So, let's plunge in!
1) Uhhhh Which Way Did He Go George?: Not that this should surprise any of us, but our good 'ol CIA (who are making the Keystone Kops look competent) got themselves torn a new one in a recently de-classified report indicating that they missed and screwed up a number of opportunities to nail Al Queda. A few more details HERE and another fine example of your tax dollars taking a FIVE Martini Lunch.
2) The Great Wayback Machine Debate Rages On: I guess this is one topic that scientists for decades and centuries to come will be exploring, and that being is it possible to travel through time? Still,. maybe luckily for mankind at large it's still only theoretical (the idea of playing God with something like this is too frightening to contemplate sometimes. Watch the movie "PRIMER" for a look at this question). But in any case, some scientists now believe that time travel is theoretically possible although even the potential technology is still centuries away, at least it doesn't have to involve the use of theoretical exotic matter capable of creating negative energy/mass to facilitate bending local space/time with a time travel device. In any case, a news story HERE and a thought provoking little video segment HERE might get your gray matter buzzing on this one a little. Personally, this is one area of physics/science that maybe we should leave well enough alone, as the consequences of playing God with history and such are too frightening to grasp right now. Maybe we'll NEVER be able to pull it off in the first place, which may well be a good thing.
3) People With Issues #697: In Vernon CT, some nimrod actually apologizes then robs the same store TWICE anyway! Gotta keep supporting his local heroin dealer I guess, story HERE
4) What I'd LOVE To Do To Al Gore: How about this folks, gather up literally TONS of fallen tree stumps, wood chips and the like and deliver it to Al Gore's doorstep at his rather expansive manse in TN, just to remind him of another one of his flaming hypocrisies, that being his rather prodigious spewings in print regarding global warming and other junk-science and alarmist things about energy use all the while his TN mansion uses more gas and electricity in ONE MONTH than most people do in over a year! Maybe Al Baby needs a little reminder of all the trees HE killed to print up his hypocritical pseudo-scientific spewage. MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
5) Someone Didn't Get The Memo #6285: Remember the era of $900 toilet seats and $400 hammers? Well, someone didn't get the memo it appears. Cost of 2 washers, $0.19 each, cost of shipping them, $998,798!!!!????????? The sordid story HERE
6) You Want Hilariously Acerbic Social Criticism, Ya Got It!: A very good friend of mine re-introduced me to someone I had nearly forgotten about, and used to listen to on NPR back in the 1980's when I lived in the L.A. area. This was one Ian Shoales, professed "Acerbic Social Critic" whose hilariously acerbic criticisms and observations on subjects as far flung as temp jobs, the perfect city, hobbies, taking the National Writers Test and more had me in stitches more times than not (and how could you not love someone who listed their favorite sport as strangling mimes). In reality though, Ian Shoales is one of 3 alter-egos of one Merle Kessler, a ridiculously gifted comedy writer and actor based in San Francisco. Among his many involvements was the legendary Duck's Breath Mystery Theater comedy troupe which lasted from 1975 to 1990 (although in 2005 they did a one-off reunion show). In any case, my friend loaned me his copy of "I Gotta Go", a collection of Ian Shoales commentaries that was published in 1985, it's CLASSIC stuff that will have you laughing hysterically. Unfortunately, it's currently out of print, although used copies pop up on Amazon these days (click HERE for listings). Kessler's other alter-ego was the assistant/announcer to Dr. Science as in "Ask Dr. Science" (another regular NPR/All Things Considered feature). Thankfully, the Ian Shoales persona is still alive and well and still acerbic as ever, as can be heard on the Ian Shoales WEBSITE (includes full streaming audio section).
A little gem another old friend passed along to me:
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930s, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms....... .WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this i s a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us...go ahead and delete this. For the rest of us...pass this on
SEE YA IN A FEW DAYS FOLKS!!!
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