This morning I filmed a classroom lesson about “sorting” out at one of our centers. I went out for a cigarette, to the “smoking lounge” which was a side door that nobody used. This is the view off the steps of the lounge. It’s too damn cold outside, so I barely even finished my cig.

Cheney tells us that Iran’s on our shit list, but Israel may choose to make the first move. To his credit, he cited diplomacy as the preferred means of intervening at this stage. I must say I’m surprised to hear him suggesting Israel may get involved. That would be a major war I certainly never would have seen coming. I would think that Palestine would be their primary military focus, but I suppose they have their reasons to go after Iran. America still has to face the possibility that Bush’s thirst for conquest might supersede Cheney’s (and Eruope’s) interest in diplomacy.

George W. Bush worships the devil.
Jenna Bush worships the devil.
Alright, maybe that’s the Texas Longhorns’ symbol. Maybe not.
If only Cheney were riding in a convertible. He’d have been pelted with snowballs.

A former medic deployed to Iraq gets interviewed and speaks out about a host of issues. Something I was totally unaware of is that, even after the very publicized Rumsfeld criticism over the lack of armor, the contractors who’d provide the armor have yet to increase production, nor were they given orders to. Surprise surprise. He also speaks to the soldier’s under-represented disdain for the war. Contrary to what the media conveys, a great deal (if not a solid majority) of soliders believe they’re in Iraq for no good reason. Not to mention, he explains why they believe so. This is a must read. Oh, and here’s some pictures he’s taken. Some show the makeshift armor solutions troops are forced to resort to. Also very interesting.

Mad Cow can be found in other parts of the cow? John Titor’s predicted wave of death from CJD fast approaching? At least one of these queries will be entertained in the linked article. You can probably guess which one.

According to Bill O’Reilly, the world’s leading authority on complete nonsense, Hitler would have been a card-carrying ACLU member. For fuck’s sake, the ACLU is one of the only agencies who stands up to defend our civil liberties, and this schmuck has the audacity to confuse that with fascism. Billy, you fuckin’ dipshit, the only elements of fascism being exhibited are emanating from your beloved Bush administration. How in the hell could you even flip that around? The neocons are on the crest of the “intelligent design” in schools wave, and the ACLU is making sure we’re keeping religion out of the public classroom. Bush is crusading in the middle east, trying to bring evangelical predictions of armageddon to fruition… and somehow you determine that a group trying to protect freedom of religion in America is fascist? You may want to look into having your mouth surgically sewn shut.

The mystery of Levitra couches. What in the bloody fuck?! If you have any information, please contact Rob over at Cockeyed. This is extremely perplexing!

Last night ‘Good Old Meat Pie’ was made. I kid you not, that’s what the recipe was called. It was frickin’ killer, and was devoured quickly by all parties involved.

Today I’ve located very little cool stuff.

Condi is still on the stand trying to make herself look good. I’ve read that all this ‘grilling’ going on will amount to jack shit, as she’s expected to be appointed regardless. Spouting rhetoric like: “The time for diplomacy is now,” and “our interaction with the rest of the world must be a conversation, not a monologue,” she undoubtedly left people shaking their heads. If our interaction with the rest of the world was supposed to be a conversation, then what happened with Iraq? It couldn’t have been a more openly defiant monologue, spearheaded by both you and Bush. The time for diplomacy is when? Now? Well I’d like to know why it wasn’t time for diplomacy over the last four years! Moreover, why are we even bothering to listen to this drivel when every speck of it is complete bullshit? She’s going to be re-appointed, and no one’s going to question her judgements and actions ever again. Perhaps they just want to make sure she’s got all the right catchphrases and cliché “stances” in order. Well, you pass Condi. We know you’re a boldface liar.

According to several sources, secret Pentagon-ordered raids have been taking place in Iran. Skirting around the CIA (this article claims they’ve been marginalized), Rumsfeld and crew have been able to penetrate their borders and gather intelligence. Claims are being made that Iran is our next target, and yeah, we’ve been hearing this for months, but I’m noticing it mentioned a lot more frequently these days. I don’t want to see what will happen to this country if we go in there. We are pretty much doomed if we do. We’re not even remotely exploring the idea of withdrawl from Iraq, and we also don’t have enough troops to begin with. I really can’t imagine why this is on the drawing board.

