Tsunami must be fault of the US

"INEVITABLY, confronted with a tragedy of unimaginable scale, the human mind looks for someone to blame. In the Dark Ages, disasters were ascribed to the wrath of God. Now, in an odd inversion that we like to think of as progress, they are adduced as evidence of no God.

In the absence of a deity to decry or appease when the earth moves in such devastating fashion, humankind reaches for the next best thing - worldly authority. Authority should have known it was coming. Authority didn't do enough to prevent it. Authority was too preoccupied with its own nefarious priorities to care. "

Large python saves Riza and twins

Sometimes it takes a tsunami to make one surrender to God.

At 35, he said, 'My life is finished. All I can do now is to surrender to God.'

Amazing story of a python saving some people from the flood waters.

Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition'

“I don’t know what that is about but it sounds very much, I am afraid, like the US trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the UN system,” she added.

... or maybe it's just that the US would rather our donations actually go to those that need the assistance, rather than line Kofi's wallet.

DRUDGE: Bee Stings & MS

"'It meant I wasn't able to have bee stings for two weeks and so it's set my treatment back."

No Mail? Maybe Unshoveled Paths Are To Blame

"No matter if it rains or snows..."

Hah.

Ramsey Clarke to defend Saddam

This is nothing short of astounding to me.

Man Admits Hate Crime Attack Was False

Oh my, this is funny.

Investigators were suspicious about the report because the head carving was backwards, as if done while looking into a mirror.

Quake Images

Title link goes to a Yahoo search for earthquake car. The power is incredible.

"Some" Assembly Required?

Wow. Spent most of the day after Christmas assembling various gifts for the kids from grandparents and aunts. There should be a law against giving unassembled gifts.

Much assembly was required.

Netflix Will Not Match Blockbuster Price Cut

Interesting.

"'In my view, Blockbuster just killed the video store by offering $15 pricing for online, but maintaining $25 a month for store-based subscriptions,' Hastings said. 'They are telling their customers to go online.' "

Year's Worst Gadgets, Tomorrow's EBay Items

A fun list...

Still others probably should have been abandoned on the drawing board along with the wireless washing machine.

"There are a lot of good ideas that fail," said Danielle Levites, vice president of consumer devices research at IDC, a technology research company. "Either they're not really marketed or it's too much for consumers to get their brain around."

"And then, some are just dumb," she added.

Happy Ramahanukwanzmas

hat tip: Michelle Malkin: HAVE A P.C. CHRISTMAS WHATEVER

Bush to Renominate Controversial Court Picks

Emboldened by his re-election victory and gains by Republicans in the Senate, Bush plans to resubmit 20 nominations for positions on key U.S. appeals and district courts, the White House said.

The glitch that stole Christmas

Funny.

Toyota's I-Foot.

Would you walk upstairs in one of these?



This 2-legged, mountable robot was developed for three-dimensional mobility, with the ability to navigate staircases. The passenger climbs on and drives with a joystick. Toyota will present this proposal for a new type of mobility at EXPO 2005 AICHI, JAPAN.

Design Concept
The egg-shaped design of the “i-foot” that wraps around the passenger is meant to express the dream of future three-dimensional mobility and the feelings of safety and reliability upon which that dream is built.

Sensitive Solstice Greeting

Hilarious stuff from a Scrappleface poster, Norton Tierra (12/22/2004 8:05 am post on the ACLU Primordial Soup story).

... Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

And a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2004, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make this country great (not to imply that North America is necessarily greater than any other region or is the only "America" in the Western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, gender or sexual orientation of the wishee.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious community, group, individual, or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same.

This greeting is void where prohibited by law.

No longer are smart people disconnected.

Fascinating observation from Powerline in Time.

'The world is full of smart people who have information about every imaginable topic, and until the Internet came along, there wasn't any practical way to put it together.'

PETA President Fired for Saying, "I Could Really Use a Hamburger Right Now"

Hah!

