Ass of the Year & Most Likely to Cause another War

Iran's idiotic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recenly called the Nazi Holocaust a "myth" and said Europe, the U.S. and Canada should use their own land for a Jewish state.

The West has "fabricated a myth under the name 'Massacre of the Jews,' and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves,'' Iran's leader told thousands of supporters in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, in a speech aired live today on state television.

How ignorant and backward do the Iranian citizens have to be to elect this guy? I know he's pushed a populist message of job creation, housing and a focus on Iranian infrastructure -- but his recent messages are utterly irresponisble.

This dude makes our own president seem an emminently resonable Rhode's Scolar!

Prancer meets Ted Nugent

Santa made the mistake of landing at the Motor City Madman's Michigan compound during a pre-Christmas check out flight of his new sleigh.

The results were predictable, with Mr. Nugent quickly sending an arrow from his compound bow through Prancer's heart. "Hey, I've 'No Trespassing' signs all over this place. It's his fault for landing here." said Ted.



For his part Santa was stoic. "He was an old reindeer anyway. Prancer was one of the original reindeer, and if I had to lose one of them, it was best that Prancer was hit."

Asked if Mr. Nugent's "Not Nice" status would be changed by this event Santa noted that "Ever since Ted began stumping for that idiot 'Dubya' he's had no chance of getting on the 'good' list."

Visibly upset Santa continued, "That idiot president keeps saying global warming needs more study. Ho! Ho! Ho! perhaps the twerp should visit my house at the North Pole! It's like freakin' Venice Italy there -- the misses and I have to wear hip waders all the time, and I can't count the number of elves that have drowned!"

Memorial services for Prancer have been cancelled as Mr. Nugent has already dressed and prepared Prancer for a New Year's Eve dinner with his band.

Extreme Snow Removal

Just in time for Indianapolis' first big snowfall of the year I came across the V8 Snowblower company.

It's exactly what the name suggests, a 454 cubic inch Chevrolet big block engine built into a snowblower. The manufacturer says the snowblower "will send the snow back to it's maker".

Their site has a video of the snowblower in action as well. This would be blast to run up and down my driveway, sidewalk, street, interstate -- I doubt much would stop this thing.

I am the Lord thy God....

A classic from the Onion reveals that the voice Dubya thought was the Lord's was in fact Dick Cheney on the intercom...

Worst Job Ever

The linked video is truly funny and features one of the most creative strings of profanity I've ever heard. If you don't mind a fair bit of extreme profanity, the video provides a truly funny punchline.

Chris Rock on a Crazy Year

Chris Rock's Quote of the Year:

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is white, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick' and 'Colon'."

Bathroom Humor -- an Ongoing Collection

Now we begin a semi-regular post featuring words of wisdom (or not) found in central Indiana's public bathrooms. To get things started, I'll post four bits of grafitti:

1. "Why are you looking up here? The joke is in your hand." (seen above a urinal)
   
2. "You may hover above this seat, but I.U. crabs can jump three feet."
3. "Go Colts! And take the Pacers with you!"
4. "Jesus loves you." "The rest of us think you're a dick."
5. "If your hose is short and pump is weak you better stand closer or you'll pee on your feet."
   

More as I find them.

No Pardon for Libby

Democratic Senators letter to Mr. Bush "Don't pardon Libby!"


November 8, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500


Dear Mr. President:

The indictment of I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, marks the first time in 131 years that a senior White House official has been charged with a crime while still serving in the White House. The charges, while not yet proven, are extraordinarily serious and deeply disturbing.

Although it is too early to judge Mr. Libby guilty or innocent of these particular charges, it is not too early for you to reassure the American people that you understand the enormous gravity of the allegations. To this end, we urge you to pledge that if Mr. Libby or anyone else is found guilty vof a crime in connection with Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation, you will not exercise your authority to issue a Presidential pardon.

It is crucial that you make clear in advance that, if convicted, Mr. Libby will not be able to rely on his close relationship with you or Vice President Cheney to obtain the kind of extraordinarily special treatment unavailable to ordinary Americans. In addition you should do nothing to undermine Mr. Fitzgerald's investigation or diminish accountability in your White House. A pardon in these circumstances would signal that this White House considers itself above the law.

We also urge you to state publicly whether anyone in the White House B including White House counsel Harriet Miers or Vice President Cheney B has already discussed the possibility of a pardon with Mr. Libby. Particularly given that the American people are still in the dark about what precisely transpired in the White House with respect to the CIA leak, it would be highly inappropriate if there were such discussions going on behind the scenes.

Swift public action on your part will make clear that you take seriously perjury and obstruction of justice at the highest levels of our government and that you meant what you said about bringing Ahonor and dignity to the White House. We eagerly await your response and hope that you will announce your intentions promptly.

A Good Christian Torturing

Many who voted for Mr. Bush quote Mr. Bush's supposed "strong Christian values" as a reason for their support. Many Bush supporters continue to support their president in the face of an avalanche of facts that show Mr. Bush to be incompetent at best and most likely a criminal.

The lastest embarassment for the USA comes from the Bush administration's muddled message on their use of torture.

Mr. Bush recently stated with great vigor We do not torture.

Of course at the same time VP "Tricky" Dick Cheney was lobbying for permission to continue torturing detainees.

Then we learn that the CIA has a network of secret prisons set up around the globe.

You'd think the "holier than thou" Republicans would be outraged by this network of secret prisons and secret use of torture. You'd be wrong. Instead of addressing the damage done to the USA's reputation by these prisons, Republican leadership decided to attack the messenger.

Wonder what we're doing to people in those prisons? Wonder no longer, an ex-CIA officer describes the approved methods. These are the methods approved by Attorney General Gonzales, Rumsfeld and Cheney.

Of course the administration can never say "We're sorry" or "We're wrong". So they deny. They claim "Our methods are unique, but not really torture."

How much longer will his followers support him? How can they leave those "W" stickers on their cars. If they care about the Republican party at all, they'll clean house.

Separated at Birth!

Remember the Elf in the Rudloph Christmas story? He's a dead ringer for Conan O'Brien.

What would Jesus Drink?

We’ve all seen those “What would Jesus do?” bumper stickers and bracelets. Lately I’ve seen "Who would Jesus bomb?" stickers as well.

