Couldn't Believe this Headline.
Thousands of primary pupils were prevented from making Father's Day cards at school for fear of embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians.
Read more here.
June 24, 2008
June 10, 2008
Religulous.
Why do I think this documentary will get more favorable reviews than Expelled?
June 03, 2008
Our Favorite Colony.
I've seen several stories over the past weeks that make me wonder how much longer Europe can persist in its current form. Here are four from England that made me shake my head:
- An English teen was told to remove the English flag he had spread out in the back of his car because it could be considered racist toward immigrants or risk a 30 pound fine. And yes, he was driving in England.
- A woman with a 2-foot high swimming pool was told by local health and safety officers that she needed to get a lifeguard or purchase special insurance.
- A man wearing an Optimus Prime <a Transformers robot> t-shirt was refused access to a flight at Heathrow until he agreed to change the shirt. Apparently the picture of the robot's arm/gun was deemed too much of a threat to the flight.
- And finally, two American Christians were threatened with arrest on the charge of a "hate crime" for passing out leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of England.
March 05, 2008
Laugh of the Day.
My brother forwarded me a link that had me snickering this morning. Apparently an Israeli researcher has determined the children of Israel were baked/high/stoned/etc. when they thought they were having a religious experience at the base of Mt. Sinai. Hot dog, I guess that means I can throw out those pesky commandments.
Meanwhile, I'm just about finished packing for my two-week sojourn in Espana. A friend reminded me the rain in Spain falls gently on the plain, so I have dutifully packed a waterproof jacket. ;)
January 23, 2008
Space Cowboy.
Act now to reserve your seat on the Virgin Galactic spacecraft. Flights are scheduled to start in about a year for the bargain price of 100,000 pounds...which is something like $162 grand American <or $1350 a minute, if you'd like to do some comparison shopping>. My favorite portion of the article I read was the comment section where "David" from "Alpha Centauri" wrote:
When will the price come down? Will welfare clients be discriminated against because of the cost. If you want to keep inner city high schools from dropping out, would free flights for them help lower the drop put rate?
That comment reminded me of an article I saw earlier today, linked off of Drudge, where I was informed that high school students in Georgia are going to be paid $8/hr to study in an afterschool test program, determining whether students do better with monetary incentives. The comment section on this article was also humorous, but I won't bother quoting any of it.
January 07, 2008
Monday Musings.
"A 10-year-old Mexican boy glued his hand to his bed to avoid going back to school..."
Now that's one I never thought of when bemoaning the end of Christmas break! ;)
Today was a bit odd. About seven years ago I left my job as an administration clerk on the first floor and began my career as an instructional designer in another department. A couple years after that I took a higher paying job on the 5th floor. Then I moved to Boise and worked virtually for a year and a half before being reorganized out of a job. A year of book touring, and then today -- owing to reorgs, moves and consolidations -- I was sitting back at my old desk on the first floor.
So weird to think how much life has changed since the last time I occupied that desk. I wasn't even a coffee drinker way back then! I didn't start that habit until my next job, which I considered professional enough to necessitate dropping my juvenile mountain-dew-for-breakfast preference. :p
As my regular readers know, I read a lot of news on worldnetdaily. One interesting article I'm going to spend some time on when I have it to spare is their retrospective on "The Most Ignored Stories of 2007." Scanning it, I discovered some stories that were familiar and some I'd never heard of. I imagine that was their point.
The other article I'd suggest reading is another in my ongoing non-official series: "That Couldn't Possibly Be America They're Talking About." Apparently an 11-year-old Colorado boy fell on his head while playing and his father, a paramedic during Vietnam, evaluated him and decided not to take him to the hospital.
Unfortunately, a neighbor had already called an ambulance and the paramedics, though agreeing there was no "significant impairment," still wanted to take him to the hospital. When the family refused, paramedics called the police. When the police said it was the family's decision, the paramedics called the sheriff. The next day social workers showed up demanding to see the boy. Later that afternoon a SWAT team showed up, punched a hole in the door, threw the family to the ground at gunpoint, handcuffed the father and took the boy to the hospital...where he was evaluated and immediately released.
Seriously? America?
October 30, 2007
Hard to Believe Zogby Poll.
"A majority of likely voters – 52% – would support a U.S. military strike to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, and 53% believe it is likely that the U.S. will be involved in a military strike against Iran before the next presidential election, a new Zogby America telephone poll shows."
