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Two quick slaps at the Astros for today:
Roger Clemens was more enthusiastic in his H.E.B. commercials than he was at the press conference today. Maybe they should have dangled a steak in front of the camera?
And what's the difference between Mike Gallo and Monica Lewinski?
I'm used to revisionist history when it comes to pro-palestinian, anti-zionist editorials in the Arab press. But this one has me confused:
A few days ago the Palestinian National Council commemorated the 85th anniversary of the Al-Nakba, the Zionist eviction of Arabs from Palestine, under the chairmanship of Saleem Al-Zaanoun in Amman, Jordan.Interestingly the Arab media failed to cover the event. In comparison the anniversary of the Holocaust, the Nazi persecution of European Jews in Europe, is celebrated worldwide with such solemnity that even the slightest suggestion of doubt about certain aspects of the Holocaust is portrayed as a crime against humanity. Noticeably countries that are considered to be responsible for the Holocaust have also paid huge sums of money to Jewish victims and the state of Israel.
This year the Palestinian Council's memorial meeting rightfully focused on the "right to return" of the six million Palestinian refugees, who have been condemned to languish in unhygienic refugee camps or wander around in the distant corners of the globe since 1948 for no fault of their own. The meeting also highlighted the crucial role played by Britain in allowing this enormous disaster to occur by paving the way for the founding of the state of Israel, a fact forgotten or unknown to the present generation.
Aside from the usual factual propaganda-based errors throughout the entire screed, I'm having a hard time finding 85 years between 1948 and now.
Maybe they're using the Islamic Calendar or something?
Okay, so I've named the phone Ziggy 3.
Ziggy was a Kyocera Smartphone
Ziggy 2 was a Kyocera slidey-phone
Ziggy 3 is an LG VX8900 TMB&W (Too Many Bells And Whistles)
Fifteen days to decide if I'm happy or not with it. Fifteen days to read up on the Treo 650 and maybe take that for a test ride.
I figured out how to record notes on it. Just need to figure out how to send them to the mini-SD card. Recording notes for possible podcast use is a big item for me.
Open the SD slot. No card. Oh, and had to go to Best Buy to get a mini-SD card. The adapter makes it fit in the printer's manycard reader.
Synced up a bunch of MP3s, figured out which folder to put them in. Thing doesn't appear to support subfolders. Well, that's nice. Also need to figure out how to qset up Windows Media Center to send stuff to the F: drive instead of assume there's a device there. Don't want to mess with Bluetooth or USB cable crap just yet.
Headphones... had to buy those, too. Wife suggested Bluetooth, but they didn't have Bluetooth stereo headsets and I really don't mind a wire now and then.
Hrm... how do I save video clips and photos to the card instead of the phone's onboard memory? Add that to the list of things to learn.
Recording a message on the old number. That plan actually runs out 6/30, not 5/30. Grrrrr. $175 to cancel, $50 to cut back the minutes on it to next to nothing and shut it off for a month.
I need to get the thing a vtext email address for the SMS... just a number will confuse people. And then figure out how the email sync works on it.
Ringtones. Must have ringtones. And Backgammon. Hrm... how do I play backgammon while playing MP3's... add that to the list.
By the way, the phone has a new number. If you need it, write me. If you don't need to, bite me.
These are the things you go through when you've got all the pieces parts out, covered your fingers with bandages after slicing them open on all the blister-wrap edges, and let the Jack Daniels settle your nerves for a few minutes. Verizon should include a mustard-packet thingy of Jack Daniels just for that purpose. Just tear, suck, and chill out.
(Via LGF)
Just when you think the Palestinians couldn't sink further into depravity, they pull this insane crap:
A group of Palestinian children were sent towards the Gaza Strip border fence holding toy guns on Thursday in order to test the vigilance of the soldiers on duty.From a distance, troops noticed four apparently armed Palestinians approaching the border north of the Kissufim crossing.
When the four were some 400 meters from the fence, the soldiers realized that they were children, who looked to be about 13 years of age, and that their guns were toys.
Notice the were sent bit there. These kids didn't do this insane crap on their own. They were told to do it by others. They were commanded to do it by others.
The most sick, depraved, and disgusting others imaginable, folks. Twenty-three chromosome pairs and thumbs aren't enough... these vile creatures have no souls sending out their offspring as being worth nothing more than cardboard cutouts in a firing range.
