Friday, March 30, 2007

Headline News 2007-03-30

From Fox News:
New York Teacher Convicted of Sodomy
Attorney: Ruling sucks

From Fox News:
Diddy 'Puffs' for 30-Hour Sex-a-Thon
In Guiness Book of Records for World's Largest Blister

From Fox News:
Credit Card Info for 45.7M Stolen from T.J. Maxx, Marshall's
Most surprising statistic: 45.7 million shop at T.J. Maxs, Marshall's

From Fox News:
Former S.C. Teacher Indicted for Having Sex With 5 Students
One over state limit

From Fox News:
LAPD to Get Flashlights Too Small to be Used as Weapons
Cars to be replaced with Segways

From Fox News:
Woman Killed in Houston Fire Planned to Testify in Sex Assault Case
Has since changed mind

From Fox News:
Congressman Tancredo to Announce White House Bid Monday
To announce dropping bid in May

From Fox News:
White House Doesn't Support Pelosi's Visit to Syria
Will only support trip if one-way

From Fox News:
Controversial Human Ancestor Gets Major Facelift
Dick Clark's secret to youth revealed

From Fox News:
Ancient Peruvians Used Dismemberment as Power Tool
Great for cutting large sheets of lumber, tightening bolts

Blogrolling 2007-03-30

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Not One Red Cent

Not One Red CentDespite the inherent "wrongness" of the color-coding, in American politics, Red refers to Republican and Blue refers to Democrats.

I'm neither.

I'm not a member of any political party. But if I did join one, it'd be the Republicans. Because I'm a conservative, and conservatives are more comfortable with the GOP than with the Democrats.

So, what I'm about to say, I say from the standpoint of an outsider to -- but friend of -- the GOP.

To all Republicans and conservatives: Do not send the Republican Party any money.

Not one Red cent.

"Red" cent. Get it? Red=Republican? Yeah, corny, I know.

Still, I'm asking all Republicans ... and those that, like me, generally support Republicans ... to withhold all funding. If you had planned to send them money, put it in a savings account instead. Let it draw interest. You were going to do without it anyway, right? So let it grow.

The idea is to withhold funds from the Republicans. For a while. And for two reasons.

The first reason is that we need to get the attention of those running the Republican party.

In 1964, the GOP took a swing to the right. Barry Goldwater, the Patron Saint of Republicans, was the candidate. And lost badly to Lyndon Johnson, the sitting president.

Heck, anyone would have lost that election to Johnson. It just so happens it was Goldwater.

But Goldwater attracted conservatives.

Sure he was portrayed as a war-monger. In fact, I remember my father -- who used to be a conservative before he had his brain surgery -- telling of a discussion he had with an individual who was shocked to discover that Sr. was planning to vote for Goldwater. He was told, "Hell, if you vote for Barry Goldwater, this country will be at war in six months." The punch line? "I did and we were."

But through it all, Goldwater withstood the criticism and stayed true to his beliefs.

Sure, he lost the election. But he won conservative hearts.

The GOP finally seemed firmly conservative when Ronald Reagan was the party's standard-bearer in 1980. But in a lot of ways, Reagan was a lot like Goldwater. To me anyway. He stayed true to his beliefs. But, unlike Goldwater, Reagan won the election. And re-election.

Lately, though, the GOP has been weak when it comes to conservative values.

Yes, I'm still a supporter of our president. And, if George W. Bush could run for a third term, I'd vote for him.

But he wasn't my first choice in the primaries in 2000. But when election day came, he was by far the better of the two. And again in 2004.

And I haven't seen a whole lot out of the crop of those who have declared for 2008.

And that's one of the reasons I say withhold your funds from the Republicans.

That's the only way you'll get their attention.

They seem to have forgotten the value of a dollar.

Remind them.

Put your dollars in a savings account. Until it's time to release the funds.

They'll panic.

Then, when the candidate you want -- not one you'll settle for, but one you actually want -- runs, release the funds.

I really think my candidate is running, although unofficially.

I'm supporting Fred Thompson, who is not running. Offically.

And, no, I'm not one of those late-comers who's looking for the latest fad. I was disappointed when he decided not to run for re-election to the Senate, even though I'm not from Tennessee. I thought he was presidential material. I wanted him to stay in the Senate and stay in the public eye.

But Fred Dalton Thompson is smater than I am.

He's stayed in the public eye. Weekly on NBC. Twice a week, sometimes. And on TNT. Five times a week. And on USA. Five times a week.

I seriously think Thompson is running for president. But he can't say he's running.

If he says now that he's running, he'll lose his free platform he currently enjoys. He'll no longer be able to substitute for Paul Harvey. He'll get less calls to be a commentator on the talking head shows on cable and "nitwork" TV.

Right now, by not running, he's able to get what other GOP candidates can't get.

But I think ... or hope ... or maybe it's just wishful thinking ... that Fred Thompson is running for president.

And that's the second reason to withhold your money. Get a real conservative running.

When that happens, take that money out of savings and send it in ... keeping the interest for yourself. That way, everyone's a winner!


Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson's Website, Shadowscope, The Amboy Times, Cao's Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, LaTogaStrappata®, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D'ITALIA, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, Stuck On Stupid, Rightlinx, The Bullwinkle Blog, , and A Blog For All, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Headline News 2007-03-29

From ABC News:
Saudi King Denounces 'Illegitimate' War in Iraq
Bastard decries illigitimacy

From ABC News:
Koala Cubs Unveiled
Islamic bear porn is latest craze

From ABC News:
New JFK Video Moments Before Assassination
Proof Bush pulled trigger

From ABC News:
Police 'Confident' Coach Was Murdered
Craig T. Nelson mourned

From ABC News:
Pakistan Kite Festival Deaths
Congress calls for U.S. pullout from Kite Festival

From ABC News:
Come see the pyramids ... in Bosnia?
Stacks of skulls draw tourists

From ABC News:
Arab Leaders Renew Peace Offer to Israel
Insists Israel rest in peace

From ABC News:
Browse the Web, Hands Free
Now, browsers don't have to put down beer to masturbate

From ABC News:
Report Suggests Mars Microbes Overlooked
Claim "no respect," to star in Back To School II

From ABC News:
Painful Sex Common After Giving Birth
Couples urged to wait until after episiotomy heals

A Tale Of Two Houses

Saw on Snopes.com a great little piece.

Now, if you're not familiar with Snopes.com, it's an Urban Legends site that tries to stem the tide of ignorance and half-truths. You know, the stories about the guy waking up in a tub of ice with his kidneys gone. The missing kids. The syringes in the McDonald's playground. And those blasted "forward this to a friend and get money from Microsoft ... or AOL ... or ..."

