Sarah Palin and Babygate

First, there were a few who questioned McCain's timing of the announcement of his VP. Clearly, they didn't realize it was going to be Sarah Palin. The news couldn't have taken the wind out of Nobama's sail any better. It was perfect.

As for babygate, I found this:

Risks Of Reporting Rumor As News About Sarah Palin's Baby Trig and Daughter Bristol

One would think this wouldn't be difficult to prove. What the assbags at the Kos don't realize is that they're actually going to make it easier for McCain.

Cheats, liars, and scumbags. Your far left libtard.

Harley's 100th

5 years ago . . .



(sniff . . . sniff . . .)



In another 5 years, she'll probably want her own Harley.

I won't be crying then.

Harley Parade

A few pictures from the Harley Parade.

They kept coming, and coming, and coming . . .


and coming, and coming . . .


Babes on a bike:


Ooh, la, la:



Awesome. One of those things were you really had to be there. I hope everyone has a safe and fun time!

Silly City Folk

Mama has three babies. But, I couldn't get them all in the picture.

Aw.

Pelosi is dumber than Paris Hilton

From Meet the Press:

MR. BROKAW: Well, I think most people understand that, but at the same time, if we work our way off carbon-based fuels, in the meantime, this is not going to happen overnight.

REP. PELOSI: No, it isn't, but you could--again, you could reduce the price at the pump immediately with...(unintelligible). You can have a transition with natural gas. You can have a transition with natural gas. That, that is cheap, abundant and clean compared to fossil fuels. So, so there is a way to transition this instead of doing more of the same. The Bush administration, two oil men in the White House, they want us to believe that the status quo is what we should do and more of it--and more of it, when it will just only keep us in the same place that we are now.

Uh, Nancy . . . ?

Natural gas IS A FOSSIL FUEL, YOU DUNCE!

YOU HAVE TO DRILL FOR IT, YOU PUTZ!

TRANSPORTATION USES BETTER THAN 50% OF EACH BARREL OF OIL, ASSWIPE!

AND THE DON'T RUN ON NATURAL GAS!

Our wonderful government leaders.

Noticing the not so obvious

Pheisty has an excellent post today. Rather than paraphrase anything, just read it.

You can’t do it on your own, so vote for me.

That's too good. One of the most insightful posts I've read in a while.

Scary

Ya gotta remember when you've had beets the day before. Whew.

That's all I gotta say.

Another one for the Harley's

In celebration of Harley's 105th Weekend

Pelosi. A Class Act

(The Politico) House Democratic leaders and protesters waving McCain signs had a war of words Tuesday at a press event outside an old train station. The demonstrators interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with chants of “Drill here! Drill now!”

Pelosi paused and asked the group, “Right here?”

Seeming to enjoy the back and forth, she followed with another question: “Can we drill your brains?”

She went on to refer to the protestors, who continued to chant sporadically, as “handmaidens of Big Oil.” Arguing that increased offshore drilling would only reduce gas prices two cents in 10 years, she referred to the demonstrators as the “two-cents-in-ten-years-crowd.”

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer swiped at the demonstrators, too, saying that “sophomoric chanting” won’t solve the energy crisis and that “all thinking Americans know” — stressing the word "thinking" and looking at the crowd — that America doesn’t have a quarter of the word’s fossil fuels yet uses a quarter of the world’s energy.

Never mind for a moment how stupid this is, I love how libs just make up figures and expect us to believe it. Doyle tells us tens of thousands will be disenfranchised with voter ID, Barrett tells us millions will be generated with his choo choo train, and Pelosi tells us gas will be reduced by 2¢ in 10 years with domestic drilling. Never are these people pressed on their figures. Instead, it becomes part of the taking points. Rattled off as though it's gospel.

But, "can we drill your brains?". Why? Is she looking for one?

Voter Fraud and Photo ID

I'm going to be a "maverick" on this one. I'm not for Photo ID for voting.

Let me explain.

I'm not against it. I do think it would help with some fraud problems. But, not all. With regard to fraud, no one has been able to tell me why there were thousands more votes cast in the last election than there were registered voters. That's a huge problem. Voter ID might not have taken care of it.

In my opinion, the problem has always been with registration, and the database. Same day registration and these registration drives leave waaaaaaaaaaay too much room for error and fraud. That's obvious. We could eliminate these registration procedures and go back to having people do it the old fashioned way. Then, I would want people to come up with a formal ID of some sort.

Quite honestly, while the latest news of fraudulent registration drives is troubling, it doesn't mean there will be voter fraud. But, it does screw up the database and the numbers used for the election count. Add to that the fact that the commission apparently only deals with problems AFTER they occur, and there's no way to determine the validity of the votes cast in an election.

To be honest, I'd be for a Federal Voter ID, or State Voter ID. Something that went further than just having people show their driver's license. But, that's dreaming.

Fix the registration problems. Fix the database. Until that happens, no amount of showing a photo ID will fix all the problems.

The ethanol of the medical field

I love this:

After more than a decade of trying to harvest the promise of embryonic stem cells, scientists have hit on a fascinating new approach that sidesteps them entirely. By adding genes to targeted cells in the body, they have been able change the basic makeup of those cells, turning them into potential disease-curing cells.

The article.

Clearly embryonic stem cell research has proven to be beneficial. It has lead to some of these other discoveries. But, early on there were the doubters . . . the one's who said there was greater "promise" in other forms of stem cell research. Even those who said ESCR would never work.

That's looking to be more true as we move forward.

Ya THINK?!?!

So, I go to JSonline this morning and see this headline:

Families that steal together have skewed values

This guy can't even get a headline right. How about:

Family of lowlife dirtbags prey on the helpless


Or

Dirtbag family too stupid to continue life of crime

Skewed? There lies part of the problem. When you've got a family of assbags deciding to prey on the helpless elderly, you don't call it skewed. You call it reprehensible, cowardly, twisted . . . criminal, anything but skewed. Skewed is meat on a stick. Values? That's also part of the problem. What values? Then there's this:

It's not necessarily surprising to see families bonding through criminal behavior. Lots of traditional organized crime in America has featured family relationships. What else was "The Sopranos" about, anyway?

Oh yeah, those family bonds. Strong. Unbreakable.

Until they get caught.

Plus, to make comparisons to a TV SHOW is just, and I try to be nice, LAME. Maybe you could have used a NON FICTIONAL analogy?!?

Unfortunately, what really not necessarily surprising is Kane's lack of true outrage.

I gotta call TimeWarner

In spite of the fact that I don't speak much Spanish, Telemundo has its attraction . . . if you know what I mean. Well, forget that, I need to tune in to Italian TV somehow.

ROME (Reuters) - When it comes to political satire, Italians like theirs hot -- with buxom women in mini-skirts and low-cut tops dancing as cameras zoom in on their breasts and long legs.

So much so that the auditions for two showgirls -- known as "veline" -- to spice up the country's top satirical show are a summer-long television event in their own right, broadcast daily as prime-time family entertainment with top ratings.

