Doesn’t every photographer who is alive today, wish they could be Annie Leibovitz??

Aid To Africa Like Only Oprah Can…

The BBC and other media outlets are all “aflutter” about the “gay bomb” story that is resurfacing after first being reported in 2005 and originating in 1994 after Bill Clinton, compromising, signed the anti-gay “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” bill into law on November 30, 1993.  I suppose it’s good for another laugh!

The US military investigated building a “gay bomb”, which would make enemy soldiers “sexually irresistible” to each other, government papers say.  Read more…

Kaboom Kerpowy!!!

By the way, the law referenced above is the same law that is still in affect today, despite the U.S. being one of the only civilized counties in the world that does not allow gays in the military.  To wit: 

Map of various countries’ policies toward homosexual people in their military.

Did anyone see the Republican Debate the other night when 10 white guys vying for the the votes of conservative Christians were asked if any one of them thought the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Law should be repealed?  Not one of them moved, let alone spoke.  Apparently all of God’s creatures aren’t quite equal.Speaking of ridiculous laws, here’s another prime example from the f**cked up, conservative Christian, gun slinging, purity ball going, deep South:

On Monday, as has been widely reported, a Georgia court ordered the release of 21-year-old Genarlow Wilson from prison, where he is 28 months into a 10-year sentence for “aggravated child molestation.” He received consensual oral sex at the age of 17 from a girl two years his junior. The state court’s order that Wilson be freed should have had him home within a day or two. But then Georgia’s Attorney General, Thurbert Baker, appealed the decision. So Wilson remains in prison.  Read more…

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Do they teach Chinese to 6 and 7 year old kids in other states besides California??   My cousin got this today from her son’s teacher.  I don’t think I even knew what 2+2 was when I was that age!  LOL

Dear Parent,

It is my pleasure to have your son in my Chinese class. He shows strong language learning ability, and performs at the top level both in speaking and reading. I need your support to encourage him leaning the Chinese language.

Sincerely,

Chinese teacher

Katherine Chong

Song of the day

This past weekend, was the first time in about 7 weeks I haven’t had houseguests or friends visiting.  It wasn’t lonely though.  Friday night, I walked the dogs all around West Hollywood.  Saturday morning Carol picked me up at 10, and we went to the Screen Actor’s Guild showing of Pirates of the Caribbean.  The movie was great.  I wasn’t really thrilled with the second one, but I absolutely loved this one.  It was a real popcorn movie, fun and funny.  Implausible yes, but Johnny Depp finally does deserve an Oscar for creating this amazing character.  I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen it, but there’s also an great cameo.

That evening Tyson and I met Tim and Julius for dinner at Din Tai Fung.  If you’re not familiar with the restaurant, it’s a legend in Southern California and Taipei.  We gorged ourselves on dumplings and my favorite green beans.  Yummy!

Afterwards, we went for some Chinese dessert.  Tyson and I opted for fruit, while Tim couldn’t decide between eating a real bird’s nest or frog fallopian tubes (Hasma).  He opted for the latter.  We were just fine with our fruit! 

Who in China, hundreds of years ago, figured out the frog fallopian tubes and bird nests tasted good and had medicinal purposes??  Apparently the process to attain these bird nests is quite dangerous.  That’s why they cost up to $10,000 a kilogram.

Bird’s nest soup is a delicacy^[1] in Chinese cuisine.

A few species of swift, namely cave swifts, are renowned for building the nests used to produce the soup’s unique texture. Such edible bird’s nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The nests have been traditionally consumed in China for over four hundred years, most often as Bird’s Nest Soup.^[2] When dissolved in water, the birds’ nests have a gelatinous texture. Bird’s nest soup can either be served as a savory soup or sweet, as tong sui.

Hong Kong and the United States are the largest importers of these nests.^[1] In Hong Kong a bowl of Bird Nest Soup would cost $30 to $100 US dollars.^[2][3] A kilogram of white nest can cost up to $2,000, and a kilogram of “red blood” nest can cost up to $10,000. The white nests are commonly treated with a red pigment, but methods have been developed to determine an adulterated nest.

