American troops helped win the heart and minds of the Arab workd with their humanitarian work in Abu Ghraib. We were greeted with flowers. We rewarded the Iraqis by imprisoning them and strictly observing the Geneva Convention. Not.
I haven't seen flash sites better than Modern Living. Period. This is the domination of all others.
What the hell is this guy doing? Nate, Kaori, help me out here. Kikko Man is a totally confusing about a guy whith a fish head who rides a fish motorcycle and pours soy sauce on people. He causes a cat to commit suicide (or does he murder it) and beds Sailor Moon.
Caligula was Rome's beloved Ceasar, benevolent and wise in his long reign over the empire. I watched the historical epic film about Caligula's rise to power. It was an excellent family flick, but I found it somewhat bland and wish it would've left less to the imagination. Nonetheless, I think it is a good way to show the kids what life was like in ancient Rome before violence and and sexual perversion took over our culture.
I think Taco Bell (4933 Se Powell Blvd
PORTLAND, OR 97206 - 3048) may have given me Cholera via the 7 layer burrito I ate last night. I ate it at around 8 PM last night, and by 11 PM I had a headache (a warning sign of dehydration, which is a key symptom of Cholera) and I awoke at around 4 AM with severe abdominal discomfort. I went to the bathroom, where [horrible details omitted]. I'm still noticing headache symptoms and still experienceing abdominal discomfort. I should've never crossed the border into Taco Hell.
Mom and Dad, I know you don't have the means to retire wealthy in the United States, but you might consider retiring in Panama, where a pensionado visa is relatively easy to obtain (a minimum of $500 guranteed income per month). As a pensionado, you'll get:
- 50% off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, theaters, concerts, sporting events, etc.)
- 30% off bus, boat, and train fares
- 25% off airline tickets
- 50% off hotel stays Monday through Thursday, 30% off Friday through Sunday
- 25% off restaurant meals
- 15% off at fast-food restaurants
- 15% off hospital bills (if no insurance applies)
- 10% off prescription medicines
- 20% off doctors' consultations
- 15% off dental and eye exams
- 20% off professional and technical services
- 50% off closing costs for home loans and more
I'd do it right now if I could. Indeed, now that Noriega is out the country is turning into the Switzerland of Latin America.
My Life as Ralph Nader's Flunkie is a great account of life working for the man who couldn't organize 1,000 people in Portland last month. I was ambivalent about Nader (although UO's OSPIRG was very annoying), but this article drives the point home: Nader is insane.
Perhaps Nader’s greatest hypocrisy, though, is his brutal anti-union actions. Publicly, Nader declares support for organized labor, pronouncing on his campaign website that “the notorious Taft-Hartley Act that makes it extremely difficult for employees to organize unions needs to be repealed.” But he viciously busted attempts of his own employees to unionize.“The day after we filed for recognition, the locks were changed. I was fired. A few days later, the other people were fired,” recalls Tim Shorrock, who edited the Multinational Monitor, a Nader magazine, in the 1980s. “They went after me in an incredibly vicious way. When they fired me, they asked me for all my boxes back,” including ones Shorrock had brought with him to the job and considered his personal property. Nader tried to have local police arrest Shorrock and sued him, a case later dropped. “It was pure harassment,” Shorrock says – the same type of high-handed pressure Nader condemns in government and business.
Somebody really hates Starbucks. I personally can't find an honest reason to dislike the ever-growing coffee shop chain. It's not like the anti-competitive Wal-Mart, which undercuts the competition to run them out of business and gives bad benefits to their employees; Starbucks charges a premium and does little damage to their competition. Hating Starbucks is pure snobbery. C'est la vie.
For some strange reason I find it hilarious that AT&T Wireless got hosed by jumping head-first into Siebel CRM. Testing bleeding-edge beta software on your employees and customers is flat-out stupid.
I found a good reference for whitewater kayaking and canoeing which has some very useful links. Check it out, kids. Boof.com is another good find.
Kids say the darndest things, like:
John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.The thunder was ominous sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.
The red brick wall was the colour of a brick-red crayon.
Even in his last years, Grandpa had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.
In todays news, scientists have created bastard mice. I don't see the big deal, bastards (oh, I'm sorry, the proper term is "fatherless") have been around for a long time.
According to Bob Woodward's fourthcoming new book, "Plan of Attack", Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia promised that the Saudis would lower oil prices to help George Bush politically in the November election. Reporters asked the White House about the matter, they received Scott McCllan squirming to avoid answering the question. Good times.
