39 Years Ago…

We first took a jump to the left (and then a step to the right)

Murder Your Roommate? There’s An App For That!

Siri, I need to dispose of a body

A college student accused of killing his roommate asked Siri for advice on hiding a body the day the man went missing, according to U.S. police.

Pedro Bravo, 20, stands accused of kidnapping and strangling his friend Christian Aguilar, 18, in September 2012 when they shared a room at the University of Florida.

The murder trial at the Alachua County Criminal Justice Centre, Florida, yesterday heard how the men had argued over Aguilar dating Bravo’s ex-girlfriend, Erika Friman.

Detective Matt Goeckel from Gainesville Police Department said on 20 September 2012, Bravo told Apple’s digital assistant Siri: ‘I need to hide my roommate’.

In response to this, Siri said: ‘What kind of place are you looking for? Swamps. Reservoirs. Metal foundries. Dumps.’

Metal foundries.

I knew there was one I’d forgotten.

And Sometimes

…you curse the manners you were raised with: having a lovely lunch with a girlfriend and Bubba Watson strolls by the windows. Even stops at the corner across from Don’s for a minute or two. Took EVERYTHING I HAD not to go charging out of Jacksons Steakhouse like a total goober for a picture.

Maturity. I HATE IT.

I’m Sure Glad…

Obama seems to be enjoying himself. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque) pic.twitter.com/8USQHo8CBM

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) August 11, 2014

…SOMEone is.

Kirsten Powers Points Out That You Only Get Aid From Obama If You Have a Bitchin’ Name

If it’s just white-bread “Christian”, you’re Shiite out of luck.

Kirsten Powers: Obama’s inattention to Iraqi Christians

White House not addressing their persecution equally.

…Finally, later that night — and two full months after the crisis began — President Obama announced airstrikes in Iraq and for the first time acknowledged that Christians are being driven from the homeland of their faith. But the Christians garnered a passing mention, while the religious minority of Yazidis seems to be what moved the president to act.

An Iraqi Christian leader lamented to me that his people would have to convert to get the administration’s attention.

Homeless Christians

The Yazidis deserve protection and humanitarian aid, but so do the Christians who number in the hundreds of thousands in Iraq. While the Yazidis received air drops of food and water, nothing has been dropped to the Christians who are homeless and in dire need of food and water. Each day that passes is a matter of life and death.

I watched his initial announcement about the airstrikes and supply drops and damn near fell out my chair when “Christian” passed his lips for the VERY FIRST TIME EVER. It WAS only ONCE in the speech and I haven’t heard it since.

To her credit, Kirsten Powers angrily noted the same the next day on Fox’s Outnumbered:

God BLESS you @KirstenPowers !! "This is NOT a humanitarian President!" #Christiansiniraq #Outnumbered

— tree hugging sister (@treehuggingsis) August 8, 2014

Some Days, You Just Want

…to KISS him.

Gene Simmons’ Advice to Immigrants: “Learn to Speak Goddamn English!”

Gene Simmons has some advice for immigrants.

During an interview with HuffPost Live Monday, the 64-year-old Kiss rocker, who moved to the U.S. with his family at the age of 8, says people moving to America should assimilate to the culture as quickly as possible, just the way he did.

“I’m actually saying the thing that needs to be said because the politically correct climate is bulls–t,” Simmons said. “You don’t want to upset anybody by saying, ‘Learn to speak goddamn English.’ So, as an immigrant, I’m telling you: Learn to speak goddamn English. It is the key that will unlock the keys to the kingdom. If you make the effort, then all the possibilities of this culture will open up for you and give you all the rewards that I’ve gotten.”

Eels Well That Ends In A Well

World’s Oldest Water Filter has finally stopped working

Sweden is in mourning today over the death of the world’s oldest eel. Åle the eel was around 155 years old when he left a country bereft, a prodigious age for the European eel Anguilla anguilla which in the wild typically lives around seven years in fresh water before returning to the ocean to spawn and die. They can be very long-lived, though. The oldest recorded wild eel was 85 years old.

Åle was put in the well in the fishing village of Brantevik on the southeastern tip of Sweden by eight-year-old Samuel Nilsson in 1859. This was a common practice in a time when running water was rare (Stockholm only got public water mains in the 1850s; it took more than a century after that for waterworks to be installed in smaller towns) and a good eel could keep the home’s water supply free of bugs, worms, eggs, algae and any other number of critters. European eels will even eat carrion, so they’re extremely helpful additions to a well.

