Things That Make Ya Go Hmmm

Love or Chemical Imbalance?




ROME (Reuters) - "Your heartbeat accelerates, you have butterflies in the stomach, you feel euphoric and a bit silly. It's all part of falling passionately in love -- and scientists now tell us the feeling won't last more than a year.

The powerful emotions that bowl over new lovers are triggered by a molecule known as nerve growth factor (NGF), according to Pavia University researchers.

The Italian scientists found far higher levels of NGF in the blood of 58 people who had recently fallen madly in love than in that of a group of singles and people in long-term relationships.

But after a year with the same lover, the quantity of the 'love molecule' in their blood had fallen to the same level as that of the other groups.

The Italian researchers, publishing their study in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, said it was not clear how falling in love triggers higher levels of NGF, but the molecule clearly has an important role in the "social chemistry" between people at the start of a relationship."


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Longer Needles Needed For Bigger Butts



CHICAGO (Reuters) - "Fatter rear ends are causing many drug injections to miss their mark, requiring longer needles to reach buttock muscle, researchers said on Monday.

Standard-sized needles failed to reach the buttock muscle in 23 out of 25 women whose rears were examined after what was supposed to be an intramuscular injection of a drug."


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I wonder why this article about the White House holiday decor (an 18-1/2 foot (5.6 meter) Fraser Fir from North Carolina, arrived at the president's residence on a horse-drawn wagon on Monday as the Marine Corps band played "O Christmas Tree") has been placed in the Reuters "Oddly Enough" section of the news?

How...odd.


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PANTS BY MC ESCHER from Bad Example.

"[Building on a post from The Man of GOP and the City, which you should read (it's short & mostly visual) to get the full effect.]

MoveOn.org has a new ad out, which includes a shot of "American troops stuck in Iraq".

Trouble is, they used a picture of British troops in the video, one of whom is wearing shorts (which are not part of the American uniform).

Normally I'd just say "buncha dumbasses" and ignore it, but as we all know, it's not the lie, it's the cover-up that'll bring you down."


Hmmm, indeed. Read more.

49Media?

What, exactly, is 49Media?

I don't really know, but I'm totally there.

Update: Aha! Here are some "Frequently Asked Questions", which I've not yet read. Anyone out there ever actually heard of 49Media?

Alas, I'm an Adorable Little Rodent, Once Again

Update: Either someone's being cute or wishes really do come true! Since posting this yesterday, I've become a Slithering Reptile.

SSSSSSsssssssssssssssss





It's ok. Really.

*sniff*

Nah, seriously. I don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, I'd have been happy to have remained a Slithering Reptile forevermore just so I could say "I'm a Slithering Snake...SSSSSSsssssssss" every time I looked at my side bar. I don't mind if the status goes up...just not exactly yaying when it goes down. Must maintain!

Anywho, while doing a google image search for a photo to celebrate my failure, *sniff* (haha j/k), I came across some amusing and/or unexpected images. The phrase adorable or even cute rodent produced not much so I changed it to cute mouse. Then I thought I'd do an image search for "sexy mouse" just to see what that produced. Scientifical purposes, blah, blah. Funny stuff there. Then I searched "mini-mouse" which finally resulted in an image of a truly Adorable Rodent. I'll post a couple from each search though, for scientifical purposes of course. *g*

Remember, be careful what you search for.



















And finally, an Adorable Little Rodent! Or at least as close to it as Google can get. ;)

Why, It's a Quiz

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog. And if someone doesn't like what you write, you really don't care! Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way. But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

See? This is why I call y'all my people! Because y'all totally get me, man.

Seriously, you could just post your grocery lists at this point and I'd not only continue to visit religiously I'd be all "Yay, peas and corn!" And mean it. ;)

Found at One Dumb Brit's.

Lunacy

In a move undoubtedly applauded by the Church of Scientology, Tom Cruise bought a sonogram machine for his pregnant fiance Katie Holmes so that they can constantly monitor the whereabouts of their unborn child. Rumor has it that the sonogram machine fits perfectly beside the E-meter which will be hooked to the child soon after birth to assist in his or her spiritual and ethical education, so that he or she may achieve a greater level of spiritual awareness and effectiveness in the physical world. Like this, this or maybe even this.


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TORONTO (Reuters)- "Canadian inmates can now get tattoos in prison parlors under a pilot program aimed at cutting down use of unclean needles and the spread of disease.

The Canadian government showed off its tattoo parlor program on Thursday at a prison in Bath, Ontario, where it is being tested."

The eventual costs of tatoo removal for prisoners who change their minds about such body modifications is unknown as the tatoo removal program (also likely to be at tax payer expense) has not yet been created.


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NAQOURA, Lebanon (Reuters) - "Israel returned on Friday the bodies of three Hizbollah guerrillas slain in a fierce border clash this week, a move aimed at easing tensions on the volatile Lebanese-Israeli border.

Three coffins carrying the bodies were wrapped in Hizbollah's yellow-and-green flags after the Red Cross handed them over to the Lebanese side at the frontier town of Naquora in south Lebanon.

A brass band played Lebanese and Hizbollah anthems as guerrillas saluted the dead fighters. Scores of people, including families of the men and Hizbollah officials, were at the border to receive the bodies.

"Death to America, death to Israel," they chanted."

I guess it's a good thing the generous gesture eased tension or they might have been flinging their explosive laden selves at Red Cross workers while chanting death threats.