I know none of this is news to anyone who’s Chinese or Taiwanese or even anyone who has been to China.  I’m just pointing it out to many Americans who don’t understand the delicacies of other cultures.

So between Tyson (an astrophysicist and hedge fund trader), Tim (going to medical school) and Julius (graduated with about 4 majors from Cal Tech.) I kind of felt like the under achiever at the table, LOL.  Tyson was nice enough to share his Rubik’s Cube tips to the others, and all in all it was a fun and geeky night.  

Sunday, the dogs got me up at 6:30 and we went walking down the middle of Santa Monica Blvd.  It was Gay Pride weekend in Los Angeles and they closed one our biggest streets for the parade.  At that hour though, the streets were empty and I figured the dogs would never get another chance to say they walked right down the middle of the busiest street in West Hollywood.  Something to brag to their friends about at least! 

Later that morning I went Tommy’s 6th Birthday Party.  We surprised him at a bowling alley, and boy was he excited.  He got a Wii and a lot of other nice things.  Here are a few photos:

And here are the rest:

After the birthday party I took the dogs to the Pride Celebration, where needless to say they were quite popular.  Since the entire Pacific Design Center was fenced off for the event, we decided to sneak in and make it our own personal dog park.  At one point Ben & Kris came by with their dog Maggie.  They handed Maggie over the fence to me, and Garbo and Maggie had a blast playing together while Ruby just watched.   Again, here are some pics:

 

 

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FYI, I’m taking a couple of days off from blogging.  I should be back Sunday.  It will give you guys a chance to catch up.     Feel free to comment or message though and I’ll get back to you.  I hope everyone has a great weekend. – Carey –

P.S. Quote of the day:  Kathy Hilton being ushered into court today, was asked by the paparazzi, “What going to happen to Paris, Kathy?”  Kathy’s reply, “It’s in God’s hands”.  LOL, I kid you not.  Ugh.

Bonus, Song of the weekend

Much has been written this week about the 18th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests, but a lesser known anniversary also occurred this week.  The anniversary of, in my opinion, one of the most horrifying acts of terrorism of our time.  Though more people were killed on 9/11, not to mention the countless innocent Iraqi deaths; the unfathomable magnitude of this event was so horrifying that many people have tried to block it out of their minds, for fear of losing hope in humanity. 

I’m speaking of the Beslan School Siege, which, after 1000 days has brought no one to justice to account for the deaths of 344 people, 186 of whom were children:

The Beslan school siege came to an end 1,000 days ago last week. For the survivors and the families of the dead every one of those days has brought difficult memories which have had to be suppressed or cried over. For a smaller band of survivors the search for justice has been unending throughout that period, too. This week in a court room in the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz, that search may well have been brought to an abrupt and unsatisfactory conclusion.  Read more… 

A few months after the siege had ended, the ridiculous mainstream American media had moved on to seemingly more important news like the “disappearance” of a pretty blonde American in the Bahamas.  (If she’s pretty, blonde and American, stop the presses.  To wit:  the aforementioned Natalee Holloway (whose mother recently started dating Mr. Ramsey –>)  Jon-Benet Ramsey, Elizabeth Smart, Anna Nicole Smith and most recently Paris Hilton (12,000 news stories today alone)…who’s currently holed up in her mansion less than a mile from here, presumably waiting to be hauled back into court, and hopefully back into prison.  (I’m scared that if she’s not thrown back in the slammer, we may have another LA Riot on our hands tomorrow.  Lock your doors in Beverly Hills!!)  But I digress…

So again, a few months after the tragedy in Beslan I watched the HBO documentary, The Children of Beslan.  One little boy’s story in particular broke my heart.  His name was Chermen Bugunob, he was 7 years old at the time of the massacre and this is his story.  

In the basement of his Beslan home, seven-year-old Chermen is kicking boxes with a surprising energy given his age and his tiny frame. His face is tense and betrays the turmoil he is feeling. But when we sit down to talk, he regains his composure. Looking straight into my eyes, he answers my questions with clarity and confidence.

“There is no God. There is only military force. I believe in Russia and in our armed forces.  That’s what I believed in during the terrorist attack.”