The Year's Wacky Catchphrases

And here I thought the term Chrismakwanzukah was a joke ... not an attempt at sensitivity.

"Chrismukkah/Chrismakwanzukah"
A variety of words that have been created to include all the major December holidays and thereby avoid offending anyone; also great for people who celebrate more than one holiday. Some say it's a major breakthrough for tolerance and inclusion; others complain that the PC fanatics are at it again.

Leave Your Password In Your Will

"each of us should, along with other wills, funeral plans, etc., leave a list of passwords with our next of kin or family lawyer. (You can always encode them and separately leave instructions on how they should be decoded.)"

Read the context here.

Santa is a Democrat!

Zogby: "Santa Claus 'a Democrat', Ebenezer Scrooge, Grinch 'Republicans', New Zogby Poll Finds"

A plurality of likely voters say that longtime Christmas fixture Santa Claus is a Democrat, a new Zogby International poll reveals. The same survey found voters even more sure of the political leanings of two other Christmas icons: Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch are likely Republicans. The interactive poll of 2562 likely voters was conducted from Wednesday to Friday (December 1 to 3, 2004). The margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points.

More than one-in-four respondents (27%) said Santa Claus is a Democrat, while another 21% believed him to be a political independent. Those saying "Republican" trailed at 16%. Another 6% believe he is a member of the left-wing Green Party.

Axis of Weasels

This book is absolutely hilarious. Got it for my dad for Christmas, but I don't think he reads this blog, so I'll post it in hopes of not ruining the surprise.

Jewish Settlers to Wear Orange Stars?

"Igniting a public uproar, some Jewish settlers said Tuesday they will soon start wearing orange stars on their shirts in a provocative campaign comparing the government's Gaza withdrawal plan to the Nazi Holocaust."

ScrappleFace: New Microsoft Patch Blocks Firefox Downloads

More fun from Ott.

The source added that Internet Explorer is a superior product because it allows computer experts, called 'hackers', to control your computer.

'Who would you rather have in control of your PC?' the Microsoft spokesman asked rhetorically, 'Do you want an expert who knows every line of the IE code, or some bozo like you who just walks into Circuit City and buys the cheapest PC off the shelf?'

Outsourced Santa.

Funny. Sort of.

"Just kidding, honey!"

An Italian tourist aboard a flight from Sydney to Vienna caused an international security alert after he sent a joke text message from his cell phone to his wife claiming his plane had been hijacked by terrorists, the Australian government confirmed Sunday.

"Hey, this'll be funny..."

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today

Taranto is great:

"'San Francisco supervisors want voters to approve a sweeping handgun ban that would prohibit almost everyone except law enforcement officers, security guards and military members from possessing firearms in the city,' the Associated Press reports.

Advocates of the ban present it as a suicide-prevention measure. Says Bill Barnes, an aide to Supervisor Chris Daly: 'We know that for even law-abiding folks who own guns, the rates of suicide and mortality are substantially higher. So while just perceived to be a crime thing, we think there is a wide benefit to limiting the number of guns in the city.'

We think he's wrong about mortality rates, which as far as we know are 100% for gun owners and gun shunners alike. But he may be right that gun owners are at risk of suicide. Good thing San Francisco doesn't have any bridges."blockquote>

[Emphasis Mine]... LOL.

Teachers Want to Stop Fights With Snapshots

On one hand...

"It seems to me that the incidents of violence were more severe and the district really wasn't dealing with it," Rumore said. "When I talked about this they said, 'You're making the district look bad,' and I said, 'No, the violence is making the district look bad.' "

On the other...

"It sends entirely the wrong message to students," he said. "It tells them, 'We expect you to misbehave.' To some students, it could be seen as a challenge, to see if they could get a teacher to pull out a camera. It also creates another barrier between the students and the teachers."

Old Newspaper Ads

Absolutely hilarious. OshKosh ad from 1939.

Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theorist Offers $100,000 Prize

All you engineering students, have at it!