While this line of inquiry is all well and good, I have a more important question:

What would Jesus drink?

Jesus was a carpenter who associated with laborers, farmers and fishermen -- He didn't hang out with the rich, or the well-connected. With this information, perhaps we can make some assumptions about his drink:

• Martinis -- I doubt He drank martinis or any other drink that required a toothpick. They're just too "upper class" and besides, it's tough to look like the Messiah when you're gingerly sipping liquid from a martini glass.
  
  
• Margaritas -- He didn't drink these either, not frozen nor on the rocks. Look, tequila can make you do some really stupid things (I know) and He couldn't afford to risk it. Suppose He got drunk on tequila and started forgiving everyone unconditionally? With unconditional forgiveness, where would the church be?
  
  
• Rum Runners -- He most certainly didn't drink anything that comes in a glass with a little umbrella.
  
  
• Wine -- We know He turned water into wine at a wedding, and He served wine at the last supper, but those were special occasions. He was ensuring everyone had a good time and wanted to impress his guests with the full-bodied, blood-of-your-savior, smoky flavor he could create.
  
  
• Beer -- I tend to think of Jesus as a beer drinker. Beer fits better with his demographic. Carpenters, farmers and fishermen don't "pop open a bottle of wine", they down a beer. Saving the world is hard work and beer quenches thirst better than wine. Plus beer doesn't give you that killer tannin-induced headache the next day. Jesus couldn't afford to be grumpy and hung-over.

What do you think Jesus drank?

Mr. Bush -- Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!

When the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, President Bush assured us that torture was not part of U.S. policy and that the scandal was entirely the fault of "a few bad apples."

Of course Mr. Bush told us this before we learned that Alberto Gonzales, Mr. Bush's White House Counsel, advised him that the Geneva Conventions were "quaint" and that in his opinion, Mr. Bush could order torture if he desired.

Mr. Bush's assertions came before Mr. Gonzales' Attorney General confirmation hearings where we learned that according to the Bush administration "the anti-torture statutes don't apply to the CIA, private contractors and prisoners held in foreign countries."

Mr. Bush's assertions came before we learned that the CIA has secret prison / torture facilities in foreign countries around the world -- thus freeing them from US law.

Mr. Bush's lies came before we learned that VP "Tricky Dick" Cheney was actively pushing a proposal in the Senate that would exempt the CIA from pending anti-torture legislation.

Mr. Bush, never one to let facts or reality intrude on his view of the world, and in contrast to his V.P. concurrent lobbying, just recently reiterated that "We do not torture."

So Mr. Bush is either incompetent or a liar. His administration is lobbying for permission to continue torturing people. The CIA has setup secret prisons under his watch. He knew all this when his administration tried to bury the blame on hard-working U.S. Soldiers who have been disgraced or jailed for doing nothing more than implementing his policy. While he's telling us "we don't torture" his VP is simultaneously lobbying for continued permission to do just that!

We impeached the last president for lying about a sexual indiscretion. Isn't this much worse?! When will the sheep in the media and his must-be-brain-dead supporters hold him accountable?

Nice Quote

The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none. - Thomas Carlyle

It's Never Bush's Fault!

I don't know who wrote this originally (I copied it a while back from Yahoo News Discussions), but I've beed adding to it since I found it -- it's a great read...


It's the liberals. It's the ACLU. It's Clinton. It's Monica. It's the "climate of permissiveness". It's France. It's the liberal media. It's Clinton's p*nis. It's Hillary. It's Gov. Dean. We never could have known they'd fly planes into buildings. "No actionable intelligence". They didn't tell us to do anything. O'Neill's lying. Clarke's lying. General Shinseki's lying. The Union of Concerned Scientists is lying. Our own weapons inspector Scott Ritter, an ex-Marine and veteran of the the first Gulf war, is lying. Bush's hand-picked successor to Ritter, David Kay, is lying. Joe Wilson's lying. John Dean's lying. Newsweek lied! CBS lied! Everyone's lying but us. We had to lie. We never lied.

Medicaid reforms will cost only $400 billion. Medicade reform will cost $740 billion. Scooter says he'd fire the employee who tells congress that the reform will cost more than $400 billion. Canada's health care is worse!

Plame outed herself. Her husband outed her. The liberals outed her. No one outed her, since everyone already knew her covert identity. Rove had nothing to do with it. Cheney had nothing to do with it. "Scooter" Libby had nothing to do with it. No comment. Lib'ral, lib'ral, lib'ral.

It's the libs that tried to pull Schiavo's feeding tube. It doesn't matter that DeLay pulled his own dad's feeding tube. "Culture of life". It's Janet Jackson's boobs; it's the Statue of Justice's boobs. Reading the news might cloud my judgement. It's the "decade our government...blinded itself to our enemies". It's the homosexuals wanting to marry. "Restore honor and dignity to the White House". A decision to go to war wasn't a decision to go to war. "No actionable intelligence". It's the pledge of allegiance. They're taking God out of America. Osama didn't tell us when, how, where, and by what means he'd attack, and he didn't leave a forwarding address. The 9/11 panel is biased against us. Saddam = Al Qaida. Saddam = Al Qaida.

Chalabi's an honorable man and I believe everything he says about WMDs. Chalabi's a crook and he passed secrets to Iran. Chalabi's the liberals' fault because they didn't shoot us when we started using his "intelligence". Chalabi? I don't know any 'Chalabi'!

"I'm against the 9/11 commission." "I'm for the 9/11 commission." "I'll won't testify before the commission." I will testify, but only if Dick Cheney is with me." "I won't testify under oath." "They hate us for our freedom."

It's just a few dead-enders. They'll be gone when we capture Saddam. "Mission Accomplished." They'll be gone when we capture Saddam's sons. They'll be gone when we hand over "sovereignty". They'll be gone when Iraq has elections. They'll be gone in 12 years. They'll never be gone.

We fight them in London so we don't have to fight them, er, uh, well, can't get fooled again! Don't forget Poland! Palau is on our side!

Bolton didn't lie! He just knowingly gave inaccurate answers under oath!

Aw, so what's another ISLAMIC STATE in the mideast? It's not like Bush has made it a home for terrorists or anything!