Chermen is a survivor of last year’s attack. On 1 September, pro-Chechen gunmen seized School Number One in Beslan. More than 1,000 adults and children were held inside for three days. 

“I draw the terrorist and burn them for all the children who died in the school. I want to take vengeance on them.”

When the siege finally ended, 186 children and more than 200 adults were dead.  A year on, he seems to be coping well. He has started to play his beloved computer games again and he smiles frequently.  But as he recalls those three days in hell, his memories are as vivid as ever and reveal that his pain is unresolved.

“After the first explosion, a terrorist’s grenade was hit by a bullet. They all had grenades slung round them. He blew up and his brains hit me in the face. It was horrible. It was fatty and slippery.”

During the siege, Chermen’s eardrums burst and doctors told him that he would never regain full hearing. He seems resigned to that verdict. For him, other losses he has suffered are far more significant.

“I was with my best friend Oleg inside the school. When the siege started, we tried to run together but I lost him. Later on I found one of the sleeves of his sweater. I never saw Oleg again. I found out that he had died.  He was my very best friend and I really miss him. If you could measure it in electricity volts, it would be 9,000 million volts.“

A familiar tension reappears on his face. 

“I feel pain. And also rage. And since then I want to avenge Oleg’s death. If I were president, I would order them to send unarmed terrorists to me and I would, with my bare hands, using a knife, slit their throats.”

This, from a seven year old boy.

A mini GLY Brazilian/Chilean reunion was held this week.  Beijos to Joelle and Adriana.  xoxo

An aside:  Mathias Rust, who stunned the world in 1987 as a teenager when he landed his Cessna plane in Moscow’s Red Square, has re-emerged 20 years later to reveal his regrets about his peace mission.  Read more…

I remember when this happened.  It was wild.  Can you imagine if that happened now??

Song of the day

The dogs woke me up licking my face at 6:30 this morning despite the fact that we went to bed at 3 AM.  Ruby apparently had to pee.  I knew she shouldn’t have had that last strawberry daiquiri.   So I threw on some sweats and took them out.  We ran into my friend Ken & his dog Ginger outside Starbucks, and since I was out of Diet Coke,  I went in and ordered a mocha frappuccino.  Then I realized I didn’t have my wallet as I was just wearing sweats.  So I told the woman, “Never mind, I forgot my wallet.”  She said, “Don’t worry, it’s on the house!”  It kind of took me aback for a moment, and then I just said, “Wow, thank you!”  Can you believe that? 

So, if you’re reading this, you should “Pay it forward” and buy 2 frappuccinos (on me) next time you go to Starbucks. 

Tyson, Ruby & Garbo

Slummin’ It

Suffice it to say, they are pooped!

Carol invited me to another screening at the Screen Actor’s Guild Theater again on Saturday morning.  We’re going to see Pirates….with a real cast of characters!

On the subject of subverting government, Carol also told me about one of the words in the recent National Spelling Bee, which I had never heard:

kak·is·toc·ra·cy      /ˌkækəˈstɒkrəsi/ – noun, plural -cies.

he·gem·o·ny      /hi-jem-uh-nee, hej-uh-moh-nee–noun, plural -nies.

1.	leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.

That’s his parents laughing about halfway through.  The poor thing is such a genius but he just couldn’t understand what was going on. 

Song of the day

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“Seeing what Prada has in orange jumpsuits.” — One of David Letterman’s “Top 10 Ways Paris Hilton Is Preparing for Jail.”

“Bush Seeks to Double Spending for AIDS Program” blared the headlines this week. “President Bush should be commended,” trumpeted one development organization, for his “vital leadership.”

Great… except that Bush’s plan ISN’T going to double funding and his press conference was essentially called to spin major broken promises into looking like leadership. Too bad so many took the bait. Read More…

I’m dog-sitting again for a week.  This time it’s Garbo and Ruby.  If there are any dogs in West Hollywood who are interested in a playdate (or more???) please contact them via their blog.  I’ve posted their personal ad below.  

I must say it’s quite a change walking these two from walking Roscoe.  Roscoe’s getting neutered on Thursday….so wish him well! 