More than 5,000 women in Italy applied for the two slots up for grabs -- one reserved for a blonde, the other a brunette -- with raucous auditions held in packed town squares across the country before throngs of beaming parents and onlookers.

Forget The Big Ten network. I want this!

Its portrayal of women aside, for critics the showgirl format is more worrying for what it says about Italian television. Program-makers say they are satirizing TV journalism, and some defend showgirls over violent shows.

I'll take this over any cop show. There is way too much violence on TV.

I just decided that now.

I wonder if there's a franchise?

The Reality of Rail

We've found out that by increasing congestion we increase emissions. As a result, bike paths and light rail systems will actually contribute to global warmi . . . I mean climate change. You know . . . seasons.

But there's another aspect to rail systems, like the KRM, that isn't talked about very much. There's no question flying is a hassle. It seems, at times for short trips, one would be much better off driving than bothering with flying. But, if flying is a bit of a drag, trains suck. They suck out loud.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Looking up at a list of delayed trains at Boston's crowded South Station on a summer afternoon, Peter Pesis asks why passenger trains in the United States are so slow, so crowded and so prone to delays.

"This is not like Europe," sighed the 38-year-old Greek native who has lived in New York 15 years and often rides the nation's only high-speed train, Amtrak's Acela Express, between midtown Manhattan and Boston.

Rising costs of traveling by air and car, brought on by record oil prices, drew a record 2.8 million people onto America's cash-strapped passenger railway network in July, the largest of any single month in Amtrak's 37-year history and up nearly 14 percent from a year earlier.

But as passenger numbers grow, so too are complaints of overcrowding and delays.

Like many Acela travelers, Pesis grumbles at why the train is limited to reaching its top speed of 150 miles per hour (240 kmh) for just 20 miles on two sections of track in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Compare that to France, which has the world's fastest high-speed train, the TGV, that runs for long stretches at speeds as high as 200 miles an hour (322 kmh). And Japan, which boasts its 186 mph (299 kmh) "Shinkansen" trains.

The Acela barely beats a car, averaging just 82 mph (129 kmh) on its 456 mile Northeast Corridor, which connects Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, slowed by 19th-century tunnels and other aging infrastructure. High-speed rail is usually defined as faster than 120 mph (200 kmh).

"They need to improve the speed," said Pesis, echoing a popular gripe. "It's very slow."

The bigger crowds are also a challenge for Amtrak. Maurice Levene, a 67-year-old health-care consultant who lives in New York and runs a business in Boston, says securing a seat is harder.

"I'm looking for the track so I can get a seat because I like to sit on the outside," he said as he made his way through Boston's South Station. "When I travel with my wife, it's really a pain getting two seats together."

Further south in Hartford, Connecticut, Linda Sarangoulis waited for her 3:20 p.m. train to Philadelphia.

"The ticket counter said it was going to be 20 minutes late," said Sarangoulis of Reading, Pennsylvania. "In Europe, you can hop the train so much easier and it's cheaper. I don't know why we can't do that here. If they had more trains, maybe I would ride more," she said

There's more:

"They have a fair number of passenger cars that are out of service that could be put back into service with modest amounts of expenditure. But their budget doesn't permit that," said John Spychalski, a professor at Pennsylvania State University who studies the U.S. rail network.

Amtrak chief executive officer Alex Kummant has said that about 60 out-of-service cars could be refurbished for $700,000 each but they can only afford to overhaul 12 of them.

Senate Democrats introduced legislation this year that would authorize Amtrak to borrow nearly $3 billion to spend on replacing railcars. The bill would also direct $400 million in gas taxes each year to expand capacity. The Bush administration has sought to scrap direct federal funding for Amtrak.

November's presidential election could be pivotal. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama says he would fight for Amtrak funding while seeking reforms. His Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, has in the past sought to block subsidies for Amtrak.

So, you want to tax me for something that's over crowded, moves slowly, is broken half the time, requires more tax money to fix, and provides little benefit?

Thank you, no. We already have MPS.

Football Season is upon us!

Take part in a picking pool! While this site is designed mostly for my work friends, I'll let anyone play the weekly pool as well as the Master's Pool. See how you stack up. Winners and standings are announced weekly and posted on the page. If we could get a separate pool going . . . great! We could settle every 2nd Tuesday of each month. Let me know if you think this could work. The online system is on the right side of the page under my name. When you click on it you're taken to a new page with a sign it, then all the teams playing that week. Pick the winners and submit! I'll keep track of your score and post it each week.

Jimi the Geek's Football Picks

Check it out. Tell your friends!

Fill in the blanks and win a car!

Courtesy of J. Gravelle over at the Daily Scoff.

Gravelle is donating the car for whoever the winner turns out to be. Of course, he has last say.

Hanging Hardin

Bob Donovan issued a media advisory asking the DA to probe Hardin's vacati . . . uh, conference.

Not exactly going unnoticed, Charlene.

The right tools

My wife and I have been doing a bunch of painting, lately. New house projects are fun in that they always mean a new tool of some sort. In this case, brushes.

I apparently have not done much in the past several years that required a 3 or 4 inch brush as the ones I had were cheap. The lacquered handles were the first give away. The lack of a name was the other. Since I was just painting the garage trim, I put up with the brushes I had. There was nothing really wrong with them. Other than being cheap. The flow off the brush wasn't as good as it would have been with a better brush, but . . .

Well, we have other painting projects. So, I replaced the 3 inch with a Purdy. Nice brush. Pricey, but well worth it.

Reminds me of a story.

Some years back, a friend of mine went shopping for paint supplies. His uncle told him to buy acrylic paint as he thought it made the paint better. Not bad advice. So he drove from across town to this store that carried acrylic latex paint. When it came time to buy a brush I recommended the Purdy. He balked at the $20 price of the brush and went with a no-name cheapy.

I don't know how things turned out for him. I never asked. I thought it was rather dumb to buy the best paint possible and skimp on the brush. Especially since the brush can really make a difference.

Maybe he was just painting the garage.

Hardly Hangin' Hardin

Every now and then, the JournalSentinel gets it right:

The Milwaukee School Board member should reimburse the school district for the costs of a conference on school safety that she apparently barely attended.

Of particular note:

Unless she can prove otherwise, Hardin should reimburse the district for the cost of the trip. And the School Board should revamp its policy so that board members can't take money from a school without approval of the entire board.

BTW, I don't think using "and" to start that particular sentence was a good idea. It's really a new thought. "additionally" would have been better. I could be wrong, though.

Change is good

What the heck, huh? Why not change every now and then? Actually, of all the templates Blogger has, I thought the one I was using was the hardest to read. I wish a few of the Wordpress template designs were here. But, between the two, I like using Blogger better.

Democrat Convention

Ted Kennedy is on and people are in tears watching him.

I think I'm gonna puke.

In general, I always thought the Kennedy's were what's (partially) wrong with government . . . with democrats. Country Club Republicans? Please. The Kennedy's own the Country Club. The membership card has their name on it. They are as elitist as they come.

