OKC's Sam Presti is an overrated draft savant
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Sam Presti is the only NBA executive ever to draft three future MVPs and he
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Red Sox at Royals Series Preview
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A look ahead to three games in Kansas City.
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Boston, New York rivalry driving prices up
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New York and Boston are the fiercest of rivalry cities. From Bucky Dent to
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They were boys. They were so young,not even old enough to drink off-base,two of them. They are on this wall, those three boys of my youth. They will be forever young in my mind,unlike ex-husbands or relatives. Michael,Gus and Luke were never able to grow up and see what life held for them,unlike me. So today it is thoughts of them, and how they would be now,staring middle age in the face like I am. Dealing with the problems and enjoying the good things that life has when you get past the age of worrying about the rat race. No war before Vietnam affected me. My father served in Korea but was in the Navy and therefore on a ship. He served for 20 years,he was deployed during the cuban missle crisis. But this war, the Vietnam war, it affected me by taking childhood friends in the beginning of their manhood. Michael jumped in the lake once to save me from drowning. He then proclaimed I was not really drowning, I just wanted his arms around me..he was right of course.These three boys did not go willingly. They were drafted. I remember sitting in the dark,watching the lottery no one wanted to win. I remember the gasps when someone's number came up. I remember the silence when no one knew what to say. I lived in a military town, Lompoc,outside of Vandenberg AFB. But no one really wanted to go,they could see the war each night on the news, the living room war as it was called. But they went. Demand the truth,don't let our government hide behind a wall of secrecy. We owe it to them all. The ones that went inspite of their feelings,or those that went because of them.
In other news..a blogger bud Beth and her sister went to a family wedding recently. The cake was a tad unusual:
HO-HO'S,CUPCAKES AND TWINKIES...
I shat you not..they got a pic up here and the rest of the story..its a hoot boys and girls..if you need a laugh or at the very least a smirk..go read about the "redneck wedding event of the year" complete with tat's, clowns, purple fuzzy outfits and god knows what else. Its a short but delightful read..hey it made me laugh.
This Memorial Weekend think about our current war and those thousands that will forever pay the price for it. The maimed, the families of these dead soldiers will never be the same.
Relive your youth..if you loved collecting those lil suckers and eating that shitty gum here. I was one of those..my brother and I would destroy each others collections when we got pissed at each other..in retrospect that was juvenile :p
Actually its much more than a parody of AmericaBlog. It tosses John Aravosis' words right back at him. He is none to pleased either. Apparently he has tossed his ample girth around at blogger and tried to get the site shut down..ah fark him!..here is the link..enjoy and have a good friday..I have to go to PT soon and we all know I can barely move afterwards :(
Randy Johnson, who pitches without any cartilage in one knee..is getting old. It has never been more apparent than this season, and we are barely into the season. He has stunk up the joint on numerous occasions for the Yank$, thanking Allah for his latest win...and his mates. He gave up nine hits with five runs in five lousy innings last night, but was bailed out by the Yank$ bats and got the win over the Bosox...dammit.
The Padres, those dipwads who looked so good two weeks ago, are now tied with the Giants for last place in their division..such a short ride from first to worst ya know?
But..the Padres aren't the worst team this year..thank you Jesus..its those poor sots in KC, the Royals..friggin give me a break..they just lost 12 in a row..and currently hold a record of..gasp..10-35..which means their winning percentage is a dismal .222? yep..thats what it says. The owner of the Royals can't even get a replacement Manager for the one he wants to fire. Everyone has told him thanks but no thanks..including Stevie Phillips the Mets former GM. Guys would rather let their dog chew off one of their arms than work in KC..
So in that respect..my Pad's don't look so bad..ya know?
A new piece of info on Barbaro..if he can't *literally*stand at stud, he can't be bred. Artificial insemination is against the rules in Thorobred racing...so if he can't take the weight on his hind leg to do the "deed"..he won't be making any babies,artificial or otherwise. Maybe its not all about the money? Who knows at this point..but he's hanging in there.
I am still hurting so I will keep this short dear reader..its medication time, I hear that music they play at the nurses station over the PA system now..oh wait..thats One flew over the Cukoos nest..but you get my drift. My doctor, who only comes to town..lol..once a week from LA cancelled my appointment today..but he was more than happy to sign me up for another month of physical therapy..wotta guy..now, I can't see him for two weeks. I am not happy about that..but such is my lot in life lately..
I just got back from Physical Therapy..I want a drink..which I can't have. I don't want a pain pill which is what I need. So..no post today..just this sick-ass video of a guy "surfing" the men's urinal at a ball game somewhere..jeez..I hope to god someone paid him big bucks to do this..sick sumbitch. I don't care how young he is..I was never this immature..is that bad? I think not :p
Its lifted from John B's blog. My favorite Catholic Packer Fan.
This link goes to the Mass. Institute of Techies webcam for their nest of baby hawks. I used to live down the road from them in Cambridge,MA so I heart them anyway. I miss New England..during the spring and fall..rest of the time..nah.
Also..An Inconvienent Truth opens in LA and NYC tomorrow. See it,you can't afford not to my dear reader. It opens June 1st all over the place, so click on the link in the right sidebar to find a theater near you. Take your kids, take your neighbors..take it's message to heart..our lives depend on it.
Who gives a shit where Jimmy Hoffa is buried? Perhaps his immediate family, but other than that..who cares? Why are we spending tax dollars looking for this guys body?
Why aren't we spending those tax dollars looking for Bin Laden? I think he's a tad more of a threat to National Security than Jimmy Hoffa's dead ass.
Ok, I have two questions..
Why is Rush Limbaugh still on the air spewing bullshit and bravado when a wheel-chair bound Richard Paey, a victim of multiple sclerosis,is charged with basically the same thing Rush's fat ass did..doctor shopping for pain medication? Mr. Paey is doing 25 years in the slammer.
Really..seriously why? The irony is Mr. Paey is getting more pain meds in prison through the morphine drip that is attached to him now. He just doesn't get to live his life..Rush Limbaugh does. Rush's only real pain is waiting for the bad press to die down about his "indescretion".Just don't seem right to me.
If you want to read more about the double-standard in enforcing the federal drug laws..check out Bill Fisher's article here. I would if I were you. If you have any chronic pain..or sadly, expect to at some point in your life, you need to read Bill's article about the DEA'S war on doctors.
The bones seem to be nothing but metal now..replaced with screws and plates. I mean, he broke all three of the bones in his leg. They must really think (the owners) they will make some serious cash off this horse..if he lives through this.
