Sick As a Dog

At first, I thought my voice had disappeared because I was having too much fun at Disneyland last week. But then the cough came. Oh, that miserable, horrible cough. I flew back to DC on Saturday, hoping that I was just exhausted from a great week in San Diego. But noooo! The cough got worse...starting to hurt my chest while my sinuses started to get congested. But still, I hoped.

I called in sick from work on Monday, hoping that the extra rest would do the trick and cure me. And on Monday night, it appeared to have been a great success! I went to work on Tuesday only feeling mildly uncomfortable. In fact, I felt so good yesterday that I decided to go to Fogo de Chao last night with friends for dinner. The food was excellent, as always. However, halfway through the meal my energy levels dropped to near zero. I felt like a walking zombie. And as I had done in CA, I wrote it off to the aftereffects of a great and filling meal. 2am sure proved that wrong!

The cough was back, and this time, with a vengeance! I was up most of the night hacking away, losing my sleep and my mind. I took DayQuil, hoping it would help (I'm out of NyQuil). It helped the cough... but never take DayQuil at night unless you really don't want to sleep. It gives you crazy energy, that witches brew! So by the time my alarm went off at 7am, I was a wreck. I had to call in sick again, after explaining to my boss yesterday that I felt well enough to gorge myself at Fogo. Fun times.

But for as sick as I feel, I haven't experienced the worst, crippling condition that sometimes accompanies a cold. That condition - my worst fear - plugged up ears. Yes, some of you will remember my posts from the last time I was sick, in February. My ears got so bad that I wound up in the ER. It was miserable. However this time, so far, my ears are able to process pressure changes without a problem. But I know that when they decide to clog up, it's usually a few days AFTER feeling better from the cold. So, I'm keeping a vigilant watch on them... mingled with paranoia and fear!

Family Reunion

View from Thunder Mountain

Nathan, Stephanie and Paul on Dumbo

Star Tours

My favorite ride of all!

Miss America Contestants at Disneyland

Live from Disneyland

Pirates of the Caribbean

The US Border from Mexico

A Good Dog

First day in San Diego, and got to meet the new family dog. Say hi to Daisy!

My New Phone: Samsung SGH A707

For those of you who like things slick, this phone is simply amazing. But before I get into how cool it is, let me just say that this the first phone to really catch my eye in 2 years! I purchased my last phone, the ubiquitous Motorola RAZR, 2 years ago to the day (the day it was first released - and cost $500). I was happy with that phone, mainly because of it's size and reliability. However, as a self-described gadget-freak, the lack of intriguing phones since the RAZR has been killing me (my usual turnaround time for phones is 6 months)! But finally, my wait appears to be over.

In a phone, I look for the following: Thin (this phone has the same thickness when closed as the RAZR); Camera (this has 2 megapixels); Bluetooth; Easy Menus (this runs circles around Motorola's menu system); solid feel; large memory (50mb included, plus a memory card slot); media player (this is a new requirement) and a large, bright screen. It has all of these things and more...plus, it looks great!

But what's more, this phone runs on Cingular's brand new "3G" HSDPA (as well as GSM) network. Wikipedia defines HSDPA:

High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is a mobile telephony protocol, a 3G technology, which provides a smooth evolutionary path for UMTS-based 3G networks allowing for higher data transfer speeds. Current HSDPA deployments support 1.8 MBit/s or 3.6 MBit/s in downlink. Further steps to 7.2 MBit/s and beyond are planned for the future.

To put into perspective - this phone transfers data faster than DSL and many cable modems. This means the data speeds RUN CIRCLES around anything by Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. It even one-ups the European carriers (they usually have better phones and networks). Those commercials by Verizon and Sprint claiming to have the fastest networks are now out of date (they compare to Cingular's old, EDGE network).

The call quality is amazing. I talked to a friend last night who was astonished at how clear the connection was. In fact, he was so impressed with the phone that he plans on dumping Verizon and moving to Cingular.

The best part... this phone retails for $300... but if you sign for a new contract, you can get the phone for $29 after a $100 mail-in rebate. You can't beat that with a stick.

Oh, and I have no idea who the girl in the picture is. I got it from the Google.

