Vacation Ideas I

July 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Fowler, Mich

SOTP or LEES!!

Too Cute III, IV, V, VI

Something for everyone. It's part of my pre-vacation no-blog
ging, image dump.

Eco Fashion II

Latest addition from Ecoist. They will offer 10% off their best selling large and medium confetti totes and their new Ltd. Luna Bar bags. Ecoist handbags are made from candy wrappers, food packages, and soft drink labels discarded by manufacturers due to misprints or discontinued candy lines. The company plants a tree for every bag sold!

F&F Compound Contestants I

Charming Victorian in the country...AND the income from 5 apartments! Many recent improvements and a tree-shaded yard make this a good investment. Positive cash flow and good tenants who want to stay. Colora, MD









Imaginary F&F Compound from Worth.1000 Photoshop Contest.

Eco Architecture I

New York’s urban architect recyclers, LOT-EK, have recently designed a library in Guadalajara made entirely of refurbished airplane fuselages. Apparently when airplanes are put to rest, most of their parts are easily recycled. However, according to Noticias Arquitectura, the fuselages are the only parts that are rarely reused, because “the cost of its demolition exceeds the profit of aluminum resale.” Because of this, there are a ton of discarded fuselages strewn all over deserts of the western states. Boeing 727 and 737 are the best-selling commercial planes and therefore the most common fuselage types in these graveyards. The fuselages are sold completely stripped, and at a ridicously cheap price - lending themselves to a great building material.

Quotes from "Our Leader" II

“I based a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there’s an Almighty, and secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody’s soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free. “
– President Bush

Tulips

Nice tulip photos I got at
Flickr. The pink ones are by Muffet, the apricot by Thomas Hawk, and the white are from grace*c*

Quotes from "Our Leader"

“China has become successful because the Chinese people are experience [sic] the freedom to buy, and to sell, and to produce — and China can grow even more successful by allowing the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely, and to worship.”
– President George W. Bush, on Thursday, just moments before a woman was arrested for verbally protesting the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House

(Full Disclosure Note: although not widely reported, allegedly Wenyi Wang, a very "old" 47, also shouted out in Mandarin to Hu that his "days were numbered" which resulted in the charge of intimidating a foreign official.)

We report; You Decide IV

The President took an evironmentally sound bike ride:

After spending Friday night in a swank resort in Napa Valley's wine country, Bush started off a leisurely schedule yesterday with a punishing bike ride in a redwood state forest.

''We're able to enjoy the beauty without really disrupting the pristine nature of the place," the mud-splattered president said after the 65-minute ride. A long convoy of sport utility vehicles and off-road vehicles rumbled behind the small group of bike riders, carrying medics and security agents.

Persons of the Week 4/22/06

Carl Bernstein: Unlike his "All the President's Men" collaborator, Bob Woodward, hasn't sold his integrity for insider access and book royalties: More important, it is essential that the Senate vote—hopefully before the November elections, and with overwhelming support from both parties—to undertake a full investigation of the conduct of the presidency of George W. Bush, along the lines of the Senate Watergate Committee's investigation during the presidency of Richard M. Nixon.

How much evidence is there to justify such action?

Certainly enough to form a consensus around a national imperative: to learn what this president and his vice president knew and when they knew it; to determine what the Bush administration has done under the guise of national security; and to find out who did what, whether legal or illegal, unconstitutional or merely under the wire, in ignorance or incompetence or with good reason, while the administration barricaded itself behind the most Draconian secrecy and disingenuous information policies of the modern presidential era...

...As with Watergate, the investigation of George W. Bush and his presidency needs to start from a shared premise and set of principles that can be embraced by Democrats and Republicans, by liberals and centrists and conservatives, and by opponents of the war and its advocates: that the president of the United States and members of his administration must defend the requirements of the Constitution, obey the law, demonstrate common sense, and tell the truth. --vanityfair.com

KD and GK: Thanks for a very delicious Earth Day Brunch!

John Muir Day

The battle we have fought, and are still fighting for the forests is a part of the eternal conflict between right and wrong, and we cannot expect to see the end of it. ... So we must count on watching and striving for these trees, and should always be glad to find anything so surely good and noble to strive for.--John Muir, naturalist, writer, conservationist, and founder of the Sierra Club.

Earth Day Top 10

Top 10 Things you can do. Details here.

1. Change your lightbulbs.

2. Drive your car differently – or drive a different car altogether.

3. Your house – not too hot, not too cold.

4. Tame the refrigerator monster.

5. Twist the knobs on your other household appliances.

6. Green plants with less water, more trees to provide shade.

7. Buy Green Energy, and invest in green energy stocks.

8. Go organic.

9. Buy recycled.

10. Be a minimalist.

Kaleidoscopy Stuff II

Examples of Chinese ornamentation from here.

Friday Pigblog

Olympigs!

