Wednesday, June 29, 2011

This has been bothering me for years

Remember that song "Snoopy vs the Red Baron?" Sure you do.


[Direct link]

But in the lyrics, it says that "80 men died trying to end the spree of the bloody Red Baron of Germany."

That's not true.

Yes, Baron Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen did shoot down 80 planes. But not everyone on every plane died. Some were single-seat aircraft, but most were 2-seaters. A total of 126 fighters were shot down by Richthofen. 23 were unhurt (or not reported as hurt), 20 were wounded, 1 was of unknown status, and 82 were killed.*

It bothers me to no end that the song says that "80 men died" when, in fact, the Red Baron had 82 confirmed kills.

That, and the whole part about a dog flying an airplane.

Where's the monkey?

A monkey from Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center is missing. They don't know where it is. Some think it could be hiding in the research facility, or on the facility property. Others think it could be running wild in Lawrenceville, Georgia. But nobody knows.

It could be that it's found a job and won't be returning.

I know what you're thinking: everybody that voted for Obama is a moron. And you'd be right. But about the missing monkey from Emory, you might also be thinking "What kind of job could a monkey do?"

Well, there are plenty of jobs that a monkey could do. Or do as well as those doing the jobs today. Such as:
  • Advising Obama on the economy
  • Working as a news anchor for MSNBC
  • Global Warming researcher
  • Writing for Daily Kos
  • American Idol judge
  • Newt Gingrich campaign staffer
  • Green Energy Czar
  • Windows programmer
  • Dictator of Cuba
What else could the missing monkey be doing?

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Maybe you can fix stupid

Ron White is famous for his "You can't fix stupid" routine.

Maybe he's wrong. Maybe you can fix stupid.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: everyone who voted for Barack Obama is a dumbass. But dumbass isn't always fatal. And it's not always permanent.

Gene Simmons, for instance.

I've never considered him a dumbass. He's a successful musician and businessman. But he did vote for Obama. And, well, you know what I've said about voting for Obama.

However... he's said it more than once: he'd take back his vote for Obama:


[Direct link]

What does this mean? Well, perhaps more and more people are coming to their senses. Maybe they now realize what we were saying back n 2008 when we said that Obama was an incompetent buffoon who'd lead the country down the road to ruin.

And maybe, just maybe, we can get them on our side, the right side, America's side.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Letting Obama win

I have a post up at IMAO about letting Obama win.

No, I'm not in favor of it.

I just want to make sure you aren't either.

Go here to read it.

KTHXBAI.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

More remodeling

Remember that last week, I talked about Wife wanting to do someremodeling?

No? Let me 'splain.

No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

Wife wanted to re-do the bathroom. New son-in-law heading up the work effort. New paint on the walls. Expensive paint, too. New floor. So far, has cost a lot of money. But it all now matches that $10 shower curtain she bought from the Walmart.

That's where we are now.

Well, as it turns out, there's more she wants to do.

She had picked out the new vanity top, and we were getting ready to buy that (it was only around $200, but it matches that $10 shower curtain), when it was discovered that the toilet tank was cracked. And no one in Columbus has a toilet tank that color.

Found some made by the same manufacturer online ... for a little over $100. Only, now she's thinking that she wants to replace the old toilet with a new, chair-height toilet. So, we've been shopping for those.

And, she's found some she likes, but they don't match the tub.

Which is okay, since she really doesn't like the tub and would be just as happy with it being torn out and replaced with a 5-foot tiled shower. Happier, even. And that means buying tile. And prepping. And putting it up.

She's found some tiles she likes that match that $10 shower curtain. Haven't bought those yet, but she knows what she wants.

And, she's found a new shower head and other fixtures that match. Went ahead and got those. A little over $502 for the shower mechanism, sink fixtures, towel racks, and toilet paper holder. Yes, we forgot the bathrobe hooks. Got to go back and get those.

