Monday, October 31, 2005

A Real Phony

Bobby Hill is mayor of Bartlett, Texas, a Poca-sized town about 50 miles south of Austin. He stands accused of taking $9,000 from the town's coffers. (The actual charges are theft by a public servant and theft of service.)

Anyway, a judge has ordered Hill not to step foot in the town until the trial is over. No problem. He plans to run the town by telephone.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

Blogger and the Case of the Disappearing BlogRoll

BlogTipsBasilI got an email recently regarding an issue that affects many, but not all, Blogger-based blogs. SeanS from Shoot a Liberal wrote in:
I find that when I click on a permalink on my blog (Blogger), my blogroll vanishes. Where does it go? How do I get it to stay when someone clicks the permalink?

At first, I was unclear on what the problem was, but a quick look at the site and I knew what was happening.

Here are the symptoms:

When someone clicks on a permalink, the sidebar content changes. Specifically, he BlogRoll disappears.

Here's what's really happening:

Krauthammer Strikes

Charles Krauthammer was a leading voice against appointing Harriet Miers.

Tonight on Fox, Krauthammer said, "I'm a pretty happy guy. I think this is a terrific choice."

Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

RNC Comes Out Swinging

Patrick Ruffini has the RNC online and fighting back. Staff member Katie MacGuidwin sent out these testimonials on Judge Sam Alito from these Dems:
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA):
“You Have Obviously Had A Very Distinguished Record, And I Certainly Commend You For Long Service In The Public Interest. I Think It Is A Very Commendable Career And I Am Sure You Will Have A Successful One As A Judge.” (Sen. Ted Kennedy, Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 4/5/90)
SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ):
“I Believe Mr. Alito Has The Experience And The Skills To Be The Kind Of Judge The Public Deserves – One Who Is Impartial, Thoughtful, And Fair. I Urge The Senate To Confirm His Nomination.” (Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Congressional Record, 4/27/90, p. S5281)
FORMER SEN. BILL BRADLEY (D-NJ):
“[T]he Confirmation Of Sam Alito As U.S. Attorney For New Jersey Is Testimony To The Commitment He Has Shown And The Success Of His Efforts As A Law Enforcement Official. I Am Confident That He Will Continue To Do All He Can To Uphold The Laws Of This Nation With The Kind Of Determination And Vigor That Has Been His Trademark In The Past.” (Sen. Bill Bradley, Congressional Record, 12/8/87, p. S17427)
Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

Headline News: 10/31/2005

From ABC News:
Woody Allen Grateful for Wife Soon-Yi
Loves her like a daughter

From ABC News:
Woman Gets Donkey for Her 50th Birthday
Says her husband is such an ass

From ABC News:
More Britons Believe in Ghosts Than in God
Uncertain what to think about the Holy Ghost

From ABC News:
'Naked Photographer' Sentenced to Jail
Apologizes, says he never pictured serving time

From ABC News:
Methodists Defrock Lesbian Minister
Church criticized for letting the Bible get in the way of religion

From ABC News:
Phila. Starts Week With Transit Strike
Drop in service negligible

From ABC News:
Conservative Anglicans Rap Liberal Faction
Threaten to 'bust a cap in their ass'

From ABC News:
Banned at the schoolhouse door: pint-size ghosts and goblins
Giant Sta-Puft Marshmellow Man not deterred

From ABC News:
Woman Turns Weekend Passion Into Profit
Heidi Fleiss tells all

From ABC News:
Pluto may have three moons, instead of one
Picked up from Neptune for Charon and a player to be named later

No Bull

Hat tip to Fark: you must see this video from Hurricane Wilma. Everyone, outa the pool for the adult swim.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

Covered Dish Supper: 10/31/2005

Even though I've returned to blogging, my schedule does not yet allow me to peruse my blogroll during lunch or supper. For now, we'll not be offering selections ourself, but we do encourage you to list an item of interest.

If you have an interesting post that you’d like to share, please leave a TrackBack to that post, and please link to this post so that others can enjoy the fun. If you TrackBack and don't link, you will be deleted. If you need help with TrackBacks, Harvey of Bad Example has an excellent primer here, or check out my post about TrackBacks here. If your blog can’t generate TrackBacks, use either the form here or here.

Picnic Lunch: 10/31/2005

Although I've returned to blogging, my schedule does not yet allow me to peruse my blogroll during lunch or supper. For the time being, we'll not be offering selections ourself, but we do encourage you to list an item of interest.

If you have an interesting post that you'd like to share, please leave a TrackBack to that post, and please link to this post so that others can enjoy the fun. If you need help with TrackBacks, Harvey of Bad Example has an excellent primer here, or check out my post about TrackBacks here. If your blog can't generate TrackBacks, use either the form here or here.

Breakfast: 10/31/2005

Try one of these specials with your breakfast:

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Reid Goes Bananas

"Reid Calls For Rove To Resign"

Oh yea? Well, Rove calls for Reid to resign. Not even indicted, let alone convicted. After two years of investigation, dummy.

Cross-posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

How Bloggers Saved Bush

Or to be more precise, how bloggers saved the president.

First, Karl Rove has been given a clean bill of health. So has the president. Only 12% say he broke the law. Move On apparently is smaller than I thought.

Read the rest at Don Surber.

So, What Took Me So Long?

Why would it take me over two weeks to set up another blog? After all, I put up It'sAPundit almost overnight, and other fake sites spoofing others in short order.

So why did this take so long?

Well, here's news for you. I'm still not done. I've just got enough done that I'm comfortable to blog with what's been done.

