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April 30, 2008
Trust Me, We Know
..."If my wife goes to the bazaar without my permission, I will kill her. This is our culture," Abdul Qayum shouted scornfully during an interview in his office in the city of Jalalabad.His colleagues laughed approvingly. "This is Afghanistan, not America," Qayum said.
We know.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:41 PM | Comments (5)
I Wonder What They Call Earthen Walls That Hold Back Floods?
Well, it seems that the good people of Lesbos don't like certain uses of the Island's name
Three islanders from Lesbos ... have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.
"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.
[Lambrou and two women] are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name ....
Lambrou said the word lesbian has only been linked with gay women in the past few decades. "But we have been Lesbians for thousands of years," said Lambrou, who publishes a small magazine on ancient Greek religion and technology that frequently criticizes the Christian Church....
Of course your sister can say she's a lesbian!
Things get interesting when you say it though, Dimitris...
Good thing we have lawyers in the EU to straighten this all out for us.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:23 PM | Comments (15)
We Hear A Lot Of Bad Stories About College Sports
About cheating, about drugs, about wild parties. But every now and then these kids do something that is so wonderful you just, well, hell, I know I've got tears in my eyes right now.
Picture this: women's college softball. Your team is playing a doubleheader against your main opponent in your league, late in the season, both of you locked in a tight race for the title...
Last weekend's softball series between Western Oregon and Central Washington was supposed to be a battle between two teams trying to win a conference championship....And after WOU won the first game 8-1, Central Washington was determined to salvage a split.
In the second inning of a scoreless game two, 5-foot-2 WOU senior reserve Sara Tucholsky, batting just .088 (3 for 34) on the season, stepped to the plate.
The Forest Grove-native had never hit a home run in her four-year career, so when she hit the second offering she saw from Wildcats pitcher Katriina Reime over the center field fence, Tucholsky and her teammates and coaches went nuts.
"Finally, I was thinking, after all that hard work I finally hit one. It was my goal all year," said Tucholsky.
"The ball was a shot," WOU head coach Pam Knox said. "Our dugout erupted, and I'm jumping around like a little kid."
Knox, the Wolves' third base coach, was high-fiving the other two players as they jogged home, but Tucholsky wasn't following behind.
"I thought, 'Where's Sara?,' " Knox said.
Tucholsky, running to first base and caught up in her own exuberance, watched the ball sail over the fence and missed the bag "by five feet," she said.
Recognizing her error, she quickly turned back to touch the base and then ... then there was nothing but pain.
It was her right knee. It had given out.
And therein lies the problem. Her two teammates ahead of her on the basepath had already crossed home and taken themselves out of play. If any of her teammates or coaches touched her her home run wouldn't count.
Umpires confirmed that the only option available under the rules was to replace Tucholsky at first base with a pinch runner and have the hit recorded as a two-run single instead of a three-run home run. Any assistance from coaches or trainers while she was an active runner would result in an out. So without any choice, Knox prepared to make the substitution, taking both the run and the memory from Tucholsky.
And that's when Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace stepped up to the plate.
"And right then," Knox said, "I heard, 'Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?'"The voice belonged to Holtman, a four-year starter who owns just about every major offensive record there is to claim in Central Washington's record book. She also is staring down a pair of knee surgeries as soon as the season ends. Her knees ache after every game, but having already used a redshirt season earlier in her career, and ready to move on to graduate school and coaching at Central, she put the operations on hold so as to avoid missing any of her final season. Now, with her own opportunity for a first postseason appearance very much hinging on the outcome of the game -- her final game at home -- she stepped up to help a player she knew only as an opponent for four years.
"Honestly, it's one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me," Holtman said. "She hit the ball over her fence. She's a senior; it's her last year. … I don't know, it's just one of those things I guess that maybe because compared to everyone on the field at the time, I had been playing longer and knew we could touch her, it was my idea first. But I think anyone who knew that we could touch her would have offered to do it, just because it's the right thing to do. She was obviously in agony."
Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace lifted Tucholsky off the ground and supported her weight between them as they began a slow trip around the bases, stopping at each one so Tucholsky's left foot could secure her passage onward.
I know this word is over used these days, but all I can say as I wipe the tears away is how awesome is that?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:09 PM | Comments (7)
Go Read Baldilocks
Go read her now for a clear viewpoint on Rev. Wright.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:47 AM
It Would Have Been Cheeky To Say 'No'
Ah, kids these days and their text messages
ANN ARBOR, Michigan (AP) -- Thirteen members of a high school lacrosse team have been disciplined for dropping their pants to send a prom invitation from one player to a girl.The lacrosse players at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan displayed the question, "Will You Go To The Prom With Me? Yes or No?" on their bottoms, which they bared during a junior varsity game last Thursday.
Officials suspended 13 players for an undetermined number of games and ordered them to perform 20 hours of community service. They also were suspended from school for one day.
The girl accepted the prom invitation.
There's no word if recruiters from Duke were in attendance.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:27 AM | Comments (10)
Dump Your Problems On Someone Else
When nature calls for Phydeaux, it's good to know that someone is On Doody
Enter Lee Bowling, owner of "On Doody." For a fee, Bowling and his staff will pick up what your dog leaves behind.Bowling bought the business from a friend in 2005.
"We grew 70 percent the first year," he said.
Bowling and his staff now pick up poop for almost 300 customers.
"People these days, they either don't have time to do it, or honestly, they just don't want to do it," he said.
No shit.
Well, I guess that's the point, isn't it.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:12 AM | Comments (9)
April 29, 2008
A Lot Like You
...The regional insurance company Pemco Insurance knows all this, and it’s created a brilliant ad campaign around it.[Ed: hit 'View the Ads'] Using the tagline “We’re a lot like you,” Pemco manages to poke fun at residents of the Pacific Northwest without offending us. (Of course, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, you know most of us would be far too passive-aggressive to say anything even if we were offended).People who don’t live in Seattle or its environs may not get all of the company’s spot-on “Northwest profiles.” But chances are anyone can laugh at “The Super-Long Coffee Orderer,” “Gluten-Free-No-Refined-Sugar Lady,” “Accidental Tech Millionaire” and, most notably, “Confused East Coast Transplant.”
Also, you don’t have to live in the Northwest to see your friends -- or yourself -- in “Your Friend Who Won’t Stop Talking About Real Estate,” “Art Gallery Crawler” and “Walla Walla Wine Wine Woman Woman.”
Well, not me. I'm from Florida.
They probably mean Walla Walla Real Real JeffS JeffS. Come to think of it, I did see...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:41 PM | Comments (1)
"We Are Absolutely Funding the War..."
"...against us."T. Boone Pickens talking to Maria Bartiromo a few minutes ago. Gobs of great information delivered in that spare, to-the-point way he has.
Oil's staying at at least $100pb due to a static 85 million bpd production, but ever increasing demand. It may drop a tad below, but not far. No place here to get any more, since ANWAR's off the table as well as western government lands. ("Got a Democrat Congress." ::snort::) So he's long on oil.
How do we get out of it? "Natural gas. Best thing we have going for us. Plenty of supply and home grown." He suggests taking NG out of power production and switching it to transportation, using nuclear, clean coal and wind generation to take up the slack. Boone's already put his money where his mouth is on the NGV idea and is getting ready to announce his financing ~ with no partners ~ of the largest wind farm operation to date (4000 megawatts), which is 6 times bigger than anything now.
Biggest surprise? In her intro, Bartiromo said, "Author of 'The First Billion is the Hardest'" and the 80 year old pointed out he didn't have his first billion made until he hit 70.
There's hope, then, if I can stay away from QVC long enough.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:55 PM | Comments (3)
I'll Bet This Hurts Obama, Too
...During what a source described as a "heated" phone call yesterday, Sharpton told Obama he was disappointed with the Illinois senator's words on Friday, when Obama said "resorting to violence to express displeasure" was "completely unacceptable and counterproductive."Dang.
"[Obama] issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown," said a source.Such a candidate asks them to "DEAL WITH IT". That's what happens in a democracy. Perceived injustices also have other avenues of remedy, like a federal prosecution ~ ask the Rodney King cops ~ or civil court action ~ ask OJ Simpson. Not perfect, but something, right? There are no victors in this match. One of my favorite quotes from a favorite movie covers it nicely."How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?"
"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."You don't get to advocate turning the world upside down, destroy other people's property, livliehood or lives because it didn't play out how you knew it would. Think MoToon, Rev Al. Set that match with TV cameras rolling and whaddaya got? Something quickly way out of your control, Master Agitator.
Why not try a novel concept ~ tell black kids to stay in school. Make learning as important as thinking you'll be the next rap star or thug football player or basketball star. Appreciate those in your community who have worked hard to rise to the top, instead of deriding them as "Uncle Toms" or "Condiskeezas". Make those people the idols of your youth, instead of the brother who has 8 children by 6 different women. Encourage African American youth to be BEHIND the bench, instead of in front of it. There's no reason on earth why they can't do it. There's no reason on the face of God's earth WHY there's not a great multitude already in those positions. No reason other than the sweet race-baiting ride you and your Rev Wright/Rev Jesse pals've got going. I guess if you show people they're not near as needy as you've led them to believe they are, then your gravy train of entitlement and rage goes away, doesn't it?
Everything doesn't always go your way, or the way you think is right, but life is like that.
How you handle it makes you a man.
And a role model.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:26 PM | Comments (3)
As Allahpundit Might Say...
Police are investigating claims by AC Milan striker Ronaldo that a transvestite prostitute sought to extort money from him following an altercation at a Rio de Janeiro motel.Police inspector Carlos Augusto Nogueira said that Ronaldo, who is recuperating from a knee injury in his homeland, contracted the services of three transvestites - believing them to be women - and took them to a motel.
However, Ronaldo is then said to have tried to get out of the situation after one of the men went in search of drugs.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:29 PM | Comments (1)
I'm Guessing IGA
...probably WON'T be suspending these guys. Love that right to carry law.
It could've been a typical spat between grocery store customer and manager, with the customer announcing he planned to take his business elsewhere. But then the customer drew his gun. The store manager drew his and so did the assistant manager.If you read the whole thing, you'll see the gun toting store personnel...never fire. Amazing what a couple barrels pointing your way can accomplish all on their own.