My New Phone

So here is a picture from my new phone. Those of you who know me also know how picky I am when it comes to stuff like this. So far, the phone is a winner! Oh, I'm also posting this Blog directly from my phone. :)

FLOP: Michael Jackson's "Comeback"

Was this a big surprise? The guy has apparently been in bed with children too long and has forgotten what it means to please an audience comprised of adults. The schedule was for him to perform Thriller, his biggest hit, to a crowd at the World Music Awards in London. It was also to be his first live appearance in the UK in over 10 years.

Well, not surprisingly, the King of Flop changed his plans and came on stage singing a falsetto version of We Are the World. The audience, with good reason, started to boo him within seconds. The whole thing was a debacle of monumental proportions. The Sun reports:

WACKO Michael Jackson’s plastic surgery-ravaged face looks like it is melting as he arrives at the shambolic World Music Awards last night.

Jacko, 48, was snapped looking strange as he performed live in Britain for the first time in ten years.

But expectant punters — who had spent about £100 a ticket for the London event — ended up booing in disgust at the end after he only sang THREE LINES of We Are The World — when he was meant to sing Thriller with R&B star Chris Brown.

Read the Article HERE.

Terrorists Open DC Branch Office

Again, I wish I were making this stuff up. The Muslim Brotherhood announced that they will be opening an office in the nation's capital to "infiltrate the US government and influence its apathy towards political Islam." I'm not kidding! Quoted below (thanks to LGF):

WASHINGTON DC - The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (SMB), in alliance with the ex-vice- president of Syria, Abdul Halim Khaddam, a staunch Ba’athist, have opened an office in Washington DC. The aim of the office is to infiltrate the US government and influence its apathy towards political Islam. Ammar Abdul Hamid, a Syrian intellectual who works at Brookings Institute, will be running the office for the National Salvation Front. His duties are to sell political Islam and Ba’athism to reluctant US government officials and to give the Muslim Brotherhood a platform in the Think Tank community of Washington from which they can preach democracy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Muslim Brotherhood, I would invite you to learn more about them by clicking HERE. If that's too "right wing" for you, try Wikipedia, where it says:

The Muslim Brotherhood advocates the creation of Islamic government, believing that God has set out a perfect way of life and social organization in the Quran (as seen in the slogan, "The Quran is our constitution"). It expresses its interpretation of Islam through a strict religious approach to social issues such as the role of women...

I am all for freedom of speech, provided you aren't yelling "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater. But I hope this group finds as much "open minded" acceptance as the Neo-Nazis find at their rallies (sarcasm intended). The Muslim Brotherhood advocates a system of government that requires the destruction of our own - starting with the constitution. And if that wasn't enough, the Muslim Brotherhood gave us people like Sayyid Qutb, the man who inspired Osama bin Laden. But yeah, they're otherwise good people. Ha.

A New Culture of Corruption

As a good friend noted, "It's good to see the culture of corruption is still going to be with us in the democratic leadership of the 110th Congress. Reid with his sweethart land deals (that he forgot to report to the Senate), a disgraced and impeached former federal judge (Rep. Hastings) heading up the House Intelligence Committee and now the possible House Whip, Murtha, having entertained the idea of taking bribes back in the 80's?!"

But at least the Washington Post is reporting some of it.

Here's the Video!

Al Qaeda Planning Nuke Attack on UK

British intelligence is warning that terrorist chatter has increased surrounding the procurement of nuclear weapons and material, suggesting that a nuclear attack may be in the planning stages. The UK Guardian Reports:

British intelligence officials believe that al-Qaeda is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday. The announcement, from an officially organised Foreign Office counter-terrorism briefing for the media, was the latest in a series of bleak assessments by senior officials and ministers about the terrorist threat facing Britain.

UK officials have detected "an awful lot of chatter" on jihadi websites expressing the desire to acquire chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. Read entire article HERE.

It's Just NOT Gonna Happen

Sorry, John. I love you as a (barely) republican, but you just don't have what it takes to be president.

You're too liberal, too old (only Reagan had the presence to fool the geezer sensors. You... not so much), too stodgy, too temperamental, and frankly, too haggard looking to win the presidency. I know you really want it, and I know you think you can create buzz about yourself by filing early...

But, no. Just... no.

We can't afford another Bob Dole in 2008. Old Senators = No White House.

