Rather than candy, I could have been handing out seasonally-appropriate Chick Tracts for Halloween. Darn. Of course, then I’d end up with a big stack of them left over….
Rather than candy, I could have been handing out seasonally-appropriate Chick Tracts for Halloween. Darn.
Of course, then I’d end up with a big stack of them left over.
… if you had to choose between two unlabelled conventions, one full of serial killers, one full of programming language inventors? Heh. I got 9 out of 10. (via BoingBoing)…
… if you had to choose between two unlabelled conventions, one full of serial killers, one full of programming language inventors?
Heh. I got 9 out of 10.
(via BoingBoing)
Looking for a way to talk to a live operator, rather than getting lost in Voice Mail Hell, at various Big Companies? Here are some bypass codes. (via BoingBoing)…
Looking for a way to talk to a live operator, rather than getting lost in Voice Mail Hell, at various Big Companies? Here are some bypass codes.
(via BoingBoing)
BoingBoing is having problems. Their temporary address is here….
BoingBoing is having problems. Their temporary address is here.
Rudy Susanto, 25, had evidently been exposing himself on a number of occasions to the girls at St. Maria Goretti School, a Catholic girls high school in Philly. Then he…
Rudy Susanto, 25, had evidently been exposing himself on a number of occasions to the girls at St. Maria Goretti School, a Catholic girls high school in Philly.
Then he made the mistake of doing it just as classes were letting out for the day.
But this time, a group of girls in school uniforms angrily confronted Susanto with help from some neighbors, police said.
When Susanto tried to run, more than 20 girls chased him down the block. Two men from the neighborhood caught him and the girls took their revenge.
“The girls came and started kicking him and punching him, so I wasn’t going to stop them,” neighbor Robert Lemons told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Fortunately he was taken away by the cops before the nuns caught up with the crowd …
(via InstaPundit)
Rich blogs on further developments in the shenanigans of the “Reverend” Fred Phelps and the city of Casper, Wyoming. Two statements, from either side, highlight a couple of important principles:…
Rich blogs on further developments in the shenanigans of the “Reverend” Fred Phelps and the city of Casper, Wyoming.
Two statements, from either side, highlight a couple of important principles:
“This is where our statement of faith, our statements of values, our backbone belongs,” [Casper City Council rep] Peryam said while endorsing the historic plaza plan. “And for those outsiders who think they can run our city, I say, ‘Thank you, thank you very, very much.’ Because, you know what, if you think that we are going to put our monument someplace in cold storage, I’ve got another thought for you. We are going to put it where it will be more noticed, more taken advantage of and used for learning purposes by all families.”
That, of course, is one of the problems — that the Casper City Council is universalizing the Ten Commandments to be “our statement of faith, our statements of values, our backbone.” I wonder how I would feel, were I a Buddhist resident — current or prospective — reading that coming from an elected official.
For that matter, a statement like that is likely to run them into trouble when they start trying to argue that the Decalogue is only an “historic” document on display on public property.
On the other hand, there’s this little bit from Phelps, who’s now trying to buy a slice of town square land in a small Idaho town, similar to what the American Legion is doing there for another Ten Commandments monument:
Phelps, 73, of Topeka, Kan., said he was unconcerned that his anti-gay message could prevent the Ten Commandments from being displayed in Rupert, a community of 5,645 people about 165 miles southeast of Boise.
”My message is infinitely more important than the Ten Commandments, because nobody is delivering it,” Phelps said.
Riiiiight. Pretty Godly of you there, Fred.
An entertaining site for the young’uns. Happy Halloween, y’all. Keep warm, keep safe, have fun, and eat lots of candy. (via Gamer’s Nook) UPDATE: Last year’s version is a lot…
An entertaining site for the young’uns.
Happy Halloween, y’all. Keep warm, keep safe, have fun, and eat lots of candy.
(via Gamer’s Nook)
UPDATE: Last year’s version is a lot more interactive and entertaining.
Some disturbing articles on Rich’s page regarding the current Anglican problems, this time in the Diocese of New Westminster (Vancouver, Canada), where the bishop, who has approved of same-sex union…
Some disturbing articles on Rich’s page regarding the current Anglican problems, this time in the Diocese of New Westminster (Vancouver, Canada), where the bishop, who has approved of same-sex union ceremonies, seems to be coming down pretty hard on dissenting parishes.
