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December 31, 2007
When major dad and the Real JeffS Get Done Yakkin'
...they'll wish everyone the happiest of New Year's, too!!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:25 PM | Comments (3)
Bush Creates Rampaging Army Of Zombie Glaciers
I thought all these damned glaciers were supposed to be gone by now
INDIANAPOLIS -- An Antarctic cruise turned scary for former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan when a Norwegian cruise ship on which he and his wife were passengers lost engine power during an electrical outage and struck a glacier.The ship was carrying some 300 people. No injuries were reported.
The MS Fram hit the ice near Browns Bluff in the Antarctic, where it had stopped to view a penguin colony, Kernan said.
"Most folks could see the glacier approaching as the boat made contact with it," Kernan told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the ship Sunday. He said that the experience was scary "because you just don't know what's going to happen."
This just keeps getting worserer and worserer! Not only has Chimpy McHitlerstein created marauding gangs of jellyfish; now he's created zombie glaciers that attack boats carrying Democrat ex-Governors!
Is there any eevul he won't do?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:12 AM | Comments (3)
Happy New Year!
Just a quick note to wish all of you a safe and happy New Year.
And my profoundest thanks for your readership and comments.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:25 AM | Comments (2)
December 28, 2007
Amazing Incompetence In Pakistan
This frankly stuns me. One of the country's leaders is assassinated...and the doctors don't perform an autopsy?
New Delhi: Mystery shrouds the death of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto. In an explosive revelation, Pakistan's Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz on Friday said that Bhutto did not die of bullet wounds.Nawaz said that Bhutto died from a head injury. At least seven doctors from the Rawalpindi General Hospital – where the leader was rushed immediately after the attack – say there were no bullet marks on Bhutto's body.
The doctors have submitted a report to the Pakistan government in which they say that no post-mortem was performed on Bhutto’s body and they had not received any instructions to perform one.
“The report says she had head injuries – an irregular patch – and the X-ray doesn’t show any bullet in the head. So it was probably the shrapnel or any other thing has struck her in her said. That damaged her brain, causing it to ooze and her death. The report categorically ssyas there’s no wound other than that,” Nawaz told a Pakistani news channel.
Are you kidding me? "Gee, no one told us to do an autopsy"? How could this possibly happen, given the huge political ramifications of her murder? How will the government possibly defend itself against the conspiracy theories that this will spawn is beyond me.
Is there some RoP prohibition against cutting open dead bodies? Mind you, that would be odd since there seems to be no such prohibition against blowing living bodies into little bits.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:25 AM | Comments (3)
Beyond Parody
"Mommy, Niko is on my side of the seat"
Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.
For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event.
I mean, I know that Christmas can be stressful and all that, but geesh louise guys...
Update: I see the Spider was onto this yesterday.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:26 AM
December 27, 2007
Oh Shit, This Is Not Good In Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto has been killed.
Update: Maybe only critically injured. What a mess this will be.
Update: Other sources say dead.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:30 AM | Comments (9)
I Still Hate Spammers
Getting pounded again.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:04 AM | Comments (4)
December 26, 2007
The Pain Is Still Too Fresh
To my dying day I will remember the teaser from Frank Reynolds on ABC's World News Tonight before a commercial break: David 77, Goliath 72.
And there was no Christmas joy for me that year.
Thank you, Sports Illustrated, for twisting the knife in yet again.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:06 PM | Comments (1)
"Tell Ya' 'Bout Them Sobbin' Women..."
Who lived in Roman days..
How can you not love a song that mentions Plutarch?
I am so watching this movie tonight.
Absolutely love it.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:42 AM
"A Man Can't Sleep..."
...When he sleeps with sheep."
Truer words were never spoken.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:24 AM
Michael Kidd Has Died
"Who is that?" You ask? The man who choreographed one of my favorite movies of all time, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
A brilliant man.
RIP
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:15 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2007
Dear Mr. Lileks ~ I Have a Christmas Pixie
...in the fridge as well...
...but it's bleeding, not bleating.
"Ring On Meat Key"
As if it'd be anything else.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:05 PM | Comments (6)
Watch
...and weep. Stick around for the second video.
I love a good Christmas story.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:34 PM
Putin On The Ritz
I'm shocked, shocked that there is corruption in politics! Oh, Mr. President, here are your winnings
An unprecedented battle is taking place inside the Kremlin in advance of Vladimir Putin's departure from office, the Guardian has learned, with claims that the president presides over a secret multibillion-dollar fortune.Rival clans inside the Kremlin are embroiled in a struggle for the control of assets as Putin prepares to transfer power to his hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, in May, well-placed political observers and other sources have revealed.
At stake are billions of dollars in assets belonging to Russian state-run corporations. Additionally, details of Putin's own personal fortune, reportedly hidden in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, are being discussed for the first time.
...Citing sources inside the president's administration, Belkovsky claims that after eight years in power Putin has secretly accumulated more than $40bn (£20bn). The sum would make him Russia's - and Europe's - richest man.
In an interview with the Guardian, Belkovsky repeated his claims that Putin owns vast holdings in three Russian oil and gas companies, concealed behind a "non-transparent network of offshore trusts".
Putin "effectively" controls 37% of the shares of Surgutneftegaz, an oil exploration company and Russia's third biggest oil producer, worth $20bn, he says. He also owns 4.5% of Gazprom, and "at least 75%" of Gunvor, a mysterious Swiss-based oil trader, founded by Gennady Timchenko, a friend of the president's, Belkovsky alleges.
I wonder if he used Hillary's cattle trader?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:36 AM
A Sad Note
Now there are only two left
NORTH BALTIMORE, Ohio (AP) -- One of only three known remaining American World War I veterans has died.The Smith-Crates Funeral Home in North Baltimore, Ohio says J. Russell Coffey died yesterday at the age of 109. He had been living in a nursing home. There's no word on the cause of death.
The Veterans Affairs Department says Coffey was the last World War I vet in Ohio. Coffey enlisted in the Army in October 1918 while a student at Ohio State University.
It was a month before the Allied powers and Germany signed a cease-fire agreement and Coffey did not see action overseas. He did play semipro baseball and earned a doctorate in education from New York University.
Coffey taught high school and college and raised a family. According to the funeral home, he drove his car until he was 104 and lived on his own until three years ago.
