Debsweb

A Little Light Humor

2009-07-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Cleaning sheet for men

* Broom (brum) - a long handled brush used for sweeping (also doubles as a mode of transportation for your mother)

* Vacuum (vak' u em) - much like the leaf blower except it sucks in, instead of blowing out. Don't let this alarm you. It isn't broken and doesn't need more torque, speed, RAM or whatever it is you did to the dishwasher.

* Dust pan (DUH) - Contrary to popular belief, this is where you sweep the dirt, not under the hallway area rug.

* Dust Cloth (dust kloth) - A cloth designated for removing tiny particles of dirt from every flat surface of the house. Hint: look for your old "lucky shirt".

* Bucket (buk' it)- Cylindric container used for holding soapy water when mopping the floor. Also known as your mid-evil knight helmet when you're playing with our seven-year-old.

* Mop - (mop) a bundle of coarse yarn, rags or cloth fastened at the end of a stick. You'll remember this as your dance partner at the New Year's Eve party last year.

* Toilet Brush (toi' lit brush) - Used for scrubbing the inside of the toilet bowl. I don't care what this looks like, you may NOT use my shower loofah again!

* Oven Cleaner (uv' en Klen' er) - No, not the teenager. This is an actually product that you buy, spray in the oven and wipe out two hours later. You won't need your welder's mask for this task, but if it makes you feel more dangerous, go ahead.

* Sponge (spunj) - used to gently wash away food particles from dinnerware. It won't be necessary to use your 300psi Power wash set. That was given to you in hopes of cleaning the EXTERIOR of the house (hint hint).

* Squeegee (skwe' je) - Same principle as washing the car windshield, and yes, real men DO squeegee!

Final Note:
While Duct tape may be a wonderful plumbers aid, it's really not the best solution for keeping the bathroom towels in place, and Jamie's teacher is still asking why his homework was stuck to his forehead last week. For these reasons, I have hidden the duct tape and distributed your picture to the local hardware stores. Don't make me call Duct Tape Anonymous again.

Take your time, everything will be fine. If you need me, I'll be in the basement cleaning up the smoke damage from your "do it yourself" electrical rewiring incident last week.

Big Brass Blog

Saturday Morning Observations

2009-07-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

That is kind of the point, isnt't it? Schwarzenegger is California's version of hurricane Katrina. Get rid of the poor, elderly and disabled by any means necessary, let them die if he has to and California will be the Golden State once again. Completely missing the point that the people who actually do the work, the ones that clean the buildings, pick the fruits and vegetables, serve the food in restaurants or other such "lowly" jobs can no longer afford to live there and that eventually there won't be anyone to give the rich their due.

"It does not look like rich people are leaving California in order to avoid income taxes," Kolko said.

Tax critics often claim the state's high cost of living and tax structure drive high-income earners out.

The study found that the rich — those in the top 20 percent of income earners — leave California at only a slightly higher rate than those who arrive. For those with incomes above $200,0000, the departure rate is only 1.09 households for every one household that arrives, the report said.

Meanwhile, 1.73 households with annual incomes of $22,000 or less depart California each year for every one out-of-state arrival.

And yes, one of the factors in my decision to move to Nevada is that they have no state income tax. I don't mind paying taxes, as long as they are used to benefit the public not just a select few.

The older I get, the less geek cred I have. Along with not having any interest because I think we're in a technological holding pattern at the moment and I'm waiting for something a little more interesting than Twitter.

The problem with Texas having a known creationist in charge of the state Board of Education is that Texas has great influence on textbook printings. Publishers are as cash strapped as any other business and can only afford to print a select number of books. If Texas wants to teach creationism as part of its curriculum then a lot of other states (and children) will be exposed to the same nonsense.

The New York Times is considering charging for access. Again. Good luck with that. All it did the last time was take themselves out of my reading rotation. I don't pay for Wikipedia and the Times version of information sharing isn't much more accurate.

The Quit bull (love that term!) is still babbling. So she chose not to play "their game". What game would that be? The one where you have to cross the finish line in order to collect your reward?

BBB

Have You Seen?

2009-07-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cankles. They seem to be genetic which means the only time any member of my family will have fat ankles is if we suffer from congestive heart failure (only the right ankle will be swollen) or kidney failure (the left ankle will be swollen). Good looking legs are a family trait. One of the brothers is a long distance runner and the other has to buy pants to fit his thighs which means the waistband is always too large. And while I may be overweight it doesn't show in my legs. The injury (not a sprain, which can be prevented by doing improving your balance) and subsequent foot surgery affected the right calf so it isn't the same size as the left, but it is still muscular. I'm fortunate to have the muscle definition that most women have to wear three inch heels to attain. Unfortunately, my legs are rather short (27" inseam) so as one guy said "you have nice legs, it's a pity they aren't longer". I don't know what his problem was, they reach to the floor. Unless I'm sitting, in which case they dangle about two inches above.

The hip hop guide to neurobiology? Smart kids with way too much time on their hands and a fertile imagination. Let's give it up for Sarah Tonin.

Glee? I finally watched the first episode at the Fox site and really enjoyed it. The music rocked and if it continues in this mode a fun time will be had by all.

The Nun Study on Alzheimer's? I first read about it when I was in school in 1998 and it's back in the news again. Originally it was one guy tracking all the nuns for his doctoral thesis and it has morphed into something more. In addition to language skills predicting your Alzheimer's risk, the original study also showed that incidences of head trauma also increase your dementia risk. But anyone following the lives of football players and boxers could tell you that.

My jackpot money? The lovely Bank of America extended the hold on the money until the fourteenth and been charging me overdraft fees. They have sent me no paperwork to inform me of the hold, but they did send me an email informing me I need to make another deposit to avoid an extended overdraft fee. After days of pleading and abasing myself, they refunded me most of the fees. I'm 30 cents to the good now. I can't afford to pay my bills despite having money in the bank and they are using that same money to generate income for themselves and trying to charge me extra fees while they do it. I asked one of the supervisors I talked to why the hold was so long and she said "you haven't made a deposit that large before" and I said "yes, I have" (insurance payment from totaling the car) and she said "your daily balance doesn't reflect that". Well, excuse me, that's what happens when one doesn't have a well paying job. Why they think I'm going to use them as my bank after this baffles me. Wankers.