And the list goes on and on.

Anyway, Snopes.com is a great source for debunking ... or confirming ... different Urban Legends.

And I saw a good one this week. And, best of all, it's true.

It's the one about the email that's going around -- you may or may not have received it -- comparing the houses of George W. Bush and Al Gore.

Here's the email:
LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you WON'T hear on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC or read about in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed, for Mr. Gore, it's truly "an inconvenient truth."

I fell out laughing when I read this ... particularly when Snopes.com researched it and found it to contain what they termed "a fair bit of truth."

Now, I'm not taking Snopes.com strictly at their word. And they don't ask you to believe them without researching for yourself. *

I obtained a subscription to the Austin American-Statesman archives to check out the sources they list at the bottom of the page. And, sure enough, I reached the same conclusion they did.

Like the email says, "truly an inconvenient truth."

Blogrolling 2007-03-29

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Red vs Blue

Before 2000, the mainstream media (MSM) alternated the colors on the electoral maps. In 2000, the Republican states in the electoral maps were colored red while the Democratic states were colored blue. But the Republicans were blue before that while the Democrats were red. And they pretty much alternated each election. Like this map of the 1996 election from Texas A & M. That year, Dole and the GOP were blue while Clinton and the Democrats were Red.
Until 2000.

That's when the whole Red vs Blue thing became part of the terminology. So, in 2004, they continued with the 2000 model. And it seems to be permanent now.

And it bothers me a little.

Because, even though red is a nice color, I've always been partial to blue.

Besides, commies are "Reds." Like Red China. Or in that Warren Beatty movie.

And the Democrats are more like the Communists than the Republicans. And that's not my fault. It's those silly Democrats that keep electing closet Communists.

Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not a Republican. But it's been a long, long time since I've seen a national Democrat that was worthy of consideration of my vote. Joseph Lieberman was the closest in a long, long time. Or, better, Zell Miller or Sam Nunn. But Zell and Nunn aren't quite as "national" as Lieberman.

So, by default, I've supported Republicans for president. And governor. Well, much of the time for governor, but not all of the time. But certainly for president.

No, I'm not a Republican. I just vote that way. But I damn sure ain't no Democrat. I'm conservative ... and I vote for the conservative, regardless of party. Just seems most are in the GOP. And not in the Taliban Democratic Party.

I don't like being called a Red Stater. But it could be worse. It beats being a Red.

Headline News 2007-03-28

From Fox News:
100 Haitians in Rickety Sailboat Reach Florida
GOP calls for fence around Florida

From Fox News:
Study: Most Women Too Nervous to Get Naked
Crotchless panties sales increase

From Fox News:
Burger King to Switch to Cage-Free Eggs, Pork
Okay to eat meat if you have to chase it first

From Fox News:
Bus Driver Denies Preschoolers Free Ride
Edgar Winter, other 70s artists banned from buses

From Fox News:
Is America Ready for a Bald President?
Britney Spears declares candidacy

From Fox News:
Georgia Police Hunt for Missing 911 Dispatcher
Search would be easier if someone would answer when they call 911

From Fox News:
Chilean Airliner Narrowly Misses Flaming Pieces of Falling Satellite
First gay satellite ends mission

From Fox News:
China's Tallest Man Marries Woman Two-Thirds His Height
Says he's nuts over her

From Fox News:
Geologist: Mount St. Helens Now an 'Open System' Volcano
First volcano to operate under Creative Commons License

From ABC News:
A Saudi-US fence around Iran
Hope to stem tide of Mexicans entering country

Blogrolling 2007-03-28

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Birthday shopping


The girl I been stayin' with's mama had her birthday coming up. So she decided to throw a party for her mama.

Now, there's butnches of ways to have a birthday party. And it was like her 65th or 40th or somethign, I forget wich, so we decided to do it up right.

Wheich of course meant we had to run over to the Walmart super center and pick up food and presents.

They had Armor star bologna on sale ... two for one ... so that made deciding on what sandwiches to have real easy. Some Sunbeam bread and Duke's mayonaise and we was set.

Oh, and we decided to cook out, too. So we got a tube of hamburger patties and some hot dogs and sausages. the sausages and hamburgers was for me and my buddies that was coming over to watch tv.

And chips. They had toms chips on sale, too. OH, and that fancy Napoleon ice cream. You know, the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. i mean, it's like the old ladys 5oth birthday or somehting, so we wanted to do it up right, you know.

It all cost a lot by the time we as done getting all the food plus the drinks and all. Good thing I had picked up her mama's credit card off the mantle piece over the fireplace before we left, or I might not had enough to pay for it all.

Oh, this girl i been staying with also wanted to get her mama a plandt or a bush or a shrub or something.

Anyways we went to the garden shop at the Walmart, but they didn't have the plants she wanted. They was Zhuzhus or something. The name made me think of the little snotty kid in that Jimmy Stewart movie where the angel gets his wings.

So, after we picked up the foods and such we headed over to the Lowes.

They had some plants that she said was the right kind. So she sent to get a buggy.

Now, I don't know about the Lowes where you buy your stuff, but the Lowes we as at hid all their buggys. Or had all their emplyees using to put up stock.

I must have seen 45 shopping buggys sitting in the aisles with noboyd arund them. But they was all full of stuff. Like some of those florescent light bulbs. And extension cords. And wall sockets. And all kinds of stuff. Just all sittin' there with no one around.

So I found me one that only had one thing in it and took it. Oh, don't worry, I took the kid in the carrier out and put it on the display next to the wheelbarrows before I took the buggy, so it was okay.

Got back over to where she was lookin at the plants. But they wanted like $21.95 for one of those things. And since her mama's credit card was over the limit by then -- we had gone out to Hooters for lunch -- plus they was too much anyway.

Bottom line is we didn't have enough money to get them. So we went on back to the house and waited until late that night when the barbeque restaurant closed. You see, her mama had got the idea for those zhuzhus because the barbeque restaurant had them planted out front. It was one of those barbecue places that had a picture of a pig with a knife and fork in its hand. You know the type. Real high class.

Anyway, after they closed that night, we piled back into the pickup truck, took a shovel, and went and got her mama some plants for her birthday.

When the birthday came around, everyone had a great time. Least, I heard it was fun.

Me and the buddies was inside the house eating hamburgers and watching a Halle Barry movie.