Eco Fashion I

English Retreads

Products hand-crafted from 100% reclaimed inner tubes. Unique handbags, book bags, totes, backpacks, and belts designed from discarded truck inner tubes.

Free plots of Land in North Dakota!!!

uh... no thanks...

Persons of the Week (Not) 4/15/06

Look at all the retired generals marching forth and calling for Rummy's resignation. Should they be lauded for speaking truth to power? I think not. Where were they when their protestations would have been brave... and useful?

Therefore I go to the past and name General Eric Shinseki who in February of 2003 publicly disagreed with Rummy and Wolfowitz on the number of troops needed to keep peace in the aftermath of "Shock and Awe."

NYTIMES 2/28/03: Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, opened a two-front war of words on Capitol Hill, calling the recent estimate by Gen. Eric K. Shinseki of the Army that several hundred thousand troops would be needed in postwar Iraq, "wildly off the mark." Pentagon officials have put the figure closer to 100,000 troops.

"The idea that it would take several hundred thousand U.S. forces I think is far off the mark," Mr. Rumsfeld said.

In his testimony, Mr. Wolfowitz ticked off several reasons why he believed a much smaller coalition peacekeeping force than General Shinseki envisioned would be sufficient to police and rebuild postwar Iraq. He said there was no history of ethnic strife in Iraq, as there was in Bosnia or Kosovo. He said Iraqi civilians would welcome an American-led liberation force that "stayed as long as necessary but left as soon as possible," but would oppose a long-term occupation force. And he said that nations that oppose war with Iraq would likely sign up to help rebuild it.

Mad Kane has this to say about the no longer retiring retired generals:

Some Gen'rals are filling our ears,
With Rummy critiques and Bronx cheers.
What a shame they're so late,
And didn't join the debate
Before Bush got another four years.

Easter Bunny Shot by VP Cheney

Clarence Darrow's Birthday

“First and last, it's a question of money. Those men who own the earth make the laws to protect what they have. They fix up a sort of fence or pen around what they have, and they fix the law so the fellow on the outside cannot get in. The laws are really organized for the protection of the men who rule the world. They were never organized or enforced to do justice. We have no system for doing justice, not the slightest in the world.”

Marshmallow Peep Contest

March of the Peeps
The Persistence of Peeps

Easter Special Editions

Worth1000.com runs Photoshop contests; these are entries for a contest called colorblind. I still think specially colored M&Ms are more appealing.

Stained Plant Cells

Aren't these pretty? Click the images to get more detail.

You can see lots more here.

Top Ten Cloves: Things The Vatican Has Done To Make Good Friday Even Better

10. Plush chairs, with cup holders and a 3D showing of 'The Ten Commandments

9. Church organist will play a medley of 50-Cent's music

8. Special Raffle - Win a four-year scholarship to College of Cardinals

7. Batting cages in back of churches so you can work out and still get credit for attending services

6. Low Carb Communion Wafers

5. Matching services - Will pair you up with a fugitive and a copy of 'The Purpose-Driven Life

4. Instead of a sip, will give you a glass of wine you can take back to your seat

3. One-day amnesty on purchasing 'The DaVinci Code

2. Along with getting your feet washed, full pedicure services available at selected churches

1. Established 900 Number - Get a Wake Up! call from the Pope

from: puregarlic.blogspot.com

Bak Full Moon Poya Day

The Significance of Full Moon Poya Days in Sri Lanka

The Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is primarily a Buddhist country and most of its festivals are based on the lunar calendar. Every full moon day, also known as 'Poya', is a holiday in this nation. The Buddha encouraged his disciples to undertake spiritual practices during the full moon period and Sri Lankan Buddhists spend these days in meditation and prayer.

The Buddha adopted this practice and from this developed the preaching of the Buddhist texts and commentaries in monasteries and temples on full moon Poya days.

When the Venerable Arahat Mahinda Thero introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka in 247 BC he also introduced the Poya tradition. Each Poya day, known by its traditional Sinhala name, is related to an incident in the life of the Buddha or to a historic Buddhist event. Buddhism differs from other religions because it does not believe in a Creator or an Almighty God who is responsible for all our actions. Buddhism, in the actual sense is not a religion, though people generally call it one, because there is no belief in, or recognition of a higher unseen authority, or a controlling power, but emotions and morality connected therewith. Buddhism is a moral philosophy in pursuit of wisdom and knowledge, norms and laws, and all other things connected therewith.

Bak Full Moon (April): Commemorates the second visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, which took place in the fifth year of his Supreme Enlightenment.

Birthday Contest

It's a Founding Father's birthday: Who is pictured and who is the artist?

e-mail answers to: natasha.coureaux@gmail.com

Correct Answer by The Constable:

Thomas Jefferson by Gilbert Stuart

Cumulative Points:
The Constable = 1.5; PsychGuy = 3; Europa = 1

Evolutionary Timeline

From first life forms to homo sapiens on a 135 foot wide web page!