The next time you hear about "innocent children shot by Zionist occupation forces" in the news, just think to yourself about armed kids intentionally appearing without warning, sent to test the will of a soldier on patrol or guard duty who has to make an instant life-and-death decision for himself and his squad.
I'm sure Meryl will have something to say about this in a bit.
I missed the last one due to a raging headache, but Technology Bytes is having its June Geek Gathering Friday and I've got Ziggy 3 to show off so that true wireheads can mock my choice of phone and whip out their impressive devices.
Tomorrow they're hanging out Tropiocia at 2808 Milam, which is on my way home from work. All I need to do is dilly-dally for a bit on the way home or eat dinner in one of the nearby restaurants for a while.
Meatless in Houston pointed out an interesting option in the area:
Do yourself a favor and leave the office for lunch. Where to go? Oh, don't think I'd send you out without a destination, dear readers. Get thee to Cali Sandwich! Located at 3030 Travis, this wee Vietnamese deli is the best lunch place I've found in a long time. For just TWO DOLLARS you can get a foot-long French baguette stuffed with pickled carrots, onions, cilantro, cucumber, jalapenos, and some seriously tasty tofu. These bánh mì are a great way to eat well, eat cheap, and eat vegetarian. Cali also has fantastic vegetarian spring rolls with a peanut sauce that would make you slap your mama.
Hey, it's not quite a Blogger Meetup, but it seems that nobody's able to put one of those together without getting hit on the head with a rocking chair.
Maybe Houston Metroblogs might just take that role in the near future...
Oh, and I'll try to remember to pack a spare power strip...
The Corkscrew is equipped with an inviting mix of tables, chairs and sofas, but there are no electrical outlets for public use, so bring a fully charged battery.
Tropioca has all the outlets on the walls, hard to reach in the middle of the room.
First, tickle his chin...
Then, play with his paws...
That should get him in a fighty-bitey mood...
How to get him to stop biting and clawing is a mystery.
Apparently, the public now needs to be told there aren't any hurricanes out there.
Ten other things they can tell us aren't out there over and over:
10. Unbiased media sources
9. Democrats with any sort of long-range budget plan or Iraq strategy either
8. Arab allies
7. EU allies
6. H2H Bird Flu strain
5. Another celebrity couple having a baby
4. Practical renewable cheap energy alternatives in widespread use
3. Stable operating systems for computers
2. Reliable spam and spyware protection
1. Proof that cell phones cause cancer
But as soon as there's proof or these things happen, they'll be sure to be right on top of them.
I check the catcams... the garden gate camera is dark.
Garden gate camera apparently locked up.
I remotely connect to my desktop, fire up a browser, and hit the Reset button on the camera.
Thirty seconds later, the garden camera cycles and is back.
Life is good.
Who cares what I think about weird creatures found in caves in Israel? It's time for a new feature of TBIFOC called Ask The Cats!
Scientists have discovered crustaceans and scorpion-like invertebrates living in an underground cave that has been sealed off from the rest of the world for millions of years.Geologists from Jerusalem's Hebrew University made the discovery at a quarry near Ramla in central Israel after opening passages to a cave containing a lake and a unique ecosystem 100 metres below ground.
Biologists found white crustaceans resembling prawns and invertebrates similar to scorpions. The cave also contained bacteria that served as food.
"So far eight species were found in the cave, all of them unknown to science," biologist Hanan Dimantman said. "Every species examined had no eyes, so they lost their sight due to evolution. Apart from the scorpions, all are alive. The scorpions are dead but we are sure live scorpions are to be found under boulders."
What do you think about weird creatures found in caves in Israel?
 Piper: Why do people keep on seeking out new forms of life when they have already discovered the perfection of cats? |  Nardo: Hey. Wake up. You gotta open the back door. I think I know where a cave of a new species of lizards is. I'll bring a few back for you to catalog, okay? |
 Frisky: This is my cave. There are no scorpion-like invertebrates down here. Or mean old Nardos. |  Beezer: I'd come out of my blanket cave if you'll serve that lobster looking one with some drawn butter. |
does your cat think? |
I kinda like Fornos of Italy the last time we went there. Since I was in the area and it was close to Gina's end of the work day, I figured might as well head over there again.
