Tuesday, January 31, 2006

To Infinity, and Beyond!

In a strange pairing, real astronaut Gordon Cooper's ashes will be sent into outer space on the same rocket as fake Space Dr. James (Scotty) Doohan's. They will join Gene Roddenberry and Timothy Leary who have already been sent into space.

I wonder if there's an alien planet somewhere who's going to yell at us for littering space? "First you send up all those broken satellites, now you're sending ashes! Knock it off! Pick up after yourself!"

Monday, January 30, 2006

Federal borrowing raised to record level:

"The government expects to borrow a record $188 billion in the January-March quarter, even more than it anticipated three months ago, the Treasury Department announced Monday."

So why, when faced with enormous deficits, do the Republicans still cling to their failed economic policies?

"The administration contends the tax cuts helped to get the country out of the 2001 recession and must be made permanent so economic growth will not be slowed in the future."

No, no and no. People did not receive actual, real, cuts. I certainly didn't. All it did was give a few massive cuts, and drove the deficit to new lows. It's a failed policy, and it has failed time and again. I thought the Republicans were supposed to be the party of "business and prosperity" while the Dems were the ones who spent us into oblivion? Yet, Bush has added more government than any other President in history.

Why is it so hard to see the numbers?
'Baby Jessica' weds at age 19

I heard that some other guy liked her too, but she gave him the shaft.

Bad, really bad, I know....
New Patriot Act Provision Creates Tighter Barrier to Officials at Public Events:
"Sen. Arlen Specter , R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sponsored the measure, which would extend the authority of the Secret Service to allow agents to arrest people who willingly or knowingly enter a restricted area at an event, even if the president or other official normally protected by the Secret Service isn't in attendance at the time.

The measure has civil libertarians protesting what they say is yet another power grab for the executive branch and one more loss for free speech."

This is ridiculous. First, they pen all the protesters up in a restricted area, now they want to tighten the noose even further.

I'm reminded once again of Ben Franklin's quote:

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Those are words from a true Patriot. Not some coward like Arlen Spector.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Comedian Ann Coulter pulls epic gaffe:
"'We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee,' Coulter said. 'That's just a joke, for you in the media.' "

And how badly would she skewer someone for commenting that Bush should have rat poison put in his apple pie? She'd be screaming for their head, for such an insensitive remark.

I hope that conservatives are as appalled and embarassed by her as Christians are appalled and embarassed by Pat Robertson. (Howard Dean is moving up the ladder for Liberals, but he's not at the Coulter/Robertson level yet.)
US Soldiers are suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
"In the US, ecstasy tablets (MDMA) are being used to help treat flashbacks and recurring nightmares. The US Food and Drug Administration authorised the drug for Iraq veterans after successful initial research at a facility in South Carolina."

The club drug ecstasy is being used to tread PTSD? That's very strange - seems like it would create flashbacks and nightmares! Apparently, the combination of the stress of battle paired with the uncertainty of the value of being there in the first place is creating a lot of problems for our soldiers. Keep them in your prayers.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Sirius Moves to Censor Howard Stern:

"The morning drive-time radio host said he left terrestrial radio because he was fed up with censorship by individual stations and FCC fines for indecency. Now, in what must be a painful irony for Stern, Sirius executives are developing an internal document that will set boundaries for his show."

Oh, boy.. that's hilarious! But what could Stern possibly say that would be worse than the shows on Skinamax? They don't censor those....

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Tired of that iPod?

More people are returning to radio. Mostly because they're getting bored listening to the songs on their MP3 player. I guess that means they aren't as good a programmer as they thought.

"Seems like I'm hearing fewer commercials on radio" was the leading reason for 17% of 12-24s, 16% of 25-49s and 10% of 35-64s." Yeah, right! But maybe the commmercials are better, so they are less offensive.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Saturday, January 14, 2006

GI Schmo - How low can Army recruiters go? By Fred Kaplan:

"The evidence is overwhelming. Take tank gunners. You wouldn't think intelligence would have much effect on the ability to shoot straight, but apparently it does. Replacing a gunner who'd scored Category IV on the aptitude test (ranking in the 10-30 percentile) with one who'd scored Category IIIA (50-64 percentile) improved the chances of hitting targets by 34 percent. "

My concern is the ability of these recruits to look out for each other. If they aren't capable of carrying out their duties very well, how well will they be able to function during times of crisis requiring critical thinking?

I'd hate to know that the guy next to me scored in the 20th percentile....

Friday, January 13, 2006

Food poisoning

What a week! I went out to dinner Saturday night, and by Monday late morning, I had a fever, chills and plenty of cramping. My fever went up to 102.6 by Tuesday, so Wednesday morning I went to the hospital. They gave me IV fluids and antibiotics. Plus, Morphine, the wonder drug. I've heard that some people react badly to morphine, but it just took the pain away and helped me relax.

I relaxed so well, that I didn't even mind being left in the hallway for an hour after my ultrasound. Everyone else was freaking out, the ER nurse was about to come and get me. Me? I was just sleeping in the hallway....

I feel much better now, although I'm still a little tender. Went to a Scout meeting last night, and am back in the office today. I should be back to normal (whatever that is) soon. Important safety tip: Be careful what you eat!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Whew!!:
"A look back at the ten worst movies of 2005"

Luckily, we didn't work on a single one of these! So don't blame me if you went to see any of them.
Pat Robertson really needs to shut up

"The Reverend Pat Robertson says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke could be God's punishment for giving up Israeli territory."

Yeah, that's the way God works....
What a way to start the new year. I'll become a "Freegan!"

Certainly they have some good ideas, but like anything carried too far, this one stretches the imagination.