Have you seen this jerk?

I woke up this morning and got online, only to be told by a buddy in Singapore to turn on the TV right now! I did, and like most of you got to see the pathetic wasteoid above being probed like a prize cow at the fair.

This, of course, is good news. And while we all get some smug satisfaction out of it, I hope our administration can make the most out of this with other countries. I think we can slap each other on the back and still be somewhat humble about it. As this article states, my brother and probably someone you know still has to go over there are clean up a few messy situations. Let’s just hope not having Saddam around makes that job a lot easier.

Republicans and their toys

You may remember earlier this year when I pointed out that KB Toys was planning on selling George Bush actions figures. Well, there’s apparently a “Top Gun” version too, amongst others. And to make it even worse, psychopathic hate monger Ann Coulter has her own doll. It apparently says some of the same demonic crap Linda Blair said in The Exorcist.

Speaking of clueless people, Saudi Arabia wants the world to pay OPEC subsidies should we ever stop using fossil fuels. Wait a minute…I already have a problem giving money to fundamentalist suicide bombers? You want me to do it on purpose?

How’s this for unfair? Employees at an auto supplier actually got taxed for their holiday bonus. Pathetic.

Speaking of pathetic, some morons decided to coin a phrase called “killographic” to explain violent video games.

Finally, I don’t know what’s worse: the story comparing us all to Paris Hilton or the one that says we are all nerds. Read, then decide for yourself.

Because, apparently, downloading music is a capital offense

In a moment of curiosity, I strolled over to FoxNews and found this little tidbit. To some, hiring a guy from an organization famous for things like Ruby Ridge and Waco is just the right thing to do in order to scare off all the 12-year old girls and old ladies who supposedly are the software pirates destroying our society. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to see is RIAA assualt teams breaking into little 10-year old Jimmy’s room because he wanted to get a song from his favorite artist.

Another genius is suing to teach his daughter about the joys of polygamy. Okay, let’s work this through. LDS members who want to be polygamists are not actual Mormons. People who kill abortion doctors are not Christians. Al Qaeda members are not Muslims. You are all freaks and need to leave our planet. Are we all clear on this now?

Our troops are trying out some new strategies in Iraq. Let’s hope this calms things down and gets some order in that country.

Its not all bad news. In Seattle, you can expect to find your cabbie dressed as an Elvis impersonator, among other things. Slate is carrying a story about the guy who did all the background music for Looney Tunes. This year’s total cost for the 12 Days of Christmas has been calculated. And here is a site about a guy who loves New York and Lego sets. And he loves them a lot.

Variations on a theme

Before I go into my usual thing, I wanted to bring up a site for ya if you have some spare cash. The gamers over at Penny Arcade have put up a site called Child’s Play. Their goal is to get a bunch of toys and books purchased for the Seattle Children’s Hospital and to let people know that gamers aren’t a bunch of anti-social thugs. Head to the site, check it all out and get a toy for a child if you wish.

Can’t say I’ve necessarily been busy this past week or so, but time just flies by somehow. Anyway, it hasn’t been for lack of stuff to point and laugh at. Let’s begin:

You pretty much can figure out what I think our own current presidential administration. So it will be no surprise to you when Evil Ned sent us some instructions about Google and I laughed and laughed. Go to Google, type in the phrase “Miserable Failure” and click the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. Basically that button leads to the most referenced and linked site related to your search term. In this case, its due to a Richard Gephardt quote and website. Not that I’ve woken up and become a Gephardt fan, but hey, it sure is a sign that we’ve got a presidential election coming, right?

Speaking of negative advertising, the GOP has already gone and starting calling anyone who questioned whether or not we should have gone into Iraq a “traitor”. Yes, that’s right, its now apparently treasonous behavior to even question your government’s motives. This from the same pack of imbeciles who want to replace FDR on the dime with Reagan. Last I checked, the whole country hadn’t become the Republican party.

Speaking of a bad combination of liberal political correctness and conservative “family values” nonsense, we have the following about a boy suspended from school for talking about his gay mom.

And now, idiots on parade. A Kansas couple gets too into the heat of the moment. Mind your tongue. Bubba lives in Illinois. A teacher ruins it for the kids.

Payback time. A backlash on the whole LA county “master/slave” thing from the tech-focused cartoon User Friendly. An in-yer-face response to the Britney Spears Hollywood star thing – give one to Alice Cooper as well. And just because I love the idea of public humiliation for low-lifes, Maine is putting up a website for all its registered child molestors so everyone can recognize those two-legged scumbags wherever they go.

Some leftovers for ya, being that time of year and all. How to spend $25,000 (AU) researching toast. A piece of technology the president can’t even operate is being tested for the battlefield. Plus, the return of Space Invaders.

Man, I hope this trend takes off

The KKK has decided to start taking out its own members. Let’s hope they keep their stupidity within the family from now on.

At the other extreme, apparently in Los Angeles, systems and computing terminology has been deemed politically incorrect.

Time tackles the burgeoning business of political mudslinging. As if watching five minutes of Fox News didn’t already tell you that partisan politics is alive and well in this country. Too bad those of us who actually try to think before we speak are caught in the middle.

Jones Soda attempts to make your Thanksgiving complete with gravy-flavored soda. Let me make sure you read that right, its called Turkey & Gravy soda. Seriously, someone up in the northwest find some of that and give us a taste test.

Back from the pit

I have been working intermittently on a contract with HP to set up huge network printers for Bechtel. Thursday, this landed me up at Yucca Mountain, which is either: a) the solution to our nation’s nuclear waste disposal problem, or b) the thing that will make Las Vegas an uninhabitable wasteland. And you thought you had problems with where to put landfills….