Anyway, here's what I had to do. Or, here's what I've done, whether I had to or not.

Lottery Loser

Meet Christina Goodenow. This 38-year-old resident of White City, Ore., bought a lottery ticket worth $1 million.

And it may land her in prison.
You see, police say she bought the ticket with a stolen credit card. Oops.
"I'll be fascinated to see how this shakes out," Lottery spokesman Chuck Baumann said. "In my 12 years with the Oregon Lottery, this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

Police said Goodenow used the credit card of her mother-in-law who died a year ago. They searched her house, found some methamphetamine but not the $33,500 from the first of 20 annual installment payments. Gee, wonder where the money went. So she'll be charged with possession as well.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

Headline News: 10/30/2005

From ABC News:
Hundreds Attend Parks Memorial in Ala.
More would have attended, but no one wanted to sit in the back of the bus

From ABC News:
Prince Albert's Take On Taking the Throne
Willing to serve as soon as he is let out of that can

From ABC News:
Bush, Cheney Urged to Apologize for Aides
Kennedy not urged to apologize for killing Mary Jo

From ABC News:
Pa. Gas Company Callers Get Sex-Talk Line
Customer service complaints at all-time low

From ABC News:
Military Recruiters, Parents Battle at High School
Recruiters get to pick weapons

From ABC News:
Israelis, Palestinians to Cease Fighting
Once the last one is dead

From ABC News:
Israel kills two militants in West Bank shootout
Called the "first step" toward peace

From ABC News:
'The Simpsons' Exported to Middle East -- Minus Bacon, Beer
Homer Simpson's offending phrases to be replaced with "Mmmmmm... jihad."

From ABC News:
Hurricane Beta hits Nicaragua
Nicaragua runs, tells

From ABC News:
Some New Orleans House Fires Suspicious
Bush blamed.




Listed at

The TypePad TrackBack Solution

It's called WordPress.

I'm not a patient man. But I do try to be fair. Sometimes I'm more than fair. Sometimes I'm less than fair. But I try.

When I try and fail, I must suffer the consequences.

And so must TypePad.

Quite honestly, I was generally happy with TypePad. They do a lot of things right. But things happen. And I realize things happen. So, when things ... bad things ... happen, I try to be patient.

But some things I don't tolerate well. That includes ignoring my concerns.

To summarize what happened:
  • TypePad "improved" their system by putting into place improperly designed or improperly tested TrackBack spam filters.
  • TypePad responded via e-mail (a good thing) but wasn't listening to what I said was the problem.
  • TypePad went over two weeks and the problem (as of this writing) is still not fixed.
So, if they won't fix the issue, I will.

That's why this little blog is now a WordPress blog. I'm presently hosting it myself. But that won't last long, I'm sure. I have other options available to me that I expect to use. But, I've spent over two weeks getting a server set up to host a WordPress blog (didn't take as long as I thought it would) and moving all content over to my local server (took longer than I thought it would).

Oh, the move isn't complete. There is still more content to move. But I have enough moved and everything configured sufficiently to re-launch. And because there is more to move, I'll be busy doing that. But I am returning to blogging, although not quite at the pace I was at prior to the TypePad issue.

So, perhaps Don and TJ ... and hopefully phin, Joe, Beth, Vinnie, moehawk, and the sisters ... will continue to post here. I wish they would and hope they do.

Anyway, I thank Don, TJ, phin, and The Mean Sister for posting during this fortnight of frustration. I really do want them to continue to post. They good. And fun to read.

But I'm back!

And let's celebrate with an Open TrackBack party!

No Frogmarch

After two years of hoping to see Karl Rove frog-marched in a perp walk, liberals got the veep's chief of staff hobbling on crutches.

The New York Times had to admit: "Even after the indictment on Friday of I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Mr. Bush has no immediate plans to bring in fresh faces or fire any top aides, especially if his senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, is not charged in the C.I.A. leak case."

Read the rest at my Web site.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Kit from Euphoric Reality

This week's interview continues. Today, we have Kit from Euphoric Reality. Remember last week when we interviewed Heidi? Well, it's Kit's turn.

 

Now that I'm here...



 

And Kit is here...



 

And the panel of questioners is here...



 

We can now begin.

Drug War Myths

New numbers are out on the incarceration of Americans. Anti-drug war sites continue to rally around Johnny the Pot Smoking Student behind bars.

But the numbers show otherwise. Read more here or here.

Tough Woman

Meet Debra Wooldridge. She was sentenced to serve 3-5 years for burglary.

While a Lancaster County (Omaha, Neb.) sheriff's deputy was transporting her to the York Women's Correctional Facility when she jumped from the transport van, which was traveling 75 mph. She broke her leg. What was interesting was this, from the AP report:
She was restrained by handcuffs, belly chain and leg irons. The investigation continues to determine how Wooldridge was able to get the door of the van open. Wooldridge was the only prisoner in the van.

This is one scary person whom I never want to meet. I mean, people who willingly leap from vans doing 75 are not to be messed with.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

Smokin' Economy

Buried in the backpages of the newspapers today was reports of the July-September (third quarter) growth of the economy up 3.8% after rising 3.3% in the second quarter (April-June).