On the other hand, one of the checks they honored (after two hours of cell time with Customer Support) was for the purchase of my car. The one I sold a few weeks ago. Returned reeking of stale cigarette smoke. And I had to pay fifty dollars more than I sold it to the woman for, in addition to signing a contract where she supposedly had the right to repossess the car if the check was returned unpaid. I don't think it would have held up in court since I've had the original pink slip the whole time, but I didn't want the hassle and besides, I had money in the bank. All I wanted was my car back. I'll put new tires on her, every maintenance I can think of, get her detailed and she should be good for a few more years. Right after the bank credits my account with the money.

BBB

I Don't Want To Shock Anyone, But

2009-07-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had a stroke of good luck. I know, I know, it's not normal for me but every once in a while something nice happens. And this was very nice. Not that I had the money to be doing this, but I was over at the Atlantis playing a penny machine for 60 cents (max bet is a $1.50) with something called Goldbeard's Treasure and just after 4 in the morning, when my eyes were looking for matchsticks to keep them open, I hit a little jackpot. And suddenly I was wide awake.

There are five progressive jackpots in this game and it randomly eliminates them one by one. I figured I would win the $6.28 but it was eliminated first. Then the $44 one disappeared, followed by the $50 one. That left a $100 and one worth a very small five figures. Which then started blinking "Winner." You have no idea how surprised I was, I believe the exact quote was "no fucking shit?" Other than the taxi home the first thing I did was get a ticket to see Ron White tonight at the Peppermill.

Now that I have a little money in the bank (and of course B of A put a 7 day hold on it), I am loathe to spend it. I need a car and a bed for mom would be really nice, as well as a computer desk (I'm using stacked beer cartons to hold the iMac and I prop the keyboard on my lap) and a lamp. I loved the Infiniti but knowing what I know about the maintenance costs ($900 for a tuneup, premium gas only) makes me hesitant to replace it with another, but driving a beater car doesn't appeal to me. I like things such as air bags, ABS brakes and the ability to smoothly move out of the way of trouble. The heated seats weren't bad either. Oh well, courtesy of the bank which has my balance at -$260, I have a week to look for a car. And a new bank.

On the other hand, the woman who bought my car lost her job so I offered to buy the car back. Then I could take some of the money and do the maintenance. I like that alternative.

The maverick strikes again. Since when does writing a book and giving speeches qualify one to run a country? Especially one that thinks it's supposed to be the world's policeman. Palin supporters are a different breed. Of idiot. Quinn Hillyer of the American Spectator writes that anyone who cuts and runs from elected office without finishing the term they were elected for is not to be admired or respected for their decision and the wingnuts came out in droves to support her and call him a twit, a fool and a mental lightweight. And that was in the first four comments. Funny how the army determines leaving your post to be desertion and to most employers it shows that the employee is not a good bet in the future because they didn't finish the job in the past. While I thought the Bush supporters had drunk too much Kool-Aid, the Palin supporters have intermarried once too often.

Oops, in a surprise to researchers, self-help doesn't work. It seems that the brain knows when your life isn't going well and resists efforts to convince it otherwise. The brain prefers reality, what a concept.

Strange. How can people follow me on Twitter when I never post? Or maybe that's the point.

Today makes eighteen years since dad passed away. I can't believe how much I still miss him. Rest in peace, I love you.

BBB

More Opinions Than A Newspaper

2009-07-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

Looks like we left just in time. I didn't vote for Arnold and I most certainly didn't vote to recall Gray Davis because I didn't believe rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic was going to help. I did vote for Prop 13 and believe it is long past time for parts of it to be repealed. Specifically the two thirds majority for tax increases and corporations receiving the same tax break that only the elderly should have. Fifteen people who have roofs over their head, food in their stomachs, taxpayer paid healthcare to go along with their cars, limousines and Hummers have cost the state an additional $7billion with their artificial tantrums and complete disregard for the welfare of their non-corporate constituents.

Now sit back and watch as the quality of life in California plummets: More crime and fewer law enforcement officers; more prisoners in already overflowing penitentiaries; more students crammed in dilapidated classrooms with fewer and lower-paid teachers; more kids thrown out of programs and into the streets; more layoffs and "furloughs"; more poverty without relief; more drug addicts and meth labs in "unincorporated" areas where sheriffs have been laid-off. And don't forget the crumbling infrastructure and the unkempt and unsafe state parks and young people denied the opportunity to go to college and a public health care system on the verge of collapse and a widening class divide between the richest and poorest Californians. Schwarzenegger's "legacy" will be that he tried his best to turn California into a post-apocalyptic Hellscape replicating the dystopian cinematography of one his Sci-Fi movies.

Yup, he played his best Kindergarten Cop in True Lies fashion. Somehow they seem to get things done in Nevada. We even have the occasional nice cop.

This just in, ~~General Franco~~ Michael Jackson is still dead. I hope Lompoc gets some of the tourist dollars, they would appreciate it and people would discover a town where the air smells of flowers. Oh, and to that paper that I no longer link to, Michael Jackson is not getting weirder in death, the coverage is.

Mine isn't worth the paper it's printed on. And it certainly isn't worth the money it took to get it.

Kick his ass to the curb and don't look back. There is no marriage to work on and it would be better for the kids if they saw that at least one parent had respect for themselves. If it had been a single incident or partner maybe he could be forgiven. But once your husband of twenty years has babbled in public about his soul mate and it isn't you, there is nothing left to save. It's time to move on with your life and find somebody who respects you.

