Luciferian Beehiver Butt Burrito

Some good news out there... the Federal Gov-mint decided not to use those STUPID RIFD tags in out passports, siting concern over privacy issues... Then they turn around and on their website include all kinds of personal information on the people who complained about the tags.

Anyway Boing Boing found a few gems in the complaints.

Otter

The White Ninja

The few people I have told to check out this site haven't really liked it as much as me. I think this guy is a comic genious. Ohh well...

Anyway I was drinking wather while reading it this morning. I spit water everywhere.

It's mean, its funny, its... its just odd...

Otter

Made me smile...

I like the... "don't take that picture" look on the guys face.

Otter

Sleep Patterns

In no more than 2 days I can screw up my sleep pattern for the following week or two.

It doesn’t seem fair. If I’m on the “normal” 8:00am to 12:00 midnight sleep cycle I never get enough sleep. I’m always tired in the morning. If given the option of killing 100,000 people for an extra hour of sleep, I would seriously consider the sleep. I forgo breakfast and most other morning activities so I can squeeze every second into sleep. Showering in the morning is the only thing I take time for, and even those are 5 or 6 minutes long.

If I wake and sleep when I want, which is wake up at noon and go to sleep at 4:30 or 5:00 am, I am more rested with less sleep. Plus there is the added benefit that I get a lot more things accomplished at 3:00 in the morning than I do during the day.

Why can’t the world slide into my schedule?

Morning people be damned.

Otter

New look... Same crap...

Howdy,

If there are any readers out there, I wanted to talk about a few things. First of all, sorry for the slow posting (yet again). I've been busy, and there are a lot of other things on my mind.

Second thing, you may have noticed the new look of Scaggsville - The Blog. This is part of a general beautification project for all of the Scaggsville sites (and a time to learn some action script). Yes this means I may put the rest of the Bourbon and Burn pics. Yes, I may get around to making the Slackers Weekend site look more professional. Yes, I AM going to make the Scaggsville.com homepage look like something a guy who does web design would make.

Lastly, I wanted to tell everyone that I got to go to Austin again last week (made it back safe and sound) . As always it was a good time. The conference I was at wasn't to bad. Met some interesting people (a professional RollerDerby girl). Had some good food and drink (I had the BEST, I'm not shitting you, Burger ever)(I ate yucca!)(Jalapenio marinated grilled porkchops) .
Anyway, Otter out for the night.

Otter

Firefly: Season Two? Read All About It

Seriously, check it out. This would bring joy to the land of Scaggsville - and joy is good.

Kid H.

BB&T Does Not Support Eminent Domain . . .

based on the stupid "public benefit" adulteration of the language of the Constitution, which actually says "public use." So, they won't lend money to commercial entities that use eminent domain laws to take (steal) land from private property owners in order to make a profit.

Pretty cool. I definitely support this policy and, not knowing anything else about BB&T, will support any company that respects private property rights.

Kid H.

Link via: Hit & Run

24 and Torture Porn

24 fans will enjoy this interview with key writer, Michael Loceff. Loceff goes into detail about how the show was conceived, how they maintain realism - all within a real-time constraint of 24 hours. And they mention porn...

Universal Service Rip-Off

Sorry - no link here. Just plenty of RANT. I continue to ask my self just WHY do I continue to have this Universal Service Charge tacked on to every communications service that I use. It's on my home phone, my cell phone, my internet...COME ON!

For those not familiar, Congress established a Universal Service Fund to make sure that people who pay their taxes have to pay for people with low income to have phone service. The FCC (Federal Censorship Commission) administers the program and sets a percentage that each communications carrier is to set asside each quarter.

The one difference between THIS against other social-welfare programs is that Congress allows the communications carriers to recover these charges from the consumer (ie. Tax Payer Joe). So this little program goes beyond everyday taxes that fund welfare programs, literally hitting taxpayers twice. Good times.

Hmmm...I wonder if poor people see this charge on their bill...

Let's do a little something I call Wake-boarding . . .

The Wake Forest Sports Message Board is always good for a laugh. This topic is "Ever been so drunk that . . . " Let me know if you guys can't read the link - I'll fix it.

Kid

I AIN’T NO PUNK BITCH!