What changes the world went through in his life time.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:34 AM | Comments (3)
UNC Chapel Hill
Where women are men and men are nervous
Women Charged With Sexually Assaulting UNC Football PlayersHillsborough — Three UNC football players were the victims in a kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault incident involving two women, the university confirmed Thursday afternoon.
Chapel Hill police said the assault happened about 3:30 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex where all three victims were bound with tape and then assaulted by the suspects.
At a bond hearing Thursday, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Morgan Whitney said police arrived at the scene and found two of the victims, tied up, in boxer shorts. The third victim was fully clothed with his hands tied.
At least two were sexually assaulted, Whitney said. He is still waiting on the final police report to see if the third man was also. None of the victims required medical attention.
I mean, I know the Chapel Hill crowd is always trying to one-up the Dukies, but this is a little ridiculous even by ACC standards.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:16 AM
December 20, 2007
R. Lee Ermy ~ Still Wearin' Green
...and whipping Santa's slackers into fightin' trim. (Not for tender ears. In any way, shape or form.)
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:28 PM | Comments (5)
As It SHOULD Be
...and so seldom never seems to.
Bear Stearns (BSC, news, msgs) has reported its first quarterly loss in the company's history.The financial-services company this morning reported a loss of $854 million, or $6.90 per share in its fiscal fourth quarter. The company had earned $563 million, or $4 per share, in profit in the same quarter last year. Analysts had been looking for a loss of $1.67 per share.
..."We are obviously upset with our 2007 results," Chief Executive Jimmy Cayne said in a press release. "When Bear Stearns became a public company . . . we designed our executive compensation programs to pay for performance. In a year in which we produced unacceptable results, the plans are working as they were designed -- and the members of the executive committee will not receive any bonuses for 2007."
And that's gotta hurt...
Last year, Cayne got a base salary of just $250,000;his 2006 bonus, on the other hand,added up to $33.6 million.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:53 AM | Comments (1)
A Nun Walks Into The Mother Superior's Office...
and plunks down into a chair.
She lets out a sigh heavy with frustration.
What troubles you, Sister?" asks the Mother Superior. "I thought this was the day you spent with your family."
"It was," sighed the Sister. "And I went to play golf with my brother. We try to play golf as often as we can. You know I was quite a talented golfer before I devoted my life to Christ."
"I seem to recall that," the Mother Superior agreed. "So I take it your day of recreation was not relaxing?"
"Far from it," snorted the Sister. "In fact, I even took the Lord's name in vain today!"
"Goodness, Sister!" gasped the Mother Superior, astonished. "You must tell me all about it!"
"Well, we were on the fifth tee...and this hole is a monster, Mother - 540 yard Par 5, with a nasty dogleg left and a hidden green...and I hit the drive of my life. I creamed it. The sweetest swing I ever made. And it's flying straight and true, right along the line I wanted..and it hits a bird in mid-flight not 100 yards off the tee!"
"Oh my!" commiserated the Mother. "How unfortunate! But surely that didn't make you blaspheme, Sister!"
"No, that wasn't it," admitted Sister. "While I was still trying to fathom what had happened, this squirrel runs out of the woods grabs my ball and runs off down the fairway!"
"Oh, that would have made me blaspheme!" sympathized Mother.
"But I didn't, Mother Superior!" sobbed the Sister. "And I was so proud of myself! And while I was pondering whether this was a sign from G-d, this hawk swoops out of the sky and grabs the squirrel and flies off, with my ball still clutched in his paws!"
"So that's when you cursed," said the Mother with a knowing smile.
"Nope, that wasn't it either," cried the Sister, anguished, "because as the hawk started to fly out of sight, the squirrel started struggling, and the hawk dropped him right there on the green, and the ball popped out of his paws and rolled to about 18 inches from the cup!"
Mother Superior sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, fixed the Sister with a baleful stare and said...
"You missed the fucking putt, didn't you?"
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:53 AM | Comments (5)
I Have To Say, As A Platform This Works For Me
Simple and to the point
Now if only Teh Fred would actually come out and say it...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:06 AM | Comments (2)
December 19, 2007
A Special Night
Tonight marks the 20th anniversary of my first date with my Bride.
And to mark the occasion I got her a special gift...
I know what the Ladies like.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:29 PM | Comments (3)
Well Here's Good News For The UK
Guess what the Second Most Popular Teddy Bear Boy's Name was in Britain this year?
For the last 13 years it has reigned supreme as the most popular boy's name in the land.But in multicultural Britain, children named after the Muslim prophet Mohammed could soon be outnumbering the long-time favourite Jack.
In a reflection of the increasing influence of Islam on UK society, figures released by the Office of National Statistics yesterday showed that the most popular spelling of the name - Mohammed - had climbed five places to 17th in the annual list of most popular baby names.
But when the seven other spellings of the name are taken into account, the total amounted to 6,347 babies, making it the second-most popular name of the year - up from 5,936 last year.
Not a very rosy outlook for Merry Olde Englande, I'm afraid. Here's a peek at Britain's "Pub of the Future"...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:28 PM | Comments (4)
Well, This Is Disappointing
She seemed to me to be a sensible kid
NEW YORK (AP) -- Another Spears baby is reportedly on the way -- and it's not Britney's.Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine that she's pregnant and that the father is her boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.
"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she said. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."
What, did you skip your health classes on "Zoey 101"? How much of a "shock" can this be? "So unexpected"?
What a great spokesman for Nickelodeon.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:52 AM | Comments (9)
December 18, 2007
Tell-Tale Signs of Exhaust
...fumes.
...Now since the Democrats insisted on keeping the tax increase in the bill, it meant that they were going to have to get 60 votes to invoke cloture before they could try and pass it. Then the bill would be sent to a certain death by presidential veto. It was a doomed bill, and a clear waste of everybody’s time. In other words, Thursday was just a typical day in the Senate under Democratic leadership, 2007. How did the vote go? 59-40-1, one shy of invoking cloture and clearing the hurdle to full passage in the Senate.Remember the Democrats on stage in Iowa mid-day Thursday? Four of them are current United States Senators: Barack Obama, Hillary ‘Hand-raiser’ Clinton, Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd. They were all called back to Washington Thursday morning to cast this energy vote, and then they all bailed out immediately after the Senate session to return to the debate stage in Iowa. Anyone out there able to calculate the energy expended from four round-trip airplane rides to D.C. and back for a failed vote on a polluted energy bill? What about the carbon footprint left by the Democrats Thursday alone, and the irony of Hillary Clinton trying to get the ridiculous debate moderator to do a hand-raising of the candidates on who believes in global warming and mankind’s impact on it?