They, the universal they, say he is feeling fine, no pain and he's horny..what else would they say with thousands of people clamoring for information about the horse. The blogosphere is all over this story.
To me, its sadly a greed thang..the owners want to make upwards of $30 million syndicating him for stud services..which isn't a bad way to spend the rest of your life. Or, they can just keep him and stud him out to the tune of...this is a serious number for sex..$75K per filly..usually 100 fillies a year..do the math kids..the owners are the richest pimps in the universe.
King James is trying to lead the unwashed to the promised land in Detroit. Lebron James, who some baptised as the "baby jesus" when he was blowing them out of the water in high school, is trying to win the 7th game for his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cav's aren't looking too hot, but Lebron..well, he's King James and he's doing his best. Since basketball is a team sport, it doesn't bode well for the Cav's against the Pistons today.
My Padres were summarily swept by the Seattle Mariners. Its painful to type these words but here they are: The Padres are tanking quicker than a 17-year old drinking his first pint of Wild Turkey. They have gone from first to fourth in the standings in a weeks time. Piazza is warming the pine, as he should,but they might want to consider bringing him back full time since the pitchers just aren't getting it done lately. They need something, perhaps its a catcher that has a ton of seasons under his belt,unlike the two guys now behind the plate(both rookies).
Barbaro is still in surgery. This noble creature has survived his usually life-ending injuries thus far. He has been in surgery for over four hours. This should be taken as a good sign, he would of been euthanized quickly if they found something worse when they opened him up. I thought of that valiant filly Ruffian when he went down. Sportsline has a story up today about her. The match race with Foolish Pleasure at Belmont was where she went down, they euthanized her immediately. I cried like a baby, it broke my heart to watch in horror as she tried to get up. Its rare in Thorobred racing history when a filly like Ruffian comes along, able to best the boys as she did so wonderfully in the 70's. Her heart, her spirit were so much bigger than her body. The chances are still very slim that Barbaro will survive this horrible injury. He has two complete breaks in his hind leg. Consider if you will that a horse's foot is so small that it takes two of them to equal one human foot. Yet, the weight they carry on each foot is over four times the amount a human carries on one of their two feet. There is still a chance Barbaro will not heal or even make it through the night, coming out of the anethesia is the worst part they say, horses thrash and many times injure themselves even worse. All this, so they can make some money off him as a sire? I hope that isn't their only motivation..I would hate to ask God to smite their asses.
I love writing over here on this blog. I get a chance to break away from the horror show that our current administration has become. I get to indulge my love of sports. I get to relish a great catch, a game-winning three pointer or a golf shot that defies explanation. I get to vent about men playing a child's game for lots of money and fame. Its a diversion I love usually. Being the biggest animal lover bar none, today it just isn't a fun day to blog about sports. Noble creatures like Barbaro do what they do because its in their blood, their nature..they know nothing else in life. Men that play childrens games..not so much.
We, the universal "we" knew it would happen, took him 13 days to hit it,hes old..he's broken down. Far as I am concerned..its got a * after it..and will forever. Thanks to the Omnipotent One for this pic..it says what I feel and I have been waiting to toss it out there.
Edit: Preakness favorite Barbaro broke down shortly after leaving the gate today. He has broken a hindleg in two places..so far, its not life threatening.This I have feelings about..Barroid..not so much. Horses are noble creatures..Barroid..eh..nevermind.
It's time for that dumbest of marketing ideas, Interleague play in Baseball. The Chicago teams thought they would add a little spice to their game by having a benches clearing brawl,four being tossed in the process.
Only cuz I love reading herblogwill I do this..so here goes:
I AM hard-headed and will argue with a fencepost.(or so I have been told) I WANT to see a peaceful world before I die. I WISH I could rescue every feral cat or abused dog I see. I MISS falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs in Ocean Beach,CA. I HEAR music in my head all the time. God help people if I start singing along with it. I WONDERif we as a world will ever deal with global warming before its too late. I REGRET not getting a 4 year college degree. I AM NOT an easy person to live with because I am moody. I DANCE alone in my bedroom with an audience of cats and dogs.(I did prior to hosing up my back anways) I AM NOT ALWAYS understanding of those who's POV I don't agree with. I MAKE WITH MY HANDSlots of middle finger gestures at slow drivers in the fast lane. I WRITE to quiet the voices in my head that tell me how bad things are or are going to be. I CONFUSEpeople with my rapid speech, thereby baffling them with my bullshit. I NEED to capture the feral momma cat in my backyard and get her spayed. I can't adopt anymore of her kittens. I SHOULD learn patience, I would get more out of life if I did. I START each day with a bed full of cats and dogs staring at me,awaiting breakfast. I FINISH each day with my beloved Scooter laying down next to me,purring me to sleep.
And anyone that knows me knows I love shoes..I have roughly a hundred pairs..seriously..I do..I can't wear most of them now with my back all trashed..so I am shopping for new ones with less than 2 inch heels,unlike these beauties to the left which are three and half inchers..but I digress..
Two girls went shoe shopping in San Diego recently. Actually they went shoe stealing. They were heisting $200 pairs of shoes..I do not know what kind..perhaps Manolo's or Ferrigamo's..I can't afford those, and evidently they couldn't either. They led cops on a high speed chase over two different freeways, all the while tossing pairs of shoes out the window. God, think of all those beautiful shoes being run over by cars..makes me want to cry..
Anyway..they were caught..lol..like they were going to get away. You can outrun a police car my dad used to say..but you can't outrun a police radio. Our shoe thiefs plead guilty in court: Jennifer Glausier, 31, pleaded guilty to evading arrest and receiving stolen property and was immediately sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison. Damn..thats some hard time wouldn't you say? The second girl, who was just along for the ride when they reached speeds over 100 miles per hour got a measly three months in the slammer. Linkage to their sad story is here.
The morale of the story..shop ebay girls..you could of gotten those shoes for around $50 bucks if you know how to work the auction system like I do :)
Jon Stewart, god love that man, has the best explanation of wtf and who the hell the Shrub was talking about. I thought my head was going to explode with all the reading I was doing regarding the Shrubs speech on immigration and the people dissecting it for me. The line in his speech that drove me crazy was the "catch and release". I was totally and completely sure the Shrub had lost his place on the teleprompter and perhaps was reading off the cover of an old issue of Field and Stream.
For the sake of our minds, a little humor if you will. Jon Stewarts brief albeit funny take on the Shrubs speech is here.