Al Qaeda in Iraq Supports Democrats

No, I'm not making this up. They have announced it themselves. However, they still plan on carrying their war to the American homeland - right up until the point where they blow up the White House. Here's a clip:

"Al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also urged the U.S. to stay in Iraq so his group would have more opportunities to kill American troops. 'We haven't had enough of your blood yet,' he told the U.S.

"We will not rest from our Jihad until we are under the olive trees of Rumieh and we have blown up the filthiest house - which is called the White House," al-Muhajir said. It was not clear what Rumieh was referring to.

"The American people have put their feet on the right path by ... realizing their president's betrayal in supporting Israel," the terror leader said. "So they voted for something reasonable in the last elections."'

Read ENTIRE Article.

A Horrible Case of Mixed-Up Identity

OK, one of these girls committed a felony. No, they are not related. One is a criminal, the other an innocent honor student. This would be the suckiest suck to ever have happen to you.

Click HERE for the story.

Voters, I Hope You Know What You've Done

Short-sighted voters have just installed a ruinous leadership with their "protest votes" aimed at Bush. Well, that's great, vote however you want... just consider the consequences first! Because of your "open-minded" votes that were cast for a "new direction," you have paved a golden road for Pelosi and the furious-4 (Waxman, Hastings, Conyers, Rangel) to take charge of American affairs.

We know it wasn't an ideological choice on your part, otherwise you wouldn't have elected conservative democrats in record numbers. We know you're conservative, but by voting for a "D," you have subjected the country to at least 2 years of monkeyhouse politics. Because you fell sucker for what the liberal media told you about life and how you should live it, you're gonna get 700 days of unrelenting liberal lunacy. I hope you're happy.

Did you realize that with your "vote for change," you removed local politicians for relatively minor corruption charges while sending an democrat who was impeached for bribery to chair the House Intelligence Committee? Of course you didn't. You were too busy feeling good about your open-minded protest vote for change. Well, you got your change. The country will now be forever changed - and not for better.

But worst of all, because the liberal media fails to report on all of the positive change in Iraq, you fell hook-line-and-sinker for the democratic liberal propaganda machine. Now, you have just signaled to Islamic fascists all over the world that America has given up. You're inviting them to push American even more. The terrorists will be more emboldened than ever. You have sold us out, you poor, ignorant "vote your conscious" activist. Yes, you're an activist now... all of you who voted for Tester in Montana. Yep, you big-sky Montana conservatives... you just gave us Harry Reid and a liberal national agenda.

Thanks a lot.

A Liberal Big Brother

Did any of you vote this morning? And, if so, did you notice the army of democrats calling themselves “poll observers?” Wall Street Journal has an article about them today, where they claim to be “non-partisan.” However, the ones in Fairfax County had little donkey labels and pins to set them apart from other observers. Cute.

What’s worse is that (at least in Fairfax) the poll workers are required to shout out your name when you check in. This is to satisfy the “observers” with their checklists. So, just so some liberal can be satisfied that the GOP isn’t going to “steal” another election, the safety of my wife is compromised as they shout her name and address in a room full of people. Yeah, I can see how the safety tradeoff is worth it.

This is a perfect example of the kind of "feel good" measures democrats will be sure to pass if they gain control of Congress. Measures like these always satisfy the emotional element (Gee, we're doing something! Yay!), but they fail to hold up to common sense and in the end, do more damage than good.

Kerry, Just Say SORRY!

Yep, John Kerry is a smart one. Just look at the support he has among the troops!

Also, check this out! http://johnkerryhatesvets.ytmnd.com/

The Winners

Yep, you're looking at the Halloween costumes that earned wifey and I a cool $100! That's right folks, it actually pays to be white trash... if only pretend!

Study: US full of Internet Addicts

So I fit that profile exactly. So? SO?

From Breitbart News:

US full of Internet Addicts

The United States could be rife with Internet addicts as clinically ill as alcoholics, an unprecedented study released suggested.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in Silicon Valley said their telephone survey indicated more than one of every eight US residents showed at least one sign of "problematic Internet use."

The findings backed those of previous, less rigorous studies, according to Stanford.

Most disturbing was the discovery that some people hid their Internet surfing, or went online to cure foul moods in ways that mirrored alcoholics using booze, according to the study's lead author, Elias Aboujaoude.