Headline News 2007-03-27

From ABC News:
Conservative Jewish Seminary to Admit Gays and Lesbians
Sexuality not an issue as long as gays only eat kosher meat

From ABC News:
Boston Mayor Urges an End to Late Night Partying
Split with Kennedys widens

From ABC News:
Man Killed, then Grilled Ex-Girlfriend, Sheriff Says
Kept promise to have her over for dinner

From Fox News:
'Crocodile Woman' Nabbed in Gaza
Steve Irwin reincarnated

From Fox News:
Supreme Court to Hear Fla. Child Porn Case
Likes hearing child porn

From Fox News:
Arson Eyed as Fires Burn 2,300 Tenn. Acres
Man faces arrest, didn't purchase carbon offsets

From Fox News:
Video: Two Elderly Women Accused of Killing Homeless Men for Insurance Benefits
Warner Bros., Frank Capra sued

From Fox News:
Study Links Child Care and Bad Behavior
Center for the Obvious releases latest report

From ABC News:
Panda Poop to Do Double Duty in China
It's a candy mint, and a breath mint

From ABC News:
Sununu Named N.H. Town's Hog Wrangler
To enforce ban on Rosie O'Donnell

Open TrackBacks 2007-03-27

Oops! Overslept. Running way behind this morning. No chance to peruse the blogroll. But you're certainly welcome to share an item via TrackBack. Please feel free to do so.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Somebody's Trippin'

I mentioned yesterday about the difficulty of trying to book a trip to Las Vegas for the Wife and my 10th anniversary.

When I found a really good price, then clicked on it, it was "no longer available."

Still, I'm playing their silly little games of looking for vacation packages for Las Vegas. And I've noticed something odd.

Every plane in this half of the nation goes through in Atlanta. I knew that. You can't go to Hell without changing planes in Atlanta. So everywhere I checked involved traveling through Atlanta on the way to Las Vegas.

Flying out of Columbus was more expensive than flying out of Atlanta, as you might expect, since it goes through Atlanta. But it was cheaper to fly out of Montgomery. Even though we changed planes in Atlanta.

But then, after being dissatisfied with the rates I've found, I decided to look at other places. And another big airport in the southeast is the one in Jacksonville. I've flown out of that airport before. So, I checked prices there.

Lo, and behold! It's cheaper to fly from Jacksonville to Atlanta to Las Vegas than it is to fly from Atlanta to Las Vegas. On the same plane.

Expedia JAX to LASCheck out this picture. Notice it says leaving JAX at 9:06 am on Delta 1548 heading to Atlanta, then flying out on Delta 645 to Las Vegas, arriving at 12:21 pm. Then flying back on Delta 724, leaving Las Vegas at 1:25 pm, changing to Delta 761 in Atlanta, then flying on to Jacksonville.

Expedia ATL to LASNow, check out this picture. Notice that it says flying out of Atlanta on Delta 645 to Las Vegas, arriving at 12:21 pm. Then flying back on Delta 724, leaving Las Vegas at 1:25 pm to Atlanta.

Both trips involve staying at Harrah's for four nights.

And the Jacksonville trip costs $819.40 while the Atlanta trip totals $1,065.80.

So, suppose a couple left out of Jacksonville, and the Wife and I flew out of Atlanta. Here's what would happen. They'd leave out of JAX, land at Hartsfield, the Wife and I would get on the plane with them, and we'd go to Vegas. We would stay in the same hotel in equal rooms. Then, four days later, we'd get on the same plane back, we'd get off in Atlanta, and they'd fly on back to the Bold New City of the South.

And we'd pay $246.40 more then they did.

It doesn't make sense.

Unless they think that folks in Georgia ain't got no better sense than to pay 20% more than folks in Florida.

And, according to those travel sites, they'd be right.

Blogrolling 2007-03-26

Items of interest from the blogroll.
  • Jo (Jo's Cafe) explains the difference between her and Hillary.

  • Bird Dog (Maggie's Farm) has picked a candidate ... if only he was running.

  • Conservative Cat still gets spam.

  • Spacemonkey (IMAO) says the left supports the troops.

  • Harvey (Bad Example) lists some folks that need a job ... but deserve prison.

  • R. H. Potfry (The Nost On Your Face) says John Edwards doesn't want your sympathy.

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Bait and Switch

The Wife and I haven't taken a big vacation trip the last couple of years. Mostly, it's been small, weekend trips. But no big trip where we take a week off and go somewhere. Not even to the beach or anything.

We've talked about perhaps making a trip somewhere. If we could afford it.

You see, money's been a little tight the last couple of years. You know, since I started up this little blog. Not that there's a connection or anything.

Anyway, we've been talking about going somewhere. And we've been trying to decide if we wanted to go somewhere we haven't gone before that we'd like to go. Like Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Disney World, Philadelphia, Boston, Tampa, Key West, Hawaii, Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahama, Key Largo, Montego ... you get the idea ... and other places.

I've been to Philadelphia on business. Hawaii too. But, like I said, business. Didn't get to do any tourist stuff at either place. But she's been to neither. So, we've been considering those places to go to as a couple.

We've also looked at places we've been before that she'd like to visit again. Like Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, St. Augustine, Panama City, New Orleans, Washington (D.C.), Orange Beach ... places we enjoyed and might like to visit again.

After pricing around ... after all, we do have to pay for this ... we think we've decided to go back to Las Vegas.

She really had a good time last time we went there. And I did, too. I actually never thought I'd enjoy going there. But I did. It wasn't what I thought it would be like. It was fun ... and family-friendly.

Okay, mostly family-friendly. The show girls on stage with their tits showing wouldn't be for the kids, of course, but there are plenty of other shows and events for families.

And, of course, stuff that a couple would enjoy. Including on their 10th anniversary.

Of course, Las Vegas is famous for its gambling.

But you know what? The gambling starts well before you get there.

Try booking a trip to Vegas.

I've been looking up rooms and flights on Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz, Priceline, in addition to going directly to hotel and airline sites.

Expedia bait and switchI've found some good prices. But the best seem to go away when I click on them.

As an example, here's an image from Expedia. The price looked okay, so I clicked for further information. And, lo and behold, the price had changed. Imagine that.

The same thing had happened on Orbitz. And on another site.

Looked like the old bait and switch to me.

Sure, I understand, if there are only one or two packages available at that price, and someone snatches it up before I do, the deal goes away. Still pisses me off, though.

Anyway, we're thinking about doing Vegas in July. That's when our anniversary is.

And we're looking at trying to get a room on the strip this year. Last time, the Wife and I stayed on Fremont Street, at the Golden Nugget. It was great. But we wanted to do something different this year.

Anyway, we've found two or three things going on at the Luxor, at the Aladdin, and at Harrah's. So, if we end up going to all three for shows and events, we figured it'd be fine staying at any one of those three.

So, I've been trying to find good rates at those places. And checking packages with flights out of Montgomery or Atlanta. And most of the time, it's cheaper to fly out of Montgomery, even though all those flights seem to go through Atlanta.