Today I was merging onto I-95. It’s a “pleasure” I endure every day I have to go to work. Anyway, this morning my fellow commuters were nowhere near as considerate as I usually am, and wouldn’t allow me to enter the highway.

The choice I was presented with was 1) slamming on my breaks and attempting a “re-merge” at 20 miles an hour or 2) going balls to the walls and speeding up and slipping between a minivan and a tractor trailer.

I chose number two because, and I said this to myself out loud, “I ain’t no punk bitch!”

Downshifting, speeding up, and swerving into place I was successful with my maneuver and only scared the idiot (who wouldn’t let me over in the first place) a little bit.

However, it occurred to me that “I ain’t no punk bitch” isn’t a phrase in common usage. Not many people have heard it and I wanna change that. It’s pretty darn useful as a taunt or even a self psyche-out. In some circles it can be even more influential than a double dog dare.

IANPB (I ain’t no punk bitch for short) is a double negative. I know that. According to some schools of though, double negatives are an acceptable form of expression, not mine, but I still think IANPB is the one exception to the rule.

I think a little background may be helpful. Let me give you a little history on the birth of the phrase that has so changed my life for the better.

Several years ago I was living, in what can easiestly be described as a crack hood, with my brother. The event took place one night after a day of “stooping it” (for some, “stooping it” may need a definition, for those of you that need it, I’m not providing it. Here’s a hint though, think of your front steps as a “Stoop”). My two brothers and I were pretty drunk and having a good time.

My uncle came to visit and I was retelling a tale of how my brother and I got into a fist fight after I accused him of cheating in a foot race that we had the week before after stooping it all day. At one point brother 1 and brother 2 (I’m brother 3 in this tale) decided to race. My uncle who though this was ridiculous, chimed in “Why don’t you make this a little harder by carrying this weights with you,” thinking neither would do it and would defuse the race.

At his feet were 2 thirty-five pound weights.

Brother 1 looked at brother 2 and said, “I ain’t no punk bitch.” Brother 2 said to brother 1 “I ain’t no punk bitch either.”

From there they ran that mile through the hood carrying their 30 pound weights much to the delight of the late night denizens who cheered them on. One crack whore in particular yelled encouragement to them “Run white boy, run.”

That day forward IANPB is a expression you just can’t avoid.

“I don’t want another shot”…
“We’ll, I AIN’T NO PUNK BITCH…”
“Damn, I ain’t no punk bitch either, give me one”

“I don’t want to play catch with an ax”… (real event)
“We’ll, I AIN’T NO PUNK BITCH…”
“Damn, I ain’t no punk bitch either, lets go”

It works anywhere.

So next time you need to call someone a pansy for not following your lead, don’t waste your time daring someone. Don’t call them names… just let the world know YOU AIN’T NO PUNK BITCH.

Otter (who, by the way, ain’t no punk bitch).

Ecoterrorists Need New Branding

A little eco-irony: First and foremost, if you really are looking out for the environment...saving the planet, and all that - just maybe you shouldn't choose combustion as your chief means of destruction. Burning down buildings (including a nursery that grew plants) doesn't really make a point of saving the Earth in my mind, especially when you take into account all the crap that isn't exactly "Earth friendly" when burned, like rubber coating on wires, insulation, and plastics that are in modern construction.

Second, if you are going to be a badass terrorist, you really need to hire someone to take a look at that name ELF (Earth Liberation Front). It doesn't really strike fear in me to stop polluting the world. It just makes me think of short little lawn gnomes.

Sweet, Sweet Balti-Less

Massive corruption in the Baltimore City P.D. as documented by the Baltimore Sun here. Annoying registration required, so go here to get access.

El Cabrito Hermoso

Bad Parenting = Fat Kids

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced their intent to file suit against Viacom and Kellogg for marketing “junk food” to children. The issue here is that when you stick a popular icon (e.g., SpongeBob or Dora the Explorer) on something like a pop tart, it creates a irresistible force directed at children’s stomachs that renders parents helpless as kids devour the tasty treats.

I guess it’s a good thing we have groups like the CSPI doing the research behind this issue. I mean obesity in young children is a problem these days and we really need someone to blame – and why not corporate America. Because we all know that parents aren’t the problem that kids intake foods that aren’t healthy. We’re helpless and really need the support of our government to help us combat this problem.