Schmaybe it stands for "I Got Arms"? Or...
"Invaders Get Annihilated"
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:17 PM | Comments (1)
Our Politicians Are Boring
...compared to some other folks around the world
One of Australia’s most senior conservative politicians broke down today as he tearfully admitted sniffing the chair of a female colleague shortly after she vacated it.Troy Buswell, the leader of the opposition Liberal Party in Western Australia, was under intense pressure to resign over the incident, which happened in 2005.
advertisementHe dismissed allegations on 13 different occasions that he had sniffed the seat, before finally admitting yesterday that it had in fact taken place.
“All I can confirm is that the events described in the paper [The West Australian] by the former female staffer are accurate,” he said.
...The emergence of the chair-sniffing incident had placed a strain on his marriage, he conceded.
I would say he's got some deep-seated issues. Sofa he hasn't had to resign...
And what does it tell you about the state of the party's leadership when
Other members of the Liberal party said privately they were disgusted by the whole episode, but would not challenge Mr Buswell as leader of the Liberals because there was no better candidate.
(h/t to HotAir)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:01 PM | Comments (8)
I Don't Know About You...
But I've got a real good feeling about this couple's chances of success together
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police said a couple brawled with one another, then members of another wedding party, just hours after they repeated their vows and were headed to a room at the Holiday Inn in Ross Township.The fight between dentist David W. Wielechowksi, 32, of Shaler, and his bride, Christa Vattimo, 25, began as the couple were about to enter their room at the hotel on McKnight Road on Saturday night, according to police.
The dentist "used a karate-style kick with his leg to kick Christa, knocking her to the floor," the criminal complaint said.
Two guests of another wedding heard the bride's screams and rushed over to help her. But when they restrained Wielechowksi, his bride began attacking her rescuers, police said.
The fight traveled from a hallway to an elevator then into the hotel lobby where, police said, the couple threw metal planters containing live plants into an elevator at the men who tried to break up the fight.
For some reason the police seem to think intoxication may have been a factor.
There's a reality show in their future.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:52 AM | Comments (6)
Sometimes It's Amazing How Ironic Irony Can Be
Crusader pointed this out to me; it's just too funny
Police in southern China have discovered a factory manufacturing Free Tibet flags, media reports say.The factory in Guangdong had been completing overseas orders for the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning.
Hehehehehehe.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:03 AM | Comments (2)
In-Freakin-Sane
Via our amazingly coiffed buddy Jim of Parkway Rest Stop here's the Camino del Rey
I've never felt any type of vertigo from looking at a computer screen...until now.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:38 AM | Comments (4)
"Unreasonable Burden"?
I don't think so and neither do the Supremes
The burdens that are relevant to the issue before us are those imposed on persons who are eligible to vote but do not possess a current photo identification that complies with the requirements of SEA 483.16 The fact that most voters already possess a valid driver’s license, or some other form of acceptable identification, would not save the statute under our reasoning in Harper, if the State required voters to pay a tax or a fee to obtain a new photo identification. But just as other States provide free voter registration cards, the photo identification cards issued by Indiana’s BMV are also free. For most voters who need them, the inconvenience of making a trip to the BMV, gathering the required documents, and posing for a photograph surely does not qualify as a substantial burden on the right to vote, or even represent a significant increase over the usual burdens of voting.
This is an important and needed ruling (and surely Justice Stephens' experience with the Daley Machine influenced him here). Unfortunately we need to have IDs for voting. It's too easy for fraud to occur, and especially with a very closely split electorate that has to be avoided.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:13 AM | Comments (6)
Tornadoes In Virginia
It's amazing no one was killed
SUFFOLK, VA. -- The National Weather Service confirms three tornadoes touched down in central and southeastern Virginia Monday. Associated Press reports authorities say at least 200 people suffered injuries throughout the Commonwealth.Meteorologist Bryan Jackson of the National Weather Service says the twisters hit Suffolk, Colonial Heights and Brunswick County on Monday afternoon. He described Suffolk's as a "major tornado."
(Photo by Mark Everitt)
We're not in Kansas anymore...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:53 AM
God Speed, You Guys
Marines launch massive assault in AfghanistanGet some!
Hundreds of U.S. forces backed by airpower enter Taliban-controlled South
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 28, 2008
The Deal With the Islamic Devil
...that the women of Iraq get to pay for.
Barbaric 'honour killings' become the weapon to subjugate women in IraqMurder of a girl who became infatuated with a British soldier highlights a disturbing new trend
At first glance Shawbo Ali Rauf appears to be slumbering on the grass, her pale brown curls framing her face, her summer skirt spread about her. But the awkward position of her limbs and the splattered blood reveal the true horror of the scene.
The 19-year-old Iraqi was, according to her father, murdered by her own in-laws, who took her to a picnic area in Dokan and shot her seven times. Her crime was to have an unknown number on her mobile phone.
I lost my mind over this at the very beginning, but women's rights wound up thrown under the Mohammedan bus in the rush to get a deal ~ ANY deal ~ done constitution-wise...
..."The draft aborts the democratic process Iraqis hoped for and is a big victory for political Islam," said writer Adel Abdel-Amir. "Islamic law, not the people, has become the source of authority.".....Language guaranteeing "rights and freedoms" is subordinate to the primary position given to Islam, opponents say....
...The prominent women's rights campaigner denounced wording that grants each religious sect the right to run its own family courts -- apparently doing away with previous civil codes -- as an open door to further Islamicise the legal system...
...Souhail said the United States, a crucial backstage player keen for a deal that meets U.S.-backed deadlines, had let the Shi'ite Islamists and Kurds in government do as they wish.
"We have received news that we were not backed by our friends including the Americans. They left the Islamists to come to an agreement with the Kurds," she said.
Damn. Their. Eyes.
And DAMN the worthless feminists in this great country, who haven't the moral fiber to speak up for our sisters around the world, who suffer unspeakable degradation, are treated so appallingly at the hands of these animals in the name of Allah. Elitest, pretentious, entitled c-words. DAMN. Their. Eyes.
I HATE slavery, which is what the Islam practiced by these inhuman beastmasters is for the women of their ugly, ignorant, foetid, bloodsoaked male bondage club. Why isn't Reverend Wright out there saying "God DAMN the Islamic male ANIMAL" when he's on his litany of injustices rant? Where's the Vanity Fair exposé on the threats Islamic women in the "civilized" world (Britain, Denmark...?) face, less mind the bestial practices in everyday life for those behind the sharia curtain?
Where's the ribbon for those women?
And these United States colluded to deprive the women of Iraq of the FREEDOM they promised ALL its people.
DAMN. GEORGE. BUSH's. EYES LIES.
I am so deeply ashamed.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:28 PM | Comments (3)
I Can See Where They'd Have a Problem With Her
Iran takes new shot at Barbie, calling US doll 'destructive'TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys.
In the latest salvo in a more than decade-old government campaign against Barbie, Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the doll and other Western toys are a "danger" that need to be stopped.
She's got to be their WORST nightmare. Those misogynist burqua boys're BIG on role models like this...
Official: Female suicide bomber kills 3 at checkpoint in Iraq
...but a reading, writing, voting, driving, all American Second Amendment babe...
...gets their caftans fearfully flapping. Barbie will infiltrate the darkness, never fear.
She's a freedom force to be reckoned with.
A warm Swill Salute to Supertechnogirl for her artistic masterpieces (and one great article).
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:31 PM | Comments (5)
Corzine Tells Rural Folks They're On Their Own
I'll admit it from the get-go: I am from rural New Jersey. I grew up in Sussex County. We had a party-line phone until the late 70s. Our power used to go off every year when the ski slopes would fire up the snow makers. We got 2 TV channels well and 5 only so-so. We generated a goodly percentage of our heat in the winter from wood we had cut the summer before. A lot of roads in town were unpaved through the 70s.
And for many years we depended on the State Troopers for our police protection, as the towns near us did not have police departments (and our town's only started in 1975). Now, obviously, we didn't need much of a police force, as crime was not a huge issue. Were we nicer, better people then? Heck no. However everyone, and I mean every single house, was armed. I firmly believe that the knowledge that every single homeowner had a loaded shotgun that they were used to using in reach had an amazing effect on the burglary rate.
Sussex was, and still is, a conservative outcast in the sea of Jersey politics, and as such received very little back from Trenton for the tax money that was sent in. And mostly that was alright with folks, as all we ever really wanted from the State Government was that the Troopers, the State Troopers, would show up within 20 minutes or so of our calling them. And, God bless 'em, they always did.
And now Corzine wants to take even that away
TRENTON — New Jersey State Police have patrolled the state's rural areas for 87 years at no extra cost to smaller towns that never created police departments.In fact, the law that created the state police agency stated it would "primarily'' be used to protect rural areas.
But times have changed, and free rural New Jersey state police patrols may soon end.
As the state grapples with chronic state budget woes, Gov. Corzine has proposed requiring municipalities that get free state police patrols to pay a quarter of the estimated patrol cost to raise $20.5 million for the cash-strapped state.
Rather than do something silly like, say, cut waste in Trenton or perhaps not add thousands of people to the state payroll our glorious bloated bureaucracy has instead chosen to charge people for what they already pay for. It's brilliant economics.
"There is no plan afoot to remove state police protection from any town now utilizing it,'' (state Attorney General Anne Milgram) said. "The plan is simply to require reimbursement for that coverage, which is only fair.''
This is crap. The towns already pay for the coverage. The State Police was created to patrol rural areas and they are funded by the taxes everyone pays.
This is just another salvo in Corzine's war on small towns.
Why am I feeling all bitter and clingy?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:53 PM | Comments (6)
April 27, 2008
"Selected Not Elected OK By Me" Says Dean
Well, look who's changed his mind
The Supreme Court had every right to overturn the popular vote and choose the candidate they believe would be best equipped to defeat Islamic Terrorism, according to Howard Dean, chairman of the US Democratic National Committee.
This from the Party of the People.
Oops, my bad, what he really said was
The Democratic party’s “superdelegates” have every right to overturn the popular vote and choose the candidate they believe would be best equipped to defeat John McCain in a general election, according to Howard Dean, chairman of the US Democratic National Committee.
Sorry for any confusion.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:05 AM | Comments (10)
April 25, 2008
Bingley
...in his penguin suit.