Moving on to other scientific type things, it has now been found that dark beer is good for you. So hey, toast a stein to those research scientists. Also in science, a story on flying cars and other pipe dreams that never happened.

And now, back to the decline of Western civilization for a buck. Some morons have decided that trading in terrorist futures is not only profitable, but totally ethical. Look, I only got a semester of Catholic school in kindergarten and even I can tell you that betting money on whether or not people die is not, and never can be, ethical.

What else? Oh, in the same week we commemorate the Jonestown massacre, Britney Spears get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Coincidence? No, but both events make me sick to my stomach. At least with Super Tart we get an explanation. Jim Jones is still an inexplicable cancer.

In thoughts on current affairs, Slate tackles the whole concept of marriage and comes up with some suggestions for the debate. A Maryland high school student politicizes PDA, making you question why good arguments are fronted by silly people. This guy is another example, except his beef is with email spammers.

With a lot of tech jobs moving overseas, one individual has found employment with the help of his family, La Costa Nostra that is.

And just to show you that I do like to be entertained by humor and touching stories, here’s one about a father able to make it back to his daughter’s wedding, and one from The Onion about media bias. Here’s an off-color article on what to do when your internet goes down. While you still have internet access, check out the Zombie Infection game.

Rise of the culturally stupid

*Sigh* Where do these people come from?

In Utah, Burger King has been forced to apologize to a mother who breastfed her child in a restaurant. Yes, it is entirely legal to do so in that state.

No matter what your stance is on gays, you’ve got to consider that putting up a statue commemorating Matthew Shepard’s death is pretty deplorable. Especially in his hometown. Especially when it pretty much laughs and says he went to hell. Especially when a reverand is behind it all. You can read about this pathetic miscreant imbecile and his sick plans here.

Evil Ned points us to a bit of revisionist history at Time magazine. I’ve taken the liberty of using the Wayback Machine to verify the story (this is what I came up with).

Jessica Lynch suddenly realizes that she has been used by the government (curiously after her book came out). Go figure. I’ve heard enough rips on this gal from my brother to feel that I am unworthy of speaking out about how much a disservice this whole thing has been to her, us, and – more importantly – every other soldier that was captured, injured, or killed in Iraq.

Maybe we’re all working (or trying to find work) in the wrong fields. CBS has a story about the 10 most overpaid jobs in the US.

Saved by Rock ‘n’ Roll

Andras Simonyi, the Hungarian ambassador to the US, credits rock music as one the leading cultural elements that helped bring down Communism in his country. Kinda freaks you out when you think about what rap music may be doing to our society, huh?

In news of a passing age, Disney’s latest movie, Brother Bear, may be among its last animated movies as they are getting rid of the animation department.

From KFC comes news that fried chicken is good for you. Slate dissects that notion for you here.

Popular Science breaks down the best inventions of 2003. Yes, it is already time to evaluate our year…two months before it ends. Let the Top 10 lists begin!

There have been a couple of ridiculous political subjects I’ve been completely unable to find the words to properly express myself about. So, I’ll let the pros do it.

Mike Thompson from the Detroit Free Press tackles the CBS pulling of their movie about Reagan:

Boondocks takes one more crack at Rush Limbaugh:

He did it all for the Wookiee

I’ve been wrapping up the last book of the Star Wars New Jedi Order series, The Unifying Force. As far as hobbies go, this one is pretty benign. And for a book series that has had its ups and downs, it sure the heck finished on a high quality note. Just figured I’d share that in case you are really full of spare time and nothing else to do.

Well, Mom has sent along some newspaper clippings from the Galva and Kewanee papers. If I can either get to a scanner or find a way to obtain them in some other way, I’ll post them up.

I’ve been kind of busy on a temp job I’ve had, which has just wrapped up. Maybe some more work from it later, who knows. In the meantime, I’ve been accumulating links like a mad man.

From our pal Evil Ned, a site that hurts the mind as much as it tickles the funny bone.

From the land of delusion, we learn that the Maoists’ Long March was shorter than we’ve all been told, CBS is a weak-willed pack of chumps when it comes to presidential biography type flicks, and Canadians are in on this Nigerian email scam business.

In other news, Rhode Island is apparently a rampant comparison yardstick used by writers. Another article tackles the curious nature of champion Kenyan runners, and yet one more approaches that oft-asked question (presumably someone was asking it), “What if Guy Fawkes’ bomb had gone off?” Yes, these stories vaguely interest me. Move on if they bore you to death.

From the tech desk (fine, my same cluttered desk), we have a story on the guys who research map info for Mapquest and one about presidential candidates’ websites.

Speaking of that bunch, there is a game at Slate where you can narrow down your candidate of choice called Whack-a-Pol. At Kuro5hin, there is a slightly tongue-in-cheek article on why Bush is notusing Jesus as his inspiration as he has so often said.

Unsettled feeling

Tom called from someone’s cell apparently and let us know he and the rest of the unit had made it to Fort Hood this evening. As dumb luck would have it, Leslie and I went out for 10 minutes and missed his call. In any case, all is well for now.

I’m building a subsite called Galva Guard and will be putting up news stories and whatever images we receive from Tom or whoever submits really. This may or may not break my bandwidth and storage budget. We’ll just have to see I suppose.

I guess I’m feeling a bit out of sorts really. It isn’t right to watch your little brother getting prepared to go into a conflict area. Granted, he’s younger and definitely more fit than me at the moment and I have no doubt he is trained, and will continue to be trained, to do the best job possible. The problem is me being overprotective I suppose and its something I’m just going to have to deal with. Some days it just infuriates me that this is the situation we’re all in.

In any case, I’ll try to stay objective about the whole thing. Online anyway.