Let’s see some accountability people! Parenting is hard work and the last thing we need is an organization that is trying to make decisions for your family that should be decisions made by parents.

Why mommy is a Democrat.

So... I was reading A little more to the right today and noticed a wonderful little piece of brain washing called "Why mommy is a Democrat". Pretty silly stuff, designed to reach kids at an early age. Click the main link to see what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I decided to use some of my First Amendment rights and do a little bit of "Fair Use".

Below are the sample pages from the website with a tad bit more honesty.










Otter

Police Would Never Abuse Their Authority Pt. II

I was going to put this post from the Agitator as an update to my post from earlier today. However, the facts of this case are so egregious that you have to read them, and I was worried you might not. Please read this linked post even if you are getting sick of my ultra-libertarian posts. I promise if you do, I will reward you by not making any political posts for a couple of days.

Thanks in advance,

K. Handsome Esq.

Nanny State Loons in Seattle - Where it's now illegal to do ANYTHING!

What if I decided that I knew what was best for you and also had the authority to implement changes in your life that you personally found abhorrent? Why is it different if instead of me making those changes, it's some idiotic city council or neighborhood association, etc.? The truth is that it isn't really different. One of the worst offenders of individual rights is Seattle - The Emerald City. Here's an article that discusses how out-of-control we have gotten. Excerpt.

You hear all kinds of hyperbole from the lips of nanny statists these days. In Seattle, it ties in nicely with the city's long tradition of hyperearnest citizens, people the critic H.L. Mencken called "uplifters." Those are the folks who "know" what's good for everyone else and have no tolerance for anything they consider against the rules of clean living. They seek to ban whatever activity they don't like. That's often the way of social conservatives, the people who helped bring about Prohibition in the last century and today want to ban a woman's right to choose or eliminate gay rights. They know what's good for everyone because, often, their religious conviction tells them so.

But of late, liberals and progressives around the country are acting just as religious, except many wrap their arguments in the secular prophecy of public-health officials and all-knowing advocacy groups. Progressives are going after "rights" connected to behavior they consider unhealthful. They want to ban smoking completely. They want to so limit alcohol consumption that the speakeasy, once again, becomes reality. They want to ban gun ownership. They want to control what people eat. In Seattle, nannies like Mayor Greg Nickels want to drive strip clubs out of business. And, if progressives cannot get their way through education and mass-media campaigns, then they will resort to the ballot box, coercion, and in the case of Washington state government, a call for social discrimination.

It is clear that at some point, when we finally decide we've had enough and redesign our Constitution to protect our rights, that we are seriously going to have to list every right that people should have that the government should not be allowed to step on. In the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers the Bill of Rights was debated and Alexander Hamilton warned against the bill of rights suggesting that if we list these 10 rights, we'll have to list them all. Looks like he was right.

Here's more:

Last fall, Nickels and the Seattle City Council imposed new restrictions on the city's four strip clubs. The next day, hundreds of newspapers around the world picked up a wire story that made "world-class" Seattle come off like Amish country.

But then, the city has been trying to prevent outward signs of civic wildness for years. The City Council last month banned certain beers and wines favored by the poor. The city has tried to ban posters on power poles—shot down in court in 2002—and when Mark Sidran was city attorney in 1993, he tried to impose no-sitting laws to sweep the homeless from city sidewalks.

And let's not forget the city's ridiculous All-Ages Dance Ordinance, which is meant to choke off the all-ages music scene, or the city's club task force, which many people in the club scene read as an attempt to hassle clubs for the 21-and-over crowd.

That is ridiculous. Sadly, that's what's happening all over.

Kid H.

Link via: The Agitator

Police Would Never Abuse Their Authority

The above link discusses a DUI defense attorney in New Mexico who was arrested for driving with a blood alcohol level of .02. (Note, I've linked posts before discussing how inaccurate breath tests can be).

Here's one about giving someone a DUI for riding a $150.00 toy that doesn't exceed 20 mph (golf carts and horses have also been included in DUI laws). Hint: it's about the revenue, it's not about safety.

And here's one about how MADD is changing it's mission statement. It essentially achieved its initial goals, but now it is big business, so it has to push for prohibition (again) in order that its officials can keep their jobs.