Anyway, I've been playing the old shell game with these travel services, trying to find a good package for a trip to Las Vegas.

If I am able to find a good enough package using these services, I'll have no trouble playing the slots at Vegas.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Blogrolling 2007-03-24

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Friday, March 23, 2007

Headline News 2007-03-23

From ABC News:
White House's Tony Snow to Undergo Surgery
To have foot removed from mouth

From ABC News:
NASCAR Kin's Gender Bending Car Chase
Rumors about Jeff Gordon confirmed

From ABC News:
N.J. Baker Gets Jumbo-Sized Bread Order
Elephant sandwich added to menu

From ABC News:
Trio Suspected of Staging Panty Raid
Still missing step two

From ABC News:
Man Arrested in Minn. Dog Beheading
Al Qaeda takes on ASPCA

From ABC News:
Birth Control Prices Up at Colleges
Cost of abstinence still being calculated

From ABC News:
Birkhead Looks to Cash in on Anna Trademark
Owed something for planning Daniel and Anna Nicole's murders

From ABC News:
Viacom Sues Google & YouTube for $1 Billion
Suing for fair market value of videos, times one billion

From ABC News:
Study: Alcohol, Tobacco Worse Than Drugs
Also: Drawing, quartering worse than beheading

From ABC News:
Tiny Rare Owl Spotted in Peru Reserve
Striped elsewhere

Blogrolling 2007-03-23

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Glasses and Asses

I mentioned a week or so ago about my glasses breaking. And that I'd have more to say about it.

Since there are still some outstanding issues, I'm not going to say all there is. But there's some stuff I can tell.

First, some background.

I've been wearing glasses since 1967. Some of you haven't been around that long. But most of you had a kid in one of your school classes that wore some really ugly glasses. That was me. Or someone like me.

I wore those God-awful looking Buddy Holly glasses. Sure, they might have looked cool for Buddy Holly. But if they did look cool on him, keep in mind that he died in February, 1959. So those ugly glasses weren't cool in 1967. Or any year after.

Anyway, I remember when I first wore my glasses. I actually wore them to bed one night. My parents' house was (and sort of still is) set up in a way that, if certain doors are open, and certain furniture arranged a certain way, a kid could lie in bed, turn on his left side, and look through the hallway, past the closet with the air conditioner, through the living room, and into the kitchen. And, if the cabinet doors are open, see the cans on the shelves.

At least, if the kid's eyes are good enough.

Mine weren't.

But when I put my ugly glasses on, I could see the cans. And that's exciting for a child that doesn't realize what he's not been seeing.

That revelation led me to appreciate my glasses. Oh, sure, they looked ugly. But in the 1960s and 1970s, you wore what you had to wear.

I tried contacts once. No, twice. No, three times. Yeah, three times.

First time, it was those old, hard lenses. They weren't bad. You got used to them. Because I really never liked the way I looked in glasses.

To tell the truth, without the glasses, I didn't look a whole lot different. Except to me.

Anyway, when they decided to remodel the radio station where I worked, the dust in the air was hell on my hard contacts. So I quit wearing them. Then never could get back to wearing them after they finally quit remodeling the radio station. So I stayed with glasses for a while.

Later on, I tried the soft contacts. They were okay. But they really were a pain. And I wasn't so self-concious about how I looked in glasses. I just didn't like glasses. They fogged up when it was hot. Sweat stains made it hard to see though. And they'd fall off.

Once, they fell off when I was looking down while training to be a manager at a Burger King. Lens popped out. I found it, put it back in, and decided (for other reasons) that BK wasn't for me. Not behind the counter anyway. There are other reasons I stay away from them as a customer.

Anyway, that was just another thing about glasses that I didn't like. So I tried the soft contacts again. But they were just a pain. So I quit wearing them.

A few years ago, I bought a pair of glasses from Lens Crafters. The only frames they had that I sort of liked (I was still in my "hating glasses" mode) looked like something that John-Boy Walton would wear. Or Benjamin Franklin. They had what they call "cable temples." You know, the ones that wrap around behind your ear.

The lady at Lens Crafters was hesitant to offer them to me, but she did. And I tried them on. And loved them.

Yeah, they still look like something that John-Boy Walton would wear, but they felt good. And looked okay.

When I got another pair of glasses, I got the cable temple again.

And, when it was time to get new glasses, I again sought the cable temple.

Only, Lens Crafters said they didn't carry those any more.

So, goodbye Lens Crafters. Hello Eyeglass World.

They got me what I wanted. And when it was time to get new glasses, I went back to Eyeglass World.

Now, last time I was there (three years ago; yeah, I know, too long to go between eye exams at my age), I needed bifocals. So, I got bifocals. Actually, trifocals, I think. Or, progressive lenses. Somebody smart could tell me the difference. Other than the fact that my glasses don't have hard lines.

Anyway, my glasses had the regular vision correction that a near-sighted person needs.

Oh, in case you don't know, near-sightedness is also called Myopia. It means that the focusing done by my eyes is off a little, and things look blurry. Except for things up close. Things look fine if I'm near them. Like reading. But if I want to drive, I can't see squat. Unless I wear glasses.

Anyway, when I got my new glasses three years ago, I had the standard lens section, then an intermediate section, and the close-up section.

Think of it like this. I use the standard (distance) section (that makes up most of the lens) to see the highway and other cars on the road. I use the intermediate section (takes up most of the middle) to see the dashboard of the car. And I use the bottom section to read a book. Hopefully, not while I'm driving.

And my recent glasses were my only pair of glasses with that type of correction.

So, when I went to Eyeglass World to get new glasses, I ordered three pair of glasses. A standard pair, a transition pair (clear inside, darker outside), and a pair of perscription sunglasses. All the same insofar as lens power and arrangement. That is, all transition lenses.

I haven't written much about the issues I've had with insurance and the children (I provided insurance for the children, in addition to child support). There have been issues with the insurance. Partly because the ex- took the attitude of "screw it, if there's a problem, it's his problem." So lots of stuff didn't get filed properly.

But, after the children started college, I provided insurance information directly to them, instead of to their mother.

Only, there has been problems here and there with stuff being covered or not covered.

So, I got a flexible spending account set up.

Only thing is, purchases would be declined from time to time. And I always got different excuses for the problem.

Turns out that I made a serious error in setting it up. I listened to the person at the company that answered questions about setting these thing up. Silly me.

This "helpful" ass helped me set up an account with 2/3 set aside for dependant care.

Here's the thing. "Dependant care" doesn't mean it can be spent on the children. It means it can be spent on child care.