Perhaps if the movie industry had actors instead of stars and good writing instead of explosions every five seconds and it didn't cost $10 for a ticket to a movie where the credits are almost as long as the movie, maybe the industry wouldn't be in such trouble.

BBB

Two Strange Questions

2009-06-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since Farrah and Michael have left us and as the media frenzy continues, I have a question. Having had the unfortunate opportunity to experience both sides of the equation, I do have an opinion, which I will share after the question.

Is it easier to lose a loved one out of the blue, without warning? Or is it better to watch them slowly fade away, being able to say their goodbyes?

One involves shock and disbelief, the other the opportunity to prepare. While at that wacky acupuncture school, one of my clinic shifts was at the San Diego Hospice and I had the opportunity to speak with health care professionals, families and patients. Some were angry, some were sad and some were oblivious. Opinions varied quite a bit on depending upon medical training, religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds.

Some of the doctors felt that the patients should be made comfortable to the end, but usually not the end of the patient's choosing. As if being drugged out of one's mind for the last 72 hours, emaciated and in control of very few bodily functions was a graceful way to the depart the planet.

Some families were so unwilling to say goodbye that they considered and implemented treatments that added nothing to the quality of the patient's last days, but added much to the hospital bill, the pain of their loved one and created desperately unhappy memories.

Some patients held on for dear life, one woman was still smoking twelve hours before she died of breast cancer. Others couldn't leave until all family members were taken care of and they could die in peace. There was one woman who had her hair done, a mani-pedi and called her family into her room. She told them that she loved them but that they needed to go home so she could get some rest and before they were out of the parking lot she had passed on to the other side.

I've watched someone pass away from cancer at home and seen the toll on the family. As the daughter (also a nurse) said after he passed, she was glad that someone had dug up old video of him when he was healthy because she didn't want her memories to be the last few week on his deathbed.

My father died July 4, 1991 at 5:35 in the morning from a massive heart attack. He was 60. While I was watching what passed for fireworks (really nothing more than multi-colored fog with big booms that shook the glass in the skyscrapers) in Santa Monica, he was expiring in an emergency room in Santa Barbara County. I didn't find out for another thirteen hours and I can honestly say that those were some of the happiest hours of my life. Not because I was having fun, but because I didn't know. I got thirteen more hours where he was gone but he was still here.

On the other hand, I've spent the last four years of my life watching my mother disappear before my very eyes. After the stroke her reasoning skills in regards to her safety have deteriorated at a rate that is unbelievable. She has become incontinent, sometimes forgets how to swallow but was able to figure out that the "Miniature Killer" had used carbon monoxide by way of the fireplace and occasionally catches the sarcasm behind Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. She thinks Bush is an idiot and that Cheney should shut up but will leave the burners on while she washes my ten inch chef's knife with her hand grasping the sharpest part of the blade. It's frightening to walk in the door and see that.

Given my druthers, I would rather go out like my dad than wither away like my mom. Yes, it was a shock and I miss him terribly, but at least I miss him and really do remember mainly good times. With mom there's nothing to miss since her body is still here and every once in a while, her mind joins her but the day in, day out care is grueling and in the end, unrewarding.

Grief shouldn't rob years from the living before you're gone and it shouldn't root others to one sad and inescapable moment in time. As Jim Morrison so aptly pointed out, no one here gets out alive.

And from the really quirky side of my brain, have you ever been watching recorded television while surfing the internet and when a commercial comes on picked up the mouse to skip the commercials? I keep doing it and it makes me snicker every time. I know what runs my life.

BBB

The King (Of Pop) Is Dead

2009-06-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Long live the king! Unfortunately I don't know who that would be since packaging has replaced talent in the last fifteen years.

My father adored that song and believed that more people should look in the mirror. I haven't hurt like this since Princess Diana died. And I'm crying almost as much. And for the same reasons. Neither money, talent, or popularity will spare you from the Grim Reaper.

I remember The Jackson Five performing on American Bandstand and watching Michael Jackson and realizing that nothing I ever did would make me as famous, talented or as popular as he was. The fact that he was younger than me didn't help. I remember watching old videos of him as a child and seeing the fan reaction (people literally ripping the clothes from his body) and realizing that he was never going to be normal. And he wasn't, but then those of great talent rarely are.

My favorite celebrity quote came from someone I wasn't expecting but it nails how I felt about his talent.

From Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, who helmed Jackson's "Bad" video:
"Michael Jackson was extraordinary. When we worked together on "Bad," I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion. He was wonderful to work with, an absolute professional at all times, and — it really goes without saying — a true artist. It will be a while before I can get used to the idea that he's no longer with us."

When I wrote about Farrah Fawcett's passing I was going to put in a line about who would be next since famous deaths usually occur in threes, but decided to pass since I thought I could include David Carradine along with Ed McMahon. Obviously I was mistaken. The entertainment world has taken some severe hits in the last two weeks but this one has really rocked me.

Does sort of put life in perspective, doesn't it? Michael, rest in peace and thank you for everything. No matter what they say in the next few days, I will always remember you fondly. Not fondling.

BBB

Thursday Morning Quickies

2009-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Supremes surprised me this morning. I thought the decision on the strip search was going to be 8 to 1, in favor of the school not the girl. Instead of Ruth Bader Ginsburg being the lone voice of reason, it turns out it was the sexual harasser who was the holdout in favor of humiliating a girl. Somehow that isn't a surprise.

I agree, Johnny Depp is one cool dude but now the whole world (aka the IRS) knows the waiter made an extra $4000 in tips this year. It would have been really cool if the poor guy didn't have to pay taxes on it, sort of like the politicians and bankers who manage not to pay their fair share of taxes.

Filling out the paperwork for student loans isn't hard, it's tedious. Just like college. And unlike college it can be done online, at your leisure. If the FAFSA has to be simplified for students to understand it, how do they think they are going to understand their classes? Just wondering.