"In a sense, they're using the Internet to self-medicate," Aboujaoude said. "And obviously something is wrong when people go out of their way to hide their Internet activity."

According to preliminary research, the typical Internet addict was a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use.

A "Clerical Error" - Suuure, Harry.

Harry Reid is starting to feel some of the same heat he's been dishing out to Republicans. I guess when a democrat breaks the law, it's a "clerical error" and not part of the "culture of corruption." Campaign fraud, non-disclosure of property sales from "friends." Maybe we should call him Harry "Duke" Reid?

Looks like democrats can add "hypocrisy" to their list of changes they plan on bringing to Washington. AP Reports:

REID USED CAMPAIGN FUNDS FOR CHRISTMAS BONUSES

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid paid cash for a $750,000 condo at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives. But when it comes to giving the doorman and other support staff Christmas bonuses, he's been using campaign donations instead of his own money.

Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.

Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid's office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence.

Read entire story HERE

The Katie Couric Ratings Disaster

I can't make stuff like this up. From Drudge:

COURIC: CBS 'EVENING NEWS' RATINGS DISASTER
Monday, Oct. 16, 2006

NEW YORK CITY
WABC 7.1
WNBC 5.3
WCBS 3.7

LOS ANGELES
KABC 5.9
KNBC 3.1
KCBS 1.5

WASHINGTON, DC
NBC 9.3
ABC 7.8
CBS 2.5

On our way back from picking pumpkins!

If you ever want to pick your own pumpkins, and I'm talking BIG pumpkins.. Then go south in VA. Wow!

"Scary Movie" Creator Slams Dems with New Campaign Ad

From the creator of Airplane and Scary Movie, comes the political ad deemed “too hot” by the RNC. It’s extremely critical of the democrats, and it’s also extremely funny. Thanks Drudge!

Scary

Cool

Utah Game

Utah beat ranked TCU

Stuck in Chicago Again

The yellow ones are the delays and cancellations.

Going Out of Town Again!

Nowhere exotic this time, just heading to Salt Lake City to give a presentation on Hurricane Katrina to a large a conference. Will also spend some time with sister (and her new husband), cousins and friends. I'll be back in DC on Saturday. Fun times.

Expect pictures from the University of Utah game, Thursday night.

The Drudge Decade

So, my man Matt Drudge, creator of the world famous Drudge Report, is finally getting the public accolades he deserves for his (literally) newsmaking website. I've always been amazed to see stories appear on Drudge, then find their way onto the front web pages of such power-news organziations as CNN and FOX News.

Excellent job, Matt! ABC News Reports:

In the crucial congressional elections, now about five weeks away, one of the strongest weapons in the Republican arsenal is a man running a Web site out of his apartment in Miami. His name is Matt Drudge.

Drudge broke the Monica Lewinsky story and has had a tremendous influence on what you know about politics ever since.

From the comfort of his apartment, Drudge can send shock waves through newsrooms and campaign headquarters nationwide with breaking news often heralded by his trademark siren.

"If Drudge has a siren up, people know it's something they have to look at," said Mark Halperin, ABC News Political Director.

Read ENTIRE Article.

Fatwa Fridays!!!

This is too priceless to let slip through the media cracks. It's also testament to how we've lost our sense of humor in this country. Extreme? Maybe. Poor taste? Probably. Funny? Absolutely. I mean hey, the kids get free swords! CNN Reports:

'Jihad' auto dealer ad upsets U.S. Muslims

CINCINNATI (Reuters) -- A car commercial proclaiming a jihad on the U.S. auto market and offering "Fatwa Fridays" with free swords for the kids is offensive and should not be aired, Muslim leaders said on Sunday.

The radio advertisement for the Dennis Mitsubishi car dealership in Columbus, Ohio, has "a whole jihad theme," said Adnan Mirza, director of the Columbus office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"They are planning on launching a jihad on the automotive market and their representatives would be wearing burqas ... ," Mirza said. "They mentioned the pope in there and also about giving rubber swords out to the kiddies -- really just reprehensible-type comments."

Details of the radio ad, which has not yet been broadcast, have been reported in the local media, but officials at the dealership declined to comment about the content of the radio spot.

Read Entire Article Here.

A Little Excerpt...