Garbo & Ruby

• Occupation: Watch Dogs
• Location: West Hollywood : California : United States

About Us

We’re two charmed best friends living the dream in Los Angeles

Interests

• Smelling things
• fire hydrants
• the beach
• visiting West Hollywood
• star gazing
• howling at the moon
• tug of war

Favorite Movies

• Must Love Dogs
• Old Yeller
• Flipper
• Gentle Ben
• My Dog Skip
• Cats and Dogs (Full Screen Edition)
• Dr. Dolittle
• Homeward Bound
• Beethoven

Favorite Music

• Three Dog Night
• Ain’t Nothin But A Hounddog
• Snoopy’s Christmas
• How Much is That Doggie in the Window
• Me and You and a Dog Named Boo
• Puppy Love

Favorite Books

• The Intelligence of Dogs
• Call of the Wild
• Clara – The Story of the Pug Who Ruled my Life
• Santa Paws
• Because of Winn Dixie
• Amazing Gracie

Blogs

	Blog Name	Team Members
	It’s a Dog’s Life

Song of the day

Yesterday I wrote about growing up in Chicago.  I included a link to my old grade school, Herbert Hoover, and when I went to their website, I found out that my 4th grade teacher was retiring in a few weeks.  The website listed an email address so I sent her the following note:

Hi Mrs. Heilbronner,

I’m not sure if you remember me (though I suspect you might ).  I was recently writing something on my blog about Hoover school, and I looked up their website and found that you were retiring.  Congratulations on your retirement.  You were always good to me and fair, and I know I wasn’t the easiest kid you ever taught!  Best of luck to you and your family. –Carey

And here’s the reply I got:

Carey,

 

How great to hear from you!!  Thanks for your good wishes.  I TOTALLY remember you, and not in a bad way, though you were unique, I’m not gonna lie…..
My husband worked with your mother at some point and I would see her occasionally.
I skimmed over your blog and enjoyed it.  

On our trip to Brookfield Zoo the other day the main attraction to our fifth graders were the cicadas. Twenty minutes after we got off the bus, most kids were still examining the cicadas and had little interest in moving on to the zoo animals…..mainly because they really haven’t been out in Schaumburg.

Anyhow, thanks for the e mail!

Mrs. Heilbronner

Patti (Pat, Patricia, Patty) Armbruster (maiden name) Appleson or Applezon (married name)

Everett Dirksen Grade School, Schaumburg, IL  1972-1973

Post Script:  Funny story… My grade school used to be called J. Edgar Hoover Elementary School.  It took me a while to find it on the web last night because they changed who the school was named after about 10 years ago.  It seems that someone decided that good ‘ole J. Edgar Hoover, flaming homosexual and transvestite that he was, wasn’t a great role model for children.  So, they decided to keep the “Hoover” moniker and name the school after our 31st President, Herbert Hoover.   I would have liked to have been present for the debate at that school board meeting, I suspect it was a lively one.  LOL

See above

The Shaggy D.A.

I talked to my mom in Chicago this afternoon.  She said that “The locusts are back”.  Now before you go conjuring up images of some biblical swarm, the “locusts” were part of our lore as kids growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.  There were 13 year “locusts” and 17 year “locusts”, meaning each particular breed only emerged once every 13 or 17 years.  The breed my mother was referring to this year is the 17 year variety, and they aren’t really locusts at all, but rather cicadas.  From Wikipedia:

The next brood to emerge is Brood XIII—the Northern Illinois Brood. After a seventeen-year hiatus, this brood is scheduled to emerge in 2007, in northern Illinois and in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. However, sightings in northern Illinois have occurred as early as May 2006.

Anyone who grew up west of The Mississippi River, has likely never seen this insect. They weren’t the prettiest bugs, though they were quite harmless and could easily be picked up and examined.  When I was a kid every 13 or 17 year cycle was amazing.  There were  literally millions of these insects covering every inch of every tree.  Their life cycle was short, about 2-3 weeks and their.numbers were massive:

The nymphs emerge in large numbers at about the same time, sometimes more than 1.5 million individuals per acre (>370/m²).^[3] Their mass-emergence is a survival trait called “predator satiation”: for the first week after emergence, the periodic cicadas are an easy prey for reptiles, birds, squirrels, cats, and other small and large mammals.^[4][5] The cicadas’ survival strategy is simply to overwhelm predators by their sheer numbers, ensuring the survival of most of the individuals and thus of the species. It has been hypothesized that the emergence period of large prime numbers (13 and 17 years) is also a predatory avoidance strategy adopted to eliminate the possibility of potential predators receiving periodic population boosts by synchronizing their own generations to divisors of the cicada emergence.

