Monday, December 28, 2009
The Thought For Today
"To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best." - Margaret Thatcher
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Anybody can become angry -- that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." - Aristotle
The Hard Truth From Orlando
To paraphrase the old murder rhyme, “And Knox the girl who bought the beef.”
Well, the verdict is finally in on the Amanda Knox murder trial. She’s been tried a by a jury of Italians (I doubt we’d consider them peers) and found guilty of the murder of her British roommate. Of course, there’s reasonable doubt that she in fact committed the murder or had anything directly to do with it. But make no mistake, Amanda was guilty. She was guilty of being a typical self-centered American twit who went to a foreign country, allegedly on a study program, and instead acted like she was still attending her local community college. She partied, ran around with trash, talked trash, had sex with guys she wasn’t engaged to, and generally acted in a manner guaranteed to bring negative attention to herself. Then when her roommate was murdered and she was brought in for questioning, she continued to behave like a Barbie blow-up doll, smooching all over her boyfriend in the police station, giggling and being egocentrically stupid while her butchered roommate lay, grotesquely murdered, in the morgue.
And personally, I wonder if it wasn’t Amanda who, if she didn’t kill her erstwhile roomie with her own hands, indirectly caused her roommate’s death by drawing the murderer’s attention to herself and her residence, or – as in so many American murders, opening the door to the human riff-raff who perpetrated the crime. Most of us have had roommates like that – who welcome all comers, don’t lock up behind themselves, and invite people they’ve met in bars to “stay over.” They’re oblivious to their own safety and don’t give a damn about yours. They run their mouths about their personal business in public places and they’re not averse to telling yours at the same time. And to compound Amanda’s error, she did it in a foreign country.
What most Americans don’t realize is how poor a reputation we have overseas. Our movies portray us as drugged-out, sex-crazy, fornicating at the tug of a zipper, with no sense of shame, decorum or modesty. And then our young men and women go overseas and prove it, because – hey, I’m not home. Nobody at home is going to know what I’m doing. And the folks are not here to tell me how to behave.
Italy is not Vegas – and what happens in Italy , doesn’t necessarily stay in Italy .
Amanda’s learned what hundreds of other young Americans overseas have learned. You don’t have the same civil rights overseas that you do here in the United States . In foreign legal systems, innuendo and hearsay are treated as facts and you can be convicted solely based on the impression you make on the people around you. By Italian standards, she behaved like a common whore, cavorting with low-lifes and freaks; her reactions to the crime were callous and disaffected. Her credibility was shot before she ever came in the courtroom, due entirely to the impression she made on her Italian neighbors and the police. And no matter what her parents and country do, she’s derailed her future and her family’s with her lousy sophomoric decisions.
Amanda ostensibly went to Italy for an education. I’d say she got one. I hope others learn from her, but I doubt it.
Florida Cracker
Well, the verdict is finally in on the Amanda Knox murder trial. She’s been tried a by a jury of Italians (I doubt we’d consider them peers) and found guilty of the murder of her British roommate. Of course, there’s reasonable doubt that she in fact committed the murder or had anything directly to do with it. But make no mistake, Amanda was guilty. She was guilty of being a typical self-centered American twit who went to a foreign country, allegedly on a study program, and instead acted like she was still attending her local community college. She partied, ran around with trash, talked trash, had sex with guys she wasn’t engaged to, and generally acted in a manner guaranteed to bring negative attention to herself. Then when her roommate was murdered and she was brought in for questioning, she continued to behave like a Barbie blow-up doll, smooching all over her boyfriend in the police station, giggling and being egocentrically stupid while her butchered roommate lay, grotesquely murdered, in the morgue.
And personally, I wonder if it wasn’t Amanda who, if she didn’t kill her erstwhile roomie with her own hands, indirectly caused her roommate’s death by drawing the murderer’s attention to herself and her residence, or – as in so many American murders, opening the door to the human riff-raff who perpetrated the crime. Most of us have had roommates like that – who welcome all comers, don’t lock up behind themselves, and invite people they’ve met in bars to “stay over.” They’re oblivious to their own safety and don’t give a damn about yours. They run their mouths about their personal business in public places and they’re not averse to telling yours at the same time. And to compound Amanda’s error, she did it in a foreign country.
What most Americans don’t realize is how poor a reputation we have overseas. Our movies portray us as drugged-out, sex-crazy, fornicating at the tug of a zipper, with no sense of shame, decorum or modesty. And then our young men and women go overseas and prove it, because – hey, I’m not home. Nobody at home is going to know what I’m doing. And the folks are not here to tell me how to behave.
Italy is not Vegas – and what happens in Italy , doesn’t necessarily stay in Italy .
Amanda’s learned what hundreds of other young Americans overseas have learned. You don’t have the same civil rights overseas that you do here in the United States . In foreign legal systems, innuendo and hearsay are treated as facts and you can be convicted solely based on the impression you make on the people around you. By Italian standards, she behaved like a common whore, cavorting with low-lifes and freaks; her reactions to the crime were callous and disaffected. Her credibility was shot before she ever came in the courtroom, due entirely to the impression she made on her Italian neighbors and the police. And no matter what her parents and country do, she’s derailed her future and her family’s with her lousy sophomoric decisions.
Amanda ostensibly went to Italy for an education. I’d say she got one. I hope others learn from her, but I doubt it.
Florida Cracker
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Burger King Showercam
I can't wait until the HD version comes out...and I really, really, miss British advertising...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
The Hard Truth From Orlando: An Open Letter
Monday, 12/7/09
XXXXXXXXXXX Street
Orlando, FL XXXXX
TO: Senator Bill Nelson
United States Senate
716 Hart Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
re: Health reform
I'm not optimistic about the healthcare bill passing. As usual, the Republicans have started waving the Anti-Abortion red flag around in order to derail any healthcare initiative. You know, I'd rather pay for abortion on demand than the endless expenses of the unwanted, abused and neglected children produced by our nation's wholly inadequate sex education and counseling programs -- inadequate because Republicans and the so-called Moral Majority and Religious Right refuse to move forward into the 21st century.