Giving Thanks

All aspects of holiday festivities, from planning to cooking to execution of plans for my clan have been passed to me recently. After so many years of watching football with my dad and brother while my mother and grandma handled such things, I've now accepted all future holiday gathering responsibilities. My only assignment growing up was to instantly sing the commercial beer tune of whatever beer was named. Now this may be terrific entertainment for a proud papa but sure doesn't provide the needed skills in getting a decent meal on the table. I was 23 before I finally began to learn to cook but moved far away by 24 so never really got to wow everyone with my new skills until the last couple of years.

My dad says my being given holiday meal duty is just like buying a truck. You know darn well when you buy a truck that everyone and their brother will be calling you when they need something hauled so you have accepted this responsibility by purchasing the truck in the first place; I went and learned not only how to cook but how to prepare meals for large numbers and get it served up hot so I deserve my new title within our clan whether I like it or not. I like it just fine and I totally appreciate the na na na na na dances that my dear dad and brother perform for me as they pass through the kitchen on their way back to the football game. With yet another cold beer. They still haven't figured out why at least one spews all over them before they leave (mwahahaha).

This Thanksgiving my parents weren't able to make it. My dad's sister passed away after a long illness a few months ago and for the first time in many years all of his many brothers and sisters came together for her funeral. They decided at that time to try harder to come together more often under happier circumstances while they still can. They are spread out far and wide all over the U.S. so this was a really big deal for them all.

Travel wasn't an option for me because my grandma has a cough that I'm desperately hoping will not turn into bronchitis or pneumonia and my brother had already agreed to share his "father/son" time with his ex wife because it was also their son's 5th birthday so he couldn't travel this year either. We decided to just grow up and make the best of a smaller, shorter, holiday gathering. My dad's getting to visit with his brothers and sisters on this happy occasion was definitely something to be thankful for. My brother and his son's mother always treating one another with kindness and sharing nice is something to be thankful for as well.

All in all our Thanksgiving was good. My nephew always entertains with such lines as "My fadder finds me ambidguous" and "Daddy, you heavern, you know I gotta go church wif mommy n get my wewigion". All with the most pronounced southern accent that I've ever heard in my life. (Dorky random fact- There are at least 5 different southern dialects in NC alone, and that's just among whites.) Easter festivities were cut short last spring because the poor kid shoved a little unidentified something so far into his nose that he had to be rushed to the ER. Not laughing about that was tough going, my dad and I made a pact to not laugh at my brother over it all until later via telephone, after we found out for sure that the boy would be ok, though we were already pretty sure he was exaggerating the situation. He was and we surely did. Even his then 4 yr old son with something shoved up his nose thought his hysterical theatrics were amusing. My mom thinks the fact that we calmly discussed when we'd laugh while my brother was stressing out and staring up his son's nose with a flashlight was funnier than the whole "OMG, OMG will he die?!" scene. I'm torn, he almost cried.

Anyhow, Thanksgiving wasn't perfect but it was very good, lots to be thankful for. Nothing caught fire, nobody got anything stuck in their nose, and my parents are scheduled to stop by for desert today. I can live with that.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hooray for Turkey Day!

Turkey Song by Adam Sandler

That Wacky Hildabeast

Update I: It has been brought to my attention that the previous photo of Hillary Clinton has the subliminal symbol of Communism over it. I shall investigate immediately!

Update II: Ok, I'm done. I've concluded that "this was a technological malfunction" and not an issue of conservative photoshopper revenge at all.

I know, I know, I was heard bwahahahahaing while putting the quote on Hillary's image in photoshop but you see, I bwahaha all the time making that a non-issue. This is merely due to all of that coffee I drink.

And yes, I know I often show my bias by calling Hillary Clinton "The Hildabeast" but that proves nothing, even google knows who "The Hildabeast" is. Try googling a misspelling of that "pet name" and see google ask "Did you mean Hildabeast?" then click that to see that everyone else knows who "The Hildabeast" is as well. It's all out of love, really.

Anywho, back to my lame excuse, er...I mean the technological malfunction. My cat stepped on the keyboard, momentary glitch, yadda, yadda. I obviously regret that it happened and am working to ensure that this is not repeated.

Until some other liberal says something totally communist anyhow.

Bwhahahaha!

Quick, Look!

I'm a Marauding Marsupial!







The last time this happened it was so short-lived that I was unable to post about it before becoming an Adorable Rodent once again, so give me those celebratory yays...quickly!

Democrats- Desperate for Defeat -Summer Soldiers

Desperate for Defeat

By George Neumayr
Published 11/22/2005 12:09:47 AM

The foreign policy of the Democratic Party verges on deliberate defeatism: afraid of American "dominance" in the world, many Democrats would prefer that America tie wars than win them. Because they would like to see America put in its place -- this isn't an overstatement; just listen to the Democrats' constant complaints about America's lone "superpower" status -- their contribution to the war effort is defined by deep ambivalence. They don't necessarily want their country to lose, but they are not so sure if they want it to win either. They often define this ambivalence as "patriotism": we're henpecking and sapping American military morale for the country's own good, they'll say, lest it become too "arrogant."

As they did during the Cold War, the Democrats see their role in the war on terrorism as that of harsh, inflexible monitors of their own country. "Patriotism" thus translates into endless temporizing, moral equivalence, and a campaign to place suicidal limitations on their country's military leadership. All of this is accompanied by a gross lack of proportion and perspective and a dilettantish indifference to the consequences of a lost war.