Clearly, I don't like Ted Kennedy. It's too bad about his condition. I wish ill on very, very, very few people. He's not one of them. In spite of the fact that his politics are much different than mine, he's a person. But, it's the person I really have a problem with.

He's as hypocritical as they get. He's as egocentric as they get. He's as Kennedy as they get.

Politics aside, medical conditions aside, I think he's a real shitbag. People tend to forget.

He joined . . . possibly started . . . an interesting fraternity. A frathouse with members that include O.J., Rebecca Gayheart, Ray Lewis, and others. It's a short, but exclusive, list.

Say a prayer for the man, but don't praise him. He's not someone I would ever consider looking up to.

Another flood damage relief effort?

OK. I don't want to generalize. I don't wan to stereotype. But, I just knew what I was in for when I saw this headline:

Community centers note increase in demand for donated school supplies

As I read the article, I came across this:

A school supplies giveaway at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center in Milwaukee last week prompted hundreds of families to line up outside the center almost an hour before the event started. The agency gave out more than 560 bags of supplies.

For me, there are two issues. First, it used to be that the schools would sell supplies. I know that's a century ago. But of all the things the schools could do that would be rather handy . . . bulk purchasing for resale to their students would be one of them. It just goes to how screwed up MPS is and how screwed up spending is. It's maddening.

The other issue . . . I'm sorry, this is not a lot of money. One does not have to go far to find "deals". There exists all kinds of free, two for one, on sale, and rebates at places like Menards, Walgreens, Office Max, Office Depot, and Target.

I really wonder, of these people, who really needs a bag of free stuff. Maybe they all do. I hope so. Because I hope they realize when one simply takes advantage of something being given away for free, and you don't really need it, you hurt those that really do but can't get it 'cause they've run out.

The article.

Great inventions

I forgot about this one when I originally posted about this . . .

Screw top storage containers.

You know, I don't know why this took so long. There are several products with screw tops now. Including paint where the screw top lid is just awesome!

As for storage containers . . . did you ever send all of the contents flying trying to open the top of a storage container that was a bit to tight? Me too. I love these things.

Hardin in it for the swag

A story in the JSonline reports that Milwaukee School Board member, Charlene Hardin, was a no show at a conference held in Philadelphia last month. This comes after the report that millions that have been wasted on the neighborhood initiatives program. What's more, while Hardin apparently had no interest in the conference, she DID have an interest in the swag.

At first, Hardin complained loudly that the staff had run out of conference bags, which contained zoo passes, city information and discounts for various items, Ricci said.

“Then she proceeded to go into the vendors’ area, get some plastic bags from them, help herself to a ton of food and cookies and candy and all that stuff from the snack tray, and proceeded to walk out the door again, making another big stink about the thing, and left,” Ricci said, estimating that the pair were there for all of five minutes.

Now, this is one account. I emailed the school board to see if they'd provide a different story. I'll post what I find out. Something tells me I won't be surprised by anything.

The article.

Strictly for MRQ

Anonymous bloggers suck.

The Olympics are over. I can get back to porn.

So they downgraded global warming to climate change. Isn't that what's known as seasons?

I could save Microsoft 10 million with this: make it work.

Hillary was passed over . . . again. She ought to be used to it by now.

I hate cats. I hate dogs, too. Especially weird owners.

All I got for now.

Buddy Rich wins another one

Playing all those smokey halls didn't do animal any good.

Buddy Rich vs Ed Shaughnessy

I always liked Eddie. But, Buddy Rich had some of the fastest sticks around. Even now, he's one of the greatest.

Buddy wins.

Packer vs Denver

I don't put a lot of stock in pre-season, but I've got a few thoughts so far.

Aaron Rodgers looks good. He's no Favre. But, he's got a good arm and is pretty accurate. He's also not made of glass which is something many people were afraid of. Looks like he'll last the season. He's taken some solid hits.

I was encouraged by yesterday's game. I thought the Packers played with a good amount of intensity on both side of the ball.

One thing is certain, though. They need to stay healthy. The Packers can ill afford too many losses to injury. Particularly on both lines.

We continue to have quite the stable of runners and receivers. We now seem to be flush with linebackers.

The kickers are doing well. A 71 yard punt? Nice.

As for the rest of the division . . . Detroit looks good. They may well win the division. The Viqueens look average. The Bears suck.
I'm really surprised Lovie and Rex are still there.

Go Pack!

BTW, The Jets face the Giants tonight. Let's see how they do with the pass rush.

Olympics

Other than making the observation about dumb sports, I haven't posted much about the Olympics. I've been watching everyday. For me, it's nice that they're on until late as that's when I'm usually watching.

Over all, they've been great. The old "thrill of victory, agony of defeat" has really applied. One of the problems for these athletes is that everything comes down to one chance. All the time spent training, down to one dive, one race, one contest. One little mistake and, poof, you're out. That seems a shame. But, that's the way it is.

One sport of huge disappointment has been boxing. Or, what they're passing off as boxing. THe few matches I watched I've seen so much holding, leading with the head, rabbit punching, racking of laces, and over all dirty tactics, it would make Lennox Lewis proud. If this is how they're coaching these "boxers' there truly is no future for the sport. Sad. I watched the middle weight fight. It was a joke. I'm surprised the ref let it go the way it did.

Of course, it's great to see the Americans do well. I be sad when they're over.

They Just Don't Get It

Microsoft Corp., weary of being cast as a stodgy oldster by Apple Inc.'s advertising, is turning for help to Jerry Seinfeld.

This should be interesting. You know, I personally prefer Macs. I've worked on PC's and can't say it was a bad experience. I've always said that it's whatever you're used to. Still, in the video/audio/graphic markets, Mac's rule supreme. There are some good reasons for that not the least is that Macs are less troublesome than are PC's. Particularly for the average user. Microsoft's problems, bugs, viruses, and crashing, are all well documented. Using a celebrity to try and salvage their image is further proof of the stereotype.

I've got a suggestion . . . just make it work.

Besides, Jerry Seinfeld doesn't strike me as a "hip" image kind of guy.

Article.

Good luck with that.

Jennifer, it's not too late!

Jennifer Love Hewitt, about to turn 30, told S magazine that she wishes she had stayed nude from 12 to 28. She was recently popped by the paps in a swimsuit revealing a somewhat beefier body. By normal standards she looked great. By hollyweird standards she looked fat. As a result, she lost 18 pounds and revealed to US a new body. The article is here.

The US article and pictures.

Well, I would just say . . . Jennifer, it's not too late!

Great inventions

There are two inventions that I just love.

The first is Glad's Press n Seal Wrap. The stuff really works. I recently used it to seal a paint bucket for the next day use. Amazing stuff.

The second . . . squeezable jelly. I love the stuff.

We evil city folk!

Eugene Kane uses his own experiences driving to try and make a point about traffic and freeways here in Milwaukee. Anecdotal evidence is always a welcome thing. But it usually takes more than ONE person to provide a valid argument on a particular issue.

Anyway, he said that it took him 3 hours to return from Chicago . . . once. An hour longer than normal. Then claimed you'd make better time on a bike.