So I walked from Verizon down the block and had a You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you all! Damn you all to hell! moment.
Empty. Gone. Kaput.
The sad part of it all is that the restaurant is just right across the freeway from Lakewood Church.
How in blazes do you fail with 20,000 Jesus freaks flooding the area at least once a week? Who's the marketing genius there?
Oh well. We hit Fuddruckers and I filled up on appetizers. Kinda distracted playing with Ziggy 3. Not even sure what I had.
The Astros have the day off.
Or in other words, Mike Gallo gets an extra day to pack his bags for Round Rock.
Sometimes, you tell someone to do something and they do it.
Other times, they whine and cry like they're in the bottom of a well and they think you're Ted Levine leering down at them and issuing commands. (Wasn't she some big fat girl?)
Guy's looking to control a database with phpMyadmin. Fine, that's turnkey within Plesk. Like falling off of a log, or plugging that creep the moment you hear a click. Just create the database and click on the WebAdmin icon.
Wheeeeeee! *thud*
Guy complains about it. Not sure what the complaint is about, I've read this message over and over, and I just don't see it. But he won't click on it to see the friendly "Welcome to phpMyAdmin."
There it is. Check it out. Click... just click...
Maybe this is an example of something in college I read about where crawling babies will freak out if they're put on a clear surface with a visual perspective of a cliff face under the clear surface, but as they get a bit older they test and figure out it's just a visual trick underneath the surface.
Grow up, baby. Just put one hand forward...pat around a bit... check it out...
NOW PUT THE FUCKING LOTION IN THE BASKET!
You're stalking criminals in Gotham City at night. What do you wear?
A) Dark clothing.
B) Bright clothing, or bright highlights in dark clothing.
"The customer's asking What model server is it?"
"What are they buying again?"
"A game server."
"Tell them... um... when was War Games?"
"I think it was 1980."
"Tell them it's a W.O.P.R. Model 1980."
This day is so over.
(Via Gizmodo)
Egad... strap some C-4 on to these guys and you've got the Palestinian Air Force.
Allahu Ackbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!
*BOOM*
Forgot to aim the camera at my chair again. So you won't see images like this today:
I had aimed it under the other iron chair to catch Piper being a snerky-cat...
She is way-pissed over the leather chair being gone. Not a huggy little burblekitty at all these days.
You can find more examples of Friday catblogging by searching a blog search engine such as Technorati for "catblogging."
You can also find a roundup of catblogging posts at The Friday Ark, located at The Modulator blog. Then, when the weekend is nearly over, head over to The Carnival of the Cats for more kitty goodness. There's also a Flikr Group called Furry Friday.
Add to that Weekend Catblogging at Eatstuff.
Anybody I miss?
Rick Perry is thinking with his hair again...
Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled plans on Thursday to place hundreds of surveillance cameras along the Rio Grande and stream the images to the Internet so computer users everywhere can help patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.Speaking to a gathering of sheriffs from border counties, Perry said virtual border patrollers spotting illegal immigrants would be able to call a toll-free phone number to report them to Texas authorities.
*shakes head* How much you want to bet that 1-800-WET-BACK hotline is outsourced to India?
I get the feeling that people atching the cams and dialing that 800 number will find the response similar to that of a crosswalk button in Manhattan? (HINT: Most have been disconnected, but left up on the posts to make people feel good.)
Simple Supply and Demand here, folks. Enforce the labor laws to provide a massive disincentive for employers to hire illegals and increase the risk of pain that illegals suffer when coming here, and the desire to come here illegally will be reduced.
Okay, so it's not working with the War On Drugs. Instead of demanding drugs on the streets, junkies demand drugs in the prisons. (Solution: provide the hardcore cases more so they overdose, reducing their individual demand to zero.)
There's got to be a solution somewhere that makes sure cam-watchers watch the cats instead of the Mexican border. (Maybe I should put up a wall or a fence between Nardo and the toys so he has to leap over it?)
I really ought to write up a list of Hosting Basics that anyone thinking of running their own server for reselling webhosting should know. If you can't get through these simple basics, try dogwalking or drive trucks for Haliburton.
Right off the top of my head:
Some of them are simple retard-level things, sure, but there's always at least one person who writes in asking the most rock-bottom basic question and getting angry that they don't know how.
