Yeah, Right, Whatever

"We are all born unique. Unfortunately, most of us die copies."

You hear a lot of strange things about streakers at sporting events. Here's one you just don't hear everyday, though- streaking at a curling match.

The men's bronze medal match Friday was interrupted by a streaker. Midway through the United States' 8-6 win over Britain, a man wearing what appeared to be a strategically placed rubber chicken ran onto one of the covered sheets of ice not being used in that session... A couple of security officials from the venue hovered near the streaker for several seconds before finally covering him and leading him away.

A strategically placed rubber chicken... uh... yeah... whatever...

I saw this on FoxNews last night. I didn't hear the audio, so I didn't realize the importance of the high school kid sinking some shots. Now I know different.

Senior Jason McElwain had been the manager of the varsity basketball team of Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y.

McElwain, who's autistic, was added to the roster by coach Jim Johnson so he could be given a jersey and get to sit on the bench in the team's last game of the year.

Johnson hoped the situation would even enable him to get McElwain onto the floor a little playing time.

He got the chance, with Greece Athena up by double-digits with four minutes go to.

And, in his first action of the year, McElwain missed his first two shots, but then sank six three-pointers and another shot, for a total of 20 points in three minutes.

OK... take out the fact that Jason is autistic, and let's just look at the rest of the facts. Jason was the team manager... which means he filled water bottles and didn't do lay-ups during practice. He taped ankles, not shot free-throws. So, after spending the entire season NOT practicing, the coach puts him in (in a Rudy kind of way.) So, he gets the ball, and shoots an air-ball (go figure). Then he missed a lay-up (happens to everyone, right?) THEN... he ends up shooting 7 for 9, 6 of them 3 pointers. How many other kids on that team made 20 points in the game, much less in 4 minutes? The fact that Jason is a high-functioning austistic is just... icing on the cake.

His classmates and teammates love him, he is the media's feel-good story for right now, and Disney wants to talk to his parents about a movie. Because of 4 minutes in his first varsity basketball game. Not bad, Jason... not bad at all.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the mom in the story wasn't arrested for child abuse or something.

At nearly 7 a.m., he (Jamal Wooten) was paying the price for using the "F word."

Wearing a homemade sandwich board of yellow cardboard attached with duct and electrical tape, Wooten stood at the intersection of Willowcreek and Lute roads as a family-induced punishment for being suspended from Portage High School last week.

He was picketing against his own behavior.

Here's the Reader's Digest version of the story. Jamal dropped the F-bomb at school, and received a 5-day suspension. Family was... displeased. Days 1 and 2 of said suspension were spent in a type of boot camp- wearing him out physically with sit-ups and push-ups. Day 3 was spent studying the Bible. Days 4 and 5 were spent as a poster boy against bad behavior.

For about four hours -- split into morning and afternoon shifts to maximize the view for passing traffic -- Wooten stood in front of his townhouse complex. He got a lot of honks and visitors... Wooten himself said that "making a fool out of myself" was a fitting penance. "I hate to say I agree with it, but I do," he said.

On his poster was a Bible verse:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV) (I couldn't find the translation that they used for the poster, but you get the point- B)

Wow. I bet this will work. If he gets in trouble at school again, he could be expelled. And I don't even want to think about what his family would discipline him with then.

And I think I'm going to have the boys read this. They don't use "cuss words" (unless you include the word "crap"), but I know some of their friends do. Maybe they'll think twice about starting down that road.

We have a nominee.

A teenage guitarist got so carried away while bouncing up and down on his bed mimicking a rock star that he flew out of a third floor window to his death, a Singapore newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to the coronor, it was ruled "death by misadventure." Gee, ya think?

Yesterday, a friend mentioned that buying gas a Citgo should be a big no-no. They are owned by the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, and... well... we all know how Venezuela feels about the US. Hugo Chavez, its president has said such wonderful things as "Down the the US empire," "I hereby accuse the North American empire of being the biggest menace to our planet,” and he has vowed to destroy America. Lovely, eh? Needless to say, Citgo is now on my do-not-buy-from list.

But, you can't just look for a Citgo sign... if you go here, put in your zip code and you'll get a list of Citgo businesses in your area.

I did find something... funny, for lack of a better word... when I was looking for information on Citgo. Evidently, some progressives are staging a "buycott." How cute. Let's deconstruct their announcement, shall we?

Looking for an easy way to protest Bush foreign policy week after week? And an easy way to help alleviate global poverty? Buy your gasoline at Citgo stations. (How in the world will giving money to Hugo alleviate global poverty? Or protest W's foreign policy, for that matter? Unless you boldly state every time you fill up the tank "Screw you, W!" Oh, wait... you dingbats probably already do that as a daily ritual... my bad)

And tell your friends. (aw... they have friends... really?)

Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil revenue to benefit the poor. The country is Venezuela. The President is Hugo Chavez. Call him "the Anti-Bush." (Well, they got that right... he is the anti-Bush... he associates with maniacal dictators and generic lunatics... in spite of his"democratic election" and his benevolent-sounding platform, he's still a socialist loonie opposed to capitalism and truly lifting people out of poverty.)

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. (Because Hugo, in his infinite "wisdom" took control of the company.) Money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela -- not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. (How about buying from an American company? Oh, wait... n'er mind...) There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US. By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the majority of Venezuelans. (Wow... I had NO idea that all of those socialist programs were supposed to be part of a democratic government... now I know why all the libs in the US think it's the federal government's responsibility to do all of that... they're all insane!)

Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does (uh... how?), Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela (and padding his own pockets, no doubt). A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. (And Saint Hugo is fixing that... how? He's holding his people in bondage, reveling in the power he has over them.) With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. (Is that the 99% majority that used to vote for Saddam Hussein?) And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez (too bad it didn't work).

So this is the opposite of a boycott. Call it a BUYcott. (like I said... how cute! How creative! How... insipid... how fatuous)Spread the word.

Of course, if you can take mass transit or bike or walk to your job, you should do so. (Because you'll lose your environmental wienie card otherwise.) And we should all work for political changes that move our country toward a cleaner environment based on renewable energy. The BUYcott is for those of us who don't have a practical alternative to filling up our cars.

So get your gas at Citgo. And help fuel a democratic revolution in Venezuela. (uh... they're already a democracy, dingbats).

Geez... just... ignore these maroons and get your gas from a company that isn't owned by a country that wants to destroy the US (Chevron and Exxon-Mobile come to mind)...