Now I realize news is the unexpected and skews toward the bad things that happened. But after weeks of daily pounding of the nation by news of investigations, a withdrawn nomination, deaths in Iraq, rising gasoline prices, and hurricane, hurricane, hurricane, the resilliency of the economy is unusually good news misplaced on the back pages.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist

Smokin' the Water

Today, the greatest guitar riff in rock-and-roll history will be played in Melbourne, Australia by 2,000 guitarists as they play the opening bars of "Smoke on the Water." This will break the 11-year-old record set by 1,322 guitarists in Canada in 1994.

Take a bow, Ritchie Blackmore.

OK, air guitarists, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-de-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-de.

Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

Friday, October 28, 2005

aTypical Joe

The Blog Interviews continue. Today we have one of the few liberal bloggers I enjoy reading. Joe, of aTypical Joe, agreed to play along, and today, he takes your questions.

Let's see if we're set to go.

I'm ready ...


Joe's ready ...


And the questioner's are ready ...


First question? ...

Last time (this week), I promise!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Halloween Trackback Party

Hey, not to take any business from Basil. But after you trackback here, go to my half-assed, too dumb to install the right software, Halloween Trackback Party.

I Owe My Soul To The Company Board

Ever catch a kid doing something wrong only to hear: "All the other kids are doing it." That is how I felt when I read WVU President David Hardesty's excuse about why he's taking $70,000 a year to sit on the board of a big coal company:

"This is not an uncommon arrangement. If you look at other universities with whom we compete, you would find their presidents sitting on corporate boards as well. It's becoming increasingly common for university presidents to serve on the boards of corporations."

All the other kids are doing it? Fine. Take away his allowance -- the entire $275,000-a-year that he rakes in as the university's president.

Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

Star Wars Names

I keep forgetting to post this. You know how we "ran outa" hurricane names by naming every little rain cloud? (Gee, you don't think someone has an agenda, do you?) Well, down at Camp Katrina, SPC Phil Van Treuren, Legal Specialist, Ohio National Guard JAG Corps, and his buddies came up with some names of their own. Surprisingly, they are not obscene! They are Star Wars names ...

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Click the pick to get the names from Anakin to Vader and beyond! Cross posted at Don Surber.

byrd zzzz

Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Click to see video at Political Teen


Is it that Byrd is so old or Reid is so boring?

Linked to Don Surber and Florida Masochist

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Update

This post is to serve two purposes:

  1. To let you know that a full return to blogging is soon. Very soon.

  2. This is the 1,500th post on this blog.


Just some final tweaks before I'm finished with the TypePad Solution™ and back full time.

In the meantime, do visit Don Surber, TJ (NIF) and phin and let them know how much we all appreciate their help these two weeks.

Indictments?

Looks like Scooter falls on the sword, Rove dodges the bullet and CNN got it wrong.

Democrats will throw out hypocrisy, corruption and in the case of the real nutballs, treason. Republicans will throw out media bias, Bush vindicated and the crime is minor.

Yawn. I'm going to bed.

Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

Robo-assassin-guards not looking

QUICK:

  • Basil : I certainly understand being busy is he ever coming back?  His blog misses him!
  • Thursday : That means we need to Stop the ACLU: an interview with ADF President Alan Sears



  • NEWS:

  • Religion : School Board in  Hillsborough County, Florida cancel all "Religious Holidays" ... CAIR, still pro-terrorist
  • Iraq : Terrorists kill 3 more GIs
    ... and 4 wounded, prayers and condolences
  • Israel : "Palestinian" suicide bomber kills 5, wounds dozens 

    Sharon approves response 

    'Israeli Army enters Jenin' 

    The growing threat Israel faces
  • Baseball : Chicago White Sox have swept the Astros in 4 straight
    ... and I still don't care about baseball
  • Beta : Another tropical storm forming
    ... just to make the record harder to break in the future
  • Katrina : 'Subpoenas issued in Memorial Hospital deaths'   
  • Wilma : Jeb accepts blame for his constituents being stupid
    ... perhaps they should have BOUGHT FOOD AND WATER??
  • Amsterdam : Fire in airport kills 11
    ... they were illegal aliens awaiting deportation, and others escaped during chaos
  • NFL : Saints being relo'd to LA?
    ... it's not the Redskins, I don't care



  • INTERESTING:

  • Culture : "Nero fiddled while Rome burned, is that what we are doing ?"
    ... some sobering thoughts
  • SCOTUS / Miers : Nevermind - Miers withdraws! 

    FNC coverage here 

    More here
    ... "concerned that the nomination process presents a burden"

    Ogre was right 

    "Bush must heal the divide this nomination has created among the conservative base"
    Lessons learned? 

    B&E comments on the MSM's reporting (he might know a SCOTUS Justice!)
    WB has a lot more links & thoughts
    ... including some blathering from Dick Turban Durbin

    a WHOLE BUNCH of links
    ... one of which may surprise you

    "I am willing to accept that if it means they've learned their lesson about acting like Democrat" 

    "Michael Ludig would be an amazing Justice, as would Edith Brown Clement or my personal favorite, Priscilla Owen" 

    "Will Bush pick another dud or a real nominee this time?" 

    Frank J. threatens to punch people, if it helps 

    "This is a victory for anyone who cares about the direction of the court" 

    "Sooper sekret message to the White House - just say "no" to 'Berto!" 

    "The final straw: clear evidence of her liberalism, overlooked by a shoddy vetting process" 

    ... So, who is next at bat?  Your thoughts?
  • Islamofascism : NOfP rounds up thoughts on the 2000 murdered Americans
    ... each a hero, every single loss is tragic, how the left makes a mockery of their sacrifice
    Some video the MSM won't show you
    ... and, for comparison, an example of what they do show

    Live by the sword, die by the Coalition Forces
    ... Nashwan Mijhim Muslet (aka Abu Tayir or Abu Zaid) killed dead

    You can sue traitors!
    ... yet another way to fight terrorism :) ... thanks to TMH for the tip!