Here's a video from our tip to the Mayan Riviera, Mexico. This was taken in Xel-Ha - a water sanctuary where we snorkeled, laid in the sun and swam with sea turtles all day. Oh, and cliff jumped!

Kansas City, Almost Done

The view of the Kansas City Convention Center from my room at the Marriott.

7 More Days...

...and this is where I'll be!

Cancun, Mexico.

Well, actually about 40 clicks south, in Playa del Carmen. All I need to do is fly to Kansas City today, work for 4 days on business, then fly home. After that, it's BEACH AND PYRAMIDS, baby!

What Happened to Democrats' "Open Minds"?

You know, conservatives are expected to roll over when a movie is made featuring the assassination of President Bush, yet when a television drama attempts to air bona-fide facts about the lead-up to 9/11 that portray Clinton has having done little to prevent the attacks, democrats go crazy.

Welcome to our world, liberals and democrats! For years, us conservatives and republicans have stood by while the mainstream media has trashed, misreported and slandered the GOP. All the while, you told us to have "open minds," for a mind that is not open to one's faults is a mind not worth having, right? That was what you told us.

Now, heaven forbid, a television program wants to tell the story about how twice Bill Clinton had the chance to kill Osama bin Laden, and balked. About how maybe there are other people, people other than George W. Bush, who are responsible for 9/11. But no, the democrats will hear nothing of it. I mean hey, this is an election year!

Just another link in the chain of hypocrisy that will reign if the democrats are allowed to win this November.

UPDATE: Well, ABC caved to liberal, activist pressure. Looks like the left's same tried and true method of screaming and yelling - in the face of contrary evidence - paid off again. We will never get the truth as long as liberal activists continue their reckless intimidation campaigns. Unbelievable.

Gotta Go Potty, Do Ya Katie?

Far from wanting to play into the CBS ratings trap last night, I instead turned on the news this morning to find images of Katie, perched atop some kind of ledge, delivering a horrible intro whilst wearing a "does this make me look fat?" white top and generally looking like she needed to tinkle.

What's that Katie, you have to go potty? Aw, you're such a big girl.

It amazes me that people call her a role model for women. What kind of women? With all of the botox, nips, tucks and slimmed down images Ms. Couric has, my guess would be that she would only serve as a role model for the insecure, vain and misguided. Surely there are better female role models who relied on their wits, intelligence and education to make an impression that would serve as a better role model. Margaret Thatcher comes to mind. Oh wait, she's conservative, and therefore doesn't count in the mainstream press. In that case, it doesn't surprise me that Katie has such appeal. Gag.

The Conservative Futurist Goes Global!

Thanks to some fancy linking (wink, Wonkette) - the Conservative Futurist has exceeded 3000 views in the past few days! I know that's small potatoes for the big, cool blogs out there - but for my humble, personal site that was originally intended for family and friends - those numbers ain't bad!

Here's a sample of where my last 50 hits have come from.

Quizno's: You Lost my Business!

DC, I need your help! Link This Blog!

I can't believe I am jumping on this bandwagon, but, here goes...

I support pressuring Quizno's into releasing their nutritional information. While I am asking that we all boycott Quizno's until they agree, please keep in mind that I'm not advocating government intervention. I am instead suggesting that we convince Quizno's to release their nutritional information like every other restaurant under the sun. And we do that using the tried and true method - by affecting their wallet size.

Why? Because Quizno's makes claims like "low carb" and "healthy" without backing it up with facts. It is a chain of lies! Subway can release their information, so why can't Quizno's? After all, Quizno's claims to be the #2 sandwich joint in the nation.

I also must add that I am pained by this decision. I love Quizno's food. But, because of their silence on the nutrition info, I must assume that Quizno's has something to hide - probably the fact that their food is TERRIBLE for you. So, I will no longer eat there.

More info HERE and HERE.

NOTE: I am aware that Quizno's lists nutritional info for TWO of their sandwiches. But that's all. Also, I am aware that Quizno's Australia posts nutritional data, but the sandwiches are different (as are the measurements).

UPDATE: Well, it appears this blog has made it into the "Toasted Subs" franchise message board, because I have been getting upwards of 100 hits per day from that site. I can't read their referring article, but I imagine it contains one of two subjects: 1) That I am out to kill small business owners (which I'm not); or 2) that these franchise owners are frustrated by corporate's decision to withhold the nutrition information - listing my blog as proof that customers are upset. I'm assuming it's the first reason.