Kid H

Time to Move out of Maryland - Part Deux

A major win for the "working people" as Maryland raises the State's minimum wage by $1 to $6.15 will occur in less than 30 days. Oh yes, and by the way "working people," you just passed that raise onto every other "working people" consumer in the form of higher prices on products and services in the State of Maryland.

A Busy Little Otter and A Cool / Potentially Scary Invention

I just refreshed the page and was surprised by the new and decidedly kick-ass banner that Otter has cobbled together - a process that doubtless involved a lot of sweat, mental energy, ritual animal sacrifice and the casting of souls from purgatory into hell. Whatever, it was worth it, and my conscience is free.

Also, above is a link to a story on the aptly named "Damn Interesting" blog. The story details a cool handheld device that can detect movement in a room through a foot of concrete and then 50 feet beyond that. It's run on double A batteries. I like the invention for the military, but hope the paramilitary cops are prevented from ever using it.

Kid H.

By the way, check out the rest of Damn Interesting for a bunch of cool articles on a whole range of topics.

Footloose Meets D.C. Regulators

This link shows you just about every problem I have with zoning laws and local regulation of . . . well . . . anything. Apparently, this zoning board doesn't want people to dance in a restaurant because it's the rules. It doesn't matter that the rule doesn't make sense or that no one should have the authority to tell you what you can consensually do inside your property. Though I should point out that this case technically involves a voluntary agreement between neighbors, which is fine by me.

Who's going to be our Kevin Bacon?

Kid H.

Link via this post on To The People

Is Pluto A Planet? We'll Find Out

Pretty cool that we'll finally have a space mission to study Pluto and maybe some other Kuiper Belt objects. Excerpt from linked article:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Jan. 17, 2006 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) --
NASA prepared to launch an unmanned, piano-sized probe that will fly by Pluto,
the solar system's last unexplored planet, and also study a mysterious zone of
icy objects that surrounds the frosty planet at the outer edges of the planetary
system.

Bitchin'. I think space exploration is really cool. Some have argued that it's irrelevant and that we could better serve ourselves by studying things here on Earth. I guess that while it might be nice to devote NASA's entire budget to the study of cancer or some other such worthy cause, in truth, I believe knowing who and where we are is almost as important to the human spirit (but then that's just my opinion, and I don't have cancer, so . . . ).

Pluto is the only planet discovered by a U.S. citizen, though some astronomers dispute Pluto's right to be called a planet. It is an oddball icy dwarf unlike the rocky planets of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars and the gaseous planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

The whole article is cool and short. For instance, this will be the fastest space craft ever built, and it will be powered by, you guessed it - Plutonium. However, the truth about Pluto is that it is a planet and everyone who has heard the 2 Skinee J's knows that to be true. Don't dispute.

Kid H.

Link via: Instapundit.

Ok to Kill yourself in Oregon - the Supreme Court Says So

The Supreme Court has upheld an Oregon law allowing for assisted suicide. Interestingly, the supposedly "Federalist" justices (Scalia, Thomas, Roberts) dissented in this case and supported the Federal government instead of the State. It appears, the drug issue was big for them, except for Thomas whose dissent was pretty cool* - I bet they wouldn't have cared if the Oregon law called for death by a hammer instead of a peaceful exit with opiates.

It's decisions like this that demonstrate that Scalia is intellectually dishonest and is the worst of the justices, because he lies about the bases for his decisions. Essentially, he's Bill O'Reilly - his rulings are pretty much based on whether he likes the law or not, which is fine for a Congressman, not for a Supreme Court Justice. Jeez, at least the liberal justices are consistent.

Kid H.

UPDATE:

The comment below was stolen from Mike, in the Hit & Run comment section, which I read after my initial post. I completely agree that Thomas (a Reagan Appointee) is the only worthy Justice on the court - he actually understands the concepts of liberty and natural rights.

*While I agree with the decision, I love Thomas's dissent. He exposes a clear hypocrisy in the Supreme Court, where they decided in the Raich case that marijuana grown and consumed in California was interstate commerce and therefore the controlled substances act applied, but in this case it does not apply. He is without a doubt the only justice on SCOTUS worth keeping his job.