We had to lie to support the war. They'll throw flowers at our feet. They have unmanned aircraft that can drop biological weapons on us. Well, they had plans for unmanned aircraft. They had a students remote controlled airplane. It was 5 feet long! They don't like us!

It's all these former staffers hawking their books. Money never corrupted anyone. "I'm a uniter, not a divider!" It's the stem cells. It's the feminazis, the intellectual elitists, and the ecoterrorists.

It's the Hurricane, It's the victims. It's the poor. It's the dead. It's the disabled... the elderly. It's those that didn't evacuate. It's the buses.

It's Cthulhu. It's the martians, It's Mickey Mouse, It's The Tooth Fairy, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.,


It's ALWAYS anyone but Bush!

World's Strongest Man! How does he do it?

Fitness Guru and Christian Idiot, Pat Robertson, claims he can leg press 2,000 pounds. That's right Pat can lift a ton! Read about how much he can lift, and buy his fitness shakes! I bet he got the recipe for the shakes straight from God!

My Mom Gets a New Knee

My mom just had knee replacement surgery. I found a great site that explains the entire procedure. It looks damn painful to me.

Maybe it runs in the family because by the end of this year I'll have had surgery on both shoulders and both knees. It's time to stop abusing my body's joints.

So no more weights (at least anything heavy) and more cardio. I guess I'll have to learn to play golf...ouch.

100MPG in a "Greed-Rodded" Prius

Calcars.org shows you how to add additional batteries to your Prius and achieve much higher gas mileage with your Prius. Calcars sister company, EDrive will be offering a kit to retrofit existing cars.

Of course none of this is new. Those crazy hippies at Mother's magazine acheived 129 MPG in 1980 in an admittedly low performance car. Still the older article is still a nice read.

When you're done updating your car for maximum mileage, grab this book to continue the modifcation process.

An ancient formula...

Home Made Air Conditioner

Geoff Milburn shows us than an electric fan, some copper tubing, a trash can full of ice water, and a bit of gravity and you too can build your own air conditioner.

Coolest Party Trick Ever!

Drop a dozen Mentos into a 2 liter bottle of soda and you've created a rocket. Amazing. Here's the original post and the instructions.

Separation of Church and Brains

Not that I'm religious (I'm a big fan of Joseph Campbell's writings), but I do hope this notion takes root and prevents the faithful from ruining this country.

Bush to Mother Nature: "Bring it On Bitch!"

BUSH TO MOTHER EARTH: “BRING IT ON!”
by (Associated Press Internacionalé) Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2005 at 6:34 PM

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 - In the wake of devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Bush administration today announced a dramatic shift in the nation's security policy. “While our attention was focused on fighting evildoers,” said the president. “Our country was attacked by a new enemy, Mother Nature. But from now on America will be prepared,” said Bush. “To you Mother Nature, I say ‘Bring it on!'

Read the rest at neworleans.indymedia.org

San Jaun Islands -- Vacation

Intelligent Design has Met Its Match!

A group has proposed a new, equally-viable theory of creation using the lowered standards of what may qualify as "science" in Kansas .

Check out their web site for the full FSM theory and responses from the Kansans school board, scientists and others.

It's a funny read and statement of how truly sad this is for the country.

(kudos to Mr. Cohn for sending me the link to this site.)

New Evidence Explains How Noah Gathered All Those Animals!

Visit Landover Baptist's web site for amazing details on how Noah gathered animals from all over the globe before the flood.

Oh, and don't forget to explore their web site. There is much truth to be found there.

Will Reality Ever Intrude?

Our leadership braintrust asserts that the Iraq army is doing well! Of course this is exactly the opposite of news coming from Iraq and the opinions of our own military leaders in Iraq.

Don't our General's know that they're not supposed to tell the truth? How long before Karl Rove is in charge of all military communications?

Freakin' idiots.

Cooking an Egg . . . with your Cell Phone

Don't know if this is true, but I bet a few of you will be trying it this weekend.

Great Posters from Whitehouse.org!

Lazy "he said -- she said" media and the bastards at FOX "News" got you down? Check out this selection of posters.

No sex tonight. . .

Another story exaggerating the differences between men and women. What was the right answer here?

Chris Rock Makes Me Laugh

Chris Rock on "How not to get your ass kicked by the police." It's good advice for all of us.

Two Guys, a Zebra Suit and Lions

I don't know what else to say, just watch.

United We Stand

The "United We Stand" bumper stickers have begun to annoy me. "United We Stand" despite the evidence of lies? Despite the failed policies? This whole faith-based politics thing scares me. Just as proven physical evidence won't change a creationist's mind, fact and proven incompentence won't change the minds of the republican faithful. All we need now are a few good clerics and a bishop or three and we're back in the dark ages.

Dubya's Math Skills

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing.

He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed."

"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands.

Finally, the President looks up and asks, "Now, how many is a brazillion?"

Google knows Bush is a failure!

Go to Google.com and search for the term 'failure', or just click here. Google always gets it right.

More on this story.

Said in a recent meeting...

"I don't see how [name withheld] gets anything done with both hands so persistently and vigorously covering his ass."

Stupid Human Tricks #1

I bet you can't fit your head through that chair! Oh yeah?! Watch me do it!

Bush is Invincible

I wish it weren't true. I wish it weren't true. I wish it weren't true. I wish it weren't true. I wish it weren't true. . . The current FEMA director busted for misuse of government funds to help "Widiots" re-election odds in Florida....

Mercedes Fish-Inspired Car

Mercedes used the boxfish as inspiration for a new prototype vechicle. The car boasts an astoundingly low drag coefficient and a 84MPG rating. Read more.

Nature inspired industrial design.

Words of Wisdom

"Believing...that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."

-- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Danbury Baptists, 1802.

You'll find a summary of Thomas Jefferson's thoughts on religious freedom via the University of Virginia's Jefferson Library.

Biblical Law in the United States

The evangelical's continued attack on our judiciary, and the republican pandering to these anti-American idiots is why I'll never vote republican. Read Catherine Crier's recent article for details.

Kanye West, President Bush and TShirt Hell

The recent TShirt Hell newsletter had this opening quote:

"Kanye West said that President Bush doesn't care about black people. I think this was an incredibly insensitive statement. It was especially hurtful to the hundreds of millions of other people the President doesn't care about."
-- TShirt Hell Newsletter 09/15/2005.