The "just say no" approach isn't and never was rational or realistic. We've restricted adequate healthcare and counseling to minors based on the faulty premise that it is the parents who are primarily responsible for their children's well-being and information. Well, statistics show that we don't have a country of uniformly responsible and rational parents. Minors need alternatives for rational, unbiased information and resources. Meaningful school sex-education has been brought to a standstill by Republicans and special religious interest groups. Access to reproductive healthcare is restricted both by gender and age -- disparately impacting underage but reproductive-age women. I would think that was grounds for anti-discrimination measures, but our patriarchal legislators don't seem to see past what they want for their affluent, educated daughters toward what's just and equable for all the young women of this country.
Arguments about my tax money being paid for abortions doesn't wash, either. Ask any tax payer, if it's an inexpensive abortion or footing the bill for 18 years of welfare programs and anti-poverty initiatives for an unwanted child and its mother, which would you rather pay? Which could you afford to pay? And healthcare for women is already biased. Many healthcare providers don't cover contraceptives and some reproductive procedures for women -- but they pay for Viagra for men. Like the cigarette industry, healthcare insurance corporations are intent on breeding an endless supply of consumers.
Well, I'm tired of footing the bill. I'm tired of the rhetoric and I'm tired of legislators who live in the rarified atmosphere of Washington deciding how best I'm to be served, based on their lifestyles and religious beliefs. Put the vote directly to us, the regular taxpayers, on whether we want the healthcare reforms. End the insurance industry's stranglehold on our financial futures, the medical profession's insane prices for service, and get us some realistic options.
And tell the Republicans, if they want to be the fathers of their country -- fine. Every woman who has a child she didn't plan for and can't afford should be able to put a Republican representative's name on the birth certificate and let him pay child support. Watch how fast abortion becomes sacrosanct.
Good luck up on the Hill. I know you're trying.
Florida Cracker
XXXXXXXXXXX Street
Orlando, FL XXXXX
TO: Senator Bill Nelson
United States Senate
716 Hart Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
re: Health reform
I'm not optimistic about the healthcare bill passing. As usual, the Republicans have started waving the Anti-Abortion red flag around in order to derail any healthcare initiative. You know, I'd rather pay for abortion on demand than the endless expenses of the unwanted, abused and neglected children produced by our nation's wholly inadequate sex education and counseling programs -- inadequate because Republicans and the so-called Moral Majority and Religious Right refuse to move forward into the 21st century.
The "just say no" approach isn't and never was rational or realistic. We've restricted adequate healthcare and counseling to minors based on the faulty premise that it is the parents who are primarily responsible for their children's well-being and information. Well, statistics show that we don't have a country of uniformly responsible and rational parents. Minors need alternatives for rational, unbiased information and resources. Meaningful school sex-education has been brought to a standstill by Republicans and special religious interest groups. Access to reproductive healthcare is restricted both by gender and age -- disparately impacting underage but reproductive-age women. I would think that was grounds for anti-discrimination measures, but our patriarchal legislators don't seem to see past what they want for their affluent, educated daughters toward what's just and equable for all the young women of this country.
Arguments about my tax money being paid for abortions doesn't wash, either. Ask any tax payer, if it's an inexpensive abortion or footing the bill for 18 years of welfare programs and anti-poverty initiatives for an unwanted child and its mother, which would you rather pay? Which could you afford to pay? And healthcare for women is already biased. Many healthcare providers don't cover contraceptives and some reproductive procedures for women -- but they pay for Viagra for men. Like the cigarette industry, healthcare insurance corporations are intent on breeding an endless supply of consumers.
Well, I'm tired of footing the bill. I'm tired of the rhetoric and I'm tired of legislators who live in the rarified atmosphere of Washington deciding how best I'm to be served, based on their lifestyles and religious beliefs. Put the vote directly to us, the regular taxpayers, on whether we want the healthcare reforms. End the insurance industry's stranglehold on our financial futures, the medical profession's insane prices for service, and get us some realistic options.
And tell the Republicans, if they want to be the fathers of their country -- fine. Every woman who has a child she didn't plan for and can't afford should be able to put a Republican representative's name on the birth certificate and let him pay child support. Watch how fast abortion becomes sacrosanct.
Good luck up on the Hill. I know you're trying.
Florida Cracker
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Rec: Microwave Roux (no more sweating over the stove for us lazy folk)
For Four Cups Of Roux
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, tops included,chopped
1/4 cup hot water, approximately
Mix oil and flour together in a 4 cup glass container (I use a
Pyrex 4c. cup). Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 6-7 minutes.
Stir at 6 minutes with a wooden spoon - roux will be a light
brown at this time and will need to cook 30 seconds to 1
minute longer to reach the dark brown color so important
in making Louisiana gumbos and stews. The roux will be
VERY HOT, but usually the handle on your measuring cup
will stay cool enough to touch. When the roux has reached
a very dark brown (think a coffee grounds dark brown),
remove from microwave and CAREFULLY (remember-
the roux is very hot!) add the onion, celery, and bell pepper,
a little at a time. Stir and return to microwave. Saute' on
HIGH for 2 minutes. You should now have about 3 3/4 cups
of roux. If any oil has risen to the top, you can pour this off.
Slowly, add enough hot water to bring the roux to the 4 cup
mark. Stir and you will have a smooth, dark roux in only 12
minutes! Roux freezes very well and you are ready at any
time to put together a delicious gumbo or stew.
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, tops included,chopped
1/4 cup hot water, approximately
Mix oil and flour together in a 4 cup glass container (I use a
Pyrex 4c. cup). Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 6-7 minutes.