So this is the laboratory

where the monster was created...




AP: Tony Gutierrez
Credit to: Dependable Renegade

Tiktaalik cartoons

Warning!!!

This group of varmints has been spotted on the beach on Sanibel Island.

Mystical Mandalas

The kaleidoscope lover in me loves these! Lots more here.

Hippity, hoppity

Which rabbit is the cutest most awesome: the German Giant or the widdle bunny wabbit?

Person of the Week - 4/8/06

Was there any doubt?

Harry Taylor of Charlotte spoke for millions at a Q&A session with President Bush on April 6:

HARRY TAYLOR: You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you’d like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are —

THE PRESIDENT: I’m not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what’s your question?

HARRY TAYLOR: Okay, I don’t have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and —

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec — let him speak.

HARRY TAYLOR: And I would hope — I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I’m saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

THE PRESIDENT: It is, yes. (Applause.)

HARRY TAYLOR: And I know that this doesn’t come welcome to most of the people in this room, but I do appreciate that.

Flag Controversy Settled

Immigration I

Kaye Grogan:

“We are all immigrants” has just about run its course. Every country started with immigrants, and they would not put up with millions of Mexicans or any other nationality trying to invade and take over their territory — so why is America expected to take in everybody from rogue nations?

Are we getting a gigantic trophy for being the most stupid country in the world?

Apparently:



















Credit: Poor Man Institute

Department of Homeland Security

*phone rings*


DHS Official: "Department of Homeland Security."


Osama: "Yes, this is Osama bin Laden."


DHS Official: "Really?!"


Osama: "Yes, it is I, Osama bin Laden."


DHS Official: "The one and only?"


Osama: "Yes."


DHS Official: "Um...what are you wearing?"


from attaturk: rising-hegemon

Grow your own furniture

Do you strive to be enviromentally conscious? Then this is the lawn furniture for you: the Chia Chair!

The Grass armchair is self assembled, each pack contains 14 corrugated cardboard frames and 100g pack of grass seeds. You will need about 240 litres of soil, to fill in the frame. First find the right spot, because once the armchair has grown you won't be able to move it!! You can put up to 20cm of gravel with in the frame then the soil. Spread the seeds evenly using only 4/5 of the bag of seeds. Press them in and water slightly so that the soil is humid. Water the armchair everyday. If it rains cover the armchair until grass has grown, to avoid the chair becoming waterlogged. After 10 days the grass starts to grow. If the grass has not grown evenly use the rest of the seeds to even it out. Once the grass has reached 10cm, cut it to 3cm, and keep it to this height. Now you can sit back and relax!

I'll be in England next month; let me know if you want one of these!

Breaking the Spell I

I've just started reading Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett.

In a paragraph noting that people are normally ignorant of their own ignorance, oblivious to their own blindspot: people are typically amazed to discover that we don't see colors in our peripheral vision. It seems as if we do, but we don't, as you can prove to yourself by wiggling colored cards at the edge of your vision--you'll see motion just fine but not be able to identify the color of the moving thing. It takes special provoking like that to get the absence of information to reveal itself to us. And the absence of information about religion is what I want to draw to everyone's attention.

If you are checking out this color in peripheral vision thing right now, raise your hand.

A small victory in the war against terrorists

Farewell to the exterminator.


This calls for a party, don't you think?

We report; you decide III

During the Presidential Campaign in 2000, John McCain called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance." I was so impressed, I opened my wallet and made a contribution to his campaign. ...sigh

On Sunday's Meet the Press, McCain said he no longer thinks Jerry Falwell is an agent of intolerance. Hmmm... has Mr. Falwell reformed since 2000?

Daily Kos points out that Tim Russert thought it appropriate to grill Barack Obama about remarks made by Harry Belafonte. So why not these questions for McCain (and I think these only scratch the surface of Falwell's intolerance):

Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell that Muhammed, the prophet of Islam, is a "terrorist"?

Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell's statement that "If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being"?

Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell's statement that "Blacks, Hispanics, women, etc. are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status"?

Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell's statement that "Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home"?

Senator McCain, do you agree with Jerry Falwell's statement that if the Antichrist did exist and were alive today, "of course he'll be Jewish"?
___
And Paul Krugman, in the NYTimes wrote: if you choose to make common cause with religious extremists, you are accepting some responsibility for their extremism. By welcoming Mr. Falwell and people like him as members of their party, Republicans are saying that it's O.K. — not necessarily correct, but O.K. — to declare that 9/11 was America's punishment for its tolerance of abortion and homosexuality, that Islam is a terrorist religion, and that Jews can't go to heaven. And voters should judge the Republican Party accordingly.
___

John McCain, welcome to Mhom's creep zone.