text:
Kitties like Christmas
Labels: cat blogging
Just mouthing off -- because I can.
Labels: cat blogging
Joshuapundit summarized a landmark event in the Obama Presidency (the issuance of Executive Order 13524) removing restrictions on Interpol operating with complete diplomatic immunity within the U.S.--
InterPol, for those of you who don't know is essentially an offshore information repository and data base on criminals that American and European law enforcement officials can have access to for crimes that cross international borders. Obama just changed it into a full fledged police and investigative agency with arresting powers freely operating on US shores with no US oversight and not subject to US laws...The U.S. Interpol office is currently located within the Obama Justice Department--yes, that whacky, highly politicized Obama Justice Department that is bringing the Khalid Sheik Mohammed trial to New York City, and the Justice Department that not only refused to prosecute the Black Panthers voter intimidation case, but which just "removed" the department employee, Christopher Coates, who filed the initial charges.
Many questions remain unanswered as a result of Obama's action. Some will contend that his order does not change the status quo because there are sufficient safe-guards extant in American law. But the order makes INTERPOL immune from prosecution under those laws so how efffective they would be against abuse by INTERPOL becomes a question.
So why would an American president grant such extensive powers to a foreign organization?
And foreign INTERPOL is. It is housed in Lyon, France and is governed by an Executive Committee elected by the 123 member nations though the General Assembly. But that group meets only once a year. The real power is exercised by thirteen members of the Executive Committee. It is headed by KHOO Boon Hui of Singapore. There is not an American on the Executive Committee.
As best we can determine President Obama's actions have not been reviewed by Congress and certainly have not been debated publically.
* Every other international organization granted such exemptions deals with mundane issues like fish - the International Pacific Halibut Commission - or disaster aid - the Red Cross. But Interpol is a law enforcement operation. Why does President Obama think it appropriate to give such exemptions to an international law enforcement operation, and what does he want Interpol to do here in the U.S. in the future with the exemptions that it cannot do now without the exemptions?
* Does the search and seizure exemption extend to the activities and documents created by U.S. Department of Justice employees working with and for Interpol in New York and Washington, D.C.? If these employees and activities were already exempt from coverage of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), why have FOIA requests concerning them been previously answered?
These are serious questions that the White House ought have no hesitation about answering, if indeed "there is nothing newsworthy here."
UPDATE: Newt Gingrich and Andrew McCarthey on how Obama elevated Interpol above the U.S. law. My own senator said this:
On December 17, 2009 President Obama issued an executive order granting Interpol all of the privileges of the International Organizations Immunities Act. Therefore, Interpol's property and assets are no longer subject to search and confiscation, and its archives are now considered inviolable. This means that Interpol may operate unrestrained by the U.S. Constitution and American law while it operates in the United States.
I do not believe an international law enforcement agency such as Interpol should have greater immunity from our Constitution than is granted to the FBI and other American law-enforcement agencies.
I agree. The question is, what will our legislators do about this? What will we Americans do about it?
Labels: Age of Obama, Interpol
Roger L. Simon has the proper righteously angry tone. Well, we're in the best of hands.
"Big Guy said it was amazing what Americans could do when government got out of the way and let them protect their lives and future on their own terms. He said he wished they'd do more of that every day here at home."
I keep thinking about all the other passengers.
Ace makes me laugh.
As usual.
UPDATE: Mark Steyn: "The last time a Dutch filmmaker encountered a jihadist face to face he said "Can't we talk?" and was rewarded with eight bullets, near decapitation and a crowing note from his murderer skewered by knife through his chest. By contrast, Mijnheer Schuringa jumped on the guy, got him in a choke hold, and dragged him away. That makes more sense - even if it is, under Secretary Napolitano's new rules, now illegal."
UPDATE: Another Black Conservative (via Maggie's Farm): "This is where Republicans need to take some blame. Republicans should have rejected her nomination and loudly voiced her short comings and poor qualifications. Democrats sink nominations all the time for far less reasons. Sadly, too many Republicans fear the wrath of negative media attention (which they will get anyway) and thus go along with very bad ideas for the sake of appearing bipartisan or supporting the president in his early days. This is why a Tax Cheat is now head of the IRS and a clown is now in charge of the Department of Homeland Security."
Labels: stupid Democrat tricks
And now is the time for choosing.
Here is an essay that I think everyone should read in its entirety, as it encapsulates the essence of the battle going on in our country right now about which direction our government should take. It is a battle that has been raging among Americans for the past 100 years, ever since the reform movement swept Teddy Roosevelt into public office, followed by the tidal wave of "progressive" social welfare measures and "positive" economic freedoms propounded by FDR and then by Johnson's "Great Society." Here is just an excerpt:
The stated slogan driving so much of leftist thought and action is the ideal of "social justice" — in other words, equality of outcome and the leveling of resources through redistribution of wealth (except, of course, for those in charge, who somehow always manage to keep their perks; a good example of this would be Congress's exemption of its own members from the hazards of ObamaCare). The fact that such equality is a fake "justice" and that all efforts towards achieving it end up profoundly compromising liberty is ignored or minimized by its champions.
We have increasingly seen this principle in action during the Obama administration, both in the executive and legislative branches of government. Obama plays on it intentionally; notice how often he uses the phrase "social justice" or "justice," and how seldom the word "liberty" escapes his lips? This is no accident.
Years ago — for example, during FDR's Depression terms — most liberal/left "solutions" were relatively new, and the idealism behind them had yet to be repeatedly contradicted by reality. But it is much more difficult now, after seeing what has gone on in the frankly Communist countries around the world as well as the softer socialist ones of Europe, to remain idealistic about the results of legislation that furthers the growth of government in leftist causes and its concomitant restraints on liberty. Idealism on the American left has increasingly been replaced by a thirst for power and ever more power.
That was the path of the French Revolution, as well, when the drive for power and "social justice" (that "égalité" part) led in that case to a bloodbath....
Some of the comments are very thoughtful and well-articulated as well. This piece summarizes the basic long, ongoing struggle that has been raging for generations over who will wield the majority of power in our land--the people as individuals or the government as a cabal of elitist politicians, bureaucrats, and colluding special interests. Ronald Reagan came down squarely with the nation's founders on the side of the people and their individual liberties when he said (thanks to commenter Zeke for the quote):
"The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it's like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren't equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can't live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go."
—Ronald Reagan, in 1961, arguing against the creation of Medicare
Reagan knew then that Medicare would be ultimately unworkable, as it is now proving itself to be. The damage it has done to the American health care system is obvious. The Democrats' solution is not to reform Medicare but to raid it to create an even larger and more fantasy-ridden government takeover program, even as most Americans scream their opposition, two to one.
Losing liberties and government assumption of power....it is clearly on the agenda of the Democrat party. That is their mission.
Lately I have been realizing that I have, in my own small way of resistance--most of it internal, informal, and personal--been fighting against collectivism (socialism, communism, Marxism) all of my life. I used to think I was a Cold War baby and that that scary and terrifying potentially-nuclear war ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now I realize the battle began not just around World War II, but long before I was born, and even before my parents and grandparents were born. It began somewhere around the time Bismarck decided to adopt some Marxist principles and provide progressive social welfare programs for the subjects of the German Empire. It flourished when the Bolsheviks took root in Russia and the Soviet death empire conquered and seized the lives of millions of innocent people, in the name of doing good for them while killing their spirits, their liberties, and their futures.
Under the excuse of doing critical and vital good with taxpayer dollars overseen by politicians and bureaucrats, it gained enthusiastic supporters here in America, boosted by writers, clergy, visionaries, the labor movement, and other self-styled reformers. Tainted beef? Dangerous working conditions? Crime-ridden neighborhoods? Down-trodden poor people? Racial injustice? What kind of hard-hearted monsters would ever wish to stand by and see people suffer when one-more tailor-made government program could spread more progress?
The evidence has piled up after all of these years that government solutions have become a major part of the problems facing us.
Now I know my former view of the conservative-progressive battle was like Al Gore's hockey-stick--a mere bite-sized piece of the entire long true story. Now I know the scary battle between democracy and liberty (our traditional American values) vs. collectivism did not substantially end with the fall of the Soviet Union. Incredible as it seems to me, there are still people who want to bring about a socialist world with those failed collectivist philosophies. There are still Keynesians among us, despite all the evidence that Keynes was wrong. In fact, the sad news is there are Keynesians (and worse) now governing us and regulating our businesses, our livelihoods, and our lives.