Never mind. You couldn't pay me to go to this:

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan will be the guest of honor at the "Bring 'Em Home" concert at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

Among the performers scheduled to play March 20 are R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Bright Eyes, Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner, Public Enemy's Chuck D, Devendra Banhart and Peaches, Billboard.com reported.

Sheehan will address the audience at the concert noting the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Billboard said.

Janeane Garafalo will broadcast her Air America Radio show "The Majority Report" live from the concert.

Money raised by the show will go to Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace.

Oh, yeah. That sounds like a good time. Really. OK, maybe not.

Well, I've heard of Michael Stipe, and I've heard of Public Enemy. That's about it. In my mind, that's a good sing- they can't get the well-known artists anymore.

Still... if you're going to be near the Hammerstein Ballroom on March 20th... give us a report... if you can stand it.

Many people on both sides of the abortion issue feel that Roe v Wade was bad constitutional law...

"Roe was terribly reasoned," said Scott Powe, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law. "I think there's some requirement under the Constitution that if you cannot explain a decision and its relationship with legal materials, it's not a valid decision."

Powe, who describes himself as "100 percent pro-choice," is far from alone in his criticism of Roe. Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas have made no secret of their revulsion toward Roe on legal grounds.

With that said, it looks like South Dakota's trying to strike down the bad law. And they aren't pulling any punches.

South Dakota became the first U.S. state to pass a law banning abortion in virtually all cases, with the intention of forcing the Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 decision legalizing the procedure.

The law, which would punish doctors who perform the operation with a five-year prison term and a $5,000 fine, awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Michael Rounds and people on both sides of the issue say he is unlikely to veto it.

"My understanding is we are the first state to truly defy Roe v. Wade," the 1973 high court ruling that granted a constitutional right to abortion, said Kate Looby of Planned Parenthood's South Dakota chapter.

Well, darn. Stinks to be you, eh?

I wish them luck. Abortion law should a State issue, not a Federal one... but that might just be me...

... but I can't help but think that Turkey views its latest media darling as a mixed blessing.

I mean, on the one hand, Tuğba Karademir's story is what makes Olympic coverage worth showing, according to the networks- sob stories sell, right?). Her parents sacrificed a lot to move her to Canada where she could train with some of the best skaters in the world. And then, when the chance to compete in the Olympics came, she contacted the country of her birth and asked if she could skate for them. She carried their flag in the Opening Ceremonies, and no one can complain about her performance in the competition. And she wants to be an inspiration to other skaters from her homeland. Whether it makes her a national hero remains to be seen.

"They're showing more skating on TV now in Turkey," she said. "But I'm not really a star. In the rink they know me, but I can walk down the street and no one does."

She hopes at least to be a role model for would-be Turkish skaters.

"It would be great if they could look at me and say, 'There's someone from here in the Olympics — I'd like to do that,'" she said. "I don't want it to end after me, and for Turkish skating to disappear off the face of the planet." But, I can't help but remember where she is from. Turkey may be moderate and quite Western for a Muslim nation, but they are still 99.8% Muslim. Her parents are part of the small Muslim community in Barrie, Canada. I can't imagine the Imams in Ankara are very happy when they see photos like this:

My fear is that she returns home, only to be thrown into a burkah (at best). I'm pretty sure it's difficult to skate in all that fabric.

Saw this over at El Capitan's, and I thought I'd take a stab at it. Now y'all will know just how much of a good girl I really was in high school (Dad, you be quiet!)

1) Where did you graduate from and what year?
Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville, IL 1987

2) Did you have school pride?
Yes, I did.

3) Was your prom a night to remember?
Uh... not really. I went with a guy I wasn't dating (and who was dating someone else) because the guy I was kind of dating had already asked a friend to the prom before we started dating. But, that was ok, because one of my best friends was going to the prom with a guy who was just a friend because she was pining away for a guy who I'm not sure ever did give her the time of day (but she ended up marrying one of his best friends, so... go figure.) The four of us not-couples went to the dance and out to eat. Then there was the after prom party at the bowling alley (I ended up in the school paper for that...) Then Sue and I went to St. Louis for an early breakfast at an all-night bakery she knew about.

4) Do you own all 4 Yearbooks?
Sure do. I never look at them, but I have them.

5) What was the worst trouble you ever got into?
Uh... um... I didn't really get into all that much trouble. Honest. My best friend got pregnant and had a baby our junior year- I did get a lot of grief by association for that. They needed to just get over it.

6) What kind of people did you hang out with?
Fine Arts department kids, mostly. A little with the geeks. Not so much with the athletes and the... um... rich, popular people (although one of my best friends was one of the latter). My junior and senior year, I also spent a good chunk of time with the people from the Explorers (co-ed Boy Scouts).

7) What was your number 1 choice of College in HS?
hmmm... I guess OU.

8) what radio station did you rock out to?
KSHE

9) Were you involved in any organizations or clubs?
Choir, Drama dept, Speech Team, Spanish Club, Explorers

10) What were your favorite classes in high school?
Choir, Spanish (upper division), History, Morality, World Religions

11) Who was your big crush in Highschool?
9th grade: Theron Moyer (senior football player)
10th grade: hmm... can't remember
11th grade: Mike what's-his-face (QB for a cross-town school)
12th grade: someone who really wasn't worth the effort... really...

12) Would you say you've changed a lot since high school?
Yes, I've changed a lot. My priorities, mostly.

13) What do you miss the most about it?
Hanging out with my friends.

14) Your worst memory of HS?
um... I don't think I've told Dad this story... when my best friend was pregnant, we were at the football game, and her boyfriend's little brother got into some trouble with one of the local gangs. We were snuck out of the stadium by the other local gang and taken to the local pizza place (ironically because the "good" gang - ie the one that wasn't after Errick- thought we'd be safer there because of the police presence... go figure). Everything turned out ok, but... that was weird...

15) Did you have a car?
I shared the family vehicles, but mostly I used the VW Bug.

16) What were your school colors?
Blue & Gold

17) Who were your favorite teachers?
Gary Schuline (History), Dolo Anderson (World Religions, Morality, Drama), Betty Henry (English), Emilio Bassy (Chemistry), Zaida Jones (Spanish), Rev. Gary "Gumby" Gummersheimer (Religion, homeroom- the man could sing like Pavarotti) Note: Mrs. Jones is the only one of my "favorites" that still works there. There are eight teachers total from "back in the day." But did notice that one of the little sisters of one of the guys in my class is a teacher there now... weird...

18) Did you own a cell phone in high school?
What was a cell phone?

19) Did you leave campus for lunch?
Nope. It was a closed campus.