Stir at 6 minutes with a wooden spoon - roux will be a light
brown at this time and will need to cook 30 seconds to 1
minute longer to reach the dark brown color so important
in making Louisiana gumbos and stews. The roux will be
VERY HOT, but usually the handle on your measuring cup
will stay cool enough to touch. When the roux has reached
a very dark brown (think a coffee grounds dark brown),
remove from microwave and CAREFULLY (remember-
the roux is very hot!) add the onion, celery, and bell pepper,
a little at a time. Stir and return to microwave. Saute' on
HIGH for 2 minutes. You should now have about 3 3/4 cups
of roux. If any oil has risen to the top, you can pour this off.
Slowly, add enough hot water to bring the roux to the 4 cup
mark. Stir and you will have a smooth, dark roux in only 12
minutes! Roux freezes very well and you are ready at any
time to put together a delicious gumbo or stew.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Human Space Flight (HSF) - Orbital Tracking
Human Space Flight (HSF) - Orbital Tracking
Now that the shuttle is on it's way, you might find this handy. With this Site you can track the shuttle and the ISS. It also includes some information on conditions aboard the shuttle.
Now that the shuttle is on it's way, you might find this handy. With this Site you can track the shuttle and the ISS. It also includes some information on conditions aboard the shuttle.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator
Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator
This is the time of year when the mail is stuffed with catalogs and charity appeals. I can't do anything about the catalogs, but this Site can give you an idea of which charities are worth while and which ones waste your donations. Read up on them BEFORE you write that check.
This is the time of year when the mail is stuffed with catalogs and charity appeals. I can't do anything about the catalogs, but this Site can give you an idea of which charities are worth while and which ones waste your donations. Read up on them BEFORE you write that check.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 09, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Rec: Sauteed Duck Foie Gras
1/2 pound piece raw Grade A duck foie gras at room
temperature, cleaned and deveined
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
After deveining, cut the foie gras crosswise into 1/2
inch thick pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a 10 inch heavy
skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not
smoking. Saute half the foie gras until golden, 45 to 60
seconds on each side (it will be pink inside). Quickly
transfer to a paper towel to drain and discard fat in
skillet. Saute the rest of the foie gras the same way,
then discard all all but 1 tablespoon of remaining fat in
skillet. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and bring
to a boil. Serve foie gras with sauce.
Serves 2 to 4
Will not reheat well
temperature, cleaned and deveined
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
After deveining, cut the foie gras crosswise into 1/2
inch thick pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a 10 inch heavy
skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not
smoking. Saute half the foie gras until golden, 45 to 60
seconds on each side (it will be pink inside). Quickly
transfer to a paper towel to drain and discard fat in
skillet. Saute the rest of the foie gras the same way,
then discard all all but 1 tablespoon of remaining fat in
skillet. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and bring
to a boil. Serve foie gras with sauce.
Serves 2 to 4
Will not reheat well
Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Hard Truth From Orlando: BEWARE!
It’s all in the news about the 15 year-old girl who was gang-raped by who knows how many for over two hours while a crowd came and went, laughed, took pictures – and actively participated in her brutalization. Well, she’s alive. That’s in her favor when the case goes to court because otherwise, the perpetrators get to tell their version of the story and her side of the story is only reflected by forensics.
America is exhibiting a culture of progressively vicious female denigration, exploded into the mainstream by the incorporation of immigrants from rigidly patriarchal societies and segments of our own male-dominated criminal-class subcultures, reinforced constantly by popular media. It’s common every day to hear children of all ages say, “I’m going to make you my bitch.” Best pay attention to the ugly intention behind those kinds of claims and the dangerously derogatory perception of women and girls they imply.
Frankly, while I decry the cowardice of political correctness, I nonetheless hope some day to hear the word “bitch” treated the same as “nigger.” It’s not a word you should be allowed to use anywhere except in discussing canine pedigrees.
All of that aside, apparently young women today are a whole lot dumber than they used to be – or their mothers are so negligent as to not give their daughters some pointers on safety.
Rule number 1: Never trust a guy when it comes to your safety. Most sexual assaults are by someone you know and any time it’s about sex, it’s only about what he wants – not you. You put yourself in harm’s way; don’t be so surprised when you get hurt.
Rule number 2: Just because you’re acquainted with someone, doesn’t mean he’s your friend.
Rule number 3: Never, NEVER be the only female in or near a group of guys, even if you think you know one or more of them. Guys in a group do not act or think like individuals; they react as a pack and the girl almost immediately becomes the prey.
Rule number 4: NEVER drink with guys in an isolated or non-public area, NEVER accept a drink or leave your drink, and NEVER drink to the point you’re intoxicated or impaired. And the reason for that goes right back to Rule number 1: Never trust a guy with your safety.
I’m sure that young lady, if she survives and recovers, has learned the Rules. She’ll regret her poor decisions for the rest of her life. Her attackers and those who stood by and enjoyed the spectacle of someone else’s debasement and injury – well, they’re really sorry if they were caught. But they’re also asking, what’s the big deal? Because in our modern sociopathic society, it wasn’t.
The media are behind the times on this gang-rape episode. They keep trying to figure out why the guys were all cheering and participating and celebrating while the girl was being brutalized.
The dynamics are nothing like the bystander intervention we knew. This is truly a case of spectator sport – it was like watching a dogfight, something this group of guys participates in on a regular basis. She wasn’t human; she was just the thing that was being torn apart. Those guys never saw it as sex. They saw it as a pure act of violence – like throwing a rabbit in with the dogs – how long can it last?
That’s the real dynamics of this event.
Glad the girl survived – hope she’s tough enough for the aftermath. Maybe we’ll start exporting these little spawn of illegals – or putting a needle back in the arms of the sex offenders.