The millionaire activist is so convinced of a government cover-up he is offering a $100,000 reward to any engineering student who can prove the World Trade Center buildings crashed the way the government says.

... at least he's putting his money whre his mouth is: "Walter has spent about 30 percent [more than $3 million!] of his net worth on his efforts. "

Leroy the Redneck Reindeer

Parent outraged over Christmas pageant song she calls racist

"This is not fun, this is not fun to me," she said.

Somebody's grumpy...

Google CFO sounds an alarm

20% is a huge number.

Estimates of how prevalent click fraud has become since it appeared four years ago are all over the map. Jessie Stricchiola, the president of Alchemist Media, estimated that as much as 20 percent of all clicks on paid search ads are shams.

The Truth About the Environment

Happened across this interesting article from an old Economist print edition (8/2/2001).

Environmentalists tend to believe that, ecologically speaking, things are getting worse and worse. Bjorn Lomborg, once deep green himself, argues that they are wrong in almost every particular

Women more at risk from climate change

Now I've truly seen it all.

Severe weather caused by global warming can pose greater physical danger to women than men, a Canadian attending a UN conference on climate change said Friday.

'For instance, often women don't know how to swim, so in a flood situation that can lead to a higher instance of death or injury,' Angie Daze, a program manager with a Canadian group called Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change, said.

More Tax Preparers than Army Soldiers

According to Cheney:

"The tax code is 'thousands of pages long,' and so complex that America employs some 1.2 million tax preparers -- more than the U.S. Army. "

Pet strollers for cats and dogs

You definitely need one of these. Wouldn't want to make poor fido walk.



In other news, Britney Spears has treated her pet chihuahua to a £93 [$175] steak. The singer ordered the prime cut of meat when she took Bitbit out for a gourmet meal at the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas.

BlueStateShirts.com

This is great. As Wonkette said:

Nothing says "Woohoo, we lost!" like a quality shirt from BlueStateShirts.com

Head of Cleveland Clinic Is Attacking Big Mac

Hey, I've eaten here! :-)

'What they have in the cafeteria is not a lot better, and it's certainly not affordable,' said Donna Wilkison, a post-operative nurse waiting in line for her McDonald's salad with chicken. The cafeteria salad bar, priced at $4.64 a pound, 'gets very expensive. They need to bring in something else that's more affordable.'

Yeah, but...

Adjacent to the McDonald's is a cafeteria that features a large salad bar, a grill, a deli and hot entrees. The choices range include fresh fruit and homemade mashed potatoes. At Subway, salads begin at $3.99 and subs are about $5. McDonald's salads cost $4.10.

Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask

Practical jokes not to play on Costa Rican taxi drivers.

Leonel Arias, 47, told police he was playing a practical joke by donning the Bin Laden mask, toting his pellet rifle and jumping out to scare drivers on a narrow street in his hometown, Carrizal de Alajuela, about 20 miles north of San Jose.

We Red Staters can get offended, too

Great stuff.

"Easily offended people offend me."

And much more serious commentary.

Scissors get girl in legal trouble

This is not a joke.

"A 10-year-old fourth-grade girl at Holme Elementary School in the Far Northeast was pulled out of class, handcuffed, and taken to the local police station in the back of a police wagon earlier this week after a pair of 8-inch scissors were found in her book bag, according to authorities and her angry mother."

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today

Good on Taranto: "or that a good temperament is an important qualification for a seat on the bench but not a finger on the button"

Google Is Adding Major Libraries to Its Database

That's pretty cool.

ScrappleFace: Energy Nominee Excited to Become Big Oil Croney

Laughed out loud at this one...

"including a windmill that runs on oil"

Fed Probes Marc Rich

This could get interesting.

"We think he was a major player in this — a central figure," a senior law-enforcement official told The Post.

Was Kerry poisoned?

Sort of funny. This site suggests Kerry might have been poisoned by the GOP - using Botox instead of Dioxin.