Made me laugh, thought you might too.

Bush Suspends Wage Laws

That's right! President Bush has suspended the prevailing wage laws for those workers who's blood and sweat will ultimately rebuild the devastated areas in Louisiana and Alabama.

More than anything, this executive order shows the true colors of Mr. Bush and the Republican party. "There's profit opportunity in every disaster" seems to be their credo.

Instead of protecting the average citizen laborers and workers, Bush is protecting the giant corporations that will win the bids for the re-construction. The big corporations, their lobbyists and their shareholders will make out like bandits.

The actual workers of the south, who are trying to rebuild their lives and whose sweat and labor will rebuild the region are being told they don't matter. Mr. Bush is telling them: "We can't afford to pay you a fair wage -- we have to fund the tax cuts we gave to the richest 1% in this country. So screw you, work for less."

Do you think Bush will limit corporate profit-taking and price gouging from the billions in tax dollars that are going to get pumped into that region? The behavior of this administration and it's allies within Haliburton, Enron and Big Oil seem to suggest that there is a winfall of money headed to those major corporations and their shareholders.

Haliburton "lost" $8.8 billion servicing our troops in Iraq. Enron created a fake energy crisis that bankrupted their company while helping the Bush Administration get their (excuse me, Exxon's) energy policy passed. And while consumers are paying gas prices that are higher than ever, Big Oil is reporting record profits.

Hmmmm. These guys really have the U.S. citizen's best interest in mind don't they?

Our Arizona Vacation

A photo from inside Antelope Slot Canyon.

Bush Helps Tourism in New Orleans

Too funny not to post. Too close to the truth not to be sad.

Our Lt. Governor Feels a Sense of Privilege

Our new Lt. Governor, Becky Skillman, evidently doesn't feel a free car from General Motors is privilege enough.

A co-worker recently took this picture showing Ms. Skillman's Tahoe parked in a handicapped spot.



What kind of character does it take to break this law just to avoid walking a few extra feet on a sunny day? Evidently, Lt. Governor Betty Skillman feels that she should be able to break the law and inconvenience people with real handicaps. If she's willing to break little laws for her personal convenience does that make her more or less likely to break larger laws that could impact us all?

Bad judgement on trivial items shows a lack of respect for others and the law.

A little something for my geeky author friend

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It's time

I'm tired of the presidency being marketed to the people like it's some kind of consumer product. We've heard plenty of "new", "improved", "now with god-power", and other meaningless claims. Our government isn’t some kind of laundry detergent and it deserves more respect and reverence from those working within it.

It's time for the neocons to stand down – their ideology has proven to be disastrously wrong. They’ve miscalculated and created situations where American lives are being lost that needn’t be lost.

I kindly request that the next time the Secretary of Defense feels that he has erred so egregiously that he turns in his resignation (twice!), that President Bush accept it. Loyalty to incompetence is not a virtue.

It’s time to end the supply-side madness. Trickle down economics is failing to help the average American citizen and is creating debt that would worry even former president Reagan. Gee, isn’t that what happened last time we spent like crazy?

It's time for the administration to stop using religion to divide us. We’re not all born-again Christians. We’re not all Christians. We’re not all believers. It's time for the religious right in this country to stop claiming they're being victimized -- while they work night and day to end the separate of church and state that grants them the very freedom to speak as they do. They’re beginning to act like the American Taliban.

This country needs a moment of science, a moment of fact, and most desperately a clear accounting of this administrations actions.

Red Bull vs. Alcohol

I’ve taken to drinking Red Bull & Vodka’s lately – usually on those evenings when I’m a bit tired, and yet want to keep up with my drunken friends. I’ve even introduced the phrase “make it a double and bring me the can” into the local lexicon.

The Red Bull wakes you up, and the vodka makes you drunk. Thus the conflict -- the stimulants of Red Bull mix fighting the depressant effects of the alcohol in the Vodka’s alcohol. My body was host to this battle last Wednesday night.

Let’s cover the quantitative information first. I consumed approximately eight drinks. Judging from the size of the drinks I’d guess it was eight shots of vodka and six cans of Red Bull.

Now on to bodily battleground. When I got home (I didn’t drive) I was drunk enough to fall asleep nearly immediately. However, it turns out that my body can process alcohol much faster than it can process caffeine. Thus three hours after falling asleep I wake up in the full “wide-awake-and-wired” mode.

I get up and head downstairs and flip on the TV. Jules hears me, and wakes up as well. Now it’s 4:30 am and we’re both awake. “I, Robot” is just starting. We watch the movie, the sun rise, and each have a bowl of cereal before we start our day.

Brook Trout -- small, but still a fish...

Fishing Vacation

The Truth about Hillary

June 23, 2005

Ms. Marjorie Scardino
CEO
Pearson Plc.
80 Strand
London, WC2R 0RL
UK

Dear Marjorie,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the summer. I’m writing you today because as a Pearson employee and shareholder I’m concerned about the actions of Penguin’s Sentinel Press division.

I’m certain you’re aware of the incredibly bad press being generated by the reviews of Sentinel’s soon-to-be-released title The Truth about Hillary written by Edward Klein. If you are unaware of the growing storm, you can find the issues summarized at http://mediamatters.org.

The book features plenty of gay-baiting, homophobic innuendo and does its best to paint Hillary Clinton as a lesbian. Things kick off early in the book. On page 12 we’re treated to the following unsubstantiated rumors:

• Was it true they slept in separate beds?
• Were there any telltale signs on the presidential sheets that they ever had sex with each other?
• For that matter, did the Big Girl [Hillary Clinton] have any interest in sex with a man?
• Or, as was widely rumored, was she a lesbian?

Is Pearson really going to speculate on the bed sheets of a former president? Refer to a former First Lady as “Big Girl”? It gets worse.

The book also alleges that Chelsea Clinton is the result of former President Bill Clinton raping Hillary while they were on vacation. The author is already changing his story about this claim. Is Pearson really going to accuse a former president of raping his wife?

Penguin editor Will Weisser is quoted in the April 12 New York Post saying "he hoped that The Truth about Hillary would do to Clinton what the Swift Boat Veterans bestseller did to Kerry. That would be our fondest wish.”