Read more.
October 19, 2007
Big Charity.
I don't know if any of you have been following Rush Limbaugh's charity listing on eBay -- a letter chastising something he'd said <and he says they misinterpreted>, signed by 41 Senators on Senate Majority stationary. Anyway, I don't want to get into the politics of what caused the whole episode...but Rush has been auctioning the letter for charity and it has just sold for $2.1 million. Yes, that's million. I find this not only rather hysterical to mock the histrionics of some of our esteemed Senators, but a lovely way to raise charity dollars for a worthy cause.
In other news, the founder of Girls Gone Wild has compared himself to Jesus Christ because he thinks being "persecuted" for tax evasion is the same as the persecution Jesus went through. For those who don't know, Girls Gone Wild goes to events like spring break in Florida and films girls al fresca. Yeah, that sounds approximately the same...
October 14, 2007
Innoculating Against NASCAR.
I've been into Central District Health a couple times over the past several weeks updating my innoculations for a trip to Senegal. And not just the big cities of Senegal, but the ultra-rural parts. And not just a jaunt of touring, but being exposed to seven of the top ten worst diseases in the world as I work in medical clinics.
I'm not worried, I'm just explaining why the decision was made for our team to get quite a lot of innoculations we wouldn't normally receive for everyday life. Apparently Democratic staffers believe that NASCAR fans represent a similar risk -- they got similar innoculations before trekking to the wilds of North Carolina on a fact finding mission. Does anyone else find this as hysterical as I do? Read more.
September 28, 2007
A Good Laugh.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise is planning to build a bunker at his Colorado home to protect his family in the event of an intergalactic alien attack, according to new reports.
The Mission Impossible actor, who is a dedicated follower of Scientology, is reportedly fearful that deposed galactic ruler 'Xenu' is plotting an evil revenge attack on Earth.
Of course, reading further in the British article, I see they're quoting our premiere magazine of journalistic integrity...the Star...so I guess the report might not be strictly accurate. ;)
September 12, 2007
Overboard.
Remind me again, which country do we live in?
SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. – On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, students at one high school were not allowed to wear clothes with an American flag.Under a new school rule, students at Hobbton High School are not allowed to wear items with flags, from any country, including the United States.
August 31, 2007
All About Me.
From what I remember, the first week of school usually included some sort of "tell us about yourself" assignment. I gather that's still fairly common because last week my best friend had her speech students give an introduction of another student as their first activity. Again, as I recall, there wasn't much to it -- you didn't get a worse grade if you said you liked chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla, the point was just to share a bit about yourself.
Not so in a Pennsylvania kindergarten class. When a boy followed one of the teacher's suggestions and had his mother come in to read a story from his favorite book, officials stepped in. The book? You guessed it: the Bible. The teacher "suggested" the boy's mother read a book about Halloween and witches instead because merely reading a story from the Bible in response to a "getting to know you" assignment about what was important to the student was deemed proselytizing.
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when many states outlaw a teacher reading their personal Bible on their personal lunchbreak because that might offend someone.
August 08, 2007
On Feeling Old.
My recently graduated cousin just walked in the door with a pair of shoes he'd swiped from a vacant lot. He told me that shoes hanging on trees or wires meant drugs were available for purchase in the area. It's that kind of factoid that makes me feel out of touch and rapidly aging -- although I've never purchased drugs in my life, I used to at least know what things meant! ;)
Another item that made me feel old today was when my aunt told me about colleges going to co-ed rooms. I was hacked when I heard about co-ed dorms, then co-ed floors...but apparently students put up a stink about the fact that homosexuals were allowed to live with their lovers, but heteros could not. Therefore...co-ed rooms.
I didn't go to a school with pink and blue sidewalks, but we could only see how the other half lived when we had our once-a-semester open dorms. When someone like a maintenance man or our visiting father came into the dorm we had to get a special dispensation and yell "man on the floor" all the way down the hall. Co-ed rooms. Wow. That not only makes me feel old, but old-fashioned.
July 23, 2007
Little Dogs and Vacation.
"These little bitty dogs, they just don't really get credit."
So says Denise Long, owner of Zoey the 5-pound Chihuahua. Zoey recently jumped in front of a rattlesnake who was...what...lunging? striking? Anyway, the snake was about to get Denise's 1-year-old grandson and Zoey jumped in front and took the bite instead. And yes, I should include for all you animal lovers, Zoey did survive and is back to "prancing."