Democrats will tell the military to fight with one arm tied behind its back from the comfortable spot of standing behind it. From this safe vantage point, they can offer up such fine sentiments as: although a "democracy must often fight with one hand tied behind its back, it nonetheless has the upper hand." (Al Gore, quoting someone else, used that line in a speech.) Democrats love this high-minded and windy talk, especially since someone else is doing the difficult work of preventing terrorists from cutting off their hands.

It is striking how black-and-white, how totally lacking in empathy, Democrats become when their own country's military soldiers, who are operating under very tricky circumstances, are under discussion. The Democrats' weakness for "situation ethics" suddenly disappears and they become know-it-alls on the moral particulars of military life. Certain acts are intrinsically wrong, they thunder, even as they argue in every other context that no such acts exist.

Read more.


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Summer Soldiers

By JOHN O'NEILL
November 21, 2005


Senator Kerry, supposedly defending Rep. John Murtha, said, "I won't stand for the Swift-Boating of Jack Murtha!" As one of the 254 members of Mr. Kerry's unit in Vietnam who belonged to Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth, I found Mr. Kerry's comments most ironic.

To us, Mr. Kerry's comments meant that no one should do to Mr. Murtha that which Mr. Kerry did to all of us and our fellow Vietnam veterans, living and dead. Mr. Kerry's disgraceful comments on many occasions in 1971 (while we were locked in combat), claiming falsely that we were "murdering" hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and committing rape and mayhem on a daily basis, are a part of the public record for which he has never apologized. This might be called "Kerrying" our soldiers.

Mr. Murtha's distinguished military record does not mean he is not wildly and completely wrong in his pullout proposal. Despite Mr. Murtha's effort to present himself as speaking for our troops, all serious data is to the contrary. Thus, for example, an Army Times poll of October 3, 2004, found Mr. Bush beating Mr. Kerry among active duty troops by 74% to 18%. Other polls were similar. While there are a few active duty or retired personnel like Mr. Murtha on the pullout side, they are not as numerous as, say, Yankee fans in Boston. It is abundantly clear that the vast majority of military personnel simply wish to be left alone by the Kerrys and other politicians to finish a job which they believe is nearly done and which they know the John Kerrys and Nancy Pelosis of Washington are totally incompetent to direct and even understand.

The Democratic Party (notwithstanding its cynical expressions of concern for the same troops it periodically seeks to label as engaged in widespread crime) is regarded with intense distrust by many active duty and retired military personnel. They have been Kerried once too often. It was once the majority party that stopped the Nazis, Fascists, and North Koreans and that in words of a far different Kennedy summoned us "to fight any battle" for freedom. Sadly, the party of Henry Jackson and Franklin Roosevelt has become the party of retreat - from the Iranian Hostage Crisis to the retreat from Mogadishu; to opposition to the 1991 Gulf War; to the failure to avenge the 1993 World Trade Center bombing or the USS Cole bombing or the murder of our own troops and embassy personnel around the world. Indeed, this past Thursday night, the nation watched the bizarre spectacle of a Democratic Party speaking in favor of immediate withdrawal but too afraid to even cast a vote recording for posterity these convictions. And the drift from American values to the party of Mr. Kerry and Michael Moore has been matched by its shrinking base. Recent polls, for example, show vastly lower approval ratings - in the low 20s - for Congressional Democrats than even the low rating of Mr. Bush. As for many veterans and military personnel, they remember well the politicians who voted to send us to war then "Kerried" us while we were locked in combat, dishonoring both our service and our dead.

Read more.

Poetry- Political Limerick

There once was the Party of much confusion
The resurgence of madness a foregone conclusion
The insanity is nothing new
Nor attempts to misconstrue
As Democrats continue to revel in delusion

Ok, so I was thinking that if I'm going to be uber-lazy, merely linking to others, I may as well do so in a somewhat entertaining fashion.

Be somewhat entertained! ;)

All Your Bias Are Belong To Us!

From NRO's Media Blog:

I spent my morning speaking to a group of marines who were interested in learning how to communicate their message more effectively to the public through the media. I spoke on a panel about new media, then I was on another panel discussing various aspects of media culture that made it difficult for marines to get good news stories to the public.

The Marines were a fantastic audience. They were engaged and inquisitive on every point, and they were also genuinely concerned about the mainstream media's preoccupation with negative news. They felt that it's not that the negative stories —like casualty reports — shouldn't be reported, but that we never hear what America is getting for this sacrifice. As one Marine put it, it's like if I spent $7.99 for a slice of pizza and the headlines the next day read, "Marine Out Eight Bucks!"

Of particular concern was the way the 2,000th casualty overshadowed the passage of Iraq's constitution, which happened on the same day. One marine just recently back from Iraq called the constitution "a major step toward us getting out of there," yet noted that the media coverage of the event had been astonishingly shallow. One fellow panelist, a former producer for CBS News, said that the 2,000th casualty was a very important story because it was important to know that these were our brothers and fathers that were sacrificing in Iraq. The room sort of exploded with hands in the air and marines arguing that the 2,000th casualty was a meaningless statistic and no different that the 1,999th or the first.

Read more.




From Strategy Page:

If Today's Media Reported the Battle of Midway

Midway Island Demolished. Yorktown, destroyer sunk.

Many US planes lost

June 7, 1942

The United States Navy suffered another blow in its attempt to stem the Japanese juggernaut ravaging the Pacific Ocean. Midway Island, perhaps the most vital U.S. outpost, was pummeled by Japanese Naval aviators. The defending U.S. forces, consisting primarily of antique Buffalo fighters, were competely wiped out while the Japanese attackers suffered few, if any, losses.
In a nearby naval confrontation, the Japanese successfully attacked the Yorktown which was later sunk by a Japanese submarine. A destroyer lashed to the Yorktown was also sunk.