9 runs in the first inning..I mean, come on...that was one team, the Padres. The final score was a disgusting 14-10. Thats a friggin football score. Whats really sad is ..both these teams are fighting for first in the NL West..and I happen to follow both since I have resided in both areas. My back is killing me, actually its the physical therapist who's killing me. That fucker is going to find a pipebomb in his volvo if he doesn't quit overdoing it on the exercises.
That score..it would drive me to drink but the medication they got me on doesn't allow it..fuckers. I know..too many rants..so little time..carry on.
This isn't a joke. Its a bill the Humane Societyof the U.S. has in front of the Senate(S. 2548) and the House (H.R. 3858) regarding pets during evacuations such as what happened with Katrina last year.
The bill is called the PETS Act. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act will insure that thousands of animals are not left behind to starve and die a horrible death by allowing them to be evacuated with their owners. PETS requires state and local authorities to consider the needs of individuals with pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster. That means ANY type of disaster that requires evacuations. There are still hundreds and hundreds of dogs and cats that are living in shelters that in many cases, will never be reunited with their owners. Don't allow this to happen again. We know there will be more hurricanes, earthquakes and natural disasters. We need to make sure the littlest victims have a fighting chance to survive. Please click on the picture to go to the Humane Society website and sign the letter that will go to your Congress Rep and Senate Rep. We don't know when the next disaster will occur but we need to get these bills through and protect the ones that give us unconditional love daily.
Don't get too excited..he was over 75 minutes late hitting the stage...some things never change. He did have one old GnR musician..keyboardist Dizzy Reed with him along with Chris Pittman, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, former Primus kitman Brian "Brain" Mantia and three guitarists: erstwhile Nine Inch Nails member Robin Finck, ex-Psychedelic Furs axeman Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, a New York musician hired just last week to replace long-departed virtuoso Buckethead.
Axl isn't a "spring" chicken anymore,hes 44. The review I read of the concert here, said that he was sweating his ass off just 2 minutes into the gig. It also noted his "visually noticable added poundage"..lord, he's fat now? Say it ain't so Axl!
He did the old fav's of course along with several of the new cuts that have been leaked by those nasty music pirates :P His voice buckled a few times according to the article.
The average age of the audience was figured (wtf?) at 35 although some "grandparent" types were seen rocking out. He's got a couple more days on the East Coast..I so wish I was there for this, even if it did cost hundreds to see him and $85 bucks for an Axl hockey jersey..damn..maybe I am glad I wasn't there...
Today I think of mothers that have lost their children in Iraq. Its not a happy thought of course, its sad and depressing. I do not wish to depress you, my dear reader, that isn't my intent. But, the one thing mothers seem to have in massive doses is compassion.
Mommy's are the most compassionate bunch of human's on the planet. Its something they find within themselves when they become mothers if they didn't feel it already. Compassion can feed the spirit, lifting us up when things seem bleak. Its an emotion that is essential to being a decent human being. That said, mothers are usually the most decent human beings on the planet. I like being part of the "Mommy" brigade. I think it made me a better human being. I think it sustained me when I was ready to toss in the towel on life during various points in my long journey through this world.
Mommy's are the glue that holds this world together. Lets rejoice that there are Mommy's! Lets hope that we get to see a Mothers day next year that has no war in it.
Whats a blog for if not the occasional shameless promo..this one is for my favorite blues artist in the world now..Joe Bonamassa. The man tours 300 days a year..so he will appear near you, my dear reader, sometime this year. Go see him, you won't waste your time, I promise you...and he's cheap..unlike those stadium rockers that charge an arm and fucking leg. A nice cozy, intimate lil club usually.
Linkage to a full tune off the new cd entitled :You and Me is here. The song is called "High Water Everywhere"Enjoy :)
Floyd was at home in NY when he passed on today. This boxing great was the youngest to ever win the title, beating Archie Moore in 1956 at the age of 21. He was suffering from alzheimers and prostate cancer when he died. Floyd was small as a heavyweight boxer, but made up for that in spirit. Cus D'amato was his trainer. Cus, you may remember, was Mike Tyson's guy during Tyson's best years. Floyd successfully defended his title four times before being beaten. He came back to defend his title twice more I believe. Patterson retired in 1972 at age 37 with a professional record of 55-8-1 and served as New York state athletic commissioner.
Should be an interesting night in heaven tonight....
I will be unavailable for posting until maybe this weekend..I am organizing a nice little event for MoveOn at our local congress rep's office for tomorrow. Should be interesting..
My back is still trashed..the physical therapy sucks dirty socks and its hitting hot in the temperature department here..from winter straight into summer..praise jesus and turn on the swamp cooler.
Barroid Bonds might pass the Babe by the time I come back to blogging..I personally wish someone from outerspace would kidnap him and drop him off in Siberia..without a map or shoes.
Irony of Ironies..the two reporters that blew the whistle on Barroid could end up doing more prison time than ANY of the asshats that were pushing the steroids and developing them at BALCO. They refuse to name their sources for the Grand Jury transcripts.
Padres are doing ok..won 9 straight games!!! now that I said that..they will tank.
My fantasy baseball teams are in the bottom of 4 out of 5 leagues..jesus why can I NOT pick batters? My pitchers rock but thats only half the stats..I am embarrassed beyond measure at their subpar performance..oh well..have a good hump day sportsfans..see ya when I see ya..
Apparently we are.I want to thank Steve O. over at Bring it On! for posting this story today.I had to blog about it, if only to get it out of my head. As a parent, it upset me. As a daughter and wife of former Navy men it pissed me off.
Last year, many reports were out there regarding military recruiters abusing the rules to sign up new enlistees. The level of abuse was so bad, the Army halted recruiting for one day last May to re-instruct recruiters on legalities regarding their recruitment policies.
Well, they are at it again.
Army recruiters in Oregon signed up an autistic 18-year old. They signed him up for one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army, a scout. That means if he doesn’t get blown to bits, its ok for the rest of them to go into a situation or area. The child, and yes mentally he is still a child, has been tested by the Army and passed with flying colors…that is, if you think 43 of 99 correct answers is a passing grade. The Army will enlist adults that score as low as 31 correct answers. Is a passing grade of less than 33% acceptable in the real world?
Ummm..no.