I understand that franchises are independently owned and operated, and that a boycott hurts the small business owner. However, I also believe in accountability, and the power of choice held by the consumer.

Franchise owners are aware when they purchase the rights to sell under the Quizno's brand, that they will not be given the vital information that an increasingly health-conscious public demands - nutritional information. The franchisees accept this risk, knowing that it could spell trouble, and begin to sell a product that has potential to be a public relations liability. Also, as a consumer, I have the right to highlight product deficiencies as I see them, until such time as they can be rectified - provided my comments are not libelous or baseless. The facts are that Quizno's does not provide nutritional information and does not respond to customer requests for such information. This is bad business.

Therefore, I leave it in the hands of the franchise owners to send my message to corporate. If customers stop eating at Quizno's, then franchisees should press corporate to give customers what they want (the nutrition info). As a conservative, I truly believe in capitalism and have no desire to put franchise owners in the poor house - you guys are the lifeblood of America. However, you knew the risks associated with selling a product without a vital piece of information. Don't get mad at me because I am calling you out onto the floor for this. Use your collective voices and tell corporate that we want the information now. Or, as a believer in capitalism, I will take my business to those places which respect my wishes as a customer.

Pilot Locks Himself Out of Cockpit

Air Canada pilot goes to the bathroom, only to come back to a locked cockpit door. Is it just me, or is anyone else rapidly losing faith in the airline industry?

In addition to this fiasco, there's the sad, recent case of the air traffic controller working alone and on 2 hours of sleep, which tragically (and unknowingly) conspired with experienced pilots taking off down the wrong (and unlit) runway - resulting in America's first fatal commercial aviation accident since 2001.

But back to the peeing pilot. I'm just curious to know who cleaned up the subsequent "accidents" left by all of the passengers after seeing their pilot beating on the cockpit door with 30 minutes to go until landing.

Good grief. Canadians.

The Katie Couric 2 Minute Weight Loss Plan!

Send me your pictures, $50, and you too can lose 20+ lbs in a matter of seconds! See the results for yourself!

In all seriousness, it's sad that CBS feels they need to "skinny up" Couric to make her presentable. If they're so ashamed of their newest anchor, then why hire her to begin with? I mean, I can't stand the woman... but it has nothing to do with her weight.

To read about the photographic fakery taking place at CBS, click HERE.

To read about more important things, like where we're headed with Iran, click HERE.

Oh, and BOYCOTT QUIZNOS.

The Liar

I KNEW IT.

A Nice 300mph Ocean Breeze

Enjoy this clip of an Air France 747 blowing people down the sandy beach. Funny.

Pluto Has Been DEMOTED!

I feel like Charlton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes when he discovered the truth. I feel like screaming what he screamed. This is terrible.

I am traumatized, seriously. Our solar system now only contains 8 official planets. Textbooks will have to be re-written (not to mention my brain). I've been a space nerd ever since I was a kid, and I always feared this day would come. Now, a bunch of eggheads have taken Pluto away from me.

CNN REPOERTS:

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930. The new definition of what is -- and isn't -- a planet fills a centuries-old black hole for scientists who have labored since Copernicus without one.

Although astronomers applauded after the vote, Jocelyn Bell Burnell -- a specialist in neutron stars from Northern Ireland who oversaw the proceedings -- urged those who might be "quite disappointed" to look on the bright side.

The Trouble with Madmen

I've spoken about this guy in great length in my other blog. However, he deserves some mention here as well. The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a complete lunatic. Correction, he's not crazy, just mad with zeal.

As this article reports, Ahmadinejad should be giving all of us nightmares.

[...]

As one Iranian exile told me yesterday: 'The trouble with you secular people is that you don't realise how firmly Ahmadinejad believes - literally - in things like the winged horse. By choosing this date for his decision, he is telling his followers that he is going to obey his religious duty.

'And he believes that his religious duty is to create chaos and bloodshed in the "infidel" world, in order to hasten the return of the Mahdi - the Hidden Imam. So don't expect him to behave, in your eyes, "reasonably".'

The Blackberry Addiction

This is great. There's now a documented condition that explains my problem, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I mean, isn't admitting to the problem the first step in recovery? What's next, workers compensation? Lawsuits? Movies starring Ice-T?