To our parents though, they were the worst kind of pests.  The noise they made was deafening and sometimes reached 100 decibels.  The noise continued all night long and was like a loud constant buzz.  As they fell dead from the trees we would scoop them up in jars to save, though the jars eventually disappeared courtesy of our parents.  Maybe I’ll be back in Chicago in 17 years to see them again.

The other magical thing about growing up in the Midwest was the fireflies.  We called them “lightning bugs” and they would come out at dusk on warm balmy evenings to light up our yards and provide constant enjoyment.  They were very easy to catch as they flew quite slowly.  We only needed to watch for the light and cup our hands over them.  When we uncupped our hands they wouldn’t fly away, they would just walk around for a while until we put them in a jar.  And oh the jars-full we caught.  We would keep them in our rooms at bedtime as magical nightlights that slowly lulled us to sleep.  The next morning we would let them go, presumably to catch them again that evening.

Fireflies too, are rarely found east of The Mississippi, but if you’re ever lucky enough to be in the midwest in June or July, watch for them!

There are certainly many great things about being in California; the weather, the ocean, the weather, the weather.   There was nothing like the seasons in Chicago though.  The first thing people think of when you tell them you grew up in Chicago is the winters.  Yes the winters were cold, but I like to think they made us tougher.  In fact, every season in the Midwest was magical:

• Summer, with its oppressive humidity, lightning bugs and lightning storms, that could literally start at any time and light up the sky with bright bolts and rumbling thunder.  Playing outside until nearly 10:00 when it finally got dark.  Swimming every day and enjoying the summer sun, as you knew it wouldn’t be around come winter.
• Fall, with its warm days and cool nights.  Dew on the morning grass and the first frost.  Walking to the bus stop in mittens for the first time all year.  The leaves changing from green to yellow to red and then falling off the trees to be raked up in piles only to be jumped into.
• Winter, with the magical first snowfall blanketing the aforementioned leaves.  The anticipation of going to bed at night with light snow flurries falling, only to wake up earlier than usual to a winter wonderland with snow deeper than your knees.  We always woke up early on the days that there might be a possibility that school would be canceled.  We would turn on the radio at 5 AM to listen to the announcer on WGN read endless lists of schools in the entire city.  We would just keep praying to hear “Hoover School in District 54, Schaumburg”.  Sometimes there were cheers, other times jeers.  Sometimes they would say school was open but there would be no bus service.  When that happened we would go into “sweetness mode” and do everything to try to convince our parents that driving in that kind of weather would be treacherous, and that they certainly cared about us more than risking our lives on the icy roads.  We would promise to clean the house and even clean our rooms, but inevitably we would play outside in the snow, building igloos and having snowball fights until we could no longer feel our fingers and toes.  We would come back in the house to the smell of hot cocoa on the stove, and Christmas cookies in the oven, while we dumped the wet snow out of our boots, hats and mittens.  Those were the days.

That’s me on the right after a particulary heavy snow.  5 feet I think!

• And finally Spring.  After dreary February and a last snowstorm in March, the snow lay in gray piles turning to ice crystals (the best and most painful for snowballs).  The tulips started peaking through the dirt and the first day the temperature was above freezing (32° F) we begged our parents to let us go to school in short sleeves.  Trees bloomed and the days grew mild and balmy.  Another cycle had finished as we looked forward to the end of the school year and summer and lightning bugs.

Life….you climb your way up, get knocked down, and start all over again…

• A moronic “Dear Abby” letter about what to do if you run across a Cho like potential killer.
• An article about a new football player just drafted to Virginia Tech.
• And this gem from Ohio that purports the real lesson to be learned from the tragedy is that everyone should be armed with guns (see the 11 year old monster pig shooter with the .55 caliber revolver, below).