American forces claim to have sunk four Japanese carriers and the cruiser Mogami but those claims were vehemently denied by the Emporer's spokeman.

The American carriers lost an entire squadron of torpedo planes when they failed to link up with fighter escorts. The dive bombers had fighter escort even though they weren't engaged by enemy fighters. The War Dept. refused to answer when asked why the fighters were assigned to the wrong attack groups. The Hornet lost a large number of planes when they couldn't locate the enemy task force. Despite this cavalcade of errors, Admirals Fletcher and Spruance have not been removed.

Read more.

You Know You Want It...

...and Radioactive Liberty's got it.

Carnival Of Comedy #29 Grim Milestones!

Go get some. ;)

From- A Soldier's Perspective

Fox News aired a story about the National Training Center and what we do here. It was a great story and really gives you an idea of what we’re doing to train soldiers going to Iraq. What you are going to see will impress you and give you cause to rejoice. We’re doing everything we can to keep soldiers alive and help them face any situation with which they may be faced.

Click here to watch it and here to check out one of the best blogs out there, if you haven't already.

Just One More Reason...

...to love all these guys.


We interrupt Senate GOP bashing to bring you this messsage from Afghanistan

by Hugh Hewitt

From the front lines:




What I really need is children's winter clothing...jackets, gloves and boots (boys and girls). The winters in Afghanistan are so incredibly brutal on the kids that are in the outlining areas. We want to try to help as many of the kids here as humanly possible. If you could buy these items and send them to my military address below, that would be the best way. The nights are already getting down into the thirtys and when the first rain and snow hits, it will be very difficult to reach some of the villages.

Thanks so much and God Bless You!


Alan



Alan-

MAJ DOUGLAS ALAN MCKEWAN
TF GUN DEVIL
TF 3-319th AFAR/CAT-A Team Leader
Kandahar, Afghanistan DSN 318-841-1207

Address:
MCKEWAN, DOUGLAS A.
TF 3-319 AFAR
APO, AE. 09355

douglas.mckewan@us.army.mil
douglas.mckewan@kaf.afgn.army.mil
douglas.mckewan@kaf.afgn.army.smil.mil
douglas.mckewan@us.army.smil.mil

How easy would it be to copy and paste this information, sending it to family and friends via email? How much easier to just click the mail tab below if you're particularly lazy (like me). Let's help them help the children, shall we? ;)

Promoting Good Mental Health

10 Sure Signs That Someone Has an Unhealthy Infatuation with John Kerry (is there any other kind?) and May Require an Intervention Reminiscent of the 2004 Presidential Elections

10. Still driving around with a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker.

9. Addressing Senator Kerry as “Mr. President” when they think nobody is listening.

8. Addressing Senator Kerry as “Mr. President” when they know others are listening.

7. Doing so makes them touch themself.

6. Write love songs about Senator Kerry.

5. Sing them.

4. In the shower.

3. Still telling others why Senator Kerry would be a better President than President Bush (mention the “medals” repeatedly of course).

2. Actually wasted precious “touch themself” time going to vote for Senator Kerry.

1. Brag to friends how many times they voted for Kerry (while touching themself).

Riddle Me This, Bloggers

My fortune from last night's fortune cookie still haunts. I'm usually pretty good at figuring these things out on my own (read: guessing) because I read so much about dream analysis, astrology, and lots of other stuff that makes no sense. This makes me really good at making stuff up to think it means all on my own.

Anyhow, the fortune in question is-

Confucius say: Lovers in triangle not on square.

This is very upsetting (ok, maybe just mind-niggling) because I thought I was the luv expert and I've got nothing here.

What could "Lovers in triangle not on square" possibly mean?

I await your insights with much anticipation. Also with fresh coffee and a stack of boring paperwork, just in case.

Hump Day!

Yay!

From BillOReilly.com-
Nov-14-2005
San Francisco and terrorism
A well-organized, well-funded effort to slime the Radio Factor has begun over comments made about the disgraceful vote in San Francisco that sought to prohibit military recruitment in public schools.
Listen to the full, unedited version of the segment in question from the November 8 program.

I like O'Reilly. I love the reactions he inspires in the left so he's worth his weight in gold for that talent. I don't always agree with everything he says but on this occasion I most definitely do.

I noticed that even a right-wing Alliance Member said that Bill should "apologize" for his comments just the other day. Can't recall exactly who because it would seem that I inadvertently closed the web page while screaming "You shut up!" or I'd link to a differing opinion just to be fair. Oh well.


From GOP.com-












It's about time, eh? Personally, I've no more patience or energy left to debate or explain unequivocal facts with mentally challenged people who will just get that blank look then continue to yell "Clinton was impeached for getting a blowjob!" and "Bush lied!" without even missing a beat. I feel that I've really grown as a person so now I just plunk them between the eyes and walk away.



The Democratic Underground Post Of The Day: BushCo At It Again In Kuwait from John Hawkins.

There be a wealth of humor over at DU. ;)

Yay! Voting is Fun!

OpinionJournal from The Wall Street Journal Editorial page has an interesting poll today. It amuses me.

"tedious little Citroens and Peugeots" Heh.

So go vote already!

Veterans Day B.S.

Update: There's more discussion on this topic over at AsMainGoes.com if anyone would like additional information or to voice support. The discussion includes some of those who were directly involved and witnessed the ordeal as well as concerned Waterville citizens.