Senators (the usual suspects) are introducing legislation to insure that the Iranian people are able to evade censorship and Ahmadinejad is complaining that Obama is the one interfering.

Goodbye Farrah, you made many a teenage boy and quite a few older men happy by reviving the pinup poster in the seventies. Your work after Charlie's Angels revealed a depth of character that had been overlooked and highlighted the issue of abused women. Thank you for being you and rest in peace, you deserve it.

BBB

Because The Last Post Was So Depressing

2009-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

BBB

Not Dancing Fast Enough

2009-06-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure many of you have noticed, I don't post as often as I used to. There are several reasons for this, all negative. I'm tired. Tired of wasting my time pointing out the hypocrisy and stupidity of what passes for politics. Tired of posting about the same issues as very little has changed since I started blogging four years ago and what change there has been has not been for the better. No matter how many times we've been promised "hope and change".

Civil rights are disappearing daily courtesy of a a group of grumpy old men hell bent on returning us to a past where those who aren't like them knew their place. The people's wishes are consistently and constantly ignored by their "representatives" in Congress. Newspapers are disappearing at an alarming rate while so-called reporters piss and moan about a blogger getting to ask the president a question, totally ignoring the fact that reporters haven't done their job in so many years that they have made themselves irrelevant.

Then there is the ex-Vice President who made secrecy his policy while in office, and has used every legal procedure to prevent public knowledge of his activities for the last eight years, is now writing a memoir that will only reflect his point of view and make up facts and ignore the truth to portray the beginning of the 21st century dismemberment of the United States in a glorious light. If he was shorter and his epicanthic folds were different he could be our very own Kim Jong Il but the press likes to ignore those aspects of his character.

I'm tired of taking care of my mother. I have had little to no help and no time off for the last nine years. Unfortunately, she still recognizes me so I'm still holding up my side of the bargain but it becomes more difficult by the minute. Eight years ago I had a thriving practice, could afford to buy a car, go on vacation and pay my rent. Today I wonder how to afford toilet paper because food stamps will cover potato chips but not personal toiletries. I was so broke I sold the car but the person can only make payments so now I'm still destitute but have no transportation. And I still have to pay car insurance until the car is fully paid off but I can't take the dogs to the dog park. The first of the month is going to be a disaster of titanic proportions and I have no resources to ameliorate the situation.

I've tried leaving her for a few hours at a time but the stress isn't worth it. Shopping has become a hit and run affair. The dogs get out, burners are left on high on the stove, she totters around the neighborhood making everybody nervous because they think she is going to fall and if I take her out she deliberately wanders off if I go to the bathroom. Even if I take her to the same place all the time her sense of direction is so impaired that she can't find her way to the front door by herself. I can't put her in a home until I find a job and I can't find a job until I put her in a home.

I'm tired and losing hope faster than Afghani civilians during a surgical air strike. It shames me that the average American citizen won't stand up for their rights as they disappear into the ether yet can cheer on the Tiananmen tank protester or cry for Neda while turning their back on their fellow Americans in trouble as they occupy their time worrying about the latest celebrity divorce or who is going to win the current reality show du jour.

BBB

Sunday Morning Diversions

2009-06-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Tae Kwon Leap, otherwise known as Boot To The Head. This isn't done by The Frantics but it is a pretty good interpretation of the original. Every time the original comes on the iPod, I crack up. For many years I used to say "God, grant me patience. And hurry up about it," so when I first heard their version of "patience" it rang true.

I never would of thought of pairing the skit with The Righteous Brothers but it works, and quite nicely I might add.

BBB

Canceling The Washington Post

2009-06-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

My letter to the Ombudsman regarding the firing of Dan Froomkin. They have been removed from Google Reader and I will no longer refer tor link to them in any way. My hope is that more people follow suit and that the "paper" goes out of business. Soon.

For quite a while your paper has been going downhill and now you have hit rock bottom. You might as well start referring to the WaahPoo as a written extension of Faux News since it is now impossible to tell the difference. While I may miss Eugene Robinson, I can no longer read, link or in anyway treat you as a trusted news or opinion source. What is sad for you is that quite a few other people will be treating you the same way. You will be eliminated from my news sources, I will not read anything that is linked to you and I will be deactivating my account. If I didn't live all the way across the country I would have had a subscription which I could have canceled at the same time. Your paper is no longer fit to line the bottom of a birdcage and you will soon be printing in a vacuum.

Enjoy your paper's remaining time, it won't be long before you go the way of the Rocky Mountain news, but unlike the them I will not be sad to see you go. You have had some good stories and reporters in the past but recent decisions have made you irrelevant.

Goodbye.

I remember when papers printed news, not propaganda. Along with quite a few of the other founding principles of this country the Fourth Estate has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

BBB

Justice? I Don't Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

2009-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

This absolutely takes the cake for judicial stupidity. My blood pressure is so high I think I'm going to have a stroke. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, what the hell is wrong with the state of Oklahoma? Are the people in this state out of what little minds they have? It's okay to shoot a perpetrator in the head, get another gun a few moments later and pump five more bullets into a motionless body but repeatedly raping a four year old girl and forcing her five year old brother to watch it is only worth one year in jail and he gets credit for nine months already served? Are you effing kidding me?

She was raped, she was sodomized and she most certainly didn't ask for it, dress provocatively or use suggestive language to lure this pervert on. As if that would ever be an excuse for rape under any circumstances. The child advocate and her supervisor should lose their jobs due to gross incompetence since they obviously have not a clue as to what advocating for the defenseless means. The prosecutor should be fired for stupidity and an inability to punish real criminals which just so happens to be his job and for not investigating the past history, and this guy definitely had a criminal history, of this cretin because perverts don't start at 64, they've been at it most of their lives. And the judge, well he should be recalled. If there ever was a time for an "activist" judge, this was it. He could have used common sense and said no, this creep belongs in jail for twenty years no matter what kind of plea bargain was arranged and let the inmates take care of him, ala Jeffrey Dahmer. Or maybe the trial should have taken place in Ohio, their prosecutors seem to have a handle on ensuring that creeps get appropriate sentences for raping a child.

