July 25, 2005

Head in bottom disease

Deb Price seems to suffer from a horrible case, although it's not the worst I've ever seen. Excerpt:


But when history called President George W. Bush recently, it got a busy signal. In a single day, with a single inexcusable action -- tapping a white man to replace the retiring O'Connor -- Bush turned back the clock on women's progress.

In the decades since Reagan elevated O'Connor, six new justices have joined the court -- all but one of them male. Now, if Bush nominee John Roberts Jr. is confirmed, eight of nine justices will be male, eight of nine will be white. The lone woman -- Clinton appointee Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- is a 72-year-old with a history of cancer.

Surely, Bush understood the special symbolic importance of the person chosen to succeed the first female justice. O'Connor calls Roberts "good in every way, except he's not a woman," a Washington state paper reported. She went on to doubt that Bush would replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist with a woman. "So that almost assures there won't be a woman appointed to the court at this time," she added.

Bush could have secured a place in history alongside Reagan by nominating the first Hispanic. At the very least, Bush ought to have kept the court as diverse as it's been since 1993 -- with two women.

That's what his wife recommended. So did the public: 78 percent of Americans told the Gallup Poll this month that picking a woman to follow in O'Connor footsteps would be a "good idea." Giving yet another white man a turn was a very bad idea, regardless of the kind of jurist Roberts might become.

Roberts can never be another O'Connor. She's a permanent symbol that, in our great democracy, power is meant to be shared.

This is what happens to your brain when you start identifying people by a particular group, rather than as an individual. You no longer judge somone on his particular background or credentials, but rather by whathever group he can be associated with. Woman in the position? Only another woman can replace her. Black man? Only another black man can fill the spot, unless we're talking about Clarence Thomas, of course. And everyone knows that only other Hispanics(and God, how I hate that term, which lumps together disparate groups of people related solely by the language which they speak) can replace one of their own.

Ms. Price doesn't seem to recognize that, using her own brand of logic, Bush would be obligated to nominate a man. Obviously, O'Connor was an interloped occupying a position that men had held since SCOTUS was founded.

As an aside, I wonder what her take was on the nomination of Clarence Thomans to SCOTUS. I'm certain that she was wholly in favor of it, seeing as how Justice Thomas replaced another black Justice. Yeah, sure she was.

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American owned and operated since 1999

The Tour de France, that is.

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Anita Hill slams Republican judicial nominee

In other news, water is still wet and the sun is freaking hot.

Does anyone care what the esteemed Professor Hill really thinks? I'm fairly certain that I'll sleep well tonight, regardless of any proclamations she makes, or fails to make.

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This can't be serious

Someone please tell me that this is a joke.

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July 19, 2005

"Join the browncoats"

Some of you know that of which I speak. All others need to look here. Excerpt:


In Serenity, Browncoats are Independent Faction soldiers, a body opposed to the AngloSino Alliance in the Unification War. Defeated at Serenity Valley on Hera in 2511, Browncoats are forced to live as galactic outcasts. A small band of them skim the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed until they find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds is a hardened veteran on the losing side of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family - squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal. Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister, and gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the telepathic sister.

As a Browncoat, you'll access insider information, exclusive content and collect Credits (a form of currency) to win cool prizes. The Current Missions and Offline Tasks sections offer ways to earn Credits that can be redeemed in the Store for movie merchandise. You can also earn Credits by testing your Serenity trivia knowledge and participating in the polls. Stay tuned for updates to the Links, News and A/V Room sections, and compare notes with other Browncoats on the message boards.

Be sure to check out this portion of EW's 2005 Must List.

As an aside, I cannot believe that it's been almost 3 years since the show stopped airing. And I cannot wait for September 30 to arrive.

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Explain this to your boss

Mheh.

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July 18, 2005

Rhetorical question

Have all of our elected officials in DC gone completely batshit insane? No? Then how do you explain retarded speeches such as this one from Rep. Tancredo. Excerpt:


A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.

Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.

Talk show host Pat Campbell asked the Littleton Republican how the country should respond if terrorists struck several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.

"Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered.

"You're talking about bombing Mecca," Campbell said.

"Yeah," Tancredo responded.

Thanks, dickhead. You've just written the slogan for Al Qaeda's recruiting poster.