The sad thing is, I've only had my Blackberry for 2 months.

BBC reports:

Blackberry email devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users, experts warned today.

They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed 'crackberries' because users quickly become hooked on them, could be seriously damaging to mental health.

John Karr and JonBenet... WHO CARES?!!

You know, I was sick of hearing about the JonBenet case back in 1996 and I'm even more sick of hearing about it now in 2006.

First of all, people are killed every day. Why this one case has America mesmerized is beyond my comprehension. It's the sick, tabloid nature of people nowadays that turns this type of news into something appealing.

Second, the untold crime was really committed by the Ramsey parents who turned their daughter into some kind of prepubescent, beauty-pageant sex idol (have you seen the pictures???). No wonder the unstable among the population gravitate towards these kids - they are confused between the lines of what makes an adult and what defines a child. Shameful.

Finally, I could CARE LESS about the whereabouts of John Karr. The world is literally on the brink of WWIII, and all the news channels break into programming when Karr's flight lands at LAX. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

Is this what we've come to, America? We don't care about politics. We don't care about issues that really matter. We don't care that an Islamic terrorist-President is about to announce something to the world that may trigger WWIII. None of this matters. We only care that we don't pollute the Earth in our overpriced, "makes me feel better about myself" Toyota Priuses while we sit behind our oversized TVs eating low-carb ice cream watching a self-professing child pervert eat caviar on a plane while defending Michael Jackson.

Maybe this world deserves to end.

What Could Have Been...

Today, August 16, was the day terrorists were plotting to destroy 10 planes enroute from the UK to the US (more information HERE). Luckily, through solid effort on behalf of the US, British and Pakistani governments, the plot (which would have rivaled 9/11 in terms of casualties) was foiled. Can you iamgine how different our lives would have been from this point forward had the terrorists succeeded?

It's humbling to consider what an alternate reality would have looked like if we had been interrupted mid-day with the news that thousands of people had been blown up, simultaneously, over various parts of the Atlantic Ocean and US mainland. Instead of reading about THIS flight, which was safely diverted today due to an unruly passenger, we could have been reading about that very same flight in terms of losses of life, position of the aircraft at time of explosion and who in the world did it. Not to mention the other 9 planes that would have suffered a similar fate.

So, allow me to express some thanks to our President, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence network for helping the British stop this plot before it happened. This is precisely the reason why fighting terror is hard. It's hard to give credit where it is due, and easier to point fingers once the damage has been done. I'd say, the programs we have in place (so far) are working. Let's not screw things up by putting people into office who would take away the very tools that have effectively kept this country safe for the past 5 years.

Picnic at the Teddy Roosevelt Monument

In 9 years of living in DC, I had never been to this memorial until today! We had a bucket of chicken with friends, and got attacked by mosquitos!

The Released AOL Search Results

AOL released very private data about its users without their permission. While the AOL username has been changed to a random ID number, the ability to analyze all searches by a single user will often lead people to easily determine who the user is, and what they are up to. The data includes personal names, addresses, social security numbers and everything else someone might type into a search box.

The most serious problem is the fact that many people often search on their own name, or those of their friends and family, to see what information is available about them on the net. Combine these ego searches with porn queries and you have a serious embarrassment. Combine them with “buy ecstasy” and you have evidence of a crime. Combine it with an address, social security number, etc., and you have an identity theft waiting to happen. The possibilities are endless. Those of you who use AOL should be aware of potential identity theft issues.

For a somewhat funny, yet disturbing example of what can be found - I suggest clicking on this link (1 minute slideshow). http://aolconfessions.ytmnd.com (warning: contains moderately explicit text in the form of user's web queries, but nothing verbal).

For more information on the breach, click HERE (it's the page from where I copied the first 2 paragraphs).

Talladega Nights: Funny, but not THAT funny.

Yes, Talladega nights was funny. Yes, there were times when I laughed very hard. Unfortunately, the funniest parts of the movie were all in the previews. Additionally, there were scenes in the previews that were not in the movie. Truth be told, I laughed the most during the previews, when I learned that BORAT will be starring in a new movie. For that, I can't wait.

I did have some fun at the movie, though. See!

Feeling Big and Important?

I've decided to share with you a fun, rare and accurate email forward I received today. This is cool, so try to keep up.