Florida Cracker
America is exhibiting a culture of progressively vicious female denigration, exploded into the mainstream by the incorporation of immigrants from rigidly patriarchal societies and segments of our own male-dominated criminal-class subcultures, reinforced constantly by popular media. It’s common every day to hear children of all ages say, “I’m going to make you my bitch.” Best pay attention to the ugly intention behind those kinds of claims and the dangerously derogatory perception of women and girls they imply.
Frankly, while I decry the cowardice of political correctness, I nonetheless hope some day to hear the word “bitch” treated the same as “nigger.” It’s not a word you should be allowed to use anywhere except in discussing canine pedigrees.
All of that aside, apparently young women today are a whole lot dumber than they used to be – or their mothers are so negligent as to not give their daughters some pointers on safety.
Rule number 1: Never trust a guy when it comes to your safety. Most sexual assaults are by someone you know and any time it’s about sex, it’s only about what he wants – not you. You put yourself in harm’s way; don’t be so surprised when you get hurt.
Rule number 2: Just because you’re acquainted with someone, doesn’t mean he’s your friend.
Rule number 3: Never, NEVER be the only female in or near a group of guys, even if you think you know one or more of them. Guys in a group do not act or think like individuals; they react as a pack and the girl almost immediately becomes the prey.
Rule number 4: NEVER drink with guys in an isolated or non-public area, NEVER accept a drink or leave your drink, and NEVER drink to the point you’re intoxicated or impaired. And the reason for that goes right back to Rule number 1: Never trust a guy with your safety.
I’m sure that young lady, if she survives and recovers, has learned the Rules. She’ll regret her poor decisions for the rest of her life. Her attackers and those who stood by and enjoyed the spectacle of someone else’s debasement and injury – well, they’re really sorry if they were caught. But they’re also asking, what’s the big deal? Because in our modern sociopathic society, it wasn’t.
The media are behind the times on this gang-rape episode. They keep trying to figure out why the guys were all cheering and participating and celebrating while the girl was being brutalized.
The dynamics are nothing like the bystander intervention we knew. This is truly a case of spectator sport – it was like watching a dogfight, something this group of guys participates in on a regular basis. She wasn’t human; she was just the thing that was being torn apart. Those guys never saw it as sex. They saw it as a pure act of violence – like throwing a rabbit in with the dogs – how long can it last?
That’s the real dynamics of this event.
Glad the girl survived – hope she’s tough enough for the aftermath. Maybe we’ll start exporting these little spawn of illegals – or putting a needle back in the arms of the sex offenders.
Florida Cracker
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome." - T.S. Eliot
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Hard Truth From Orlando: Shut up and THINK!
I'm glad I did most of my formative years in the era of “low-tech.” I think it has probably made me a little more survivable in the face of catastrophe because I learned that screaming alone isn’t likely to save my life. I remember thinking “how cool” when the mobile phones came out – those big block phones with the fat antennas were state of the art when I was a probation officer. Probation officers then went into the field without communication – unless they took their own personal mobile phones or had a CB radio – and we didn’t get paid enough to afford either.
One day, I thought it would be a good idea to stay in touch with the office while I was out in the community checking on my bad guys and so signed out the office mobile phone.
Imagine my surprise when my boss called me not 15 minutes after I’d left the office to ask me if I’d received a letter pertaining to fees or fines or something on one of my 80-plus cases. I had to tell him I had no idea if the letter had come in; if he needed to know that urgently, he could a) check my inbox, b) pull the file and see if the letter was where it was supposed to be in the file, or c) I could drive back to the office and look for the letter myself and let him know. And all this conversation while I negotiated my standard shift car through heavy traffic in downtown streets and trying to balance that brick of a phone on my shoulder.
No, no, no – it’s not important, was his response, I was just wondering if you got that letter. He then called me four more times in the two hours I was out of the office to ask equally mundane housekeeping questions – things he never would ask me even when I was sitting in my office right across the hall from him. But somehow, knowing I had a phone and could be reached in the field, he felt obliged to call me every time a thought flitted through his head.
Thus endeth my enchantment with mobile phones – but not my frustration with people who seem to operate with the mouth perpetually in motion and the brain in idle.
The thing everyone says is, “you need a phone in case of an emergency.” Seemed to me having a mobile phone tended to manufacture crises – because people, if they know they can just reach out and touch someone, absolutely think they have to do just that – and for no particular reason. The mobile phone was a distraction, not an aid. I was safer without it because I paid attention to what I was doing, where I was going and what kind of situation I was heading into. I made a habit of planning ahead and therefore avoided the kind of emergencies that might have required a mobile phone.
It’s been 15 years since the mobile phone lesson. I finally got a cell phone and let my landline go – and it was money, not “in case of an emergency” that motivated me. I don’t know how to retrieve voicemail – if my friends and family want me, they can call back until I answer. And if I don’t want to answer, I don’t. I don’t take pictures with the camera feature. I don’t play video games or download ringtones or music. And I’m not so dumb as to think that the phone in my pocket makes me any safer by virtue of the fact I can “call someone in an emergency.”
You see, I know that the phone is to report an emergency; it’s not to save me in an emergency. Avoiding the emergency if possible and getting to a position of safety before reporting an emergency is my job – not the phone company’s and not the 911 dispatch operator’s.
I don’t know when people came to believe that their cell phones were tantamount to the proverbial Star Trek communication devices and all you have to say is, “Beam me up, Scotty!” to get out of whatever predicament you’re in. But in recent weeks, we’ve had two spectacular cases of people dying in emergency situations while apparently expecting 911 dispatchers to figure out how to save them.