So what if the perp gets labeled a sexual predator and has to pay a $1000 fine, is that going to make the rest of this girl's life any easier? How about when she is an adult and realizes that what he did to her was determined to be worth a tiny slap on the wrist? Now is the time for the Michelle Malkins, Laura Ingrahams, Nancy Graces and Ann Coulters of this world to get up and scream their tiny little heads off about the injustice that was committed here instead of the made up stuff that babbles brainlessly from their talking heads.

Oh yeah, and the state of Oklahoma should be boycotted, not a dime of tourist money should they get until this situation is rectified. Heck, the Interstate shouldn't even travel through it.

BBB

Book 'Em, Dano

2009-06-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

I have always loved this song, it brings back happy memories for me, and yes it is on the iPod.

Rest in peace Mr. Bogle. Many tried to imitate you, few rarely succeeded.

Common Sense Is A Thing Of The Past

2009-06-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

I love when they do studies that reveal information that anyone with a modicum of common sense could have predicted the outcome. Politicians have traits that are common in serial killers. I wish I could say I was surprised, but that would be lying. Lack of remorse is evident every time they vote against what their constituents want and vote for whatever entity has donated the most money to their campaigns. When they finally wander back to their districts, usually for reelection purposes, they claim they had to vote the way they did for security reasons or any other excuse they think will fly.

Kouri, who's a vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, has assembled traits such as superficial charm, an exaggerated sense of self-worth, glibness, lying, lack of remorse and manipulation of others.

These traits, Kouri points out in his analysis, are common to psychopathic serial killers.
But -- and here's the part that may spark some controversy and defensive discussion -- these traits are also common to American politicians. (Maybe you already suspected.)

Yup. Violent homicide aside, our elected officials often show many of the exact same character traits as criminal nutjobs, who run from police but not for office.

I've noticed. Ten dollars worth of gas doesn't go very far, which is another reason to sell the car. People make appointments to see the car and then never show up and they don't call to cancel. I dragged the kids back from the dog park on Saturday and the person never showed. The dogs could have continued to have a great time, as it was all they got to do was sit around the apartment all day. I've dropped the price a $1000 and still no takers. I can't drop it much more because it won't solve my financial problems and then I would be without a car to boot. Very frustrating.

In typical Washington fashion they once again rammed through a bill that was supposed to help people but had a somewhat opposite effect in real life. Those who make a certain amount of money might be able to keep some type of roof over their head, as long as they don't want to eat real food. Ketchup is a vegetable. Again.

White guy kills three cops who he thinks are going to take away his guns, just a lone nutjob. Minutemen dressed as cops kill a Hispanic father and 9 year old daughter in their own home, not a hate crime. White man shoots a doctor in a church, not a crime of terror. White guys shoots up a church while spouting crap he heard on Limbaugh and Hannity, not a hate crime. Old white guy shoots a security guard at the Holocaust Museum, it's an isolated incident. Black guy with strange name kills a recruit and it's a bloody rampage and a "giant step forward for the jihadist movement". According to World Net Daily here is a partial list of recent church shootings, none of which are considered terrorist acts. I know it's not new, but can we say "double standard?"

August 12, 2007: A lone gunman, Eiken Elam Saimon, opened fire in a Missouri Micronesian church, killing a pastor and two other churchgoers.
May 20, 2007: A standoff between police and a suspect in the shootings of three people in a Moscow, Idaho, Presbyterian Church ended with three dead, including one police officer.
Although not at a church building, the Oct. 2, 2006, attack in Lancaster County, Pa., by a gunman who killed five girls and then himself at an Amish school targeted a religious site.
May 21, 2006: Louisiana. Four were killed by a man at Jesus Christ Church.
Feb. 26, 2006: Michigan. Two people were killed at Zion Hope Missionary Baptist Church by a man who reportedly went to the church looking for his girlfriend. He later killed himself.
April 9, 2005: A 27-year-old airman died after being shot at a church in College Park, Ga., where he had once worked as a security guard.
March 12, 2005: A man walked into the services of the Living Church of God in Milwaukee and open fired immediately, killing seven people.
Oct. 5, 2003: A woman opened fire in Turner Monumental AME church in Kirkwood, east of Atlanta, killing the pastor and two others.
Sept. 16, 1999: Seven young people were killed when a man opened fire during a prayer service for teen-agers at the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas

Someone too dumb to know that if an escaped gorilla was Michelle Obama's ancestor then it was his ancestor also. At this rate Americans are going to start regarding their Indian and Chinese doctors as more competent than their blond, blue-eyed doctors. Unless they have a British accent to go with their "normal" looks.

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It Must Be Thursday

2009-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you can't stand the heat maybe you shouldn't be in the kitchen. Sarah Palin wants to be president (or does she?) and she can't take a little humor about her family? Good grief, they are one whiny bunch. I don't remember Republicans doing anything but laughing when 13 year old Chelsea Clinton was described by Rush Limbaugh as ugly because her father was Janet Reno. And having read the joke about A-Rod knocking up a Palin, it sounded more like a slam on A-Rod than a dig at Willow or Bristol because in A-Rod's steroid induced haze he'd hit Amy Winehouse if she could stay away from her drugs for an hour. Though he does seem to have a penchant for older women with kids which is why Sarah pretends to be so upset, she thought she was going to be the punchline.

Speaking of beauty queens that can't do their job, Miss California has finally been replaced by someone willing to represent California and not herself or her fake agenda. Carrie Prejean was given more chances than Tom Sizemore and just like him she couldn't stay out of trouble or follow the terms of their probation.