    "The World without Zionism"
    ... "attended by suicide bomber wannabes, homicidal maniacs and future Hitlerian imitations"

    'Multinational force spokesman: media being manipulated by terrorists'
    ... um, duh?

    Don't any one of the 2000, like USMC Captain Ryan A. Beaupre
    ... read his letter home, and remember

    More on the jubilation on the left over the 2000 dead heroes 

    Iraq bodes well for the wave of democracy
    ... dictators be damned 
  • Plamegate : Missing the point - Iraq's quest for Uranium 

    Indictments may be a win for Conservatives? 

    Predicting no indictments?   
  • UselessNations : UN to finally publish list of those participating Oil for Food fort Bribes
    ... I wonder if Kofi/Kojo will listed?

    Galloway's wife received Oil for Food bribes, MSM ignores it   
  • RFID : In your passport, in 2 months!
  • AntiCivilLibertiesUnion : 'ACLU vs America'   
  • MSM : Round up on Condigate, USA Today's latest photoshop adventure
    Which they have since corrected
  • Disasters : Katrina, etc. raises questions as to our resiliency 

    Infrastructure failures   
  • Crawfordstock : 'Cindy "What's her name?" Gets arrested and no one cares'   
  • Computing : Usability, still AWOL 

    'What would Microsoft do if Google invented an OS?'
    ... WWMD?  I am guessing change their underwear would be #1

    VMWorld 2005 

    Spotting, stopping stolen software
    ... no warez for you!

    Review of Lenovo X41, tablets in general, and WinXP Tablet Edition 

    Visual Studio rots the mind? 

    Fighting Linux FUD with Humor
    ... "The biggest obstacle is fear"

    Digital Ink getting closer
    New Zealand govt going "all open source"
    VMWare's free player raises pressure on MS   
  • Internet : Building ID systems 

    Web defacer being deported
    ... yeah, but don't they have The Internet in his home country?

    This retarded site has made $.5M in the last 1-2 months
    ... I hate his idea (Yes - jealous), and am boycotting his supporters
    1 mile WiFi (802.11b)
    ... for $50! ... make that 802.11G and I am so wanting that!

    Thoughts on the RIAA's fighting of 'piracy'
    ... "Their refusal to adapt to new technology, and to create new and innovative ways to profit from it, is doomed to fail"
    Web users cutting back?
    ... that's alright, I'll pick up their slack :P

    VOIP wiretapping back in court 

    The real threat to Vonage, and it isn't cable    
  • Gaming : StarCraft, WoW for XBOX360?
    ... oh hell yeah!
  • Right : Coburn, right-bloggers talk porkbusting   
  • Racism : Thoughts on the many failures that led up to Rosa Parks' victory
    ... "Rice and Colin Powell stand on the shoulders of Rosa Parks"
  • Health :  Schizophrenics better at discerning illusions
    ... +4 to saves vs Illusion?  Fault/Feat tradeoff?

    Geeks' Guide to Working Out
    'Slacker or sick', RSI making good employees look bad?
    ... boy, do my wrists hurt all day, every day ... damned cytokines

    They've mapped the diff of our genes? 

    Bone Marrow donors subject to DNA-identification mixup
    ... I smell a CSI episode coming!
  • Volcano : Galapagos Islands' Sierra Negra volcano continues erupting   
  • Halloween : And religion; I had never heard of Jack Chick   
  • Misc : Soling a 20x20 Rubic's Cube 

    Fractal cabbage 

    Old undeveloped film, photos unseen - until now'ish
    ... for some reason this makes me sad
  • Homosexuality : Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court Pro-Sodomy ruling was setup
    ... "reverse entrapment"
  • Celebrity(ies)  : 14 things you don't know about Billie Gates 

    Couric feels your pain
    ... but she will have $65M to comfort herself with

    Prince Harry forced to drop trow   
  • TV : "Destroy All Humans" becoming animated series on Fox
    ... 11 episodes, canceled, moved, movie deal ... right?

    PuppyBlender questions the logic of subsidizing TV
    ... while technology blows past Congress 
  • Sick : Arby's employee spits in State Trooper's sandwich
    ... glad I am not a State Trooper!



  • FUNNY:

  • SCOTUS/Miers  : 'Miers withdraws to 'Spend more time with humans'' 

    W to nominate Reid's second choice 

    Miers grilled over "plans to spend more time with family" 

    A (cough) real glimpse behind the scenes
    "Who is this "Harry Etmyers" that everyone keeps talking about?" 