In one case, the fellow and his family were in a car with a piece of carpeting wedged over the accelerator pedal, racing over 100 mph into a busy intersection and into a fatal collision. In the other, the lady was in her minivan when she drove into floodwaters; the vehicle was picked up by the floods and washed up for several minutes against some trees before it overturned and sank with her inside. Hideous, preventable deaths – a loss to their families and their communities, but their deaths are meaningless if we don’t pay attention to the real lessons that should be learned from these tragedies.
In both cases, the victims, rather than using both hands and all of their brains to attempt to regain control of themselves and their situation – or at least minimize their immediate risk, grabbed their cell phones and quit thinking. I understand that in a panic people are reacting – not thinking. But thinking is what you have to do first if you want to stay alive.
In the jammed gas pedal case, there were several critical seconds the driver had to respond to the rapidly accelerating car – I mean, common sense tells you the car didn’t just SUDDENLY reach 100 miles per hour – it takes time to get to that speed. There were other people in the car who could’ve talked to dispatch while the driver fought to free the accelerator from the upholstery. He could’ve slammed it into neutral – better a ruined transmission than being dead. He could’ve tried to lift the pedal by putting his foot under the pedal itself and lifting or reached down and jerked the floor pad back. He didn’t have long to react, but he had several critical seconds to recognize a problem and respond – and his response was to grab the cell phone, tying up one hand while trying to maneuver an out-of-control vehicle, and talk while attempting to survive an increasingly desperate situation -- a situation beyond the control of anything a 911 operator could have done.
In the minivan case, first, the woman drove into the floodwaters and the vehicle was washed off the road. This woman had over 12 minutes in the floating vehicle to figure out how to open a window or door or the back of the minivan and get into the trees the vehicle was wedged against BEFORE the vehicle filled up, overturned and sank. She spent the entire 12 minutes on the phone, panicked, crying for help until she drowned. Beyond keeping her head in an air pocket and the phone to her ear, there’s no indication she did anything significant to extricate herself.
A cell phone is not going to make you rape-proof, break-proof, abduction-proof, death-proof. It’s a reporting device. The people who answer your call are going to have to take precious minutes to figure out what kind of situation you’re in – and you’re the one who should know best; you’re already facing it. So put the phone down; it’s for reporting emergencies – not extricating you from them. Turn your mouth off, the brain on – and call after you’ve gotten yourself into a sustainable situation, not before.
But I think we all need to break the dependence on cell phones as decision-making devices and make a habit of leaving the things at home a couple times a week while we re-learn self-reliance and cognitive functioning. So my advice -- in an emergency, keep your hands free, shut up and THINK. Odds are you’ll live longer.
Florida Cracker
One day, I thought it would be a good idea to stay in touch with the office while I was out in the community checking on my bad guys and so signed out the office mobile phone.
Imagine my surprise when my boss called me not 15 minutes after I’d left the office to ask me if I’d received a letter pertaining to fees or fines or something on one of my 80-plus cases. I had to tell him I had no idea if the letter had come in; if he needed to know that urgently, he could a) check my inbox, b) pull the file and see if the letter was where it was supposed to be in the file, or c) I could drive back to the office and look for the letter myself and let him know. And all this conversation while I negotiated my standard shift car through heavy traffic in downtown streets and trying to balance that brick of a phone on my shoulder.
No, no, no – it’s not important, was his response, I was just wondering if you got that letter. He then called me four more times in the two hours I was out of the office to ask equally mundane housekeeping questions – things he never would ask me even when I was sitting in my office right across the hall from him. But somehow, knowing I had a phone and could be reached in the field, he felt obliged to call me every time a thought flitted through his head.
Thus endeth my enchantment with mobile phones – but not my frustration with people who seem to operate with the mouth perpetually in motion and the brain in idle.
The thing everyone says is, “you need a phone in case of an emergency.” Seemed to me having a mobile phone tended to manufacture crises – because people, if they know they can just reach out and touch someone, absolutely think they have to do just that – and for no particular reason. The mobile phone was a distraction, not an aid. I was safer without it because I paid attention to what I was doing, where I was going and what kind of situation I was heading into. I made a habit of planning ahead and therefore avoided the kind of emergencies that might have required a mobile phone.
It’s been 15 years since the mobile phone lesson. I finally got a cell phone and let my landline go – and it was money, not “in case of an emergency” that motivated me. I don’t know how to retrieve voicemail – if my friends and family want me, they can call back until I answer. And if I don’t want to answer, I don’t. I don’t take pictures with the camera feature. I don’t play video games or download ringtones or music. And I’m not so dumb as to think that the phone in my pocket makes me any safer by virtue of the fact I can “call someone in an emergency.”
You see, I know that the phone is to report an emergency; it’s not to save me in an emergency. Avoiding the emergency if possible and getting to a position of safety before reporting an emergency is my job – not the phone company’s and not the 911 dispatch operator’s.
I don’t know when people came to believe that their cell phones were tantamount to the proverbial Star Trek communication devices and all you have to say is, “Beam me up, Scotty!” to get out of whatever predicament you’re in. But in recent weeks, we’ve had two spectacular cases of people dying in emergency situations while apparently expecting 911 dispatchers to figure out how to save them.
In one case, the fellow and his family were in a car with a piece of carpeting wedged over the accelerator pedal, racing over 100 mph into a busy intersection and into a fatal collision. In the other, the lady was in her minivan when she drove into floodwaters; the vehicle was picked up by the floods and washed up for several minutes against some trees before it overturned and sank with her inside. Hideous, preventable deaths – a loss to their families and their communities, but their deaths are meaningless if we don’t pay attention to the real lessons that should be learned from these tragedies.
In both cases, the victims, rather than using both hands and all of their brains to attempt to regain control of themselves and their situation – or at least minimize their immediate risk, grabbed their cell phones and quit thinking. I understand that in a panic people are reacting – not thinking. But thinking is what you have to do first if you want to stay alive.