When they ask such things, it's a really big red flag warning to let us know we're in for a rough ride. Although there's always the Special Golden Child that will write us after buying a system and saying "Now teach me everything and set it all up for me."
That's when you learn the Support Basics skillset:
Sort of like an "In Case Of Idiot, Break Glass" case I had a very long time ago. Bottle of beer inside the case. (But no opener)
(Via Michelle Malkin)
Anti-terrorist forces have raided a chemical weapons kitchen in London today...
As anti-terrorist officers wearing specialist protective clothing continue their search of the terraced house in Forest Gate they raided this morning, more details began to emerge from the hundred onlookers thronging the high street alongside Lansdown Road.Witnesses described to reporters at the scene the moment when at least 25 armed police officers smashed the front window of what is believed to be 46 Lansdown Road at dawn and brought out two men, who they claimed were brothers. The elder was wearing a bloodstained shirt and being supported by a police officer, while the younger man walked down in boxer shorts with his hands tied behind his back with cables.
One of the neighbours, Shlomo Rabinowitz, described how the officer then heaved the injured man off his shoulder and leant him up against the wall outside.
One man, who didn't want to be named, claimed he'd viewed footage filmed by his cousin, Aaron Glassman. He said the film showed the officers breaking a window and smashing down the front door. After the police had brought out and taken away the two brothers, the police then led out their parents and two sisters into waiting vans. Both parents also had cable ties around their wrists.
Miriam Silverman, a 21-year-old student, described how the two brothers had started to wear traditional dress and fretlocks recently. She told Guardian Unlimited, "There is nothing unusual about that but it did strike me that they had changed."
The crowd of onlookers, mainly young men of Jewish origin, reflecting the ethnic makeup of this suburb in east London, were mainly curious to watch the activity of the police and 50 or so reporters. Some, though, expressed some suspicion of the raid.
Moishe Mossberg, a 23-year-old road maintenance worker who lives across from the raided house and said he attended the same school as the injured man, described how he last saw him cleaning his motorbike last weekend. He said, "They were targeted because they were young Jewish brothers. It is traditional that in this country you cannot have war."
Ruth Kushner, a 24-year-old shop owner, said, "They won't find nothing. You need surveillance, you can't attack for no reason."
Ms Kushner described how both "brothers", who had become more observant after 9/11, worshipped at the synagogue just around the corner from Lansdown Road.
You know what's coming...
Teen shot at Southwest Houston apartment complex.
Seven year-old drowns in Southwest Houston apartment complex swimming pool.
Kids are dying by the... twos! Everybody panic! Your kid is in mortal danger! Eyyyyyyaaaarrrrrgghhh!
I'm waiting for someone to propose that Southwest Houston apartment complexes get child safety devices or push-down-and-turn safety measures mandated.
Twelve hours to go for the seventh 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge.
There are currently five entries for this week in my inbox.
We'll see if more arrive in the next twelve hours.
High Tech Texan is jumping on the hurricane bandwagon with tomorrow's show, featuring tips and suggestions for hurricane preparedness on the computer and tech side of things.
The one thing I learned from last year's near-miss with Rita was that a CRT is a pain in the ass to move around. Thank goodness my wife was kind enough to buy me the flat-panel for my... oh great. Now I'm going to look bad if I can't remember if it was for my birthday or Christmas.
Or maybe it was for Valentine's Day?
No. It was my birthday. I suppose I should thank her again for it... thank you! (NOTE TO SELF: Stop by Kroger's on way home, get flowers and portabello mushrooms for grilling.)
The fact that I am openly admitting this just goes to show how much my memory and judgement have degraded to this point. Pretty soon, I will be licking the pavement and grunting in nonsense patterns (not that it's much different from what I do when I play with Piper on the floor).
Oh, I learned something else from Rita - Hugh Hewitt can be a total dick.
Eric Berger the Science Guy at Chron.com now has a weekly podcast for hurricane coverage, musings, and whatnot. I'm hoping he adds "Rock you like a hurricane" by the Scoprions as theme music.
Hrm... I wonder if I can get that as a ringtone...
Okay, so I can't see the chair, but I can barely see Nardo over the edge of the table...