20) If so, where was your favorite place to go eat?
see #19

21) Were you always late to class?
Almost never.

22) Did you ever have to stay for Saturday School?
We didn't have that, and I wouldn't have had to, anyway.

23) Did you ever ditch?
Kinda. Once. A group of us went to a conference at Washington University, were bored silly, went to St. Louis Center for lunch and forgot to go back. (I'm not counting the times I was "sick" when the Shuttle launched or landed... that was strictly educational.)

24) What kind of Job did you have?
Going to school was my job.

25) When it comes time for the reunion will you be there?
Probably not. I went to the 10th. It wasn't... worth it.

26) Do you wish you were still in high school?
Nah. Not really. I mean, it was fun... but far too much drama.

I'm not going to tag anyone... El Capitan didn't. Take it and run, if you want to.

Just in case you were wondering... nothing good can come from being awoken at 2am by a twelve-year-old yelling, "Mom!" In a similar vein... frito chili pie looks much better in the bowl than it does after it spends a couple of hours in your stomach, and then on the floor where the twelve-year-old... uh... deposited it, immediately preceding the twelve-year-old yelling, "Mom!"

Twenty minutes later, the bathroom floor has been cleaned (and Lysoled), T2 is resting as comfortably as he can considering, and I am wide awake.

At least my kids don't treat becoming violently ill as the emotional experience (IOW, breaking down in tears) that their mother does.

Did any of you ever have a secret admirer? You know... a person who would leave you anonymous notes in your locker or put some candy in your desk while you weren't looking.

I had one, once. It was before I really cared about anything romantic, and I don't think that was the purpose, anyway. I would get cards in the mail, and an occasion little gift (one I remember was a Dirk Benedict as "Starbuck" necklace... bestill my 8-year-old heart). I strained my little brain, and, for the life of me, I could NOT figure out who in the world was mailing this stuff to me.

Well, it's happened to me again, and, once again, in an anything but romantic way. A month or so ago, I received a card in the mail. Typed address on the envelope, local postmark, no return address. The card was a sweet inspirational, with a short, typed note saying that a "Sister in Christ" was praying for me. Today, a funny card arrived, with the same sentiment in the typed note.

I'd like to say that I have a clue who my "Secret Sister in Christ" is, but I'd be lying. Every now and then, I think I do... but I'm just not sure. But that's the point, isn't it?

It brought to mind something that I heard a long time ago. Someone said that sometimes, when someone crosses your mind (especially someone who isn't usually on your mind), it might be the Holy Spirit, nudging you toward prayer for that person. Lifting that person up in prayer, in that instant, is the simplest act of ministry that we can do, and perhaps the most powerful. (Whether or not you share this with the person you prayed for is up to you and the circumstances.) And, if it wasn't the Holy Spirit prompting you, oh, well... everyone can use a little more prayer, right?

It's encouraging to know there's someone out there, lifting me up in prayer. And the thought that God put me on someone's heart is comforting... and overwhelming... and more than a little but humbling.

I can't say Thank you" to her personally, so I'll do it here. Thank you for ministering to me like this. It means more than you can know.

The Associate Dean of Harvard is in the hot seat... for calling it likes she saw it.

Kidd’s Feb. 15 e-mail warned of a possible retaliatory response to the biweekly conservative newspaper’s publication of controversial Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

She cautioned Salient editors to “be alert to the possibility that some segments of the campus and surrounding communities may be sufficiently upset by the publication of the cartoons that they may become dangerous.”

...The text of Kidd’s original e-mail made its way onto the open list of the Harvard Islamic Society (HIS) last week, prompting an uproar among Muslim students who called her words “offensive” and “unacceptable.”

Uh... I can't imagine how she might have reached the conclusion that publication of certain Danish cartoons might "sufficiently upset the community that they may become dangerous." Maybe she's seen some of these pictures:

Nah... it couldn't have been that...

BTW, she apologized. Figures.

Several bloggers were asked by Sumo to review one of their products a month or so ago. From what I've read so far, the Omni is a comfy piece of furniture.

Now, I'm not one to whine, but... why wasn't I asked to test-sit one of those things? I mean, with 2 kids and 2 dogs, I'm pretty sure we could have put that thing through its paces.

Just wondering...

A lot of things happened on Feb. 22 throughout history. Frank Winfield Woolworth opened a five-cent store in Utica, N.Y.; George Washington was born; President Grover Cleveland signed a bill to admit the Dakotas, Montana and Washington state to the Union; and Calvin Coolidge delivered the first presidential radio broadcast from the White House. And that's just in American history. But... there's one thing that stands out in the minds of those of us who are old enough to remember it (sorry, Steph): The Miracle on Ice.

“It may just be the single most indelible moment in all of U.S. sports history,” said Sports Illustrated of Team USA's improbable gold medal run at the 1980 Winter Olympics. “One that sent an entire nation into a frenzy.” American hockey came of age on February 22, 1980, when the young Americans took down the mighty Red Machine from the USSR.

I think that's when I started to become a hockey fan.

Jack found an interesting article about the Dutch... what in the WORLD is happening to the Dutch? Just... well, just read this:

A health official in the Netherlands has called for a debate on the idea of forced abortion and contraception to deal with what she sees as a crisis of unwanted children.

Alderman Marianne van den Anker of the Leefbaar Rotterdam Party wants specifically to target communities of Antilleans and Arubans where she sees the biggest problems of unwanted children.

This comes after the not-so-well publicized Groningen Protocol, which lets doctors decide who is worthy of life and who isn't (the link to the news article on my original post about it seems to have disappeared).

Jack points out (and I haven't decided if I agree completely) that the demographics targeted for forced abortion and contraception are those who are from the Lesser Antilles and Aruba, both Dutch colonies, and who are the descendents of escaped slaves. In other words, The Dutch government is contemplating preventing its Black citizens from reproducing. If true, this was Margaret Sanger's dream.

Like I said, I'm not sure I'm buying completely into the idea that this is racist. I do think that the woman who is introducing this measure isn't looking at all available options. She says that she has failed to prevent child abuse among the target group, and she just wants to stop the cycle of " violence, neglect, mistreatment and sexual abuse." Everyone wants to stop child abuse- I'm not saying that her (stated) motive is wrong. Just what she plans on doing to achieve that goal.