Enough about the book, I’m certain you’ll investigate its contents for yourself.

My concern as a shareholder centers on this book’s possible tarnishing of the Pearson brand and especially our higher-education brands. How long before a group of professors or students begin asking the question “How can we trust Pearson’s textbooks if they’re willing to publish this kind of trash?” How many educational adoptions do we risk if student groups begin protesting the book?

As an employee, I’m embarrassed. Pearson has higher editorial standards than those exemplified by this book. This is about greed. The same editor ended his interview with the New York Post saying “We’re just trying to sell books.”

I hope we do the right thing and cancel the book. That truly would be brave, imaginative and decent.

So what's really going on in Iraq

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across an article from Patrick Buchanan titled "Is it an unwinnable 'Republican war'?"

In his article, Mr. Buchanan points out the confusing conflict of opinion concerning our progress there:

• Vice President Cheney dismisses the insurgency as in its "last throes."
• CIA Director Porter Goss says, "They're not quite in their last throes, but ... they're very close to it."
• Sen. Joe Biden says Goss should talk to "his intelligence people on the ground. They didn't suggest at all that it was near its last throes. Matter of fact, it's getting worse, not better."
• John McCain says we face "a long hard slog ... It's going to be at least a couple of more years."
  
• Sen. Chuck Hagel, a McCain backer in 2000, says: "Things aren't getting better. They're getting worse ... The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

Even the administration and its spin doctors on GOP-TV (FOX) can't agree on their story. Through it all, our president remains irresponsibly ignorant. When you make decisions based upon your gut, or upon faith, you risk the facts of the situation not matching up. That's what we have here.

Don't take my word for it. Check out the charts below that show US military deaths and injuries by month since we started the war. Does it look like things are getting better yet? You can keep track of the numbers at the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count web site.


US Soldier Deaths in Iraq


US Soldier Injuries in Iraq

This will make you laugh

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a guest weatherman on a local Hawaii television station. I wish he were on Indy's nightly news. Start laughing now.

Corporate America

They're like the fish in an evaporating African waterhole. Instead of looking to get out, they're all fighting to get to the deep part of the puddle. At least they'll die last...

Proof that if your rich enough, white enough, and have really good lawyers you'll never go to jail.

It's an easy statement to make. Of course it's completely uninformed opinion. I wasn't a juror, haven't bothered to read up on the case, and basically know nothing other than MJ has been accused before and that he's a bit eccentric.

Being uninformed will not stop the nation's media from complaining about our justice system and our "activist courts". It'll play in the conservative Christian community as "another pedophile" let loose by the courts. Rush Limbaugh will have a blast with this, one uninformed joke after another. But hey, since when have facts really informed public opinion.

Of course, if MJ was a creepy-looking dude with a mullet who lived in a trailer park, he'd be in jail now...

Another bumpersticker I'd like to see

Poopsicles!

Other uses possible:

1. Buddhist-friendly bug spray. Spray, and the toss them outside to thaw.
2. Emergency shot cooler. Fill your shot glass, then cool your beverage.
3. Wart remover. Spray the little guy down, and then wait until it falls off.

Other uses?

Even better, you can send some as an anonymous gift!

Sony Announces New Product for Elderly (parody)

Sony Corporation of America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Sony Corporation of America
Media Relations
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022.
Phone: 212-833-6800


Sony designs new line of products specifically for senior citizens.

New York, NY, May 27, 2005. Sony Corporation of America (SCA) and Fisher-Price (MAT) announce a new series of consumer electronic products specifically designed for the elderly.

The new “My Last™” series of products target elderly and mildly disabled consumers. Sony feels it can build upon the success of its “My First™” series of products which were designed for children ages three through six.

David Takahashi, Director of Product Research, noted that “The visual acuity, physical coordination, and memory functions of toddlers closely match those of the elderly, thus the designs are remarkably similar.”

My Last™ products feature bright colors, large control buttons, and a reduced set of features. “We found that the bright colors helped elderly citizens identify the products. The large control buttons make the products easier to use, and the reduced feature set is less likely to befuddle older citizens,” said Mr. Takahashi. He further noted that consumers can buy these products as gifts for the elderly without “having to repeatedly remind them of how to use the product.”

New products include My Last™ Cell Phone, My Last™ Answering Machine, My Last™ DVD Player, My Last™ Alarm Clock, and My Last™ Television Remote. All products will be available through retail outlets nationwide.

ABOUT SONY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., and a 50% interest in Sony BMG Music Entertainment, one of the largest recorded music companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $72 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, and it employs 162,000 people worldwide. Sony's consolidated sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 were $20.4 billion. For more information see www.sony.com

-END-

My next bumper sticker

What if 42 Midgets Fought a Lion?

Ever wonder who would win in a fight between 42 midgets who are all martial art experts and a single male Lion? Now we know for certain. (Thanks to Scott C. for pointing out this story)

"disconcerting" defined

The official definition.

My definition: "Sitting on a public toilet that is still warm from the last person."

I hate when that happens.

My favorite bumper sticker

Dear Senator Frist

Part of an ongoing dialog with Senator Bill Frist:


Office of Senator Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Frist,

Thank you for your e-mail response. I’ve printed it and attached it for your reference.

I find many of your assertion untrue. Republicans blocked many of President Clinton's nominees from ever getting out of committee to receive a vote.

You've had a 95% acceptance rate. I'd expect more dissent from within the Republican Party itself -- are you all really that alike? Is there no room in your party for independent thought?

The rule changes you seek now are things you would have never granted to a democratic administration. Why then would you expect them for yourself?

What I find most dangerous is your party's attack on the separation of powers, and your continued attacks on the judiciary. Compromise and checks and balances seem to be American philosophies you don’t embrace.

Your constituents wrap themselves in the flag and the crucifix, and yet they act in the most un-American an un-Christian ways. What about principles such as equality under the law? Judge not lest thee be judged. Love your enemy. Help the poor. Freedom of ANY religion.

What a disaster you bring upon this country when your party manipulates faith in the service of politics and power.

I doubt the religious right in your party will be happy merely to freely exercise their own religion. They won't be happy until they've forced that religion on public life in general.

What could I expect from a doctor who won't admit you can't catch AIDS from tears and from one who feels qualified to diagnose patients they've never examined?