From the Liberal AP-

Protesters Try to Remove Maine Peace Flags

Actually, this should read, "Veterans Try to Remove White "Surrender" Flags to Halt Desecration of Veterans' Graves

Fri Nov 11,10:24 AM ET



WATERVILLE, Maine - Protesters led by a veterans post tried to remove a flag display placed by peace activists at a veterans cemetery, and five were charged with criminal trespass.


The display remained intact Friday, Veterans Day, despite a threat by at least one of the protesters to return later to finish yanking up the flags.

The display of 2,000 white flags, meant to remember U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, was set up at Veterans Memorial Park cemetery Oct. 30 under a permit issued to Waterville Area Bridges for Peace and Justice.

Members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post complained, saying they wanted the flags removed before Veterans Day. The permit allows the flags to remain in place until the first snowfall.

On Thursday, about 10 people went to the cemetery and, under the glare of television camera lights, some began removing the flags as eight peace group members and sympathizers gathered nearby. Police moved in quickly to make the arrests.

Wayne Elkins, the VFW commander who led the protesters and was among those detained, said he had no problem with the peace group, as long as it stays out of the cemetery.

"They desecrated our veterans' grounds. If they want to protest, let them protest. We don't mind. But to desecrate hallowed ground is wrong," he said.

He and the four others were released on the condition that they stay away from the park until Sunday, police said.

The peace activists stayed out of the fracas.

"Obviously, I don't want to fight them for the flags," said Bill Lord, a Vietnam veteran. "Really, I think that the VFW and Bridges for Peace and Justice have a lot in common. I believe in peacefully working things out."

Veterans Day Links

From Military.com-






The Truths of Veterans Day

"I never thought much about the meaning of Veterans Day -- strange for someone who spent 26 years in the Army. But last year I got it: Memorial Day is to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and Veterans Day is to honor those who have to live with the sacrifices they made."


The President's 2005 Veterans Day Proclamation


Audio Message for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom Veterans from VA Secretary R. James Nicholson


From AmericaSupportsYou.mil-





The following e-cards are provided for you to send to veterans at no cost by the Paralyzed Veterans of America-

Doggy Bloggin'

I've always been a cat person. Five year old cocka-poo, Shadow, doesn't really count because she loves cats and thinks she is a cat. She's a great inside watchdog but doesn't really count as a dog at all, other than the whole barking at noises thing. Until moving about a year and a half ago I'd always lived in apartments or tiny houses on top of other tiny houses so never had the urge to own a "real" dog. The only reason I drove many miles under a tornado watch to become the proud owner of a cocka-poo was because I'd received a call about a fisherman who fished a tiny little cocka-poo from a sack in the lake which had been tossed over a bridge by a passing car. The man called the local vet who then called me because that's what people do when a cute little animal needs a home and lots of expensive care. Call the local sap!

After moving to the country I needed an outside watchdog for various reasons. I'd heard about a farmer who had a litter of Australian/German Shep mixed pups so off I went to purchase my very first "real" dog. I was a little nervous when warned to not get out of my vehicle until the owner gave the ok, due to the protective parents of potential puppy, but it all turned out fine. After washing their rabid drool from the windows, of course.

The puppy I chose looked very different than the rest and had a pink nose. The cute pink nose was the deciding factor so I brought him home and gave him a bath. He smelled so pretty. I worried a little about his eyes crossing every now and then and the stupid look he always seemed to have but chalked it up to his being only six weeks old. When I held him up for my mother to examine for the first time, she said "My God that's one stupid looking dog! What's wrong with its eyes?!" Like any proud mother I shrieked, "Shut up! There's nothing wrong with his eyes! He's just little and perfect and mine!" I named him Zeke because I wasn't very confident that he'd ever be able to recognize his own name without two very distinct consonants. He really did seem pretty stupid. But he was my dog and anyone who mentioned his stupidity could expect a verbal beating.

Somewhere along the way Zeke became the most intelligent animal I've ever encountered. When I ask him where any other person or pet was by name, he'd get up and go straight to them. That's just one example, I won't go on and on but let's just say that he turned out to be a very smart dog. More than that, he took his status of watchdog very seriously and grew on me in a way that no other pet ever has. I'm now a believer that dogs really are man's best friend.

Maybe he didn't turn out to be a very pretty smelling pet because I couldn't catch him to give him a bath very often at all, and when I did I couldn't hold him down long enough to do more than dump an entire bottle of doggy shampoo on myself. I never had to put him on a leash or a chain and he stayed right by my side through every walk, run, and bike ride I've taken in the past year. He was rabidly protective of me, but only if someone was in my personal space. He never left me to chase other dogs or people. Ok, so there was that one man on a crutch that he chased, we all make a mistake every now and then. The point is that it is rare to see a person, much less an animal, as loyal, smart and dedicated as Zeke.

He passed away this afternoon at only one year and three months old under mysterious circumstances. Last night there was a commotion in the woods surrounding my property and it took quite awhile to get him to come away from whatever that was. Even then, he refused to come into the house but sat on the porch, just doing what he did best....guarding. While Zeke was an extremely healthy dog and the cause of death is not immediately apparent, I've no idea what all the commotion was about or if that even led to his death, it is apparent that he will be missed for many years to come. :(

Cute photos-

First day home.

Growing up, eating the decorative bark there. *g*

Zeke's first snow, his reaction was comical.

I'm an "Official" Dork

Someone sent me a link to a Dork Quiz. No idea why really.


Anywho, the summary of my results-

Ding ding ding! We have a winner! You're a dork. You knew that. You know a lot of random stuff actually...You probably know what a male duck is called, and no, it's not a duck.