Not the way to deal with these sorts of things, folks. Making it a struggle for power is the opposite of the fellowship and brotherhood that the Church is called to provide by its founder. Jesus was a no-nonsense kind of guy, but he had very little tolerance for folks arguing about who was in charge.
Looks like I picked a great day to get the sprinklers blown for the season. (Actually, the timing has turned out to be perfect.)…
Looks like I picked a great day to get the sprinklers blown for the season.
(Actually, the timing has turned out to be perfect.)
This is what Halloween is all about….
This is what Halloween is all about.
I set my cell phone to vibrate last night during the movie. (Side note — the first time the lawyer’s cell phone rings loudly off-screen, someone in the theater shouted…
I set my cell phone to vibrate last night during the movie. (Side note — the first time the lawyer’s cell phone rings loudly off-screen, someone in the theater shouted out “Please turn off your cell phone” to the audience. Unless that was in the movie. In which case, it’s even funnier.)
So this morning I’m driving in. It’s cold and wet and slushy-icy out, so I decided, even with the New Car, I’d take I-25/US-6 to the office, rather than C470 — better travelled, so fewer snow and ice problems.
(And, yes, the car handled like a dream.)
Alas, with all the construction, and the wet pavement, it was a slightly-white knuckler, trying to make sure I stayed in the lane I was supposed to, guided only by the tail lights ahead and take your pick of which dotted lines, past or present, to pay attention to. And midway along it, my cell phone went off.
I’m of mixed minds about using the cell phone while driving, but in those circumstances, no way I was going to take a hand off the wheel or gear shift. If it’s Margie, she’ll call back again if it’s an emergency, I thought. I hoped. I always get a bit of catastrophizing running through my head in those circumstances.
When I got to the office, I looked at my cell phone. Jackie? At 5:46 a.m.?
Oh, crap. We’re in the process of selling the Saturn to Jackie and Doyce, which (as noted yesterday) is not sychronizing quite well with Doyce selling his truck. So last night, after the movie, Doyce drove home in the Saturn anyway because, well, I know where he lives and all that.
So why is Jackie calling me? Something wrong with the car? Some deep, dark, terrible secret to its operation that only I can unlock, and there they are, standing in the dark and cold, trying to figure it out while I ignore them?
I called her back.
Ah. Jackie encountered black ice on C470 transition to I-70, and wanted to warn me about it, knowing that I take that route.
It’s good to have friends. Even if you can’t always call them back right away.
I know I’m the last person to see this in the theater for the first time who hasn’t already seen it. I know, because the theater was largely deserted last…
I know I’m the last person to see this in the theater for the first time who hasn’t already seen it. I know, because the theater was largely deserted last night, save for Doyce and myself.
Last week, I’d commented that everyone seemed to think KB was either grotesque or brilliant or both, and that I needed to figure out when Margie and I were going to go to it. Jackie kindly called up that evening and offered to watch bambina while we did so. Margie decided to decline on the direction of the offer, but not the substance; instead, she and I went to dinner.
All told, probably the right move on her part.
Margie finds some violent imagery to be mentally persistent, and, for obvious reasons, that bothers her. Me? Not so much. Most violent scenes in the media don’t stick with me (I save those persistent images for really stupid things I’ve done and said, but that’s a different story).
Anyway, Margie gave”permission” for me to go see KB with Doyce last night. So I did.
(No spoilers below.)
First bout of bad weather (cold, freezing drizzle most of the day) for the New Car. The Good Good, solid, excellent, confident handling. The rear windshield wiper does a good…
First bout of bad weather (cold, freezing drizzle most of the day) for the New Car.
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
Still, net, very nice, in particular dealing with the biggest problem, to wit, handling on wet pavement. Huzzah!
A group studying coffee have learned a couple of things: If you want a pick-me-up, hit Starbucks, not Dunkin’ Donuts. A regular at the former clocked in at 259mg of…
A group studying coffee have learned a couple of things:
And now you know.
(via PR Bop)
If you have an out-of-state title on your car in Colorado, even if you’ve been registering it in-state, before you can sell it you need a Colorado title. And before…
If you have an out-of-state title on your car in Colorado, even if you’ve been registering it in-state, before you can sell it you need a Colorado title. And before you can get a Colorado title, you have to take it to an emissions control station, which will verify your VIN. Even though your VIN was verified when you registered it in Colorado. And even though your VIN was verified when you previously took it to an emissions control center.
And the DMV may either take several weeks to then print up the title, or else it may be able to do it over the counter. Maybe.