ACLU Sues President Bush and NSA

The ACLU is suing to stop the NSA from listening in on phone conversations of American citizens without a warrant. I'm generally ambivalent about the ACLU as I think that they've really abandoned many of their core principles. However, I hope they win this one.

Kid H

The Largest Bomb Ever Constructed

Really interesting (and short) article about the creation and detonation of the most powerful bomb ever built.

KH

Enjoy your MLK Holiday

I know I can come across as overbearing and maybe a bit paranoid about government abuses, but, when reflecting on this holiday, take this excerpt of a post from Hit & Run into account:

This holiday is as good a time as any to remember how one of our greatest
Americans was bugged and harassed by a paranoid, power-mad J. Edgar Hoover, in
the name of National Security. From an L.A. Times op-ed today by former attorney general Nicholas deB. Katzenbach:

When Hoover asked for the wiretaps, Bobby consulted me (I was then his
deputy) and Burke Marshall, head of the Civil Rights Division. Both of us agreed
to the tap because we believed a refusal would lend credence to the allegation
of communist influence, while permitting the tap, we hoped, would demonstrate
the contrary. I think the decision was the right one, under the circumstances.
But that doesn't mean that the tap was right. King was suspected of no crime,
but the government invaded his privacy until I removed the tap two years later
when I became attorney general. It also invaded the privacy of every person he
talked to on that phone, not just [Stanley] Levinson.

Read the whole post and article. It makes me wonder if someone could affect the kind of national changes that King made today. Sadly, I'm not sure someone could.

Kid H.

The Brain Tree…

Sometimes it seems like my brain is an old apple tree. One that has sort of been left in the field to do it’s own thing. Branches growing all over the place, ugly and tall. Full of so much fruit that some of the limbs are broken or bent. Lots of fruit, but not like the shit you see in grocery stores all red and perfect. Malformed apples, spotted red and green, some sour. Some sweet.

The apples are my thoughts, far from uniform.

Consider today’s post a basket left under the tree. Catching what ever falls.

Chipotle Grill is Spanish for “No freaking way near as good as Baja Fresh.” It’s like if a handicapped kid tried his best to make a Baja Fresh Restaurant but all he had was some Play Dough (tm), some limes, a dead cow and a really effective cheering section. “Nice try son” the councilor would say. The boy would reply “Duuuuhhhhh, me make Baja Fresh.” If you couldn’t guess I’m not much of a fan of Chipotle Grill. Most likely won’t go back.

January was sober month. Note the “was”. I made it 8 days without having a drink, not bad. The problem arose when the standing mental order of “Not having a drink all month” was countered with my friend saying “You have to have a drink with me, its my Birthday.” Ohh well, maybe next year. I’m still going to try to make January a “More Healthy” month.

So Monday morning a Mexican Guy got tossed out in the middle of I-95 and was run over by like 1000 cars. The long and the short of it was that 95, both directions were closed for a while and that’s how I get to work. I decided to take some new super back roads into town. I found a route that just screams “Faster FASTER FASTER!!!!” It starts with this 18 percent grade, it’s a single lane road that basically starts you off by driving down a cliff while making hair pin turns. When I say turns, I MEAN TURNS. Like 15 degree turns… That’s 15 degree INTERNAL ANGLE BABY. Mean while, you are following this river left and right over bridges, and check this out, through the middle of old burned down factories and warehouses… So you got the petal to the metal you barely have a chance notice the two different roadside shrine to accident victims… Wild man, I can’t wait to go back…. Thistle Road.

The phrase “Polishing the brass on the Titanic” keeps coming to my mind. I may be quitting / leaving my job soon. Anyone want to hire me?

So I’ve now got 6 mixed CDs in my car that all start with “East Bound and Down”… The Smokey and the Bandit theme song. You pretty much can’t beat it when you need to get somewhere… “Keep that pedal to the metal, never mind them breaks, cause we got a run to make…” I made sure it was playing when I was trucking down Thistle Road. “We got a long way to go and a short time to get there…”

Anyways…

Otter

Time to Move out of Maryland

Once again, the Maryland General Assembly has found a way to make Maryland completely unappealing to large businesses. Legislation is currently in the works to force employers with 10,000 or more Maryland employees "to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on employee health care or pay the difference into the state’s Medicaid fund."