Oh don't be silly, everyone knows a male duck is a drake.

Ok, ok. I totally know that the name of the city Opa-locka, in Florida (the location of a recent PJ Max visitor according to site meter), is a contraction of the American Indian's name Opa-tisha-woka-locka. It means "dry place in the swamp with trees".

I've never visited, amazingly enough. Oo

If you think that's bad, today my mother gave me a eucalyptus tree for my front yard and and said, "You can eat that ya know."

What's worse that that? Other than actually trying to eat the tree, which I did not, that is...

Even when the Democrats win, they refuse to accept the results. Unless, of course, they win everything, then it's all good and not a moment before. But maybe that's more egotistical than dorky?

So, how about this?

Iran's Mehr "news" agency reports that Iranian "journalists" are calling on the French government to cooperate with them in establishing a fact-finding commission in order to investigate the conditions of French Muslims. The pro-mullah scribes blame the Joooos for the Muslims' violence-

"We suppose that the French government has carried out the recent discriminatory and anti-human rights acts under the influence of the Zionist lobby in France to limit the social and personal freedoms of the Muslims residing in the country, which is quite unacceptable on the part of a country that claims to be democratic," part of the statement read.

Ok, so maybe that's just moonbattery. Iranian style.

Oh well. Guess I'll just have to rely on your comments for some dorky examples! ;)

Random Grandma Quote Turned Story

Since my grandma had to go to the doctor for a flu shot today, and apparently this is a very exciting event at 83, inspiring one to still be up at 2am in the morning showing yours truly different outfits that one may or may not wear to the exciting event even while exclaiming how much one dreads it as I lay in bed mumbling "loosh good, loosh good" with one eye half open, I have absolutely no idea what to post today...except...A Random Grandma Quote Turned Story!

Grandma on relationships-

Men are bossy, there's just no getting around it. That's the way God made them and they're never going to change. There's just no use in arguing with them and it's not right to do so either. You just smile and nod. Then do what you want as soon as they go on. That's how I always handled your grandpa.

Like that time he told me I couldn't cut my hair. About 3 years after I told him I wanted to and he said no, I just went right on ahead and did it. I had hair down to my butt and it was thick and heavy like Indian women. You know my daddy was more than half Indian. He had dark skin, a shock of thick black hair and steel blue/gray eyes. Everyone says I look just like him. Your grandpa always said I had the meanest eyes he ever saw. Anyhow, I don't know if what they say about Indians not being able to handle liquor is true or not but he sure couldn't drink much. Not that I ever saw him drinking, mind you. That's just what I heard. He did keep some moonshine hidden under the house though. It was the nastiest stuff I ever tasted in my life. Me and my sister used to steal a little and then fall down laughing in the field until it wore off.

All my boys look lots like my daddy, you know, I had 7 kids. Kids sure aren't responsible like they used to be when I was growing up. Of all my kids I don't have a favorite even though everyone says my son, who's in the Air Force, is my favorite. He's such a good boy, he reminds me most of my daddy. My daddy was a bossy man but he didn't get too much over on my mom. He worked hard and didn't get drunk and come home being silly like some men do. He only drank occasionally while out with friends and never came home after because my mom told him she'd kill him if he did. He didn't like to be away from her for very long, could be because his friends teased him about sneaking to see her as soon as he passed out. She was an awfully pretty woman. Green eyed, red haired, and as Irish as the day is long.


Anyhow, after I got my hair cut I went and bought myself a bright red rain coat and matching lipstick, went to the pub where your grandpa was having a drink and sat down right beside him at the bar. He didn't even recognize me and offered to buy me a drink. When I started giggling he sure recognized me. Almost fell off his stool. All considered, he couldn't really fuss about my hair or say that it didn't look good. All he could do was offer to take me out to dinner. Ha!

The previous story told to anyone who mentions the word men and women in the same sentence but primarily saved for magazine salesmen and women. Take that, irritating people...who sale magazines!

How Little Johnny Cougar Got Famous

No, not that Johnny Couger, this Johnny Cougar.

In a little commentary titled "Gandhi is Dandy, but Liquor is Quicker", the OpinionJournal's Best of the Web has me giggling this morning.


"Over at DemocraticUnderground.com (warning: message title is both profane and obscene), one "JohnnyCougar" outlines his ambitions once he joins the real world:

Sometimes I just get so mad that my country is committing mass murder. What power have I to stop it?

I am going to start reading up on Ghandi [sic]. This is the breaking point. I have to do something drastic, like go on a hunger strike chained to a light pole next to the NBC building in Chicago. But it's starting to get cold and I have my thesis to work on and classes to finish up this semester.

When I graduate in May, if we are still at war, I will honestly be about doing this. I can go for weeks on a diet of a handful of rice per day. If it's Summer, I won't die of cold, either. I wish I had done this this last Summer.

Maybe I can get 20 or so people to do this with me. Maybe we can lie on the street covered with cow blood for weeks at a time and say we are calling attention to the murders of our own troops and Iraqi civilians. And only until the war has ended will we feel good enough to eat again. I could surround myself with pictures of dead soldiers and Iraqis. Do you think it would work?

Do you think the Chicago police would arrest me and take me in? Would you be willing to join me in May?

We thought about making some wisecrack, but it's not nice to make fun of the Gandhi-capped."

My God, Johnny, how many innocent cows must die in your scheme of self-promotion? Only adding to the humor, I scrolled to see this reply to the aspiring martyr of convenience.