The worldwide, long-term battle is still raging on our very own American soil. The enemies of liberty and individual rights have merely become fragmented and atomized after the Cold War ostensibly ended, as has stateless Al-Qaeda. They swim among us, seeking our country's demise. And they laugh at those who see this, and call it a conspiracy theory.
Now I know I cannot afford to sit in my comfortable home, live my comfortable, insulated life taking care of myself, my family, my charities, and my community. I can no longer expect others to do battle for me somewhere far away. I have to accept yet another responsibility--the one dictated by my love of my country and what it stands for and is founded on. The battle is that big, and that important. Every person of every age and station can and should do whatever she or he can to help.
Labels: "social justice", fighting for liberty, moral arguments against collectivism
Obama and the Democrats are rapidly tarnishing all their accumulated glitter in the eyes of their fellow Americans. They have no idea of how the glory is draining out of their brand, and how big and bipartisan the backlash will be when folks begin to understand what the Democrats are really voting to impose on us. (via Ace)
Democrats, think twice. You don't really want to go there on this piece-of-crap legislation (just to salvage Obama's already-sputtering reputation according to his politically-driven "emergency rush" timeline).
Here's one Democrat who woke up and smelled the coffee. Any more like him in Washington, willing to face reality and stand on principles for the good of our country? Or is he just the first to discover which way the mighty wind of the American popular backlash is blowing?
Refusal to buy health insurance? Shedding payrolls by 50%?
Doctors going on strike?
Believe me, Democrats, America doesn't want to go there--where you are seemingly hellbent on taking us. But we won't take it lying down.
And Republicans in Washington should beware as well. A lot of the anger extends to you.
UPDATE: We've already heard of the outsourcing (moving offshore and out of our country) of medical billing and transcriptions. If Obamacare passes, look for the mass outsourcing of doctors and medical care (Americans fleeing to Mexico, the Bahamas, and other countries to have procedures done). That means even more jobs lost here, and more regulation-caused waste and expense--to the detriment of Americans and America. But doctors and patients will not consent to be slaves under Obamacare and will, like other humans, continue to operate in their own best interests, despite unconstitutional laws passed by Congress.
Also under Obamacare--look for a significant number of Americans (including Christian Scientists, the Amish, and the principled objectors to this blatant attack on individual freedom) to choose jail or instigate lawsuits over an unconstitutional mandate. Are you really ready for this fight, Democrats? Or is this exactly what you do want to bring on?
UPDATE: The bill has passed the Senate. Page 148 says the Federal government will determine what medical care your doctor will be allowed to provide to you, and there will be no more private health insurance. The bill is also intended to be unrepealable. Wonder what else will end up in the bill, now that the Democrats think they can do anything to us, beyond the rule of law and the Constitution? You and I and our doctors seemingly have no say in the matter now. ("Harry Reid Turns Insurance into a Public Utility")
In the face of such massive, unconstitutional, tyrannical theft of our property and our liberty, all we can do now is resist, fight, submit, or flee. Every individual has the choice--what will you do? What will I do? And how will I do it?
UPDATE: Some guidance from Joshuapundit (via Bookworm):
The quasi-fascism Obama and his buddies are flirting with is a wake up call for our beloved Republic. In the end it will not kill us, but make us stronger.
And we will need that strength. If even tools like Tom Friedman are recognizing that we will have to defeat Islamic fascism to survive, the real war is not far off.
Remember....when it comes down to it, Americans still rise superbly to challenges. So rise up and don't succumb to despair, because this is a fight we can win. Rise up, and fight harder, because the alternative is you telling your grandchildren what it used to be like to live in a free country.
Rise up, and fight harder, because the alternative is you telling your grandchildren what it used to be like to live in a free country.
I'm waiting to see Harry Reid interviewed on national TV about which state will be the lucky recipient of the Mystery Hospital (another bribes-for-votes goody) tucked into the Reid "heath care reform" bill that is soon to pass in the Senate.
Fortunately for me and my family, I am not holding my breath.
UPDATE: Mystery solved! It's more vote bribery, this time for Chris Dodd.
Labels: bad legislators, nationalized health care
Personally, I give very little care about whether other countries like us or not, as long as they respect us, or even maintain a healthy fear of us, when necessary. ("Don't tread on me," in other words.)
But it is interesting to note that our President Obama's actions and words at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen seem to have personally cost him (and by extension, America?) both respect and admiration.
Did they laugh when he left the room?
World leaders agree Obama screwed up the deal.
I'm actually very happy that the Copenhagen conference imploded with impotency and that Americans fell to no binding agreements there. If President Obama had anything to do with jinxing that, I have to give him sincere accolades. I just wish he'd quit running around the world advertising what a bumbling amateur we went and elected to our highest office.
UPDATE: Foreign leaders lecturered Obama on their responsibilities (and his) toward their own respective countries. Hey, if he won't listen to his fellow Americans, why would he be schooled by foreign leaders saying the same things? But of course, this is what he wants, like all good collectivists: one-world "global" government.
Labels: U.N. climate conference
I don't doubt it: skyrocketing insurance premiums and reduced care for everyone. And that will be only the beginning of the decline.
"Every American, not just seniors, should know that the rationing provisions in the Reid bill will not only reduce their quality of life, but their life spans as well."
Ask a doctor in the Senate.
My mother's 82, on Medicare, but in overall good health--great health for her age. She is active and independent, volunteers three, four, or five days a week in her church and community, doesn't go to doctors and doesn't take medication. She is also a mainstay in our family, to her four children, 11 grandkids, and countless friends. Under the Reid bill her Medicare coverage will be radically reduced whenever she does need medical care. It's no question to me that doctors not being reimbursed adequately and overwhelmed by demands and bureaucracies will not give her the care she can get now.
Thanks for your tireless efforts to shorten my mother's life, Senator Reid.
My husband and I are in our 50's. We've seen more doctors in this decade than we ever have before. Until now that was just a part of the normal American good life--things start to wear out, you go see the doc, get them diagnosed and fixed, and keep truckin.' We have grown to hope for, if not expect, a long, productive lifespan. Now we can't count on medical problems that normally wouldn't slow us down to not become game-enders. We can no longer expect that medical breakthrough cures and innovations will keep on coming to make life better for all of us. We, along with our doctors, our local medical facilities, our insurance companies, and our pharmaceutical providers, have become pawns of the state. We have yet to understand just how much this will cost us, and how radical the "unexpected" consequences of the Reid bill and Obamacare in general ("unexpected" by legislators, that is) will be.
Thanks for your passion in pursuing your mission of closing off our medical options, Senator Reid.
My children are in their teens. I have long worried about how they could afford to start or raise families under the kind of economy and tax burden our country has displayed over the last decade. With rising medical malpractice fees, finding an obstetrician has made birthing even a healthy baby in the zone of medical safety we've become accustomed to an extremely expensive deal. In fact, having any medical problems has become extremely expensive for a number of reasons, insurance costs and government intrusion in the marketplace among them. We had hoped for real, effective, reform from Washington. Now, thanks to Obama and the Democrats, it may not be a matter of how expensive it will be for my kids and their future families to find medical care--but whether or not they will even have access at all to such high-quality care in the future. Reduced standards, rationed care, and the kind of government-induced bureaucratic snafus like the swine flu vaccine delays and shortages are now almost certainly in store for my kids and their kids, along with enforced mandates to spend even more of their income on even higher insurance payments and more taxes on medical devices and procedures.
Thanks, Senators Reid and Nelson, for taking away my children's future prospects. Thanks, Senators Snowe and Landrieu, for your 15 minutes in the sun and for moving things along. And thanks, President Obama, for buying votes, and for breaking your promises to be transparent and to not impose taxes on the middle class.
Thanks to all the Democrats who are pushing our country that much closer along the road to serfdom, in the face of bipartisan opposition.
We ordinary Americans outside of your Washington enclave will remember the cold winter day you did this dirty, dirty deed. We will remember you as we watch our formerly superlative American medical care system decline and succumb to UK-style paralysis, Soviet-style corruption, and the kind of bribery and gamesmanship you displayed in the Senate yesterday. We will remember you as we watch our Constitution flouted and our federal government become hostage to a gang of mercenery crooks.