Does the internet have a short attention span? Of course it does. Too much press about torture photos? Announce a Supreme Court nominee and poof! the photos go the way of the dodo bird. Hopefully the same thing won't happen to the Inspector General report that's been hidden for five years. Shooting an abortion doctor in a church provides a little too much heat and shows the hypocrisy of the Pro-Life or right wing extremist movement? Poof! Tase a 72 year old grandma for obnoxiously refusing to sign a traffic ticket. I remember when cops used to be able to do their job without resorting to tasers or high speed chases that result in the deaths of innocent people. Heaven forbid that the police do detective work and arrest them the old fashioned way.

The AMA opposes a government sponsored health plan for everyone. Why would anyone be surprised by that? When I was in school we had this elderly acupuncturist from China. He talked about how he loved MRIs but the problem was you needed a whole building to use it and it didn't treat anything. He also told a story about going to the doctor, he called them note givers. You enter the office and the doctor doesn't even look up. You start to tell him your problem and seventeen seconds later he has made his decision and either hands you a prescription, paperwork for a blood or urine test or sends you for X-rays. You go back two weeks later and if you aren't better he gives you one of the the papers you didn't get the first time. On your third visit he might look up from his desk, mainly because he wants to see who is causing him all this paperwork. Chances are he hasn't touched you, which used to be known as palpation, because his assistant has done that for him. You go home, still not feeling well so now you are on anti-depressants, and the bills start arriving. Great system for the doctor, not so great for the patient.

There are mistakes and then there are MISTAKES. No matter how much money this family receives, it will never replace the memories or the possessions. It should be the law that when a house is going to be demolished that paperwork should be plastered on the doors, the mailbox and there should be an actual address, not just GPS coordinates. A little common sense from the demolition company wouldn't have hurt either. Such as the house was in good condition and there were valuables inside. A few questions would have gone a long way in preventing this tragedy.

I would have had to have net worth for this statistic to directly affect me. As it is I can't fix my broken tooth, mom broke her glasses this morning and I have no way to replace them which leaves her almost blind and even though I've dropped the price on my car by $1000 the only offers I've received have been obvious scams. And the best part? Due to a mixup Social Security is going to adjust mom's check by $300 in July. And by adjust, I mean down not up. Unless I sell the car for less than it's worth or a miracle happens, mom and I are going to be homeless. Oh to be sixteen again, the fridge was always full and the rent was always paid. As long as I'm dreaming, a fairy godmother would be really cool. And nowadays it doesn't even have to be a woman.

Thirty five years ago yesterday at 4:55 pm I raised my right hand and swore to defend this country by serving in the US Army. Back then the enemy was Vietnam and communism. Now we're falling apart from the inside. Who would have ever guessed?

We Never Promised You A Rose Garden

2009-06-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Bitch, bitch, bitch. Geez, we can't make anybody happy and truthfully, it isn't our job. We elected Obama President of the United States and I'm sorry that he isn't the world leader you wanted. He isn't the world leader I wanted but I've learned to deal and so will you. He's better than his predecessor but that is only because the bar was set so low. Be grateful he isn't worse.

Can I have what Horowitz has been smoking? Exactly how are the Iraqis better off now than eight years ago? Their cities and infrastructure are in ruins, hospitals are without doctors, women have lost most of their rights, electricity and running water are scarce, their economy is in shambles, tens of thousands of men, women and children are dead and we're leaving them to hold the bag. This is improvement? I'd hate to see what bad looks like.

Speaking of bad places to live, I'm headed off to California for the day. I need to go to the DMV to get another title to my car, I lost the one I had. Being a prudent person I called to make sure they were open and found out that it will take them six to eight weeks to process the paperwork. I need the title ASAP because I need to get a title loan, not the smartest financial move but this is an emergency. I cracked a molar right off the filling and every time I move my tongue the sharp point that is left scrapes the side of my tongue. To say nothing of the constant metallic taste in my mouth. On the bright side I've lost a few pounds this week because nothing tastes good. And it hurts to chew.

Grasshopper, we hardly knew ye, maybe the KY Jelly would have been a better choice. Rest in peace Kwai Chang Caine,

Stoking The Wingnut Ire And Other Interests

2009-05-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Greasemonkey has finally been updated to work with FF 3.5b4 and a few other extensions I like to use have been updated as well. I really missed Colorful List View for Google Reader, it makes it much easier on the eyes when you have a 166 feeds. And now that Google Reader Subscriber Count is working again, I find that I have more readers than a few months ago. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I may not be one of the big boys in the blogging world but at least I don't feel like I'm yelling into a void.

Folk hero? Umm, no. He's a cold blooded murderer. I think I'm safe when a guy is lying on the ground bleeding from a bullet wound to the head. I wouldn't find it necessary to get another gun a minute or two later and fire five more bullets into him. But then, I don't scare easily. And since it's Oklahoma if it had been a black guy who shot and deliberately killed a white thief, he would be in jail and no anonymous donor would have posted bail, as if bail would have been an option.

Box said that another person might have reacted differently, but he asked: "When do you turn off that adrenaline switch? When do you think you're safe? I think that's going to be the ultimate issue."

As much as I dislike the man this is ridiculous. Obama has a date night on Broadway with the wife and the GOP goes nuts (rapidly becoming their default state) because the country is in economic freefall and Le Prez shouldn't be relaxing. Meanwhile Bush spent 487 days at Camp David and 490 day in Crawford, several of them while the Gulf Coast was drowning during Katrina, and not a peep was heard. Two and a half years on vacation in an eight year term is okay but a night on the town is a no no. And let's not forget that Condi was buying shoes and enjoying a Broadway show while a major city was underwater and the GOP said...nothing. IOKIYAR applies to more than sex crimes, wow what a concept.

If you are homeless you shouldn't have computer access because you should be focused on getting a job according to a good proportion of the commenters at the WSJ. Totally missing from these holier than thou people is the fact that most jobs are posted online and that if you submit an application for a job and don't have a home address or phone number that if you have an email address you can be reached for a job interview. And that out of a 24 hour day only eight to ten hours are good for job hunting and the weekends are useless. But they must suffer because they are homeless, they shouldn't be watching movies or enjoying music. Personally, if I was an employer (not that there are many nowadays) I would look for enterprising people like these who are determined to stay connected and have figured out a way to do it without a permanent roof over their heads or a reliable source of electricity.