In light of this, which is, of course, NOT funny ...

Baby Gap: How birthrates color the electoral map

Some interesting commentary from Steve Sailer, who seems to have a nack for writing about subjects which tend to be controversial or thought and not spoken.

Funny (emphasis mine):

That the president launched a war under false pretenses no doubt caused a few highly-informed constituencies, such as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the subscribers to this magazine, to shift many of their votes, but almost every group large enough to be measurable by exit polling was relatively stable. If they supported Bush’s foreign policy in 2000, they supported his contrary stance in 2004 and vice versa.

But more to the point of the article:

The single most useful and understandable birthrate measure is the “total fertility rate.” This estimates, based on recent births, how many children the average woman currently in her childbearing years will have. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that in 2002 the average white woman was giving birth at a pace consistent with having 1.83 babies during her lifetime, or 13 percent below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. This below-replacement level has not changed dramatically in three decades.

States, however, differ significantly in white fertility. The most fecund whites are in heavily Mormon Utah, which, not coincidentally, was the only state where Bush received over 70 percent. White women average 2.45 babies in Utah compared to merely 1.11 babies in Washington, D.C., where Bush earned but 9 percent. The three New England states where Bush won less than 40 percent—Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island—are three of the four states with the lowest white birthrates, with little Rhode Island dipping below 1.5 babies per woman.

Bush carried the 19 states with the highest white fertility (just as he did in 2000), and 25 out of the top 26, with highly unionized Michigan being the one blue exception to the rule. (The least prolific red states are West Virginia, North Dakota, and Florida.)

In sharp contrast, Kerry won the 16 states at the bottom of the list, with the Democrats’ anchor states of California (1.65) and New York (1.72) having quite infertile whites.

Among the 50 states plus Washington, D.C., white total fertility correlates at a remarkably strong 0.86 level with Bush’s percentage of the 2004 vote. (In 2000, the correlation was 0.85.) In the social sciences, a correlation of 0.2 is considered “low,” 0.4 “medium,” and 0.6 “high.”

You could predict 74 percent of the variation in Bush’s shares just from knowing each state’s white fertility rate. When the average fertility goes up by a tenth of a child, Bush’s share normally goes up by 4.5 points.

Binary Clock

The ultimate geek gift.

10 Tips for Writing High-Performance Web Applications

A good read, if you're into that sort of thing...

Common Noise

The most common noise sequence, I think, in our house is:

heard: thump, thump, crash
screamed: "ooowwww!"
said sheepishly: "sorry"

Seems every 10 minutes one boys is accidentally crashing into the other.

Fascinating Marketing Strategery.

One a day is enough for Woot.com customers

In the half a year that Woot.com has been online, the Web site that sells only one item a day has generated a dot-com-like buzz, as fans flock to the site at midnight central time to see the day's special.

UPDATE: These FAQ's are hilarious.

If you buy something you don’t end up liking or you have what marketing people call “buyers remorse,” sell it on ebay. It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn't work, find out what you’re doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it’s probably your fault

President doesn't use faith as a bargaining tool

Neither Bush’s personality nor his ideology meshes with the profile of dogmatic social engineer. On stem-cell research, for example, Bush basically split the baby down the middle, funding research on existing stem-cell lines, but withholding funding for new research that would destroy human embryos.
On same-sex marriage, Bush supports a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman, but supports some form of civil union to extend legal protections to same-sex couples.

...

other American presidents have been far more “religious” in their public conduct.
Jimmy Carter taught Sunday school while he was president. Bill Clinton toted his personal Bible to church. During the recent presidential campaign, John Kerry frequently affirmed his Catholicism.
Bush’s invocations of God, meanwhile, are never gratuitous but are appropriate to context — a funeral, or prayer breakfast, or the finishing touch on a State of the Union address: “God bless America.” Hardly the rantings of a theocrat.

...