You will go down in history. We will remember your names.
Outrage and sorrow, and more outrage--
Video: "This bill is a legislative trainwreck of historic proportions." Cuts to Medicare, hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, and hospice. Massive tax increases on American families and businesses, insurance, medical devices, and medicine. Massive unfunded burdens of expanded Medicaid enrollments on already-struggling state governments. Increased costs for insurance premiums and health care. "The history that's being made here is the ignoring of the will of the American people."
A season of diminishment: "we look at a future filled with uncertainty as to prosperity coupled with a certainty about taxation, regulation, legislation, and ever encroaching limits on personal and collective freedom. We move into the final week before Christmas with the promise from a government that barely recognizes those from whom it receives its mandate to increase our indenture and servitude on Christmas Eve."
A letter to Senator Ben Nelson from a Nebraska doctor: "...The long hours I spent on my medical education and the long hours I spend treating my patients are nothing but chump change to you and your Democrat colleagues in Washington...."
We will remember their names.
It is not over.
UPDATE: Democrats are about to break the best health care system in the world. The store policy is: "You break it, you own it."
Labels: socialized health care
Because then they'll get to understand and make these amazing machines. You're staring at our future. I hope American kids will be as much a part of it as Indian or Chinese kids.
Related: finding more surface area on your bagel so you can load on more cream cheese.
Hat tip to That Certain Bayesian.
Labels: air jet robot, math skills
The "Just War Theory" sounds so right when you first hear about it. It sounds like something mankind has evolved to appreciate after eons of unenlightened barbarianism--like the Queensberry Rules of boxing, or modern football helmets. In other words, it is a progressive notion--not that there's anything wrong with that per se (the Founding Fathers of America could conceivably be termed radical progressives in rejecting monarchy and embracing those newfangled ideas propounded by John Locke and Adam Smith).
But in a new book "Winning the Unwinnable War: America's Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism," Yaron Brook and Alex Epstein of the Ayn Rand Center argue that Just War Theory is incompatible with American self-defense. The problem of fighting under Queensberry Rules or a Just War Theory is that your opponent may not know or care about the rules. And there are no referees in war, and you do not win on points.
Labels: philosophy, war
Time for a little Christmas music. How about "The 12 Days of Global Warming"?
Via a commenter on this summary by Gerald Warner at the Telegraph: What a bunch of buffoons (at Copenhagen) is right.
PLUS: A cheerful Christmas perspective from Reason TV.
Labels: global warming hoax
Next to the ACORN scandal, and the stealth canning of Obama's Communist czar Van Jones, both of which stories eventually broke through into the mainstream press, the story of sleazy Kevin Jennings, Obama's "Safe School Czar" (what irony) stands high as the most underreported national news story of the year.
True, it is a hard one to explain on national television. But professional wordsmiths like journalists and editors, if they were honest, could do better in covering this national news. And Americans who want news can and will get the story elsewhere, while the mainstream outlets drag their heels. (As somebody once said, "Just Google it!")
Here we have just another jaw-dropping example of the dereliction of the mainstream news media when it comes to honestly vetting Obama and his entire administration. They can't really call themselves news organizations when they pick and choose what news they cover according to a political agenda. Keeping Americans in the dark by design is hardly what professional journalists are supposed to do.
These will be remembered as very strange times in America.
[Link to details you probably don't want to read, at Gateway Pundit, who broke the story. What I can't figure out is why the Obama administration, who obviously knew all of this, would think it would be appropriate to appoint this man as "Safe Schools" czar.]
Labels: bad government, Kevin Jennings, media bias
No kidding: PowerLine points out that the current legislation to "reform health care" being battled over in Congress contains an unfunded Medicare mandate about to be sent to the states that will overwhelm their budgets and their health care systems on the ground and in the field. It will in all probability wipe out their education budgets, as it wipes out the best and most effective medical care delivery system in the world. The result will be much higher taxes and much lower services in both health care and education on the very local level--this means for you and your children and later, their children. What families have been struggling through to stay afloat in the economy of 2009 will seem in retrospect like a cakewalk if this abomination bill gets passed into law.
No kidding. Read it for yourself. Look into it, especially if you are a Democrat who considers yourself informed and honest, or not hitherto much interested in the details. These details may end up literally killing you or your family members down the road.
As I've said before, we don't have a health care crisis in this country--we have a government crisis, when our supposed representatives, without a public mandate, boldly attempt to pass this kind of cobbled-together, severely damaging 2,000+ page gobbledygook "legislation" onto the backs of their fellow citizens (but not themselves!), under cover of darkness and from behind closed doors, all with the excuse of trying to "help" them.
Sometimes I think hanging is too good for these people in Washington who can wreck such damage and never suffer have to the consequences that the rest of us will suffer if we don't push back.
My friends, this is what they called "tyranny" back in the days of George III.
The question for each American now becomes: is our country as we've known and loved it worth fighting for, or do we let it be taken down the tubes by these wannabe tyrants? And if it's worth fighting for, what price are we willing to pay?
So if both liberals and conservatives think that the bill is worse than the status quo, what is the logic in voting for it? Is it just to have that signing ceremony for Obama to crow about his historic achievement? Is the show that much more important than the substance? And do you think that voters are so terribly dumb that they can't recognize a turkey when they see it? If we ever get to see what it is that Reid has put together....
Kill the bill now, or kill Americans later with the resultant rationed, constricted, and nightmarish government medical system and economic collapse--some choice, eh?
Some in Congress think it's all about the game. I am ashamed such childish people are now in power positions in our country.
UPDATE: Howard Kurtz on the Senate bill:
Is it still worth passing? The president certainly didn't campaign for a public option. But to add, say, 30 million Americans to the health insurance system through a mandate -- a laudable goal, on the surface -- could really lead to soaring costs without a strong mechanism to keep prices under control. And that seems to be lacking, especially given Congress' record on calling for cuts in programs like Medicare but flinching when it's time to carry them out.And as Kimberley Strassel writes in the Wall Street Journal: "Slowly, slowly, the Democratic health agenda is turning into a political suicide pact."
Labels: bad legislation, bad politicians, misadventures in socialized health care
A lifesized robot that looks like you (via Maggie's Farm)
A twelve-inch "Autopsy Scully"
A nose flute
A Walter Skinner Long Coat Chase figure with ploy bag
A Marie Antoinette action figure with ejector head
Eggnog bubblegum
And a really bad health care bill that "vastly expands government, raises taxes, raises premiums, and wrecks Medicare."
You're welcome!
Labels: Not for Christmas
Here are some of this morning's links I found fascinating concerning the whole climate change mess (must-reads, my friends!):
Roger L. Simon's observations from the crowds at Hopenhagen: "So many despots, so little time!" The UN meetup is a nest of anti-capitalists and anti-Americans and hypocrits operating under a mantle of green. Oh yes, and shoppers, too. It's a bald farce.
Al Gore's famous alarming HOCKEY STICK in perspective--a spot-on video of the rest of the graph Al didn't show you. History rules and the truth will out. What a fraud Al Gore is. Why is he not being investigated like Madoff or Enron? Well, this outfit will get to the bottom of it. Or perhaps the Russians will. Too much to ask that Americans police their own corruption in the Age of Obama, I guess.
Al Gore's film also lied about the mosquitos. No wonder some are calling for his Academy Award to be rescinded. As one former colleague said, "he's gone to hell."
Labels: global warming hoax
Here's a website that may well be what our American future looks like, if Obamanomics and the current leftist Democrats continue to run our country into the ground. (Better pay attention just in case--there are some good ideas here for Depression-style livin'.)
Because that's the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Democrats--spreading the poverty and bringing an enforced Appalachian lifestyle to all people equally (after all, it's only fair).
Labels: Redneck for Life
This woman who wrote an op-ed in a Canadian newspaper ("The whole world needs to adopt China's one-child policy"), calling for a globally enforced one-child population-reduction policy in the name of "green" concerns is doing what Jonah Goldberg points out as obvious: advocating for a draconian government-imposed restriction of reproductive rights for women (and men). (She is also rehashing tired old scare tactics that have been refuted ever since Malthus first brought them up.) I'm sure she feels she is being very progressive and brave and forward-looking in penning this absurd screed. But more interestingly, which side of this argument do the leftist feminists, many of whom may be smarter than this woman, choose? Would it be too rude of me to point out that this wished-for absolute tyranny in the name of anti-humanity is merely the ultimate end that such "green" and leftist causes logically lead to--including our contemporary brand of leftist/Marxist feminism?