What about adoption? Or has the Dutch government (not unlike the US) made having babies a profitable venture? What about community programs that try to lift people out of poverty? What about (here's a radical idea) allowing churches to do outreach without fear of being labeled as "intolerant" or "preaching hatred" (which is evidently only acceptable if you're a follower of the Moon God and his pedophile prophet)? What about *gasp* teaching morals and values? I mean, I know they're European and all, but can't they at least try it? Or are they so evolved to think that teaching someone that abusing your child is wrong is a good idea?

This is a dangerous trend in The Netherlands. At this point, who is not in fear of their life being deemed "no worth living"?

How would like to have gone down in history for making these statements?

Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility--a development which we should waste little time dreaming about.
- Lee de Forest, 1926, inventor of the cathode ray tube

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
- Thomas J. Watson, 1943, Chairman of the Board of IBM

It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything.
- Albert Einstein's teacher to his father, 1895

It will be years - not in my time - before a woman will become Prime Minister.
- Margaret Thatcher, 1974

This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.
- Western Union internal memo, 1876

We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.
- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?
- H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

640K ought to be enough for anybody.
- Bill Gates, 1981

Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.
- Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.
- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

We don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.
- Hewlett-Packard's rejection of Steve Jobs, who went on to found Apple Computers

King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.

An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm's newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable.

In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn't have time for it.

An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate.

Airplanes are interesting toys, but they have no military value.
- Marshal Ferdinand Foch in 1911

With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.
- Business Week, 1958

Whatever happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping.
- Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, on December 4, 1941

Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.
- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, October 16, 1929.

Here are a few cool things Strange Cosmos came up with. Anyone wanna fact check them? (If we were still homeschooling, it would be science homework... but, alas... )

Blue whale babies weigh up to 7 tonnes at birth.

A female cod can lay up to 9 million eggs.

Snakes can see through their eyelids.

Elephants spend 23 hours a day eating.

Vultures sometimes eat so much they can't take off again.

The Amazon 'Jesus Christ lizard' can run across water.

The biggest Antartic inland animal is a wingless fly measuring about 60 mm long.

Fleas can jump up to 30 cm, twenty times their own body length.

Bluebottle flies can smell meat from distances 7 km away.

Many birds migrate, but the Arctic tern travels furthest. It flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and back again, a trip of 32,000 kilometers.

Some animals can regrow parts of their bodies if damaged. Starfish can grow new 'arms.' Slow-worms can regrow broken-off tails. Lizards can grow new tails.

One golden poison-dart frog could kill up to 1500 people with its poison.

The giant squid has the largest eyes of any animal. They can be 39 cm across, which is 16 times wider than a human eye.

The peregrine falcon can spot its prey from more than 8 km away.

The sleepiest mammals are armadillos, sloths and opossums. They spend 80 per cent of their lives sleeping or dozing.

A mayfly only lives one day, but a tortoise can expect to live 100 years.

Stegosaurus was one of the most famous of the dinosaurs and was an impressive 9 metres long. But its brain was the size of a walnut.

I've always thought that sharks are facinating. I'm sure if all of these facts are true, but...

Sharks can sense a drop of blood from 2.5 miles away. They can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.

Sharks are so powerful that their bite can generate a force of up to 6 tons per square inch. (Ouch!)

Sharks, in their 400 million years on earth, have shown an extraordinary ability to resist cancer and other diseases. This has raised hopes among medical researchers that the oceans' most feared predator might turn out to be the cancer patient's best friend. Investigators continue to study the immune system of sharks to see if it can provide the answer to stopping the spread of cancer in humans. (But health suppliment companies aren't waiting for the medical researchers- you can buy "shark cartilage" right now.)

Sharks can live up to 100 years. (What would the birthday cake be made of? Tuna?)

The biggest shark is the whale shark which can be up to 50 feet (15 m) long. It has approximately 300 rows of teeth, with hundreds of tiny teeth in each row. It's a filter feeder and sieves enormous amounts of plankton to eat through its gills as it swims. It is also the biggest fish in the sea. The second biggest fish and shark is the basking shark which is about 40 feet (12.3 m) long and is another filter feeder. OK... is the whale shark a shark or a whale? I've heard both.)

Sharks can generate about six and a half tons per square inch of biting force. (Didn't they already say that?)

Sharks have no bones - a shark's skeleton is made up of cartilage. (Then what is that huge thing hanging up at Sea World in Orlando? Maybe it was a fossil...)

The biggest meat-eating shark is the Great White which grows to be up to 21 feet (6.4 m) long. The smallest sharks are the Dwarf Lanternfish (6-7 inches), Spined Pygmy Shark (7 inches) and Pygmy Ribbontail Catshark (6-7 inches). (Aw... how cute! I still don't want to figure out a salt-water tank. Sorry, boys!)

The dogfish sharks are named for their tendency to attack their prey as a pack of wild dogs would. (I thought it was because they looked liked pugs. My bad.)

The ostrich is often credited with laying the largest eggs, but the largest egg in the world was actually laid by a shark, the whale shark. The egg, 14 inches (36 cm) long, was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953. (Uh, I don't know who laid that egg, but it wasn't a whale shark. They're viviparous. )

Sharks can go up to at least 6 weeks without feeding. The record for a shark fasting was observed in an aquarium with the Swell Shark, which did not eat for 15 months. (Proof, once again, that my children are NOT sharks. They can't go six hours, usually, without ravaging the kitchen.)

I know one that isn't on the list. The shark has up to 8 senses. In addition to the five humans have, they also have electroperception, pressure sensation, and the ability to sense mechanical things like water currents. Cool, eh?

Anyone want to fact check the ones I didn't know?

h/t to my mom

"Why God Made Moms" answers given by elementary school age children to the following questions...

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2. Mostly to clean the house.

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.



How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.



What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.



Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.



What kind of little girl was your Mom?

1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.



What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?



Why did your Mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.



Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.



What's the difference between moms and dads?

1. Moms work at work & work at home, & dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.



What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.



What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.



If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.

Then there's this:

THE MOMMY TEST
I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth.

I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that. "Why?" my daughter asked.

"Because it's been laying outside, you don't know where it's been, it's dirty and probably has germs" I replied.

At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Wow! How do you know all this stuff?"

"Uh," .I was thinking quickly, “All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mommy Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mommy."

We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. "OH...I get it!" she beamed, "So if you don't pass the test you have to be the daddy."

"Exactly" I replied back with a big smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Here's one more:

"Dear Lord," the preacher began with arms extended and a rapturous look on his upturned face, "without you we are but dust..."

He would have continued, but at that moment one very obedient little girl (who was listening carefully) leaned over to her mother and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mommy, WHAT is butt dust?"

Church was pretty much over at that point...

