Category — Uncategorized

Rejoice Harry Potter fans, The Tales of Beedle the Bard will be published with profits going to charity.

If you are really flush, Amazon will be putting a collector’s edition resembling the version it bought at auction in a run of 100,000.

With Republican Senators throwing away his money like it is diseased, and the NRO Editors telling him to leave, using an allusion to Simon & Garfunkel for a headline, it is probably time for Ted Stevens to head back to “The Last Frontier” and enjoy some “Midnight Sun”, before the “United States versus Theodore Stevens” gets underway.

The McCain Campaign’s newest hire?

For some reason MSNBC classified this as “Weird News”: Cranky man shoots lawn mower for not starting

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man was accused of shooting his lawn mower because it wouldn’t start. Keith Walendowski, 56, was charged with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle and misdemeanor disorderly conduct while armed.

According to the criminal complaint, Walendowski said he was angry because his Lawn Boy wouldn’t start Wednesday morning. He told police quote, “I can do that, it’s my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want.”

There is the possibility that Mr. Walendowski imbibed spirits prior to the confrontation with the lawn mower.

From the land down under: Brisbane bank blown up in robbery attempt

Heavy-handed thieves have blown up a bank on Brisbane’s northside during an attempted robbery.

Very little remains of the Aspley branch of the Bank of Queensland on Gympie Road after a massive explosion at about 3:00am today.

No-one was injured, but the explosion caused a fire, and the bank’s automatic teller machine was thrown onto the footpath.

Police and bomb squad officers are on the scene.

Let this be a lesson: don’t drink and detonate.

You know all of the non-existent oil spills after Katrina, via WKW here’s a satellite photo.

The Pensacola Beach Blogger comes to the aid of the Geography Challenged.

If you think you’re tough, try beating this Aussie “teddy bear”.

Thank you Global War On Terror™‽

Fallenmonk is on the right track with his piece, It’s Going to Get Worse, but there’s another element that makes the situation even worse and most people are unaware of it.

There is a concept known as “Just-In-Time” [JIT} inventory control that has been refined by Wal-Mart and many manufacturers that is considered by many to be the most efficient system for stocking a store or building a product.

The basic idea is that you don’t keep a large inventory that requires storage space and ties up cash. Using computer networks you track your usage and order goods based on what was used, so that what arrives on your loading dock is put on the shelves or production line, not in a warehouse.

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You may have heard about this, or read about at a blog. WFTV reports on a billboard in Orange County, Florida linked to Mike Meehan, a St. Cloud, Florida businessman and possible musician.

The billboard has a picture of the World Trade Center on fire and a message saying don’t vote for Democrats. Mr. Meehan says he’s trying to help the Republican Party, and, by the way, happens to have some CDs for sale with his latest opus: The Republican Song.

No need to go into all of the facts of the Republicans in charge of everything when the towers were stuck, the sleaze factor of attempting to profit from the tragedy, the probability of a copyrighted photograph being used for the billboard, etc. This is a Florida Republican, just put him on the sex pervert list and get on with reality, except…

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This is unfortunate: via CNN – Snake-handling pastor arrested

FRANKFORT, Kentucky (AP) — The pastor of a Kentucky church that handles snakes in religious rites was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on the venomous snake trade.

More than 100 snakes, many of them deadly, were confiscated in the undercover sting after Thursday’s arrests, said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Most were taken from the Middlesboro home of Gregory James Coots, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.

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One of the lesser evils that was spawned by the invasion of Iraq are the number of otherwise sane and intelligent people who refuse to simply acknowledge they screwed up when they supported the invasion and move on with their life.

This was a major problem for Hillary Clinton, but an even bigger problem in the media. Politics explains Mrs. Clinton decision, but nothing but ego explains the media.

Over at Hullabaloo Tristero looks at George Packer who is complaining about Obama’s Iraqi withdrawal plan.

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PZ Myers of Pharyngula has been targeted: Now I’ve got Bill Donohue’s attention.

Standard response, i.e. flood of nasty e-mails, death threats, you know, the usual thing, and demands that he be fired. They are astroturfing his university and the state legislature. No threats of rape reported, but then, PZ probably isn’t as big a threat as Melissa and Amanda.

What did he do to bring down the wrath of Donowho? He disrespected the communion wafer.

Frankly the difference between transubstantiation and consubstantiation was one of the elements that led to the Reformation. It is something that causes a great problem for those of us who have lived abroad in non-Christian countries, because the taboo against cannibalism is rather basic to many cultures. While I’m sure that a Jesuit could handle it, is a very bad position for an non-Catholic to be in while forced to represent all of Christianity by virtue of being the only Christian around. I had a gag-reflex response when transubstantiation was first explained to me by a Catholic.

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He just does it to make the Shrubbery’s kids look bad.  First Prince Harry joins the Army. Then he goes into a combat zone. Now the BBC reports Prince Harry is helping to refurbish a special needs school in Lesotho.

The prince’s charity, Sentebale, is supporting the project at the only school of its kind in the African country, which caters for 43 children.

He has been joined by more than 20 colleagues from the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals regiment, in which he is a lieutenant, for the project.

Reporters watched the 23-year-old moving materials by wheelbarrow as he helped build a disabled access ramp.

The group are working to rebuild the Thuso Centre in the northern town of Butha Buthe, which caters for children with profound physical and mental disabilities.

There he is, on his own time, spending his own money, rebuilding a school for handicapped children. Is this any way for a child of wealth and privilege to act? He is just starting trouble, helping the less fortunate and getting dirty doing it.  It’s like having a former American President and First Lady building houses for poor people.

Class – some people are born with it, and others will never understand the concept.

Not much going on and my brain feels like mush.