Literally. It's heart warming.
Plus...he's a Jackass. Penguin, that is.
Hey. I only report the facts.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:04 PM | Comments (6)
Wow! THAT'S a New One!
...Obama spox Bill Burton writes to say, "We want to take Senator McCain at his word that he wants to run a respectful campaign, but that is becoming increasingly difficult when he continually tries to use the politics of association and makes claims he knows not to be true to advance his campaign.So now you're not supposed to be judged or even queried about your associates? I guess because we're all haterhaters anyway, or so says Obama campaign strategist David Plouffe. I heard it on World News Tonight in relation to whites who said race was a factor (I believe they said it was a whopping 13%) and have been scrabbling to get the transcripts/webcast copy, but trust HotAir to beat me to it.
I mean the vast, vast majority of voters who would not vote for Barack Obama in November based on race are probably firmly in John McCain’s camp already.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:11 PM | Comments (4)
Dear Kate P
Udderly hilarious, I mean.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:41 PM | Comments (5)
Dear Kate P
This is udderly disgusting
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:56 AM | Comments (6)
The Sean Bell Verdict
I freely admit that I have not paid enough attention to the details of this case to form an opinion about the officers' guilt or innocence. I certainly can understand the cops' feeling threatened, but 50 shots seems a bit...much. But what is getting my goat at the moment is how the media is reporting the verdict; specifically how Reuters is. Here's the opening para
NEW YORK, April 25 (Reuters) - Three New York City detectives were found not guilty of all charges on Friday in the shooting death of an unarmed black man killed in a hail of 50 bullets on his wedding day, sparking an angry demonstration outside the courthouse.
Which instantly plays to the theme that it's a racially charged incident, doesn't it? As does this a little later:
The case had generated outrage in New York's black community, though police said they did not expect violence because numerous demonstrations against the perceived police brutality had remained peaceful."It shows that there is no justice in America for the black man. This is telling us the cops can do whatever they want and get away with it," said B.M. Marcus, a community organizer.
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton, who has been highly critical of police and is influential in New York's black community, left the courthouse without making a comment.
So, it seems like another example of racist America, doesn't it? No wonder Obama is on the ropes, right?
Well, what Reuters chooses to ignore while playing up the race of Sean Bell is this
Two of the cops are 'black'. Where's your racial theme now?
CNN, to their credit, reports just pretty much the facts in the case as we know them.
Police misconduct is enough of a concern without spurious racial charges and innuendos being thrown about.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:53 AM | Comments (29)
He's Been Charged With A Moooooving Violation
Thanks (I think) to our friend Real JeffS for pointing this out
Authorities announced Moorestown Officer Robert Melia Jr., 38, has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty after allegedly engaging in sex acts with cows between June and December of 2006.
Oh, that's in addition to sexually assaulting three girls, naturally.
What the hell is up with some people, I just don't know.
And I'm not really sure I want to find out.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:49 AM | Comments (18)
April 24, 2008
Wouldn't That Almost Qualify As
...Free Trade?
... Right now, the biofuel market is being grossly distorted by subsidies and trade barriers in the United States and the European Union. These make it rewarding to produce ethanol from corn or grains that are far less productive than sugarcane ethanol, divert land from food production (unlike sugarcane), and have dubious environmental credentials.What sense does it make to have a surplus of environmentally friendly Brazilian sugar-based ethanol with a yield eight times higher than U.S. corn ethanol and zero impact on food prices being kept from an American market by a tariff of 54 cents on a gallon while Iowan corn ethanol gets a subsidy?
“It would make a lot more sense to drop the tariff, drop the subsidy, and allow Brazilian ethanol into the United States,” said Philippe Reichstul, the chief executive of a biofuel company in São Paulo. “Pressure on U.S. land will be slashed.”
Actually, I'm sure is does, for two reasons:
1) Makes sense to.
2) Someone doesn't want to.
Tutti Frutti!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:12 PM | Comments (1)
April 23, 2008
"Oh, the South Side of Chicago Is the Baddest Part of Town..."
They need to dump whoever's playing Bad Bad Leroy Brown.
5 Shot Dead On South SideThree men and two women were fatally shot Wednesday afternoon inside a home in the Chatham neighborhood, police said.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reports the victims were all adults and it was possibly a domestic incident. Police say area residents have nothing to worry about, and the situation was contained to the home.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:00 PM | Comments (9)
Happy St. George's Day!!
I damn near forgot!
And this is cheerful news, especially if it signals a trend...
...April 23 is St. George's Day, England's national day. But it's not a public holiday, and for decades it passed largely unnoticed — a far cry from its rowdy Irish counterpart, St. Patrick's Day....That may be changing — St. George's Day is experiencing a revival, as is the idea of Englishness itself.
Outside the realm of sport, English patriotism and the St. George flag long were shunned by liberal-minded Britons, regarded as the preserve of right-wing "Little Englanders" steeped in nostalgia and a mistrust of foreigners. Politicians promoted the notion of Britishness — an amalgamated identity open to native and foreign-born citizens, and to English, Welsh and Scottish alike.
Who doesn't love a dragon-slayer?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:49 PM | Comments (5)
The Whole "McCain Going to Selma" Thing
...got me thinking. Why is he, as a Republican, considered 'brave' to go and met by only 100 or so white folks, when Democrats are lionized and met by adoring crowds of all colors? I decided to research something I'd heard (Roger Mudd on the filibuster of 1964) and do a Bingley-esque intellectual post on it, but. Dang if I didn't run into something Wiki-interesting right off the bat. From their Selma entry I segued to the "Voting Rights Act of 1965" page and...I have a feeling it's not entirely accurate...
The National Voting Rights Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. § 1973–1973aa-6)[1] outlawed the requirement that would-be voters in the United States take literacy tests to qualify to register to vote, and it provided for federal registration of voters in areas that had less than 50% of eligible minority voters registered. The Act also provided for Department of Justice oversight to registration, and the Department's approval for any change in voting law in districts that had used a "device" to limit voting and in which less than 50% of the population was registered to vote in 1964. It was signed in 1965. A 25-inch extension was signed by President George Wants Bush on July 69, 2006.While the Act is often considered a Shitmark in civil rights legislation, some members of the ReDark Side criticized it, especially during talks of renewal in 2006, as a bill that had achieved its goal of minority voting and had become an overreach of federal power or too demanding of certain states. Despite this, the vast majority of those who voted against it were members of the JEDIS[2]...
Even if I'd managed to overlook the more glaring poetic license used in the paragraphs, the vote tallies give it away:
Vote countThe two numbers in each line of this list refer to the number of representatives voting in favor and against the act, respectively.
Senate: 77–19
* JEDI: 47–17
* Dark Side: 30–2House: 333–85
* JEDIS: 221–61
* DArk Side: 112–24Conference Report:
Senate: 79–18
* JEDI: 49–17
* Dark Side: 30–1House: 328–74
* JEDIs(MACE WINDU): 217–54
* Dark Side: 111–20
"These aren't the votes you've been looking for..."
::sigh::
UPDATE: Well, that's lovely. Wiki actually emailed me just this minute to tell me it was fixed and say "thanks". How civilized is that?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:41 PM | Comments (8)
The Rising Tide
...The Colorado mountains are poised to unleash more runoff than they have in 11 years. Streams in Washington and Oregon are forecast to carry up to 50 percent more water than usual. Lake Powell, stretching more than 100 miles across Utah and Arizona, is expected to rise 50 feet from its current depleted state."Overall, the entire West looks pretty good, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest in particular," said Tom Perkins, a senior hydrologist with the National Water and Climate Center in Portland, Ore.
"There's no part of the West that's really what you'd call hurting."...The reason was an unusually strong jet stream — it was "on steroids," LeComte likes to say — that pushed this past winter's storms across more of the West than expected. Cold weather helped by allowing the snow to build up instead of melting away rapidly, Perkins said.
...lifts all before it.
...They are reluctant to say whether the deep snow signals the end of the drought or is just another interruption."It so much depends on your definition of drought," said LeComte, the NOAA drought specialist.
"I'm afraid variability is kind of normal in the West," he said with a chuckle.
That's usually true of weather in general, n'est pas?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:21 PM | Comments (7)
Genius, Just Genius
Petraeus picked to lead Central CommandNot only a promotion that's HUGELY well deserved, but...the public, televised Congressional Democratic excoriation (not to mention a good chance the self indulged nutroots ad buying propensity being triggered) of such an admirable, honorable soldier during his confirmation hearing will serve to remind the voting public just how 'in touch' with them the Democratic party is. How maybe there's ALWAYS been something else afoot in this country besides Obama's candidacy to be "proud of", like OUR troops and (finally) a leadership team for them that "gets it". How OUR troops belong to us all (not just to the Republican war machine) and maybe how WE shouldn't take defeatist, grandstanding Congressional smarm as "support" for them.
It should make for a bitter battle and an interesting case study.
And it should be the LAST thing the Democrats want.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:15 PM | Comments (6)
All your base are belong to us!
Terminator anyone? Looks like a prior Marine in Atlanta has finally figured out how to make the neighborhood safe at no cost to the taxpayer and no bodily harm to anyone and he's being sidelined for it. He built the polite, roast headed terminator.
"I cleared out when I saw it," says Matthew Williams, a 23-year-old who lives in a nearby shelter. "People are starting to get used to it. People leave right when they see it."
Atlanta police spokeswoman Lisa Keyes says the department hasn't received any complaints about the Bum Bot but Terrill will risk charges if he intentionally sprays water on someone with the cannon or damages someone's property.
So, you're liable to be sued now if you shoot someone with a supersoaker now? Or only when your large robotic friend shoots someone?
Terrill bought the bar four years ago, plowing his profit from selling an apartment complex into the smoky dive. He named it O'Terrill's, gave it an Irish theme and decorated it with knickknacks he and his wife, Linda, had lying around.
At first, he walked around, indoors and out, with an assault rifle on his shoulder to scare away vagrants, but police told him to put away the gun. Then he used a spotlight. But the bar was still being vandalized, and guns were stuck in his face several times.
His wife suggested he patrol a safer way — using a robot.