I think I'll swap the Orbit with the second 5000. We'll see if the second 5000 handles the lighted rocking chair as well as its skycam brother. And putting the Orbit facing my chair will allow me to correct mistakes in setting it up in the morning.
Pajamas Media High Command has requested that members link this interview of Bill Roggio who is currently in Afghanistan.
I'd pop it into Ziggy The Third to listen to on the way home, but the USB ports have once again been disabled within Linux here... hold on...
UPDATE:
But they still work in Windows. Which is how I uploaded the Photo of Ziggy III with his chip and the camera chip for comparison.
Didn't quite get it into Ziggy, though. Got to hit Cyberguys for a good thumb adapter for a Mini-SD card. Or perhaps I should go with a Bluetooth thumb?
The choices make the mind reel. Pretty soon, I'll be wanting Bluetooth pants.
*sigh* At least the fish still works in Linux.
This list by Jeff Passan compares the vastly overpaid players in baseball with the woefully underpaid ones.
Raggedy Andy Pettite is the only Astro on either list:
SP: Andy Pettitte, Houston Astros, $16.43 million - After a tremendous 2005 - for stretches, Pettitte was the National League's best pitcher - he has turned into a sieve for runs. Pettitte has allowed 35 extra-base hits - tied with Brad Radke and Jon Garland for the most in baseball.
I guess Passan left permanent DL residents off the list, because I think Jeff "Twenty Million Dollar Cripple" Bagwell would be close to the top of it, if not the absolute top.
It's one thing to be on the DL, but it's another to be on it in a way that sabotages any hopes of collecting on an expensive insurance policy covering that player.
The question "What would they do on a Palestinian Price Is Right" results in an odd tangent.
Hamas Terrormaster Ismail Haniyeh is feeling the heat:
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, seeking to offset growing unrest over the non-payment of salaries to government employees, said on Friday banks would begin making salary payments in the next day or two.Setting a date for the first time, Haniyeh said payments for those earning NIS 1,500 a month would begin on Saturday or Sunday, and downpayments of NIS 1,500 would be made to those with higher salaries in the same timeframe.
"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow the banks will begin paying the salaries and downpayments," Haniyeh told worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Gaza.
Uh huh. Right. When have we heard this before.
Sounds a lot like the Groucho Marx running everyone in circles in Room Service, hoping that the "backer" shows up to pay everyone off before his scheme collapses.
*bing* You are now free to totally blow your cover."
Ziggy 3, his 1GB mini-SD chip, and a 128MB Sony Memory Stick for my digital camera...
The mini-SD is less than half the size, less than half the thickness, and carries 8 times the crap of the Memory Stick. Same sticker price that the memory stick had 3 years ago.
I remember sliding 5 1/4" disks into an Apple II to begin the all-afternoon harvesting of Murphy's Ghosts. I remember going to a friend's house where he loaded cassettes into a player to load a TI-99 for the then-cool cool adventure game.
This fingernail-sized bit of plastic and metal holds a freaking gig. It takes an adapter to make it fit into a slot for the printer-hub.
Quite literally, I can stick it in my ear. (No photo necessary)
I know there's some old-timers that will bitch about stacks and stacks of punchcards. Loading them all day, one little error, and KAFOOM! There goes the satellite or the payroll run.
I mocked them before, but it is I who now wears the Dinosaur Pants.
Is this my "Punchcard Moment" ?
What was it that got you to wig out over storage capacity?
Who cares what I think about going to jail for putting a mouse in a burrito? It's time for a new feature of TBIFOC called Ask The Cats!
A man who stuffed a dead mouse into his Taco Bell burrito in a botched extortion attempt was sentenced Friday to 16 to 30 months in prison.Ryan Daniel Goff, 20, pleaded guilty last month to a felony count of attempted false pretenses between $1,000 and $20,000.
Sheriff's investigators said Goff complained to a restaurant employee in January that his burrito tasted "funny."
Goff reported finding the mouse to the local health department and Taco Bell's regional manager. According to court records, he allegedly told the manager: "It won't be a good day if the media finds out about this."
But investigators said his girlfriend told them he purchased frozen mice from a pet store and put one of them in his burrito.
What do you think about going to jail for putting a mouse in a burrito?