Via Instapundit
And may I add: I am glad to read such screeds and glad they are being published and disseminated, so that such ideas can be fully debated and kicked to the curb where they belong. The truth will out as long as we have freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. That's the difference between leftists and conservatives--leftists in the end can't tolerate or allow dissent, while conservatives have nothing to fear from the truth.
Labels: enforced abortions, modern feminism
Try these two tests and see where you fit in on the Hollywood history continuum.
"It's a Wonderful Life" Quiz
Guess the Movie--by Nicholas Cage's Hair!
On "It's a Wonderful Life" I got a 93%, only missed one (who knows what month that movie was released?).
For Nicholas Cage--I didn't recognize any.
Maybe kinda explains why Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, and John Wayne are my favorite movie actors, hmm? And why my daughter laments that nobody else in her class knows who Fred Astaire and Gracie Allen are?
That's my family--just doing our part to contribute to America's diversity.
Labels: Hollywood history
He's my nomination, as the man who has accomplished some truly earthshaking changes in American society (the ACORN scandals revealed) and who seems well on his way to changing the face of U.S. media, no less.
His new launch, Big Journalism, will be run by former Time Magazine staffer Michael Walsh.
Time Magazine was unavailable for comment.
UPDATE: She's pretty good, too!
Labels: news media
...to protest the Democrats' health care power grab. This from Laura Ingraham's website (via Instapundit):
Code Red Rally Tuesday 1:30pm Dec 15th US Capitol. It's time we all stop pretending that what is happening with this Obamacare debate is about "helping the uninsured" or "fixing the healthcare system" or "giving the people what they want." It's about none of those things. It's about amassing as much power in a central government as humanly possible. It's about wealth redistribution. It's social engineering at its absolute worst.Check here for departure information from Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey. Tea Party patriots will be joining in. So will Americans for Prosperity.
The American people must take this political system back from those who have hijacked it in one of the most abhorrent power grabs that we the voters have ever seen. It's the holiday season so the Democrats are counting on you to be otherwise occupied and too busy to stand against their massive expansion of government. Let them underestimate us again just as they did last summer. Let these unrepresentative politicians proceed with their legislative chicanery and self-righteous grandstanding. We can expose them and confront them in the classic American spirit--a public gathering on their doorstep. On December 15th at 1:30pm, we will remind Pelosi, Reid, Schumer et al. that they work for us and not the other way around. We will demand that they follow the will of the people, not dismiss and degrade it by putting future generations into a deficit dungeon. We will put every politician who supports this travesty on notice: enjoy your remaining time in the U.S. Capitol because we're coming for your seat.
The American people will not forget those who turned their backs on us and voted for a bill that they hadn't read and which will do nothing but ensure that one of the best healthcare systems in the world is compromised.
Labels: socialized health care, tea party protests
I was excited today to hear that a massive rally of Tea Partiers will be held in Washington, D.C. next April 15th. It is expected and hoped to be "the largest gathering ever of Americans in the nation's capital."
As the friend who told me this went on to say, the protest should be a sit-down peace protest, and the theme should be:
I guess the Powers-That-Be in Washington D.C. couldn't ignore the protests outside their doors then.
Plan now to be there when "history calls." The left and the media still may feign ignorance as to what we stand for, but they won't be able to pretend we don't exist.
Labels: Tax Day tea parties
Many of the most distinguished physicists are now calling for an investigation into the claims of the global warming proponents in the wake of "Climategate" -- and some do not mince words:
Princeton University's Robert Austin:I view it as science fraud, pure and simple, and that we should completely distance ourselves from such unethical behavior by CRU, and that data files be opened to the public and examined in the full light of day. We as taxpayers pay for that work -- we are owed examination of the analysis.
Princeton University's William Happer:The APS has not responded to our petition. We submitted the petition several weeks ago... Prof. Callan, the president elect of the APS, who works in the same building in Princeton University as Professor Austin and I, has been unable to find time to discuss the petition with us.
We have independently contacted as many members of the APS as we can to ask for their support of the petition. We are getting about as many supportive as negative responses, so I would judge that about half the membership of the APS agrees with us. Those who oppose us usually have little or nothing to say about the science and plenty of things to say about what evil people we are. Those who agree with us are troubled by the lack of scientific support for the current APS statement and the highly political nature of it.
Hal Lewis of the University of California, Santa Barbara:I think it behooves us to be careful about how we state the science. I know of nobody who denies that the Earth has been warming for thousands of years without our help (and specifically since the Little Ice Age a few hundred years ago), and is most likely to continue to do so in its own sweet time. The important question is how much warming does the future hold, is it good or bad, and if bad is it too much for normal adaptation to handle. The real answer to the first is that no one knows, the real answer to the second is more likely good than bad (people and plants die from cold, not warmth), and the answer to the third is almost certainly not. And nobody doubts that CO2 in the atmosphere has been increasing for the better part of a century, but the disobedient temperature seems not to care very much. And nobody denies that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, along with other gases like water vapor, but despite the claims of those who are profiting by this craze, no one knows whether the temperature affects the CO2 or vice versa. The weight of the evidence is the former.
So the tragedy is that the serious questions are quantitative, and it's easy to fool people with slogans. If you say that the Earth is warming you are telling the truth, but not the whole truth, and if you say it is due to the burning of fossil fuels you are on thin ice. If you say that the Earth is warming and therefore catastrophe lies ahead, you are pulling an ordinary bait and switch scam. If you are a demagogue, of course, these distinctions don't bother you -- you have little interest in that quaint concept called truth.
So it isn't simple, and the catastrophe mongers are playing a very lucrative
Our representatives in Copenhagen should remember that good environmental policymaking is about weighing real-world costs and benefits -- not pursuing a political agenda.
Labels: global warming hoax
--will debut this Thursday at 8 p.m. on Fox Business Network, offering "44 shows exploring topics pertaining to economic liberty."
Well hot damn. I like John Stossel and have for a long time, because a) he's a libertarian, b) he makes sense and doesn't pander to his audience much, for a TV personality, and c) he's eye candy. I could get to like this alternative to Blowhard O'Reilly's "independent" stances (i.e. inconsistent rantings of his own muddled opinions "for The Folks" and his incessant exposes of topics involving scantily clad women and other prurient ratings-boosters). Usually I just turn the TV off at 8 and (gasp) read a book.
"Thursday's premiere will focus on either Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" or on global warming." Okay, I'll be there.
Labels: John Stossell
Thanks to Ace for starting an Al Gore poetry slam, and for the nice images that made me laugh--Ace is my kind of poet.
As for the "floating continent" disappearing--I can see that coming, all right. That part's not so funny.
There's only one remedy for this otherwise inevitable regulatory nightmare. The Congress must pass H. R. 391, legislation offered by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) that prohibits the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
Yeah, I'm sure that Democratic Congress will get right on that.
"The hour of choosing" will arrive in 2012, my fellow voters. Time to rout people who spout "poetry" like this and this and the politicians who enable them.
I agree with Professor Richard Lindzen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who said: "future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century's developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age". ―
Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic
Labels: Al Gore, EPA fascism, global warming hoax, immortal bard
Two poverty-stricken brothers living in a cave in Hungary are about to inherit a 7 billion dollar fortune--thanks to genealogical research.
Think any women will look at them now?
Hat tip to Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
Labels: genealogy
Gross and vile revelations at Gateway Pundit concerning the pornographic reading materials advocated for middle and high school students by Obama's "Safe Schools" czar, Kevin Jennings, and the group he founded, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Bookworm says we should be grateful to Obama for bringing to the attention of parents this kind of sleaze in the classrooms being pushed to sexualize their children, all in the name of "tolerance" and "diversity." Most parents don't have a clue how widespread this effort is. I didn't realize it until a couple of years ago.