Huh?

OK. I know crankers can travel at speeds of 30mph. But, his assertion would work only if a cyclist could maintain that speed for the entire journey. They can't. While there are back roads that provide long stretches of road to go fast on, the truth is, a person on a bike would have to deal with city streets. Assuming they're law abiding, they would be slowed by lights, signs, and traffic.

But, that's not really the point of this post. Kane uses his experience to preface the need for light rail. But he says something that defines and has defined him for many years:

In Milwaukee, the anti-light rail crowd often seems more intent on limiting, rather than expanding, the ability of inner-city residents to find jobs.

To be honest, this pisses me off . . . bad. How dare he blatantly categorize the anti-rail crowd. My opposition to light rail has never, NEVER had anything to do with inner-city residents in any fashion whatsoever. Could it be that:

I oppose light rail because I don't want to see tax dollars going to subsidize transportation that about 1% of the population will use?

I oppose light rail because the basic premise of wanting it is flawed? That it won't stop "urban sprawl"? That it won't get people out of their cars?

I oppose light rail because it will increase congestion rather than decrease it?

I oppose light rail because we've just learned that it could lead to more congestion therefore higher emissions?

What a f*ckin' bigot. I'm sorry. But, his reasoning is so far out there it's beyond laughable. It's insulting.

The whole stupid article.

Bike lanes increase pollution

Belling talked about this on his show yesterday. Esentially, Rob Anderson, a San Francisco native, has blocked efforts by the city to vastly expand bike lanes arguing that the move will actually increase pollution!

Could Bike Lanes Cause Pollution?

This is beautiful. He's essentially using one of the major reasons for the bike enthusiasts to have the lanes in the first place against having the lanes . . . pollution. His argument is a strong one. Most people are not going to get on a bike a lieu of a car for most of their needs. They just can't. Everything is too far away, and/or it would take too long to make the trek to be convenient. That's just a fact. As such, putting in bike lanes will not automatically increase bike usage, or more importantly, decrease car usage. What they have the potential to do, though, is tie up traffic due to lost lanes to the bike lanes. Suddenly you have cars taking longer to get through traffic and increasing emissions.

It's a logical, provable argument. So much so, that it has halted SF's plans to expand bike lanes.

Of course, the crankers are furious.

Now, let's think about Barrett's rail plan for the city. One thing is undeniably true . . . we don't have the space to implement this without cutting in to existing traffic lanes. See where I'm going? First of all, this rail system would serve a scant minority of people. The rest will be in their cars trying to navigate the streets. The best thing one could do for the environment is to allow people to get to their destinations in their cars as quickly as possible so as to minimize the time pollutants are being emitted in to the atmosphere.

I hope this issue has legs.

Toby Rand - Rebel Yell

Also from Rockstar Supernova, Toby Rand singing Rebel Yell:



One of the reasons I loved this show was because of the house band. It just doesn't get any better. On guitar is a little known Rafael Moreira, an incredible guitarist. The show was worth watching just to hear the house band and Rafael play.

8 year old cheater!

So, my 8 year old daughter found out, not sure how, how to obtain "cheats" for some of the games she plays on the computer.

Huh.

I suppose it's inevitable. Still, shouldn't I do something about that?

Courage Defined

Without any intent to make light, look up courage at Wiki and Christina Applegate will be amongst the definition.

Applegate calls double mastectomy a 'tough' choice

My wife and I discussed this sometime back. She said if it came to it, "cut 'em off". I found it an interesting statement given that breasts make up so much of what a woman is. Physically and biologically. She told me, though, given the choice between highly side effected treatments that would offer no real guarantee and losing the breasts . . . the breasts go. It'd be like having some alien bug in you. You just want it out.

Christina is 36 . . . and in Hollywood. I don't mean to put Christina in the same class of egocentric as a Sharon Stone, but I can't imagine it was an easy decision.

In the article, Christina jokes about it. What a great attitude. Good for her.

Long life, Christina.

ValleyFair beating update

I blogged about this after it happened:

ValleyFair Beating

There's been an update to the case:

Charges escalate in Valleyfair beating

Not surprising, the perp had prior arrests. One thing I do need to clear up from my original post is that the victim and family were not white. They were black. Hence, no hate crime.

Not only does this father have permanent injuries, though lucky to be alive, the family will likely have to move due to concerns of retribution.

Nice.

Roxanne like you have never heard before

From Rockstar Supernova, Dilana performing Roxanne:



Awesome.

I miss that show.

Dumb Sports

For the most part, I have a lot of respect for anyone who achieves championship level of their sport. While not a big basketball or baseball fan, it's fun and exciting to see the playoffs. Watching something at that level of competition is inspiring.

For the most part.

When you have a championship, like the world cup, go 6 HOURS with no score . . . that's a stupid sport.

Soccer is stupid sport.

Yes, I fully admit, I don't understand it. I've been told the rules at various times in my life. Whatever. I don't care.

It's a stupid sport. I sooooooo glad my daughter has no interest.

Watching the Olympics, I find there are other dumb sports. Not surprisingly, they're much like soccer. Field hockey.

Dumb.

Water Polo.

Dumb.

I found handball interesting. If for no other reason . . .

THEY WOULD SCORE!

Plus, it was pretty physical. Yeah, yeah . . . the other sports take a lot of physical this and that. Whatever.

Bo-ring.

In the end, when I thought you couldn't get much worse than soccer . . . they shrunk the ball and gave you a stick to hit it with.

Brilliant.

It's Good to be King

Not so dumb, if you ask me.

Bastard.

Eco-Dating

It's all about finding a "sustainable soulmate". Dating sites that hook up those who are more environmentally concerned, more animal loving, more holistic than the rest of us schlubs.

The article is here:

The eco-dating game

The first thing that came to mind was that Eco-therapist on Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t program. Yikes. But, one shouldn't make too much fun as conservation applies to showers and keeping warm.

More than that, though, is a question I have after reading this . . .

What about renewable soulmates?

Let's hear it for Milwaukee!

For all the jokes about cheese, beer, and fat people, Milwaukeeans hold their collective heads (and steins) high. Say what you will, but we're no Detroit, Houston, or Rockford. But, we've had some bumps in the road. We recently had the distinction of being the drunkest city in America. That's gone. State wide, we had the party capitol. That's gone. We were the fattest. That's gone. We had cheese and beer!

Those, too, are gone.

So, what's left?

How about sexiest?

No. I didn't say Festiest. But, I may as well have. According to Marie Claire magazine, Milwaukee ranks as "sexiest city" largely due to the amount of festivals we have.

Marie Claire magazine dubs Milwaukee its ‘sexiest city’

The "money" graphs"

A long list of summer festivals, moderate seasonal temperatures and upcoming events such as the Governor's Cup weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, Arab World Fest and the Harley-Davidson 105th anniversary celebration made Milwaukee the G spot - as in a go-to spot, for those of you with your sex-crazed minds in the gutter.