 Nardo: I want to sue him for getting a disgusting Taco Bell food product all over a perfectly good mousey! |  Piper: Of course it won't be a good day if the media found out about it. They'd waste their time trying to blame it on Bush. |
 Frisky: When people run for the border to get Taco Bell, will they be caught on Rick Perry's webcams? |  Dolce: I want my mousie burrito! And I want it now! They shouldn't toss this guy in jail, they should give him a cooking show on the Animal Planet channel! |
 Beezer: Love to eat them mousies; Mousies what I love to eat! Bite they little heads off, Nibble on they tiny feet. --B Kliban But in a Burrito? Never. |  Fuzz: I'd pay good money for a mouse burrito. If I had money. |
 KT: If someone puts mice in burritos, he shouldn't be sent to jail, he should be sent to the kitchen! More! More! More mice! | does your cat think? |
Tech in cubicle next to me keeps getting this Turkish creep in her chat sessions. The guy is constantly asking if she's married and if she wants to marry him.
Okay, so sometimes smalltalk can keep things from getting too boring, but come on, Turkboy. "Do you want your shit fixed or not?" comes to mind.
Methinks Turkboy needs to be fixed after his server gets fixed.
Someone asked which photo I used for Ziggy's wallpaper.
I have a few of Piper and Frisky in the memory, but I like this one the best.
Allegations of "war crimes" in Balad.
Defense Department investigates and calls bullshit.
Two words, folks: "Jenin Massacre."
Iraqis spent fourteen years keeping dead babies in freezers so they could haul them out for parades to denounce UN sanctions while their lord and master built palace after palace.
And you're going to believe them now?
Apparently Jalapeno Cheddar Bread isn't hot enough for some people.
Deskmerc mentions something about habanero cheddar cheese at Central Market.
Hrm... I've got habaneros growing...
I'm tempted to bake it, but there's no way in Hell I'd eat it.
An asshole stabs you in the back.
A cheap asshole stabs you in the back with a plastic knife.
A really cheap asshole asks to borrow your knife and then stabs you in the back with it.
A really cheap and lazy asshole tells you to stab yourself in the back with your own knife.
It's okay for an officer to find racy photos of a suspect on their cell phone and distribute them to his buddies, violating policies on how personal property and privacy are handled, but if you speak out against the department, you get shitcanned:
A Houston police officer who criticized the Police Department's pursuit policies in car chases was fired Friday.Chad Hoffman, Houston Police Officers' Union attorney, said officer Thomas Nixon received an 18-page letter of suspension outlining the reasons for his firing, which centered on his criticism of the department's pursuit policy.
"We knew that it was coming," Hoffman said. "We knew that the department intended to terminate him for those comments."
Houston Police Lt. Robert Manzo, department spokesman, confirmed the firing, but had no further details.
Nixon, an 11-year veteran of the force, publicly criticized the department's car chase policy after a Jan. 18 chase that ended in a head-on collision. Nixon said the department's policy wasn't tough enough. He said officers should have rammed the suspect's car before it became a threat to motorists.
"I don't think officers should be ramming vehicles ad hoc, what I feel is that officers need latitude to bring a chase to a stop," Nixon said Friday.
Chris Baker of KTRH has been a solid supporter of Nixon these past few months. I look forward to whatever Baker will set up in support of the officer.
I wonder if they'll need hpd.isfullofcrap.com or linkappleyard.isfullofcrap.com set up.
Once again, the Hamassholes in charge of the Palestinian Authority can't get their lies straight:
The Palestinian Authority's Hamas-led government will deposit one month's pay on Monday into the bank accounts of 40,000 low-paid civil servants who haven't received salaries since February, Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek said Saturday.Abdel Razek contradicted Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who said Friday that 40,000 government employees who receive up to 1,500 shekels ($330, €260) a month would received some of their overdue wages this weekend, and that the remaining 125,000 would receive advances.
The advances will be paid later, Abdel Razek told a news conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah, because the government doesn't have money to pay them now.
And just so you think there's a crisis, here's a kid with an empty milk container:
Never mind all the fucking guns everyone has...
Or brand new shirts for a thousand-strong group of thugs:
Here's a hint to achieving respect and dignity on the world stage, you pathetic bloodthirsty dirtbags: buy milk, not shirts and guns.
The seventh Weekly Challenge at the 100 Word Stories podcast is now available.