Gay Patriot says the kinds of activists like Jennings and his GLSEN cohorts give gays a bad name and that the best Jennings "could for the gay community would be to resign his position in the Education Department." As Byron York has summed up earlier:
Jennings has come under heavy criticism from many conservatives for, among other things, his work to introduce gay themes into the nation's classrooms, including elementary schools; the foreword he wrote for a book entitled Queering Elementary Education; his lack of experience in school safety and drug issues; some of the work of the organization he founded, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network; and his handling of an incident in 1988 in which, as a high school teacher, Jennings was approached by a sophomore boy who confided that he had become involved with an older man.
What is the Obama administration waiting for?Michelle Malkin also comments.
The upcoming U.N. climate change meeting in Copenhagen (or "Hopenhagen," as some unicorn-lovers would style it) is the next big chance for the U.N. to enjoy a fancy carbon-rich get-together and to demand that rich countries pony up big bucks to "developing" countries (aren't they always "developing" and never actually maturing?) to help them cope with "climate change." Never mind the moral illogic behind this extortionate demand--and never mind that "Climategate" has now pulled the curtain off the fraudulent roots of the whole climate-change scam. Will our illustrious President Obama show up and try to sign over American sovereignty to the global overlords he and his anti-American, left-wing one-worlder compatriots so obviously venerate? Only if he wants to look like an even bigger fool in the eyes of his fellow Americans. He will be hung out to dry by a non-seconding Congress and an angry American populace. Yet it is fascinating to speculate how low he'll go before he's through.
Meanwhile, while I'm not willing to send any money to "developing" dirt-nations run by tyrants in order to stuff their corrupt or inept rulers' pockets, I'd be glad to send them an extra copy of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged I have lying around the house. If anybody in a developing nation actually wanted to help their own people, an honest reading of that book would do them more good than anything else we can "give" them (like taxpayer dollars taken from us unwillingly at the point of a gun). My advice to developing countries is: Learn some economics and grant your own people their God-given liberty and freedom to pursue their own lives, happiness, self-interest, and development without interference and corruption.
Maybe former U.N. bigwig Kofi Annan can cough up some of those scammed Food for Oil proceeds to help such "developing" nations, since he's such an expert on such things.
I hope most Americans are smarter than to fall for such extortionist rot. Personally, my own patience has long run out for having anything to do with the United Nations. Too bad some of our most prominent U.S. corporations and media don't have the smarts to see the light. (Talking to you, Coca-Cola, Google, and the Wall Street Journal! Shame on you!)
UPDATE: "Nopenhagen!" Al Gore won't show. Will his Oscars for "An Inconvenient Truth" be rescinded? (via Instapundit)
Just a few recent reasons, off the top of my head, for why his ratings are tanking and he seems so out of touch:
--Ignores "Climategate" when a simple Googlesearch would fill him in. Americans now know about Climategate. Americans never respect being stonewalled by their own representatives. It seems patronizing and disrespectful, and the stonewaller seems a fool.
--First the non-working massive stimulus, then the Jobs Summit (are you kidding me?)
--Czarmania (via Instapundit)
--Wimpish with tyrants
--Irresolute and pussyfooting
--Seeks to subvert instead of uphold the law. Perpetuating miscarriages of justice is "The Chicago Way"--and just another way of being dishonest. Americans don't appreciate such trends that hurt our country and make its people cynical.
--Seven more reasons (via Instapundit).
--Everything is all about him.
We might as well laugh--there's not much else we can do for four years. Or at least until 2010, anyway, when a change in who we send to Congress can start to return our country to its people from the usurping grasp of the 24/7 Democrat-approved Obama Amateur Trainwreck.
* "That idiot in the White House" is a phrase used by my 82-year-old mother, referring to President Obama. I think she is not alone in feeling that way.
Labels: Age of Obama


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You can use anything: russett, Idaho, Yukon gold, etc. Just cook for less time if you use tiny new or fingerling potatoes. Here's an easy recipe:
New potatoes are best. Big baking potatoes must be cut and the texture is not ideal.
I agree, you can use almost any kind of potato; but, I use russets with walla walla onion and unsalted butter.
I am assuming you are slicing the potato and putting butter and onion rounds in between each slice.
Steven is the author of the best-selling Barbecue Bible and the host of two grilling TV shows: The Primal Grill and Barbecue University.
Don't cook em in foil. Brush baking potatoes w butter or bacon fat. S & P and indirect grill for 1 hour w soaked wood chips tossed on the coals.
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Potato Dumplings For Soup
7 Feb 2009
IngredientsSee Ingredients in Direction
Bake or boil 1/2 lb.of potatoes, then peel and mash them with a little buttermilk.
Tip the mashed potatoes on to a floured board, add a table-spoonful of butter, a pinch of castor sugar, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg, a beaten egg, and enough stale bread, crumbled, to give you a paste thick enough to roll into a round shape.
One or two tablespoonfuls of grated cheese can, if you like, be added to the mixture.
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Potato Dumplings For Soup Recipe


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Senior housing is the last thing village of Schoharie needs Once again, the Schoharie Planning Board, along with Kingston-based Birchez Associates, is recommending a senior complex on Route 30 in Schoharie, just south of the former Great American Parking lot ["Housing project getting $4M boost," May 9]. Fifteen years ago, this was brought before the public, and because of wetlands and people's dissent, it was not built. We already have two senior complexes in the ...
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The income tax cuts written into Ohio's new two-year budget have been criticized as favoring wealthy Ohioans and hurting low wage workers. The state's tax commissioner defended those cuts – and budget -- today on 90.3's The Sound of Ideas program. ideastream's Brian Bull reports.
Over the next three years, the state budget phases in a personal income tax cut that eventually tops out at ten percent.
Sales tax will rise a quarter percent, and small business owners will see taxes drop by 50 percent on $250,000 of income.
State Tax Commissioner Joe Testa says those changes are beneficial for everyone, and make the state more competitive. He says Ohio will continue to tax wealthier Ohioans more than lower wage workers, and he refutes claims that the new budget disproportionately gives affluent ones a break.
"There's a lot of features in this budget that are focused on the lower income people and help them dramatically. "
Testa says low-income workers benefit from things like a $20 credit on the personal income tax, and a new Earned Income Tax Credit that goes into effect with the new budget.
Amy Hanauer with the left-leaning group Policy Matters Ohio says despite those provisions, low income Ohioans do not benefit from the tax changes. She says they still pay a greater share of their earnings than wealthier people, and don't, in the end, get a tax cut.
"The top 1 percent are going to get a more than $6,000 tax cut under this plan, and the lowest income Ohioans are going to be paying $12 more in state and local taxes."
The budget is now in effect. Testa says the changes will bring taxes down overall by $2.7 billion.
ideastream's Michelle Kanu contributed to this report.


text: The Stew's winter meetings tracker: MondayWelcome back! Baseball's winter meetings continue down in Nashville today and hopefully there will be a bit more action than there was on Monday. Let's get it on! Baseball's winter are starting down in Nashville and there's plenty of action about to take … (more)Source: yahoo.com


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Lizzie and Mika = Ben & Billy
The Walking Dead Forum and Fan Site for AMC's television show The Walking Dead. Discuss the show on our message board and chat with members.
This is a discussion on Carol...Kill Him! within the Episode 402 - Infected forums, part of the The Walking Dead Season 4 category. "Lizzie and Mika = Ben & Billy..."
There is a huge difference, in the comic, we know Allen quite a while before he dies, and we care for him, I don't know that ugly looking fat guy in the TV show, and I certainly do not care him
I found myself screaming at the tv at her for putting them in harms way. Their last convo with their dad was pointless and only served to further mess with their heads. Carol is reckless and overly obsessed with toughening these young girls up... I think its related to her being abused by her husband in s1.
Carol's actions sucked. She left a guy she knew was bitten and dying to get the kids. He could have turned and killed someone in her absence! She should have either killed him discreetly herself when she saw the neck wound, or gotten someone to stand guard on him while she went to round up the kids.
What's up with her and the kid? Here kill your father... that's hardcore


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Famous Filipino Celebrities, Mariel Rodriguez, and her husband, Robin Padilla, recently spent their wedding anniversary in Maldives.
According to reports Robin Padilla and Mariel are the very first Filipino celebrities to spend their holidays 2011 at the grand Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa with their presence, while they also met with the over 30 Filipino staff working at the islands newest luxury resort.
Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla is a Filipino commercial model, product endorser, TV host, former MTV VJ and actress. She first started as an MTV VJ and she is currently co-hosting the noontime variety show Happy Yipee Yehey! in the Philippines most popular TV Station ABS-CBN. She has also been a host for the reality franchise Pinoy Big Brother and the now defunct noontime show Wowowee.
Robin Padilla (Robinhood Fernando Cariño Padilla) is a Filipino action star who has played gangster roles in movies including "Anak ni Baby Ama", "Grease Gun Gang" and "Bad Boy 2?. He is the younger brother of actors BB Gandanghari, Rommel Padilla and Royette Padilla.


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"Doing too much in their montages. Even having a montage. Directors and casting directors really want to cut to the chase with you, not see little bits of everything you've ever done."
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Along with your trusty travel partner, make sure to keep this Côte D'Azur travel bottle at your side while scaling the beautiful beaches of the French Riviera. With a colorful, retro print of the coast and a pretty pin-up, this push-top stainless steel flask is perfect for beverages hot or cold, as well as making every last detail of your journey truly splendid!
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Article by Lena Nevo
Luxury Boutique Accommodation offer first class amenities and services. This type of luxury accommodation can be booked at extremely affordable rates. You just need to a thorough research so that you are able to get the best without shelling out too much of money. You can avail the packages of these boutique hotels.
Without a shred of doubt, this package will save you a lot of money. The concept of offering package services within a fixed rate has been started by these boutique hotels these days. However, you must keep on hitting a lot of websites so that you come to know about these offers as and when they are offered. Get the best accommodation and have a pleasurable stay! Make a move now and book it right now! Book well in advance to avoid any hassle during your stay! GO now!
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These types of luxury boutique hotels feature attached restaurants for dining. In addition, they also feature health clubs, swimming pools, spa centres and cafeteria. They are a perfect escape and provide a lot of entertainment for their customers. You can also avail indoor game facilities which are provided in some of the hotels. On the other hand, it should be kept in mind that the facilities all comes exclusive of the hotel staying room fees. Hence, none of the external facilities comes free with the room charges. Most of the hotels offer free breakfast facilities too. In a nut shell, you need to keep in mind certain things so that you do not have to regret after making the payments.
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There are a lot of websites particularly devoted to finding you housing in London at any budget you are on. So, go ahead and book it right now! Rush now so that you get a perfect escape! Have fun and enjoy your stay! Adopt a smart strategy and book a luxury hotel suiting your preferences and tastes. The best part about this city is that you can find good hotels at each nook and corner of the city, serving you quality food. For getting some more information on Luxury Boutique Accommodation in the vibrant and luxurious city of London online, you need to log on to the website http://www.themarblearchlondon.co.uk/.About the Author
Lena Nevo is a travel & tourism specialist having great knowledge in Travel & Tourism. Get latest updates on Luxury Boutique Accommodation and Five Star Accommodation. To know more about boutique hotels, visit: TheMarbleArchLondon.co.uk


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A stay at Hotel La Paz places you in the heart of Guadalajara, minutes from Las Nueve Esquinas and close to Hospicio Cabanas. This hotel is within close proximity of Teatro Diana and Parque Revolucion. Make yourself at home in one of the 64 guestrooms. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have showers and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include ceiling fans, as well as phones with free local calls. Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, a 24-hour front desk, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite.


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My husband turned me onto Chris Brogan years ago, and I have to admit that I didn't pay all that much attention, even though Brogan is a new-media superstar and…Read more
Media Consolidation Graphic (via Frugal Dad)
It had been a while since I looked at this, and it seems especially relevant as I wrap up my awesome Media & Society class at Marylhurst. A big thanks…Read more
New Media: Evolution or Revolution?
It was 1970 when poet and griot Gil Scott-Heron first proclaimed, "the revolution will not be televised." Forty-two years later, many of us now turn to the Internet for our…Read more
Our Collective Narrative: How Story Can Help Envision the Future
Douglas Cohen has been described in many ways, from "sustainability leadership specialist" and "catalyst for a regenerative future" to "facilitator" and "trainer." Douglas is a revered change agent and leading…Read more
Games People Play
Have you heard of Jane McGonigal? Until yesterday, I hadn't, which now makes me feel like I was perhaps living under a rock for quite some time. But thanks to…Read more
Thoughts from the Green Building Trenches
"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." ~Marian Anderson Green building has come a long way since the…Read more
What Do You Call a Guy With No Arms and No Legs Tacked to a Wall?
Art. Art is inherent to our human experience, and while I don't know much about art in general, I know that I'd like to be more involved with the "art…Read more
Trim Tab Book Review
About a year ago, I was tasked with writing a book review for Trim Tab, Cascadia Green Building Council's e-zine. It was interesting to revisit this a year later, and…Read more
One Year Ago, Today
On a gloriously Pacific Northwest-style sunny Sunday afternoon, we had just come from seeing the indie movie Wendy and Lucy to meet up with friends for a late lunch and…Read more
It's that time of year again; the time when we index the past year and assess where we're at and where we're heading. Most of 2008, I was concentrating on…Read more
What Fertile Soil Can Do for a Gal
The soil is fertile here in the Pacific Northwest, just they way you picture it would be in the world's largest temperate rainforest. We, as humans, are definitely a part…Read more
Our Oregon Trail
As the movers pulled away from our Lowcountry (freshly empty) home Wednesday, it felt like I was watching the scene unfold upon me from outside of myself. It's still all…Read more
Hyper Local – The Key to Happiness, Independence, and Community
The thread of community building and economic partnership on a hyper local scale has been stitching itself into my life's canvas over the past number of months. First, it was…Read more
Grand 'Ol Petroleum, or GOP for Short
Today marks the fourth time this summer that the GOP in the Senate have blocked an energy and business tax bill from getting to the floor. The Wall Street Journal…Read more
Historic Preservation and Sustainability Can Co-exist
Oglethorpe's plan for Savannah Savannah is known for her unique and plentiful city squares that promote open space. Consequently, its present city planning department, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, tends to…Read more
Word of the Week
While watching a documentary on Paul Bowles last night, I was reminded how much I truly adore language. I love interesting words, even if only in the way they sound.…Read more
Finally, I Know Why
Ever since I've moved to the land of outlet malls (well disguised outlet malls, thankfully), I find myself especially drawn to the Banana Republic outlet. This may not be odd…Read more
Foodie Files
Our relationship with food is an interesting delve into passion, survival, hedonism, disease, and social interaction, among other things. I love food, and although I am a picky eater and…Read more
Guerilla Gardening
Imagine making a midnight run, armed only with peonies and tulips, a hand spade and packet of seeds. This is a typical evening for one Mr. Richard Reynolds, the Londoner…Read more
Photo courtesy of Roujo As I unloaded the last bit of our groceries onto the belt this morning, David prepared to pay as I got our bags together and helped…Read more


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we're bringing 'Don't Call It a Sum-Back Tour' to Europe next year! pre-sale tickets for all UK shows go on sale this Wed 10/12 + general on-sale starts 10/14 at 9am gmt at sum41.com.
our new album '13 voices' is out now on Hopeless Records! Pick up your copy now: Digital | Physical
hey skumfuks. so i have to admit i've been so busy getting ready for the upcoming fall tour that i literally forgot about the fact that the album is about to come out in 1 WEEK! crazy right?! we have been working on this thing for so long and feeling like it was never going […]
we'll be stopping by a few record stores during our tour next month for the release of '13 Voices!' pre-order your copy of the album from one of them now for guaranteed entry into the event.
'13 voices' is number 13 on Rolling Stone's 35 Must-Hear Albums for the Fall!
"Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Talks Near-Death Experience, Learning to Walk and Live Again"
i love playing in Europe because the fans are so dedicated + they have so much passion.
so we have officially picked the first single now. this song is called "war". i picked this song because of it's importance to me. i feel this song literally saved my life. i was at my absolute lowest point of what seemed like a never ending recovery. i was at a tipping point where i […]
Vans Warped Tour always has a special place in my heart. the reason we're a band is because we went to the tour in 1996 and that was the day I decided to start sum 41…
Excited to announce that we'll be hitting the road this fall with Senses Fail + As It Is! Tickets go on sale this Friday 8/12 at 10am local time at sum41.com.