So now, the plan is to replace the tub next. We'll be putting in a new shower. Undecided about how to handle the shower floor. We're not certain the flooring will support a 5-foot mortared shower pan. We'll have to give it a good examination to find out. If not, we could go with a fiberglass shower pan. That'd be a bit over $200. Or a tile-ready one. That would run a little over $600, plus tile.

Once we replace the tub with the shower, we'll get a new vanity top that'll match. Oh, and a matching chair-height toilet.

Oh, and did I mention the one other thing about the new shower? It'll have a swinging door. She doesn't like the sliding doors, so we'll be putting in a swinging door.

Which means one other piece is being replaced.

That $10 shower curtain is coming out. The one that all this work was started so thing would match it.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Flag Day, 2011

Today is Flag Day. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the flag of the United States.

As the flag is a representation of our country, it's appropriate that our National Anthem is about our flag.

The Star Spangled Banner
Words by Francis Scott Key, Music by John Stafford Smith

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep.
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the Star-Spangled Banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the Star-Spangled Banner, in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must when our cause it is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our Trust."
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Remodeling

Wife wants to do some remodeling. And son-in-law (the new one) wants to get in good with her. So, he's heading up some remodeling.

The target: the bathroom.

This week has been, after work, stop at Home Depot, stop at Lowe's, stop at Home Depot again, and, of course, a pilgrimage to the Walmart.

Picked out paint and patterns (solid just won't do) for the walls. The flooring -- wood type, color -- was left up to the new son-in-law.

And, after all the trips to the stores, the purchases, the planning, it began in earnest Saturday morning.

Walls were done yesterday. Floors today. And fans are running in the bathroom, trying to air things out so we don't wake up dead from the fumes. I'm not convinced we're going to spend the night here still.

Anyway, later this week, we'll have the toilet put back, and get the new counter top for the vanity.

It'll be just a few more days and it'll all be done. Then, her goal will have been met: have everything in the bathroom match the $10 shower curtain.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

The element of surprise

Did you hear? We got new elements! Numbers 114 and 116.

If you have a collection of elements -- and who doesn't -- you need to update it.
In contrast to more familiar elements like carbon, gold and tin, the new ones are short-lived. Atoms of 114 disintegrate within a few seconds, while 116 disappears in just a fraction of a second, Moody said.

Both elements were discovered by a collaboration of scientists from Livermore and Russia. They made them by smashing calcium ions into atoms of plutonium or another element, curium. The official recognition, announced last week, cites experiments done in 2004 and 2006.
That might seem odd, that experiments were conducted 5-7 years ago and they've just now made them official. And they still don't have names.

But, think about it: Barack Obama was born in 1961 and it took 50 years for anyone to find a birth certificate. So those new elements are actually ahead of the game.

So, what should we call these elements?

Number 114 is in the carbon group, which includes carbon (of course), silicon, germanium, tin, and lead. It's been called "ununquadium," which is a silly name. It sounds like something they made up for Star Trek -- the Voyager Star Trek, not the real Star Trek.

Number 116 is a chalcogen, along with oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium. It's been called ununhexium, which is like 7-Up, the Uncola, only with hexium instead of cola and twice the un.

They are some proposed names for these elements:
The discoverers at Dubna, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, in Russia have proposed the name flerovium for 114, after Soviet element-finder Georgy Flyorov, and moscovium for 116, after Russia’s Moscow region.
If Ronald Reagan was president, we wouldn't put up with naming elements for a bunch of Ruskies. There were 3 elements discovered during Reagan's time in office -- Bohrium, Meitnerium, and Hassium -- none named for Russians. Dubnium (105), discovered in 1970, was named for a Russian town, but that wasn't made official when Clinton was in the White House.

We need to come up with some good names for these new elements. Like what? Like these:
While these might be cool names, you may have some better ideas. Let's here them.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Congresscritters

IMAO regular reader and commenter Iowa Jim made an observation the other day. With all the coverage of Anthony Weiner and his face (and other parts) in the news, he thought the Congresscritter looked ... like a Congresscritter:
I noticed that Anthony Weiner, in some photographs, bears an amazing resemblance to ostriches, emus, and cassowaries.
He's got a point:



Is he right?