From the moment that guys in the US realize that girls might not have cooties, they're told one thing over and over again- No means "NO". Not "maybe"... not "in a little while"... not "I'm just joking." Evidently it's not the same in Italy.

Italy's highest court ruled Friday that a man who raped the 14-year-old daughter of his girlfriend can seek to have his sentenced reduced because the girl was sexually active, news reports said.

... His request was rejected, but Italy's high court said the judges should re-evaluate the decision because the girl "since the age of 13 had had many sexual relations with men of every age."

"And it's right to assume," the ruling went on, according to ANSA, "that at the time of the encounter with the suspect her personality, from a sexual point of view, was much more developed than what one might normally expect from a girl of her age."

Technically, the high court is right in one way... but not in the conclusion they reached. Since the girl was sexually active, she was more developed that some girls her age. She KNEW what he was doing to her, and she KNEW she didn't want to have sex with him, and she KNEW what he was doing was wrong.

Predators who commit sexual assaults come up with all kinds of excuses to explain away their evil. The woman was asking for it by the way she dressed. If she's willing to go so far, then she was willing to go all the way. If her job is less than... honorable, then it can't be rape if she's being paid by others to do it. A man can't rape his estranged wife because they're married, after all, and they're just doing what married people do. And a teenage girl who said "yes" to someone else meant to say "yes" to every single man who asks.

"You can't rape the willing" is one of the most horrid sentences I've ever heard. She wasn't willing, and it was rape.

I can only hope that he father is Sicilian and has some friends in low places. Capiche?

I hope Misha knows this is on Saturday night on SciFi. It's a heartwarming tale of a man and his dog... his dog who had been abused and then fit with some robotic... enhancements.

Eat. Sleep. Fetch. Kill.

Think Wolverine that drinks out of the comode... in a very bad mood. Yikes.

Austin Bay has an interesting post up... evidently Al Qa'eda has a pretty nice benefits package. And, no... it's not a joke.

3- Medical Benefits
A- All (Al-Qa’eda) members can visit the medical staff and obtain medicine free
of charge.
8- Vacations:
A- For those who work in Peshawar, they are entitled for Fridays, the two holy
feasts (TC: Al-Adha [during the pilgrimage month] & Al-Fatr [following the end
of the month of Ramadan]), and a one month annual leave to be enjoyed at the
end of the eleventh month of work, as well sick leave not to exceed 15 days
annually.
B- Those working in camps and in the frontlines:
Married: Enjoys a 7 day monthly vacation.
Single: Enjoys a 5 day monthly vacation
This in addition to the annual and sick leaves mentioned in the above paragraph.
*Page 11 of 19
C- If the vacation exceeds what is allowed, then, the relative salary will be
withheld (prorated) except if those in responsible positions (in order of hierarchy)
approve a holiday extension.

Wow... now if you can just not get blown up to enjoy the benies.

I was writing another post today (which was deleted- no one really wants to hear about less-than-kind members of my extended family), and I thought about a post that I was going to write a week or so ago, but then forgot. A memory from my past that warms my heart for no apparent reason than it was just part of the way I grew up.

One set of my grandparents lived a few blocks from the house I grew up in. Needless to say, I was there a lot. In fact, it was on the way home from school, so I would stop by on my way home if I had walked or rode my bike (or drove, once I got into high school). But I have to make a confession- I didn't stop by just because my grandparents were awesome people. I had an ulterior motive.

Coke and Candy Bars.

In Grandma's fridge, the bottom shelf was always full of soda... 7-Up and Coca-Cola usually. (For a long time, she had Cokes in those cute 8 oz bottles- perfect for a kid). And, in one of the drawers of the fridge, where the veggies are supposed to live, a variety of candy bars waited for us, patiently. Hershey bars, Kit Kats, Snickers... she bought them in bulk.

My typical after-school visit went something like this. I'd walk in, say hi, grab a Coke and a Kit Kat, then sit in the front room, watching cartoons and reading "The Papers"- The National Enquirer, The Star and The Globe. (Weekly World News? Nah... those stories aren't real... ) About 30 minutes after I arrived, the phone would ring, and my mom would remind me, once again, that I need to call if I'm stopping there on the way home so she wouldn't worry. Yes, Mom. I'm sorry I forgot, Mom. Once I read through the papers, I'd get out my homework, sit on the floor by the coffee table, and do my homework. If Grandma was making chicken and dumplings or beef stew with "dumplings" (my Grandpa always called 'em "dough bait"), then I'd ask Mom if I could stay. Otherwise, I'd head home before dark (unless a parental unit was picking me up.)

I bet you're wondering why I thought about this. When I was back in Illinois recently, I stopped by to see Grandma. She lives in a different house, and she has a different fridge. But the soda and the candy bars are still there.

The 9th Circus is hearing a case (uh... SCOTUS, just a heads up... I'm sure this is headed your way) over whether or not the Boy Scouts is a religious organization.

The hour-long session visited a host of issues surrounding a ruling in 2003 by U.S. District Judge Napoleon Jones. He found that leases for 18 acres of Balboa Park and a half-acre of Fiesta Island were unconstitutional because they violated the separation of church and state. The Boy Scouts, which require members to take an oath “to do my duty to God,” are a religious organization, Jones ruled.

In a nutshell, a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple, both with Scout-age boys, filed a suit against San Diego because the city leases part of Balboa Park to the Scouts, and they feel "excluded" from using the park. (Honestly, their kids could still be in Scouts... they're just being... opportunistic, IMO.) The ACLU, of course, has taken the case.

Lawyers representing BSA pointed out that the organization has no theology, and the pledge to "do my duty to God" is part of a larger pledge of good citizenship. There is very little reference to religion in the manual, or in scouting in general. (There is a badge. ONE badge. And you get to choose which religion you get it in. Sorry, I don't think "agnostic" or "atheist" is an option for that particular badge. Almost every other one is available- or you can work with a minister to work up one if yours isn't available).

I only have one question for the ACLU lawyers. If BSA is a religious organization, which religion does it represent? You don't even have to get technical... which general belief system does BSA adhere to? Can't be Christianity... what about the Muslims? Not Judaism... that leaves out all of those Buddhists. Can't be Deism... we'd be forgetting the Hindu Scouts.

Well? Anyone? Bueller?

intervention: (n) 1. involvement of oneself in a situation so as to alter or hinder an action or development; 2. interference, usually through force or threat of force, in the affairs of another

You get the idea. El Capitan has brought it to our attention that tomorrow will mark the 2 month anniversary of Zippo's most recent post. Now, that last post was nice and all, and that is a VERY cool ring, but... it's been 2 months!!!