Remember the part about the children being in college? This ass that "helped" me set things up missed that part. Or thinks that a student at the University of Georgia needs child care. Probably an Auburn grad.

Anyway, 2/3 of the money I put into the FSA for last year wasn't touchable. And I didn't find out why (I just thought they were idiots running the program) until this year. And their answer is "oh well, too bad." I guess because it's my money and not theirs.

Still, I'm persuing things, so I won't say much more about it. Other than the children's FSA monies didn't exist, and they were pulling purchases for them from the 1/3 that was for me.

Another issue arose that caused the FSA card to be unusable (that was finally fixed ... with help from the folks at the company ... but caused a problem for the period it was unusable).

Anyway, there was lots of money left on the account to be used. So I tried to use it to pay for my new glasses.

That's when I found out it was for child care.

So, we had to pay for my glasses out of pocket. The good news is, we'll be able to apply for reimbursment of some of the money. The bad news is that we had to apply for reimbursment ... because they cut off my card (expiration date of 2009) so they could "help me" my issuing me a new card ... which still hasn't arrived.

All that means that we had to come up off some money to pay for glasses that, essentially, have already been paid for.

And to top it all off, the very morning after all this crap hit the fan, my glasses broke.

And no one, it seems, can fix them. I've been told "we don't do that kind of work" or "the guy that does that quit" or "yeah, we can, but we don't like to so 'no'" or any other kind of excuse you can think of.

So, with no current glasses, I had to get my old pair of glasses (the ones that I got 5 years ago and quit wearing three years ago).

Which means thing at a distance are ... decent. I can tell what things are and can read signs and such.

But intermediate distances ... like a computer screen ... cause strain on my eyes.

And reading up close ... like a book ... or my laptop when it's in my lap ... is nearly impossible.

My new glasses will be in about two weeks from now.

If all goes well.

But, so far, nothing has gone well.

Headline News 2007-03-22

From ABC News:
Husband Taking Wife's Last Name: Good Idea?
Former President Bill Rodham weighs in

From ABC News:
Kenny Loggins Takes Your Questions
Top question: "Are you still alive?"

From ABC News:
Duke Lacrosse Case: America's Top Sex Crimes Expert Cites Serious Problems
Lack of actual crime not seen as hindrance to prosecution

From ABC News:
S.C. Lawmakers Advance Abortion Bill
Would require post-birth abortion of abortion advocates

From ABC News:
McCartney Signs With Starbucks Music Label
Most overrated Beatle signs with most overpriced coffee

From ABC News:
Cell Phone Saints
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Trenchcoat Guy, Verizon Nerd canonized

From ABC News:
Out at NASA, Astronaut Nowak Gets Navy Gig
Hired at Tailhook Association

From ABC News:
Man Gets Probation for Dead Deer Sex
Bambi's step-dad goes free

From ABC News:
McDonald's Seeks to Redefine 'McJobs'
McLosers seek esteem

From ABC News:
26 Animals Seized From Calif. Motel Room
Eric Burdon's comeback tour halted

Blogrolling 2007-03-22

Items of interest from the blogroll.

If you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Using FeedBurner with Blogger, Part II

Last time, we talked about setting up FeedBurner with your Blogger (Blogspot) blog.

We covered creating your FeedBurner account, adding you blog's feed to FeedBurner, then putting a link to your FeedBurner feed in your sidebar.

Now, we're going to look at extending the FeedBurner functionality for your Blogger blog.

Express Yourself With Flare

Sorta like Chotchkie's wants you to express yourself with "flair," FeedBurner encourages you to express yourself with flare.

That is, add functionality to your posts.

But, unlike Chotchkie's, if you want to use less than 11, that's okay.

FeedBurner's Flare allows you add links to email the post, Technorati links, comment count, CCL, del.icio.us, Digg this, Facebook, Stumble Upon, and more.

Okay, Stumble Upon isn't included, but it can easily be added.

Activate Flare

To activate Flare, from your FeedBurner account, click "Optimize," then scroll down to FeedFlare in the menu on the left.

Click "FeedFlare."

You'll be presented with a list of 12 items. You probably won't use them all.

For instance, if your blog has multiple authors, you probably don't want to select "Email The Author," since it will send all emails to you, instead of the actual author. If you are the only author on your blog, then it's simply up to you whether or not to supply your email address.

Another item you probably don't want to select is one of the "del.icio.us" links. One if the old method, one is the new method. Pick one or the other, if you want to include del.icio.us links.

And, if your blog does a good job of showing the number of comments, you might want to skip "Comments Count" ... at least the "Site" link.

Oh, a good rule of thumb on any of these items: It's probably not a bad idea to use them. They all help expose your posts ... and your blog ... to the world.

Once you've selected the items you want in your Flare, scroll down and click the "Activate" button.

Even More Flare

Just like Chotchkie's, you can have even more Flare.

To add "Stumble Upon" to your Flare, scroll down to the "Personal FeedFlare" section and add this to the field:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumble_flare.xml

Then click "Add New Flare."

Then, select the checkbox(es) for "Stumble It!" then scroll down and click "Save."

Adding The Flare

Just because you've activated Flare doesn't mean it shows up on your post. Sure, it'll start appearing in your feeds ... at least the items you checked in the "Feed" column will.

But to have the Flare show up with your posts, you have a little more to do.

Modifying Your Old Blogger Template

Scroll down to the bottom of the FeedFlare page. You see where it says "Get the HTML code to put FeedFlare on your site"?

In that dropdown box, select Blogger.

A new window will open with instructions for adding the code to your templates. See where it says "Show me the Old Blogger steps?" Click that. Then follow those instructions.

Here's essentially what they say do:

In the FeedBurner pop-up window (with the instructions), select the contents of the box "1. Copy this code" under "Edit Blogger Templates." Copy the selected tex. (You can use your mouse: right-click > copy. You can use your keyboard: CTRL-C.)

In a separate window/tab, log in to your Blogger account.

From your Blogger Dashboard, click "Template" then "Edit HTML."

NOTE: Before you go any further, you need to back up your template. Never, never, never make any changes to your Blogger template's HTML without making a backup. Trust me on this. Don't learn the hard way!

Scroll down to where you see: <p class="post-footer">

Just above that, add a couple of blank lines. Hitting "Enter" twice will do that. This is simply to make this new code easy to read.

Paste the code (CTRL-V), then hit Enter again. That puts another empty line, making it easy to see and find.

Click "Save Template" and you're done. Almost.

Modifying Your New Blogger Template

Scroll down to the bottom of the FeedFlare page. You see where it says "Get the HTML code to put FeedFlare on your site"?