I've ceased to be amazed at the ridiculous quantites of horseshit that politicans vomit forth every day. The brain-asshole filter doesn't work too well, apparently, when your head is shoved completely up into your ass.

Rep. Tancredo, I give you credit: you've exceeded the fault tolerances for asshats AND asshelmets and moved into the next generation of idiocy: ass-turtlenecks. You dumbass.

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Man of the Year Award Nominees

Reposted from my old site. Why? Because I'm feeling lazy.
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Too bad I don't have Photoshop or I would have made these pictures a Filthy Lie about Evil Glenn, proving that he loves women almost as much as he loves puppies. In any event, if any of you single ladies out there are still searching for Mister Right, I submit the following 3 entries for your approval. #1:

ManOfTheYear1.jpg

It's not often that you see such love and compassion, protecting those women from the discomfort that they would suffer on the hard seat of a tractor. Now it's time for #2:

ManOfTheYear2.jpg

A chauvinist would have carried the larger carton of beverages, thereby demonstrating that he thinks women are the weaker sex. This man is a true feminist. And now for the final entry, here is #3 nominee for Man of the Year:

ManOfTheYear3.jpg

Such a man. He allows this woman to get the exercise she craves, all the while pacing steps ahead so as not to bother her while he indulges in his vice. Truly, a man among men.

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Exercise your brain

Mine complains when I take it out for a 5-mile jog. The problems start when I forget to put it back in. Anyway, interesting commentary from Orson Scott Card. Looks like my years as a vidiot weren't completely wasted.Excerpt:


When you play videogames, you're giving your brain an intense workout, and the skills you're developing are useful across the board.

It's not like riding a bike, where the muscles you develop are useful for riding a bike. When you're playing a videogame, you're stretching your ability to notice things with your peripheral vision (useful for driving cars without killing people), recognize patterns, remember intricate series of events, and to delay instant gratification for greater rewards later.

Most of all, you're practicing learning.

Compare it to homework, where you simply repeat what you've already learned until it's boring. It never gets faster. And if you're making mistakes, you don't get any feedback until the teacher grades your work and hands it back.

With videogames, you get instant response to your mistakes and a chance to correct them right away. And when you've mastered a pattern or figured out a puzzle and moved on, the next puzzle is more challenging and the next pattern is faster or more complex ... or both.

Videogames keep you constantly on the edge of your abilities, stretching, growing.

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Beer of the week

Here's a friendly reminder that July is American Beer Month. This week we're celebrating the American Amber Ale. Excerpt:


American amber is noteworthy for its relatively even balance between malt and hop expression. This is quite unusual, and not only for newer American beer styles. In most instances balance does not imply equal proportions of sweetness and bitterness (malt and hop). On the contrary, it should be judged solely in terms of the appropriateness for its style. For example, pale ale is typically dry and assertively bitter, not sweet and malty. On the other hand, brown ale tends to have more malt sweetness and toastiness, with decidedly less hop expression. The proper balance for each is quite different. In amber ales, hops and malts mesh almost perfectly - both are evident, but neither dominates.

Look here for some foods that go well with this type of beer.

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The voice of reason

And it isn't Paul Begala. Excerpt:


Young liberals this week flocked to the nation's capital to hear, among other things, liberal television pundit and Democrat political strategist Paul Begala accuse Republicans of wanting to kill him and his children to preserve tax cuts for the rich.

Damn straight. How else am I going to be able to afford a bigger yacht?

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Tell me: what is it about your terror-lovinh comrades that makes them so Sassy

Ace has the scoop, and the photos to boot.

I'm reminded of the USS Cole attack almost every day because I drive over this bridge on the way home: "Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter -USS Cole Bridge". You can find brief bio's of all the victims here, including photos.

I typically bash most actions taken by politicians, because most of it's just political posturing. Sometimes, though, they do the right thing. This was one of those time.

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Ugh! story of the day

Were you aware of the fact that in 17 states in this country, sex with animals isn't illegal? And one of those states is Washington.

This story gives me the creeps. The ick factor is a little too high for a Monday morning. Come to think of it, it's too high for any day.

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Be afraid

Very afraid.

Heh. Indeed.

Oh, and if you're feeling artisitic, create your own movie trailer here.

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July 15, 2005

Beer news

Well, since my next post in the Brewing Your First Beer series will be about bottling, it seems appropriate to throw in a link to bottle-conditioning, which is the method we will use to carbonate our beers.
For more beer history, check out this site.