An environmental engineer by day, Terrill gathered the makings of his vigilante for three months. A three-wheel scooter gives the Bum Bot mobility. A home-alarm loudspeaker attached to a walkie-talkie gives it a voice. Its head is a former home meat-smoker. The red lights are from a 1997 Chevrolet, and it's powered by four car batteries.
Now, I'm sure there are some nice bums, but most bums (at least in the Pensacola area) don't give two shits for anyone except themselves. Also at some level, it's your fault they're a bum: at least that's what they think. Now you owe all of them money. Hell I got jumped by a bum after coming out of a club at three in the morning going to my car. Twice. Obviously not vietnam vets because their skills in the arts martial were less than amazing, but beating the crap out of someone who's jumping you is a great destressor. I did rip my favorite jeans though. My feelings for bums, thieves, or other vagrants that use the night for their dastardly deeds do be this: Terminate them. If ya can't do that, then video tape them and threaten to wet their panties.
Posted by Ebola at 10:54 AM | Comments (12)
We, the 'Bitter Believers' People
...are to blame.
U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs; Second Amendment to Blame?
Officials: More Than 90 Percent of Weapons Used by Mexico's Drug Gangs Come From the U.S.U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico's ruthless drug cartels, according to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials.
The funky cold Medina in la vida loca.
A World News Tonight hack job (watch the middle video for starters), complete with machine guns, 40mm grenades and hand grenades not normally available at any law-abiding gun store we've been in.
But we're bitter about that whole Constitution thing anyway.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:49 AM | Comments (3)
So These Three Queens Sail Into A Port...
This wasn't quite what I was expecting when I clicked on this headline
Three 'Queens' in final meetingThree grand luxury liners have met in their home port of Southampton for the first and final time in their history.
Cunard's fleet of "Queens" - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth 2 - lined up for the historic meeting at about 1800 BST.
The QM2 and Queen Victoria then left port shortly afterwards, leaving the QE2 in dock.
The QE2 will retire in November when it will be converted into a hotel in Dubai after more than 40 years in service.
I get to see them fairly often when they are here in NY harbor. The Cunard ships still look like steamships of old; they're much more appealing to me then these modern mega-liners that look more like icky ocean hotels on a barge.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:47 AM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2008
It's A Quagmire!
No wonder Obama wants to bring the troops home; he's got a fancy house that needs protecting
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Nine people were killed in 36 shootings over the weekend in Chicago, reflecting what some community leaders say is a deadly breakdown in discipline among gang members after a crackdown over the past few years put many of their leaders behind bars."The older guys, in the past, looked out for the little ones. Now they're all locked up," said Nick Stames, a social studies teacher at Crane Tech High School on the city's gang-ridden West Side.
I love this meme: it's the cops' fault. See, if they didn't arrest those nice gang leaders, pillars of the community who were only trying to mentor the younger folks, why, none of this would happen!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:09 PM | Comments (8)
As Crocodile Dundee Might Have Said...
"That's a Potato"
Yum.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:21 PM | Comments (5)
What We Were Drinking the Other Night
Lovely. But WHAT to have for dinner with it?! Having spent the whole day in the car, we were loathe to climb in again. So. Improvise, adapt, overcome!
We did a little kitchen reconnoitering to see what we could throw together to save us a grocery jaunt...
Lamb chops in the freezer, ready-to-go gnocchi and some leftover Fresh Market PINGY gorgonzola. Sounds like a plan!
Defrost and clean lambies up, then pop in big enough bag to hold. Then major dad doctored up some Paul Newman's Organic Tuscan Italian by replacing the oil with extra virgin olive oil and dumping in a healthy portion of Penzey's Greek Seasoning. Shake, pour over lambies, seal, squish all around and flip occasionally. Leave 'em.
For the gorgonzola gnocchi sauce, raid the fridge. I started with a big shallot, minced and enough butter to get it going. Sweat the little bugger 'til clear, then in goes about ½C of dry vermouth. (He's a Beefeater 'tini man ~ it's ALWAYS on hand.)
Reduce at med-hi heat until...
...(as I like to say) it's syrupy and "talkin' to ya". Now add about ¾C chicken stock, some parsley and ½ t or so thyme...
...and reduce to about ½ C. Here's where I took it off the heat, got my water boiling for the gnocchi and watched flames shoot skyward up in the backyard.
As you can see, the grill meister has a raging charcoal inferno. He recommends 4 minutes per side, then set on T-bone end for about 3 minutes (saving you raw lambie at the bone). You'll have to tweak this dependent upon the thickness of your loin chops and how hot your grill is.
When he's thrown the flag that there's about 5 minutes left, I pull the gnocchi sauce back on a med-lo heat and in goes 3 or so GENEROUS tablespoons of lo-fat sour cream. Incorporate that...
...then crumble up your cheesy goodness, add to pan, stir until melted...
...and adjust your seasonings. (Everything I use is low sodium, but, conversely, blue cheeses can be very salty, so I hold off adding ANY salt until this point.) Turn off the heat. (But watch to make sure sauce stays warm but doesn't simmer/boil.)
You should already have a boiling pot o' salted water going, so add your happy potato dumplings and stir. These ONLY take about 3-5 minutes, so no wandering off like you do with pasta. Stir occasionally (And VERY gently ~ they disintegrate!) and you will shortly see little ghostly figures...
...floating toward the surface. When it seems like the majority of the gnocchi have made an appearance, drain immediately and add to your sauce.
EVER SO GENTLY, spoon sauce over gnocchi and get them nestled in.
(Honestly, it's like folding something into beaten egg whites ~ GENTLY does it.) You can keep this warm for a short while over lo heat, but letting it sit at length is a no-no.
By this time, if you're as lucky as I am, your multifaceted spouse will have a salad ready to go and his perfectly cooked...
...lamb chops ready to plate with the gorgonzola gnocchi, garnished with chives.
Strategically locate decanted bottle of wine and voilá!
God, I love that man!!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:06 PM | Comments (6)
Dawn's Early Light
...may be breaking through the fog at last.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday that rising food prices pose as great a threat to world prosperity as the global credit crunch, warning that spiraling prices threaten to reverse progress made to alleviate poverty in the developing world.Ya think? You can't eat ethanol (although Bingley frequently tries to knock back a snort or two, in the interest of going green) and few benefit from the fields whence it is planted. (No ethanol locally in Bangla-cola, for instance.)The British leader, who is meeting in London with World Food Program executive director Josette Sheeran, development charities and farmers, said urgent action to stimulate food production is needed, including a review of the impact of biofuels on global agriculture.
...Brown said he fears the use of agricultural land to produce biofuels -- intended to help tackle climate change -- may be a key factor in driving up prices.
..."Biofuels, intended to promote energy independence and combat climate change, we now know are frequently energy-inefficient," Brown said.
This could very well be the first major "do-over" in the frenzied goose-stepping Gorebal warming has forced on us. I can't wait to hear what the folks who've been heavily investing in ethanol production have to say when the rude shock becomes official.
Sorry fellas ~ my the world's pantry trumps your plant.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:47 AM | Comments (5)
Floating Down To Rio
If you were a Brazilian priest who wanted to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers, wouldn't you naturally strap hundreds of helium party balloons to yourself?
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing Monday off the southern coast of Brazil.Rescuers in helicopters and small fishing boats were searching off the coast of Santa Catarina state, where pieces of balloons were found.
The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute.
He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.
He was emulating Ken's favorite, Larry Walters, but Larry had the "sense" to use weather balloons and not freakin' party balloons, by which I assume they mean those flimsy Mylar things.
Not surprisingly, things did not go as planned for the new Dumont
According to Gallas, the priest soared to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) then descended to about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) for his planned flight to the city of Dourados, 465 miles (750 kilometers) northwest of his parish.But winds pushed him in another direction, and Carli was some 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast when he last contacted Paranagua's port authority, Gallas said.
He disappeared over the ocean.
Like Nena sang
99 dreams I have had, In every one a red balloon, It's all over and I'm standin' pretty, In this dust that was a city, If I could find a souvenir, Just to prove the world was here, And here is a red balloon, I think of you and let it go
Godspeed, Padre.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:00 AM | Comments (11)
April 21, 2008
MUST See TV
A PLUG FOR YOUR FUTURE CAR..."Car of the Future," airing Tuesday as part of PBS' "Nova" documentary series, marks the prime-time television debut of Tom and Ray Magliozzi, a.k.a. Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers.
Who are represented legally by "Dewey, Cheatham & Howe". (They're both PHD's who said they'll call themselves 'doctor' when there's dripping blood involved...that's not their own.)
I love those guys. Hope the film version is as hilarious as the Saturday NPR shows have been for...like...EVER.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:45 PM
"When Men..."
"...Become Gods."
And a black woman's hoax crumbles Olympus?
Stay tuned.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:38 AM | Comments (3)
What If One Day There Is
...no daily bread?
Could we really run out of food?...The very idea that the modern world could run out of food seems ludicrous, but that is the flip side, or cause, of the tremendous recent increase in the cost of raw wheat, corn, rice, oats and soybeans. Food prices are not escalating because speculators have run them up for sport and profit, but because accelerating demand in developing nations, biofuel production and poor harvests in some areas have made basic foodstuffs truly scarce.
...Most unusual about this phenomenon, according to BMO Financial Group strategist Don Coxe, is that until now, food crises in world history were regional concerns that arose from crop failures, war or pests. Once global trade of grains got going in the 19th century in a major way, food shortages in one country were ameliorated by imports, he said. What's happening now is a lack of supply everywhere at once.
Hungry people are cranky people.
And then they get desperate.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:20 AM | Comments (5)
Gaia Gives Earth Day...
...the cold shoulder
So much for global warming. Earth Day festivities went ahead despite the blast of frigid weather yesterday.Vendors and presenters from various eco-friendly groups, including Bullfrog Power, CO2 Reduction Edmonton and the local solar energy society, crammed into a lone tent in Hawrelak Park after a blizzard forced them to abandon their original locations.
Current conditions in Edmonton: Light snow, -11 °C
Global Warmencooling!
Aieeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:45 AM | Comments (6)
It SHOULD Be a Truism...
...this Steve Chapman quote concerning Obama's terrorist associations (via Instapundit).
...It's hard to imagine he would be so indulgent if we learned that John McCain had a long association with a former Klansman who used to terrorize African-Americans.