Even though the regulars are a bit busy with their lives and work schedules, we've got three rookies this week to keep things going.
Please take a few minutes to listen and cast your vote for your favorite.
(The topic for the next Weekly Challenge will be posted shortly.)
Well, I told Chuck fiveish or sixish, and it turned out to be sevenish.
Never was any good as telling timish.
After doing a tapioca ball fruit blended drink, I decided to try out my new magical cell phone's camera...
I've got a movie clip of Jay somewhere on the thing. I'll probably need two hands free and a map to find it.
Anyway, there was much geekery going on, Fighting Jay Lee and Evil Dwight have more.
(Via http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=20873)
Congratulations, Canada. French-speakers are no longer your biggest non-English speaking problem.
English organizations and companies are afraid to fly their own flag.
No need to take down the flag, England. Just remove the red cross.
Normally, you'd expect three to five minutes of vitriol and outrage to accompany your Sunday morning breakfast, but I went way over the line with my piece on Palestinians arming their kids with you guns and intentionally sending them towards Israeli soldiers to "test" their rules of engagement.
"I propose no less than exterminating every man, woman, child, and animal from the town of origin of those children. Any society that can think up such a thing needs to be torn down to the roots and scattered like dust. Any society that actually does such a thing needs to be eradicated from the face of the earth and the fields sown with salt so that no evil grows there again for all history. Put a concrete monument among the rotting bodies to warn the universe that a womb is not a weapons factory."
I'll be back next week when the image of a "leather-clad Rosie O'Donnel" washes out of my mind.
Terrorists are threatening banks if they don't honor the rubber checks offered up by Ismail Haniyeh of the Hamas Authority:
The armed wing of Hamas and three other groups have threatened Palestinian banks if they do not transfer salaries to civil servants, who remain unpaid since late February."The national banks were created to serve the interests of the Palestinian people. If their mission has changed and they become an instrument of the siege we will treat them as those who besiege the Palestinians," the statement signed by Hamas's Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades said Sunday.
The other signatories were the Popular Resistance Committees and two cells that operate under the umbrella of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
"It is not normal for some of our institutions to become instruments of coercion against our people and apply the policy of deprivation plotted by our enemies," said the text.
"We will not remain silent in face of those who starve our children," the joint statement added.
Never mind the fact that these people are waving very expensive guns in the faces of these bankers., refusing to ask why their masters gave them guns and nearly limitless training and ammunition instead of, say, food or the necessary tools to build a viable society.
How does one turn that toaster you get with a new account into a Qassam rocket, anyway?
The BlogHouston gathering has been rescheduled for this Wednesday, June 7th:
The blogHOUSTON gathering has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 7.We'll meet up for Happy Hour at Byzantio on West Gray, starting at 5 pm and going until we're tired.
Byzantio has various Greek snacks, coffee, adult beverages, and a decent selection of Ouzo *shudder*. They also have a great patio, and free wifi that they installed without the help of Mayor White and his technology director.
We'll be extra careful not to let any acts of garage terrorism take us out this time. :) Please drop by if you're a local blogger, commenter, reader, journalist, curmudgeon, and/or critic.
I have another gathering scheduled for that time on the west side of town, but that would require a little fancy-dancing with METRO to use the Danger Train and 2 to get there while relying on the 2 to send me further out to catch a 25 back.
But logistics aside, this is forcing me to make a decision on which group I would rather hang out with for the evening.
Do I choose:
or
There's always the possibility that I'll be so worn out from watching the Astros lose the day before, I'll just want to go home, curl up in the tub, and listen to Milo butcher the coverage so badly I might think they'd won one.
I have a simple motto: "Arbitrary decisions are left to arbitrary means." So I will flip a coin and decide the day of.
The latest Pundit Roundtable is up.
You might recognize a kittycat photo there.
Hell, Michigan is having a party on 6-6-6.
They're planning a hot time in Hell on Tuesday.The day bears the date of 6-6-06, or abbreviated as 666 -- a number that carries hellish significance.
And there's not a snowball's chance in Hell that the day will go unnoticed in the unincorporated hamlet 60 miles west of Detroit.
Nobody is more fired up than John Colone, the town's self-styled mayor and owner of a souvenir shop.