Jared, the autistic 18 year old, told his parents he was going to enlist. They figured no way he would pass a test, not to mention the recruiters would be able to ascertain that Jared had a disability. I mean, the girls in school could figure it out pretty quickly. Jared is a good looking kid and those young chicks are always on the prowl for a “hottie”..that is until he can’t hold a decent conversation…then, they turn and walk away. The recruiters didn’t care. His mother called and asked him what he was doing. Jared told her he was taking a test, and entrance test. His mother asked to speak to the Army recruiter, Cpl. Ronan Ansley. She explained to Ansley that Jared had a disability that would never be outgrown, he was autistic. Ansley said he had one too..he had dyslexia.
Big difference between those wouldn’t you say?
So, after finding out her son had “passed” his entrance exam, Jared’s mother called the recruitment office and asked for Ansley’s superior. She spoke with Sgt. Alejandro Velasco. She again explained Jared’s disability. She advised Velasco to review Jared’s long medical history. Velasco declined stating he didn’t need to, the recruiter would take care of all that. Jared’s mother begged and pleaded with Velasco. His response was this:
"Well, Jared's an 18-year-old man. He doesn't need his mommy to make his decisions for him."
Jared’s parents contacted their local newspaper, the Oregonian. Thankfully they ran with the story. They contacted Velasco who denied knowing anything about Jared’s autism. Sgt. Velasco threw Cpl. Ansley under the bus, stating he had no knowledge of Jared’s condition and that Cpl Ansley was the man to talk to. The Oregonian also faxed Jared's medical records to the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion commander Lt. Col. David Carlton in Portland, who on Wednesday ordered an investigation. Jared’s parents are still waiting to hear if he will be released from his commitment to join the Army.
If you think this kind of behavior by our military recruiters is unusual, its not.
There are plenty of articles online about the Army’s enlistment tactics. Check out this one here. It’s the story of an honor student who told an Army recruiter that he flunked out of high school and had a marijuana habit he couldn’t kick. The recruiter told him how to get a fake diploma and took him to a store and picked out a masking agent for his urine test. Read the Ohio story of recruiters enlisting a 21 year old bi-polar man that had recently been released from a psych ward. I love the Houston story about a recruiter telling someone that a warrant would be issued for his arrest if he didn’t attend a meeting. The male wasn’t signed up, he was merely THINKING about it. There are many more..I am just too sick to my stomach to link them all at this point. The best part is yet to come however on the Houston story.
The Houston recruiter who threatened the interested male with an arrest warrant has been..drumroll please..promoted. The Army just loves those gun-ho types.
Electric Vehicles designed for racing ran against vehicles built by Porshe, Buggatti and Ferrari. An unknown start-up company beat the big boys named above. I like driving fast, I like when the little guy wins and I like it even more when they don't contribute to global warming.
Today, somehow, I missed this anniversary. Of course I am laid up with a trashed back from a work injury so I am not on top of things,being medicated up to my eyeballs with muscle relaxers,N-Saids and pain pills. All these drugs have marked side effects on my body, some of them worse than what they are designed to alleviate. For me sometimes, the cure is worse than the disease.
Which brings me to the reason for this post. Last month was the national celebration of 4/20. I didn't really post on that day but read some good posts and bad posts on the subject. One bad post quoted the "press" release that day from those wonderful folks over at the FDA. It reinterated the basic "political" premise that marijuana has no medical use, its a nasty drug and yada yada yada..I would like to bring up something those asshats over at the FDA seemed to have forgotten...
Back in 1999, the Institute of Medicine,the medical part of the National Academy of Sciences released a report on medicinal marijuana and other related topics. The NAS is an organization chartered by Congress to provide independent, nonpartisan scientific and technological advice. They released a 288 page report(which you can read in its entirety here) which stated various points regarding marijuana as a gateway drug(low probability), potential for addiction(also low probability), the effect of smoking marijuana on the lungs(no obvious long-term problems) and the usefulness of marijuana in treating such debilitating diseases,conditions or illnesses associated with cancer chemotherapy, appetite stimulation for cancer and HIV patients, and treatment of muscle spasticity for patients with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury. Time and time again throughout the report, the 11 well respected scientists urged more testing and research into the usefulness of medicinal marijuana.
Since that report was released, our government as blocked virtually ALL efforts to conduct research on this plant that grows wild as a weed in various parts of the world, including the United States. What this means is the politically motivated press release last month is nothing more than bat guano since NOTHING has been proven, due to the governments efforts to stonewall any and all research.
So, once again our government has given us nothing more than lies,half-truths and basic bullshit masquerading at truth in the name of medical science. Don't you just love how those asshats can say all this crap with a straight face and a steady voice knowing its the biggest crock of hog poop since Scooter Libby said he was too busy to remember who he talked to about Valerie Plames status over at the CIA?
I know I do..
Anyways..in this red county of Kern, filled chock full of republicans that simply hate that medicinal marijuana is legal in this state, marchers walked proudly, were pushed in wheel chairs, and hobbled in support of our right to use a drug that many researchers OUTSIDE the U.S have shown is a viable alternative to prescription medication that not only costs a bloody fortune but has side effects that hamper its use by many sick individuals.
Thanks to them that marched today. I am just sorry I wasn't able to join you. I salute you all.
It seems that a first amendment showdown will occur soon regarding who leaked Grand Jury transcripts to the authors of the Barroid Bonds steroid-stunner "Game of Shadows". The Grand Jury wants the authors to reveal their sources regarding the Grand Jury transcripts they used in their book. Its not against the law to have the info..but it is against the law to leak it..Go figure...
Sports Illustrated has a write up here regarding this newest twist in the Barroid drug scandal. Meanwhile Barroid went o-fer tonight against Philly. He is two homers behind Babe Ruth in his hopefully futile attempt to get the homerun record.
The great state of South Carolina is considering a bill, brought forth by a Repube I might add, that will outlaw the sale of sex toys..
Now, I love this article because the sex shop worker they quote has worked at the same sex shop for..20 YEARS!!! Must have some damn good employee benefits don't ya think?
The punishment for selling a sex toy will be 5 years and $10 grand in fines..Jesus christ in a thong..thats a tad harsh for selling ..um..a toy ..isn't it?
The linkage to the article is here..this just ruins my Friday..another state going anti-sex toy..such a buzzkill.
I recently discovered Bob's blog..its over on the side bar with a long-assed name of "Bobs News,Weather, Mozart,Sports,Restaurant Guide & Perverted Videogames from Vleeptron"..sweet jesus Bob..brevity isn't your strong suit eh dear? But I digress..