In other words, the notion that Bush is imposing his religious beliefs - or that he is going reshape America in the image of some fundamentalist fantasy - is a bum rap. Indeed, some close observers of the Bush-evangelical dynamic predict that Bush will have caused more consternation than consolation among his conservative Christian brethren before the first year of his second term is up.

Man, you just can't get enough of Scott's satire...

ScrappleFace: "'The president sees the nanny nomination as win-win-win on several fronts,' said the unnamed official. 'She obviously knows how to penetrate our borders, so she'll be terrific running Homeland Security. As a gainfully-employed illegal alien, she'll help promote Mr. Bush's guest worker visa initiative. And since Kerik didn't pay into Social Security for her, she'll help Bush promote private retirement accounts.'"

More "Otter v. Human"

Man's Heart Attack Sparks Oil Spill: "A man suffered a fatal heart attack while refueling a ferry, resulting in a spill that dumped nearly 2,000 gallons of fuel into Hyannis Harbor on Saturday morning, a Coast Guard official said. "

Otters v. People.

Wizbang:
"'but finding the six crew members lost at sea remained a priority - despite their diminishing odds for survival.'"

Some good commentary by Paul over at WizBang.

Good news, Bad news.

Fewer Teens Engaging in Sex, Study Finds

Sex surveys of 15 - 17 year olds show decline of about a third from 1995 to 2002.

However, still roughly a third of teens in that age group have had sex.

Court: Mom's Eavesdropping Violated Law

In a victory for rebellious teenagers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a mother violated Washington's privacy law by eavesdropping on her daughter's phone conversation.

One "Flew" Over ...

Famous Atheist Now Believes in God: " 'It has become inordinately difficult even to begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that first reproducing organism,'"

UPDATE: WizBang links

Read Michelle's post about our Transportation Secretary.

Michelle Malkin: THE CURSE OF NORM MINETA:

Kroft: Are you saying, at security screening desks, that a 70-year-old white woman from Vero Beach, Florida, would receive the same level of scrutiny as a-a-a Muslim young man from Jersey City?

Mineta: Basically, I would hope so."

If I'm late, you'll know why...

Leap Seconds: "The Earth is constantly undergoing a deceleration caused by the braking action of the tides."

Though it turns out that this deceleration is probably unnoticeable to all but the most astute observer:

Through the use of ancient observations of eclipses, it is possible to determine the average deceleration of the Earth to be roughly 1.4 milliseconds per day per century. This deceleration causes the Earth's rotational time to slow with respect to the atomic clock time.

The fascinating facts continue:

The length of the mean solar day has increased by roughly 2 milliseconds since it was exactly 86,400 seconds of atomic time about 1.79 centuries ago (i.e. the 179 year difference between 1999 and 1820). That is, the length of the mean solar day is at present about 86,400.002 seconds instead of exactly 86,400 seconds. Over the course of one year, the difference accumulates to almost one second, which is compensated by the insertion of a leap second into the scale of UTC with a current regularity of a little less than once per year. Other factors also affect the Earth, some in unpredictable ways, so that it is necessary to monitor the Earth's rotation continuously.

And one more slightly related item. Check out the title of the guy that authored this urgent government bulletin.

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/leap.html

DENNIS D. McCARTHY
Director
Directorate of Time

And who would have thought there would be 43,000+ references to "Leap Second" from a Google Search.

Do I get a star?

My four year old son reminded me yesterday about the joy of a simple "atta boy"... After turning in his writing "homework" to my wife April, who homeschools, he excitedly asked "Do I get a star?"

Oh that we would all remember the enthusiasm a simple star generates...

Careful, lads, that laptop might burn your genes

I was just saying last week how hot my laptop was getting....

Not sure what to say about this...

Parents Go on Strike, Move to Front Yard

After begging and pleading with their 17-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter to help out around the house, the Barnards decided they were fed up. So they went on strike — and moved out to the front yard.