And is Weiner the only critter-like critter in Congress? What other critters to other members of Congress look like?

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Newsbusted for June 7, 2011

Yay! A new NewsBusted!


[Direct link]

It is teh funneh.

What is it on Mars?

There is an amateur astronomer that says he found something man-made (or alien-made) on Mars.

He found it using Google Earth.

I know what you're thinking: "That Sarah Palin sure is hot!" Well, you'd be right. But you're also thinking, "But you said 'on Mars' and he used Google Earth and that just doesn't add up!"

Well, it turns out that Google Earth has not only maps of Earth, but also the Moon and Mars. And they still call it "Google Earth." Racists.

Anyway, if you have Google Earth, you can see the "structure," too:



The astronomer, David Martines, says it's a building or something. But the director of the Planetary Imaging Research Laboratory, Alfred McEwen, says it's a cosmic ray.

We spoke with Cosmic Ray, and he said it wasn't him.

So, what is it?

Here are some possibilities:
We can't say with certitude what it is. Something mysterious, we know that much.

What do you think it is?


Additional comments at IMAO.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Rolo McFlurry

It sounds like a character from a children's book.

Rolo McFlurry and the Man with the Yellow Hat.

Rolo McFlurry and the Purple Crayon.

Dr Seuss's Why Such A Hurry, Rolo McFlurry?

But it's not. It's the new thing from McDonald's.



Here's what it's like eating one.

Mmmm. Mmmm. MMMMM! Rolo McFlurry. Mmmm. Yummm. Mmmmm. Ow! Brain freeze brain freeze brain freeze ow ow ow ow ow. Ohhhhh. Owwwww. Mmmmm. Yummm. Rolo McFlurry. Mmmmm.

Repeat.

Rolo McFlurry. It's what's for dinner!

US and them

I don't recall where I first ran across this.


Wherever I found it, I think it originally came from here.

But I like it.

Juggling Robot

Have you seen the juggling robot?


[Direct link]

We have machines signing bills into law. We have a machine that keeps the president from sounding like a blithering idiot. The other day, Frank J. mused that we were nearly to the point of not even needing Obama anymore.

This robot may be the final piece of the puzzle. As a juggler, it's already doing more useful stuff than Obama does. And, it doesn't want to raise your taxes.

Juggling Robot 2012!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Unexpectedly

Did you hear the latest news about jobs? As expected, fewer new workers were added than expected.

No, you didn't read that wrong. That's what happened.

Seems the experts expected more jobs to be added than were added. And this happens a lot. Go back and read all the news reports about jobs and prices and such. You'll see the phrases "unexpected" or "worse than forecast" and phrases like that.

Today's is a report from Bloomberg that says, essentially, "Whoops! Not as many jobs as the experts thought":
Companies in the U.S. added fewer workers than forecast in May, a sign that job growth is struggling to gain momentum, data from a private report based on payrolls showed today.
How many weeks, months, and, now, years, do the "experts" that are carrying the water for Obama and his Merry Band of Misfits have to be wrong before the media quit considering them as experts.

Trick question! The mainstream media is part of Obama's Happy Horde!

I wonder what all surprises that crew.

  • A man fell into the river and was unexpectedly wet.
  • A man poked a live alligator with a sharp stick and was unexpectedly bitten.
  • A man stuck his hand in the fire and was unexpectedly burned.
  • The home team was outscored by the other team and unexpectedly lost the game.
  • A couple went on vacation to Florida and unexpectedly encountered several beaches.
  • The wind blew and the trees unexpectedly swayed,
  • A child bit into an ice cream and it was unexpectedly cold.
  • The sun unexpectedly rose in the east this morning.
  • A blogger wrote a post reusing some of the same examples he used in a post less than 24 hours earlier and readers unexpectedly noticed.
I think we have the new campaign slogan for Obama: Expect The Inexpected!