No updates, no jokes, no silly quizzes... basically, we got bupkis from the Zipster. He's in mortal danger of being dropped from blogrolls and forgotten completely!

Now, Zippo has been busy with the job scene, and there's no doubt about that. Still, there's busy and there's BUSY. You'd think in 2 months (that's 62 days, or 1488 hours, or 89,280 minutes, or 5,356,800 seconds) we could at least get an "I'm Alive!!!" post!

So, it looks like it's time for some friendly persuasion. Head over to Casa Del Zippo, and drop a comment in the last post. Hell, drop in two. Be nice! Just let him know we miss his presence on the 'net, and it'd be great to hear from him again.

If we get enough folks asking, maybe we'll hear a "YARRRR!!!" across our starboard bow once again!

So... everyone, head on over to the Pirate's Ship and harrass torment encourage him to get back into the mix.

Talk about your science projects.

When it came time for her to choose a science project, she wondered about the ice in fast food restaurants.

Jasmine Roberts, 7th-grade student: "My hypothesis was that the fast food restaurants’ ice would contain more bacteria that the fast food restaurants’ toilet water."

So Roberts set out to test her hypothesis, selecting five fast food restaurants, within a ten-mile radius of the University of South Florida.

... "I found that 70-percent of the time, the ice from the fast food restaurant's contain more bacteria than the fast food restaurant's toilet water."

...Mark Danish, Honors Science Teacher: "It does concern me and I think with any restaurant you have to think twice about what you may get there."

Roberts says she'll think twice before getting ice at fast food restaurants again.

Her project won the science fair at Benito Middle School, and she hopes to win the top prize at the Hillsborough County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which starts Tuesday at the USF Sun Dome.

EW... just... ew...

Yeah, I think I'll be getting my drinks without ice for a while.

Earlier this week, FEMA stopped paying for hotel rooms for Katrina victims. Almost 6 months after the hurricane. But they're the bad guys, right?

What have those people been doing for the past 5 months? By now, they have probably decided if they are going to stay wherever they were evacuated to, or if they are going back to NOLA. If they're staying in their adopted hometowns, then they should have, by now, figured out what they're going to do with their lives from here on out, found a real place to live, and moved on with their lives. If they're moving back to NOLA, could they not have found a reasonably priced apartment and a short-term job?

One woman who was interviewed said that they were forcibly evacuated from their homes in new Orleans. Uh... um... well, duh. The other option was dying. So, I guess she's saying that it's the government's fault that she is alive right now. Right?

On the local news in Austin, they profiled a couple who was being evicted from their hotel. He's an eighteen year old high school senior. His nineteen year-old girlfriend is three months pregnant, and now they're going to be tossed out onto the street. Um... can she not get a job? Can he not get his GED and get a job? Why do the taxpayers have to pay for them to shack up?

I did notice something interesting, though... all of the people getting tossed are from the NOLA area. The people who were displaced in Mississippi and Alabama figured out what to do. What's up with the Louisiana people that they can't get it together?

Today, Secretary Chertoff was grilled during a Senate hearing about FEMA's response to the hurricane. After the Senators' opening statements as well as the Secretary's opening remarks, a minister stood up and began yelling "women and children are being thrown out into the streets." I'm pretty sure that that's just not the case. They can receive other assistance, including help with housing. FEMA just can't afford to foot the bill at the hotels anymore.

But, I just don't understand, I'm sure.

There's obviously nothing going on in the news. I mean, it's not like the Iranians are trying to get nukes or anything, right? No "moderate, peace-loving" Muslims rioting in the streets. That pesky skirmish in Iraq must be over. No potential terrorist threats in our own country. The Olympics aren't going on. There were never any WMDs in Iraq. Al Qaeda isn't poised to take over Pakistan.

That has to be the case, because the MSM is nothing but "Cheney-gate". These are just the highlights:

• Cheney had to be drunk. (I mean, he had to be, right? It doesn't matter that, with his heart condition, there's a very good chance he's not supposed to drink alcohol at all.)
  
• The VP might be charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide if Mr. Whittington dies. (The MSM seems to be salivating at the possibility.)
  
• There must be more to the story since the White House kept this a "secret" for so long. (But there was nothing wrong with Harry Reid's staff keeping his stroke a secret, or the Clinton White House keeping Foster's suicide note a secret for 30 hours- while they cleaned out his office, or the way Senator Clinton's office shushed the car accident that she was involved in where a police officer was injured- and, yes, I know, she wasn't driving).
  
• Cheney was sending a warning to Scooter Libby not to tell tales.
  
• PETA wants the VP to take up tennis.
  
• "The VP hasn't shot anyone since Aaron Burr shot Hamilton." (Although this guy does point out that it took the Administration didn't release the information- it was discovered by gossip floating around Philadelphia.)
  
• Of course, the comedians are having a field day.
  
• Now, they're all in a tizzy because "Cheney is breaking his silence on FoxNews" - so it can't be legit.
  

Here's the scoop. Hunters get peppered by shot. It happens. That the guy had a silent heart attack is sad, and everyone (everyone, right?) hopes for his recovery. Both the VP and his friend received warnings for not having the $7 stamp to hunt for "upland fowl", whatever that is. END OF STORY.

Some drugs are life-saving... chemo for cancer patients, insulin for diabetics, blood pressure meds for those with high blood pressure... some are not quite as consequential, but important none-the-less... antihistimines for those with allergies (ok- those can be life-saving for some), pain meds to name a couple. Then there are... quality-of-life meds, which are a little iffy on their necessity- Viagra and Botox, for example. Then there are the drugs that you don't really think about unless you know someone who needs them. Technically, they're not "necessary"- you won't die without them. You'll just be miserable.

When I was growing up, my mom had horrible migraines. Imitrex was introduced in the early 70s, but because of some other medical problems, she couldn't take it until much later. I can remember her trying to get to sleep in her darkened bedroom, wincing at every noise. Tylenol wouldn't even put a dent in those headaches, and there was nothing we could do to help her except close the door and whisper.

When Imitrex was finally available for her to use, she cringed at the cost. It came out to $10 a pill, more or less. She said, "no way." As Dad tells the story, he went back, and picked up the prescription, anyway. When the next migraine hit, he showed the Imitrex to her and asked her if it was worth $10 now. Well, duh.