Does anyone remember Square One TV?! Holy shit, I do. I especially remember Mathman - but you can check out some episodes and pictures here. This show was totally awesome. I watched all the time when I was little, and I could even hum the theme song off the top of my head! Memories…

Last night, two amazing pizzas were made. One had roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, calamata olives, spinach, and bacon on it. The other had meatballs. Both had asiago and mozzarella cheese. I still feel full!

I’m adding some new blogs to the sidebar. The Spin Spot is Ken’s blog, Hollywood Lanes is our new bowling blog, and AC Choppers is the blog of Ass Crack Choppers. Check ‘em out.

The excuse for having a $40 million inauguration party IS… *drumroll*: “It’s important that we celebrate a peaceful transfer of power… You can be equally concerned about our troops in Iraq and those who suffered at the tsunamis (and) with celebrating Democracy.” Oh. Hm. Now wait, transfer of power? No one is leaving and no one is coming, and that’s all you’ve got? People have been trying for months to send armor to our troops, and you can spare $40 million for some ice sculptures and party hats? Well, then I can spare enough of my breath required to call you a stingy, greedy fatcat.

So it wasn’t just me. Since Bush took office, it’s seemed that he has had more unchecked power than any previous president. Way back when, presidents used to care what people thought.

Proving just how little they care about their fellow citizens, and how much they care about picking the side that won - Republicans have played right into my analogy with sports. I’ve been complaining that a great deal of neoconservatives act as though GW is the quarterback of America’s sports team, and that they’re almost cheering on his macho agenda and selfish, shallow interests. They like to delude themselves into believing that George is “tough”, and that he’s getting the job done. But they especially like the “rivalry” … and the camaraderie amongst their “team’s” fellow fans. Well now they’ve gone and made the fucking apparel line to go with the GOP sports team. (Warning: you may be sick at the sight of some of these things.) Whenever you schmucks are done gloating and feeling undeservedly proud of yourselves, perhaps we can sit down and discuss some actual issues. Actually, this site is rather hilarious. Not only do they use that one inaccurate red&blue map, but they even say TEAM GOP at the end, and … let me stop laughing here… they actually put that logo on the hood of a NASCAR car. Let me respond to a few of their slogans, just for fun:
1. Hey Hollywood, Fahrenheit THIS! - Awww, did someone’s feelings get hurt? It’s okay, ’cause all you need to do is wear this shirt and you’ll feel better. Don’t believe those bad stories about your savior, er, president. It was all done using CGI.
2. 10 out of 10 Terrorists Agree, Anybody But Bush! - Yeah, he’s really come down on them thar terrorists. Not to mention those suiciders. What’s that you say? The “insurgents” outnumber the troops and we’re getting our asses kicked daily? Reports are showing Bush’s actions are creating even more terrorists?! Hmm.. might wanna rethink that.
3. The Inaugurational Celebration shirt should just say “I bought this shirt instead of donating money to tsunami relief efforts - well, that and because I’m a greedy republican asshole.”

Speaking of tsunami relief - check out this personal account of what it’s like to lend a helping hand over there. Also note that he says the American Christians are annoying.

The Iraqi resistance says: “to George W. Bush we say, you have asked us to “bring it on”, and so we have, like never expected. Have you another challenge?” They’re willing to let us leave now and put an end to this senseless violence and occupation - but we’re going to have to endure Bush’s war of pride until at least the end of his term.

And since we never see any pictures of the consequences US troops face, here’s some.

Baghdad Burning has been updated. Also, she links to ‘Free Iraq’, so I will too. Some good reading on there as well. Hearing these accounts firsthand always has a major impact on me. I could spend all day complaining and pleading to our fellow citizens about how detached and indifferent we are to the suffering over there, but it wouldn’t even make a dent.

The Airbus A380 is being debuted finally, though it won’t be flying for a couple of months I believe. That’s what I’m really waiting for. I want to see that thing rotate and lift off the ground. Still, that’s one tough ass jumbo.

A Las Vegas weatherman slipped up and called MLK “Martin Luther Coon King, Jr.”! Yikes man! Your KKK father teach you that language?

A new Japanese robot will learn and retain ancient dances for future generations. Man, that’s a really good idea. Too bad the Indians didn’t have robots around to save their dances. I’m not even gonna get started.

For some reason, the rise of celebrity poker on TV has caused a huge surge in poker playing. In Avon Lake (about 20 mins from my house) a Texas Hold ‘Em poker ring was broken up. At some shady American Legion, 100 people were gambling some $22,000 around to one another. Pretty damn funny. I bet there were some pissed off wives the night that went down.