They stink to the high heavens and give you a headache to boot.
A Swill Salute to Duane for spotting the contrails.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:43 PM
Since THIS is REAL "But Alderan is Peaceful, We Have No Pants!" Stuff
For the first time astronomers have witnessed a supermassive black hole blasting its galactic neighbor with a deadly beam of energy.The "death star galaxy," as NASA astronomers called it, could obliterate the atmospheres of planets but also trigger the birth of stars in its wake of its destructive beam. Fortunately, the cosmic violence is a safe distance from our own neck of the cosmos.
This composite image shows the jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy, at left, striking the edge of another galaxy. The image combines X-ray emissions seen by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (purple), optical and ultraviolet data from the Hubble Space Telescope (red and orange) and radio emissions from the Very Large Array and the MERLIN array (blue).
...maybe letting Hubble go blind would be a bad idea.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:28 AM | Comments (2)
Death To Spammers
That is all.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:04 AM | Comments (3)
It Would Be Best If Someone Got a Handle
...on the situation. Sooner than later.
Turkish troops cross into IraqHundreds of Turkish troops crossed into Kurdish territory in northern Iraq overnight, Iraqi officials said on Tuesday. A senior Iraqi military source said 300 lightly-armed Turkish troops had crossed the border and moved 1-2 miles deeper into Iraq on Tuesday morning in the Gali Rash area, a mountainous district near the border.
PKK needs to stand for Pac Kup and Kwit.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:49 AM
December 17, 2007
On This Day 63 Years Ago
The Battle of the Bulge began.
God bless those men.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:41 AM | Comments (2)
"Every Thing Is Fair And Just"
As King Abudullah pardons the poor girl who got raped
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes for being alone with a man who was not related to her, a Saudi newspaper reported Monday.Saudi Justice Minister Abdullah bin Muhammed al-Sheik told al-Jazirah newspaper that the pardon does not mean the king doubted the country's judges, but instead acted in the "interests of the people."
"The king always looks into alleviating the suffering of the citizens when he becomes sure that these verdicts will leave psychological effects on the convicted people, though he is convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair," al-Jazirah quoted al-Sheik as saying.
What a guy he is. Really, a prince among men.
Well, a king, actually.
She was initially sentenced in November 2006 to several months in prison and 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man with whom she was neither related nor married, a violation of the kingdom's strict segregation of the sexes.Al-Sheik told al-Jazirah newspaper Monday that the king was the only official who could issue a pardon, and he did so despite the government's view that the Saudi legal system was "honest" and "fair."
"The king's order consolidates and confirms what is known about the Islamic courts," said al-Sheik. "Efficient judges look into different cases and issue their just verdicts and those convicted have the right to appeal."
Truer words were never written, al-Sheik old buddy.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:56 AM | Comments (2)
A Good Cause
Our Good Friend Wunderkraut needs your help to complete the adoption process of a lovely girl from China.
Please do what you can.
Thanks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:09 AM
December 14, 2007
The Mitchell Report
So we finally got to see this long-awaited report on drugs in Baseball, and shockingly it seems that players are using them. Gasp. I'm not sure I like that this Report with a capital "R" from some puffed up ex-Senator is basically 400 pages of hearsay and therefore every player 'named' now has his 'name' tarred and forever associated with cheating; while I love to jump to conclusions as much as anyone I do like there to be evidence and trial and conviction before I damn someone for eternity. Well, most times, anyway.
I fully agree with the commentator at Volokh who said
I don't think anybody seriously thinks the report favors any particular team because, in all honesty, nobody cares enough to do anything. If you want to ban steroid use, the solution is very simple. Players caught are barred for life and that player's team forfeits all games in whcih that player appeared. If that means forfeiting (and refunding) World Series games, too bad.Once such a draconian rule is instituted, players, agents and owners will be alligned in ensuring frequent and accurate tests.
Is such a rule fair? Ask Jearl-Miles Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson how they will feel if they lose their relay Olympic gold medals because team member Marion Jones cheated.
But baseball will never invoke a team forfeit rule. Until it does, it's really not interested in treating the problem seriously.
I think every single player who uses these things should be booted and banned. Cheating bastards.
But what really underwhelmed me about the report was the large number of forgettable players who are named. I mean, this has got to be the most effective anti-drug aspect of the report: Maybe there are some guys who would risk shrinking their weenie if they knew they'd hit the ball like Bonds...but to end up throwing the ball 10 rows up behind 1st base like Knoblauch?
No thanks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:39 AM | Comments (10)
December 13, 2007
Lex Is Going Home
Some bonds can't be broken
After more than six months of effort, the family of a fallen Marine dog handler got permission Wednesday to adopt the bomb-sniffing German shepherd who was at their son’s side when he died in Fallujah, Iraq, last March.The family of Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee is planning to pick up the 7-year-old dog named “Lex” on Dec. 21 at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga., where Lee was stationed.
“Lex will always be a special part of our family,” Lee’s father, Jerome Lee, said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “Lex was Dusty’s best friend and partner.”
The Lee family has been battling bureaucracy for months after the Corps initially refused to release the dog for adoption. Well-trained working dogs are in short supply, and Lex was healthy and able to continue working, Marine officials said.
Lee, 20, spent the final months of his life with Lex at his side. He was killed March 21 on a daily mission when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded nearby. The dog was also wounded but crawled over to his handler, nudged his face, then lay at his side as a corpsman treated his wounds, Marines in Lee’s unit told his family.
Hurrah for the Corps for allowing this.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:50 AM | Comments (3)
Dear Al,
BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- Former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday the United States is "principally responsible" for blocking progress at U.N. climate conference.Gore urged delegates at the conference to take urgent action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali," he said. The United States has opposed including in a final conference document a suggestion that industrialized countries reduce emissions by between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020.
Thank God yet again this pompous ass is not in the White House.