In the jammed gas pedal case, there were several critical seconds the driver had to respond to the rapidly accelerating car – I mean, common sense tells you the car didn’t just SUDDENLY reach 100 miles per hour – it takes time to get to that speed. There were other people in the car who could’ve talked to dispatch while the driver fought to free the accelerator from the upholstery. He could’ve slammed it into neutral – better a ruined transmission than being dead. He could’ve tried to lift the pedal by putting his foot under the pedal itself and lifting or reached down and jerked the floor pad back. He didn’t have long to react, but he had several critical seconds to recognize a problem and respond – and his response was to grab the cell phone, tying up one hand while trying to maneuver an out-of-control vehicle, and talk while attempting to survive an increasingly desperate situation -- a situation beyond the control of anything a 911 operator could have done.
In the minivan case, first, the woman drove into the floodwaters and the vehicle was washed off the road. This woman had over 12 minutes in the floating vehicle to figure out how to open a window or door or the back of the minivan and get into the trees the vehicle was wedged against BEFORE the vehicle filled up, overturned and sank. She spent the entire 12 minutes on the phone, panicked, crying for help until she drowned. Beyond keeping her head in an air pocket and the phone to her ear, there’s no indication she did anything significant to extricate herself.
A cell phone is not going to make you rape-proof, break-proof, abduction-proof, death-proof. It’s a reporting device. The people who answer your call are going to have to take precious minutes to figure out what kind of situation you’re in – and you’re the one who should know best; you’re already facing it. So put the phone down; it’s for reporting emergencies – not extricating you from them. Turn your mouth off, the brain on – and call after you’ve gotten yourself into a sustainable situation, not before.
But I think we all need to break the dependence on cell phones as decision-making devices and make a habit of leaving the things at home a couple times a week while we re-learn self-reliance and cognitive functioning. So my advice -- in an emergency, keep your hands free, shut up and THINK. Odds are you’ll live longer.
Florida Cracker
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Hard Truth From Orlando: Kanye, Serena, Wilson -- aren't they special?
We have an epidemic of rude. And yes, I think it goes back to lousy parenting and the bizarre sense of entitlement which has become pervasive in our society. It’s that my-kid-is-special and nobody is allowed to fail or be shut out. No one is required to conform unless the behavior violates specified legal terms. The “see me, see me, see me; I’m important” behavior is everywhere and everywhere, regular citizens are expected to put up with it while trying to continue to produce and comply with civil standards the “entitled” people are free to ignore.
A mini-cosmos of the national problem is enacted everyday in the classrooms across the country.
You could talk for days about the mandatory “inclusion” of so-called special needs children in classrooms – many of whom simply need real parents. This policy stems from the bad old days when if your child had a physical disability or a slight learning disability, they were immediately shunted off to a “special ed” class, relegated to the leftover educational resources. So now, we’ve gone totally the other way. Children of normal aptitude are expected to perform today in situations we adults file lawsuits on if we are subjected to them in our workplace.
Nowadays, it doesn’t matter if your child is a screaming lunatic with outbursts of homicidal insanity, a threat to themselves and every child around them; they are “mainstreamed” into the classrooms with regular, everyday compliant kids who are in public school to get the legislated education. So your average kid is expected to become proficient in his lessons with Mr. ADHD on his specially designed bouncy seat (yeah, there’s such a thing) next to him, thudding away and twitching and muttering to himself or Mr. or Ms. ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) challenging the teacher, disrupting the class, threatening the students around him.
The kids with problems learn that they don’t have to comply to be accepted into the group. Their inclusion is mandatory, no matter how egregious their behavior. They don’t have to earn attention by good behavior and positive achievement – they become used to having a captive audience to whatever whim passes their way. They’re “special” and they get told this every day. And they have parents who know what their “rights” are, even if they don’t have a clue what parenting is really about.
And regular kids – well, they learn that bad behavior is acceptable and mirror it accordingly, or struggle in silence until they can find another environment or give up and drop out.
We need to start practicing “exclusion” again for incivility and failure to comply. Parents of “special kids” need to foot the bill for their child’s failure to adapt or comply with social norms – their parenting failures are not the community’s responsibility to repair. I don’t see any reason to leave a child behind; I also see no reason to stop the wagon to pick one up if he chooses to jump off. Poor choices need real consequences.
Florida Cracker
A mini-cosmos of the national problem is enacted everyday in the classrooms across the country.
You could talk for days about the mandatory “inclusion” of so-called special needs children in classrooms – many of whom simply need real parents. This policy stems from the bad old days when if your child had a physical disability or a slight learning disability, they were immediately shunted off to a “special ed” class, relegated to the leftover educational resources. So now, we’ve gone totally the other way. Children of normal aptitude are expected to perform today in situations we adults file lawsuits on if we are subjected to them in our workplace.
Nowadays, it doesn’t matter if your child is a screaming lunatic with outbursts of homicidal insanity, a threat to themselves and every child around them; they are “mainstreamed” into the classrooms with regular, everyday compliant kids who are in public school to get the legislated education. So your average kid is expected to become proficient in his lessons with Mr. ADHD on his specially designed bouncy seat (yeah, there’s such a thing) next to him, thudding away and twitching and muttering to himself or Mr. or Ms. ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) challenging the teacher, disrupting the class, threatening the students around him.
The kids with problems learn that they don’t have to comply to be accepted into the group. Their inclusion is mandatory, no matter how egregious their behavior. They don’t have to earn attention by good behavior and positive achievement – they become used to having a captive audience to whatever whim passes their way. They’re “special” and they get told this every day. And they have parents who know what their “rights” are, even if they don’t have a clue what parenting is really about.
And regular kids – well, they learn that bad behavior is acceptable and mirror it accordingly, or struggle in silence until they can find another environment or give up and drop out.