    'Bush to nominate next person who walks through door' 

    President's Intern knows why she withdrew
    Frank J. has a different answer
  • Movies : IMAO casting
    ... WRT the first comment, that is just uncalled for! 
  • Video : Yoda dances!
    ... easter egg in the RotS DVD
  • Baseball : Caption the man-kissing   
  • RVB : Did I mention #65 is available?   
  • Crawfordstock : Sheehan celebrates 2000 supporters
    ... by playing dead, getting arrested

    'Dead hippies! Yay! ... Aw, they're just faking it'   
  • UF Geek dating ...   
  • UselessNations : Debating the meaning of "Wipe Israel from map" 

    'Police find 100,000 barrels of oil in George Galloway’s spare bedroom'   
  • Relationships : Marriage in a Nutshell   
  • "Global Warming" : Ice cap thickens, enrages environmentalists
    ... "By the year 4500, we could see a dramatic rise in ocean levels"
  • Dilbert : Introducing the Specter of Unpaid Overtime
    ... hey, I know that guy VERY well!
  • Illusion : Pink, green or no dots
    ... except for schizoids, apparently (see "Health :" above :) )
  • Racism : Caption Prussian Blue, aka - the Nazi Olsen twins   
  • MSM : CBS puts Sports in charge of News 

    USA Today issues correction, (cough) posts real Condi pic   
  • Plamegate : 'Army Corps of Engineers repairing massive leak in Cheney'   
  • Coffee : Real men don't drink decaf lattes   
  • ALP : #150
    ... Jesus is moving out
  • Parenting 101 : Caption the Child Abuse   
  • Gaming : Civilization Anonymous   
  • Flash : Zombie Romp
    ... first try = 42732
  • Life Lessons : You learned them HOW??
    ... "It's best not to think how you got into your situation, but how you are going to get out of it"



  • QUOTES:

  • "Global Test" :
    It is ironic that our founding fathers wanted to
    free ourselves from European Imperialism
    but modern constitutional scholars believe that
    we are in fact subject to their whims.
    --thanks JCB! (received via email)

  • W :
    Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing. He concludes
    by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in an accident"
    "OH DEAR GOD NO!!!" George W. Bush exclaims. "That's terrible!!"  His
    staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the
    president sits, head in hands. Finally, the President, devastated, looks
    up and asks..........  "How many is a Brazillion??!"
    --thanks Bash! 



  • CLOSING:

    Yes, GOP ain't perfect, but ...
    Day by Day

    She Feels Your (Gas) Pains

    From the Detroit News on Jan. 4, 2002: "Last month Katie Couric, host of NBC's Today show, signed a deal that will reportedly pay her $65 million over the next four years. That's an annual salary in excess of $15 million." From News Busters today:

    Katie Couric: "They say one man's pain is another man's pleasure. And it turns out the pain we all shared at the gas pump this summer brought an awful lot of pleasure in the form of big profits to the nation's oil companies.

    Yea, Katie. You really felt that pain as your chauffeur filled the tank of your limo. I guess phantom pain feeling is quite lucrative.

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

    Covered Dish Supper: 10/27/2005

    No, I'm not back yet. I did stop by when Don told me TrackBacks were acting better. I still understand there are some issues, but I'd like to see just how big of an issue we're talking. So, we'll give Open Trackbacks another try tonight.

    If you have an interesting post that you'd like to share, please leave a TrackBack to that post, and please link to this post so that others can enjoy the fun. If you need help with TrackBacks, Harvey of Bad Example has an excellent primer here, or check out my post about TrackBacks here. If your blog can't generate TrackBacks, use either the form here or here.

    If you have an issue with TrackBacks, send me an e-mail. I'll do whatever I can.

    Rosa Parks (Continued)


    My Daily Mail Column Today:

    Newspapers across the country were warm with glowing words used to pay homage to Rosa Parks. She earned it through her willingness to go to jail to right a wrong.

    Read more here.

    Miers Trackback Link Festival

    OK, regulars know the rules. Basil's not here to tell me NOT to do it, so let us DO IT! You got a Miers post? Link it!

    Go on. You wanna. Do it.

    (If you don't know the rules Go here)

    Wednesday, October 26, 2005

    Contest!

    A politician in Philadelphia has been indicted. It is federal, so it counts. The AP story does not mention his party affiliation in the lead. It is a 9-paragraph story.

    For 10 points, name his party affiliation.

    For 20 bonus points, name the paragraph in which AP finally tells readers he's a Democrat.

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Softball!

    Chris Matthews praises Fox!

    Speaking at Temple about the news, Matthews said, “You have to sell it. You have to present it with more gusto, more zest. You have to let viewers know, `This is important.' You don't just report every story like it's a weather forecast.”

    Next, Kmart says Wal-Mart is doing an OK job.

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Some Peace

    James Taranto smacked Brent Scowcroft upside the head for saying, “we've had fifty years of peace.” Taranto then lit into him. Between 1953 (when the Korean War reached its truce, now in year 62) to 2003 in the Mideast alone we’ve had, Taranto said,

    “the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the two Palestinian intifadas against Israel, the Algerian Civil War, the Yemen Civil War and two Sudanese civil wars. That doesn't even count acts of terror against non-Mideastern countries, from the Iranian invasion of the U.S. Embassy to the attacks of 9/11.”

    Peace through appeasement never works. Give ‘em hell, Taranto.

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    OO7 Is His IQ

    David Craig, the new James Bond, is blond, does not drink martinis and now says he hates handguns. Tell me again why they hired him.

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Jolly No More

    The Jolly Green Giant is dead.

    Elmer Dresslar, the voice of the Jolly Green Giant, died at 80. Long before there were any rappers, Elmer was singing of Ho, Ho, Ho.

    One daughter said: "He never got tired of it. If nothing else, it put my sister and I through college." Remember the song?

    "Good things from the garden.

    "Garden in the valley.

    "Valley of the Jolly -- Ho, Ho, Ho -- Green Giant."

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Snow One Cares

    WaPo headline: Early Snow Hits Md., Va. Mountains

    Oh sure, leave off West Virginia, you elitist jerks. See if we’ll print you next time a strike closes your presses. (Of course we will. We need the work.)