Wal-Mart is the lightening rod of this issue. It's a well known fact that Wal-Mart has been cited with numerous workplace violations including overtime violations and hiring illegal immigrants. So clearly, Wal-Mart is no Saint when it comes to employee practices. But Wal-Mart (which is currently the only business in Maryland that would fit the criteria of this legislation) provides health benefits, which according to some Maryland lawmakers, is too expensive for the Wal-Mart employees to buy. So now Maryland is in the business of setting health benefit rates for local businesses.

Bottom line here is that this act of putting the burdon of affordable health insurance on employers is ridiculous. Health care benefits are a perk of the job - they aren't a requirement, and businesses shouldn't have to provide them if they don't feel it's in their strategic interest.

Serenity Now . . . and later . . . maybe

We may yet get that sequel afterall. According to the linked article, DVD sales are driving the powers that be to consider making a sequel to Serenity.

A sequel would kick some serious ass, and I'm especially looking forward to it because Whedon has essentially resolved one of the major plotlines of the original. Because, in Serenity, the crew exited the film less openly wanted by the Federation, they should be freer to travel the 'Verse. Though I would imagine there will be some serious organizations after River - and Mal for that matter. There is also the very real issue of replacing the two important characters who were lost in the first film. Anyway, my point is that the sequel might be much cooler than Serenity (which is a great movie) because it is less constrained by the television show's plot and because he already introduced the characters in the first film.

I hope this happens.

K. Handsome

Link via: Dean's World

Government Sponsored Nursery Rhymes Backfiring

Hilariously, the "War" on drugs has managed to embarass it's only combatants (the Govt.) yet again. Check out this catchy little tune that I've been singing all day now - I can't help it either:

Fast forward to 2005 and the image is of small schoolboy singing a nursery rhyme. Bah bah black sheep, have you any E? Yes sir, yes sir, first hit's free. They push it on the children, they push it every day. They push it on the little boy that lives down the way. Bah bah black sheep, have you any E? Yes sir, yes sir, first hit's free.

Very clever. One problem. This pleasant little ditty is now being sung by school children who heard it on the television, and think it's cute. Do they understand what they are saying? No. Would they be singing these words with this message without the help of this public service announcement ( PSA )? No.

This an example of an advertising concept gone seriously awry. Children are wonderful little mimics. Ask any parent who has let slip a few choice words. Their four-year-old is very quick to fling that colorful expletive right back at them. Nursery rhymes are designed to be simple and catchy so children can remember and understand them. What will a child understand from this song? Beats me.

I don't understand it either, but then that's probably because I've never understood what Ol' Uncle Sam is trying to achieve in this "war" where only one side is fighting, but is still managing to lose.

Kid H

Hat Tip: Drug War Rant

Americans Want the Govt. to Get Warrants before Eavesdropping

Over the past three weeks, President Bush and top aides have defended the
electronic monitoring program they secretly launched shortly after Sept. 11,
2001, as a vital tool to protect the nation from al-Qaida and its affiliates.

Yet 56 percent of respondents in an AP-Ipsos poll said the government should be required to first get a court warrant to eavesdrop on the overseas calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens when those communications are believed to be tied to terrorism.
Agreeing with the White House, some 42 percent of those surveyed do not believe the court approval is necessary.

Pretty interesting. Normally, I'm against poll-driven governance, but where it conflicts with my views on the expansion of government powers (especially executive powers), I hope the will of the people is followed.

Anyway, some good news:

According to the poll, age matters in how people view the monitoring.
Nearly two-thirds of those between age 18 to 29 believe warrants should be
required, while people 65 and older are evenly divided

At least theres some hope that we'll make some changes in the future.

KH

Just a quick link to a blog I like

Just wanted to link to To the People. It's a libertarian blog that's political for the most part, but also can be pretty entertaining. Check it out when you get a chance. It's not as popular as it should be.

KH

World Series of Beer Pong

This event sounds like a blast. I wonder what the entrance fee is. Here's an excerpt.

Most players said they were at their best somewhere between sober and
drunk. Some competitors even used breath alcohol detectors to assure they were
competing at their optimum blood alcohol content.

"We've tried to play sober, and it's not the same," said Jesse
Steinkamp, 23, a carpenter from California. "You need to have a few under
you."