Disgusted,


Brad

It's all going swell...

Things are getting better?

I haven't heard much lately about how the war is going. Are we winning? Holding even? Are fewer soldiers dying every day?

I figured I'd find out for myself. I downloaded the US soldier death statistics from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count site and graphed them in MS Excel. I then added a linear trend line (in red.)

I appears that things are getting worse at a rate that's outstripping the rising price of gasoline. Well. Now I know.

Peak Oil and Your Next Car

We all know the oil will run out sooner or later. Of course, it will likely run out here in the US last; we'll be able to beat up everyone else and take their oil to prolong our status as the earth's most gluttonous consumers.

But it will run out. Maybe sooner than you think. There are many scientists who think we've very nearly reached the peak of oil production and that the effects of even a modest shortfall of petrolium will have disasterous effects on our economy.

Rather than worry about when the oil will eventually run out, I've started thinking about how to create communities and a lifestyle that wouldn't depend upon oil. I've just started looking, and the notion of riding a bike to work intrigues me.

I know there are more serious issues caused by drop in oil production. One surprising issue is the food we eat. According to "EnergyBulletin.net" it takes 10 calories of fossil fuels to produce every 1 calorie of food eaten in the US. Seems we use a lot of petrochemicals in fertilizer, oil and gas in our farm equipment and even more in our distribution network. Guess there are penalties to be paid for moving away from smaller local farms to giant corporate farms.

Enough of that (I hate weeding and would be terrible at growing my own food). Lets get back to riding a bike to work. I was Googling around looking for the ulitmate commuter bicycle when I happended accross the Go-One -- a recumbant bike shaped like a suppository (nice analogy for when you're heading for work).

The bike is supposedly ultra-light, easy to pedal, and with a small electric assist would make it possible to get to and from work with minimal energy use and with maximum health benefits.

Would it fit on the Monon? The roads from my house to my office are dangerous enough when driving -- I don't think I could ride back and forth every day and not tempt death. So, in our oil-deprived future, I'd have to move closer to work. I figure I'd telecommute most of the time and only pedal in when I had meetings or required face-to-face meetings.

Of course, having the energy to pedal a bike requires food. Guess I should get used to weeding.

The Bicycles of My Youth

My bicycle-riding youth was spent in the Arlington Heights suburb of South Bend, Indiana. I remember riding two distinctly different types of bikes; the Schwinn Stingray early in my childhood, and then when I was older a 10-speed Schwinn.

The Stingray
I rode my Stingray from age 8 or 9, until I received my 10-speed around my 13th birthday. My travels with the Stingray were limited to my universe at the time -- those five or six streets that linked the neighborhood pool, swamp, a local baseball diamond and my friend's houses.

The Stingray was versatile. Baseball gloves could be hung from the handle bars. It would power up and down the hills and trails of the local swamp (now a protected wetland area). It was sturdy enough to fly over the variety of home made jumps we built from scraps of lumber and concrete blocks. My friends and I even tried to mimic Evel Knievel and jump over each other's bikes.

The Stingray has grown a slight cult following, with dozens of web sites dedicated to them. They've become popular enough that Schwinn has brought the Classic Stingray back after a 25 year hiatus.

The 10-Speed
My next bike reflected my desire to travel longer distances from home, and changing interests of a young teenager. Everyone had to have a 10-speed of some type with either the Schwinn Continental or the Schwinn Varsity being the most common.

The Varisty, in contrast to the Stingray, could no longer fly off jumps, and it was near useless on the muddy earth and loose sand of the local swamp. However it was very good at covering longer distances.

Covering longer distances was important. My universe was no longer limited to my home neighborhood. I had friends at school that lived in other neighborhoods, and there were girls in those neighborhoods.

Sports also made the 10-speed bikes a necessity. It was a six-mile round trip to baseball practice (according to MapQuest). A trip made nearly every day in the summer. There were lifeguard jobs at the pools in other neighborhoods.

My life had grown from one that existed inside a half-mile radius of my home, to one that roamed as far as my legs could take me (before I had to be home for dinner, or in for the night). The 10-speed was the best I could do short of a driver's license and a car.

What bike(s) did you ride? Where did they take you?

Bush's Judicial Nominees

President Bush has had 205 of 215 judicial nominees approved. Yet we've a tempest over those remaining ten nominees.

Who but ideologues would push for more than 95% approval? In a room of like-minded people I find it unlikely that you'd get 95% agreement on just about any complex topic -- especially in a political context.

Who but the Christian right could feel victimized and persecuted with a 95% victory rate?

My take? The republicans are using these 10 nominees as a way to keep the religious right fired up. The insinuations and claims that those who disagree with the President are somehow less Christian (never mind the American citizens of other faiths, right?) are especially insulting and dangerous.

Also dangerous are the attacks on the constitutional separation of powers. Republicans and their religious conservative supporters have labeled the judiciary "the last bastion of liberalism". I think the judiciary is acting like the last effective check in our system of supposed checks and balances.

The Pilgrims risked their admittedly Christian lives to come to this country in pursuit of religious freedom. However it's seldom noted that they were running from an officially "Christian" nation where politics and religion managed to sully each other into a mess. That's why our founders drew a line between the two.

Don't let well-meaning but misguided people blur that line.

Another Doggie Toy Dies

Do you think my head is too big for my body?

Infinite Cats

Imagine taking a picture of your cat and then taking a picture of another cat looking at the picture of the first cat. Repeat. Repeat again and again and again until you get bored. You've just imagined the infinite cat project.

Make a song better by changing a word or two

Some songs just shouldn't be heard again. A song that comes to mind is Kool and the Gang's "Celebration". This song has become a tragic cliche. It's over-played at weddings, birthdays and cheesey bars accross the country.

I've found that you can change two words in the song, and make it immeasurably better. Swap out these words and the song still makes perfect sense. Remember this small change and you could make a big splash at the next karaoke night in your neighborhood.

Here's the swap; change the words "celebrate" and "celebration" to "masturbate" and "masturbation" and you get a whole new song.

Sing along. Really, sing along wtih the lyrics below -- it'll make you laugh.