European nations will boycott U.S.-led climate talks next month unless Washington accepts a range of numbers for negotiating deep reductions of global-warming emissions, Germany's environment minister said Thursday."No result in Bali means no Major Economies Meeting," said Sigmar Gabriel, a top EU environment official, referring to a series of separate climate talks initiated by President Bush in September.
Good. Stay home.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:04 AM | Comments (7)
December 12, 2007
Tall Tales A Smidge Before Scott Beauchamp
...that were treated as gospel.
It is one of the most remarkable—and enduring—statistics about the way men fight war: in combat no more than a quarter of fighting men, even disciplined and well-trained soldiers, will fire their weapons. The claim, first made by military historian S.L.A. Marshall in his 1947 book, "Men Against Fire," has become accepted wisdom.
The questions (and artistic license excuse) sound familiar...
...Why would Marshall make up such a thing? Marshall was "by professional upbringing and temperament a journalist above all," wrote Spiller.
...as does the action-hero resume.
...Marshall claimed to have led men in combat in World War I. Apparently, that too was fiction. Marshall's regiment in World War I was behind the lines, involved in road work and building delousing stations. Leinbaugh discovered records of Marshall's unit, which include such stirring reports as"1 mule killed by kick from mule. Drop from rolls."
He has finally been exposed, appropriately enough, as a louse toiling in the company of asses. I guess no one ever listens to the guys who were actually doing the fighting...
...The only real skeptics at the time were a few of the soldiers whom Marshall profiled in his histories, like "The Men of Company K." Asked one old Company K sergeant, "Did the SOB think we clubbed the Germans to death?"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:47 PM | Comments (4)
We Need 49 More Senators...
Like Tom Coburn
Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- It's the legislative equivalent of rush hour on Capitol Hill and Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, is threatening to throw himself into traffic.The freshman lawmaker has waged a war on spending by blocking more than 90 bills this year. Now, as his colleagues rush to finish the congressional session before Christmas, Coburn is threatening to use his power to say ``no'' to try to slow a frenzy of lawmaking, including such items as a measure to ease the subprime lending crisis.
...``The last thing we ought to be doing at the end of the session is passing a bill without vetting it, without debating it, without talking about the problems,'' Coburn said. ``I am happy to be here for Christmas.''
Damn straight, Senator.
(H/T to the Blogfaddah)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:29 PM | Comments (2)
"He was a man in black, but he sure wasn’t Johnny Cash."
You know, I really hate how the word "hero" has become frankly debased in our society. Damn near everyone who does anything is called one now. Well, here's more on two folks who've earned that title in my book
Larry Bourbannais had decided after the Columbine massacre what he would do if he were ever in a similar situation, so when shots rang out in the church he attended, the heroic Vietnam veteran acted decisively.“I promised myself after Columbine, and I told my four daughters, that if something like that every happened and I was there, I would go after the shooter, because you want to protect people,” the 59-year-old Bourbannais told TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira on Tuesday.
Bourbannais had been in a cafeteria in the sprawling church grounds eating a hamburger on Sunday when he heard gunshots. As others fled the church in terror, Bourbannais hurried toward the shooting scene, constantly asking, “Where’s the shooter? Where’s the shooter?”
...At that point, another security guard, 42-year-old Jeanne Assam, arrived with her gun drawn. Unlike the male guard, she was using hers.
“They were engaged in a firefight. He was firing. She was firing,” Bourbannais said. “And she was completely exposed. I was in Vietnam for 14 months in combat, and it’s the bravest thing I’ve ever witnessed. She kept yelling, ‘Surrender,’ and returned fire the complete time.”
Read the whole amazing story.
Real heroes, folks.
God bless them, as he blessed the folks at that church by putting them there.
(Thanks to Lawhawk for the pointer)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:28 PM | Comments (6)
I Don't Doubt
...that he's going to catch himself some flack for this.
... Now, I don't know what it means not to have a father in your life. I'm not familiar with a mom being strung out on a crack binge. And when my parents were called to the school when there was a discipline problem, Mom and Dad didn't go off on the teacher or principal. In fact, I can still feel the pain of my elementary school principal's paddle being applied to my butt when I acted a fool. The principal could only pop me three times. Dad? He had no limit.Bottom line: I can sit here today and celebrate them and enjoy a wonderful life because my parents were hell-bent on raising their children to do right by them, especially my dad.
We can spend all day talking about the ills afflicting urban America -- and there are plenty that are institutional -- but the decaying value of life in inner cities clearly can be traced to the exodus of fathers from the lives of so many young men. Excuses often are tossed about as to why black men leave their children (and their children's moms) to fend for themselves. But a lot of them are just sorry and refuse to accept the responsibility that comes with raising a child.
But God bless him for speaking out. The black 'leadership' waving flags during marches and protests in the news has abandoned addressing real needs in favor of corporate coercion and personal pocket lining.
If the community can learn to stand on its own again, it doesn't need them.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:51 AM | Comments (3)
Have Any Of These Candidates Said
"As President my first duty and Priority is to secure our nation's borders?
The latest New York Times/CBS News poll found that 8 percent of Republican primary voters named immigration or illegal immigrants as the most important problem facing the country — just behind the war, and tied with the economy.
I'm so disgusted by all these candidates. Give the troops whatever they need to get the job done. And defend our country. Now.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:35 AM
Shattered (Sha-Dooby): The Story Of A Mortgage Victim
A heartless tale of woe.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:21 AM
For All Of Us Who Have Wished To Do This
We can thank Michael Schumacher for living out our dream
A taxi driver in Germany was left shaken and stirred after handing his keys over to seven-times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.Schumacher, 38, asked to take the wheel as he was running late for a flight.
"I found myself a passenger, which was strange enough, but having 'Schumi' behind the wheel was incredible," said taxi driver Tuncer Yilmaz.
"He drove at full throttle around the corners and overtook in some unbelievable places."
He was accompanied by his wife and children to pick up the puppy and the family were late getting back to the local aerodrome for their return flight.After giving the cabbie an unforgettable experience, Schumacher also gave him a 100 Euro tip.
Oh I'm sure the Nancies will say "oh he could have hurt someone; how dangerous." Yeah, I suppose.
But what a hoot.
You know Tim or Iowahawk would kill to do this...or even to have been the cabbie.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:05 AM | Comments (2)
December 11, 2007
Wrong
...on so many levels, I know.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:01 PM | Comments (7)
I Wasn't Even Aware
...we were having a contest.