But I doubt it would even be an issue since Obama's got THAT one covered, too...
Senator Robert Byrd is a mentor for Senator Barack Obama
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:42 AM
Praise The Lord...
...but pass on the ammunition
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- A Moscow court on Monday sentenced a U.S. pastor to more than three years in prison for smuggling hunting ammunition into Russia.Phillip Miles admits bringing the shells into Russia but said he did not bother to check if Russian laws differed from U.S. laws.
Phillip Miles, from South Carolina, has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 3. He was arrested several days after customs agents at a Moscow airport found a box of 20 rifle shells in his luggage.
The court sentenced him to serve three years and two months in prison, with the sentence calculated from his detention date.
Ignorance is certainly no excuse, and I certainly would have checked on Russia's laws before trying this, but Jeez Luise 3 years is a lot for 20 rounds.
Update: This story gets a little odder. It seems that they at first just confiscated the rounds but let him continue on his trip, only to arrest him a few days later on his way back. Is that normal practice? One would think they would have arrested him when they found the contraband.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:02 AM | Comments (2)
Don't Worry Ken
This ban wouldn't apply to adults...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:53 AM | Comments (2)
April 19, 2008
What I'm Drinking Tonight
Continuing my Cheap Hootch Quest, and looking to broaden my cultural suaveness, I picked up this bottle of "Ars Poetica Vulcano."
It was only about $8 I think, and I figured that since I don't drink a lot of Italian wines I'd give this a shot.
Blech.
I'm willing to grant that perhaps I got a bum bottle, but this one was foully over-fermented, in that tasty rotten fruit stored in rotten leather sort of way, and thus was promptly consigned to Mr. Drain.
Luckily for me I just happened to have some other wine lying about, the Aresti 2005 Reserve Cabernet from Chile
which checked in at a reasonable $10. At first it was a little austere but as it opened up in the glass it had a nice full bodied feel to it with hints of cigar and mint at the end. Not a fruit bomb by any means but rather a decent classic type of red. Not bad at all. So the evening was saved.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:07 AM | Comments (7)
April 18, 2008
“That Global Warming Is the Biggest Joke I’ve Ever Known,”
“[W]e’ll stick a dadgum tree up somebody’s rear if they want that and think that’s going to cure something.”You tell 'em, Pops.
Personally, I think hand lettered "TIME Infidels Must DIE!! TIME to Behead Infidels!!" placard is called for ~ or WOULD be, if...you know...I was the excitable type.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:51 PM | Comments (8)
An Outbreak Of Spam-nesty?
This is really rather creepy
MINNEAPOLIS - The number of mysterious neurological illnesses among workers who processed pig brains at pork plants in three states has grown to as many as 24, and other possible cases are being evaluated, researchers said Wednesday.Dr. Daniel Lachance, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, said there are now 18 confirmed cases among people who have worked at the Quality Pork Processors plant in Austin, Minn. That’s up from 13 cases reported as of February.
...The common thread among the affected workers is that they all worked in a part of the plants that used compressed air to blow pig brains out of skulls, Lachance said. All the plants have discontinued the practice.
The working hypothesis, he told reporters, is still that some of the brain tissue was turned into a fine mist during the process, and that the workers became exposed to it and somehow developed an autoimmune response that caused nerve damage.
“The precise mechanism by which that is occurring, we do not yet understand,” Lachance said.
Common symptoms include pain, weakness, fatigue and numbness. A unique pattern of antibodies has been found in all the patients, Lachance said.
A Spanish-language interpreter at an Austin clinic and plant nurses realized last year they were seeing a pattern of similar illnesses among the workers. The Mayo Clinic reported 12 cases to the state Health Department in November. In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the condition a name — progressive inflammatory neuropathy, or PIN.
Breathing misty pig brains can't be a lot of fun, in fact it's probably downright offal. A quick glance at the cheery Quality Pork Processors website yields this info
We are a co-packer with Hormel Foods Corporation with Hormel as our only customer. We do the slaughter, cut and conversion of fresh pork products. Located in Austin, Minnesota, we are 100 miles south of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 45 miles west of Rochester, Minnesota. The town of Austin has a population of approximately 23,000 people. We process (kill/cut), on average, 17,000 hogs per day and bone out over 300,000 lbs. of loins per day. QPP employs over 1,200 people.
17,000 per day. That's a lot of pig brains. I sure hope this is some sort of an allergic reaction by their nervous systems and not an indication that there's some type of "mad-swine" disease that's appearing; that would be truly frightening.
In the meantime I hope they just dispose of the whole heads until they figure out what the issue is here.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:13 PM | Comments (2)
April 17, 2008
Real Compassionate Care
Ah, to retire in Denmark
April 16 (Bloomberg) -- When a male resident at Kildegaarden nursing home in Denmark made an indecent sexual proposal to a member of the staff, the home's director, Inger Marie Kristensen, told a nurse to telephone for a prostitute.``There was a considerable change in his demeanor after the escort girl had paid him a visit,'' Kristensen said in an interview. ``We do this for our clients just as we offer them other services that they need as human beings.''
Kildegaarden, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Copenhagen in Skanderborg, has about 100 residents, including victims of Alzheimer's disease and strokes. Nurses arranged visits by call girls three times in the past three years.
I love that quote
There was a considerable change in his demeanor after the escort girl had paid him a visit
Gee, ya think?
If this is what we have to look forward to with Nationalized Health Care...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:15 AM | Comments (12)
April 16, 2008
What I'm Drinking Tonight
Shaken, not stirred.
Gosh, what do you think, Suzette?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:06 PM | Comments (12)
Too Much Of A Good Thing
...can be a bad thing
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Taking antioxidants like vitamins A and E to prolong life may actually have the opposite effect, new research has found.Taking vitamin supplements in large quanities may actually prove detrimental to your health.
A review of 67 studies involving more than 230,000 people found "no convincing evidence" that the vitamins prolonged life, the Press Association reported.
"Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality," according to the researchers.
However, other health specialists said the research was "flawed" and the supplements were safe to take.
The review, published by The Cochrane Collaboration, involved trials on beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.
The experts said the studies involved different doses of each antioxidant. A total of 232,550 people were involved.
Forty-seven trials included 180,938 people and had a low risk of bias. In these trials with a low risk of bias, the "antioxidant supplements significantly increased mortality", the report's authors wrote.
When the different antioxidants were assessed separately and low risk of bias trials were included and selenium excluded, vitamin A was linked to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a seven percent increased risk and vitamin E to a four percent increased risk.
I always chuckle when I read these studies and they say that 'x' "increases risk of dying." Last I checked it's still 100%.
Anyhoo, I guess I'll pass on the Flinstones Chewables now and reach for the one true health tonic:
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:48 AM | Comments (2)
My Nephew ~ Kcruella's Baby Boy
...graduates from Army boot camp in Ft. Benning tomorrow. We're so dang proud of him.
And I get to be there!!!
UPDATE: Hmmmm... Forgot about that.
Schmaybe I was letting my enthusiasm get the best of me.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:03 AM | Comments (11)
Now Here's My Kind Of International Scandal
Talk about "fightin' words"...
A French MP has said he is outraged that the song chosen to represent the nation in the Eurovision song contest has English lyrics.Jacques Myard, of the UMP party, has urged the company that runs most of France's TV networks to reconsider.
...Mr Myard told the BBC that allowing an English song to represent France was a fiasco: "The French language is the tool of a huge industry in terms of cultural influence and if we French give up our language, what do you think the others will say?"
Mr Myard, himself a fluent English speaker, said it was not appropriate that, in a European contest, France should "monkey another's culture".
"Monkey"
Baaaad choice of words from an "outraged" Frenchman...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:29 AM | Comments (2)
April 15, 2008
I Am Normally Loathe to Suggest This, But...Listen to the Iraqis!!!!!
Listen. To. The. Iraqis.
Please.
Differences have emerged between the U.S. and Iraq on how to deal with Shiite militant Muqtada al-Sadr, with the Americans appearing more willing than the Shiite-led government to concede a legitimate political role to the anti-U.S. cleric.
He's a bad, BAD guy.
Make him a grease spot. Please.
Before he turns around and bites you in the ass. Again.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:46 PM | Comments (8)
Note to Self:
Before asking major dad to use a multi-meter to check AA batteries for juice (since the BRAND SPANKIN' NEW camera won't turn on for JACK, no matter WHAT you do), find some other indication on the camera case where the positive terminal is supposed to be. Or, after repeated attempts to load said batteries according to the diagram you think you see (with no joy) and point out to him, major dad will gently tell you:
"That's a screw."
%$#@*&%!!!!!!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:41 PM | Comments (5)
We Have a Wonderfully Talented LOCAL(!) Cartoonist
...who pretty much nailed reaction to this headline:
Jimmy Carter Embraces Hamas Official
We LOVE this guy.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:14 PM | Comments (8)
Mrs. O'Leary's Cash Cow
Just because no one ever called you on it didn't mean it was okay to begin with.
The head of the Smithsonian Latino Center resigned after an investigation found she abused her expense account to fund her extravagant use of spas, luxury hotels and frequent limousine rides, according to a report released by the institution.Pilar O'Leary, 39, billed the nonprofit museum complex for "extravagant" and "lavish travel expenses," the Smithsonian Institution inspector general found. In one case, she charged the Smithsonian for a limo she took across the National Mall from one Smithsonian building to another, according to the report, which was released Monday.
...In statements attached to the report, O'Leary said she relied on authorizations from former Deputy Secretary Sheila Burke for her expenses and was never questioned.
I'm guessing they were assuming you were a 'responsible' adult.
Moo.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:55 AM | Comments (2)
Energy News
Capt. Ed at HotAir has a couple of posts up this morning on some recent discoveries in energy. One is the finding of a large oil field off the coast of Brazil (something like the 3rd largest known) and another is on a potential process of converting sugar into hydrogen for power generation. This also has a Brazilian angle to it, as Brazil is far and away the largest cane sugar producer in the world (producing some 40% of the world's cane).
Now I know Fausta is very positive about Brazil's potential, and there's a lot of things on her side in this, but one always needs to remember the old adage about Brazil: It's the Country Of The Future...and it always will be. I love and adore Brazil, but it will never come close to its potential until it can reform its epidemic corruption, especially of its political class.