I know for a fact that the people who lost friends and loved ones that day have not moved on (isn’t that a horrible expression!?).  I spoke to my friend Sabine this week, and her spirits seemed good.  The campus is virtually empty, and she’s finishing her thesis and hoping to be done in August, gone from the daily reminders.  She has good days and bad days, but there are no days that she is not reminded. 

I also see Google searches for the names of the various victims who come to my site every day from many different places here and abroad; seeking solace or remembrance.  Or maybe they just want to know that we haven’t forgotten.

For more reflection, please click the ribbons on the bottom left of this page.

I’ve really been getting into the routine of walking my friends Ann & Jorge’s dog Roscoe every other day for a couple of hours.  Roscoe as you may recall is a six month old Rottweiler puppy that they got after losing “Beast“.  He’s been getting a lot better about jumping up and pulling me everywhere (as opposed to vice versa)!  The one thing he hasn’t gotten better at is what he eats.  Answer?  EVERYTHING.

Here are some samples of what Roscoe would eat if I let him:

OK, I’m just kidding about the kitten.  Don’t get all PETA on me!  And by the way, Roscoe eats shit with or without sprinkes. He doesn’t discriminate.  He usually tries to eat grass (salad) as his appetizer, followed by three courses of any of the above.  Wash it down with a nice aperitif (rocks) and that’s his afternoon snack.

Seriously though, you have to watch this dog every second or he will put something in his mouth.  And once it’s in his mouth, you need the strength of 10 men to get it out.  I’ve literally held his mouth open with two hands and shook crap out of his mouth!   I’ve taken to scanning the sidewalk 5 seconds ahead of where he’s walking/sniffing.  I call it “an-sniff-ipating” the path of least resistance.  If I see a piece of gum, or God forbid a dried up turd, we quickly change course.  He’s getting neutered next week, so hopefully he’ll be less hungry. 

By the way, what do you get a dog that’s just been “snipped“??

Introducing neuticles (for the male dog who misses his, well, you know…)  I love this quote from their website: 

Neuticles allow your pet to retain his natural look, self esteem and aid in the trauma associated with neutering.

With Neuticles - It’s like nothing ever changed!

This just in:

Updated: 9:09 a.m. PT June 1, 2007

BERLIN – A 43-year-old German man was taken to hospital in critical condition after he fell off a second story balcony during a spitting contest with his 12-year-old son, police said on Friday.  Read more…

Song of the day

Chris and Marc in Xanga Support worked for 2 days trying to figure out why my site wasn’t able to be viewed in Internet Explorer 6 and lower.  They really stepped up to the plate (as usual) and the problem was solved.  Thanks guys!!

From Marc & Chris @Xanga, To Carey:

Hi Carey! Took a while to figure this one out, but I think we may have nailed the bug… We just rolled a fix – I’m looking at your site in IE6 right now, and it seems ok!  Sorry for any frustrations – and thanks for all your effort (and persistence!) on this theme. Hope it’s working for all your visitors now. Cheers, Marc

From Carey, To Marc & Chris & Xanga:

You guys are the BEST!!!  I take back every bad thing I ever said about you   LOL.  But seriously, as usual, the Xanga staff went above and beyond the call of duty.  I think I might just get “Xanga For Life” because of this.  Of course, I still have Chris’s cell phone number, which is my ace in the hole.  Ha Ha.  I just got off of Skype with a friend in the Philippines and after he pressed Ctrl F5 it worked likea charm in IE 6.  Thanks again for your patience with my persistence.  Have a great weekend!  –Carey

I saw Tommy today for the first time since he broke his arm.  He was in incredibly good spirits and we had a great dinner at B.J.’s topped off with Pizookies (like I need them!).  Anyway, Tommy proudly showed off his cast, and as you can see, Andy really enjoyed the Mozzarella sticks!!  LOL

Notice me gingerly holding Tommy’s cast up for the camera, LOL, and notice that Andy is only into his mozzarella sticks and not the picture! 