3 finalists named for state song, Floridians now will vote...- "Florida My Home," music by Carl Ashley, of Boynton Beach, and lyrics by Betsy Dixon, Lantana, including "Moonlight on the Suwanee River, Turns the waters silv'ry bright. ... Fair wins blowing, Flowers glowing, This is Florida, my home!"
- "My Florida Home," music and lyrics by Christopher Marshall, Orlando. The lyrics include "So many travelers arriving before me, Left behind tyranny, poverty, pain ..., Land of the sunshine, by flowers defined."
- "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)," music and lyrics by Jan Hinton, of Pompano Beach. The lyrics include "Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun. Bridges span southward to the Keys and rockets skyward run."
Oy. Nothin' grabbin' me so far.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:31 PM | Comments (5)
Ho Boy!
..."Most of the people here have jobs that are very well paid and they depend on the idea that carbon emissions cause global warming. They are not going to be very receptive to the idea that well actually the science has gone off in a different direction," Evans explained.That's enough of that kind of talk!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:44 PM | Comments (3)
The Truth Comes Out
Mr. Big Tough On Religion Media Stud is, in fact, a coward
HH: Would you say the same things about Mohammed as you just said about Joseph Smith?LO’D: Oh, well, I’m afraid of what the…that’s where I’m really afraid. I would like to criticize Islam much more than I do publicly, but I’m afraid for my life if I do.
HH: Well, that’s candid.
LO’D: Mormons are the nicest people in the world. They’re not going to ever…
HH: So you can be bigoted towards Mormons, because they’ll just send you a strudel.
LO’D: They’ll never take a shot at me. Those other people, I’m not going to say a word about them.
HH: They’ll send you a strudel. The Mormons will bake you a cake and be nice to you.
LO’D: I agree.
HH: Lawrence O’Donnell, I appreciate your candor.
And thanks, Hugh, for getting him to fess up.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:27 PM | Comments (12)
Who Dropped It?
It seems the solar system is bent
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- New observations from NASA's long-running Voyager 2 spacecraft show the solar system is asymmetrical, likely from disturbances in the interstellar magnetic field, scientists reported Monday.Voyager 2 sailed near the edge of the solar system this past summer following its twin, Voyager 1, in 2004.
The discovery came after the 30-year-old unmanned probe sailed near the edge of the solar system this past summer following its twin, Voyager 1, which reached that part of space in 2004.
Researchers have long suspected the solar system was bent, but never had direct evidence until now, said Voyager mission scientist Edward Stone of the California Institute of Technology.
Voyager 2 crossed a barrier in the solar system known as the termination shock in August, some 10 billion miles from where Voyager 1 passed through. The termination shock is the region where charged particles from the sun abruptly slow down as they collide with other particles and a magnetic field in interstellar gas.
The Voyagers are over 30 years old and still sending back useful data. Best investments evah.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)
December 10, 2007
Hello Kitty!
Kind of a crappy situation to find yourself in
A man spent four days trapped in a toilet after the door handle broke.David Leggat, 55, was unable to raise the alarm after becoming stuck in the toilets at Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling Club in Aberdeen.
Mr Leggat had no mobile phone or food, and used tap water for refreshment and for heat.
Now, far be it from me to cast aspersions on the character and general up-standing moral nature of my Scottish kin...
But I feel that it is my duty to point out to the readership that Mr. Leggat is the Club's Wine Steward.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:14 AM | Comments (2)
I Am Deathhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Gawd, what a horrible image to wake up to.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:27 AM | Comments (10)
December 09, 2007
Excuse Me As I Sputter
...in disbelief...
...They’re likely to find opposition from New Jersey wholesalers. Lobbyist Jeffrey Warsh said wholesalers’ concerns are public safety and taxation, and not losing their cut of profits.“I’m surprised that the public safety concerns are so minimized in favor of commercial interests,” he said.
...and stop just short of calling him a lying sack of "Almighty Cleanse".
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:45 PM | Comments (1)
Nancy Pelosi KNEW About WATERBOARDING
...in 2002??!? In this cruel world of lying, hypocrat Democrats, I have that beat for strangeness. So there Kcruella and I were, in New Orleans for a chi-chi cocktail party, where we met (!) and hobnobbed with book writing Brennans, members of the local 'spirit' clubs and gregarious others. A hard night of schmoozling and networking (even afterward at a late working dinner) led to a leisurely hike for breakfast, Royal Street gallery stroll on the return, capped by a scenic ferry ride...
...to Old Algiers Point. (No expense spared for my best friend (in the whole world) when it's MY turn to arrange transport, I tell you!)
(Of course, the actual SCENERY on the way to Algiers rocked.)
So we wander all over creation on our way to another friend's studio 
~ I was on a mission for more of his Mardi Gras pumpkins. I'm an addict.
We are laggards, as ever, and wind up sprinting our way up the gangway ("C'mon girls!! You can make it!!") to the one functioning ferry before it heads back across the river to the Quarter. Being the stalwart pair we are, diving into the Shops on Canal was an easy detour before hitting the hotel bar...
...for refreshment.
Breakfast having been many hours (and 6 or so hiking miles away), we shot up a block to Bourbon for a before dinner snicky snack 
. (Flash fried oysters. Callin' my name, baby.) Gracious, what a gossip fest! The bartender knew our old B&B owners, one thing led to another and we got all caught up on local dirt PLUS got the guys' new phone number. I LOVE New Orleans, honest to God I do. Anyways, it was one of those 'tide you over' situations, because we were eating dinner here. Former Marine for a chef, winning personality on the numerous Food Network specials we've seen ~ we've had these reservations for months. Yeah. Buddy.
And all we can say is 'WOW'. What a meal. And what company. The couple next to us turned out to be a lovely lady ~ a recent widow, bless her heart ~ accompanied by the family lawyer who had flown in from his new home in Houston to advise her. (Kcruella noted that HER barrister has never taken her out to dinner in such...fashion. Oh, well. She IS in New Jersey...) We so enjoyed our conversation with them and their local 'take' on what ailed this wonderful city and what it was going to take to fix it. Really amazing local perspective. He'd graduated from Tulane's law school and she was closing up the New Orleans house to move to Austin. Which brings me back to Nancy Pelosi, odd bedfellows and strangeness. An incredible visit, unbelievable encounters, a magical meal, dynamite new acquaintances and we wind up...?