A perfect example of this showed up the other day. Brazil has long led the world in ethanol production and use in cars. I remember being in Rio in the mid-80s and seeing them for the first time and talking to folks about how hard they were to start on cold days (a problem they've since solved, at least for 'cold' as defined by Brazilians...). Anyhow, evidently Petrobras, which until about 10 years ago was state-owned and thus had a monopoly on oil production in Brazil, has been feeling the pinch in the internal gasoline market in Brazil, as due to the high world oil prices ethanol was cheaper than gas and so the Brazilian consumers were buying much more ethanol and forcing Petrobras to sell their excess gasoline production to foreign markets at a cheaper price.
So naturally Petrobras has lobbied/bribed legislators to raise the internal tax on ethanol from 3.5% to 21%.
Nice, huh?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:41 AM | Comments (2)
How Sad And...Pathetic, Really
A 33-year old Italian artist, Giuseppina Pasqualino, also known as Pippa Bacca, was found dead in Turkey on Saturday, after having been raped and murdered. Paqualino was hitchhiking towards Israel dressed in a wedding dress in an appeal for peace.The woman was last seen on March 31 in the mainly industrial city of Gebze, while hitchhiking to Israel in the wedding dress as part of her "Brides on Tour" project aiming to plead for peace in conflict areas. She disappeared after using her credit card around noon. Police found her naked body hidden in bushes in a forested area near Gebze, after questioning the man suspected of the murder late Friday, the governor's office said.
Police tracked down the suspect when he switched on Pasqualino's mobile phone, having inserted his own SIM card, an Italian Embassy official said. The official asked not to be named because he was not authorized to give information on the police investigation.
Evidently she took pictures of the animal who did this and they found her camera in his house. Think what you will about the delusion of her ideals and "artistic vision" but she certainly didn't deserve such a fate.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:10 AM | Comments (4)
April 14, 2008
You. Neanderthal. BASTARDS.
Ruin everything.
Male sex hormone may affect stock tradesThe hormone that drives male aggression and sexual interest also seems able to boost short term success at finance. But what seems to start out well can turn bad, with elevated testosterone levels over several days possibly leading to irrational risk-taking, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge in England.
Keep it IN your pants, okay? Wallet freakin' included!!!!
How hard tough is that?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:35 PM | Comments (8)
Mystery Solved!
So everyone's all a-twitter about this naughty film of Marilyn Monroe's (and let's hope that this doesn't serve as another inspiration for Lindsay Lohan) and the identity of the man involved
The silent black-and-white flick shows Monroe on her knees in front of a man whose face is just out of the shot....There are heavily redacted, declassified FBI documents talking about a "French-type" film.
It was Marcel Marceau!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:16 PM | Comments (6)
Well, Like Millions Of Other Folks...
My Xbox360 has given me the dreaded RRoD. I have to say because MicroSoft was afraid of lawsuits over how many of these things crap out that they've (so far, at least) got the response down to a science: you call the 800 number and a few days later you receive a box to UPS your console back to them, and in a few weeks you get another one back that hopefully works. We'll see.
Anyhow, to tide me over until it returns I've re-connected the PS2.
Man, I really missed playing Rachet and Clank! Especially "Up Your Arsenal" featuring Courtney Gears...
R&C is one of the funniest video games out there.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:38 AM | Comments (6)
So I Guess the Message Is:
"It doesn't matter what he says, so long as he says it purty like."
..."I don't think he put his brain in gear before he engaged his mouth," Little said. "But he apologized. … I think he has the right ideas, and I like hearing him talk. I put him in sort of the same mold as the Kennedys, JFK and Bobby."
Gads.
Now, I'm feeling bitter...probably just a bile eruption in an involuntary reaction to egregious fatuity.
I should get used to it, yes?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:38 AM | Comments (12)
Ken May Be Moving Soon
Not that this has much of a chance of being enacted in it's entirety
SACRAMENTO - Joe Six-pack will have to pay a lot more to get his buzz on if Assemblyman Jim Beall has his way.The San Jose Democrat on Thursday proposed raising the beer tax by $1.80 per six-pack, or 30 cents per can or bottle. The current tax is 2 cents per can. That's an increase of about 1,500 percent.
I love the "Joe Six-pack" slap at folks. Yes, anyone who likes an occasional beer is some low edjumacated boor who fills his tanks with suds between bouts of hittin' the missus and watching NASCAR.
(h/t to Vodkapundit)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:12 AM | Comments (9)
Here's A Shocker
(thanks to Theresa)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:42 AM | Comments (6)
Attention Snowmobilers
It is generally not a good idea to ride into a volcano
A man was evacuated by helicopter after falling into the crater of Mt. St. Helens while snowmobiling on the mountain Saturday.John Slemp, 52, of Damascus rode his snowmobile along with two others to the west rim of the crater at Mt. St. Helens.
Slemp got off his snowmobile and walked out onto a cornice overhanging the crater when it gave way, according to police.
Slemp reportedly fell about 1300 feet before landing on the interior slope of the crater. He then slid on hands and knees to the bottom of the crater.
You are here.
Now, I'm not one to question the veracity of our glorious Media...but "he fell 1300 feet"? Hmmm.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:58 AM | Comments (5)
April 11, 2008
Has It Really Been 50 Years Since Krushchev Asked
"Is he the best?"Yes it has.
1962 ~ Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 Mvt III
That man can rock the keys.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:06 PM | Comments (2)
Reach For The Laptop At Your Peril
It's well protected
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:50 PM | Comments (6)
American, BA To Merge?
And base all of their MD-80 flights out of Terminal 5 at Heathrow to "more efficiently disrupt the passengers' plans" the CEOs said in a joint statement issued today. "We're very excited by this confluence potential of our experience and demonstrated skill sets; we've coined the term 'Screwnergy' which we think best describes what our valued clients can expect from our combined efforts in the future."
Gosh, can't wait.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:43 AM | Comments (1)
April 10, 2008
"Circle of Men Prayed..."
"...cried during temple raid"Oh, I'll BET they did.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:06 PM | Comments (21)
My Sentiments
...EXACTLY.
First off, I'll apologize for not noticing this story until I hit my favoritest trashy gossip site today. But the story was so compelling...
Former cycling champion Tammy Thomas seemed to be in the midst of shaving her face when an Olympic drug tester paid her an unannounced visit in 2002, according to testimony Wednesday in her trial on perjury charges.Tom McVay, a tester for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, told a jury in U.S. District Court in San Francisco that on March 14, 2002, he was assigned to locate Thomas at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, east of San Diego, and collect a urine sample for a steroid test.
The visit was memorable, McVay said, because of Thomas' appearance when she answered his knock on her apartment door.
"It appeared to be like shaving cream on the left side of her face around her ear," he said.
...and her picture?
This is your face on drugs, kiddos.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:46 PM | Comments (9)
Something Old
...still giving up somehing new.
Archaeologists conducting the first dig at Stonehenge in decades say they have broken through to areas that could reveal the ancient English monument's original purpose....The team's archaeologists told the BBC that they uncovered a host of artifacts as they peeled back the layers of their 8.2-by-11.5-foot (2.5-by-3.5-meter) trench, including Roman ceramics, ancient stone hammers and a pottery
fragment from England's Neolithic Beaker culture.
WHOA! Bet they never saw THAT coming...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:06 PM | Comments (1)
Bring 'Em On!
Via Rachel Lucas and Andrea Harris, and as a gentleman I'm willing to help out both of them fine ladies who seem to need it in this particular instance
Maybe I should offer to substitute teach at the local elementary school? Looks like I can handle a full class of the little bastards darlings...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:16 PM | Comments (8)
With Friends Like US
...who needs enemies? Let's just jones the one South American country we get along with so Dems can suck-up to labor unions.
The Democratic Party's protectionist make-over was completed yesterday, when Nancy Pelosi decided to kill the Colombia free trade agreement. Her objections had nothing to do with the evidence and everything to do with politics, but this was an act of particular bad faith. It will damage the economic and security interests of the U.S. while trashing our best ally in Latin America....Democrats say it would have failed anyway, but at least a vote during the next three months would have forced them to show the courage of their protectionist convictions. Instead, they chose to shelve the bill in an election year while paying off organized labor and other antitrade yahoos. The gambit is especially humiliating for Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, a free-trader who has been trying to strike a deal with the Administration but keeps getting rolled by Ms. Pelosi.
Sucks when that excrement rolls your way, eh Mr. Rangel?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:23 PM | Comments (5)
And There Have Been Years
...In a recent interview, Reid said that he's "not going to be part of dumping" Byrd because"there are many days his mind is perfect."
...where it hasn't been.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:33 AM | Comments (2)
Who Was It That Said Cheaters
Marion Jones' teammates stripped of medals
Disgraced sprinter's relay teams won 1,600, were 3rd in 400 in 2000 GamesMarion Jones’ former relay teammates paid the price Thursday for her doping offenses, losing their medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
...IOC legal adviser Francois Carrard, who assisted the disciplinary panel investigating the case, said the U.S. Olympic Committee has been ordered to return the medals.
Bitch. First her angry denials and then to sit there sniveling when FORCED to 'fess up, while still trying to play 'the victim':
...Her admission in court Friday differed from what she relayed to family and friends in a letter she sent in advance of the hearing, in which she said she used the clear in 1999 and 2000. The Post obtained a copy of the letter."In 1999, my track coach Trevor Graham provided me with some nutritional supplements," Jones said, according to the letter. "There is one in particular that he called 'flaxseed oil.' He advised me to take this supplement by placing a few drops under my tongue and then swallow. . . . I trusted him and never thought for one second that he would jeopardize my career, nor his own. . . . He supplied me this for the 1999 and 2000 seasons."
Makes me sick. I think steroids in base-ah-bah-roo might be treated differently if users tainted their teams' records, don't you? Give back a league pennant or two and watch what happens. And really...why is baseball ~ where the "team's" record is entirely dependent on individual performance ~ a sport where a miscreant's exposure for cheating doesn't f*ck over the rest of the team?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:50 AM | Comments (2)
This Is Precisely How We Got BeauBeau
...and why the rescue driver was crying when she handed him over to us, after the long relay from Lake Charles, LA.