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SEA LIFE Jesolo transports visitors into the amazing underwater world. Prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish to graceful rays and tropical sharks. With an amazing underwater ocean tunnel, 30 display tanks and more than 5,000 sea creatures the aquarium is the perfect stop for family fun! To get any closer you'll have to get wet!
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Daily Archives: December 10, 2011
In the world of "hard to swallow" claims, the claim that the architects of the buildings below just had "no idea" this resembled the 9/11 attack on the World Trade center is exactly that:
Said the Dutch design firm MVRD, in an English language release:
"It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks," the designers insist, "nor did we see the resemblance during the design process."
Really? I mean, by goodness, look at the design. You'd have to be an addled 5 day old badger not to see it.
I'm raising the big red BS flag here on this obviously disingenuous claim … especially after this:
The problem with this assertion – apart from its inherent implausibility – is that they have admitted the contrary in Dutch. Thus Jan Knikker of MVRDV told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, "I have to admit that we also thought of the 9/11 attacks."
Of course they did, what fool wouldn't? Yet they still thought it was a design in good taste and then lied about it when confronted.
Twitter: @McQandO


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|Kamlann of Egorian
|Seamus Haggrathy
|Garden Tool
|Syndir Apep
Syndir was used to such pushy behavior from vendors so he had no trouble ignoring them as they made their way through the market.
I imagine that Kamlann and Farid would want to be up front marching order wise with Syndir and Seamus a few steps behind and to either side of Jelani
|Kamlann of Egorian
|Seamus Haggrathy
|Farid Heydar
|Jelani Guldis
|Garden Tool
Noted; mage armor is up, then, when the following takes place:
Within an hour, you're out of the city - a wondrous location, in and of itself. Poverty and wealth are both evident at every corner. Similarly, old architecture and new contrast, throughout. Within three more, you're upon the monastery. The hike through the hills was nice enough - save for the occasional whooping, howling sounds of strange animals... always seeming all-too-near. You've been following a little-used trail which branched off from a main road (probably used by the miners, for there are many mines scattered throughout the Bandu Hills). The trail terminates at the monastery, which takes the shape of a tall pagoda. A serene and elegant structure, worthy of Sheylnite worship.
A second glance renders it immediately evident, however, that something is terribly wrong. A beautiful granite statue that sits in the center of the courtyard depicts a fierce ghaele azata holding a great sword and a long scroll. The statue's head has been pulverized, and lies in fragments on the paved block upon which the statue rests.
Two shapes float in the small, round reflecting pool directly in front of the granite statue. After a moment, you register the shapes - a pair of bodies dressed in yellow-gold robes, the color of the sun.
On the fifth floor of the seven-story pagoda, several of the beautiful, colored windows that dress the tower are broken. Glittering yellow glass (each floor is adorned with windows tinted a different color) litters the ground at the base of the pagoda.
No monks are in evidence, though the garden is in relatively good shape. One horse occupies the tiny stable adjacent to the pagoda - it leans against the planking, and appears to be starving, or dying. It bears no apparent injuries, but it is clearly suffering. The monks are behind on their tributes by less than a week, which suggests that whatever happened here happened recently.
The monastery is silent, and not a single light flickers through the colored windows.
|Farid Heydar
|Kamlann of Egorian
Kamlann's scimitar is out as soon as he recognizes the bodies for what they are. "The dead aren't a concern unless they get back up again," he says flatly. "If whatever did this is still here, though, that is a concern. Leave the bodies - don't split up until we've checked every corner."
|Syndir Apep
|Seamus Haggrathy
Seamus draws his pistol and moves towards the two floating bodies. Ain't nothing to be done for them but there's always the chance they could do something for us.
Scanning the area carefully for danger he then pats down the corpses, looking for anything of value as well as any kind of keys or other items that might help them inside the temple.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
|Syndir Apep
|Jelani Guldis
Jelani's instincts and foresight had told him something was wrong. And it very clearly was. There was perhaps another preperation he could make, but there was a time limit on the spell.
If only he'd been able to master the scrying spells.
|Farid Heydar
Farid heads to the building and searches the doorway to ensure the ransackers did not leave behind any traps.
Search 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
|Jelani Guldis
On second thought...
If Seamus was going to drag the bodies out of the water, Jelani would at least have a look at them. He might be able to know at least, what killed the monks.
Heal check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
|Garden Tool
The map is updated with your positions - make sure you're looking at the Shelyn monastery tab. While Farid is searching for traps and Kamlann and Syndir are standing guard, Seamus and Jelani are looting and examining the corpses, respectively. I'd like Kamlann and Syndir to confirm their positions on the map and adjust them as desired since no particular positioning was specified by the two of you. (Schrim is behind the monestary at the top of the map).
While Kamlann and Syndir are doing that, I need Jelani and Seamus to give me Will saves. : D
|Syndir Apep
|Jelani Guldis
|Schrim Daskovi
The Pseudo-doctor had just arrived at the monastery when he discovered some bodies. He knew he should feel something about this, but when you no longer have any sort of bowels, your ability to feel much of any sympathy is severely hampered, amongst other things.
Schrim heard voices speaking, and strained to hear what they were saying. When he heard one say "the dead aren't a concern unless they get back up again", he decided that perhaps he shouldn't make himself known to them quite yet. Hiding behind the monastery, and waiting for them to discover something important or through their noise attract whatever had done all this killing, he stood incredibly still. Not having to breathe or shift weight had some advantages.
He was a bit concerned for his friend as losing him might make it difficult for him, but it seemed like there might be little he could do at this time.
|Kamlann of Egorian
|Seamus Haggrathy
|Garden Tool
By some odd quirk or effect, Jelani and Seamus seem to "see" the corpses floating in the water as they must have been in life - healthy, fit, and vibrant living people. The effect is clearly an illusion, or some other trick of the mind. An effect inherent to the pool, perhaps? Whatever the ruse, Jelani and Seamus are too experienced and savvy to believe it, seeing right through strange the illusory trick.
The bodies clearly belonged to monks or priests, by their garb - colorful robes and Shelyn's iconography. As Seamus begins to pat them down, Jelani is seized by a powerful divinitory premonition. Something is about to happen. Something dangerous.
???: 1d20 ⇒ 20
Jelani's initiative check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of shattering glass erupts from the sixth floor of the pagoda. Farid doesn't even have time to look up before he is struck - not a killing blow, by Shelyn's grace, just a glance - by a granite statue that topples out of the broken window some sixty feet above.
1d20 ⇒ 18 (modifier withheld)
falling object damage 3d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 1) = 9
As the sculpture smashes into the ground beside him, Farid is clipped by some part of the object - an arm? Despite his good fortune in surviving, Farid does suffer a painful and shocking head wound.
It is at that very moment that one of the corpses floating in the pool reaches up to clutch Seamus' arm.
undead monk's grapple check: 1d20 ⇒ 13 (modifier withheld)
Distracted by the calamity of the falling sculpture, Seamus realizes the danger that he's in a moment too late to prevent it. One of the undead things in the pool has grabbed him, and the other has shambled to its feet.
Jelani, forewarned by the favor of Nethys, is the first to react. One of the undead horrors emerges from the pool, dripping wet and scowling.
You can't five-foot step out of 5-foot deep water and onto land, so the undead are done. Farid is now standing in rubble, not that it should matter much since leaving difficult terrain incurs no penalties. Farid has received 9 points of damage. Jelani can take a single action in the surprise round. While he's doing that, everyone (including Jelani and also including Schrim, who can hear the commotion and the splashing) can roll their own initiatives. As you act, you can start rolling any Knowledges you'd like to try.
|Schrim Daskovi
|Syndir Apep
Everything seemed to be happening at the same time. One of the corpses grabbed Seamus and ...a statue?..fell near enough to Farid to clip him...no accident there...On guard people!
Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Syndir waggled his fingers and hissed sharp constanants as he fell into his swaying Pai Jong stance.
Standard Action - cast Mage Armor and Swift action to activate Snake Style
|Kamlann of Egorian
|Farid Heydar
farid was gravely injured in the fight with Denegar. He would have healed 3 HP during the trip here the night before placing him at 9. Therefore he is at 0 HP and while not unconscious is dazed. I think he has a healing potion but I am not sure, will have to look in his inventory.
|Seamus Haggrathy
|Jelani Guldis
Jelani backpedaled as soon as his instincts kicked in, moving away from the undead...