This article marks the beginning of the end of the economic recovery. The real post-9/11 economic carnage was averted by the Fed's quick reduction of the prime rate, but signs of recovery (and potential inflation) are spurring them to raise rates again. The downside to this action will be the collapse of the real estate market, with housing prices plummeting and taking the stock market with them. The article quotes the third quarter of 2004 as the date when the rate hikes will begin, which would be just in time for the election. This indicates to me that it would put Bush in a bad spot, with the renewed plunge into economic recession on the eve of the vote, but I think the average voter is too stupid. The evidence I submit: The newly changed overtime rules which exempt skilled workers from overtime pay. Where is the outrage? There is none, and I haven't seen a peep of this on the news. It's a lost cause. Bush is going to get elected.
This bike cost as much as my third car and is arguably faster. Nice.
UrbanDictionary.com will tell you the dilly, yo. What it is. Go tell yo mama.
I stumbled onto A Busy Person's Guide to the Bush Press Conference, which helped me glean an understanding of what was said without wading through the BS. The internet is my friend.
Stuff you didn't know you didn't know is good stuff to know. Such as:
The Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s, the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.
Follow the link for 335 more useless facts.
Guns on planes make us safer. Especially when they're left in the bathroom.
Someone I know plans to visit Costa Rica this summer. I just hope she doesn't have a run in with guys like the dentist being taken back there for prosecution.
I was explaining that diamonds don't have any real value other than that which we've given them through manipulation of supply and demand. Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond?
These are some very awesome animals that I would love to own. Especially this one:
If you want to have a good chuckle, check out Claim vs. Fact: Condoleezza Rice's Opening Statement for a breakdown of the claims and the realities of how the Bush administration handled terrorism pre-911
Photo Matt posted an interesting and truly compellng portrait of our war president. It's a mosaic of the portraits of the soldiers who died invading Iraq.
Awful Plastic Surgery continues to expose the evils of plastic surgery. This blog dominates. They're not afraid to show you what happens when bad boob jobs happen to good girls.
...and Burt, what happened to you?
Canada has raised the limits on baby seal harvests this year to levels not seen in fifty years. Fortunately the seal clubbers are very humane in their treatment of the helpless baby seals. See for yourself how they gently euthanize the baby seals without hurting them in any way.
/sarcasm
Learn all about the fun that major western powers had with narcotics during the last two hundred years.
Check out OSHA's Fatal Facts. Tales of death with compelling illustrations. Check out number 35.
Bee Hoo has a great listing of honey and everything associated with it. Check out their Oregon page if you're from Oregon and want some honey.
Edited to add: You can use honey to make beer, too.
Mark Twain wrote about the German language in his essay, The Awful German Language. It's classic Twain that I know Mallory, a student of the language, will be able to appreciate. Rock on, Mal!
Emperor of These United States and Defender of Mexico, Norton I (also known as Joshua A. Norton) anointed himself Emperor and issued proclamations disbanding congress and the democratic and republican parties. He also issued a prescient decree for a suspension bridge to connect Oakland with San Francisco.
I had the honor of attending a concert featuring The Clipse, the Black Eyed Peas, and N.E.R.D.
The Clipse took me completely by surprise because they weren't listed on the flyer, or anywhere else. I distinctly remember thinking that it would be outstanding if they showed up. It was indeed outstanding when they did show up. Their pro-coke dealing message was in distinct and stark contrast with the non-coke dealing message of The Black Eyed Peas, as was their lack of fake breasts (come on, Fergie. There is no way those are real.). After the Peas played their set I ended up trailing Fergie up the stairs at the Crystal Ballroom on her way to sign autographs. The breasts may be questionable but the booty was very, very real. Rawr.
6 time Grammy-nominated N.E.R.D. kicked ass through their set and they closed the show with the Clipse and Black Eyed Peas singing Lap Dance. It was epic. I'm still very confused about Spymob, as was the rest of the audience. Spymob is nothing resembling hip hop, but somehow they get dragged along to N.E.R.D.'s shows and play a couple songs before N.E.R.D. plays. The experience can only be described as surreal. Nevertheless, the concert dominated and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Sometimes flash can be absolutely mind blowing and amazing. I love it.
If you saw Lost in Translation and were completely baffled by the Suntory Whiskey commercial filming, check out the Translated Suntory Scene so you can have an idea of what the director was screaming at Bill Murray. It's high quality entertainment.
CuriousMath.com will teach you how to do lots of interesting things with numbers. Most of them involve ways of doing calculations in your head, very useful in classes where calculators are forbidden.
I've got to bust out with the delicious twinkie sushi.
It won't be long until I have my 4 terabyte microdrive implanted in my brain. I can't wait.
The "Dishonest Dubya" Lying Action Figure Doll will make you laugh until you pee your pants.
The History of Vodka will teach you where it came from, who decided to name it 'vodka', and what to drink it with. Good stuff. I want some.