Fast forward to just after the boys were born. I started having migraines, but they weren't diagnosed, because they were so far apart. I just took a couple of Excedrin and tried to sleep through it. Four or five years ago, I had a migraine that ended up lasting for over a week (I thought it was just a bad sinus infection). I finally went to the doctor, and they introduced me to a wonder drug- Zomig. The early migraine meds (Imitrex, etc.) had to be taken as soon as the migraine began (during the aura, if the patient has them). Zomig, on the other hand, is effective even if the migraine has progressed to full-grown misery.

Where did all of this come from? A 2-Zomig migraine last night. And yes, they're definitely worth the $20+ per pill. Definitely.

I sound like I feel miserable... completely stuffed up... ears popping... the whole 9 yards.

Now, I know why... The juniper ashe (mountain cedar... whatever) levels were off the charts. 5000 grains of pollen per cubic meter of air.

Lovely... I need to buy stock in Kleenex™ and Benedryl™. Quickly. And take the stock dividends in product.

I'm not a fan of telemarketers. Anyone who knows me knows that. Whether you're selling me siding or trying to raise money for the pet charity of your choice, it just ain't gonna happen when you dial my number. Even if I support your cause or really want your gizmo, I will not give you my credit card number or authorize an autodraft from my checking account or even send you a check from that phone call. Because of that wonderful little "Do Not Call" list, I don't get many calls these days. Now, it's just from groups that we've given money to before or purchased from in the past (not over the phone... but somehow they got my contact info).

Which brings me to tonight... the phone rang... it was a nice guy from one of the 2 major political parties (care to guess which one it might have been?). He made some very valid points about the "loyal opposition" trying to take over the House of Representatives and stall everything the President wants to accomplish, and I agreed whole-heartedly. There was just one problem (I know I wasn't going to commit to give them money anyway... it's just a simple observation)- the way he was reading that stupid script (Rove... paging Mr. Rove... get a new writer, ok?) he sounded so dang condescending and... well, smarmy that it was quite sickening. Even if I had the spare cash to give to the Party, if I was wavering in the least, his attitude would have turned me off.

Here's my $.02 for the GOP... get volunteers into your call center who genuinely believe what they're saying and not some paid mouth who may have a nice voice, but doesn't really buy into the message.

A Houston news crew went wandering through parking lots, looking for expired registration and inspection stickers. And they found a BUNCH. What's the big deal? The big deal is that those parking lots were at police stations.

Houston police were caught breaking laws they issue citations for on a regular basis, the KPRC Local 2 Troubleshooters reported in an exclusive story Thursday.

..."Officers are just as susceptible to forgetfulness and mistakes as everybody else," said Capt. Dwayne Ready, with the Houston Police Department.

But if everybody else lets their Texas registration or inspection stickers lapse, they are likely to get a pricey ticket.

If you're just a few days lapsed, you might get a warning... but probably not. So... these forgetful police officers were just a few days past due... right? WRONG.

Officer Deon Thomas has been driving a car to work with an expired inspection sticker and a registration that lapsed in August 2004.

...A pickup truck had no front tag and the registration expired in May 2003. It belonged to Sgt. Curtis B. Young.

...A female officer had an inspection sticker 1 year old.

A Cadillac had a police sign in the window and both stickers were old. ...Some officers' inspections lapsed not last year, but in 2004.

A pickup truck's registration has been illegal for a year and an officer's van did not have any registration at all.

On the eastside, an officer's car had no stickers.

At the northeast station, a vehicle's inspection was illegal since 2003 and the registration expired nine months ago.

East of downtown, one officer's registration was bad and his inspection expired in January 2002.

Officer John Woods' van registration expired in June.

I'd almost have some sympathy for them, except for one little problem. The place where you can get your inspections done... is right across the street.

Will these guys get tickets for their... forgetfulness? Nah... but thanks to "The Troubleshooters", maybe their get their cars inspected. Or not.

well... not quite: A leading Islamic cleric called for an "international day of anger" today over publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, and a Danish activist predicted that deadly violence could break out in Europe "at any minute". We may not hear much about this in the States (I mean, this is the MSM appeasers we're talking about here), but I don't think this is a very good day to be on vacation in Europe. (Michelle Malkin has some photos that show what just might be on the agenda today... all because of some cartoons.)

So... this is the Religion of Peace, hijacked by a few fanatics? Riiiiiight....

First, we need to issue a fatwa on Rolling Stone and Kanye West for that blasphemous cover.

Then, we'll issue a fatwa on NBC for The Book of Daniel and the upcoming episode of Will & Grace that has a cute cooking show called "Cruci-Fixins." (They need a fatwa for stupidity alone on that one. )

What? I can't issue a fatwa? Why not? They do it for editorial cartoons... why can't I?

Oh, yeah. Christians don't have "fatwas." We don't go after those who offend our sensibilities by mocking our Lord. My bad.

Brad Stine (a comedian who is a conservative and a Believer) says that one of the problems with being a Christian is that you can't hate. That's not entirely true, but you get the idea. As a rule (whether it is Biblical or not) Christians tend to aim for the "peace, love, and understanding" goals of the New Testament. They emmulate Rodney King's "why can't we all just get along?" The good news is that we don't just go off half-cocked whenever someone dares to criticize our God (unlike some people we know). The bad news is that we get stepped on and mocked, and we do nothing out of some miguided notion that we'll drive people away from God by standing up for our beliefs.

Maybe we need to spend a little more time in the Old Testament (remember, unlike our friends the Jews, we have to read the whole book, not just half of it). God had (and still has) plenty of enemies, and the Bible is quite clear about how God feels about them.

Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies (Psalm 68:21)

That's just one example. Search the OT and see what happens when you cross Him and His People. He sent His People out to destroy their enemies. He destroyed cities because of their wickness. And He went "so far" as to punish those of His People who disobeyed His Will.

How does these OT stories translate into modern day? Well... think about it for a minute... How much does God grieve for His Children when they turn a blind eye to those around who need them? How do you think He feels when people make fun of Him and His Son, and Believers just shrug? How angry does He get when Believers stand by and do nothing while His standards (ie- the 10 Commandments... those things that are the basis of modern law) are trampled on in the name of diversity and freedom?

No, I'm not saying that we, as Believers, should go around beheading those who disagree with our beliefs or who mock our God or belittle us in any way. The first Believers didn't fight those who persecuted them- their quiet faith spoke far louder than any physical battle or verbal debate ever could. But I'm also not saying that their silent witness will work in all cases (God's pretty good about guiding people to do the right thing in the right situation).