100-lb college chick eats a 6-lb hamburger! Wow. Nice work!

SomethingAwful’s ‘History’s Worst Weapons’!

Bush finally admits he regretted saying a few things, though that doesn’t mean he regrets any actions he took or that he even made any mistakes. Two phrases he uttered: “Bring ‘em on” and “Dead or alive”, were the two that he cited. The former was of course in regards to Iraqi insurgents, which has proven to be a rather insensitive and ironically arrogant statement. However, he is aware of how that could be perceived. The latter was aimed at Bin Laden, who has eluded capture completely, and whose purported threat was shadowed by the inaccurate threat Saddam posed. If I were Bush’s psychologist, I’d say these are good first steps to owning up to your own faults. Let’s apply this same technique to the Iraq occupation, and to 9/11 as well. You’re not getting a third term, pal, so you might as well fess up.

Everybody’s Talkin’ About Christian fascism. Comparing and contrasting, posing questions to the involuntarily involved, the author makes some really good points. The fundamental objection I have with this “moral values” movement is that it politicizes religious beliefs, and thereby pushes us to the brink of fascism. A lot of progressives are okay with those who choose to abide by their pro-life and anti-gay marriage beliefs, but not when those beliefs are morphed into laws or constitutional amendments in a country where freedom of religion and seperation of church and state is so vital to our unity. The door also doesn’t swing both ways for some reason. While many liberals accept that people are pro-life and against gay marriage, very few if any conservatives tolerate those who are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. These issues should not be up for political debate, in the same way that freedom of religion should not be up to debate.

Some of Cornel West’s writings and speeches have been compiled on AlterNet. I want to ask him, after all the valid questions he asks us to dwell upon, and after his succinct appraisal of the plight of all Americans and also specifically black Americans… what would he do in order to start moving in the right direction? There is no movement right now, only apathy and occasionally, shock. We all know protests have been getting little press, and having difficulty even organizing (despite the right to peacefully assemble!), so what kinds of things can we do to display our collective disgust with the current situation? See, now I’m the one asking the questions. Where are the fucking answers?

Hmm, so the story about Bob Marley’s remains being moved to Ethiopia was a fraud? Gee, thanks. Now that it’s up for discussion, I think he would have wanted to be moved there. It’d be as though he finally made it to the fatherland. Part of the reason behind the recent hype is that he’d soon be 60 years old if he were alive today. I for one wish you were, Bob.

The Huygens probe has landed on Titan. I’d keep your eyes peeled this weekend for what will probably be some really incredible pictures of the atmosphere and surface of Titan. Whenever I read a space probe article, all I want is the pictures.

The Pentagon revealed some chemical weapon rejects, including one that was designed to deliver an intense aphrodisiac. A sex bomb, baby! I wish Mila Kunis would fly over my house in a Cessna, drop one on me, and parachute down into my backyard. Wait, I wouldn’t need the bomb whatsoever in that scenario. Perhaps I should deploy one backstage at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. I’ll need a broom to fend off the non-models. Someone get me a broom, dammit.

This week’s Photoshop Phriday is “Insane Diet Fads”. Not bad.

Michael, you know you’re guilty. At the very least you’re guilty of being the freakiest freak of all time. Let’s see, multiple accusers, a secret room with multiple locks and an “adult alarm”, detailed accounts… and not to mention you tried to tell America it was perfectly normal to sleep with children in the same bed. At least grant us that you can understand our concern. No, nevermind. Fess up. You did it, dude. Yeah, Beat It was incredible and my first record ever was one of yours, but it’s obvious.

A 19-year-old carp in Japan looks like it has human features! This is really bizarre. I wish I had more time to read about those fish.

I don’t have much time to blog today, so here goes.

The US has officially ended the search for WMDs in Iraq. The question is, now that it’s 100%, undeniably obvious that there were never WMDs there, will President Bush be held accountable in any way? He’s already stated that the presence of WMDs was insignificant and that he would have led us to war regardless. That still doesn’t mean congress can’t hold him accountable for taking us to war under false pretenses. If anyone was ever guilty of misleading the legislative branch and the American people, it’s GW Bush. That’s plain to see. Let’s put some heat under him for this.

A CounterPunch.org contributor asks the very relevant question: is it Bush or the insurgents we should be worried about? Given that he’s unwilling to admit he made a mistake, and his insistence on continuing the occupation against all common sense could mean we really need to be more worried about Bush himself. This article couldn’t possibly speak to my concerns more appropriately.