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Minimalists

    Wal-Mart’s CEO is calling for a raise in the national minimum wage and is expanding health benefits for its workers.

    Isn’t that nice? But wait, Wal-Mart already pays its workers above minimum wage because it cannot attract the workers it wants for $5.15 an hour. If it could, it would. Always low prices. Always.

    But some of its competitors can attract good workers at $5.15 an hour. Better hours, closer to the home and not having to wear the blue vest offset the financial difference. So what Wal-Mart really wants to do is have the government force higher costs upon its competition.

    Hey, every big, huge company wants the government to erect barriers to competition. Environmental regulations are embraced by big companies because they can absorb the costs better than smaller companies. By posing the issue as helping his customers, the Wal-Mart CEO gains media brownie points.

    But you know something? We pay clerks more to sell this stuff than the Chinese pay to make it. Something is awry here.

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Poll Cats

    Headline of the Day from CNN, the least trusted name in cable news, Poll: Bush would lose an election if held this year Well, it is a good thing we held that election last year when he was actually campaigning for the job and was elected by the first presidential majority in 16 years. But wait, there’s more.

    Turns out CNN ignored the bigger news: Bush’s approval rating rose. Paragraph 5 said:

    “In the poll, 42 percent of those interviewed approved of the way the president is handling his job and 55 percent disapproved. In the previous poll, released October 17, 39 percent approved of Bush's job performance -- the lowest number of his presidency -- and 58 percent disapproved.”

    Even Drew Curtis at Fark, which is aimed for the college set, noted: “CNN stumbles over itself to spin polls showing Bush's approval going up as bad. Claims margin of error, something never mentioned that when the numbers go down.” Meanwhile, approval ratings for CNN fell to 0.39 percent, which is roughly the percentage of the 300 million Americans who actually watch it. (Actually 1 million is 0.33 percent but not as funny.)

    Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Not-So-Super, Man

    Look, down on the ground. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s … Superdrunk.

    AP reports, quite soberly, from Graz, Austria, that a 23-year-old man consumed several bottles of red wine, stood on the ledge of a 4th story window at 4 a.m., and shouted: “I am Superman! Nothing can happen to me!"

    Well, apparently the ground in Austria is made of kryptonite because that sucker fell like a stone. He landed on a roof a few stories below, sparing him more serious injuries.

    Cross Posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Tuesday, October 25, 2005

    Quick Posts

    Basil must have really peed in Typepad's tapioca because I could not get on all night!

    Does this make it worth the wait?

    Image hosted by Photobucket.com

    How'd that Stray Cats song go? Sexy and 17?

    I got the story right here.

    Then there is the entire state of Maryland. Its alleged men are a bunch of wimps hiding behind the skirts of a little girl! Ooh, save us. I got the story here.

    Before Rosa Parks

    Many are the tributes to Rosa Parks today.

    But it is of import to remember the man who came before her: Homer Plessy, an octoroon, and if you are too young to know what that means, you are blessed with ignorance.

    On June 7, 1892, Plessy purchased a first-class ticket on the East Louisiana Railway from New Orleans to Covington. He sat in the whites only section and was arrested. He was convicted of breaking the law and fined $25.

    Read more at my blog, Don Surber. Linked to: Florida Masochist.

    Drunk of the Day

    Courtesy of Fark comes the Drunk of the Day: Jerry Stewart, a 59-year-old attorney from Benton, Ark. Now nobody likes lawyers except their own, but in a profession marked by hucksters, sheisters and charlatans, Jerry Stewart stood out last Thursday when he showed up in court -- drunk. The Associated Press reported:

    Stewart faces a total of six years in prison and could be disbarred if convicted of a fourth felony offense, prosecutor Robert Herzfeld said.

    AP also said it was not known whether Thursday's court appearance involved two pending drunken driving charges. Cross posted at Florida Masochist and Don Surber.

    Bad News For Social Security

    From the Drudge Report Cambridge Scientist says people can live for thousands of years. Yea, our luck it would not be Einstein who lives that long but Genghis Khan.

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masocist.

    Monday, October 24, 2005

    Franken Squeaks

    For a guy whose radio show draws too few listeners in D.C. to register with Arbitron, Al Franken sure got mouthy on the Letterman show. (Transcript courtesy of News Busters.)

    Al Franken: “Right. So they wanted to smear the guy who came back with the report, and so they out his wife and said she sent him there. This is essentially, you know, George H.W. Bush, the President's father, was the head of the CIA and he has said that outing a CIA agent is treason.”

    Letterman: “It is treason, yes.”

    Franken: “And so basically, what it looks like is going to happen is that Libby and Karl Rove are going to be executed."

    Oh that Franken. I remember when he was funny. But then again, I am an old man. A very old man.

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

    UPDATE: I'm getting some lengthy responses at my home blog to a very short post. I added this one: Franken May Not Be Funny, But His Fans Are A Hoot

    Exploitation Discrimination

    Hey, remember that story about the clown who ran up a $241,000 credit card bill for one night at a strip joint? Well, News Busters reports that Katie Couric complained that was discrimination against female executives, who also want the right to drop a quarter-million on lap dances. Says News Busters:
    Couric compared this "issue" to male executives that take their clients golfing, thus gaining an advantage over female executives.
    Twilight Zone time. Indeed.

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

    Brazil's Second Amendment Fight

    Wisely, Brazilians rejected a proposal to take their guns away. The vote was 64-36 against. Voters were clear:

    "Você fará exame de meu injetor quando você o ergue de meus dedos frios, inoperantes."