ArkDem (1000+ posts) Mon Nov-07-05 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
10. If it was really important to you you would already be doing it.
I've been chained to a table inside a local Baskin-Robbins for a month. I'm getting by ok and they are letting me use their wireless network and an outlet to recharge my notebook batteries. Other than gaining about 10 pounds I am still healthy.


For free e-mail subscription to Best of the Web Today, click here.

Day 11- French (Muslim) Rioters Injure, Shoot at Police

"GRIGNY, France (Reuters) - More than 30 police were hurt and 800 vehicles burned in France's poor suburbs as unrest spread and intensified for an 11th night despite a vow by President Jacques Chirac to defeat it.



In Grigny, south of Paris, youths lured police into a housing estate and attacked them with pellet guns. A police spokesman said about 10 were injured, two seriously with pellets in the neck and legs.

The police union Action Police CFTC urged the government on Monday to impose a curfew on the riot-hit areas and call in the army to control the youths, many of whom are French-born citizens of Arab or African origin complaining of racial discrimination.

"Nothing seems to be able to stop the civil war that spreads a bit more every day across the whole country," it said in a statement. "The events we're living through now are without precedent since the end of the Second World War."

The head of France's main business group, Laurence Parisot, warned of the consequences of the violence for the French economy, notably on tourism and investment.

"France's image has been deeply damaged," she told Europe 1 radio.

Reacting to official suggestions that Islamist militants might be orchestrating some of the protests, one of France's largest Muslim organizations issued a fatwa against the unrest.

The violence came shortly after Chirac broke a long silence with his first public comments since the unrest began on October 27.

"The republic is quite determined, by definition, to be stronger than those who want to sow violence or fear," he said after a domestic security council met to respond to the violence in which thousands of cars have gone up in flames so far.

An Interior Ministry statement said 839 more vehicles were torched overnight. Thirty-four police were injured in clashes and 186 rioters detained.

"They really shot at officers," said one officer after about 200 youths attacked his colleagues in Grigny. "This is real, serious violence. It's not like the previous nights. I am very concerned because this is mounting."

Opposition politicians criticized government policies toward difficult neighborhoods.

"The least we can say is that the government's response has been confused and weak," Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly, wrote in Le Figaro daily newspaper.






This rioting has nothing to do with Muslims, and if you say so, you are racist. However, using the race card to JUSTIFY these actions, of course that's appropriate.

Hiding under the rug of political correctess is total taureau merde and further appeasement equals suicide.

"Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy" by Peter Schweizer

NewsMax.com's Jim Meyers reports-

Al Franken, Hillary, Kennedy, Caught!

"Hypocrisy has proved to be a wonderful weapon for liberals in their war against conservatives," Schweizer writes in the November issue of NewsMax Magazine.


"Yet for all the talk about conservative hypocrisy, there has been very little investigation into the prevalence of hypocrisy on the left."


After two years of research into liberal hypocrisy, Schweizer said, "what I discovered was just stunning."

Schweizer's well-annotated book, published by Doubleday, has just been released and its sure to turn several well-known liberals red with anger.


Among the eye-opening revelations of "Do As I Say":



*Filmmaker Michael Moore insists that corporations are evil and claims he doesn't invest in the stock market due to moral principle. But Moore's IRS forms, viewed by Schweizer, show that over the past five years he has owned shares in such corporate giants as Halliburton, Merck, Pfizer, Sunoco, Tenet Healthcare, Ford, General Electric and McDonald's.


*Staunch union supporter Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has received the Cesar Chavez Award from the United Farmworkers Union. But the $25 million Northern California vineyard she and her husband own is a non-union shop.

The hypocrisy doesn't end there. Pelosi has received more money from the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees union than any other member of Congress in recent election cycles.


But the Pelosis own a large stake in an exclusive hotel in Rutherford, Calif. It has more than 250 employees. But none of them are in a union, according to Schweizer, author of "The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty" and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other periodicals.


The Pelosis are also partners in a restaurant chain called Piatti, which has 900 employees. The chain is – that's right, a non-union shop.



*Ralph Nader is another liberal who claims that unions are essential to protect worker rights. But when an editor of one of his publications tried to form a union to ameliorate miserable working conditions, the editor was fired and the locks changed on the office door.


*Self-described socialist Noam Chomsky has described the Pentagon as "the most vile institution on the face of the earth" and lashed out against tax havens and trusts that benefit only the rich.

But Chomsky has been paid millions of dollars by the Pentagon over the last 40 years, and he used a venerable law firm to set up his irrevocable trust to shield his assets from the IRS.



*Air America radio host Al Franken says conservatives are racist because they lack diversity and oppose affirmative action. But fewer than 1 percent of the people he has hired over the past 15 years have been African-American.


*Ted Kennedy has fought for the estate tax and spoken out against tax shelters. But he has repeatedly benefited from an intricate web of trusts and private foundations that have shielded most of his family's fortune from the IRS.

One Kennedy family trust wasn't even set up in the U.S., but in Fiji.


Another family member, environmentalist Robert Kennedy Jr., has said that it is not moral to profit from natural resources. But he receives an annual check from the family's large holdings in the oil industry.



*Barbra Streisand has talked about the necessity of unions to protect a "living wage." But she prefers to do her filming and postproduction work in Canada, where she can pay less than American union wages.


*Bill and Hillary Clinton have spoken in favor of the estate tax, and in 2000 Bill vetoed a bill seeking to end it. But the Clintons have set up a contract trust that allows them to substantially reduce the amount of inheritance tax their estate will pay when they die.