I'm not sure I want one of these:

NTT Tests Adding Smells to Internet

A broadband connection controls a machine that has 36 scents, blends of natural oils, such as eucalyptus, sandalwood and basil.

Funny. Explosives dog falling for the old "bag of dogfood trick".

Iraqi Empties Newsroom : "There was a burst of excitement when the dog 'alerted' on a highly suspicious package under foreign news aide Emily Messner's desk. C-4 explosive, perhaps? No, just a bag of dog food Messner bought to give to a homeless woman to help her feed her pooch."

Interesting discussion of flat taxes in this article

Bloomberg Columnists - Lynn: "low and simple taxes that people actually pay work better than high and complex taxes that they don't"

Of course, if you read that sentence in its full context it's not quite as powerful... still the same meaning, but loses a bit of the punch.

Michelle Malkin: Jeremy Spoke in Canada Today:

"Jimmy Massey a.k.a. John Kerry, Jr"

LOL...

And an interesting quote from Hinzman on his website's FAQ's.

14. Is there ever a good reason to go to war?

I can empathize with a country that is acting in self defence. I don't see what it will achieve, though, other than begetting more violence.

This is cool...

Device for the Paralyzed Turns Thinking to Doing: "Harnessing the electrical echoes of thought, researchers have developed a way for people to control a computer cursor simply by thinking about it. "

David, my curling- and hockey-loving buddy, sent me this.

Company lets U.S. travelers 'Go Canadian'

Too bad it rained here this morning.

Rare Event: Jupiter to Hide Behind the Moon

Creative.

Ritz blitz gambling trio keep their chips

The Hungarian woman and two Serbian men used a laser scanner hidden in a mobile phone linked to a computer to gauge the speed of the ball and the roulette wheel, and hence the number most likely to come up

Generation Raised With Internet Grows Up :

"AOL's Bird predicts that teens will be among the first to embrace new, Web-based video technology. 'You will very soon be able to shoot video messages and play those video messages on your blog that your friends can go to,' Bird says. 'So your community, your scheduling, your friends, your holidays - all of this stuff will live in an online environment.'"

I don't think so, and there's on simple reason. As the viewer / reader, you can't quickly scan a video and get the gist of it, you have to sit through the whole thing. It's simply too time consuming for our fast paced infojunkie mindset.

Finall, a picture of the Origami Bird drop...

Some classic Scrappleface:

ScrappleFace: Classified CIA Cable Warns of Danger of Leaks

Good idea:

Phone booths resurrected for cell users: "Kevin Boehm knows how cruel a cold Chicago night can be. So last year, when he saw a man squawking into a mobile phone outside a restaurant in 20 degree weather, he imagined a simple solution: a cell phone booth"

He's appealing? And still being paid?!

local6.com - News - Sheriff's Deputy Videotaped Urinating In Elevator: "Although Brown was fired, he is still being paid while he continues to appeal his termination."

Statistics never lie but....

Wired News: Florida E-Vote Study Debunked

"If I were to get this article as (an academic) reviewer, I would turn it around and say they were fishing to find a result," Stewart said.

Money can't buy love?

"Wife Of Queens Lottery Winner Files For Divorce, Half Of Jackpot"

Hardee's Monster Thickburger Creates Uproar

Yeah, the sound of hungry guys running to Hardee's... I want one!

That can't be good...

Yahoo! News - 'Your Call Is Very Important to Us...': "Nine out of 10 Chinese calling into a suicide-prevention hotline in the capital Beijing are getting the busy tone"

Who woulda thunk ... Scientists Make Phone That Turns Into a Sunflower.

I've seen a lot of funny headlines before, but this one is right up there with the best of them...

Origami Airdrop Fails to Quell Thai Violence

// Gotta send this one to http://www.opinionjournal.com/best

April's New Website

I finished up work on my wife's website this weekend. Check out her new Discovery Toys site, it's called "Teach With Toys" and is located at http://www.teachwithtoys.com

If you happen to have come looking for Discovery Toys information, you can jump directly to one of these topics at TeachWithToys.com:
Discovery Toys Fundraisers
Discovery Toys Read-a-thons
Discovery Toys Toyraisers
Information for Day Care Organizations
Hosting a Discovery Toys Party (online or catalog party)
Joining Discovery Toys

Or simply pop on over and sign her guestbook - and tell her Eric sent you!!

