first sleeping with her physical therapist - and then denying him access to their three kids in an increasingly bitter divorce.

Adding to his anguish, Batista insists his decision to donate his kidney in 2001 was in part a failed effort to rescue their troubled relationship.

"My first priority was to save her life," the 49-year-old doctor said. "The second bonus was to turn our marriage around."

Successful surgery followed at a Minnesota hospital on June 28, 2001. Batista said he was looking forward to happier times with his now-healthy bride - but his hopes proved futile.

"Nothing changed," he said.

Batista insisted his cash-for-kidney claim was a direct result of his wife's behavior. He said he hasn't seen his three daughters - ages 14, 11 and 8 - in months.

"This is my last resort," Batista said. "I didn't want to be in the public eye."

Despite the animosity, Batista insisted he would donate the kidney all over again to his hopefully soon-to-be-ex. He fondly recalls a visit to her room on the day after surgery.