Hillary, for her part, has written and spoken extensively about the right of children to make major decisions regarding their own lives.


But she barred 13-year-old daughter Chelsea from getting her ears pierced and forbid the teen from watching MTV or HBO.



*Billionaire Bush-basher George Soros says the wealthy should pay higher, more progressive tax rates. But he holds the bulk of his money in tax-free overseas accounts in Curacao, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands."

Read more.

Order your copy of "Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy"here, here, or here.

Take the "Name The Liberal Hypocrite" Quiz here.

Top Story-Snippets with Uber-Commentary

From Knight Ridder Newspapers-

"Alito, 55, a 15-year federal appeals-court judge whose views on abortion have angered liberal groups, could drive a handful of moderate Senate Republicans into an alliance with Democrats."

I notice creative use of the word "could" while failing to mention even one of these "moderate Senate Republicans" by name. Also, if the ability to uphold the law really meant one needed to agree with every single one of today's laws then not one of the "progressive" minded individuals that the left adores would ever be, nor would they have ever been, confirmed. It really makes no sense that Alito should be required to personally support abortion in order to pass muster, even with liberals. While I'm certainly no expert, it would seem to me that requiring a Supreme Court Justice to completely agree with the status quo before allowing confirmation futher rips the citizens' constitutional right to peaceably petition for a redress of grievances to shreds due to judicial tyranny/legislating from the bench.

"While his solid judicial credentials and intellectual heft make him a formidable nominee,"

Now we're getting to the heart of the matter...

"he could face a Senate filibuster fight even though most senators would prefer to avoid one."

Were the words could and would to exchange places, that statement would be way closer to the actual truth.

"While his solid judicial credentials and intellectual heft make him a formidable nominee, he would face a Senate filibuster fight even though most senators could prefer to avoid one." There, that's more like it.

"Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of 22 Democrats who voted to confirm Chief Justice John G. Roberts, called Alito a "needlessly provocative nomination."

What the hell does needlessly provocative really mean? Needlessly conservative, perhaps? In any case, since Democrats do not speak for us or our ideals, Republicans do (and that's why we vote for them) I'd have to say that we're much better judges of what is and isn't "needlessly provocative". Provocative is good. Not only do I want provocative, I need provocative. We deserve provocative people!

"Liberal activists went further."

Big shock there.

"Bush "has chosen to divide Americans with a nominee guaranteed to cause a bitter fight," said Ralph Neas, the president of People for the American Way, a liberal group that's been at the center of previous judicial-nomination struggles. Neas vowed to wage a national campaign against Alito for what Neas called his "record of ideological activism against privacy rights, civil rights, workers' rights and more."

Blah blah, yadda yadda.

Conservative senators rejoiced at Alito's selection.

Indeed.

"I believe Judge Alito has every quality necessary to be a great Supreme Court justice," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (news, bio, voting record), R-Ala., who's also a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Conservative activists did too."


Woo-hoo!

"We are extremely pleased," said James C. Dobson, the chairman of Focus on the Family, an influential lobby for social-conservative causes. Dobson said any nominee that upset People for the American Way as much as Alito did "is worthy of serious consideration. ... We applaud the president for this outstanding nomination."

Wow, the left's behavior makes even good-hearted Christians want to see them cry. They should really take their own advice and reflect on what they've done to cause so many to react in this manner towards them and what it is about them that inspires such emotion. I mean, are these not many of the same people who suggested Americans examine their own guilt in the terrorist attacks on 9-11?

These people make me sick! It's a good thing we've a provocative Supreme Court Justice nominee to consider and a tune in our hearts.

Yet Another Halloween Gone By...

It's not Halloween til every muscle in my body hurts from running to and from the scene of a tp crime.

Well I hurt!

This year it all started when someone (likely welcomed to my home to participate in the festivities) decided that it would be funny to TP the tree in my front yard but failed to consider Zeke, uber-toilet paper chewing machine, would make a huge mess of it all. Not knowing who the culprit was, since everyone was cackling like a bunch of hyenas, I decided to take all my vengeful pranksting needs out on the "Flander" guy who said nobody would ever think it amusing to roll his home or trees with tp because he's always so considerate of others and doesn't do things like that.

"What would a medieval wench do in this situation?" I asked myself. There was really only one answer.

Oy

I traded the boots for sneakers, hid a roll of toilet paper in my hood and grabbed the nearest Medieval teen to run through the woods to the "Flanders" home to exact a little revenge. We were back shortly after everyone noticed we were gone (mwahaha). Were anyone to have been looking from any of the back windows to see me with my costume hiked up, running as fast as my bright white Dr Scholl's sneakers would carry me screaming "Pull those knees up and move it!" at the whiney Medieval teen who said the briery field was tearing her legs up, well...I can only imagine what they'd have thought.

All in all we had a fabulous night of spooky yet still very goofy fun and my refusal to plan the event on any other night because "it's just not the same!" caused more than a few, including myself, to miss a day's work. Yeah, Halloween only comes once a year so I can totally live with that.

And we have photos, yay! I put The Prodigy, aka whiney Medieval teen and budding local artist at just 15, in charge of photos. After bequeathing to her my beloved Sony Cybershot (best danged amateur digi-camera, imo) she had no choice but to say yes, and did a marvelous job too. :)



Soldier boy. Very handsome, no?




The Scream, scary stuff there.




Moi, Medieval wench. She even gave me a spooky glow. Schweet!




The Uber in party over ponytail clean up mode.

There are so many I'd love to post but blogger is being a slow poke so to heck with that.

Hope everyone's Halloween was spectacular!