Our trade defecit is out of control, and neocons insist that it’s simply an indication that Americans have more to spend than other countries. Well that’s fucking great. So when we manage to collapse the global economy because we owe everyone so damn much money, what will be their excuse then? Did it not occur to them that in addition to the US spending more money than other countries, we’ve also lost millions of jobs both domestically and by sending them overseas? What they fail to mention in that theory is what income bracket most of the money spent is coming from. Yes, you guessed it… I blame the super-rich and the greedy.

Many in England are rather pissed off at Prince Harry for wearing a Nazi costume to a party he recently attended. I guess that’s a pretty dumb move, even as a joke, for such a prominent figure. He’s already apologized, but not exactly explained his motive behind this strage choice of garments. Quite a rebel, that Harry.

This just in - Ann Coulter is a freaking maniac who’s completely out of control. I don’t even want to recount what she said. Just check out the MediaMatters article and have a vomit bag on hand. Who is sitting at home nodding their head along with this psycho? The level of intolerance displayed here is extremely disturbing. The fact that FOX allows it to be packaged as something acceptable is even more disturbing. At least with liberal extremists, people seek to gain rights and empower people, this is just bigotry, racism, xenophobia and isolationism bundled together in a very volitile manner.

Bob Marley’s body will be moved closer to Zion. I and I could not be more pleased.

If you neocons feel you’re not ramming your “moral values” down everyone’s throat effectively enough, how about a fucking trendy bracelet to show how much you enjoy being prejudiced? I hope I don’t see these on anyone’s wrists. Ever. If any conservative were to read those last few sentences, they’d assume I’m against family values, loving one’s country, the right to bear arms and perhaps freedom in general. No, you asshole, I’m just pro-choice, pro-freedom of religion, anti-violence, and to top it all off, I see through your thin veil of “moral values” all the way to your narrow-mindedness. If you wear this bracelet, you don’t embrace freedom of religion, you don’t embrace gay rights, and most of all, you don’t embrace common sense policy.

Space Blobs are cool. Read about them.

Apple is developing some very intriguing new products. I’d like the ThoughtPort myself, but for you iPod owners, the iMug is essential.

It looks like some Fallujah residents may never return home, either because they’re scared or because their property is completely destroyed. A city of 250,000 people is now a pile of rubble, and a lot of residents are setting up elsewhere. There’s no schools, no shops, no infrastructure at all.. so what did/does the US expect them to do? Hell if I know.

To top it all off, the US is now considering what to do in Syria, where they say “insurgents” are being trained and shoved off to neighboring Iraq. I’m not saying I doubt them. It seems very probable and feasable that this could be taking place. However, instead of escalating the violence there, why isn’t anyone looking at the possibility that we’re inciting more violence than we’d be bringing upon ourselves if we never got involved over there? I realize that the Dept. of Homeland Security has to consider the possibility that these anti-occupation groups could penetrate our borders and carry out a terrorist attack. Still, at some point we have to analyze how much of this animosity we’re bringing upon ourselves, and how much of it is just general hatred for America. I’d venture to guess that we’ve created more disdain for ourselves by engaging in this conflict than we ever had before. Not to mention, the more lives we touch with our aggression, the better chance we have of adding to the ever-growing group of people who seek revenge or wish harm upon us. Newton’s third law, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”, may not apply to all political and social situations, but it sure seems to ring true here.

The Canadians may provide a robot to fix up the Hubble Telescope. I’m glad to hear they’re at least considering the possibilities. Some NASA officials say the robot would add needless complications to the mission and that we should send astronauts instead. The fear of having another catastrophe take place seems to be causing us to limit the amount humans are sent into space, for the moment. It seems to me that most astronauts are willing to risk their lives in the name of space exploration. Not that we should be sending them on suicide missions, but if we get hung up thinking there has to be a zero percent chance for error, we’ll hold ourselves back too much. If you ask me.

Does anyone actually think this is funny? An Amish teenager was electrocuted to death by fallen powerlines. The last line in the story is: He was killed. The horse survived. Not funny.

Could it be? Are politicians actually talking about bailing out of Iraq? At the very least, this is the closest we’ve come to having any sort of ‘buzz’ surrounding the idea. Without a doubt, we should try to facilitate this discussion in any way possible. It doesn’t seem like Bush has opened his vapid skull to the possibility yet, but at some point the debate could grow big enough to where he couldn’t avoid it. Let’s hope that point is reached by the end of the week. (Knowing full well it’ll be at least summer before that happens.)