I was reading his latest post yesterday and I was amazed to find another scientific endeavor that utilizes home computers ala SETI@home from those fine folks at Stanford University. The way it works is this:
You download a "workload" for your computer to process when its not doing anything..which, if you think about it..is most of the time. It takes a nano second to process your request to find a web page or open a link, or look for porn..computers are amazingly quick and usually just idle,waiting for your next command. Its called FOLDING@home. I have been using my un-used CPU for years looking for little green men in outerspace for SETI@home. I want to be the one to find the intelligent life..its always been a hope that I would see my name in lights: DUSTY FINDS INTELLIGENT LIFE IN OUTERSPACE,FILM AT 11.
Anyways..Bob can explain it far better than I can..the link to his post is here. But if you want to help scientists find cures or better understand the following diseases:
Alzheimer's Disease Cancer Huntington's Disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta Parkinson's Disease Ribosome & antibiotics Then go read Bob's post and download Folding@home. The linkage to Folding@home ishere. If you are planning to participate, let me know..we can do it as a group! My handle in this project is "dusty1215". You can join me or do it solo and anonymously if you wish...just do it. I can attest to the fact that SETI@home doesn't slow down my computer one iota. And so far, doing BOTH of them has no impact on my CPU usage either.
This is so sick on many levels. Jodi Olsen..who CLAIMS her and Kirby were to be married this summer has hired a lawyer in AZ to fight Kirbys kids over his ashes. I am speechless. Evidently SI.com isn't..the link to the disgusting story is here. I hope she frys to a crisp in the AZ sun.
NY Magazine has an interesting article that I filched from somewhere.It shows the top 50 blogs in terms of linkage..that all important part of building readership. Interesting part is, not all the blogs are in English. Many are in Japanese or Chinese..or just European blogs. It seems that many of the American Blogs are political in content.. DailyKos, The Huffington Post and Insta Pundit for examples..How many political blogs do you, my dear reader peruse? The ever-popular Post Secret is way up there. I have never been to that site but I do frequent most of the political ones.
The linkage..lol..to the mag's article is here. Wonder if they are counting the links to their article :)
The "Passion" pic is snitched from Boston Dirt Dogs..love them guys..
I will not attempt a story..Dave has a great story up about the night Johnny Damon returned to Fenway Park. It wasn'tjust Damon..Doug Mirabelli did as well..did you BoSox fans send John Moore's a thank you card? Such a gift he gave you..Doug AND Mark Loretta..but I digress..
The old adage you can't go home again seems to have applied to Damon in a Yank$ uni but not Mirabelli as the Sawx beat those fucknuts from the Bronx. Damon was a gent, he tipped his hat the the few fans that weren't hostile.
The hapless Padres beat the Giants..thats two wins in a row..be still my heart.. :P
Not that I give a rat's ass about this broad but I did smirk when I saw this headline: High Court Victory for Anna Nicole. She didn't get the cash..she got another chance to grab it in another lawsuit against her dead husbands son according to the unanimous verdict by the Supreme Court today. Methinks the family will spend every last stinking dime on lawyers before they give her a buck of it..anyone agree?
Those lovely corporate types are pushing to limit the internet content YOU and I will be able to access. This is pure and total horse pucky sportsfans..Tell your congress freaks how you feel about it..join the fight against stripping our first amendment rights. An easy to use form is hereto let your specific congress rep's how you feel about this. This link here will give you tools to use in order to get the word out about this heinous bill that will restrict our freedoms once again in the name of CORPORATE GREED. You can put buttons on your blog/website that will link directly to SaveTheInternet.com so that other bloggers can get w/the program to stop these bastards. Join the fight or shut the hell up..its as simple as that.
This is spring..time for birds to hatch..so I am sharing a favorite webcam site. Its for bald eagles, perregine falcons and some owls I think, they are all "raptors". The site itself is really neat if your into these types of things..its a research project. The various webcams of the wee ones in the nest is here. The main page for the research project on raptors is here at raptorresearch.org.
I didn't have anything better to do this morning prior to the start of the Nascar race at that haven of redneck mania...Talladega, Alabama..I perused the Baseball standings.
Big Mistake..it just depressed the shit out of me.
I found that the NL West is abysmal as are the AL East and West. The teams leading these divisions have a winning percentage of: .583,except the AL West, which is worse at a miserable .500.
Only winning half their games..the team at the top of their division? What does that say about the rest of that division??
Glad you asked..of the 4 teams in the AL West, two are at an even .500. The other two are: Oakland at .478 and Seattle with a pathetic .400 winning percentage. Wouldn't you hate to go to work every day knowing the odds of a decent outcome were that low? Would you call in sick more often? The Kansas City Royal's players do..and their team has the lowest winning percentage with a lovely .238 (5 wins 16 nasty losses). Four of the eleven positions for this team have multiple players on the DL. The pen is in shambles with four guys sitting around eating sunflower seeds and getting paid for it. I have never thought it was a good idea to pay a guy his full salary if he is hurt..let the schmuck get Afflack like the rest of us. Sometimes of course, a player isn't really hurt, he is just batting in the low .150's and needs to go find his swing, or pull his head out of his ass. They tell us he tweaked something and toss him on the 15-day DL hoping he can get his shit together. For pitchers, if they can't get it over the plate, or the opposite, they serve up a big fatty with every pitch..they get to visit the DL also.
To me, this mentality rewards the screw-ups. It gives players a hundred chances to figure it out, to play up to the standards of that 10 million dollar contract they signed in the off season after finally having a decent year the prior season.
If baseball has become a business, then treat them like employees...not CEO's. Treating them like CEO's is why it costs too damn much to go to a game anymore. If you want season tickets you need to take out a second on the house.
The players union sure knows how to negotiate a contract..why didn't the teamsters use those guys when they negotiated the grocery store workers strikes in recent years? The grocery workers lost so much ground..it was sad.
In all honesty, a ball player is a limited commodity. Grocery store workers are a dime a dozen.
Its just too bad baseball is pricing itself out of the realm of grocery store workers taking their families to a game. Ah..the old days..
Steve Howe, the first player suspended for life for drug use or "fried and tried" as he put it was killed friday afternoon returning to SoCal from AZ when his truck rolled over. Of course they are doing toxicology tests, but does it matter if he was under the influence after the fact? I don't think so. What matters is that he did turn his life around and its sad he has left this world too soon. Sportsline.com has a writeup here. Rest in peace Steve, your demons are gone for good and there is only one guy judging you now.
Neil Young has his new cd Living with War streaming online. He (or his people) has a blog up here on blogger no less. I have it on my sidebar also. You can listen to his full cd there as well. I am listening to it now..its giving me goosebumps, but I have always enjoyed Neil. God love ya Neil...I know I do..thanks for the CD and access to it..you rock dude, in more ways than one. The CD doesn't come out until next week, so you can listen now and buy later. It's political..far warning sportsfans.