"In most instances, people look for ways to leave their cities this time of year, to flee to other places for entertainment," Goldman said.

But Milwaukee holds people's interest with plenty of activities for a person to stay put in the summer, the magazine's staff found.

The magazine didn't send a writer here and used anecdotes and general research to make its decision, Goldman said.

"We were astonished by how robust the city was in terms of entertainment," Goldman said. "On any given weekend, you can find at least three festivals in the area that offer diverse options."

So, take that San Diego, L.A., and Miami. You may have the centerfolds, but we have food on a stick!

I'll take it, though. While the measure might be a bit skewed, we could use any headline that doesn't include the words "serial", "alderman", "shake down", "shooting", or $50,000 red cows".

I'm doing what I can.

Happy Anniversary, iMac!

10th Anniversary of the iMac

And, thank-you Steve Jobs.

The Best Song . . . EVER!

In response to Silent E's post of William Shatner's "Lucy in the Sky", I present this:

BYOBB



Bring Your Own Barf Bag.

Smile! You're On Candid Camera!

The City of Milwaukee is joining with five surrounding counties to purchase a network of portable video surveillance cameras for monitoring crowds at large public events.

It's too bad it's come to this. But, I think many will agree, this is a good thing. Heck, I'd go so far as to say I wouldn't mind seeing my tax dollars going to this sort of thing.

Perhaps from a percentage stand point, the numbers don't warrant this. Anecdotally, however, there are lots of problems at many festivals. Particularly street festivals.

The American Civil Liberties Union fears that police officers will use the technology to violate the privacy of law-abiding festival-goers.

Hmm. You're out in public with hundreds of other festival goers . . . where's the privacy issue? If you want privacy for something, go home!

One model under consideration has a wireless camera that is mounted on a trailer and elevates above the crowd once the trailer is moved into place. Police can operate the camera and monitor live action from remote locations, saving any captured images on laptop computers.

I'm sure we're heading toward a Demolition Man kind of future where cameras will eventually be everywhere. But, the portability aspect of this system makes a lot of sense. First, you can run the system where it's needed most. Second, it saves on the cost of needing many permanently mounted systems.

“It’s very, very rapid deployment,” said William Stolte, emergency management coordinator for Waukesha County. “You can set it up, take it down and move to the next event.”

In that sense, the portable devices are more advanced than fixed security cameras that have been installed on street corners and other trouble spots in some Milwaukee neighborhoods.

Officials hope to have the new mobile surveillance systems ready before the start of the outdoor festival season next spring.

Of course, there are always those who look to the worst case scenario:

Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the ACLU in Wisconsin, called it overly intrusive to use anti-terrorism money to monitor local festival crowds.

Noting that the portability of the new cameras could make them easier to abuse, Ahmuty said he worries that police officers will ogle women or snoop on political activists.

“Just because you’re in a public place doesn’t mean that your privacy is completely gone,” he said.

Overly intrusive? Police are generally placed at festivals anyway.

Ogle women? What if they're women cops?

Uh, and yes. When you're in a public place your privacy is pretty much gone. There's no law anywhere that says I can't stop and look at what someone is doing in a public place. It might be rude, but there's no law against it.

Like the extra security at the airport, this doesn't bother me. I have nothing to hide so they can look all they want. I've read about festival incidents all too often this year. We can't just increase the police presence. That would be way too costly. While video won't prevent all violence from occurring, it can help with identifying those who instigate violence. I think it will have a net effect of reducing crime at festivals.

The whole article is here.

Teen gymnastics

I mean, women's. Though, teen is accurate for 99% of it. Anyway . . .

Would it kill the Americans to smile once in a while? Yeah, yeah . . . heat of battle, concentration, blah, blah, blah.

Remember Mary Lou Retton? She constantly smiled. The Chinese were constantly smiling. I know, the americans were tanking, gold medals, blah, blah, blah.

Maybe it would have helped.

I think I'll kill myself today . . . and annoy everyone in the process

A vent.

I don't know the history of side walks. I could google it, but I don't want to. I can only imagine they were built as a means for people to safely walk from one place to another. As the amount of cars on the roads increased, the need to accommodate people walking and kids on bikes became necessary.

So, with perfectly functional side walks, why do people walk in the roads?!?!

I can understand road walking in the winter. Sometimes it's the only area plowed. But, at all other times there's no good reason to be walking in the road. It's stupid and dangerous.

I'm driving home today. I turn on my block and there's a FAMILY of 5 walking in the road. A dad and four kids. All in the middle with seemingly little regard for cars. WTF?!?!

GET ON THE SIDE WALK!

Geez!

Of course, when you go to pass them, THEY are annoyed with YOU. Even though they're on the medium meant for cars.

Amazing.

OK. Done.

The new face of Lara Croft

Alison Carroll:



Glad to see Angelina go. Though, this girl is promotional only.

Too bad.

OK Mr. E, try this on for size . . .

Going back a few years:

Olympic Fakery

We've come to learn that parts of the Olympic open was "enhanced":

Officials have already admitted that the pictures of giant firework footprints which marched across Beijing towards the stadium on Friday night were prerecorded, digitally enhanced and inserted into footage beamed across the world.

Then, I heard that the little girl who sang the national anthem lip synced.

While I think it's a little off handed, I didn't really regard it as a big deal.

But, then I found out the little girl was lip syncing another girl's voice.

What the . . . ? Now, that's a little weird. But that's not the end of it. Turns out the reason organizers did this was because they didn't think the actual 7 year old singer was "cute" enough. Like MANY kids her age, she has buck teeth from her adult teeth and remaining baby teeth.

The girl in the red dress with the pigtails, called Lin Miaoke, 9, and from a Beijing primary school, has become a national sensation since Friday night, giving interviews to all the most popular newspapers.

But the show's musical designer felt forced to set the record straight. He gave an interview to Beijing radio saying the real singer was a seven-year-old girl who had won a gruelling competition to perform the anthem, a patriotic song called "Hymn to the Motherland".

At the last moment a member of the Chinese politburo who was watching a rehearsal pronounced that the winner, a girl called Yang Peiyi, might have a perfect voice but was unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth.

So, on the night, while a pre-recording of Yang Peiyi singing was played, Lin Miaoke, who has already featured in television advertisements, was seen but not heard.

"This was a last-minute question, a choice we had to make," the ceremony's musical designer, Chen Qigang, said. "Our rehearsals had already been vetted several times - they were all very strict. When we had the dress rehearsals, there were spectators from various divisions, including above all a member of the politburo who gave us his verdict: we had to make the swap."

Mr Chen said the initial hopefuls to sing the anthem had been reduced to ten, and one, a ten-year-old, had originally been chosen for the quality of her voice. But she, too, had fallen by the wayside because she was not "cute" enough.

"We used her to sing in all the rehearsals," Mr Chen said. "But in the end the director thought her image was not the most appropriate, because she was a little too old. Regrettably, we had to let her go."
At that point Yang Peiyi stepped up to the plate.