Each team played 11 games, averaging one competition per hour. That
meant -- provided the players didn't drink between rounds -- a team would
consume about 12 ounces of beer every 60 minutes.

IDs were checked at the door, and players were given wristbands each
day to ensure everyone inside was 21 or older.

"Beer pong brings together alcoholism and competition into one
symbiotic organization," said Chris Cobb, 29, a paramedic from South
Carolina.

So who wants to be my partner next year?

KH

Miami Jail Escapee

Police in Florida answer their own questions:

Buckles was reported missing around 7:30 a.m. when officers were doing a
head count of inmates who were being brought to make court appearances, chief
police spokeswoman Linda O'Brien said. He apparently climbed the fence and it
was unclear if he was injured, she said. Burgess and Charles McRay, director of the Miami-Dade Corrections Department, said a review was under way to determine how the escapes happened and to create tighter security to prevent further breakouts.

Here's a clue for the Miami-Dade Corrections department. The guy climbed the fence. That's how he got out. Also, the guy who escaped last month used bed sheets. Jeez. It's not as if these guys pulled some Mission Impossible stunt to escape. They pretty much stuck with the traditional low-tech methods that have been proven effective since, well, forever.

Kid H.

If you want to avoid the Bird Flu . . .

try not kissing diseased chickens. Still, it's good to see that the little girl (Chicken Kisser) is ok after her battle with the flu.

Kid H.

The Government is in your Shower

But this article tells you how to beat them.

Kid H.

Link via: Hit & Run

The Agitator has a round-up of some stupid SWAT team raids

Read the first few posts. I'm starting to think we should go ahead and cut just about all funding for SWAT teams. To quote one of the articles in the Agitator's posts:

"When I went to law school, I was taught the sanctity of your home was one
of the greatest freedoms we have. If you don't have the sanctity of your home in
America, what have you got?"
[...]
Buerosse called into question what he said was "law enforcement running amok."
"SWAT teams are not meant for simple pot possession cases. The purpose of SWAT teams is to give police departments a specially trained unit to react to a violent situation, not to create one," he said. "This should not happen in America. To me you can't justify carrying out simple, routine police work this way."

Anyway, read the whole page - it's about 15 short posts, but it has been especially good on this issue lately.

Kid H.

Third Chapter - Tim and Gizz head into the Kitchen

Time to get back into blogging, but what to write about?

Anyway, I realized that I hadn't posted the two remaining (i.e. finished parts) of my story yet. So I decided that today was as good as any other day.

Today's post finds our two main characters still at Tim's house trying to piece together some of the wacky crap that has happened. The story picks up here and is no longer all just Tim thinking to himself.

If you didn't catch the first two chapters, you can find them here...

Chapter 1
Chapter 2

Thanks, any suggestions / comments are always welcome!

Otter

Dead? Nope...

Zoom, you're right, it's been a couple of weeks. Time to get back into the Blogging mood...

Just not right now...Soon.... but just not right now.

Sorry

Otter

Cell Phones are Evil

This is a great read that speaks to a study that analyzed the impact of cell phones in society. The study concludes that cell phones open up the potential for “negative spillover” – mainly blurring the lines between “work time” and “personal time.”

I have a cell phone and I love it, but let’s face it – they are evil. I was having dinner in a classy restaurant (Arby’s) the other day, and this family sits down across the restaurant to have dinner as well. As the husband sits down, I notice he has one of those hands-free devices hanging out of his ear. Now I’m intrigued, so I ask myself - will he take the device out of his ear or just leave it there while having dinner with his family? Well the jackass left the bionic device in his ear all throughout dinner with his family.

So this story gets to a bigger question. As a society, do we really need to be touch with others at ANY given time? Do you really need to have that conversation with your doctor about that oozing infection at the Border’s Book Store? I have a general rule with my cell phone – it’s on when I want to be called, which is generally when I’m in my car or during work hours. I really don’t need to be in a grocery store on the Nextel speakerphone beeping away about the latest bargains in my cart.

I’m not calling for licensing of cell phones, but that would be funny – Otter would like that. But it would be nice if the courtesy that we exercise in normal life would somehow manifest itself during cell phone calls as well.