We need to start practicing “exclusion” again for incivility and failure to comply. Parents of “special kids” need to foot the bill for their child’s failure to adapt or comply with social norms – their parenting failures are not the community’s responsibility to repair. I don’t see any reason to leave a child behind; I also see no reason to stop the wagon to pick one up if he chooses to jump off. Poor choices need real consequences.
Florida Cracker
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Cookies.......not just for breakfast anymore.
Wired comes through again....this story was mentioned on incidents.org, an often-checked web site in my line of work....
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Rec: Lo-Cal Spanish Rice
This is a low-cal Spanish rice accompaniment for an entree. This dish takes a little chopping, so it's best for those days when you feel ambitious in the kitchen. It serves 4, but may be frozen in portions to microwave on other days. This is from Change One, the Reader's Digest diet.
Spanish Rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped (or 1/2 cup minced frozen onion)
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon jarred garlic)
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (mild mushrooms, such as button)
2/3 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 cup low sodium tomato juice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
4 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced (or one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
Lightly coat a deep nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until the onion is almost soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and rice and saute until the rice turns golden, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato juice, chicken broth, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium-heat. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes.
Cover again and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes longer. Fluff with a fork to keep the rice from sticking, and remove the bay leaf before serving.
Spanish Rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped (or 1/2 cup minced frozen onion)
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon jarred garlic)
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (mild mushrooms, such as button)
2/3 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 cup low sodium tomato juice
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
4 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, and diced (or one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes)
Lightly coat a deep nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until the onion is almost soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and rice and saute until the rice turns golden, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato juice, chicken broth, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium-heat. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes.
Cover again and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes longer. Fluff with a fork to keep the rice from sticking, and remove the bay leaf before serving.
Rec: Hollandaise for Beginners
So many cookbooks assume we know a lot more than we do. They give us a recipe but leave out the details involved in the process, then we wonder why we failed. Herewith, a hopeful guide to a simple Hollandaise for the beginner.
Hollandaise is famous because it's tasty, it's fattening, and it's supposedly difficult to make. The first two points are true but the last one is not. British home cook Nigella Lawson refers to Hollandaise as "a kind of hot mayonnaise" because it's composed primarily of eggs and butter, with a little lemon juice or white vinegar, and pepper for vital flavoring. The difficulty lies in cooking it so it's neither runny nor curdled. If it's runny, it means the eggs were not cooked sufficiently. If it's curdled it means you don't have a nearly pudding-like emulsion because the butter has separated from the other ingredients.
Making it properly is simplicity in itself, but it takes practice. First, I recommend dispensing with the double boiler most recipes demand. You don't need it. Secondly, I find using lemon juice and white vinegar together gives the sauce a piquant vibrancy, without being too lemony or too sour. Since that is a matter of taste, though, you will want to experiment.
Turn an electric burner onto medium-low, or gas onto low, and drop the egg yolks* into a small saucepan** along with the lemon juice and vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt and white pepper. Immediately start whisking the eggs. It should take two or three minutes of careful attention before they start to cook. As soon as the eggs start to thicken, turn the burner down one notch, otherwise they are likely to turn into scrambled eggs. If they start to solidify instead of thicken it means the heat was too high and you will just have to start over. If they don't thicken it means the heat isn't high enough, so turn up your burner a notch.
As soon as the eggs start to thicken, begin adding the butter a little at a time, whisking continuously. If the sauce starts to thin out, it means you're adding the butter too fast; either your butter chunks are too big or you're adding them too quickly. Either way it means too much butter at once, so adjust. After about five minutes of whisking, you should have a nice pudding-like Hollandaise. This is a good time to taste it, then adjust the seasonings. I find a nice fat pinch of cayenne is perfect, along with small pinches (or a couple of shakes) of salt and pepper. It's best to use white pepper, because then you don't have black specks in your sauce. As soon as the sauce is complete, take it off the burner. If you leave it on the heat it will almost certainly overheat and curdle. It will cool rapidly off the heat and thereby maintain it's consistency. It's best used as soon as possible, however.
Leftover Hollandaise can be successfully frozen, something nice to know since it's touchy and a bit time-consuming to make. It's also economical and convenient for a small household to make up a batch, knowing there will be some left for another meal. Heat frozen Hollandaise slowly on a very low burner, whisking or stirring constantly. Alternately, it will heat up nicely in the microwave. Again, a low setting is the key. Try the defrost setting for one to two minutes. If it's still partially frozen, then stir it and try heating for an additional 30 seconds at a time on an even lower setting, followed by a quick stir each time, until it reaches the proper consistency.
This is wonderful over asparagus, broccoli or salmon.
Hollandaise is famous because it's tasty, it's fattening, and it's supposedly difficult to make. The first two points are true but the last one is not. British home cook Nigella Lawson refers to Hollandaise as "a kind of hot mayonnaise" because it's composed primarily of eggs and butter, with a little lemon juice or white vinegar, and pepper for vital flavoring. The difficulty lies in cooking it so it's neither runny nor curdled. If it's runny, it means the eggs were not cooked sufficiently. If it's curdled it means you don't have a nearly pudding-like emulsion because the butter has separated from the other ingredients.
Making it properly is simplicity in itself, but it takes practice. First, I recommend dispensing with the double boiler most recipes demand. You don't need it. Secondly, I find using lemon juice and white vinegar together gives the sauce a piquant vibrancy, without being too lemony or too sour. Since that is a matter of taste, though, you will want to experiment.
2 egg yolks
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and white pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cut into half-inch pieces
Turn an electric burner onto medium-low, or gas onto low, and drop the egg yolks* into a small saucepan** along with the lemon juice and vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt and white pepper. Immediately start whisking the eggs. It should take two or three minutes of careful attention before they start to cook. As soon as the eggs start to thicken, turn the burner down one notch, otherwise they are likely to turn into scrambled eggs. If they start to solidify instead of thicken it means the heat was too high and you will just have to start over. If they don't thicken it means the heat isn't high enough, so turn up your burner a notch.