Yes, I know people got shit-canned for the anti-Bush 60 Minutes episode. What I don’t know is why people still give a shit about this, since Bush’s election win pretty much made the whole argument a moot one. It became apparent that no amount of dirt dug up on this slimeball could influence the braindead masses enough to stop believing Ann Coulter’s fascist drivel. Okay, maybe it was bad reporting… that’s fine. I don’t watch your shitty channel anyway.

Why is it that people have come to accept these bullshit “I’m committed to…” statements from Bush? It’s the most insultingly vague comment he could possibly make, not to mention it shows his complete ignorance on a wide variety of topics. I suppose if you’re a reporter, and the guy gives you a bag of dog shit, that’s what you have to report about. Anyway, Bush’s latest obvious and pointless statement is that the US is committed to long-term tsunami relief. You know another reason why this tactic pisses me off? It allows Bush to hastily formulate plans that inevitably fail to make any remarkable progress, but he simultaneously maintains his approval rating for the demographic who questions nothing he says. Sick.

Oooh boy.. the Airbus A380 is going to be unveiled later this week! Al-Jazeera has a story about it with one little picture, but I’m gonna try to find a bigger one. Oh, here we go. Jesus! Look at how small the people are compared to it! That’s incredible.

This is odd.. a preacher died while giving a sermon about heaven. Hm. Cooincidence? You bet your ass.

Here’s a comic I thought was funny. (It’s funny because it’s true! Oh, well, not really.)

We had some really pretty looking snow hanging around on Saturday, but it didn’t last long. Sunday it started to melt away, falling in big splattering globs from the trees. You could hear them slapping down on your car’s roof as you drove down the street.

Finally, AlterNet has produced an article I actually wanted to read. A soldier who received conscientious objector status speaks out about the Iraq war. He also talks about how difficult it was to obtain that status, and how blatantly racist many of our soliders are. At one point, he was stationed in Abu Ghraib, and was a first hand witnesses to several breaches of the Geneva Conventions. To me, the most sickening statement was when he claimed that he was essentially ostracized for suggesting that Arabs be treated as equals, or even human beings. I have had my suspicions that there is a serious racist undercurrent motivating the brutality and oppressive force used in Iraq, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

A close Republican ally of Bush has called for discussing the pullout of US troops from Iraq. He also says he voted for Bush’s war plan expecting to see some sort of post-invasion plan (or exit strategy), but has yet to see anything like that. Well, Representative Coble, that’s because there isn’t one. They’re making it up as they go along, and doing a really shitty job of it I might add. Now, get back to work drumming up support for your “exit strategy” … a true exit.

How did Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 win best film at the People’s Choice Awards? I only ask this because if everyone liked it so much, what the fuck happened on November 2nd? Or should I just write off this victory because everyone who voted is a card-carrying socialist? No matter what, you can see I’m confused. But hey, congratulations Mikey. Thanks for bad-mouthing Nader and supporting the man who shared nothing with your agenda: John Kerry. I know he seemed to be the only alternative the mass media was going to allow us to have, but that’s all the more reason to urge support for someone else. I may have preferred Kerry over Bush, but seeing you get down on your knees and ask Nader to back out was sick. You should have recognized he was the only progressive candidate out there! (Well, don’t forget Kucinich.)

Armstrong Williams, host of The Right Side and a prominent black pundit, was paid off by the Bush administration to support No Child Left Behind. $240,000 worth of completely illegal propaganda served up hot and fresh for the American public. Can you believe this shit? What I can’t believe is that it even managed to get leaked out. And since it did, just imagine what we’re not being told. That’s always the scariest thing with this administration… you just don’t know. Unless someone manages to somehow extract the details, we will continue to be duped every day from a number of angles.

The world’s longest cigar has been rolled. 62 feet and 20 lbs. of Puerto Rican goodness.

A blue whale washed ashore in the Maldives. Jesus that thing’s big.

SalaryClock.com can be used to calculate how much you’re making in real time. So I decided to compare my salary with that of Opera Winfrey. So far I’ve reached $19.69 in the same time she reached $113,440.13. I’ve earned enough for a dinner for two at a cheap restaurant in the same time she earned enough to buy a lightly-used Ferarri. Bitch.

What do you do with a surplus of mousepads? Why, make a couch out of them, of course.