If any of you live in the Los Angeles area and want some amazing photos taken of your kids, check out Trish Reda.  She’s a local photographer with a truly stunning body of work.  She did a portfolio recently for a friend of the family, and the photos took my breath away.  I contacted her about something on her website and told her I would try to throw some business her way, as I know many of you have babies.    Check out her website and give her a call!

©Trish Reda, all rights reserved. 

The Cost of the War along with the Deficit, continues to climb 

When I was driving to work this morning I heard that the operational commander of American troops in Iraq is seeking ceasefire deals with insurgents and that he believed most would agree to the proposals.  My first reaction was, “Great, that means they think we’ve gained the upper hand in this bloody war and they want us out too”.  Then I turned from NPR to Rush Limbaugh…just because I like to keep tabs on the enemy so I know their weaknesses.  (Keep your friends close…)  Anyway, apart from him insisting he’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he said this:

RUSH: Folks, there is another possibility for this cease-fire, a little float that the terrorists are engaging in here in Iraq, and it could simply be this.  It could be something totally unrelated to our analysis up to this point.  The terrorists suggesting that they’re interested in talking cease-fire could simply be their way of telling the Democrats in this country that they’re unhappy with the Democrats providing more funding without a withdrawal timetable.  The terrorists might have looked at the latest vote in the House where the Democrats retreated from retreat and surrendered from surrender and said, “Well, my gosh, we’ve lost our allies in Washington.  As long as we’re going to support ‘em, we’re going to hang tough over here. We’re going to try to beat Bush for them,” and so forth, as long as they come up with a definite withdrawal date to get the army outta here.  But now the Democrats have caved, and so the terrorists are saying, “Well, we don’t know where bin Laden is. Zawahiri is a nonfactor. We’re all over the place in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Jihad is not the organized thing it used to be. Now we’ve lost our big allies, the Democrats, what are we going to do?”  It could be that, ladies and gentlemen.

I had to turn off the radio when I heard that (just like I almost crashed my car a few weeks ago when he said the Virginia Tech. shootings could actually be good for Iraq ????).  Go take some more OxyContin Rush, you pompous ass!

And finally, speaking of fat pigs….

Do You Feel Lucky Pig?  Do You?

If I hadn’t seen this on the A.P. and Yahoo News, I’d swear it was Photoshopped.

“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back”

A few highlights:

• The “Monster Pig” was chased down and shot to death by an 11-year-old boy, Jamison Stone of “Pickensville”. Alabama.
• Officials also will review whether the hunt complied with the state’s “fair chase” law…
• The boy said he shot the huge animal eight times with a .50-caliber revolver and chased it for three hours through hilly woods before finishing it off with a point-blank shot.
• Andress said there is nothing illegal about a child hunting in Alabama.

The fact that this happened in Alabama is classic.  The fact that the town’s name was “Pickensville” is even better. Throw in an 11 year old boy with a .50 caliber revolver and it’s pretty easy to see why most people in the South voted for Bush!    Umm, and who knew that this kind monster hog/hippo lived in the U.S.?  Holy pork tenderloin!!

By the way, this is a .50 caliber revolver:

And these helpful tips from the “Shooting USA – Handgun Hunting” website:

Two tips to keep in mind: Look for a place to rest the handgun to steady your shot. Use a branch of a tree or a walking stick-rest. Find something to help you achieve the shot you want to bring home that trophy.

And bring enough gun to do the job. What you need for light skinned game, like white tail or mule deer, is not the same as for elk, which requires more caliber and more energy.

I find it unfathomable that there are still parts of the United States of America that find this kind of thing normal.

Ah, to be young and innocent!  (P.S. Thanks for input David )

Song of the day

I loved the world when we were poor, when winter banged on summer’s door and pain was april rain upon my skin.  I sheltered as each friend was tamed and shackled by the wedding game, now life has left this stain upon my skin.

Soldier boy, soldier on
Your eyes are cold and the spark has gone.

My blackest days were bandaged white I prayed upon my darkest night,
and bible dreams the lives of former whores.
I slept beside this angry calm, kept faith alive and far from harm,
torn I’ve lived, I’ll die a boy stillborn.

Soldier boy, soldier on
Your eyes are cold and the spark has gone.
They’ve chosen you to bear the stain
But God has left this world bereft and the scars remain.