Links courtesy of Jennifer's History and Stuff.

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July 14, 2005

Tasty treats

I've been lax about submitting recipes to the Carnival, so this week I've posting two. Let me know how you like 'em
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Cocoa - Spice Snackin' Cake

1/4 c Butter or margarine; melted
1/4 c Hershey's® cocoa
3/4 c Applesauce
1 1/4 c Unsifted all-purpose flour
1 c Sugar
3/4 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 ts Ground nutmeg
1/4 ts Salt
1 Egg; beaten
1/2 c Nuts; chopped

Combine melted butter and cocoa; blend in applesauce. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Blend in cocoa mixture and egg until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in nuts.

Spread in greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan.
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Reese's Brownies ( Made From Scratch)

3/4 c Hershey's cocoa
2 ea Eggs
1/2 ts Baking soda
2 c All-purpose flour(unsifted)
2/3 c Butter (melted)
1 ts Vanilla
1/2 c Water (boiling)
1/4 ts Salt
2 c Sugar
2 c Reese's peanut butter chips

Stir cocoa and baking soda in mixing bowl. Blend in 1/3 cup melted butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in peanut butter chips. pour into lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool completely, cut into bars.

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Thank goodness

The Sorting Hat chose well:

Want to Get Sorted?
I'm a Gryffindor!

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Bloggers on the move

I'm a little slow this week, but it appears that One Happy Dog Speaks has moved into its nice, spiffy MuNu digs. And VW Bug is the hostess for this week's Carnival of the Recipes. Send you entry to recipe-dot-carnival at gmail-dot-com.

I've simply got to remember to submit an entry this week.

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Rick Santorum is a knob

Sure, he's a genuine conservative. He also tends to give the rest of us conservative types a bad name because Senator Santorum suffers from an acute case of Foot In Mouth disease. Excerpt:


What drew the concentrated ire of the Bay State's congressional delegation was Santorum's decision this week to repeat his three-year-old comment that liberalism was at the root of the scandal over child sex abuse in the church.

"Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture," Santorum wrote in a July 12, 2002 article for the Web site Catholic Online. "When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."

Moron. Now I find myself agreeing with a crapweasel such as Ted Kennedy. Ugh. Well, blind squirrel, nut, etc..

Update: Captain Ed is of the same opinion:


As a Catholic and a conservative, nothing would please me more than if we could blame the sexual-abuse scandals of the Church on a permissive society. Unfortunately, it simply isn't true. Pedophilia has nothing to do with liberal sexual mores. The sexual abuse of children involves illnesses without cures, and the scandals have to do with a church hierarchy that refused to recognize that and keep sick priests away from vulnerable boys and girls.

Normally I would rather eat raw squid with mushrooms and beets than agree with Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Neither of these men conducted themselves with much honor during their political careers. Both owe so many apologies to so many people that hearing them call for someone else to apologize almost makes me spit out my beverage over my laptop screen.

In this case, however, they're right.

Update: Michelle Malkin agrees that Ted Kennedy is right which, by my reckoning, means that the seas should be turning to blood any second, or maybe it'll rain frogs. Then again, cats and dogs have been known to live together on occassion, so maybe I'm jumping to an unwarranted conclusion. We should know soon enough.

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An idea whose time has come

Outsourcing overseas? How about over only 3 miles of seas? Excerpt:


What San Diego-based start-up SeaCode Inc. plans to do is nothing if not novel: anchor a cruise ship three miles off the coast of Los Angeles, fill it with up to 600 programmers from around the world, eliminate visa restrictions and make it easy for customers to visit the site via water taxi. The two men behind the venture -- Roger Green, who describes himself as an IT and outsourcing veteran, and IT consultant David Cook, whose job history includes a stint as a ship captain -- recently discussed their plan in an interview with Computerworld.

What is the business model? Green: The promise of the benefits of outsourcing in distant lands doesn't come free. Most of the gotchas are related to the geography and to the cultural difference.


What are some of those gotchas? Green: Communicating requirements, doing knowledge transfer [and] managing the project are very difficult to do even when you are in the same building, [let alone] when it's across the world.

That's the same argument made by nearshore providers in Canada. Cook: But we offer the price of India with the proximity of the United States -- that's the differentiator.

Look to see a bill in Congress outlawing this in the near future.

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