Just a note for future reference.
It’s probably way too early for this, but my impression right now? What he said. Which, let me tell you, irks the hell out of me….
It’s probably way too early for this, but my impression right now? What he said. Which, let me tell you, irks the hell out of me.
The Brawny Man is getting a makeover. Improved Brawny’s packaging features an updated Brawny Man character that is dramatically different than his predecessor. Gone is the blonde hair and mustache….
The Brawny Man is getting a makeover.
Improved Brawny’s packaging features an updated Brawny Man character that is dramatically different than his predecessor. Gone is the blonde hair and mustache. The Brawny Man for the new millennium is dark-haired, dimpled and clean-shaven, although he still wears his familiar plaid shirt.
The hair and moustache was looking a little dated, to be sure. He’s basically been unchanged since 1974 — and I know I’ve updated my look a few times since then.
In developing the new Brawny Man character, Georgia-Pacific relied on extensive consumer research and testing, as well as on feedback received during last year’s “Do You Know a Brawny Man?(TM)” contest, in which more than 4,000 people submitted essays and photos of men who exemplified the traits associated with the Brawny Man.
“Through last year’s contest and other consumer feedback, we discovered how clearly our core consumers identify the Brawny Man as someone who is strong in body and character, yet very sensitive,” Burandt said. “To give new life to such a beloved figure was a real challenge and something we handled carefully and by listening to consumers’ ideas.”
Consumers participating in a study comparing the new and old Brawny Man images overwhelmingly preferred the revised icon. When asked which icon was most appealing, 73 percent of those in the study chose the new Brawny Man, compared with just 7 percent choosing the old Brawny Man. Additionally, the consumers interviewed said the new image fit better with the brand (64 percent), appeared stronger (66 percent) and appeared to be the most well- rounded (68 percent).
Because I don’t know about you, but I know I pick my paper towels based on the fictional character on the wrapper …
(via PR Bop)
Five scheduled conference calls this morning. The first four: The caller did not call me. Only one other person showed up, so I took notes as to what she had…
Five scheduled conference calls this morning. The first four:
Huzzah!
Of course, I expect the fifth call will be the doozy. Fortunately, I have an excuse to bail out early from it.
Amazing — a single toy that can offend both Christian fundies and devoted Wiccans alike! By day, Barbie, Christie and Kayla are fashionable school girls, by night they turn into…
Amazing — a single toy that can offend both Christian fundies and devoted Wiccans alike!
By day, Barbie, Christie and Kayla are fashionable school girls, by night they turn into magical enchantresses. Each doll comes with 2 outfits, spell book, case, edible potions and potion cups. Transform Barbie from an ordinary girl to one of the Charm Girls. Just put on Barbie’s enchanted Charm Girl jacket and she’s ready to mix up delicious potions that you can really drink. Barbie comes with costume, dragonfly, mixing pot, stand, spoon, stirrer, three bottles, book with a secret compartment, and two packets of magic powder (sugar-based mixes you mix with water).
I’ve actually seen ads for this one on TV, and, yes, found myself vaguely disturbed by them. Of course, I’d feel the same way about “Reverend Barbie” (“Comes with bright pink Fashion Pulpit! Mix and match with Bishop Ken!”), too — reducing religious beliefs to Barbie’s level seems kind of … well, disrespectful seems too weighty a word for it, but something of that sort. Given that there are people who believe in spell-casting (albeit different things about it) makes this kind of play a bit too serious for comfort.
Not that either of the groups mentioned above couldn’t use with a bit of gentle mockery, mind you, often being way too serious for their own good.
Still, any “serious” subject seems a bit out of place in the Barbieverse. “Anti-War Activist Barbie.” “Slave Barbie.” “AIDS Patient Barbie.” “Earth Liberation Front Barbie.” “War Refugee Barbie.” “Senator Barbie.”
Well, maybe not “Senator Barbie.” We already hold our politicians in low enough respect for that.
On the other hand, the Sponge-Bob Barbie also shown on the page is really scary.
(via Doyce)
The World Sunlight Map shows a realistic picture (well, two) of the Earth and which parts are light, which are dark. Very cool. It’s like being in orbit, except for…
The World Sunlight Map shows a realistic picture (well, two) of the Earth and which parts are light, which are dark. Very cool. It’s like being in orbit, except for the weightlessness and vacuum and expensive space program and that stuff.
(via GoaF)