Talking about Skyler.
How weird is that, I ask you?
Of course, the hotel is haunted...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:14 PM | Comments (3)
'Tis The Season
Just a reminder before you leave out the usual plate of cookies and milk: Santa would much prefer a nice mug of ale this year...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:11 PM | Comments (3)
December 08, 2007
I Hope They Made Sure God Was on Board With This
...before they paid for the info-mercial programming time.
"Have an Almighty Cleanse! Have a normal bowel movement."
I wish I could say I made this up. And it is everything and every bit as bad as what you thought the second you read it.
Only holier. Drano for Christian colons.
Man, He's gonna be pissed if they didn't get an 'okay'.
UPDATE: Dear Gunslinger: Holy CRAP. Thanks for finding it.
...When leprous Naaman dipped in the Jordan River 7 times (2 Kings 5: 10-14), he was healed through "hydrotherapy." Jesus put clay on a blind man's eyes and cured him (John 9:6-7) and thus sayeth Danny, "...the clay has drawing powers. It's a great absorbent to the alimentary canal of toxins." Vierra proudly announces that the same kind of clay Jesus used is in the Almighty Cleanse product!And I think in one of the Gnostic gospels Jesus tosses a clump of clay to a guy with smelly feet and tells him, "Blow it out your colon."
And 'Christians' wonder where the bad rap comes from...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:29 PM | Comments (7)
December 07, 2007
If Bingley Was a 'Researcher'
...he'd sound like this.
..."Well, why shouldn't we feed them, if they're really so hungry?" he says, hankering for the days when he was allowed to take to the ice with a bottle of Scotch (for himself) and a tub of lard (for the bears).
Oh, for the civilized days of yesteryear.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:33 PM
"Who Say Dat?" Quote of the Day
"These are the kinds of things I've been talking about all of my life. Now, if the American people have other priorities, if they want someone who smiles a lot more than I do, or someone who is a better quipster than I am, who has no experience in these areas, that's for the American people to decide."!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:57 PM | Comments (4)
A Fun 'Fill in the Blank' For You!!
Complete this sentence:
"A new species of _____ ________ _____ is exciting and reinforces the obvious - that there have to be many other unreported species but hundreds are being lost as their habitats disappear under the continued mismanagement of our planet,"
You get a Chocolate Cream-Filled Dunkin' Donut if you guessed:
"Giant Spitting Cobra"!
But, like, who wouldn't have?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:26 PM | Comments (3)
Hmmm, Since I Missed Out On The Lioness...
Maybe I can pick this up for my Bride
1279 Magna Carta expected to fetch $30 millionNEW YORK (AP) -- In the year 1215, a group of English barons handed King John a document written on parchment. Put your royal seal on this, they said. John did, and forever changed the relationship between the monarchy and those it governed.
The document was the Magna Carta, a declaration of human rights that would set some of the guiding principles for democracy as it is known today.
While that original edict was initially ignored and John died the next year, its key ideas were included in other variations over the next few decades, most notably the right of Habeas Corpus, which protects citizens against unlawful imprisonment.
More than 800 years later, about 17 copies survive, and one of those, signed by King Edward I in 1297, will go up for sale December 18 at Sotheby's.
The document, which Sotheby's Vice Chairman David Redden calls "the most important document in the world," is expected to fetch a record $20 million to $30 million.
While earlier versions of the royal edict were written and then ignored, Redden said, "the 1297 Magna Carta became the operative version, the one that was entered into English common law and became the law of the land," ultimately affecting democracies around the world.
Today, its impact is felt by perhaps a third of the world's people, he said. This includes all of North America, India, Pakistan, much of Africa, Australia and other areas that made up the British Commonwealth.
"When it's something as enormously important as this, you try to get a handle on it," he said. "It is absolutely correct to say the Magna Carta is the birth certificate of freedom. It states the bedrock principle that no person is above the law -- that is the essence of it."
Only two copies of the Magna Carta exist outside Britain, one in Australia and the one Sotheby's is auctioning off.
An earlier Magna Carta version was loaned by Britain to the United States for its bicentennial celebration in 1976, but suggestions that it be made a permanent gift were rejected.
The 1279 Magna Carta was forced on Edward I by barons unhappy over taxes imposed to pay for his military campaigns in France, Wales and against Scottish rebel William Wallace. The levies were approved in the king's absence by his 13-year-old son, Prince Edward.
Written in medieval Latin on sheepskin that after 710 years remains intact and legible, the 1297 Magna Carta was owned for five centuries by a British family that put it up for sale in the early 1980s.
From 1988 until a few months ago, it was exhibited in a custom-designed, gold-plated container at the National Archives in Washington, a few feet from its direct descendants, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
"As the only non-American document in there, many would love to see it go back" on display, said Redden, who will wield the hammer. He said the auction will be open to the public, but being a single lot sale, might not take longer than five minutes.
What a neat piece of history. I'd love for our government to frankly buy it. It would be a much better use of our tax money than the $70 million that Congress just spent on jets for themselves.
Now, I posted the full text of the article for two reasons. First, we were in DC this summer and actually saw this document, and it was very cool.
Second, with all we've been hearing from MSM folks about how professional they are and how many layers of checks and well-trained controls they have over us pajama types you'd think the all these highly trained competent fonts of veracity at CNN and the AP would be able to decide amongst themselves if this Magna Carta dates from 1279 or 1297.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:09 PM | Comments (4)
Man, Is Gaia Pissed At These Fools
And she lets them know
BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- An earthquake on Friday rattled Indonesia's resort island of Bali, where thousands of people were gathering for a U.N. climate change conference. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The 5.4-magnitude tremor was centered 150 miles southwest of Bali, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. It struck around 6 miles beneath the ocean floor.The quake could be felt in Bali, where more than 10,000 people were attending a two-week conference about rising global temperatures, which scientists say could lead to severe droughts and flooding, melting ice caps and rising seas, and the extinction of animals.
The walls and floors of massive tents set up in a sprawling complex of five-star hotels shook for around 10 seconds, but officials said they did not have any reports of injuries or damage. The quake was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning.
It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:09 AM | Comments (2)
May We Never Forget
The Day Of Infamy.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:57 AM
Remind Me Again How Evil The US Is?