In that dropdown box, select Blogger.

A new window will open with instructions for adding the code to your templates. Follow those instructions.

Okay, here's essentially what they say do:

In the FeedBurner pop-up window (with the instructions), select the contents of the box "1. Copy this code" under "Edit Blogger Layouts." Copy the selected tex. (You can use your mouse: right-click > copy. You can use your keyboard: CTRL-C.)

From your Blogger Dashboard, click "Template" then select "Edit HTML."

Check the box next to "Expand Widget Templates."

Scroll down till you see <div class='post-footer'>

Right after that, place your cursor, then hit Enter a couple of times. You're creating new lines to make this code easier to see and find.

Paste the code (CTRL-V), then hit Enter again. That puts another empty line, making it easy to see and find.

Click "Save Template" and you're done. Almost.

Suppose You Don't See The Flare?

If you don't see the Flare, don't sweat it.

You see, it takes a while for it to show up the first time.

Give it a few hours. Or more. Maybe even a day.

As long as your posts still look okay, there's not a problem.

But if you want to check it, you'll have to look at your HTML code.

Not your template, but the source of your blog. From your browser.

From Firefox, hit CTRL-U. From Internet Explorer, click View > Sourse.

In the new window/popup, hit CTRL-F, then type "feedburner" (without the quotes). You may have to click "Find Next" a couple of time. But you should see the FeedBurner code (it's JavaScript) that will make the Flare appear.

If that code is there, you're probably okay.

That's It?

That's a lot, but that's what you have to do to add Flare to your posts.

The advantages include a single interface to add Stumble Upon, Digg This, Technorati, and other features to your blog posts.

The disadvantage? If FeedBurner's Website goes down or is running slow, it will slow down your blog's loading. No, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

A lot of people find it's worth it. You'll have to make the decision yourself about whether or not it's worth it to you.

It is to me.

Headline News 2007-03-21

From ABC News:
Jolie Leaves Vietnam With Adopted Son
Extends lead over Madonna

From ABC News:
Hundreds Help Bury Former Saddam Deputy
Hell didn't want him

From ABC News:
Slavery still exists in Mauritania
Apologies from Virginia, Georgia sought

From ABC News:
Octogenarian Gets 10 Years for Smuggling
Geritol ring busted

From ABC News:
Station Fires Worker in News Porn Case
Accused of showing his hose

From ABC News:
Utah Teen Claims Top 'Stinkiest Sneaks' Prize
Michael Moore toppled

From ABC News:
Confederate Artwork Stirs Opposition at Florida Museum
Christ in urine, bullwhips in buttocks still okay

From ABC News:
Freed Italian reporter flies home
Issues statement: "Boy, are my arms tired"

From ABC News:
Don King in Front Row for Pope
To represent Pontiff in fight vs Archbishop of Canterbury

From ABC News:
'X-Men' Director and Tom Cruise Hunt Hitler?
Sign up for White House tour

Blogrolling 2007-03-21

Items of interest from the blogroll.

If you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Using FeedBurner with Blogger

Most blogging platforms ... Blogger (BlogSpot) included ... include feeds. Blogger has had Atom feeds for some time. The new version of Blogger also includes RSS feeds.

But that's not the only way to provide feeds.

The popular service FeedBurner also works with Blogger. Both the new version (the one with widgets) and the older version.

First Things First

The first thing you need is a FeedBurner account. You can get a free account ... or you can get the expanded functionality of a paid account. For our discussion here, we'll assume a free account.

Add Your Blog

Once your FeedBurner account is set up, you'll be able to add feeds to your account. This is possible if you have just one blog ... or if you have multiple blogs.

On the FeedBurner home page, enter your blog's URL, click "I'm a podcaster" if you're a podcaster (we'll assume you are not; if you don't know if you are, then you are not), then click "Next."

If you don't have any feeds set up, you need to set up a feed. From your Dashboard, go to Settings > Site Feed. Set up a feed for your posts. You may also set up feeds for Comments via the Advanced Mode link.

Unless your blog is really, really old (at least, it's been around for a while), you likely will have two possibilities: Atom and RSS. We're going to choose RSS.

Name Your Feed

If all goes well (and it should), you'll be presented with the chance to name your feed. It will likely pre-populate with the selections you'll want, though you can customize this information.

Once everything's as you want (and the default selections are likely just fine), click the "Activate Feed" button.

If all goes well (and it should), click "Next."

You'll get the option to "Go Pro." That is, pay for extended features. It's you option. You can do that now, do it later, or never do it at all.

For now, we'll assume you're not going pro at this time. Click "Next."

Now For The Tricky Part

How you proceed next depends on whether or not you use the new Blogger templates or the old Blogger templates.

First, the old Blogger templates, then the new Blogger templates.

Modifying Your Old Blogger Template

On your FeedBurner account (that's where we already were; we had just clicked "Next," remember?), click the "Publicize" tab.

Find "Chicklet Chooser" in the menu on the left. We're going to accept the default (the big orange one).

Scroll almost all the way down, to theHTML in the box, right above the Widget selection. Pay no attention to the Widget box. That's for the new Blogger templates. If you have the new Blogger templatess, you should be reading that section.

Open a new window (or tab) and sign in to your Blogger account.

From the Dashboard, go to Template > Edit HTML.

NOTE: Before you go any further, you need to back up your template. Never, never, never make any changes to your Blogger template's HTML without making a backup. Trust me on this. Don't learn the hard way!

Find a spot in your sidebar for the code. A good place is right before or after the "Powered by Blogger" button that you may have in the sidebar.

Once you've placed it, click "Save Template Changes."

Modifying Your New Blogger Template

On your FeedBurner account (that's where we already were; we had just clicked "Next," remember?), click the "Publicize" tab.

Find "Chicklet Chooser" in the menu on the left. We're going to accept the default (the big orange one).

Scroll all the way down to where it says "Use widget in TypePad/Blogger". Select"Blogger." Then click "Go."

A new window will open. If you have more than one Blogger/Blogspot blog, select the one you're building a feed for. You can also change the text in the "Title" box if you wish.

Click "Add Widget."

You'll be sent to the Template > Page Elements page, where you can move the widget to the desired location in the Sidebar. Once you're happy with that, click "Save."

Now What?

Now, you can get fancy. Like using FeedFlare. That is, taking advantage of some of the functions that FeedBurner has to offer. Like emailing the post, Technorati links, comment count, CCL, del.icio.us, Digg this, Facebook, Stumble Upon, and more.

We'll cover that next time.