"I've got `666' T-shirts and mugs. I'm only ordering 666 (of the items) so once they're gone, that's it," said Colone, also known as Odum Plenty. "Everyone who comes will get a letter of authenticity saying you've celebrated June 6, 2006, in Hell."
Me, I'll be at Minutemaid Park, suffering with tens of thousands of The Damned: Astros fans.
Raggedy Andy can't win. Roy O can't even take the mound.
Well, there go the so-called aces of the squad. Tennis, anyone?
Only one Houston Astros pitcher didn't give up a hit today.
Let's hear it for Big Q!
Thank goodness the bullpen did a fine job of filling in for the recently-demoted Mike Gallo by blowing the lead several times.
Of course, Chris Burke managed to do his best to give the bullpen additional opportunities to blow the lead.
I wonder if Roger Clemens is regretting coming back to be "competitive."
You know that the Astros are hurting when announcers are saying the phrase "avoiding the sweep" a lot. That's a fine accomplishment to strive for... I hope Roger knows that he's coming back to a club that is taking the field every day to avoid the sweep.
Nardo brought two toys to us as we watched the Astros blow the game over and over today...
Okay, that's the robin. What about the green ducky?
I believe that this post sets the mark for blogger triumphalism.
Blogging will be light today because it's the First Monday Of The Month.
First Monday Of the Month is when we bloggers take a day to reflect on all our mistakes, errors, and outlandish predictions.
Then we go back through our acrhives and correct them so that we can point at them and say "See, we're so smart!"
That's the advantage over print media or broadcasted media which can be taped and archived. They can't change the past.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to alter all of my references to the Dallas Mavericks and call Mark Cuban a visionary instead of an egomaniacal, spendthrift blowhard.
Regular blogging will resume tomorrow.
The latest Caption Contest is up at The Dead Pool.
I love photos of the president when he's with strange women, don't you?
BlogHouston's sports podcast is back and it has a name!
If you're interested in Houston sports, give it a listen. It's better than most, if not all, local sports podcasts.
Instead of listening to NPR on the radio in the morning, now I can pick and choose the NPR shows I want to hear using Ziggy3 and their podcasts.
Stations and networks that do not free their audiences from the tyranny of the broadcast schedule to reach the content they provide will find their kingdoms eroding out from under them.
(The radio is still important for when I want to listen to Astros games, Chris Baker, or I forget to sync up Ziggy3.)
I've decided to try something new by starting Kitty Movie Monday.
Just as Friday is the day for Friday Catblogging and Sunday is Carnival of the Cats Day, every Monday I will post a Kitty Movie.
Today's Kitty Movie stars Nardo coming outside:
And, no, I will not shout SHOW US YOUR KITTIES!
Anyone wishing to participate in Kitty Movie Monday are welcome to post links to their Kitty Movies in the comments and, if they're up at YouTube, add them to the Kitty Movie Monday Youtube Group.
Okay, so every now and then, I want to clear out the images from the catcams. Maybe Piper's asleep in the chair or Nardo's in front of the gardencam or I turned off the catcams while leaving a hideous crotch-shot.
Fine. I shell in and rm w* to wipe out the webcam.jpg files.
Of course, all the web pages for the popups begin with w, too.
D'oh!
This is why I have them built as templates within Moveable Type. I can just Rebuild the "blog" I've jury-rigged into acting as the catcam site, and they're back.
My apologies to those who suffered from my idiotic blunder. I hope you didn't have to resort to alternative means of entertainment such as (gasp) television.
I've been thinking about this horrific case of mistaken identity where one girl died, the other was in a coma, and their families were told the wrong girl had died and lived.
For five weeks, he sat by her hospital bed, talked to her, held her hand.During those many hours together, Aryn Linenger said he never doubted that he was comforting his beloved girlfriend of three years, Laura VanRyn.
"I saw her hands, her feet, her complexion, and I can't believe that it wasn't her," Linenger said during a memorial service for her Sunday at Kentwood Community Church. "Even to this day, it's amazing to me that with all that time we spent together, that I just didn't know."
The only thing that could make this worse would be:
They would make for a really messed-up Movie Of The Week.
Hamas shoots up a television station.
Hamasshole gets blown up at his home.
Hamas fails to deposit the money necessary for Palestinian banks to cover the payments they've promised, banks threatened into honoring checks.
Civil war?
Sure, why not.