There's your good news story of the day. Meanwhile, I'm dashing around trying to get ready to leave for Reagan Airport in a couple hours. I'm headed home to Boise for my family's annual week on the lake. I'll have my computer as my one work goal is to put together a press kit, but other than that I hope to be spending hours upon hours lounging in the water with a good book. ;)
July 20, 2007
Three Parents & the Uber Rich.
Two quickies that caught my eye:
A Pennsylvania court has ruled that a child can have three legal parents. The case involved a lesbian couple and the friend who donated sperm for the two resulting children. When the couple broke up, the court was asked to intervene and all three adults were assigned financial responsibility. The weirdest thing to me -- the article had quite a few examples from around the world to cite when discussing the issue. <a nod to: mere orthodoxy via the postmodern conservative>
The Uber Rich are buying -- of all things -- submarines. The article I read mentions "fantasy and secrecy" as two of the reasons a small group of individuals have been plunking down multiple millions. What will they think of next?
July 19, 2007
Commitment-Phobic Society.
Since it's so easy to get a divorce these days, shouldn't your ill-advised I Love Whomever tattoo be just as easy to remove? I mean, come on, shouldn't there be a simpler way to sneak out of a lifetime commitment when you change your mind than undergoing multiple, painful laser sessions...
Enter the permanent - unless - you - decide - you - don't - want - it - to - be - permanent tattoo. My favorite quote from the article I read:
Having someone's name permanently etched into your flesh is considered by some to be the ultimate testament to a relationship. But wouldn't it be great to make that commitment without really making it ... forever?
Does that last sentence not perfectly sum up our society? Yes, I want to commit to xyz for life...but could I have an easy exit clause just in case?
July 05, 2007
Poor Fox.
Cheap shot of the day: John Cusack's celebrity playlist promoting a new movie. iTunes seems like a rather apolitical forum to me, but I guess John couldn't help himself:
"Devil's Playground" (Track 4): "I just heard these guys and love them. Also good for Fox news - which makes any room you're in seem more horrifying..."
June 26, 2007
Spam.
Some spam is just too priceless for words. What I'd like to know is who would fall for something like this, which I just received:
Hi,
How are you doing today? My name is James Adamati I live in London and work in a financial institution here in United Kingdom. There is a potential transaction relating to a dormant account of one of our deceased customers, which I would like us to handle the fund actualization together. Secondly, I hope to relocate and acquire a home for my family with a view to establishing over there. I will be needing your assistance and co-operation in this endeavor. Let me know if I can trust you with the above and more information will be sent to you as quickly as possible.For further details,please contact me through my private email-
Respectfully,
James Adamati
I know this is rather a lame post, but after sailing all day and then attending a rather ... interesting ... event this evening I'm too braindead to post anything better. I'll explain more tomorrow. :)
June 25, 2007
The Dry Cleaner is Victorious!
I don't know if you remember the story I linked to a month or so ago, where a lawyer sued a dry cleaner for something like 67 million dollars because his pants got lost... Turns out there's a judge left in our country who hasn't lost his marbles. The lawyer lost his case and has been ordered to pay court costs for the dry cleaner. Well done!
Worms are a new contender in the global warming blame-game. Apparently they "produce greenhouse gases 290 times more potent than carbon dioxide."
BetUS.com is laying 20-1 odds that someone will be trampled when the Apple iPhone is unveiled June 29th.
June 21, 2007
Interesting News Day.
I found quite a number of articles that interested me this morning, but I was ripping around trying to get out of dodge so I didn't have time to post them. Here's a quick look:
- For all the bloviating in the mainstream media that they don't have any bias, poll after poll seems to show that the average American doesn't believe them. MSNBC has an interesting article discussing a study they did regarding campaign donations among reporters which seems to lend further credence to the theory of a left-leading media.
- Two 14-year old girls were kicked off a public bus in Portland, OR for kissing. Each other. One of their mothers is considering a lawsuit.
- As if I wasn't sick enough of the Paris scandal, NBC is giving her $1M for a sit-down interview after her release. She'll only speak to Meredith Vieira because apparently Matt Lauer made "disparaging" remarks about her.