Headline News 2007-03-20

From CNN:
Leg problem sends Cheney to the hospital
No heart problems since latest virgin sacrifice

From CNN:
'Dancing' judge on Mills: 'More guts than Rambo'
Still only half as many legs

From CNN:
Verducci: Get ready for a Freeway World Series
Next 162 games not needed

From CNN:
Video reveals a forgotten Johnny Carson
No one quite sure who Johnny Carson is

From CNN:
Musharraf forges ahead amid chaos
Risks forgery charges

From CNN:
Millionaire's rocket aborts launch
Roe v Wade's unexpected impact

From CNN:
U.N. deploys to separate rival forces
French peacekeepers threaten to "taunt them a second time"

From KGTV:
Blood bank works to protect against parasite
Jesse Jackson foiled again

From WRTV:
Robbery suspect held after I-65 chase
Likes to be held

From CNN:
Lawmakers threaten to curb FBI's powers
Worked so well for the CIA in the 1970s

Blogrolling 2007-03-20

Items of interest from the blogroll.

If you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Lookin' To Score

Columbus CatfishAccording to the Leftist-Enquirer, the Columbus Catfish will be missing a fixture in the press-box this season. They didn't come to terms with Kathy Grierer.

Who the heck is Kathy Grierer?

She's been the official scorer for the Columbus Catfish during their entire existence. And for the South Georgia Waves during the time they had that name. And for the Columbus RedStixx, during their time here. And for the Columbus Indians, as the RedStixx were known their first season. And for the Columbus Mudcats. And for much of the Columbus Astros.

Yeah, she's been around for a while.

But she won't be in the press-box this year. She'll be in the stands, according to columnist Troy Johnson. And he'd know. Kathy works for the paper, too. In Troy's column, he comes clean and says that Kathy also works for the paper.

Sure, I understand where he's coming from. Leaving out the newspaper connection, Troy would, I suspect, feel the same way about that situation. It's not the first time that the Catfish have failed to come to terms with locals who have had long-term ties to baseball in Columbus.

A few years ago, Willie Bowman -- who's a fixture as the peanut man -- was nowhere to be found. I was told -- and I really don't know if I was told right or wrong -- that he and the guy in charge of concessions didn't get along. So Willie left.

Willie's back ... and has been back for a bit ... and the other guy is gone.

Willie's one of those fixtures for local sports. He's listed on the wall of fame ... or whatever it's called ... that lists famous people who have played ball in Columbus. Babe Ruth. Hank Aaron. Enos Slaughter. Chipper Jones. And lots and lots of folks that you've heard of ... and that you haven't but your grandparents may have. Plus, two other names: Cecil Darby, a newspaper sports reporter and historian who's also a member of the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame ... and Willie Bowman, the "goody goody peanut man."

Kathy's not on that list. After all, she's only been affiliated with local baseball for 28 years ... nowhere nearly as long as Cecil or Willie.

And, this year, she'll be in the stands as a paying customer ... not in the press-box as a paid worker.

Why is that?

Money.

The Catfish wouldn't pay her what they've paid her in the past. A 40 percent cut in pay, if Troy's article is right.

The thing is, I understand where Ken Clary, the Catfish GM, is coming from. He says it's simple economics. According to Ken, the Catfish scorer's position has been higher paying than other teams.

So he rolled it back to 1996 levels.

Because attendance is well below 1996 levels.

People in Columbus won't support the team. Lots of factors figure in. But without folks in the seats, there's not as much money in the coffers. And Ken's job is to keep the business running. You can't run the business ... any business ... with more expenses than income.

He has to make hard choices. I can relate to that. Sometimes you do what you have to do, within the confines of your situation.

And he felt he had to cut the official scorer's pay.

And so Kathy left.

And that's a shame.

And an opportunity.

You see, I wonder if I ought to try out for that job. I like baseball. I often score the games myself.

But, if my new glasses don't come in before they hold official scorer tryouts, I don't stand a chance.

Plus the fact that I'd suck at the job. Especially when compared to the job Kathy did.

But then again, think about it. Getting paid to go to a baseball game. That would rock. That would seriously rock.

Headline News 2007-03-19

From ABC News:
Dead Passenger Upgraded to First Class
10,000 air miles urned

From ABC News:
18 Years for Rape He Didn't Commit, Now Guilty
To be sentenced to life minus 18 years

From ABC News:
Jewish grandmothers patrol West Bank checkpoints
Israel now guilty of torture

From ABC News:
Pete Rose Admits Betting on Reds as Manager
Roundly criticized for thinking his team would win

From ABC News:
Jury Awards Man $122,400 for Cat Bite
Tables turned, man eaten by pussy

From ABC News:
Woman Lauds White Rats As Pets
Entire DNC leadership received praise

From ABC News:
Officials: 61 Die in Russia Mine Blast
Pelosi, Reid demand U.S. redeploy from Russian mines

From ABC News:
U.S. Won't Rule Out Palestinian Contacts
Says glasses make them look "dorky"

From ABC News:
Hamas shoots Israeli despite truce
Bush blamed

From CNN:
Huge ice deposits cover south pole of Mars
Global warming conference postponed

Blogrolling 2007-03-19

Items of interest from the blogroll.

If you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

You Wear It Well

I'm almost at a loss for words.

I saw something I never thought I'd see.

Oh, not that I doubted it. It's just that it never occurred to me that I'd see it.

And now that I've seen it, my whole perspective on life has changed.

Oh, sure, the jokes you hear ... things are hinted at. But when it's no longer a joke ... but something for real ... then it's a life-changing experience.

I went to the AARP Web site this weekend. And I saw something I didn't think I'd see.

They're advertising an event featuring Rod Stewart.

Yes, the same guy that sang the words, "Wake up, Maggie, I think I got something to say to you. It's late September and I really should be back at school..."

The same guy who sang "Hot Legs" and "Tonight's the Night" and "I Was Only Joking" and "Reason To Believe" and "You're In My Heart" and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"

Yes, AARP is sponsoring Rod Stewart.

My life will never be the same.

I mean, I knew I was getting old. I just didn't realize everyone else was, too.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Banned in Red China: The Banner, The Linkfest

I mentioned yesterday that this little blog has been banned in Red China. And we've added a little banner that announces that fact.

Well, turns out that others want the banner, too. Mrs. Jose Goldbloom of Goldbloom's Padded Cell discovered that she was blocked. In fact, all blogs at the Wordpress.com domain have been blocked. Wonder why that is.

Regardless, her site is blocked ... and so are many others. You can check your blog ... or any Website ... by going to the Great Firewall of China. (And thanks to Ogre for finding that site.)