What I am saying is that is it too much to ask that people who call themselves Believers show a little backbone... stand up for those things they claim to believe in? Think about it... do something daring and *gasp* pray about how to respond. Have a little courage (a Biblical command, by the way... in case you were wondering... just do a keyword search here) Then just do something.

(Special thanks to the Imperial Scholar who talked me through a couple of points here.)

UPDATE: At Newsbusters, they have a rundown of all of the media outlets who will not be showing the Mohammed cartoons, but who have no problem lampooning, mocking, or criticizing various denominations of Christianity. I do not agree with their decisions, and I find them to be the height of hypocrisy, but I do understand it. I mean, really- when they mock Christianity, their reporters don't get kidnapped, and their offices don't get taken over and/or bombed.

(And, honestly, I may not like it, but I'm ok with Southpark lampooning Mary- though not how they did it... ew, that's just plain gross- for one reason and one reason alone... they lampoon any and all religions equally. No double standard there. )

I haven't announced it yet, but now I want the world (well, the Blogosphere, at least) to know that I have a bouncing baby blog-son! His name is Deathknyte (some of you may know him from The Rott). He's awesome, and you really should get to know him.

There's one little problem. Somebody STOLE my baby!!!! And he's not the only one!!! My sweet... precious... little... new blog son has been blognapped, and those meanies are trying to take credit for bringing him into the Blogosphere. Oh, no!!! They will not get away with this!

Anyone know a good blog-lawyer? I'm fighting for custody. A Blog-son needs his Blog-Mom, ya know...

Bono is speaking right now at the National Prayer Breakfast (Fox & Friends keeps cutting in and out of video feed of the breakfast, waiting for the President's remarks). This is what he just said-

"Justice and equality go hand in hand. Justice wants to hang out with equality, and equality is a pain in the @ss. Well, it is, isn't it?"

Oh, yeah... that's the kind of class statement one expects to hear at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Last night I posted about the Steelers fan that scheduled to deliver her baby early so that she wouldn't miss the Super Bowl. Well, Baby Alexandria Joella (whose middle name is a combination of Joey Porter, Antwaan Randel El, and Alan Faneca's names) had different plans. She showed up on her own a few hours before her mom was supposed to be induced yesterday.

I guess she didn't want to miss the game, either.

In case you didn't realize what today is, it's Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil (poor thing) is about to announce to the world (or the loonies who got up way too early this morning in Punxsutawney, PA to find out if a giant rodent sees his shadow, at least) if there will be 6 more weeks of winter, or if spring will come early. (Phil just said "6 more weeks of mild winter weather"- he saw his shadow... or so he "told" the guy in the top hat who kissed him.)

Not like it really matters. The high today is supposed to be 75 degrees. It was in the 80s a couple of days ago, I think. In January.

Winter never got here.

MLK, Jr., that is...

To say that T.O. is not my favorite football player is more than a bit of an understatement. Donovan McNabb sure isn't much better, especially when he does stupid stuff like this:

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb injected a race element into his rift with Terrell Owens on Wednesday, saying the receiver's criticism amounted to "black-on-black crime."

In an interview with ESPN, McNabb rehashed some of the low moments of his relationship with his teammate, making fun of Owens' driveway apology and bringing up the race angle.

In November, responding to a question from Michael Irvin during an ESPN interview, Owens said Philadelphia would likely be in a better situation if Brett Favre was the quarterback instead of the banged-up McNabb.

Not long after that, an NAACP leader criticized McNabb for "playing the race card" in explaining why he didn't run the ball as often as he used to. (you know it's scary when I agree with the NAACP- they're usually nothing more than useful tools of their leaders and the DNC. -B)

..."It's different to say, 'If we had Michael Vick or Daunte Culpepper or Steve McNair or Byron Leftwich," McNabb said of four black starting quarterbacks. "But to go straight to Brett Favre, that kind of just slapped me in the face like, 'Wow ...'"

Yeah, like, "wow...",Donna. You're exactly right- it's a complete and total slap in the face to think that, even if he did have a less-than-stellar year, Brett Favre, who will go down in history as one of the greatest QB off all time, could still run QB circles around your sorry arm. No, Donna, it would be no different if he had said Leftwich or Culpepper or McNair (although they all still ran circles around your sorry arm all year). T.O. wasn't saying that the Eagles would have done better with a WHITE QB. He was saying that you STUNK this year. Yeah... I can see how it would be easy to get those two things confused.

You need to get over yourself. You will never go down in the annals of football greatness as a great QB. You're not bad... you made it to the NFL, and you don't do that by being mediocre. But, you're not great, not even in a good year. And, let's face it... this past season was not a good year.

Way to go, playing the race card. Rush was right... the only reason you get the amount of press that you do is because of the color of your skin... because YOU won't let anyone forget what color that is.

What would you do if your favorite team was in the Super Bowl? Take off work? Skip church? Induce labor so you won't miss the game?

A pregnant Steelers fan is not letting the birth of her baby get in the way of the Super Bowl celebrations.

She convinced her doctor to induce her early, so she'll be home in time to watch the Super Bowl with all of her friends.

Baby Alexandria is just a blurry image of a baby right now, but she'll enter the world with a wardrobe of Steelers clothes, her birth scheduled around the Super Bowl.

She's actually due on Saturday, but she's not willing to take any chances. She almost went into labor during the game against the Colts.

Uh... good luck to Mom and Baby Alexandria... I really hope the little one likes yellow and black!

Anyone who follows OU football knows about the Sooner Schooner.

Now... imagine if you will a new Sooner Schooner... far, far away from Norman, Oklahoma. One that looks something like... well, like this:

(I'd photoshop an "OU" on the side of it if I could... but I don't have Photoshop, and I wouldn't know how to use it if I did have it.)

I know, I know... you're asking yourself what in the world I'm talking about... I'm talking about THIS:

The College of Engineering has started a fundraising campaign to enable the launch of the Sooner Lunar Schooner by 2010.

The Sooner Lunar Schooner, a rover designed to test the environmental effects of solar radiation and temperature on materials in space, is being built at OU by professors and students.

...Hougen said the project aims to send two rovers to examine such materials as aluminum, metal and steel that have been left on the moon by the previous missions Apollo 17 and the Russian Lunicod 2. OU will be light years ahead of any other college’s exploration into the great unknown, Miller said.

When I was at OU, engineering students did neat things like drop eggs off of the stadium in contraptions to try to keep them from breaking. Now they're doing cool stuff like this. Sweet!

I hope they do this. I like the idea of private money being used in space exploration. Get NASA out of it as much as possible. And the fact that students are doing this is just icing on the cake.