    (That's Portugeuse for: "You will take my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.")

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist.

    Knucklehead of the Day

    Newsbusters reports that director Spike Lee continues to be a Martian. Headline: "Spike Lee: “Not Far-Fetched” to Say New Orleans Levees Deliberately Destroyed." Appearing on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect -- whoops, lost that gig after people stopped watching after Maher's 9/11 remarks that we're cowards. Anyway, on whatever-they-call Maher's HBO mealticket, Lee said, "it's not far-fetched" that teh federal government did this. Lee said of the flooding of the 9th Ward, “a choice had to be made, one neighborhood got to save another neighborhood and flood another 'hood, flood another neighborhood.” What? Newsbsuters reported:

    "Presidents have been assassinated. So why is that so far-fetched?" To hearty applause from the Los Angeles audience, Lee asked: "Do you think that election in 2000 was fair? You don't think that was rigged?" Lee argued: “If they can rig an election, they can do anything!"

    ABC reporter Michel Martin dismissed this theory, but added, "Anybody with any knowledge of history can understand why a lot of people can feel this way, that that's a reasonable theory." So who is the knucklehead? HBO, which is part of the Time-Warner-AOL-Turner consortium. But it also has CNN, the least trusted name in TV news, so there you are.

    Cross posted at Don Surber and Florida Masochist

    Sunday, October 23, 2005

    Dear TypePad (Part 2)

    UPDATED

    Dear Loyal Readers:

    No, I've not returned to full-time bloging, but I am dropping by to provide an update.

    After my last post about this TypePad TrackBack ping issue I got a response from Anil Dash at TypePad. I have responded.
    Dear Anil:

    Thanks for your response to my post "Dear TypePad".

    I am pleased to see that someone who knows a lot about TypePad has taken an interest.

    However, please allow me to express some concerns I have.

    You indicate that because most TypePad users haven't reported a problem
    means there's not a big problem. Okay, I can see that. Assuming most
    users send and receive a lot of TrackBacks.

    Let me ask you this: Have you tried what I reported? Have you tried
    sending a TrackBack via a third party form? I'm assuming you have,
    since you a proud of your testing ("we've done a *lot* of testing").
    I'm certain you've tried to send a TrackBack both via a TypePad site
    and via a 3rd party form. Haven't you?

    You realize that if you say "no" then my point of not doing adequate
    testing is quite valid. You can do a lot of testing that's not
    sufficient. And that's what I'm concerned about.

    So, when you sent a TrackBack to my site, what happened? I don't recall getting a TrackBack notice that you sent one.

    Which tells me that either you're experiencing the same problems I'm
    talking about, or it hasn't occurred to you to actually check it out.

    Which is it?

    And, should you decide to actually try what I'm talking about, I'll
    gladly set you up an author account on my little blog, although I
    suspect you have that ability. The fact no one has persued it indicates
    to me this problem isn't considered major.

    Well, I consider it major. And some of my readers consider it major.

    I submitted my ticket a week and a half ago.
    Support Ticket: 084866
    Subject: Unable to send TrackBack with 3rd party form
    Category: Bug
    Status: We're Working On It
    This weekend, I asked for a status update.

    You're partially right when you say the problem isn't testing. The
    problem is inadquate testing. I believe you when you say there has been
    a lot. I just think there's not enough of the right kind.

    Again, thanks for the response. I certainly look forward to this issue
    being resolved by TypePad before I resolve it with my own solution.

    Your friend ... and your paying customer,
    Basil

    Not Yet

    No, this site isn't the new Basil's Blog.

    Not yet.

    I've owned the domain basilsblog.com for some time. I've been using it to redirect to basilsblog.net ... if anyone ever tried.

    But now, I'm using it as the domain for a WordPress site. I'm running it on my own server. I'm prepared to move my little blog over to here or another host.

    Again, this is just a test site. Visite here for the real basil's blog.

    UPDATE:

    I am testing and trying out things here, though. Hosting on my own server is a new experience for me. There are all kinds of tweaks and things that need to happen. I get some errors I don't expect when working remote. And things like that are taking up lots of time.

    I have imported all the posts, comments, and trackbacks from the TypePad version of this little blog from January-September. And the same from December-January for the Blogger version.

    Lots more to do, which is why I'm still not returned full-time to the real blog. But I am making progress. Not where I wanted to be by now, but I'm getting there.

    UPDATE:
    You've probably figured it out by now. But we're here now.

    UPDATE (September 2016):
    The last word. I hope.

    Ãœbersexual kicks metrosexual butt

    My latest post at Don Surber

    A few years ago, the New York Times introduced us to that unfortunate word, metrosexual, which is the pansy way of saying pansy. If it had been anyone but NYT, I might have been concerned. But here is a newspaper that cannot even get its own Judy Miller story straight.

    So I ignored it.

    Now of all things, the London Guardian, aka al-Guardianazeera, has a report, Metrosexual man bows to red-blooded übersexuals.

    Read the rest here.

    Guest Posting

    Or is that Ghost Pesting? Anyway, Hurricane Wilma has chased Florida Masochist from his post. He went to high ground to find a guest poster and figured Poca, West Virginia, was safe. Uh, should I tell him we're just 20 miles from Hurricane, W.Va.?

    OK, I cross-posted my pro-Harriet Miers propaganda.

    But the big thing about Florida Masochist is his Knucklehead of the Day award. I went to England to find a nurse, some vodka and some flashing breasts. Ah. My kinda loser.