Standard action to Withdraw up to my speed. (Moved 30ft)
I'll just use the initiative check you rolled for me Garden.
Knowledge check (Religion I assume): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
|Syndir Apep
|Garden Tool
The journey aboard the ship took several days. Farid (and everyone else) should be at full hp.
Schrim, I need initiatives, not actions. Also, you won't be going in the surprise round. The same goes for Syndir - hold off on your actions. I only need a surprise round action from Jelani, as per my post.
|Schrim Daskovi
|Syndir Apep
|Garden Tool
Farid's initiative check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Undead @ 20
Jelani @ 17
Schrim @ 16
Syndir @ 15+
Farid @ 15-
Seamus @ 9
Kamlann @ 7
That's it for the surprise round. Jelani has no idea what these are with that Knowledge check. Onto the next round, starting with the undead.
The horror which has climbed out of the pool charges Jelani with an angry growl. Swiping at the priest with one filthy claw, the humanoid undead thing opens a nasty gash in Jelani's collar.
Undead's claw attack: 1d20 ⇒ 17 (modifier withheld)
Undead's claw damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Jelani, I need a Fortitude save when you get a chance. That claw is filthy, and your injury is at risk of becoming infected.
Meanwhile, the creature in the waist-deep pool continues to clutch at Seamus, attempting to smash his head against the edge of the pool. The undead creature largely succeeds - with much splashing and struggling, the monster begins to gleefully thump the pirate's now-bloodied head against the stone lip of the pool. The undead monk laughs as it does so - not the behavior of a mindless creature...
Undead's grapple CMB check (to deal damage): 1d20 ⇒ 14 (modifier withheld)
Undead's natural attack or unarmed strike damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Wow, max damage both times. Whelp, Jelani is first to act in round 1. Everyone please remember that attacking a creature that is standing in waist-deep water from the land gives that creature improved cover (+8 AC, +4 Reflex). Get in the water with it and you're fine.
|Jelani Guldis
AC (AC/To/FF): 15/11/14
Current Effects: Mage Armour (~1.5 hours left)
Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Jelani cursed his unpreparedness. He wasn't ready to deal with undead. He should've seen through the illusion more quickly. He needed to create time for his allies to act.
Taking a quick step back, away from the undead creature, Jelani grasps his amulet, calling to mind words of power. Delicate arcane tracings are woven quickly, and suddenly a hole appeared just underneath the enemy's foot.
Jelani will 5-ft step directly away and cast Stumble Gap using his Arcane Bond, targetting the undead which attacked him. Reflex save is DC 14.
|Garden Tool
Undead's Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 8 (modifier withheld)
stumble gap damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4
With a growl of surprise, the undead monster stumbles forward in pursuit of the half-elven priest, and trips over the shallow groove made manifest by Jelani's spell, falling flat on its face.
The monster falls into space P26.
Schrim creeps around the building. (Taking the actions he described earlier.)
It is Syndir's turn.
|Syndir Apep
Retconned position since earlier post didnt happen.
Syndir waggled his fingers and hissed sharp constanants as he fell into his swaying Pai Jong stance.
Swift action to activate Snake Style. Standard action to cast Mage Armor. Move to Q,25
|Farid Heydar
Farid Round 1 - HP - 16/23
Farid is angered by being struck yet again without a chance to retaliate. He rushes headlong into the building to look for the bastard that dropped the statuary on him.
Farid will also grab his new crossbow from his backpack.
What do I see as I enter the building?
|Garden Tool
|Farid Heydar
|Seamus Haggrathy
Seamus tries to shake his head clear as the undead creature held to him tightly. Slipping a hand free, he pulled his scimitar quickly from his waist and sliced at the creature holding him, trying to slide the blade between himself and it.
Quick Draw to pull out my MW Scimitar. (Or move action if you'd prefer, either way shouldn't matter.)
Standard action to attack with a light or one handed weapon while grappled.
Scimitar attack (with grapppled penalties included): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 2 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
|Garden Tool
Farid, go ahead and move your "mini" wherever you're going.
Struggling wildly, Seamus' scimitar connects with only water. The blade makes a big splash, but does no harm to anyone.
Reminding everyone again - attacks from land against creatures half-submerged in water have to deal with improved cover (+8 AC, +4 Reflex) per the rules for water-based combat.
It is Kamlann's turn.
|Seamus Haggrathy
I only bring this up because my hitting an AC 20 seems to have been a miss due to water. But if I'm being grappled by the creature, either he moved into my space or I moved into his per the rules but either way wouldn't this negate the cover bonus it receives from being in the water? How can I be on land and he be in water and yet he's got his arms wrapped around me? Just wondering cause if that's the case, there's no way I'll ever be able to deal with this.
|Kamlann of Egorian
Grappling doesn't work like that in PF. However, Kamlann's heading that way.
"No, damn your eyes!" Kamlann shouts at Farid, but he turns and heads toward Seamus. [B]"Stay close!"[b] As he moves, he intones a protective incantation.
Standard action to cast shield, swift action to channel an arcane point into his scimitar, move action to get into the water. Posting from phone means I can't move myself on the map, but I think I can get to X27.
|Garden Tool
@ Seamus: The sharing-spaces-in-a-grapple mechanic is a 3.0/3.5 artefact. In Pathfinder, "grappled" is just a condition. He's standing in the water and he's got his hands around you - you both occupy your own spaces and you both have the "grappled" condition. Strategically, the situation you're in is pretty crappy. Tactically speaking, your best bet is probably not to fight back, but to get free. Being unable to enter the water and even the playing field means that you can't get around the improved cover problem until you can move again.
@ Kamlann: I moved your guy to X27.
As Farid enters the monastery, he immediately picks up on a rotten smell. Furthermore, the whole place seems to have been tossed - ruined oil paintings and shredded silk banners litter the walls and floor.
Outside, the risen monk wading through the water ignores the newcomer, and continues to cackle as it grinds and thumps Seamus' head against the stone corner of the man-made pool.
Undead's grapple CMB check (to deal damage): 1d20 ⇒ 19 (modifier withheld)
Undead's natural attack or unarmed strike damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
The second creature continues to claw at Jelani. Hissing a short and unintelligible phrase that might be "die priest," the creature scratches and slashes at the half-elf with its filthy nails. It doesn't bother to get up, instead attacking from the ground with desperate fervor. It almost seems to want to climb Jelani.
Undead's claw attack: 1d20 ⇒ 19 (modifier withheld)
Undead's claw damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Undead's claw attack: 1d20 ⇒ 16 (modifier withheld)
Undead's claw damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
@ Jelani: Wow; that's 12 damage you have now, I think. I need a pair of Fortitude saves (one for each seemingly-infected claw) on or before your turn.
|Seamus Haggrathy
Understood on the grapple stuff, reread the Pathfinder stuff on it. I think the other part of my confusion was in the placement of the corpses and my searching. I assumed I would have had to climb into the pool to search them, I didn't realize it was possible from the edge. Everything's squared away now and I'll figure out how to deal with it on my next action.
|Schrim Daskovi
Schrim trotted up to the corner of the building to get a look into what was happening beyond. It seemed as if some of the dead monks had issue with intruders and something had fallen off of the roof. The melee that had broken out in the courtyard looked serious, but there was no telling what kind of response he would receive if he went out there. But there were a fair amount of monks here, it might make sense to ally with the intruders if they were winning.
He decided to move on out into the courtyard and gauge their response from there. He also tried to keep an eye on the roof, in case someone was interested in squashing him as well.
Double move to AA22
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
|Syndir Apep
Moved you on the map Schrim.
Syndir regarded the crawling corpse with disgust. He was shocked to see it able to scratch at Jelani despite its vantage point. He drew his temple sword and sliced at the vile creature.
Sword Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9 +2 is for flanking
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
|Jelani Guldis
Remember that a prone creature is at -4 AC against melee. Also, Syn... you aren't flanking. Unless you wanted to step into the Stumble gap square.
Fort Saves: 2d20 ⇒ (6, 4) = 10 for a total of 10 and 8. Oh boy.
Jelani winces in pain, holding his staff in front of his as he backs as far away from the prone menace as possible.
Withdraw action to T25, moving around the undead's threatened area. Stumble gap and Syndir between me and him now :D