Tomorrow I go to the orthopedic doctor..the specialist. The guy who will tell me if I can work again..I am full of stress over this..its my life, I can not be disabled..I can walk, sit and on a good day bend down. I am tired of living on med's and I am REAL tired of sleeping because I am doped up most of the time.
I had to go pick up my x-rays, so I took a shower..I love a long,hot shower..the water felt so good, so cleansing..it washed away my anxiety, my pain, it was a miracle worker. I wanted to stand there forever..till I had to go to the doc's tomorrow. With my anxiety gone, and the pain stopped for a brief period of time, I could think straight..I pondered what I was going to do if this happens tomorrow or that happens tomorrow. I enjoyed the time to just think, in the warmth of the shower. I thought about lots of things..I relaxed and felt good! That is..until the hot water disappeared..
Its hell being snapped back into reality by the lack of hot water. Its such a buzzkill.
Waiting for the x-rays to appear was a trip. Nothing like hanging out for 45 minutes then to be told..come back around 6pm..they will be waiting for ya.
They weren't waiting for me.I had to wait another 45 minutes. There was nowhere to sit, the lobby was full of the sick and the injured...afterall, it was an Urgent Care. They are one step above an Emergency Room. Maybe a half a step, a near-riot broke out over what was on the TV..A female asked to have the channel changed. The brain dead woman working the front desk said she didn't have the remote and if the female could get up there, she could change it herself. The TV was perched roughly 10 feet up in a corner of the waiting room/lobby.
So..the hispanic woman, with impeccable english I might add, went out and got a long screwdriver from her vehicle. She put the TV on the only Spanish channel on the dial. That really impressed the 25 or so anglo's sitting in the area. I was sprawled across the check-in window, glaring at the brain dead woman when I heard loud voices saying "If you want to watch spanish TV go home or go back to Mexico". Oh no, I am not in the mood for a racial argument I thought. I am hurting, I want to go home, and I do not want to worry about a small scale riot breaking out and someone falling on me or into me. My back is hosed remember? I rapped on the two-inch thick glass to get Ms. Brain Dead's attention. I advised her to check her McDonalds mirror because there was a riot about to happen over what was on the Telly. She came flying out to the waiting area and everyone started yelling. I was praying for the xray tech to show up and hand me my xrays. Ms.Brain Dead then ran back into her hole and called security. A male that sorta resembled a homeless guy in clothing and language came into the area real quickly..why the hell can't my xrays get here that fast I was thinking..The security guy was black. Color is only mentioned because it was sorta like the United Nations in there at this point, with everyone yelling at everyone else and pointing fingers and cussing up a storm in their native language. Since I know most of the dirty words in spanish I was amazed at what the Hispanic woman was calling the anglo chick that was going off on her simultaniously. The security guy was yelling that he was going to call the sheriff if everyone didn't shut the hell up and sit down. The hispanic woman got the last word, saying she would willingly go back to jail for knocking the shit out of the white woman for dissing her.
I looked over at Ms. Brain Dead..and pleaded for her to call xray again..I begged her. I started letting my eyes well up w/tears..it worked..she called xray again and they said they would be right up.
They turned off the tv right before I left. That will teach them all to bitch about whats on the tube..
I came home and took another long, hot shower. Yes, I used all the hot water again. I took my pain meds and they are now kicking in..I hope you, my dear reader have a good evening..I am checking out for awhile...after I move a bed full of cats and dogs around. I was going to scan my xrays for you, but hell, you seen one blown out back, you have seen them all right?
ITs not a good celebration is it? Its one of fear and sadness. It's horror still affecting the millions of Russian's exposed to radiation. It will affect them and their families for generations according to doctors. Pixel Press has a haunting set of black and white images that tell the story of today in Chernobyl and the surrounding towns. Of course no one lives in Chernobyl, no one can for another 10,000 years or so. What bothers me is that people still live so close and are still receiving unhealthy doses of radiation in the food they grow and the milk from their cows. Its a very rural area. The link to Robert Knoth's photos and Antonette DeJongs essay is here.
The people over at the Nuclear Energy Institute have hired the former founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, to talk up the wonders of nuclear power. He, along with Christie Whitman who ran the EPA for a few years and the state of New Jersey as their governor, are having a great time telling any of us that will listen how wonderful,cheap and safe nuclear energy is. Can you say sell-out? I can...
Speaking of Greenpeace, they released a list of 200 nuclear "near-misses" that have happened since that fateful day in 1986. Thats near misses at AMERICAN nuclear plants. Thats 200 too many in my humble opinion. How can anyone tout nuclear power when we still don't know how to deal with the leftovers..you know..the stuff that stays radioactive for over 10,000 years.
The former Met 1st baseman, and now the TV announcer for the Mets has committed an unpardonable sin IMHO..the jackass whined about a female in the Padres dugout during the Padres-Mets Saturday game in San Diego,not once, not twice but many times. He couldn't keep his piehole shut or just talk about the homer Piazza had just whacked off the Mets pitcher...no sir...Keith had this to say about the female in the Padres dugout:"I'm not saying that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout". It should be noted that she is the Pad's full-time massage therapist and was high-fiving Piazza after his homer. None of the Padres seemed uncomfortable with her being there AND it should be noted that women run all over the damn clubhouse in the form of reporters and wives.
Keith was bitched out by his superiors and forced to apologize during his pre-game show on Sunday. Once again however, Keith had to slide a whine in there afterwards by remarking That only the head trainer and assistant trainer were allowed in the dugout per MLB's rule book.
Keith..are you that anti-female or just an asshole extraordinaire? What's the big friggin deal who was in the dugout? You look like a sexist sumbitch Keith..just an fyi there buddy..
This lovely site lets you compare prices in your neck of the woods with other cities in the U.S. This could either be a good thing if your in Montana or Idaho..or a bad,depressing thing if you live in Cali..as I do. The site is called the Gas Temperatue Map. The linkage is here. Thanks to Steve O. over at Bring it on! for the 411 :)
The bottom pic is from last summer when we all were pissing and moaning about prices..BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA..its worse..so I pulled it out of mothballs..