Eric.

This might be kind of cool.

A visit to Tora Bora

Michael Reagan's thoughts on NAACP's Mfume retirement

Note to the NAACP: Draft Bill Cosby: "If the NAACP really wants to empower the advancement of African Americans they'll find leaders who have the best interests of their fellow blacks and are willing to raise their voices to help the black community face and solve their own problems.
I have a couple of candidates. How about replacing Mfume with Bill Cosby or Jesse Lee Peterson from BOND or even Colin Powell who's about to be at large. They have the credibility and the guts to face the problem head-on."

Think about this:
Wired News: How Long Is Your Digital Trail?:

"In just the past few years, it's become harder than ever to avoid leaving a digital trail. Gone are the days when you had to make an effort to be on the web. Now, you have to work to stay off it.

If you make your local paper, it doesn't matter if the paper doesn't archive its past issues -- Google's cached pages will do it for you. Your friends blog you, your listservs archive your posts, and online phone directories have your number.

Run your own business? You're online, and your past can find you. Start a wish list -- or a wedding registry -- on a retailer's website? You're online, and your past can find you. If you do anything at all that brings you in contact with the public, whether it's a band gig or a volunteer day with a local charity or getting arrested or writing a blurb in the corporate newsletter, your name is more likely to appear online than not. "

OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Now it goes further and demands that these combatants get even more privileges than legitimate POWs. Has it occurred to no one in Geneva that indefinite detention can't possibly be 'tantamount to torture' for illegal combatants if it is the expected course of events for real POWs?"

Interesting reading.

'Master/slave' Most Politically Incorrect Phrase

The phrase "non-same sex marriage," was used by a former congressman who did not want to offend gay people by using the term traditional marriage, Payack said.

Also on the list this year were "Red Sox lover," to use in place of "Yankee hater," "progressive" for classical liberal, "incurious" rather than more impolite invectives for President Bush (news - web sites), "insurgents" instead of terrorists in Iraq (news - web sites), "baristas" for waiters, and "first year student" rather than freshman.

Funny stuff. A lot like scrappleface.

Underneath Politics

Kerry giving presidential campaign funds to recount in state fight?

Didn't you think we were done with Kerry?:

"I don't know if it's legal to give funds that were raised for presidential campaign costs for a state recount effort - but I know that it's certainly unethical. It isn't the purpose to which his donors made their contributions. Oh, that's right, he doesn't care: it's nuance you know.
...
Note to blogosphere: You know that little regional election crisis we've been obsessing about up here? This national enough for you? How about getting the word out so we can generate some outrage?"

When will it happen here in the US?

How long until the enlightenment of the progressive Netherlands reaches our shores here in the US?

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Dutch Hospital Euthanizing Gravely Ill Babies

"A hospital in the Netherlands ... recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives."

UPDATE: Looks like this one is making the rounds in the blogosphere. Check out Jinx McHue, Dawn Eden, dustbury, MediaCulpa and many others.

Michelle Malkin: MY CHRISTMAS CRUSADE

I am hereby launching the Lump of Coal campaign. Later today, I will box up a lump of charcoal, mark the package "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" and send it to the Denver Mayor in protest of his idiotic policy. Please join me in doing the same (and if you take a photo of your creatively designed package, I will link/post).

Send to:

Mayor John W. Hickenlooper
Denver City and County Building
1437 Bannock Street, Suite 350
Denver, CO 80202

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: It's Still a Man's World on the Idiot Box: "Indeed, white men are ascendant in Red State America. "

Right. And Brokaw, Rather and Jennings are bastians of Red State American perspectives and values.