"The main consideration was the national interest," he said. "The child on the screen should be flawless in image, in her internal feelings, and in her expression. In the matter of her voice, Yang Peiyi was flawless, in the unanimous opinion of all the members of the team."

That was until attention turned to Yang Peiyi's teeth. Nevertheless, Mr Chen thought the end result a perfect compromise.
"We have a responsibility to face the audience of the whole country, and to be open with this explanation," he said. "We should all understand it like this: it is a question of the national interest. It is a question of the image of our national music, our national culture.

Not cute enough? Too old? National interests?

Wow. That's harsh. It's bad enough kids, particularly girls, have to deal with image issues from pop culture and their peers. But for an entire nation to come out and say, "you're not cute enough"? That's severely twisted.

I can't wait to read all the indignation from the more tolerant, more accepting left.

"So we made the choice. I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi - after all, we have a perfect voice, a perfect image and a perfect show, in our team's view, all together."

That's great. "You're too ugly, you can't sing . . . we need a perfect show!"

One question remains: why was Lin Miaoke allowed to give interviews in which she lapped up the praise for her singing. Mr Chen said she might not have known that the words she was singing could not be heard. She had, in fact, only known she was going to perform at all 15 minutes beforehand.

Yang Peiyi is said to have reacted well to the disappointment. "I am proud to have been chosen to sing at all," she is reported to have said.

(forcefully)

Sport doping

I wonder if badminton will ever have a doping controversy?

Probably not.

Censor or regulate?

I'm really torn on this. I believe in free speech. But, I also know speech isn't completely free. It IS controlled. "fire", "bomb", the "N" word, are all examples of speech that isn't free . . . without consequence. I think everyone would agree, in some cases, oversight of some sorts speech is a good thing.

It is in that vein that I wonder if we're at a point where we need oversight on video postings on sites such as Youtube and Google video. There have been a number of recent incidences in which people plot to videotape a person being beaten just to be able to post the beating on Youtube. It seems the rage.

On the one hand, if you stop glorifying it, playing in to the intent of the posters, perhaps the issue would resolve itself some. Maybe not. In most cases it seems these people are looking for the attention the internet brings. Sick as that seems.

On the other hand, you'd think any assault would be a prosecutable offense. After all, you've got video.

But, people seem to get away with this. The video quality of most of these posts isn't that good as to absolutely identify the actors. Also, there may not be other witnesses to rely on. Victims may not come forward out of fear of retribution.

Obviously, we can't rely on the validity of accounts. It's all to easy to set up a Youtube account using anything but truthful information. Cases such as the Lori Drew cyber-bullying case is evidence of that.

The Lori Drew cases also poses the question of free speech and identity protection. I don't regard a Youtube account in the same way I'd regard a doctor patient relationship. But, some people do.

So, does Youtube and Google video bear any responsibility? They have rules. You can't post anything. Why not add fight videos to that list?

One could argue that you have a better chance prosecuting an assault with the video than without. But, that's like treating the symptom and not the cause.

It's seems that many incidents get outed and arrests are made. Which points to the stupidity of videotaping one's crime. Still, it seems to be the rage all of a sudden. If oversight isn't the answer, and I don't think it is, then the penalties of such actions should be severe.

Guitar Goddesses - Jennifer Batten

Jennifer's tapping ability puts Eddie to shame. Her music is a little "out there", but she's one of the best female shedders playing.

Guitar Goddess

There aren't many female shedders. I came across this looking. I believe she's a student from the description. Whatever. She's really good. From a technical stand point, she plays with her thumb on the back of the neck . . . not the thumb and index finger crook. That's a good method to learn. Hard habit to break for an old dog like me. She's got long fingers, too. Obviously, that helps.

Another guitar god

Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover

One of earth's guitar gods

Dang that silent E . . . he's got me started again!

Summer Song

Fading Fashions

The family has gone to the Fair 4 times now. I say this so you'll know I've been there a bit . . . and tend to look around.

(ahem)

I can happily say that I didn't see one instance of obscenely low cut jeans. Not one. In fact, there were very few crop tops in spite of some rather warm, humid weather.

Thank you.

It was an ugly fashion. Not at all flattering to virtually anyone beyond stick status. I've seen a scant few "hard bodies" at Summerfest a couple of years ago that looked pretty good. But, for the most part . . . not good. And not because I don't appreciate a "normal" figure on a woman. I do. I much prefer "a little something". But, there's "a little something" and there's "a lot of something". Too often the "a lot of somethings" were wearing the fashion.

Not good.

More on Favre

I posted a quick post before as I was at work, so let me add a few things.

People . . . get over it. Yes, I understand that as fans we pay good money to support the team through ticket sales and whatever. But, c'mon. It's a game. I'm a fan, I've got some opinions about it, but geez. Flying a Packer flag at half mast?

Yow.

A couple of things "hit me" listening to all the press conferences. One thing in particular. I don't think Brett wanted to come back to the Packers. At least, not on any terms set forth by the organization. I think he's got a bug up his butt about Thompson and he decided he can't play on a team with Ted as the GM. Now, you can blame Ted for some of this. But, I really think there's a prima donna attitude by Brett that can't be ignored. His notes to ESPN, his reluctance to commit earlier in the year, and his denial of consideration for Moss and Mariucci all, to me, add up to a guy who thought himself way more important than what he was.

Two, I honestly believe the Packers simply didn't want Brett back. Everything that has been said is just a cover for them wanting him to just go away. I think they felt Brett had become difficult and they didn't want to deal with it anymore. This was good timing as not only did Brett really, really announce his retirement, but also, he's old. There are good reasons to think he's not going to be as good as last year.

Sure, Ted is taking a risk. I don't know that it's a huge risk. The Jets? They were one of the worst teams in football last year. I'll be shocked if Brett does well. I hope he does. But I don't think he will.

As for Aaron, I feel bad for him. He's done nothing wrong yet he'll be the trigger for the boos that come from the fans when the Packers play. I don't know how he'll do. We haven't seen enough of him. For some, that's reason enough to think we'll stink, or that we'd be a better team with Brett. Give the guy a chance. If the season does go south and Aaron sucks, all that will mean is that Aaron sucks. Nothing else. It won't mean we should have kept Favre. It won't mean Ted's an idiot. It will just mean Aaron sucks.

As I've said elsewhere, Brett has only a couple of years in him. He's going to retire. We're better off with Aaron having played with Favre than someone else. I know Ted hasn't really used free agency and I've often wondered why. But, who would you get? Who would be better than starting Aaron right now?

There isn't anyone. Give Aaron a chance. Back him. Back the team.

UPDATE!

Mary at Freedom Eden posted this today.

There are two things that have been glossed over, so to speak. One, Deanna's involvement in this. Now, I'm not going to blame her but one has to believe she has some part in all of this. Maybe it's supportive. Maybe not.

Two, Brett's physical. I've only heard a mention of some problems.

Maybe Thompson is an idiot. I doubt it. I do think there are two sides to this and Brett may not be the angel many think he is.

Man caught with 3rd DUI with daughter in car

A car without its headlights on caught the attention of a Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy who stopped the driver and found a man now facing charges for his third drunken driving offense, this time with his 12-year-old daughter in the car.