Darren Daulton is a cutie..nice buns, afterall, he was a catcher. I never figured him for a rocket scientist..but I also never figured him for a metaphysicist type. I do not condone or abhor his belief in another plane of being. I have heard the hypothesis quite a few times in my life. It makes sense if you follow it from the beginning actually. But then, snakeoil salesmen are good at making their case too, aren't they? If Dutchie hadn't been busted for spousal abuse numerous times and the occasional DUI,and time in the slammer..more people might not dismiss his theories.
What's sad is that all the sports media conglom's are jumping all over this right now. Its in print over at SI, its little essay's on ESPN and Real Sports w/Bryan Gumball(not a typo). They all let him have his say, then they tell ya what a putz he has been for the last 10 years. I think his ex-wife isn't helping matters either, but then..she thinks he's nuts.
I don't think Dutchie is nuts, just maybe a tad misguided. Or perhaps he isn't following the program in the manor its meant to be..I don't know. I just know the press is having a field day with this shit. And its pissing me off. If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, a decent explanation of metaphysical belief is here. Its that time/space thingy where everything exists on a different reality level..I am not in the mood to explain it to you, my dear reader :P
The Boston Red Sawx and their former 1st baseman Doug Mientkiewicz have finally reached an agreement on the baseball from the final out from the 2004 World Series. You remember that WS I hope, it ended the curse of the Bambino for the BoSox which started in 1918 or some such nonsense. Beantown gets visitation rights according to sportsline.com
Neither Dougie or the BoSox are saying what the agreement is between them. Doug did refer to the baseball as his “retirement fund”. Since he is playing for one of the worst teams in baseball, the Kansas City Royals this year, we only hope Doug got some green for that baseball.
The Rockies/Giants game Sunday was interesting and fun-filled. I think the asshats set a new record for ejections without a fight breaking out. A total of four batters got beaned..jesus christ in a thong... and five ejections..two of whom...lol..were the coaches of each team,hell in the FIRST inning alone the starting pitcher for the Giants, Matty Mo got the gate...Matty did bean two guys in the first inning, in defense of the rookie ump.. They were throwing at guys all weekend in Colorado, Saturday that crazy mofo Jose Mesa hitting Omar Visquel for like the fifth time in some long, dumb-ass feud they got going on. Ah..baseball..the childs game thats played for Million$ of dollars by grown men with HUGE egos.
This post had me rolling..I was crying and laughing so hard my cats stopped running around like banshees and stared at me. Its from a new link on my sidebar whom I call "Nurse Rachet". This dude cracks me up..seriously he is very funny and when I need a laugh, I check him out. The link to the post in the title is here. Some of the ones that just killed me were:
A smurf: Somebody in respiratory distress. O-sign: Unconscious with the mouth open. Q-sign: Same as above, with the tongue out. Gone for a breathing treatment: Left the floor to go smoke.
Go visit his blog..he's great, you won't be sorry if you like dry humor and bbq stuff.
This site is such a trip! Its ancient WWII propaganda films, religious shorts, VD warnings,you name it, they got it..so long as its ancient and propagandic in nature..don't know how these guys got the stuff on DVD, but they do. They are called Singular Films..check em out here. I hope everyone had a wonderful 4/20 :)
That magazine about all things monetary has figured out what the Yank$ are worth on the open market..$1.026 Billion..thats a B..The Red Sox are next in line at a measly $617 Million.
The Redskins..with those ancient hogettes still sitting front and center every football sunday, are worth $1.26 Billion.
Not bad for a bunch of guys playing a childs game...
There was a huge fogbank when the sun started its descent..and I figured..shit..no shot today. But then..the sun hit a spot above the fogbank..and presto..It's my sista in the background..its been awhile since I took the pic..But I love it..and it takes me back to a tranquil vacation a few years ago..that I could really friggin use right about now..at Hobson..god I love camping on the coast of Cali..
For the 411 on Half-Nekkid Thursdays(HNT), go check out Osbasso's site with all the rules for participation here or go here to see this weeks Mystery HNT guest in all her glory :P
The Doc I saw today..finally..said and I quote: "Jesus Christ that is one fucked up back woman".
Well, he didn't say it that way exactly..more like "Did your employer know your back was that bad when they hired you?" and my personal favorite...."Do you realize you have four discs that have less than one-third the thickness of a normal spine?"
I said.."I am not normal Doc, that makes it ok right?" He didn't laugh. He didn't smile..he really didn't have a sense of humor to save his ass.
He continued down that road...saying.."I will not release you to go back to work..ever." You will have to see a back specialist in order to be cleared to return to work."
I said under my breath...shit.
Then he really dropped the bomb.He said:"I don't think you are going to find a doctor that will allow you to return to work, you are most likely going to be declared permanently disabled".
After I picked my bottom jaw off the linoleum..I said.."WHAT? WHY?" I launched into a diatribe that used the phrase"I just need a week off then I will be back to a total range of motion" about fifty times. The Doc told me to stop yelling at him at this point in our convo.
He called me argumentative. He said its not his decision..he's not a back specialist..I need an MRIand perhaps an exploratory to determine if there is even more damage..but from what he can see in a simple xray..I will never work again. He dragged me over to look at the xrays, pointing out what was wrong..I finally told him to shut up..I heard enough. I would go see a specialist and quit trying to convince him I would be just peachy after a week off of work.
I knew he was right..but I didn't know it was that bad. Funny how you get used to things being normal, until someone points out... its far from it.
I am not ready to be declared permanently disabled..far from it. I can still stand up straight..on a good day.
I came home and laid on my bed...staring out the open window,processing all the words I heard him say and the images I saw on that grainy-ass xray.It was a beautiful day in BakoTown today too..
Then I cried myself to sleep surrounded by cats and dogs that seemed to look at me like they knew something was up...things weren't..normal anymore.
I woke up at 5am because my back is totally thrashed from working 20 hours this weekend. I looked at the clock..
As a Cali Native, you remember this stuff..when it happened and the time. You always remember the time.For this quake it happened at 5:12 am. Earthquakes leave a lasting impression, I have been through enough of them. I wasn't here for THIS one however, but i have read enough about it and the devastation. The fires did almost as much damage than the actual Quake,and killed many of those trapped. The bottom pic was taken from a hot air balloon. The fires lasted for 4 days. The quake was felt from Coos Bay to L.A..
People who have never lived in Cali are fond of saying they couldn't deal with the quakes. I say I would rather live through a quake than a tornado. But thats because I have never been through a tornado. I bet most people that fear quakes have never been through one either. They are kind of like a roller coaster ride, the big ones are anyway. You can't stand up, you get tossed about and it only lasts for a minute or two. The noise of the building shaking and the blinds rattling are deafening. When I owned my parrot, he always alerted me a few seconds prior to the start of a quake by screaming and thrashing about in his cage. Scientists aren't sure why some animals know they are coming before they hit. Then I had a dog that would sleep through the entire thing like my son does.