Since 1976 the various US states have executed 1099 convicted murderers.
Since 1979 Iran has executed and estimated 4000 gays and lesbians, simply for being gay (the number of murderers executed is unknown but assumed by most observers to be rather large).
As Lawhawk points out, when you're dealing with a religion that gives the rape victim 200 lashes and prevents teenage girls from leaving a burning school to "protect their modesty" this is not to surprising.
But yeah, let's allow them to build a bomb.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:18 AM
December 06, 2007
Something We Can All Get
...behind.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:08 PM | Comments (3)
I See Happy Voters
...streaming to the polls.
Pentagon Says 200,000 Workers Could Receive Pink Slips for ChristmasFederal employees who work for the Army may get layoff notices before Christmas if Congress and the White House do not reach an accord on funding for the Iraq war, the Pentagon said yesterday.
The warning, posted near the top of the Defense Department's Web site, was the latest in a series from Pentagon officials in recent weeks.
About 100,000 federal employees and an additional 100,000 contract workers are at risk of being sent home without pay in February and March if the Army and Marine Corps run short of money and have to reduce operations at their bases, according to the Pentagon.
Under federal rules, the department must give 60 days' advance notice of layoffs to employees -- which, in this case, would make for a less-than-glad tiding for the holidays.
Guess the Democrats don't remember how that worked for Republicans in '95-'96. (Collective amnesia can be a wonderful thing.) Perhaps it's not coincidence that the M-W Word of the Day was:
Locofoco \loh-kuh-FOH-koh\ noun1 : a member of a radical group of New York Democrats organized in 1835 in opposition to the regular party organization
*2 : a member of the Democratic party of the United States
They're claiming the 'loco' has its origins in “locomotive” (which was commonly taken to mean “self-propelled,” though “loco” actually means “place,” not “self,” in Latin).
I know better.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:33 PM | Comments (3)
About Those 'Soldier' Cards in the Emails?
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001If you approve of the idea, please pass it along to your e-mail list.
Well, don't.
It’s a great idea, but unfortunately if you send something addressed this way, it won’t be delivered. So please, don’t forward this email.The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver any letter, post card, or package that is not addressed to a specific individual. Anything sent to “A Recovering Soldier,” “Any Wounded Soldier,” or “Any Service Member” is unacceptable.
“We cannot accept any mail that is not specifically addressed to an individual or an organization at the medical center,” says Deputy Public Affairs Officer Terry Goodman.
Sometimes one of these letters will make it through to the medical center. If that happens, it is returned to sender.
Lots of bona fide alternatives at the end of the article.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:16 PM
A Gentle Reminder For Those Who Natter About Osama Bin Laden
There's a pair we've been after for longer, in a smaller place...
Bosnian Serb warcrime suspects Karadzic, Mladic evade captureInternational forces in Bosnia staged a raid Thursday in the hunt for genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic, as a Serbian prosecutor said Ratko Mladic -- Karadzic's main war crimes accomplice -- remained elusive.
In a pre-dawn operation, troops from the European Union and NATO searched the home of an associate of former Bosnian Serb political leader Karadzic, who along with his former military chief Mladic is one of the most wanted men in Europe.
...and damned if they just don't scamper out of harm's way every time. They never caught Mengele either, come to think of it, and not for lack of resources
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:51 AM
Am I Insensitive When I Wish With ALL MY HEART
...that they CATCH these little egg happy rat bastards? And that, when they DO, they get pelted with dozens of those same avian ovum bomblettes and that their sticky, dripping albumin coated bodies are then strung up on the Tree of Woe?
Am I too harsh, ya think?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:31 AM | Comments (9)
If You're Like Me And Only Have $56 Million Spare Cash...
Then we're both out of luck on this stocking stuffer
NEW YORK (AFP) - A tiny and extremely rare 5,000-year-old white limestone sculpture from ancient Mesopotamia sold for 57.2 million dollars in New York on Wednesday, smashing records for both sculpture and antiquities.The carved Guennol Lioness, measuring just over eight centimeters (3 1/4 inches) tall, was described by Sotheby's auction house as one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands.
Rats. Well, I guess it's back to Best Buy for me then.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:40 AM | Comments (7)
December 05, 2007
Motivation
...is a powerful tool. (Plus, when LCpls sit around, they always get into trouble.)
...Conway hinted at those differences, saying Marines prefer serving under fire in a combat zone to performing nation-building duties in Iraq. He said that in his meeting with Gates on this subject last week, Gates understood Conway's thinking."He's heard anecdotal reports that lance corporals are complaining that they don't have anybody to shoot" in the newly peaceful Anbar, where most Marines are operating, Conway said.
Imagine that! A general who has the courage to acknowledge that Marines might even look forward to a good rumble. How politically incorrect...insensitive, even.
..."My point to (Gates) is that, if and when we are able to continue our drawdown in Iraq and it comes time for Marine units to start leaving the country, ... should we bring them home or should we start looking at putting them where there is still an active fight; in this case, Afghanistan? And we were prepared to do that."
I'll bet.
And always prepared (as the Marine in the video says) to do "the one thing we do extremely well: take care of each other."
[Fallujah]... I was particularly struck by two kinds of stories recounted over and over: tales of wounded Marines--many badly wounded and eligible for medical evacuation--struggling to get back into battle, and tales of senior officers joining privates and corporals on the firing line. On April 9, 2003, for instance, [MajGen] "Mad Dog" Mattis was late to a meeting with senior brass because he had stopped his command convoy to help a small patrol reduce a house from which they had taken machine-gun fire. West quotes a gunnery sergeant:"The general flanked the hajis from the south."It is hard to imagine an Iraqi general--or a general in just about any other army in the world--risking his neck in this manner. Such stories demonstrate the Corps's egalitarian ethos, and go a long way toward explaining its sky-high morale and superb fighting quality.
Ugly Omar should be sending Gates a big poppy bouquet in thanks.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:47 PM | Comments (2)
Next Time ~ BeFORE You Put Your Sharpie
...to the cardboard box your copy of "You Might Be a Redneck" came in ~ Google the guy.
...One man was carrying a sign calling Thompson a "carpetbagger," but when he realized Thompson is from Tennessee, he put it away.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:06 PM
Stay Tuned for: "The Surge Hasn't Accomplished It's Goals
...and the war economy is lost" from our feckless Senate leader.