Milwaukee County Sheriff's office spokeswoman Kim Brooks reported today that the 53-year-old man has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office for operating while under the influence, third offense, with a child under 16, a felony. He was also ticketed for operating a motor vehicle without headlights.

The man was initially stopped on westbound I-43 near Loomis Road at 8:43 p.m. on July 31.

Brooks said the man is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 25.

See what I mean about idiot parents?

Favre a Jet?

Well, for our part, it's over. Time to rally around Aaron and the rest of the team. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Favre in NY. Much different fans . . . much different press. Brett may find it rather hostile. Particularly if he doesn't do well.

I wonder if he'll pull the same "retirement" crap with them?

Anyway, some are making predictions, here are mine:

Packers: 10 - 6 and they'll win the division. Aaron will have a good season though rushing will rule the offense. They will make the playoffs, of course, but won't be in the Superbowl.

The Jets have an easy schedule based on their place last year. Favre will struggle. The Jets will go 7 and 9 and Favre will call it quits for good.

McCarthy will most certainly survive this. Ted will likely, as well. It'd be nice if his drafts, particularly Jordy, have an impact this season. Given that Favre won't do well, the call for Ted's head will diminish by season's end.

I reserve the right to change these predictions at the end of preseason.

Yours?

Yngwie Malmsteen

If you don't know this guy, it won't be funny. The first time I saw it I almost soiled myself. It ain't new, but I might be having one of my moments again.



Hilarious.

Another eco-friendly event by a liberal

(CNN)—Academy award winning actor George Clooney is set to host a fundraiser for Barack Obama in Switzerland next month.

The event, taking place on the evening of September 2 in Geneva, Switzerland will be split into two parts: a reception and a dinner. According to Obama’s National Finance Committee, tickets for the reception where Clooney will speak are going for $1,000, followed by a dinner at the home of NFC member Charles Adams for $10,000 a plate. Space for the dinner is limited to 75 guests.

I wonder if each attendee will come by private jet?

OMG! I'm like, totally, hot!

Anyone who knows me knows I think Paris is a no talent, skanky, attention whore. She looks retarded and sounds worse.

But, I like this:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

You know why? Even this vacant bimbo understands we need oil in the interim. The dummycrats don't seem to get that.

Paris Hilton is smarter than liberals.

Whoda thought?

Playboy posts quarterly loss

(Reuters) - Adult entertainment publisher Playboy Enterprises Inc posted a quarterly loss, hurt by continued pressure on its media businesses, and said 2008 will remain a difficult year.

Playboy and other publishers and television companies have suffered as more people get their entertainment online, and often for free.

"This has created a challenging environment for our print and TV businesses, which has been compounded by the current macro-economic climate," the company said in a statement.

The publisher of the iconic men's magazine posted a net loss of $2.1 million, or 6 cents a share, compared with a net income of $1.9 million, or 6 cents a share, a year ago.

Revenue fell 14 percent to $73.4 million.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn 5 cents a share, excluding exceptional items, on revenue of $82.1 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

Another thing I'm not surprised about. I've blogged about Playboy in the past. The magazine has done little to change it's image, and look since . . . forever. It's hurt them. Bad. One doesn't get much for their subscription. Playboy TV is a joke. The internet and other options for men have made it a tough market. Playboy hasn't adapted well.

Vote canvassers turn in fake forms

Madison Workers registering Milwaukee voters for a liberal group turned in hundreds of fabricated forms and many more that were incomplete, raising fears among Republican Party leaders of fraud at the polls.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now fired about a dozen canvassers and alerted Milwuakee's election commission to most of the problematic forms. The election commission's director, Sue Edman, said the workers lost their ability to register voters, and the commission is making sure no incomplete or fabricated forms are entered into the voter database.

Six canvassers have been referred to the district attorney's office for potential criminal charges, she said.

The news unnerved Republican Party leaders who believe widespread fraud in the 2004 election may have handed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry a narrow 11,000-vote victory and fear they will see a replay in 2008."I'm glad it was caught in this case. But it was probably the tip of the iceberg," Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson said.

The group, known as ACORN, describes itself as the nation's largest grass-roots community organization of low- and moderate-income people.

ACORN's state political director Carolyn Castore said the drive recently concluded when the group met its goal of registering 35,000 voters in Milwaukee in the biggest voter drive in Wisconsin this election cycle.

Why am I not surprised?

Germantown considering phone ordinance

Germantown is considering an ordinance that would allow police to issue tickets to students if they violate rules about the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in schools.

The ordinance would have to be approved by the Village Board. It will be considered tonight by the board's Public Safety Committee.

Police Chief Peter Hoell said today he thinks the ordinance would only be used a couple of times per year and only in extreme cases in which students ignore the rules. No fine has yet been proposed, but it likely would be in the range of $90 if the ordinance is adopted, he said.

Hoell said the schools generally prohibit the possession and use of cell phones and other electronic devices during school hours. The schools give warnings to students who violate the rules and sometimes confiscate the phones of repeated violators, he said.

On principal, I am against this. It's a nanny state move that allows government to intrude more and more in to our lives.

But, we've lost all ability to control ourselves wen it comes to cell phone use. It's obscene. It's rude. It's dangerous. While it's too bad, I foresee more legislation in the future.

Almost positive for sure Brett might be absolutely gone

I watched McCarthy's press conference. A couple of thoughts.

He seemed very forthright, and I'm impressed by that. If he was faking it, he did a good job. Yes, he seemed a bit annoyed having to deal, once again, with the whole retirement thing. But, can you blame him? He's the coach. He's got 79 other players to contend with. Some as vital as Favre once was to the success of the team. They cannot be ignored. They cannot be diminished in their contributions. While I can go both ways with Favre, one thing I've maintained is that no one is above the team. If Brett is driven by his desires as a player, then McCarthy is driven by his desires to coach a winning football team.

While I'm sure he'll never admit it, this whole Favre thing must drive him nuts. Again, I can't blame him.

But, he's not to blame for anything. He's not the GM, the owner, or the team president. He doesn't own the building, run the restaurant, or cook the food. He just serves it.

While we can debate how it is we got to this point, why we got to this point, and who's fault it is, I thought Mike asked the perfect question. Is your (Brett's) mind in the right place to play for Green Bay? Absolutely perfect. I can imagine it was a very difficult question to answer given where we are. As I said, Mike has 79 other players to deal with. If Brett is on board, then he'd better be on board. I think the question really gave Brett a chance to evaluate the whole situation. What he's doing to Mike. What he's doing to Aaron. What he's doing to the team. What he's doing to himself. Expectations would be extremely high with his return. I know there are many who blindly believe that Brett would take us to Zion and beyond. For others, he'd be under a HUGE microscope. The press would be brutal. With every loss, every interception, every fumble, questions would arise.