This particular eel has been a star for close to a hundred years, garnering articles in the paper, TV news stories and documentaries, even making an appearance in the Swedish Tom Sawyer, Bombi Bitt and I written by Fritiof Nilsson Piraten in 1932. Thomas Kjellman, current owner of the cottage, remembers Åle from when he was a boy. His family bought the house in 1962 with the understanding that the eel came with the property.

Ya learn something new every day at Maggie’s Farm.

Most Openist Evuh!

If, of course, you are a lobbyist

(Reuters) – President Barack Obama is loosening restrictions on lobbyists who want to serve on federal advisory boards, a White House official said on Tuesday, a setback to the president’s efforts to tamp down special interest influence in Washington.

Obama came to office pledging to curtail the sway of lobbyists and banned lobbyists from serving on such panels, which guide government policy on a range of topics ranging from cancer to towing safety.

Everything he says has an expiration date.

Everything is simply to keep him and his cronies in power.

Who Knew?

Thank you every one for your kind wishes on our anniversary. To celebrate our special night I decided, true romantic that I am, to take my Bride (with Daughter tagging along for a free meal, natch) to the Outback Steakhouse (we wanted to go to the Inlet Cafe in the Highlands but the rain put the kibosh on that).

Well, sadly, the quality of the food there has slipped (as has the quantity of the servings: the cheese fries appetizer was noticeably smaller) but what caught my eye, and once again exposed my humble provincial upbringing, was this item on the menu:

Who knew that Sangria was a traditional Australian specialty?

25 Years Ago…

…my Dearest Friend and I were joined

Thanks, My Love.

As a bonus trip with the Way Back Machine, who remembers what were the top movies, songs and tv shows in August of 1989?

like this

and this

Watching This Unfold On Twitter Last Night

…but nary a PEEP from the big guys until now…

Iraq's President has appointed Haider al-Abadi as new Prime Minister. http://t.co/lISiKa97er

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 11, 2014

…Iraqi forces and tanks surged into some Baghdad neighborhoods Sunday as a wave of troops swarmed Baghdad’s green zone, the secure area where many government buildings and the U.S. Embassy are located, two Iraqi police officials said.
Exactly what led to the surge remains unclear. But some believe the beefed-up military presence is part of a power struggle between al-Maliki and newly elected President Fuad Masum…

Spam Of The Day

Next door within Martin Luther emperor jr, because of Nonviolent telecomutting saves gas. By far the most well know aquarium tank, Of your current atlanta tank is without question online at little tumbles down and also greater 80,000 subjects(Quite besides eight million gallons about water) At intervals it is really membranes.

I’m a big fan of non-violent telecommuting.

Blame Bush

Top story: Priest from Nineveh: 'Christianity is finished in Iraq' http://t.co/rPDEhfL2eo #Iraq #Christian pic.twitter.com/h97TZ1WoAT

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) August 10, 2014

And That’s What It’s All

…about.

That's what it's all about RT @DonnaCassataAP: Words of wisdom from Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/88QjhNlYI1

— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) August 9, 2014

Swept Away

A simply amazing story

Raudhatul Jannah was just 4 years old when the catastrophic tsunami swept into her Indonesian town and swept out with her in tow.

She had been holding onto her parents as they floated on a plank of wood when the tsunami hit her home, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur International. But Raudhatul and her then 7-year-old brother, Arif Pratama Rangkuti, slipped from their father’s grasp. The family never saw the two children again until Wednesday when Raudhatul, now 14, was reunited with her family.

…Young Raudhatul had been swept onto a remote island, when she was found by a fisherman who returned her to the mainland. For the next 10 years, that fisherman’s mother raised her by the name of Wenni, according to AFP.

Amazing.

A Fox News Truck Sitting In Front Of The Stock Market

And the Union Jack flying over the door of the Stock Market?

What’s going on this morning?

Chris Jansing, RACIST Conspiracy Nutter…

They Say Drugs May Have Been Involved

Not sure how they concluded that

A naked and drunk Oregon man fell into a river while masturbating in a park in broad daylight, authorities said.

Hoppy Burfday Crusader!

I’m Gonna Be Looking for This

A Diamond In The Rough

Luckily it was found

For all his sparkling play of late, Sergio Garcia has shown some imperfections — like his wayward drive on the par-4 third hole during Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which strayed into the gallery and knocked the diamond out of a woman’s ring.

Now I have never been a Sergio fan, as he is the most European-Soccer-Player-like of golfers: always whinig and coming up with excuses for his mistakes. But here you can see he acts in a most gentlemanly fashion, asking the marshalls to get the lady’s contact information with every intention of replacing the diamond were it not found.

Well played, sir.