Yahoo! This is your masturbation
Yahoo! This is your masturbation

Masturbate good times, come on! (Let's masturbate)
Masturbate good times, come on! (Let's masturbate)

There's a party goin' on right here
A masturbation to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna masturbate and party with you

Come on now

Masturbation
Let's all masturbate and have a good time

Masturbation
We’re gonna masturbate and have a good time (yeah!)

It's time to come together
It's up to you, what's your pleasure
Everyone around the world
Come on!

Yahoo! It's a masturbation
Yahoo!

Masturbate good times, come on!
It's a masturbation
Masturbate good times, come on!
Let's masturbate

We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's masturbate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's masturbate, it's all right

Baby...

We're gonna have a good time tonight (Mas-ter-ba-tion)
Let's masturbate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight (Mas-ter-ba-tion)
Let's masturbate, it's all right

Yahoo!
Yahoo!

Masturbate good times, come on! (Let's masturbate)
Masturbate good times, come on!
It's a masturbation!

Masturbate good times, come on! (Let's masturbate)
Come on and masturbate, good times, tonight (Masturbate good times, come on!)

'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's masturbate (Masturbate good times, come on)
(Let's masturbate)

If you're not comfortable with this swap, the same swap can be performed with fornicate. You can do this with many songs -- "Strangers in the night" becomes "Strangers in a fight" -- you get the idea.

Figure out when your number is up!

Wonder how old you'll be when you die? If you're curious, use this helpful tool to find the exact day and second of your death.

The site says I'm not going to die until Friday, May 16, 2036.

Knowing when you'll die is one of the main plot lines in the movie Big Fish. As a child, the character Edward Bloom looks into the eye of a witch and learns how he dies. Knowing this frees Edward from fear. He attacks situations and takes risks knowing "this isn't how I die".

It's an interesting concept. Would you choose to know the date of your death? Would it free you to live more fully or take more risks?

I'm not certain I want to know the date of my death. Part of me thinks it shouldn't matter. Perhaps being reminded of your expiration date might force you to pack a little more experience into each day.

I think I'll tattoo "Best if used before: Friday, May 16, 2036" on my shoulder. Maybe I'll print it in mirror reverse, so it's easy for me to read.

An unusual estimate

Although this is clearly a theoretical estimate, it does have some loose relevance to my daily life.

Every day I'm in meetings with other humans who act and appear as responsible as your average 12-year old. After reading this, it has become an interesting mental exercise to imagine how many of them I could take if they truly were all 12-year-olds...

I estimate my number at eight and my brother's at roughly 20. What's your number?

Wrong Number Games

I’m home by myself and the phone rings:

Me: “Hello.”

Caller: “Uh yeah, is Amber there?”

Note: At this point I should point out that I don’t know anyone named Amber. Never have. But I was annoyed at having to get off the couch in the middle of ‘Speed Racer’ just as Racer X was about to save Speed’s life, so I decided to play along.

Me: “Yeah, Amber’s here.”

Caller: “Let me talk to her.”

Me: “Who can I tell her is calling?”

Caller: “Who the hell are you? Put Amber on the phone!”

Me: “She can’t come to the phone right now. She’s not dressed. Who are you?”

Caller: “Not dressed?! I’m Amber’s boyfriend! Put her on the phone!”

Me: “Boyfriend? Dude, your loss -- she’s definitely not your girlfriend now.”

Caller: “What! Put her on the phone!”

Me: “Nah, I don’t think so. It’s been a nice day and I don’t want to ruin it.”

Caller: silence

Me: “Just kidding dude. You called a wrong number. I don’t know anyone named Amber.

Caller: "Asshole.”

Me: "Some days, yeah. Dial the right number next time.” Click.

New Survivor Rules

The current Survivor model tends to punish the stronger players as the weaker ones vote them out as “threats”. Too, it allows people who can’t contribute meaningfully to the task of survival to ride the coat tails of those who can.

I’d like to see the program focus on really finding the best “survivor”. I’ve added some twists and turns along the way to keep it interesting, and have made it difficult for alliances to last – especially alliances of weaker people.

Rounds 1 -- 4 (Start with 20 players)

The contestants show up on location and head immediately to the first reward challenge.

• Reward Challenges – top 4 finishers get reward (off-site food / adventure / fire / fishing spear, whatever).
• Immunity Challenges – last place finisher is automatically gone.

Round 5 (16 players)

We split into two teams of eight here. Here’s how it goes:

• Reward Challenge: Top two finishers get to choose first member of their team. As each member is chosen, they then choose the next member of the team.
• Immunity challenge: challenges are still individual-oriented. Timed relays, puzzles, strength challenges, etc. The team score is the total of all individual scores. Both teams must vote off one of the three worst performing individuals from their team.
• Round five twist: Capture the flag is introduced. Each team must hang a flag in clear view at their camp. If a member of the opposing team can steal the other team’s flag without being caught (caught meaning having their name called out correctly), then that team member can choose to steal something from the other team (tools, tarps, spear, or spot on reward.)

Round 6 (14 players)

• Reward challenge: Winning team gets full team reward.
• Capture the flag in play.
• Immunity challenge: challenges are still individual-oriented. Timed relays, puzzles, strength challenges, etc. The team score is the total of all individual scores. Both teams must vote off one of the three worst performing individuals from their team.

Round 7 (12 players)

• Reward challenge: Winning team gets full team reward.
• Capture the flag in play.
• Immunity challenge: challenges are still individual-oriented. Timed relays, puzzles, strength challenges, tug-of-war, etc. The team score is the total of all individual scores. Both teams must vote off one of the three worst performing individuals from their team.

Round 8 (10 players)

• Reward challenge: Back to individual challenge. Top five finishers get to pick their new team mate – we’re going to five two-person teams. Each team must gather their own food / water and rebuild shelters.
• Capture the flag ends.
• Immunity challenge: The losing team goes home.

Round 9 (8 players)

• Reward challenge: Winning team gets full team reward OR they can force two teams to swap a team member – AFTER they hear what the upcoming immunity challenge will be (e.g. memory game, strength contest, speed, puzzle, obstacle course)
• Immunity challenge: The losing team goes home.

Round 10 (six players)

• Reward challenge: Winning team gets full team reward OR they can force two teams to swap a team member – AFTER they hear what the upcoming immunity challenge will involve.
• Immunity challenge: The losing team goes home.