Since arriving in Reno I sneeze every day, at least twenty times and usually more. When I first got here I had to take Benadryl constantly but the last week has been a little better. I'm still sniffly and my eyes itch but my asthma is back under control and I can breathe through my nose most of the time. Although I'm not the only one suffering I wish I knew what it was I'm allergic to. Or it could be that my body is reacting to breathing air instead of San Jose smog. Whatever it is I hope it goes away soon, I've blown thru several boxes of Kleenex and I haven't had an uninterrupted nights sleep in a long time. Supposedly the pollen count is on its way down.

The suffering, the trauma. It seems that the Chosen don't like it when they don't get everything they want and the world doesn't bow to their wishes. Their idea of construction is we take what you had, you go live in a ghetto that we won't let you leave so we can bomb you at will. When I was growing up I was told you could catch more bees with honey than you could with vinegar, nowadays it's all about killing the bees instead. And as we are now finding out bees are important to survival, maybe the Palestinians are too.

Friday Quickie

2009-05-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

All I know about empathy I learned from Star Trek TOS. Speaking of which, some of the Republicans bagging on Sotomayor definitely remind me of the Vians. Add a couple of consonants and they could be villains since they are definitely no gems and certainly are not gentlemen. Thanks to these bozos and their spiteful comments about activist judges, being a judge has become a dangerous occupation.

Ever since we walked on the moon I've been asking myself "when is the future going to get here?" I grew up reading science fiction and truly believed that we would be vacationing on the moon and traveling to Mars by the year 2000. It's 2009 and we can't even get across the country reliably or quickly, even more so if it's snowing.

No Wonder Obama Won't Release The Photos

2009-05-28T01:29:00.000-07:00

I'd want to hide them too. While most Americans seem willing and able to justify torture by way of waterboarding, sleep deprivation and confined spaces, methinks that rape is a whole different ball of wax. Especially the rape of Iraqi women long before we pissed them off and they became suicide bombers. How sick do you have to be to take, and then keep, photos of a man raping a woman, forcibly removing a female prisoner's clothing or raping a teenage boy? And in what world could you ever justify raping someone as part of your job? These are war crimes and should be punished as such. Immediately. I seriously doubt that the perpetrators have been dealt with.

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

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Among the graphic statements, which were later released under US freedom of information laws, is that of Kasim Mehaddi Hilas in which he says: “I saw [name of a translator] ******* a kid, his age would be about 15 to 18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn’t covered and I saw [name] who was wearing the military uniform, putting his **** in the little kid’s ***…. and the female soldier was taking pictures.”

No wonder Stephen Green thought he could get away with raping and killing fourteen year old Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. If she had been American he would have gotten the death penalty. And deservedly so even though I don't normally believe in it.

There's no point in hiding the photos now that the story is out. I don't particularly want to see them but America deserves to see how far we have fallen and why the violence against our troops escalated for so long. It's the only way to try and make sure that it doesn't happen again. And we need to raise the standards of who we will accept in the military, no more bottom of the barrel recruits. I refuse to believe that the people I served with would have ever committed these crimes.

I am so ashamed for my country, how will we ever live this down?

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Musical Whiplash

2009-05-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get to sleep so I set the timer on the iPod and it obviously wasn't ready to turn off for the night.

You're So Vain - Carly Simon
Worked It Out Wrong - Chris Isaak
Street Life - The Crusaders
Just A Little - The Beau Brummels
From The Beginning - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Kiss You All Over - Exile
You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls
Dripping Springs, Tx - Pollo Del Mar (YouTube can be so helpful)

How will I ever get to sleep if I keep bouncing to the music?

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The Fourth Estate Continues To Fail

2009-05-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

There isn't a doubt in my mind that the national press are incompetent at best and bordering on treasonous at worst. An independent Fourth Estate they most definitely are not. For the last fifteen years they have persisted in reporting one side of the story, the GOP side, no matter what the circumstances and no matter what the story. Fair, balanced and objective no longer seem to be the operating requirements for "journalists". In depth reporting has gone the way of the dinosaur and bloggers have had to take up the slack.

The press, along with what passes for Congress for that matter, breathlessly reports in glowing terms or jumps to do the bidding of anything that the GOP wants. Virtually without exception and definitely without question. There have been a few that haven't followed the party line but it's more like throwing a few slices of bread to the masses and then they "see the light" and fall back into line.

I've watched in amazement and with quite a bit of disgust as they hang on to every word that anyone named Cheney utters, determined to anoint them as the second coming of the GOP. Torture? Not a problem for anyone except what they term the liberal left or foreigners that don't know what they are talking about because they didn't suffer through 9/11 and therefore don't know anything about the effects of terrorism. Heaven forbid that they should accurately report what torture is or that it is against the law in the United States and around the world and that it doesn't make us safer but it does make us less trusted.

If the press had done their job objectively before the 2000 election the outcome would have been much different. If they had done their job after 9/11 the United States would not have been hoodwinked into invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 (I'm sorry but I can't use 9/11 twenty five times in one article), had no weapons of mass destruction and wasn't a threat to the United States. But they didn't and as a result hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children either died or are suffering miserably. And that includes citizens and taxpayers of the United States.

If the press were doing their job objectively today, Cheney and his family would not receive the exposure they are getting and it most certainly wouldn't be as positive. Last week there were not dueling speeches between the President and a former Vice President, there was a Presidential speech (that I didn't bother listening to because it wasn't necessary) and a rant from an angry, fearful coward who knows he broke the law and doesn't want to go to jail. But not to the press, not even remotely. Cheney is being held up as the man who has our national security interests at heart and Obama doesn't.