Below is a picture of Earth looking right at home next to her sister planets of Venus (almost the same size), Mars, Mercury and Pluto.

Now, when you add the other planets (below) in our solar system to the picture - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - Earth starts to look a little more insignificant.

But look at these giants (below) compared to the Sun, a star formally called Sol. More importantly, look at the size of Earth when compared to the sun. Everything human's have ever accomplished took place right there on that little speck. But it gets worse.

Even our star, Sol, pales in comparison to some of the other stars in our local galactic neighborhood. Check out Sirius, Pollux and Arcturus. Our sun is looking pretty small. But you ain't seen nothing yet!

Look at those giant stars compared to some of the biggest in our galaxy: Betelgeuse, Antares! These are the red giants - stars so big that our sun would be the size of a single pixel on your computer screen when compared to these models.

So, I ask you, are you still feeling big and important now??

Great Falls, VA

My escape.

Insert Lame TGIF Heading Here

So it's a balmy 90 degrees today, it's Friday, and I am all ready to go home at the early hour of 1pm. It's hazy outside, so I'm not missing much poolside. In fact, there really isn't much to do today at all. So, that will just about sum up today's blog.

But look at this picture I found on Google. I think I sat next to her once on the Metro. Crazy.

Another Day of HELL on EARTH

I'm not talking about the roach parts. I'm not even describing what it would be like if Hillary Clinton was President (that would be far worse). No, again, I'm talking about the crazy, hot, sweltering weather we've been having here in DC (see two days ago).

At 9:45am, it's already 93 degrees with 50% humidity. The heat index is over 100. And we still have many hours to go until it peaks...

And now, an update!

Roach Parts

OK, so, I just sent the following email my office building superintendent:

Mr. Super,

I've been using the gym downstairs every day for the past 3 weeks, and I don't think the shower has been cleaned in that entire time.

There are dead bugs on the walls and roach parts on the ground that have been there for at least 2 weeks. I know because I killed the roach, and watched every day as it gradually lost cohesion, finally ending up being roach “parts” rather than a roach.

Anything you can do will be appreciated by me and my colleagues.

Thanks!

I ask you, readers, is this the kind of question I should ever have to ask??? I mean, cleaning a public shower (I thought) was pretty standard at places that go through the trouble of having one. Or, instead, should I be asking myself why I even stepped foot into the shower in the first place when I am deathly afraid of roaches and generally grossed out by germs? To that, I say that I am serious about my daily workout (and not paying gym fees to somewhere probably less sanitary - like Bally's).

Now, I eagerly wait to see if the gym gets cleaned, or if I'm going to have to file suit when I catch MRSA from that cesspool.

HELL ON EARTH

No, I'm not talking about Communist Cuba. I'm talking about the 95 degree, 60% humidity, heat index of 110 weather we're having here in the nation's capital! Man, it's nasty outside.

I'm telling you, I've been to Arizona on 115 degree days and it does NOT compare to 95 degrees and 60% humidity.

And on top of this, I just got the following email via DC's Emergency Alert System:

The Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments has issued a code red air quality alert for tomorrow. This forecast means air quality is expected to be unhealthy for all individuals. Children, the elderly and individuals with heart or respiratory ailments, emphysema, asthma or chronic bronchitis should reduce outdoor activities. Healthy individuals should limit strenuous outdoor work or exercise and outdoor activities. Approximately 60-70 percent of the pollutants that cause ground-level ozone are created from vehicles, lawn mowers, other garden equipment and common household products. In order to prevent high levels of ozone from forming:

• Limit driving and when possible, combine trips or telework.
• Use area bus and rail lines or carpool. Many area transit systems, including Fairfax Connector, offer free rides on code red days.
• Avoid mowing lawns with gasoline-powered motors.
• Refuel vehicles after dusk. Avoid idling.
• Use environmentally friendly products.
• Conserve electricity, keep air conditioning no lower than 78 degrees.

What's next?

UPDATE: I can answer my own question. THIS is next. Now I get to wait in overheated underground Metro stations, for cars that will be running warmer, slower and more infrequently than usual. And this is supposed to "ensure its more than one million daily customers and several thousand employees are prepared for the heat" according to Metro. I think if anything, it will generate even more heat.

UGH. I wanna go home now.