Teams are now split up into four one-person teams. Teams are allowed to cooperate if they so wish. If there’s only one person left who can fish – then it’s possible only that person will eat…

Round 11 (four players)

• Reward challenge: Winner shares reward with two other people of their choice. Someone gets left out.
• Immunity challenge: heads up contest, loser goes home.

Round 12 (three players)

• Reward challenge: Winner gets to share reward with one other person of their choice. Someone gets left out.
• Immunity challenge: heads up contest, loser goes home.

Round 13 (two players)

These are our finalists. They compete in one last mega-challenge. This is for pride and to demonstrate to the jury that they’ve managed to move themselves away from just surviving to actually thriving. Imagine a final challenge that mixes brains, speed, brawn, skill, memory, etc.

Letter to Richard Lugar concerning Tom Delay

Below is a copy of a letter I sent to Senator Lugar concerning the expanding scandals involving Tom Delay. Note that I wrote the letter from the point of view of a leftist Republican -- rather than the independant I am...

Dear Senator Lugar,

Republicans in Congress should remove Tom Delay as Majority Leader because of his repeated and flagrant ethical misconduct. I'm counting on you to help.

Delay’s record doesn’t suggest a single case of bad judgment. Rather, he’s repeatedly tainted his party and what it means to be an American:

• Paid family members more than $500,000 out of campaign contributions
• Promised a role in drafting legislation to a corporate donor
• Tried to coerce a Congressman for a vote on Medicare
• Diverted funds from a children's charity for celebrations at the Republican convention
• Stacked the House Ethics committee by purging members who had rebuked him and replacing them with representatives who have contributed to his legal defense fund
• Accepted trips from gambling corporations and later helped kill legislation they opposed
• Accepted trips from the lobbyist for a foreign government in violation of House rules
• Sought a rule change that would have no longer "required leaders to step aside temporarily if indicted"

Every day Mr. Delay is in a position of leadership, he makes a mockery of the moral bedrock of the Republican Party.

I'm afraid we've allowed the Republican Party to devolve into what we most loathe: a free-spending, fiscally-irresponsible party that now relies on divisive social issues to rally our base.

When we're done demonizing gays, trial lawyers, and squelching any remaining dissent, all that will be left is a legacy of record deficit spending, un-American attacks on constitutional separation of powers, and an over-reliance on religious intolerance.

President Reagan famously quoted "I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me." I feel like the same thing is happening to too many people within the Republican Party. We're abandoning the core of the Republican Party the same way the Democratic Party left its core before Reagan took office.

It's time for some spine, for some honest self assessment. Do the right thing. Fire Tom Delay.

The Passion of God

God. The creator of time and space. The creator of light and matter and millions upon millions of universes. The creator of all things living and not living. God, the perfect, unerring, infallible, omniscient and all-present.

God created man and woman. And then He didn’t like His creation. He was disappointed with His own imperfect creation. In order to forgive his imperfect creation, He decided His only option was to create His Son, part of God Himself, as a human.

Then He required the torture and death of His Son to forgive His own creation.

Makes sense to me.

Office Hygiene MacGyver

Today I rush out of the house to the office. Around 11:00am I start smelling like Chicken Noodle soup and Fritos. Damn, I forgot to apply deodorant this morning. I’ve meetings all day and can’t hide. What to do?

I head to my office’s first aid kit. I opened the cabinet and grabbed a couple of antiseptic swab packets (isopropyl alcohol) and packet of anti-bacterial ointment.

I head to the bathroom, close the stall door and wipe my pits down with the antiseptic packets. That’ll kill all the chicken-soup-smelling bacteria that are present. Next I take a small amount of the ointment and rub it in to each arm pit – hoping that it will prevent any future stink.

The result? It worked great! I was odor-free all day. It even worked through my workout later that evening. You now have a solution if you ever forget your deodorant.

Vocabulary Challenges

One of my managers is describing the way they diffuse tension in confrontational situations:

“I’ve found that a little self-defecating humor can be effective at relieving the tension.”

Since we’re all there with laptops and all using an IM client, we’re sending messages back and forth. “Do you think he really meant “self-defecating?” “Didn’t he mean ‘self-deprecating’?”

We debated explaining the difference between “self-defecating” and “self-deprecating”, but decided it’s better to increase the odds that he’ll repeat it some day.

Unfortunate Branding

Or better yet: "Why would you shop at a store called 'Target' -- especially when Target uses a big red bullseye as its logo?"

Since 9/11/2001, fear of another attack has been used as fuel for cynical political agendas, greedy corporate profits and Orwellian domestic policies -- all things we'll regret long after the fear has subsided or more likley moved on to a new and better enemy.

Fear of terrorism, or the threat of terrorism, has been driven through our social lives on a nearly non-stop basis. I felt myseIf immune to this barrage, but now know I've been changed as well.

This realization hit home as I walked toward the entrance of my local Target store. Looking up at the big red logo, and the name of the store I thought "How crazy to name a store 'Target' -- especially now and most especially with that logo.

Perhaps Target isn't a target. But you know they wish they had a different name.

God Bless President Bush and Our Troops!

God Bless our President:

• Bless our President with the ability to tell right from wrong.
• Bless our President with another 100 I.Q. points.
• Bless our President with curiosity and the diligence to be fully informed with facts before making decisions.
• Bless our President with the courage to admit his mistakes.

God Bless our Troops:

• Bless our troops with a president who will only send them into harm's way fully equipped and with a realistic plan of action.
• Bless our troops with a President more concerned with their lives than with "mission accomplished" posters and photo ops on air craft carriers.
• Bless our troops with a Secretary of Defense who has actually seen a man die in combat, and not some neo-con chicken-hawk like Rumsfeld.
• Bless our troops with an administration that understands the complexities of the world and that doesn't make decisions based upon greed.
• Bless our troops with honest suppliers, unlike Haliburton who has been convicted three times of ripping off the government.

God Bless Us All:

• Bless the world with a better US leader in 2008.

Firefox Browser Speed / Feature Hacks

I've recently switched to Firefox and really like it as an alternative to IE.

There is a great tip on speeding up Firefox within Informit's security blog, and a full article of simple hacks from the same site. The tips on speeding up Firefox work especially well.