I feel mistakes were made on both sides. What drives me nuts is that people think Brett is god yet think Ted is shit. That's simply not consistent. I think it was wrong for Brett to think he could simply walk back in as if nothing happened, I think it was wrong for Brett to continuously use releases to Mortensen instead of speaking himself, and I think it was wrong for Brett to draw a line in the sand. As for Ted, I think he spoke of things too soon without fully evaluating the situation. I really don't blame the Packers for not wanting Brett back. I believe they believe they need to move on and have worked hard in that direction.

Would they be better off with Brett? I don't care what anyone says. It's all speculation. I don't know. No one knows for sure. And it looks like we'll never know.

What I do know . . . I wish Brett well. I highly doubt he'll take whatever team he plays for to the Superbowl. I do hope he has a good season and stays unhurt. I wish the same for Aaron. While I love Brett, I'm a Packer fan first.

Cause I Know They Read This

I just like to offer a cyber-get well messgae to Kelsey Grammar and Morgan Freeman. Grammar suffered another heart attack recently and Freeman was in a bad auto accident.

Again, get well soon!

Obama is mad about the Britney and Paris link, huh?

Huh.

Global foolishness

From the Snow and Ice Data Center:

Sea ice extent continues to decline, but we have not yet seen last July’s period of accelerated decline. Part of the explanation is that temperatures were cooler in the last two weeks of July, especially north of Alaska.

Because we are past the summer solstice, the amount of potential solar energy reaching the surface is waning. The rate of decline should soon start to slow, reducing the likelihood of breaking last year's record sea ice minimum.

Fred has been keeping us informed from time to time over at Real Debate. Now, it's looking less and less likely that the cap will melt . . . as the envirocrats predicted it would this summer.

From the SIDC:



Summer isn't over. But, much like the hurricane "scare" of a few years ago, this melting prediction will likely be yet another climate issue they got wrong.

Speaking of parenting

I'm not a big fan of laws that try to protect us from ourselves. Not only don't I need the government telling me what to do, I think most of us are smart enough to know how best to take care of ourself. Now, I know that isn't plainly obvious on many, many occasions. There exists plenty of evidence to the contrary. Well, I consider that thinning the herd.

I am in favor of laws that help protect kids from moron parents. Now, again, I know you can't force someone to use common sense. Be there laws or not, many people will simply going on being stupid.

Many Milwaukee kids improperly restrained in vehicles

One thing laws do, though, is allow for punishing those who are too stupid to take measures to protect their own children. Here's the thing, if I want to launch myself through the windshield of my car I should have the right to do so. But, as a parent, I make that decision for my child. A child who, up to a certain age, can't be held responsible to make an informed decision about various actions with regard to their safety. A child has no chance in an accident.

Nationally, car crashes are the leading cause of death of children over age 3.

I agree awareness should be increased. I know it might be counter productive to fine those who can't afford a car seat for their child, but this is one of those things, as I mentioned in my previous post, is something a parent needs to take responsibility for.

What about teaching?

Jay Weber had an interesting discussion on his show this morning on the paid sick leave proposal. His point, due to an editorial he read, was that it was not business's fault people have kids and it's not business's responsibility to help take care of those kids. It's a tough issue. I agree for the most part. But, what does one do when their child is sick and needs to be taken care of? I've often said the responsibility of children ultimately falls on none other than the parents. I still do. While I understand some people have put themselves in to a position of needing both parents to work, I don't think that passes the responsibility of your child's care on to someone else. Particularly government mandates.

Anyway, I have this same problem with schools. The schools seem to want to do everything for your child except teach them. Today's paper has a good indication of that.

Suspend fewer, MPS urged
Report rips discipline tactics; change promised

The first two paragraphs say it all:

A team of national experts has urged a major overhaul in the way Milwaukee Public Schools handles behavior issues in schools, saying MPS does not do enough to deal with problems short of suspending students and may have the highest suspension rate of any urban school system in America.

MPS
By The Numbers
26.4%

MPS students suspended at least once, many of them multiple times, during the 2007-'08 school year.

86,675

Total number of suspensions during the same school year, just short of the number of students in the district.

"District staff members need to mobilize to meet this challenge" of dealing with behavior issues in ways that don't involve suspensions but are more effective in improving both a student's behavior and academic work, the team said in a report to MPS officials.

Two things. One, this will mean more money. More "experts" to figure this out, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Two, aren't the behavior issues with children, even as they apply to school, the parent's responsibilities? Why does MPS feel as though they must take on parental responsibilities? They want to feed them, psycho-analyze them, provide baby sitting . . . when are parents supposed to act like parents?

Why don't the schools just TEACH?

Personally, I'm sick of parents getting out of their responsibilities thanks to government. It's bad enough we have dysfunctional families, broken families, and abusive families. We need to emphasize more the role of parents in a child's life, not take it away. All of these "well intentioned" program do nothing more than make parents lazy. Rather than making them see how it is they are at fault, it allows them to blame everyone else for their child's behavior. That, and there's an expectation of provision. Be it food, day care, or dealing with behavior problems.

People need to understand that being a parent means you have responsibilities, and that those responsibilities are yours alone. It's not up to someone else to fix them.

Also, the schools need to stop trying to be parents. Just teach.

Please don't squeeze the Charmin

Have you seen the Charmin commercial with the cartoon bears? They're frolicking around with a bunch of toilet paper bits stuck on their ass.

That's gross, cartoon or not.

Let's see, that's 7851 to 0

Researchers are one step closer to reprogramming skin cells into tailor-made, healthy replacements for diseased cells.

Applying the technique first developed by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported online Thursday in the journal Science that they had turned skin cells from two elderly patients with the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into motor neurons, the nerve cells that become damaged in ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

This is the first time that scientists have coaxed embryonic-like cells from adult patients suffering from a genetic-based disease, then induced the cells to form the specific cell types that would be needed to study and treat the disease.

The whole article is here.

Adult stem cells.

Yet again.

Where's that "promise"?

More Global Foolishness

From JSonline:

It has, at times, been warm, muggy and sweaty this summer.

But it hasn't yet been 90 degrees.

The official temperature in Milwaukee hit 88 degrees four times this month - July 15, 16, 17 and on Wednesday. But the temperature at Mitchell International Airport hasn't gotten any closer to that sweltering mark, according to the National Weather Service in Sullivan. In Madison, the temperature reached 88 degrees in July 16, but no 90.

There are still plenty of chances for the temperature to hit 90 degrees this summer, with the next real chance coming Sunday or Monday. But the last summer Milwaukee didn't reach 90 degrees was in 2000. Before that, 1915.

In Madison, the temperature didn't reach 90 degrees in 2004, but before that, the last summer without such sweltering heat was 1924.

Meteorologists at the weather service say several factors could be keeping the temperature down, but part of it may be the ground's fault. So much rain fell in June that the soil is saturated, the forecasters say. When the temperature hits the 80s, that moisture evaporates relatively quickly and keeps the air from heating more.

Also, thunderstorms developed several times last month and cooled the air when the temperature threatened to break out of the upper 80s.

1915? That's an 85 year span!

Huh.

Not so unique I guess

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There are 60 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

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