This was great, I kinda want to make one of my own...
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Kiwi!
I've been spending most of my free time goofing off, looking up stuff online...I consider it a sort of recharging period between projects...
This video touched me. So clever, and sweet. And I like the way the ending doesn't tie up loose ends. I think the premise is, take some character that can't do what it most wants to do, and figure out how they make it happen. So clever.
This video touched me. So clever, and sweet. And I like the way the ending doesn't tie up loose ends. I think the premise is, take some character that can't do what it most wants to do, and figure out how they make it happen. So clever.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
It's like someone was in my head...
Just came across this video that bears SUCH a striking resemblance in the resolution to my Bad Banana story...this almost made me cry, it's so beautiful. If only trading helmets was all it took.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Guilty Pleasure
I completely understand why this commercial was banned for TV, but since it's on YouTube, I'd guess that's where it was intended to be. This brought a smile to my face...even though, taken out of context, it could seriously offend some.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Mukasy Hearings
Ok, below are excerpts from a story about the Mukasey's confirmation.
Here are my thoughts on the matter, and I could be wrong about the whole thing, these are just my thoughts.
The panel wants to know if waterboarding is illegal. Why is everyone dancing around the issue. If it wasn't important, then we'd get a straight answer. Instead there's all this back and forth in legalese. I think it's safe to say that waterboarding is being used as a form of torture, and it's known or 'known' by everyone.
What's the big deal then? If the attorney general says it's illegal, then he'll have to prosecute those who performed it. I think this ultimately could lead to Bush being impeached, and he knows it. He's hiding behind the interogators fear of being in legal jeopardy, but I think he's talking about himself. He'll do his best to disavow any knowledge of it, and indeed may escape impeachment like he did with Lewis Scooter Libby.
If we got an attorney general that did prosecute, I think it might also make the president vulnerable to international trial. He's guilty of a lot of things for sure. What I'm not sure is that democrats would actually want their president up on international war crimes. It would be an international embarrassment, and it wouldn't help them in any way. Even though I'm pretty embarassed to be American right now...at some times, ashamed even.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=apMMOJofS6Q8&refer=us
"Bush Defends Mukasey, Chastises Senate Democrats (Update1)
By Michelle West
Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush defended Michael B. Mukasey, the nominee for U.S. attorney general, and chastised Senate Democrats for slowing his confirmation.
...Since then, two judiciary committee Democrats, Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, said they would support Mukasey, making his confirmation likely. Democrats control the committee by a margin of 10-9. Five Democrats, including Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said they will oppose Mukasey.
Waterboarding
Schumer and Feinstein said Mukasey's independence and legal ability outweighed concerns about waterboarding. Mukasey was nominated to succeed Alberto Gonzales, who resigned after a congressional investigation into allegations he politicized the Justice Department. Gonzales lost support of Democrats and Republicans because he couldn't explain why nine U.S. attorneys were fired.
Bush defended Mukasey's response to the waterboarding issue, saying he ``does not know whether certain methods of questioning are in fact used, because the program is classified, he's not been given access to that information, and therefore he is in no position to provide an informed opinion.''
The president also expressed concern that a Mukasey opinion on torture may give U.S. interrogators the impression that they might be vulnerable to penalties.
`Legal Jeopardy'
``He does not want our professional interrogators in the field to take an uninformed opinion he has given in the course of a confirmation hearing as meaning that any conduct of theirs has put them in legal jeopardy,'' Bush said.
Bush said an opinion on waterboarding also might help terrorists train for U.S. interrogation.
``Congressional leaders should not make Judge Mukasey's confirmation dependent on his willingness to make a public judgment about a classified program he has not been briefed on,'' Bush said.
Here are my thoughts on the matter, and I could be wrong about the whole thing, these are just my thoughts.
The panel wants to know if waterboarding is illegal. Why is everyone dancing around the issue. If it wasn't important, then we'd get a straight answer. Instead there's all this back and forth in legalese. I think it's safe to say that waterboarding is being used as a form of torture, and it's known or 'known' by everyone.
What's the big deal then? If the attorney general says it's illegal, then he'll have to prosecute those who performed it. I think this ultimately could lead to Bush being impeached, and he knows it. He's hiding behind the interogators fear of being in legal jeopardy, but I think he's talking about himself. He'll do his best to disavow any knowledge of it, and indeed may escape impeachment like he did with Lewis Scooter Libby.