And, if you're blocked, and if you want to add a banner to your site, here's the code:

Top right:

<div style="float:right; position:absolute; right:0; top:0; z-index:99;"><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/basilsblog/cnr.gif" border="0" width="150" height="150"> </div>

Top left:

<div style="float:left; position:absolute; left:0; top:0; z-index:99;"> <img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/basilsblog/cnl.gif" border="0" width="150" height="150"> </div>

You can place this anywhere you wish. For a WordPress (or wordpress.com) blog, you can put the code in a text widget in your sidebar.


If you've been banned ... in China or anywhere else ... leave a link to a post about it here. Or, if you have any other post you'd like to share, do so via TrackBack.

Headline News 2007-03-16

From ABC News:
Castro Will Be in 'Perfect Shape' for '08 Election
Breakthrough in enbalming hailed

From ABC News:
Duke Lacrosse Accuser Not Answering Investigators' Key Questions
Lost list of lies told

From ABC News:
Body of Missing Georgia Boy Found in Trash Bag
Suspect threw away a perfectly good Negro*

From ABC News:
Reverend: Treat Homosexuality in the Womb
Offers to "go in and have a talk with the boy"

From ABC News:
Malaysian Police Detain 'Midget' Gang
Orders more little tiny handcuffs

From ABC News:
3 Sentenced in Castration 'Dungeon'
Attorney vows to appeal, says clients are "nuts"

From ABC News:
Survey: 40 Pct. in Japan Not Having Sex
Too busy sending spam emails

From ABC News:
Japan Finds No Evidence of WWII Sex Slavery
Panel drawn from the 40 percent

From ABC News:
Indonesia may close airlines after crashes
Families had hoped for closure before crashes

From ABC News:
Major Powers Agree on New Iran Sanctions
Austin's dad gets job at U.N.

Blogrolling 2007-03-16

Items of interest from the blogroll.

If you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Banned in Red China

Great Firewall of ChinaThis little blog has been banned in Red China.

Probably because I call them Red China. So you know I'm not talking about Free China.

Most folks ... and our government ... refer to Free China as Taiwan.

Anyway, the Peking ... okay, Beijing ... government has seen fit to ban this little blog.

How'd I find out? Well, Ogre wrote about a site that lets you check to see if the Red Chinese government lets the site through. I went to that site and, son of a gun, this little blog is banned.

After all the bad stuff that's happened this week, it's nice to get some good news for a change.

This little blog scares commies! Heh.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Headline News 2007-03-15

From ABC News:
Dems' Iraq Plan Looks Similar to John Kerry's
Budget allows for Magic Helmet

From ABC News:
Couple Accused of Seeking Child Sex for Pot
Still okay to seek pot for child sex

From ABC News:
Scientists Spot Oceans on Saturn's Moon
Spotted oceans look great against striped continents

From ABC News:
President Bush Send Congress a Message From Latin America
Expressed disappointment that no one spoke Latin

From ABC News:
Post-Abortion E-Cards Unveiled for Support
Hallmark also plans serial killer cards

From ABC News:
Hard-Core Porn Interrupts News Show
Nancy Grace suffers acid flashback

From ABC News:
Jail Deputies Accused of Phone Sex
Claim: Sex was not between consenting phones

From ABC News:
Clinton Wants AG Gonzales to Resign
Claims Gonzales had sex with intern, then lied under oath

From ABC News:
Disapproval on Iraq Hits Record
Failures include removing blood-thirsty dictator from power, holding free elections

From ABC News:
Pelosi Wants Pullout
Acceptible alternative: better lubrication

Open TrackBacks 2007-03-15

My glasses broke this morning. The timing is quite ironic. More about why later.

But I can't see. Well, not more than a foot-and-a-half in front of my face. I'm slouched over while typing this. No computer usage. No driving. No ... anything.

Update: I found an old pair of glasses stuck in a drawer. Since my current (broken) pair is the first pair of bi-focal glasses I've worn, the old pair allows me to drive, but not see clearly. Right now, the computer screen appears curvy and out of focus. Gonna be an interesting day.

In the meantime, if you'd like to share an item via TrackBack, please feel free to do so.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Radical Is As Radical Does

William Teach (Pirate's Cove) posted his results ... and got me wondering how I'd score. Had no idea I was so radical.








You Are 12% Politically Radical


You're a very traditional person and perhaps a little resistant to change. In a few more years, your beliefs will be so old fashioned that they'll be radical!

Are You a Political Radical?

Headline News 2007-03-14

From ABC News:
Removable Tattoos an Attractive Option
Amputations at all-time high

From BBC:
Casablanca blast wounds three
Rick, Ilsa injured

From BBC:
Saving Gabon's orphan gorillas
Angelina Jolie offers to adopt

From BBC:
Autopsy performed on comic Jeni
Plans comeback tour with Andy Kaufman

From BBC:
Pilgrims die of cold in Kashmir
Global warming blamed

From ABC News:
Real-Life Body Snatchers Become Big Business
Kevin McCarthy was right

From BBC:
Cement slabs 'could have killed'
Law to ban cement slabs drafted

From BBC:
Berry is Green mayoral candidate
First Orion native to declare for office

From BBC:
Smokers 'waste 30 mins a day'
Seek more efficient ways to kill themselves

From BBC:
Robo-salamander's evolution clues
Robo-Darwin was right

Blogrolling 2007-03-14

Items of interest from the blogroll.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Southeast Georgia Barbies


Mattel recently announced the release of limited-edition Barbie Dolls for the Georgia Market:

"St. Simons Island Barbie"

This princess Barbie is sold only at the Shops At Sea Island. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

"Brunswick Barbie"

The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily, is always late and has no full-time occupation or goals. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

"Waycross Barbie"

This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a meth lab kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) … unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about.

"Sea Island Barbie"

This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. But you won't be able to afford any of them.

"Wayne County Barbie"

This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and Tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk (or sober). Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

"Altamaha River Barbie"

This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Brunswick Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

"McIntyre Court Barbie"

This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant (try looking in Chicago).

"Bay Street, Savannah Barbie/Ken"

This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple snap-on parts.

More White Trash Wwednesdays:

Agent Bedhead

Alabama Improper

And Rightly So!

basil's blog

BOBO BLOGGER

Dangerous Logic

Feisty Republican Whore

HECTOR VEX

It Is What It Is

Lost In Lima Ohio

Mean Ol' Meany

Merri Musings

MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Pennsylvanian in exile

Pirate's Cove

Public Figures

Riehl World View

Right Truth

Rightwingsparkle

Six Meat Buffet

Sortapundit

Stupid Random Thoughts

The Jawa Report

The Nose On Your Face

The Therapist

Vince Aut Morire


Update: A special White Trash Wednesday shout out to Alabama Improtper for fidning Barbie's dog!