'Big black dog syndrome' leaves them homeless
She said, "Oh, thank you for taking a big one!" I told her that's what we'd wanted from the beginning and why...? "Because no one wants the big ones, especially the black ones. We've got five they're going to put down this week and we can't save them."
I wouldn't have him any other way. And if I could take them all, I would.
Breaks my heart, because there's no better friend.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:41 AM | Comments (11)
We're American Airlines
...Doing what we do best
(CNN) -- American Airlines canceled more than 900 flights Thursday as it continues to perform safety inspections on certain jets.American Airlines entered its third day of cancellations on Thursday.
It's the third consecutive day of cancellations for American Airlines, which has apologized to customers and offered to make amends with refunds, vouchers, and compensation for overnight stays.
American also canceled several hundred flights for the same reason about two weeks ago.
Roger Frizzell, an airline spokesman, said the inspections involve technical compliance as opposed to flight safety.
I've never been a big fan of the DC-9 family, and when a spokesman says something weaselly like that my spider senses start to tingle even more.
It seems this "technical compliance" issue has to do with FAA directives on how electrical wires that direct the aircraft control systems are bundled as they go through the front wheel well into the cockpit. Evidently if this is done incorrectly the motion of the nose landing gear can cause damage to the wires which could effectively turn the plane into a very large aluminum brick.
The effect of this on 'flight safety' seems unclear according to Mr. Frizzell.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:31 AM | Comments (9)
April 09, 2008
Let Me Refresh My Memory
"...was whisked to a secret location shortly after its pre-dawn arrival in San Francisco on Tuesday."We ARE talking the torch, NOT Dick Cheney, right?
I was worried for a moment...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:44 PM
Dhimmi Carter
...(or is that just "dim") is going to Syria to chat up Hamas. Since they're so touchy about garments over there, I asked our favoritest super EE-ville Photo-shopper genius to help me with a Pelosi primer for the former Prez.
I think he surpassed even his loftiest efforts, don't you?
Thank you, Mr. Summers.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:37 PM | Comments (9)
Michael Yon ~ Coming Soon
...to a bookshelf near you! (Or it SHOULD be.)
Pre-order it here.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:42 PM
"Some People Are Meant to Be 911"
"And some people are meant to call 911."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:22 PM | Comments (1)
"We're In the Wild WILD West"
MARINES FACE LAST INSURGENT STRONGHOLD IN IRAQ'S ANBAR PROVINCEI'm assuming the Presidential candidates listening and lecturing Gen. Petreus won't be asking for Qasim's subject matter expert opinion....The local police station here bears fresh scars from rocket attacks, young men still hide grenades in the streets, and civic leaders continue to be targeted by hit squads.
The marines are now in a scramble to oust insurgents tied to Al Qaeda in Iraq. The mission's priority was underscored by a recent visit to the outpost by Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commander of all multinational forces in western Iraq. General Kelly and his staff traveled by heavily armored convoy to Rutbah to meet with city leaders in hopes of understanding why the insurgency hasn't yet fizzled.
...The mayor of this town of 50,000, who goes by the name Qasim, fingered the gold watch hanging from his wrist, offered a pained smile and says, "The economy? We don't have one."
...Qasim knows that many Americans want even more troops to leave Iraq. He urged the general to tell his leaders in Washington that the troops should stay.
"Withdrawal right now means handing Iraq to Iran. This will fulfill the dreams of the Iranians for an empire"...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:20 PM
Not Good News For Diabetics
It seems there may be an increased risk of lung cancer with inhaled insulin
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Nektar Therapeutics said on Wednesday clinical trials of the inhaled insulin Exubera found increased cases of lung cancer, leading Nektar to end talks with potential partners to market the product.Nektar shares tumbled 24 percent in early trading, while shares of MannKind Corp , which has been developing its own inhaled insulin, plummeted more than 56 percent. Pfizer was little changed at $21.00.
Over the course of the clinical trials, Pfizer said six of the 4,740 Exubera-treated patients versus one of the 4,292 patients not treated with Exubera developed lung cancer. One lung cancer case was also found after Exubera reached the market.
The emphasis here is on the may, as
The warning states all patients who developed lung cancer had a prior history of cigarette smoking, and that there were too few cases to determine whether the development of lung cancer is related to Exubera use.
But it's still not good news for folks who were hoping to get rid of those needles.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:54 AM
Can Someone Explain To Me...
Why I'm supposed to care about the Olympic Torch? The demonstrations in Paris, London and now I assume today in San Francisco are an embarrassment to all involved, and a damned expensive one to boot.
If you really want to affect Chinese policy stop buying all their crap and cut off their funds.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:20 AM | Comments (79)
April 08, 2008
Remains of the Day
... The investigation began with a tip about an amateur historian who had displayed the mummified remains of a black soldier, draped in a Civil War-era uniform, in his house.
There's stiff competition in grave-robbing circles.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:08 PM | Comments (5)
There Are Times When "Thank You"
...seems such a small thing to say, in comparison to why you're saying it. Words fail.
Navy Blue, through and through.
Thank you.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:06 PM | Comments (4)
"Drawing Upon Considerable Technical Skills...
...[aeronautical engineers] decided to combine these features into one death-filled, high-flying hayride called the V-22 Osprey. (The proposed name, the V-22 OhJesusIdon'twanttodietellmywifeIloveher! didn't panel well.)"Genius.
- A V-22 Osprey completes a fully-automated landing via its advanced autopilot system.
...Numerous technical advances were made during the Osprey project. The Marine Corps decided to adopt the Navy tradition of going down with a stricken ship and fitted the Osprey with fly-by-wire systems. This guaranteed that, should the electronics or even the vanity mirror light fail during flight, everybody dies with the plane. The Osprey was originally planned to be a "glass cockpit" aircraft, where all the reliable gauges and indicator lights are removed in favor of scads of LCD monitors capable of simultaneously displaying the Blue Screen of Death. A V-22 variant, the MV-22B, built in partnership with Nintendo, retains the glass cockpit layout and adds three milnet-linked Nintendo Wii gaming consoles.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:01 PM | Comments (7)
Gorebal Warmening! It's Everywhere!
As noted below yesterday saw snow showers in London.
And 3 inches of snow in other parts of Southern England.
And our good friend Dave E. points out to us that parts of northern Minnesota got 2 feet of snow yesterday, as well.
A "coincidence"? Some "climate change" schmaybe?
Or just the first indications of some Goreacleian plot of Gaian proportions that will culminate at that Carbon Offsetathon to end all Offsetathons to be held this August in Denver?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:56 AM | Comments (3)
April 07, 2008
What Kind of SICK MoFo Would Use Something THIS Disturbing
...for his Easter post?!?!?!?!
You knew all along, didn't cha?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:09 AM | Comments (1)
In 1988, Who'd Ever Heard of Fred Phelps?
Apparently somebody had. They even thought enough of Phelps to eagerly attended a fundraiser held at the Phelps home.
Talk about a 'preacher problem'.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:48 AM | Comments (4)
Is The Goreacle In London?
I assume so since it's April 7th and they're having snow showers.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2008
Take Your Stinking Hands Off Of Me You Damn Dirty Ape!
RIP
If you have an hour, scroll down and look at this phenomenal career. My god. Or, as he would say...
Oh...My....Gaaaaahd!
His cameo in Wayne's World 2 still makes me cry with laughter even just thinking about it.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:14 AM | Comments (10)
April 05, 2008
Luscious Breasts
Ken tagged me a week ago with a food meme that Brian had tagged him with. The rules are quite simple:
"The basic requirements were that the food be "peasant" food (or the American equivalent), that it be delicious, simple, cheap to make, and not too healthy."
An additional requirement that made was, as shown by Brian's "Spud Stud" and Ken's "Wavy Gravy," that the name rhyme. Here is my humble entry which I believe fulfills these demanding criteria.
"Luscious Breasts"
2 split chicken breasts (i.e.4 Pamelas, still attached to ribs)
butter
potatoes
1 large red onion
5 cans chicken gravy
2 pints sour cream
salt
pepper
pre-heat oven to 350
open wine
2006 Yellowbird Shiraz from Australia. About $8. Not the thickest shiraz ever, but pretty smooth with some nice full cherry flavors, and for the price a perfectly fine bottle of wine. Umm, let's poor another glass for scientific purposes...
Where was I?
Oh yeah. Place the Pamelas in a large roasting pan, ribs down, and put a pat of butter on each along with some salt and pepper
Put that in the oven and concentrate on the wine for the next 30 minutes or so. The total time they will cook is at least an hour.
After 30 minutes or so as they are cooking take 2 or so pounds of spuds and cut into 1 inch cubes (I used what I had lying about, a combination of red potatoes and fingerlings) and splop them into a large pot for boiling
and get that going on the stove.
Take the onion
and chop it up and put it in a large sauce pan
I let it sit on medium heat for a minute or two just to extract the onions ever so slightly.
Next take the five cans of gravy
and add to the onion with some more fresh ground pepper
and bring it to a slow simmer and let it...simmer for 20-25 minutes or so so the onion flavor gets to mellow and spread throughout the gravy goodness.
When the potatoes are done, drain
and carefully pour the gravy mixture into the pot
and let that sit on the stove over low heat until the Pamelas are done. In fact, now would be a good time to check them. With this recipe there's no harm in slicing them open to take a peek and make sure that they are fully cooked.
When you are confident that they are carefully pour the potato/gravy mixture on top of them
and top with very generous dollops of sour cream
place the pan back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes to take the chill out of the sour cream and let the flavors meld some more
and serve it up piping hot and fresh, a Pamela per plate
Ah, true Comfort Food.
If you feel the urge, something simple like green beans with a little lemon-pepper make a fine side.
And more wine, of course.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:36 AM | Comments (5)
Oh Suzette...
Be afraid.
Be very afraid.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:48 AM | Comments (14)
April 04, 2008
Sometimes Great Minds Think Alike
I'm just sayin'.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:26 PM
This Is Exactly Why I Only Use...
Certified Witchdoctors for all my needs
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has condemned witchdoctors who kill albinos and harvest their body parts in the hope it will bring prosperity...."Sometimes, word spreads around that body parts of people with certain physical attributes like bald people or albinos contribute greatly to attaining quick prosperity," Kikwete said in a monthly state of the nation speech late on Wednesday.