If we got an attorney general that did prosecute, I think it might also make the president vulnerable to international trial. He's guilty of a lot of things for sure. What I'm not sure is that democrats would actually want their president up on international war crimes. It would be an international embarrassment, and it wouldn't help them in any way. Even though I'm pretty embarassed to be American right now...at some times, ashamed even.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=apMMOJofS6Q8&refer=us
"Bush Defends Mukasey, Chastises Senate Democrats (Update1)
By Michelle West
Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush defended Michael B. Mukasey, the nominee for U.S. attorney general, and chastised Senate Democrats for slowing his confirmation.
...Since then, two judiciary committee Democrats, Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, said they would support Mukasey, making his confirmation likely. Democrats control the committee by a margin of 10-9. Five Democrats, including Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said they will oppose Mukasey.
Waterboarding
Schumer and Feinstein said Mukasey's independence and legal ability outweighed concerns about waterboarding. Mukasey was nominated to succeed Alberto Gonzales, who resigned after a congressional investigation into allegations he politicized the Justice Department. Gonzales lost support of Democrats and Republicans because he couldn't explain why nine U.S. attorneys were fired.
Bush defended Mukasey's response to the waterboarding issue, saying he ``does not know whether certain methods of questioning are in fact used, because the program is classified, he's not been given access to that information, and therefore he is in no position to provide an informed opinion.''
The president also expressed concern that a Mukasey opinion on torture may give U.S. interrogators the impression that they might be vulnerable to penalties.
`Legal Jeopardy'
``He does not want our professional interrogators in the field to take an uninformed opinion he has given in the course of a confirmation hearing as meaning that any conduct of theirs has put them in legal jeopardy,'' Bush said.
Bush said an opinion on waterboarding also might help terrorists train for U.S. interrogation.
``Congressional leaders should not make Judge Mukasey's confirmation dependent on his willingness to make a public judgment about a classified program he has not been briefed on,'' Bush said.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Say Hey
Holy Crap, need to move to Germany...
This is by far my favorite line-dance to date.
I like dancing it a little more jumpy than most, but the girl in the video below makes a strong argument...
This is by far my favorite line-dance to date.
I like dancing it a little more jumpy than most, but the girl in the video below makes a strong argument...
Don't Feel Like Dancing...
My previous boss Mary Chamberlain introduced me to the Scissor Sisters. She asked if I wanted to go with her and her Partner Mary Spears to the Scissor Sister concert.
I will forever regret turning her down.
I recently bought their album (I buy like 2 CD's a year). It brings so much joy to my life. All the songs are an affirmation of life, love, and the things worth living.
Now, imagine my delight when I came across this...
Ok, so there are videos of this with music, and in English, but finding it in German is just too precious...i'll have to send this to my dressmaker...
Currently, on a campaign to get this taught at the Big Apple Ranch...
I will forever regret turning her down.
I recently bought their album (I buy like 2 CD's a year). It brings so much joy to my life. All the songs are an affirmation of life, love, and the things worth living.
Now, imagine my delight when I came across this...
Ok, so there are videos of this with music, and in English, but finding it in German is just too precious...i'll have to send this to my dressmaker...
Currently, on a campaign to get this taught at the Big Apple Ranch...
Crazy Church fined for Protesting Funeral
I first learned of this story from my favorite blog, Joe.My.God, when I know better how to cross/index/link, he'll be here.
Meanwhile, from CNN...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/31/funeral.protest/
"A federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday awarded $10.9 million to a father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by members of a fundamentalist church carrying signs blaming soldiers' deaths on America's tolerance of homosexuals."
"Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church -- which has no connections with any mainstream Baptist organizations -- are longtime anti-gay protesters.
"Before launching their protests at the funerals of American troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, they routinely picketed the funerals of gay people and those who died of AIDS."
My thoughts...
Shirley Phelps-Roper...a fundamentalist who wouldn't take her husband's last name...?
Protesting AIDS funerals vs protesting veterans funerals...wtf?
A handful of people holding day-glow signs protesting a funeral can get you national attention, while hundreds of people protesting this war is quickly overlooked...
Archetype study...this organization opportunistically hops on any hot-topic/sore subject, and mocks it. They feed like vampires off anything that is actually making news (or should be making news...veteran deaths don't seem to be reported on much at the moment) in order to become part of the news...Fred Phelps "This will elevate me to something important." They're kinda like dependent bouffon's...their views and actions are so extreme that they alienate anyone who might remotely support them...martyr complex...?
Meanwhile, from CNN...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/31/funeral.protest/
"A federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday awarded $10.9 million to a father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by members of a fundamentalist church carrying signs blaming soldiers' deaths on America's tolerance of homosexuals."
"Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church -- which has no connections with any mainstream Baptist organizations -- are longtime anti-gay protesters.
"Before launching their protests at the funerals of American troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, they routinely picketed the funerals of gay people and those who died of AIDS."
My thoughts...
Shirley Phelps-Roper...a fundamentalist who wouldn't take her husband's last name...?
Protesting AIDS funerals vs protesting veterans funerals...wtf?
A handful of people holding day-glow signs protesting a funeral can get you national attention, while hundreds of people protesting this war is quickly overlooked...
Archetype study...this organization opportunistically hops on any hot-topic/sore subject, and mocks it. They feed like vampires off anything that is actually making news (or should be making news...veteran deaths don't seem to be reported on much at the moment) in order to become part of the news...Fred Phelps "This will elevate me to something important." They're kinda like dependent bouffon's...their views and actions are so extreme that they alienate anyone who might remotely support them...martyr complex...?
Once again, the troops are unsupported...
From the NYTimes...
"An independent panel has sharply criticized the Army for failing to train enough experienced contracting officers, deploy them quickly to war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan and ensure they manage billions of dollars in contracts to supply American troops in the field, according to officials briefed on the panel’s findings."
"In a wide-ranging report scheduled to be briefed to Congress and made public on Thursday, the panel says these and other shortcomings contributed to an environment in Iraq and Kuwait that allowed waste, fraud and other corruption to take hold and flourish..."
"As of Oct. 24, the Army reported that it had 83 ongoing criminal inquiries related to contract fraud in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, according to the spokesman Christopher Grey. He said 23 military and civilian personnel faced criminal charges, and more than $15 million in bribes had been uncovered."
"One of the largest cases involves Army Maj. John Cockerham, who is accused of bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction. Prosecutors have accused Major Cockerham, along with his wife and sister, of taking at least $9.6 million in bribes in 2004 and 2005, when he was a contracting officer in Kuwait."
"The panel, headed by Jacques S. Gansler, the Pentagon’s top procurement official during the Clinton administration, was made up of civilian and retired military contracting and procurement specialists. The other members were two civilian procurement experts, David Berteau and George T. Singley III; and three retired military officers, Gen. David M. Maddox, Gen. Leon E. Salomon, and Rear Adm. David R. Oliver."
I'd like to know more about the bribery involved in this. Who's making money from this?
The Government Accountability Office has voiced concerns of the mismanagement as well. I was intrigued by the Accountability Office earlier, and I thought romantically if I wanted to get a job in government, that's where I'd want to be. I suspect the reality of the job is far from the idealistic vision I have in my head.
Very new to blogging, will figure out how to make the below a link. In the meantime, copy paste...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/washington/01cnd-army.html?ex=1351569600&en=ca6c5955cf63a658&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
"An independent panel has sharply criticized the Army for failing to train enough experienced contracting officers, deploy them quickly to war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan and ensure they manage billions of dollars in contracts to supply American troops in the field, according to officials briefed on the panel’s findings."
"In a wide-ranging report scheduled to be briefed to Congress and made public on Thursday, the panel says these and other shortcomings contributed to an environment in Iraq and Kuwait that allowed waste, fraud and other corruption to take hold and flourish..."
"As of Oct. 24, the Army reported that it had 83 ongoing criminal inquiries related to contract fraud in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, according to the spokesman Christopher Grey. He said 23 military and civilian personnel faced criminal charges, and more than $15 million in bribes had been uncovered."
"One of the largest cases involves Army Maj. John Cockerham, who is accused of bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction. Prosecutors have accused Major Cockerham, along with his wife and sister, of taking at least $9.6 million in bribes in 2004 and 2005, when he was a contracting officer in Kuwait."
"The panel, headed by Jacques S. Gansler, the Pentagon’s top procurement official during the Clinton administration, was made up of civilian and retired military contracting and procurement specialists. The other members were two civilian procurement experts, David Berteau and George T. Singley III; and three retired military officers, Gen. David M. Maddox, Gen. Leon E. Salomon, and Rear Adm. David R. Oliver."
I'd like to know more about the bribery involved in this. Who's making money from this?
The Government Accountability Office has voiced concerns of the mismanagement as well. I was intrigued by the Accountability Office earlier, and I thought romantically if I wanted to get a job in government, that's where I'd want to be. I suspect the reality of the job is far from the idealistic vision I have in my head.
Very new to blogging, will figure out how to make the below a link. In the meantime, copy paste...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/washington/01cnd-army.html?ex=1351569600&en=ca6c5955cf63a658&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
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