As soon as the eggs start to thicken, begin adding the butter a little at a time, whisking continuously. If the sauce starts to thin out, it means you're adding the butter too fast; either your butter chunks are too big or you're adding them too quickly. Either way it means too much butter at once, so adjust. After about five minutes of whisking, you should have a nice pudding-like Hollandaise. This is a good time to taste it, then adjust the seasonings. I find a nice fat pinch of cayenne is perfect, along with small pinches (or a couple of shakes) of salt and pepper. It's best to use white pepper, because then you don't have black specks in your sauce. As soon as the sauce is complete, take it off the burner. If you leave it on the heat it will almost certainly overheat and curdle. It will cool rapidly off the heat and thereby maintain it's consistency. It's best used as soon as possible, however.
Leftover Hollandaise can be successfully frozen, something nice to know since it's touchy and a bit time-consuming to make. It's also economical and convenient for a small household to make up a batch, knowing there will be some left for another meal. Heat frozen Hollandaise slowly on a very low burner, whisking or stirring constantly. Alternately, it will heat up nicely in the microwave. Again, a low setting is the key. Try the defrost setting for one to two minutes. If it's still partially frozen, then stir it and try heating for an additional 30 seconds at a time on an even lower setting, followed by a quick stir each time, until it reaches the proper consistency.
This is wonderful over asparagus, broccoli or salmon.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Thought For Today
"You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans." - Ronald Reagan
Monday, July 20, 2009
"According to Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: "Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted more than just an American flag on the moon. The lunar module had no overboard dump valve... Armstrong and Aldrin had to leave behind everything they could to lighten the lunar module for its blast-off from the moon - including the bags."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Bees that have honey in their mouths have stings in their tails. " - Scottish Proverb
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Better be ill spoken of by one before all than by all before one." - Scottish Proverb
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Conficker Work Group - ANY - RepairTools
Conficker Work Group - ANY - RepairTools
It looks like Conficker is waking up and stealing information. If you're still not sure if you have it or just want another check up, this is the place.
It looks like Conficker is waking up and stealing information. If you're still not sure if you have it or just want another check up, this is the place.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Barack Obama's czarlike wielding of executive power. - By Bruce Fein - Slate Magazine
Barack Obama's czarlike wielding of executive power. - By Bruce Fein - Slate Magazine
We had hoped for more from the new Pres. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
We had hoped for more from the new Pres. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
FreeCreditReport.com vs. AnnualCreditReport.com. - By Seth Stevenson - Slate Magazine
FreeCreditReport.com vs. AnnualCreditReport.com. - By Seth Stevenson - Slate Magazine
Read. This is something everyone should know about.
Read. This is something everyone should know about.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
The Five Dumbest Tariffs: As the global recession deepens, countries go to extreme lengths to prop up their ailing industries. | The Big Money
The Five Dumbest Tariffs: As the global recession deepens, countries go to extreme lengths to prop up their ailing industries. The Big Money
Government stupidity at it's finest.
Government stupidity at it's finest.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
The Two-Minute Haggadah - By Michael Rubiner - Slate Magazine
The Two-Minute Haggadah - By Michael Rubiner - Slate Magazine
Funny, but it does cover MOST of the basics. Sorry Elijah.
Funny, but it does cover MOST of the basics. Sorry Elijah.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Like everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I begin each day with coffee and obituaries." - Bill Cosby
Monday, April 06, 2009
The Thought For Today
"A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Thought For Today
"An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support." - Fulton J. Sheen
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Thought For Today
"The best index to a person's character is(a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and(b) how he treats people who can't fight back." - Abigail Van Buren
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Thought For Today
"If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires." - Abigail Van Buren
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." - Abigail Van Buren
Space Eulogies: Shuttle-Riding Bat Dies The Most Glorious Death Imaginable
Space Eulogies: Shuttle-Riding Bat Dies The Most Glorious Death Imaginable
Just in case you missed it, I did. Glorious though it might have been, I'ld still prefer to ride on the INSIDE.
Just in case you missed it, I did. Glorious though it might have been, I'ld still prefer to ride on the INSIDE.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Deano Sez:
Well, he would, but he's passed out drunk on the living room rug and drooling on himself. As usual. Oh no, Deano, what did you do to your neighbor's poodle? I'm afraid that it's time to change your name and move again!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Eclectic Micks: HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY FROM FATHER JACK HACKETT!
Eclectic Micks: HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY FROM FATHER JACK HACKETT!
"Eclectic Micks are a collection of Irish professional comic book artists." Enjoy.
"Eclectic Micks are a collection of Irish professional comic book artists." Enjoy.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
EPA Fugitives | Criminal Enforcement | US EPA
EPA Fugitives Criminal Enforcement US EPA
Interesting Site. Bad men, one and all. Sadly, no corporate heads, only the small fish.
Interesting Site. Bad men, one and all. Sadly, no corporate heads, only the small fish.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - John Wooden
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Thought For Today
"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning..." - C. S. Lewis
Friday, March 06, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Monday, March 02, 2009
The Thought For Today
"My advice to you is to get married. If you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not you'll become a philosopher." - Socrates
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Saturday, February 07, 2009
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
My computer has died for good so I don't know when I'll be back on line. I'll try and borrow one like this now and then, but...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK BY ROSY!
And since I haven't heard from her in a while, I have no idea why. Something about giant mutant crawfish with Uzis invading Shreveport. How you can let such trivial things stop you from Posting... *SIGH*
Saturday, January 10, 2009
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK BY ROSY!
Whoops, still no Posting? Too busy with all those wild parties? Poor Rosy, hangovers and the DTs are a pain. You really ought to stay away from the Everclear and Tang. What, do you think that you're working for NASA now?
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