When I was a young girl in the sixties, the New York Times was the paper of record and in the seventies the Washington Post was the leader in exposing the Watergate scandal. Today neither one can be depended upon for objective reporting and then they wonder why newspapers are folding for lack of readership. They can blame it on Craigslist or Twitter but the truth of the matter is that the press doesn't do their job of reporting the news, they are too busy trying to make the news into something that pleases their masters. Which amounts to inane babble that informs no one and prevents the truth from being revealed.

The press spends their time carrying water for people who only care about themselves and their so-called legacy and refuse to see that they are repeating the mistakes that got us into the Iraq debacle in the first place. Once again while the US is preoccupied with straw men, North Korea is not only rattling it's saber, it's testing nuclear weapons and threatening its neighbors. And the press? They are concerned with how wonderful Cheney is and why the Obama administration relies on background briefings instead of giving them every name, rank and serial number of their sources. As if the Bush administration was as open as possible. Is Jennifer Loven serious? I don't remember any complaints when Bush and Cheney quoted unnamed sources stating that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction or when Jeff Gannon was masquerading as a reporter. If I was President Obama I would start calling on the smaller news outlets exclusively and ignore the hypocritical Cheney ass kissers such as the AP, NY Times and the Washington Post. And that isn't arrogance, it's common sense since the press is going to make up the story they want anyway. Just like they have done for the last fifteen years.

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Another Dumb, Biased Ruling

2009-05-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's time to leave. I thought I was ashamed of my country because of torture, now I'm terrified that I live in a police state that has no rules or regulations to protect me from people who are already known to coerce confessions out of innocent people.

Scalia, who read the opinion from the bench, said their decision will have a "minimal" effects on criminal defendants. "Because of the protections created by this court in Miranda and related cases, there is little if any chance that a defendant will be badgered into waiving his right to have counsel present during interrogation," Scalia said.

What kind of drugs is he on if he thinks that cops won't badger people? Hell, they tase sleeping naked people. I may know my rights but a lot of people don't and if cops tell a suspect, and you know they will, that they have no right to an attorney they will be able to force confessions out of innocent people. They've done it before and now it will become standard practice. As if the Sotomayer pick is going to change anything. Too little, too late.

Banana Republic? Yes we are. The average American is so screwed.

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Debating The Issues. Not.

2009-05-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

So, the political discourse in this country has devolved into equating the Speaker of the House with the second most disgusting term for a woman's anatomy. While I thought Sarah Palin was a moron, I would never have referred to her using nasty nicknames because there were too many other terms that were appropriate. Idiot, clueless and inciter of hatred being among them, the mini me version of Limbaugh. Palin was picked as a VP candidate only because she was a woman not because she was competent or had skills and knowledge that the position needed. The woman, and I use that term loosely, I would describe using the "C" word would be Ann Coulter and only because she invites vulgarity as she drips vitriol and reeks of self importance when she attacks the 9/11 families. Coulter isn't an elected official, she is a tacky pundit and a fear monger in her own right.

But when you see Nancy Pelosi, the Republican National Committee wants you to think “Pussy Galore.”

At least that’s the takeaway from a video released by the committee this week – a video that puts Pelosi side-by-side with the aforementioned villainess from the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger.”

The RNC video, which begins with the speaker’s head in the iconic spy-series gun sight, implies that Pelosi has used her feminine wiles to dodge the truth about whether or not she was briefed by the CIA on the use of waterboarding in 2002. While the P-word is never mentioned directly, in one section the speaker appears in a split screen alongside the Bond nemesis – and the video’s tagline is “Democrats Galore.”

The wisdom of equating the first woman speaker of the House with a character whose first name also happens to be among the most vulgar terms for a part of the female anatomy might be debated – if the RNC were willing to do so, which it was not. An RNC spokesperson refused repeated requests by POLITICO to explain the point of the video, or the intended connection between Pelosi and Galore.

I don't like Pelosi because I feel she is ineffectual, she protested too much and then folded, giving the Bush administration more than they wanted. Every time. Yet Republicans maintain that she's incompetent when it should be the Democrats who should be yelling at the top of their lungs. Do I think she lied? You betcha! But probably not about the briefing since the Bush administration wasn't well known for openness. Besides, the important question here is whether or not torture occurred, not when she knew about it.

The Republicans are trying to have it both ways, they want to have their cake and eat it too. If Ms. Pelosi was briefed in 2002 then that means the Bush administration was torturing people and all those involved should be punished. Then, and only then, Ms. Pelosi should be investigated and censured, not the other way around. The Republicans want Pelosi penalized for a crime they swear was never committed and if it was then it was justified but she should be punished for not letting anyone know about it. That only makes sense to anyone who isn't capable of stringing two related thoughts together. Or hasn't taken a logic class.

And what do Ms. Pelosi's looks have to do with job performance, such as it is? Tip O'Neill wasn't that great looking and that was never an issue while he was Speaker. And don't even get me started on Dennis Hastert. Besides, Honor Blackman was quite attractive. In true Republican fashion they really wanted to equate Pelosi's looks with Irma Bunt or Rosa Klebb but their names weren't offensive enough.

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Never Thought I'd Say Something Like This

2009-05-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

I know I'm past the age of reproduction (unlike some other crazy people) but can I have his babies?

"If you look at the big picture, the terrorists are winning. Not on the battlefield, but in the sense that they are changing us and who we are. The way to make them not successful is not to change. We've changed in so many ways -- the majority have no problem that we are torturing people... I've been water-boarded and I speak from experience and it's torture."

"They've changed us in that we have a paranoia that there's a crazy Arab around every tree... We're walking on eggshells now. When in reality, you have as much chance of running into a terrorist as winning the Powerball."

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Ventura also blames the Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "They condoned it. Nobody stepped forward and said this is torture. Democrats are so spineless, so afraid to go against the tide... but dissension is the greatest form of patriotism."

If only our current politicians had cojones and weren't afraid to admit it.

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