- A column out of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses the current energy bill under consideration in the Senate which some say looks to increase gas to $6/gallon by 2016. The bill also includes "$29 billion in new taxes on oil companies. The tax is to subsidize wind and solar power, hybrid vehicles and biofuel."
- A Knesset member in Israel has proposed "'rehabilitation centers' to suppress the sexual tendencies of gay people." This in the wake of some pretty hefty verbal jousting over a plan to stage a Gay Pride parade through the holy city of Jerusalem. Actually, I just checked Stacy's site and the parade apparently happened today.
June 07, 2007
What a Find!
Did anyone else know about Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas or am I the only one who missed that lesson in school? Apparently it's the only diamond-producing park in the world that's open to the public and you can take home anything you find. On average, two diamonds are found each day. Maybe I should make a little side trip and see if I can finance another month or two of the tour... ;)
The park came to my attention from this story about a teenager who found a 2.93-carat diamond on Tuesday.
June 06, 2007
Quote of the Day.
"Today no one is a virgin when they get married ... show me someone who's a virgin!"
So says supermodel Gisele Bundchen. She was referring to a recent visit by the Pope to Brazil, wherein he reiterated the Church's position against abortion, contraception and pre-marital sex. Umm, Gisele, maybe in your circle of supermodels and Hollywood elite that might be true, but I'm pretty sure I could round up a few folks on short notice to disprove your thesis.
June 05, 2007
Quote of the Day.
"I do not agree with the view that to be moral, the motive of one's actions has to be benefiting others. Morality does not have to be defined in relation to others. … People like me want to … satisfy our hearts to the full, and in doing so we automatically have the most valuable moral codes. Of course there are people and objects in the world, but they are all there only for me. … People like me only have a duty to ourselves; we have no duty to other people."
Can you identify the speaker of those words? Hint: he was responsible for the deaths of almost 100 million people and is about to get an image makeover from the folks in Hollywood -- perhaps owing to a similar narcissistic mindset. Click here for the answer.
June 04, 2007
Today's Special: Fish a la Sewage.
Another QuickLink wherein Jodi expresses gratitude for her lifelong loathing of fish:
China, the leading exporter of seafood to the U.S., is raising most of its fish products in water contaminated with raw sewage and compensating by using dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which are banned by the Food and Drug Administration.
May 26, 2007
Life's Short. Get a Divorce.
This morning's news round-up is full of all the odd news you can handle:
A billboard in Chicago containing a 'partially clothed man and woman' with the phrase 'Life's Short. Get a Divorce' was advertising...you guessed it...a law firm. So many complaints were raised that the billboard was torn down on a technicality. Read more.
I'm sorry to hear that the Japanese are beginning to fight the battle of the bulge, but, in keeping with their usual technological savvy, they've come up with a new approach. They can take a picture of everything they eat with their cell phone camera, then e-mail it to a nutritionist to get a detailed report. Read more.
Another reason to think of safety first: last week a delivery truck ran over a man's head but the bicycle helmet he was wearing managed to leave him with only a concussion and lingering headaches. Read more.
Finally, customers in rural Alaska are doing a lot of mail order shopping. They send in an order to Wal-Mart or Fred Meyer and the like, who package it up in a big box and then it's either mailed or flown hundreds of miles back to the teeny tiny town where the person lives. I thought it was a pretty innovative way for folks to avoid paying $5.35 for 18 eggs locally, but the reporter managed to point out that, as in every other town in America, the mom and pop stores can't compete with big bad Wal-Mart. Read more.
May 02, 2007
An Inconvenient Lawsuit.
I couldn't let this pass: a hotel in California is placing copies of Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth in their rooms instead of Gideon Bibles. That move, along with waterless urinals, is part of their attempt to be the first "green" hotel.
Similarly humorous: a Washington D.C. judge is suing a dry cleaner for $67 million. Apparently they didn't get his laundry done on time so he wasn't able to wear his favorite suit for his first day on the bench. He's suing for 10 years worth of weekend car rentals to take his pants elsewhere.
March 11, 2007
Division of Assets.
Divorce is never a funny issue, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud as I read this article about a German man who chainsawed his house in two and trucked off his half with a forklift.
"The man said he was just taking his due," said a police spokesman. "But I don't think his wife was too pleased."
Maybe this could be a new counseling method to incentivise (sp?) warring spouses into giving their marriage one more shot.