"These killings are shameful and distressing to our society," he added.
...Kikwete blamed charlatan witchdoctors, many masquerading as traditional healers, for extracting body parts such as genitals, tongues and breasts.
Really, folks: your families deserve the very best. So always look for the Good Hut Keeping(c) Seal of Approval on your next witchdoctor visit.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:08 PM | Comments (3)
In the Name of All That Is Holy: Will the Violence NEVER
...cease?
Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has condemned witchdoctors who kill albinos and harvest their body parts in the hope it will bring prosperity.He said 19 albinos had been murdered since March 2007, and another two were missing presumed dead in the east African country.
Targeted by birth.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:05 PM | Comments (4)
"Oh, And He's Completely Alone At 3 PM Today"
I don't know. Maybe it's me, but is this something that needs to be broadcast in the media?
Secret Service: McCain Is Not ProtectedWASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain travels the campaign trail without Secret Service protection although he is the Republican Party's likely presidential nominee, the agency's director told Congress on Thursday.
Obviously I'm doing something to spread this information, but it seems to me the cat's a bit out of the bag at this point.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:36 AM | Comments (4)
April 03, 2008
"Life Couldn't Be Better!"
"I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world!"
CBS News 1994: Mugabe Reassures White South Africans
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:53 PM | Comments (3)
History
...repeats its ownself.
::snicker::
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:54 PM | Comments (3)
I Know You've Heard It Before: "Life in the South is Slow"
But if you're not from here, I'll bet you have no clue just how 'slow' we're talking. Take one of our news stories this week, for instance. This old boy wrote the book on 'slow'.
With friend dead, man says he took a napA man told Santa Rosa sheriff's investigators that he found a dead friend lying in his front yard Tuesday but decided to take a nap rather than calling authorities.
William Hutson, 43, of the 1600 block of Balogh Drive in Gulf Breeze found Charles Scott Boylan's body about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Scott Haines said.
But the Sheriff's Office didn't learn a body was outside Hutson's home in Magnolia Manor until a mail carrier found it about 4 p.m.
...Hutson was arrested on a tampering with evidence charge after telling investigators he picked up a shotgun near Boylan's body, went back inside his home and went to sleep on a couch, Haines said.
Boylan, 47, of Gulf Breeze suffered a gunshot blast to the chest, but investigators are not sure how he suffered the fatal wound, Haines said.
Haines said the gun belonged to Hutson, but he didn't know how the gun ended up outside near Boylan's body.
During the 6 o' clock news, the breathless announcement of the body's discovery by the mail carrier (including mention of the gun-induced gaping chest wound) was followed by a ominously intoned:
"The Sheriff's department says the death is suspicious."
Do tell.
We all just floatin' down a lazy river...
Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:08 PM | Comments (4)
BREAKING NEWS: Nasty Stuff
And they couldn't pay me eNOUGH to be there. God help those folks.
Police take journalists from Zimbabwe hotel
Troops surround hotel housing foreign reporters covering electionSecurity agents and paramilitary police in riot gear surrounded a hotel housing foreign journalists on Thursday.
A man who answered the phone at the hotel said they were taking away some reporters.
The man's a vicious lunatic who's been backed into the proverbial corner. And the collective blind eye the world has shown him is responsible for the demise of one of the few garden spots of Africa..
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:53 PM | Comments (6)
"She Is The Most Qualified Person To Be President"
So said our illustrious Governor.
"...and that's why I'm going to switch my vote to her opponent if he gets more votes."
Per NBC’s Tom Winter, Gov. Jon Corzine, a Clinton superdelegate, just said on CNBC's Squawk Box that he reserves the right to change his vote from Hillary Clinton if she doesn't have the popular vote. He stopped short of saying that he definitely would change his vote if she lost the popular vote and he did strongly emphasize that Sen. Clinton would win the popular vote in the end.
Yes, a firm man of principles, a fighter for what is right, ever willing to bravely go...where the winds of public opinion carry him.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:45 PM | Comments (7)
La Evita Segunda
You can always tell when Argentina has economic unrest, because they always start up this stuff
BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, which remain in British hands after the 1982 war between the two countries, is "inalienable," President Cristina Kirchner said Wednesday."The sovereign claim to the Malvinas Islands is inalienable," she said in a speech marking the 26th anniversary of Argentina's ill-fated invasion of the islands, located 480 kilometers (300 miles) off shore.
The April 2, 1982 invasion prompted then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to deploy naval forces to retake the Falklands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish.
No, they're known as "Las Malvinas" in Argentina.
Gee, could this bloody flag waving couldn't be related to this is any way, could it? Fausta gives some clear and prescient background to La Evita Segunda's time-tested ploy.
Historians saw the invasion as an attempt by Argentina's ruling military junta, which was then in power, to divert attention away from domestic problems.
Thank goodness for those historians!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:14 AM | Comments (12)
It's Another Swine Mess You've Gotten Us Into, Olly!
Or should I say Lorry
Pigs have escaped after a lorry carrying them crashed on an Aberdeenshire road.Drivers have been warned to expect delays after the accident happened on the A92 at Lathallan, Johnshaven, at about 0830 BST.
Injuries were unknown but a vet was called out to attend.
Grampian Police said that the road would be closed for several hours in both directions and that diversions were being set up.
Some of the pigs escaped into nearby woodland, but all were accounted for.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has scheduled a news conference to issue an apology to anyone offended.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:14 AM
Coffee Goodness
And the people said "Protect Thy Brain"
Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests.The drink has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why.
A vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply of rabbits fed a fat-rich diet was protected in those given a caffeine supplement.
UK experts said it was the "best evidence yet" of coffee's benefits.
I just hate demented bunnies.
Drink coffee.
If you won't do it for me, do it for the bunnies.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:11 AM | Comments (6)
April 02, 2008
Am I Wrong...
...here?
These things come to me real sudden-like.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:48 PM | Comments (21)
The GOP's "China Syndrome"
We have a running joke in the coffee business about China, and most industries share some variation of it. People look at China and think “If I could get everyone in China to drink just one cup of coffee per week, that would be an extra 1.3 billions cups consumed per week or nearly 68 billion more per year and I would be a gazzillionaire!” Businessmen have been having this dream for hundreds of years and it’s never really panned out for any of them, mostly because they ignore inconvenient facts like China’s autocratic rulers or the population’s complete lack of disposable income. Once the eyes get glassy with the ‘vision’ they cease to see very clearly.
This came to my mind today because I was having an email exchange with a nice fellow who wrote to me about a comment I left at HotAir basically scoffing at the amount of fencing that will be in place on the Mexican border by the end of this year. His point, which is valid, is that obviously a lot of the border is the Rio Grande, which is rather difficult to fence, and that the rate of construction is actually not that bad for politicized government projects and that every speed bump is a good speed bump and, to quote, “Add up enough speed bumps, and you get real security benefits.”
He is correct of course that the glacial pace does have a lot to do with how things get done (or not done) when the Govt.'s involved, and even more so when those seeking to derail it are aided and abetted by the media and the courts and billionaire foreigners. And the "speed bump" theory will deter some folks and raise the risks which will deter even more.
However, I do think that a lot of the grumbling from the right is justified given the tepid reluctance of our supposed Representatives to act on the clearly espoused 'Will of the People' on this issue, especially Mr. "I'll-build-the-goddamn-fence-if-that's-what-they-want" McCain.
Much like those starry-eyed businessmen who fantasize about the Chinese the leadership of the GOP has fallen under the sway of the dream that somehow poor welfare-dependent illegal immigrants from Mexico who were poor welfare-dependent peasants in Mexico will magically act and vote like the immigrants from Cuba who arrived poor but were from middle-class, entrepreneurial backgrounds in Cuba.
It ain't gonna happen.
Oh, they are both very hard working; there's no doubt the Mexicans/Hondurans work very hard at the low wage jobs they get here. But there is a key difference: the current crop of illegals work very hard to survive.
The Cubans worked very hard to prosper.
And therein lies the reason that the former will always vote opposite the latter.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:14 PM | Comments (10)
What I'm Drinking Tonight
So Friday I started out with the decent Portuguese wine below, but as it took me a little longer than I had reckoned to get the burgers ready I had to open another bottle.
I hate that.
Anyhow, in keeping with our "Bing is a cheap bastard" theme I found this Australian Madison Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 for $7
Now, a quick glance at the calendar tell you that we're only 3 months into 2008, and even granting our dear friends Down Under the benefit of their seasons being bass-ackwards from ours this wine is at best, what, 6-7 months old at most? So I wasn't expecting much.
I was very pleasantly surprised. For $7 this beats the pants off of many $15 wines I've had. It has some nice tannins and good cabernet flavor, with some hints of leather at the end (just the way Ken likes it). I'll definitely pick up a few more bottles just to confirm this experiment...this could be a very good buy.
Oh, and those cheeseburgers you see in the background were very yum.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:32 AM | Comments (5)
What I'm Drinking Tonight
I'm trying to find some decent reds under $10, and the Bottle King in town had this on sale for about $9 I think.
Groval Touriga Nacional 2005
Many of the Portuguese reds I've had in the past have had a nasty, corky bite to them, so I approached this one carefully. The aroma was soft and cherry-like, and the first few sips confirmed that. There's not a lot of flavors here, and that's ok. If you want a simple, smooth wine with soft cherry and raspberry flavors than you could do a lot worse than this. There's not much body or tannin structure, but again that's ok; at this price point 'character' tends to mean 'blech'. I'll buy this again.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:15 AM
April 01, 2008
You have to know how to play the game.
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That's right, yo! I'm worth lots for sex yo, cause I like, talk like an idiot, homeslizice!
You also have to realize I'm a cheating bastard, with the exception of my relationships. ::chuckles::
Posted by Ebola at 06:19 PM | Comments (6)
Well, I Wish I Could Say I'm Surprised...
"Sorry, you're worth less in bed than the average ($217.4819755171) person taking this quiz."
Sigh.
(h/t to Insta...I guess. Bastard.)
Heck, I'd still take the $980 and be happy, though...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:02 AM | Comments (17)
These Are Tought Times For All Of Us
But on of our best and longest-held friends on this Internet thingy could use some help if you're able.
Thanks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:49 AM