    Saturday, October 22, 2005

    Frustrating Night

    I cannot get my vote on Harriet Miers trackbacked to Truth Laid Bear. This is frustrating. Wait! My vote got through! But, it is frustrating being outnumbered 33-1. Sorta like being a Republican in Southern West Virginia. Not getting Typepad trackbacks to Basil is frustrating (and those who want to use this as a Midnight Snack or whatever, hey knock yourselves out. Just remember to link this post first. I get nothing out of it except the satisfaction of helping a fellow who helps us all out.

    Oh yea, how I feel about Harriet Miers now is ... Go To My Web Site. I need traffic too.

    UPDATE: I tried a Basil trackback from Haloscan. Sigh.

    Heidi of Euphoric Reality

    Today we have another Blogger Interview. We have Heidi of Euphoric Reality to face the crew today.

    The interviews have gone well, and we're looking forward to learing
    some more interesting and insightful tidbits from your favorite
    bloggers. Unfortunately, you got people like me asking questions. Oh,
    well.

    Anyway, I'm ready ...



    The questioners are ready ...



    And Heidi is ready ...


     

    Let's start if off ...

    The Mean Musings

    Boy, it sure has been a while since I have been on the blog. basil sent out an email asking for posts--seems like he'll never learn. Be careful what you ask for...you might just get it. I really don't have a lot to say, but I really didn't want to let basil down.

    The title of Mean Musings just goes to show that when you finally have some time on your hands, some idiot (mainly me) will ramble on and on about nothing. Speaking of nothing, has anyone complained about the price of gas lately? Gas has dropped to $2.53 down here in my neck of the woods. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. I bought a gallon of milk the other day, and it cost me $122.52! I almost had a stroke!

    Let me tell you the rest of the story first before you start thinking I have lost my mind. You see, here in my little town, there really isn't much to do. My 13-year-old daughter was invited to a birthday party Friday night. Now, as the principal of her middle school, I just knew that all the kids would love to have me at the party chaperoning. NOT!! In fact, that is a quote.

    With three hours on my hand, I thought I would take advantage of the quiet time and do some homework (since I am working on another degree). That soon got old and way too quiet. I then decided that I needed some milk. I don't know why that became the important thing in my life at that moment, but it did. Anyway, with nothing else to do, I go to Wal-Mart to get the milk.

    As I began moving toward the back of the store to get the milk, a bin of 2 for $11.00 DVD's caught my eye. Surely in that bin there must be some long lost DVD that would change my life if I had it in my possession. After twenty or so minutes, I found two DVD's--Patch Adams and something else (I guess it really did not change my life after all--sigh)! Putting those in my cart, I am determined that milk is all I need. Get it and get out.

    It was not to be. As I then walked past the film and cameras, the five pack of film for the price of four called my name. It was not a soft whisper in my ear; it was a shout that sounded like, "I need a CSM at register 3 please, a CSM at register 3." The film literally leaped into my basket. At this point, I am beginning to have a glazed look in my eyes. Just over there are some new shoes. I have to pass them to get to the back and get my milk...THEY HAVE WIDES! This pair looked great with my khakis and I can wear them to work. CHA CHING, CHA CHING. My head is starting to spin--all I want is milk. Where is it?

    With a new resolve, I push my cart toward the grocery side. What is this I see? Clearance? School supplies and summer items? You can never have too many book covers--and the 13-year-old attends this really cool school (with this really cool principal that was not invited to stay at the party, remember) that has all these rules that require books to be covered. And these are stretchy, cloth book covers in really cool colors. Three or four of these would be perfect...wait...look at that pitcher...it is in the soccer colors...it would be perfect for our soccer goodies...and a platter to match...and bowls...WOW!! What luck!

    WAIT A MINUTE!! Why do I need all this? Because it is on sale! I am saving tons of money getting this stuff in the off season. Focus, focus, focus...I am here for milk, just milk...which reminds me of a cat...cat food. That stupid cat at the house has to have more food. I bet she thinks I'll get her the same old expensive stuff. Nope, not me. It is the cheap stuff for that old flea bag. Fifty pounds of cat food! Boy, at this price I should get three bags and never have to buy more!

    MILK! MILK! MILK! I swerve my buggy around with a strengthened resolve. I am getting milk. Oops, I am out of Diet Coke at school. I think three cases should be ok. I sure am glad I remembered that. I would be in a world of hurt come Monday if I didn't have my morning caffeine--I only like it cold. Why is my buggy so hard to push? Why is it so heavy? Where did all this stuff come from?

    As I round the dairy case at our local Super Wal-Mart, I see it. Great Value skim milk. Finally, my mission is accomplished. I can have breakfast in the morning. Breakfast! I am out of cereal and Pop-Tarts. How in the world did that happen? I remember seeing the Cocoa Pebbles box in the trash earlier this week. Only three aisles down and I find the breakfast cereal. Now, which one did I need? Last time, Honeycomb ended up in the buggy...would she want that again? The 13-year-old really likes several kinds of cereal. Well, if I get the Honeycomb, the Lucky Charms, and the Cocoa Pebbles, then she'll just have to make do. Now for Pop-Tarts. Strawberry or Smores; Look at the time...BOTH.

    As I lug the buggy to the front of the store, three bags of chips, a bag of Double Stuff Oreos, and a Good Humor Variety Pack of ice cream migrate to the middle of the buggy. I am sure that Sam Walton is smiling as I move to the self-checkout. Another one bites the dust.

    Why, oh why, can't I just get a gallon of milk?