Futures jump on strong economic dataWall Street rose sharply higher in early trading Wednesday after a pair of reports indicated the economy is in good shape but also left open the possibility of an interest rate cut.
...Investors were also encouraged Wednesday after the department reported worker productivity advanced by an annual rate of 6.3 percent in the summer, the fastest pace in four years, while wage pressures eased.
Along with...
Private employers added 189,000 jobs in November, a report by a private employment service said on Wednesday, much higher than market expectations and the biggest monthly increase in a year....The ADP report suggests Friday's closely watched payrolls report from the government, which includes public and private sector hiring, could be much stronger than expected.
One prescient presidential candidate...
...warned Sunday that the U.S. economy would collapse unless Americans learned to make economic sacrifices."I think the economy is standing on a trap door, and I don't know that we necessarily hold the levers,"...
...After blasting the president for the exploding national debt, the top Democrat boasted that his predecessor - her husband - "did it just right."
"The deficit reduction act didn't get one single Republican vote. He took on the gun lobby with the Brady bill. He took on health care," she declared.
...got it wrong in 2005, but is still singing the same tune today.
Ailing Economy Needs Steady, Experienced Hand (Me), Clinton Says
Actually, it seems to be a choral arrangement...
..."It's time for that to change. It's time for Americans to have a president in the Oval Office who makes decisions based on their interest, not the special interests."
...led by the nation's premier doom and gloom impresario.
If anyone knows 'lost', it's Harry.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:50 AM | Comments (7)
December 04, 2007
Um...
DUH.
Implementing the proposed bailout of subprime borrowers who face foreclosure may be so difficult that it will turn out to be no better than the loan modification efforts already underway, analysts said.
And why should this year's resets be any more special than last year's? What do you plan to tell those guys?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:11 PM | Comments (2)
I Really Don't See a Problem
...with the majority opinion.
...Out of curiosity, I boiled down the Jim Stevenson case and sent it to a few environmental-ethics professors. Most agreed with Callicott:Shoot the cat.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:57 AM | Comments (7)
The Trojan Moose
But locals wonder: can we a fjord it?
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - With little else to attract tourists, promoters of two Swedish counties are pinning their hopes on a truly gargantuan wooden moose.When completed, the 148-foot tall, 155-foot-long moose will have a restaurant in its belly, as well as a concert hall, conference rooms and a shop, according to Thorbjorn Holmlund, project coordinator and local tourism promoter.
The monument to the moose will be so big that its massive wooden hooves will be firmly planted in two different counties, Vasterbotten and Norrbotten, about 540 miles north of Stockholm.
Sounds like yet another brilliant publicly funded project.
Bork-bork-bork!
(Antler-tip to the Blogfaddah)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:32 AM | Comments (7)
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These?
As many of you know this summer we were blessed to have a certain friend from Down Under stop by for a weekend, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. I wish I could say the same was true of our latest visitor from Oz...
In a horrid display of Fair Play, last night my subconscious decided that I needed to dream that Kevin Rudd showed up at the house for dinner (quite uninvited, I might add); and not only did Kevin show up but his whole cabinet tagged along...and it pains me to tell you there ain't an Elle Macpherson or Mel Gibson among 'em. Not a handsome bunch at all. So there they all are, wandering around Bingley Manor, helping themselves to all my wine (hmmm, there's a Labor Morality play in that one), and Kevin is just droning on and on with that plastic look on his face, and they decide to play soccer. In my living room. Now, honesty forces me to admit that under the new Labor government of Rudd's my house is far bigger than it was when Tim was here (well, at least in the dream), but, really, it's quite cheeky to invite your whole cabinet over to someone's house and then play soccer in his living room.
And drink up all my goddamned wine!
Bastards.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:09 AM | Comments (3)
Sunday Morning Snow
A light dusting was very pleasing to wake up to!
Gets one in the Christmas spirit.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:59 AM | Comments (3)
December 02, 2007
What I'm Drinking Tonight: Catching-Up Edition
I realize I'm been most remiss in my booze blogging; I've been taking the photos...mostly. I just haven't gotten around to recording comments on every bottle like I should. So with out much ado here are many of the bottles that have been imbibed here at Bingley Manor in the past few weeks:
How could Mr. Bingley refuse a Bennet?
A little cork aids the digestion...
Ah, Daughter's Birthday!
This wine was a puzzle. The first bottle here was divine, so I bought three more...and every one was sour and horrible.
This was a decent and cheap Aussie Pinot
This was a disappointment. I like the Bogle Zin, and the fellow at the commie store said this was a tasty blend. He was wrong.
This is the first of a series of cheap commie store organic wines. Not bad at all for $8.
Nothing great here
Slightly harsh Malbec
Another good buy for $8
Another cheap but harsh Malbec
A decent Amarone; smooth but just a tad thin; not sure it's worth $24
Yet another decent $8 commie wine
My favorite label in quite a while ( and a damned tasty $15 shiraz!)
That label was worth three pics. And it was a nice smooth berry-filled Shiraz, as well.
Alright, so I think I'm back on track.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:22 PM | Comments (2)
December 01, 2007
"Hospital Seeks Brain Surgeon"
...No medical training required
CBS is getting desperate.The network has posted an ad seeking a reporter to cover the “eco beat” – with some interesting requirements.
“CBS is expanding its coverage of the environment,” the ad reads. “We seek a talented reporter/host for Internet video broadcast. We are looking for smart, creative, hard working up and comers, who can bring great energy, creativity and a dash of humor to our coverage. A deep interest in the environment and sustainability issues will serve you well.”
So you would think such a job would require a science background or years of covering environmental news? Not exactly.
“You are wicked smart, funny, irreverent and hip, oozing enthusiasm and creative energy,” the ad reads. “This position requires strong people, reporting, story telling and writing skills. Managing tight deadlines should be second nature. Knowledge of the enviro beat is a big plus, but not a requirement.”
Send in that resumé today; we'll have the New Republic vet your fake but accurate credentials!
And to enhance the position's Gorezilla Appeal
Ironically, the ad shows irreverence to what kind of carbon footprint the job duties might require. The ad includes: “Be prepared to see America. Heavy domestic travel.”
You can't make this stuff up, kids.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:23 AM | Comments (6)