An excellent link to the Mother of all Quakes is here at the S.F. Museum. Perhaps people from outside Cali think I am strange for posting about this today..but like I said..you never forget the biggies if you lived here for any length of time, and this one 100 years ago today was the biggie.
Jesus christ in a thong..this was worth the time it took to read the whole thread..a farker that goes by the moniker bigz2k posted today that he had his nads caught in the slats of his chair..seems the dude surfs the net naked..
I gotta start paying for Total Fark..the link to the thread for non-paying farkers is here. I needed a laugh..and it was at bigz's expense..thanks dude! :P
Apparently someone text-messaged the dipshit Prez of Iran that he needed to bathe more often. He always does look a tad messy in my opinion..
The anonymous text message cost the head of the Iranian phone company his job, landed four people in jail and the dipshit Prez then said whoever sent him the anonymous message was in cahoots with the Israel Foreign Intelligence Service.
Somehow, this coming from someone who has questioned that the Holocust never happened..does not surprize me one iota. Remember sportsfans..this jackass is running a country that is also learning the fine art of enriching uranium..
The Oceanside,CA director of the Humane Society ordered..ahem..3600 Vicodin tablets..for her DOG. Dan Simmons, a special agent for the DEA, alleged that Stacy Steel directed Humane Society workers to order 36 bottles of Vicodin between Oct 2005 and Feb 2006. Seems ol' Stacy quit her $95K per year job shortly after the visit from the DEA folks. She was using the drug registration number of a former Vet that worked at the facility. WTF was this broad thinking? Its a controlled substance sista..go see Alex and buy a clue. Link to the rest of the article is here.
In other news designed to make drinkers happy..or make drinkers out of the entire human race..someone is trying to invent a drink that will get you lit up like the proverbial Xmas tree without all those pesky side effects. You know..killing your liver, waking up hungover, etc. The best part is the guys name..Professor Nutt. Linkage is here.
DEA agent who shot himself in the foot during a weapons demonstration in front of school children...is suing the Government. He is a tad pissed that the video made it online and now everyone knows what a friggin jackass this guy is. Personally, I am worried that we have wingnuts like this in the DEA in the first place. I hope his career is ruined..he's a felony-dumb dipshit that shouldn't be allowed to handle firearms and wear a badge. Our friends at the SmokingGun have the story AND the video here. ENJOY! :P
I don't often post the same thing on both my blogs..but this one is worth it to me. This isn't political..its about the quality of our lives..
Al Gore has made a movie around his speech's last year regarding Global Warming. You can view the trailer here. You can go to the website for climatecrisis.net here and take a short test on how you factor into this crisis that will eventually overtake us all if nothing is done to stop it. I saw one of Al's speech's last year on this subject and it was an excellent presentation of cause and effect. I will see the movie which debuts May 24th. I hope everyone that cares about the quality of their life and the lives of their children's children will see it too. The day will come when there is nothing we can do about Global Warming. We aren't there yet...but if we continue to ignore the problem, it will arrive..maybe not in my life or yours, or my sons..but it will happen. You think Katrina was bad? Wait till there are millions of refugee's from coastal areas around the world trying to get to higher ground..
The title says volumes..it is afterall, An Inconvenient Truth.
The following teams have lost more games than they have won: Yanks World Series Champs ChiSox Beloved Padres
The teams listed below are hovering around .500: Braves Baltimore Those hated Dodgers
Surprising Teams doing well: Detroit Colorado Cincinnati Mets(not really a surprise, with THAT payroll)
Now, the first bunch of yahoo's busted for steroids in the "new" era are four minor league pitchers..pitchers!!!! Two from the Cincinnati Reds and one each from the Mets and KC Royals. Those four gents get to cool their heels for 50 games..almost half the season. None has ever pitched in the bigs. Some folks will risk everything I guess, for a shot at the big leagues. I find this so very sad. I should note that one of the Reds was popped for something "other" than performance-enhancing drugs. His privacy prevents the home office from naming the drug he was busted for.
I watched Espn's Bonds on Bonds..only if you actually LIKE Barroid would I suggest watching it. It felt like I was a voyeur or some shit..plus I needed a shower afterwards. They attempted to get him to discuss the steroid thang..but Barroid wasn't taking the bait, he kept saying he didn't know what it looked like, smelled like, how you injected it..etc.. My eyes started glazing over and I have to admit I wasn't really paying attention after the first 10 minutes.
Apparently I am fond of the f-bomb..among other things..Seamus has it on his blog and I had to try it..it scans your blog for words that are used often. The link to the site, which btw, wants to sell you a T-shirt with this shit on it is here. I resisted the urge to buy the T-shirt :P
Some folks have probably heard about this newly released set of archives which purport to change the way Judas should be viewed in history. In these documents it is written that Jesus asked Judas to betray him, which radically departs from the accepted Christian belief that Judas was..well..a Judas, a prick that exposed Jesus for his own gain.
The National Geographic online site has an exhibit of these documents which is quite interesting and detailed. The link is here.
In spanish it means: Yes, we can. And we did today with crowds estimated by the Bakersfield PD at between 7-10,000 strong marched today from Jastro park.That is also the park where we read the names last summer of the 2,000 soldiers killed Iraq. Today was also the birthday of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the UFW, the United Farm Workers who was in attendance. It wasn't just people of Hispanic descent, it was all races, all ages, all walks of life.
Video to local coverage is here. If your computer is video-challenged a write-up is here.
I have to go to work. I am tired and tired of working non-stop. So I will leave you something to ponder. Its from a rant I put up on my political blog:
As John Kerry so eloquently put it whilst talking about the bible and our current crop of elected officials:"I will tell you, nowhere in there,nowhere,not one page,not one phrase uttered and reported by the Lord Jesus Christ,can you find anything that suggests that there is a virtue in cutting children from Medicaid and taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich"
Ok..I have a post script..then I am off to bed. I live in a poor neighborhood because its real and I am more comfortable here than in a upscale one. Does that make me a hypocrite? I think it means life at this level is more about making it to the next day and not about what you wear,drive or who you vote for.
My mail says I live in Bakersfield. But I don't...Oildale isn't part of Baketown, no way no how. Residents take exception to being tossed in with Baketown. We are part of the county, not the city and that is a world of difference to those that have grown up here or lived here..forever.
Anyone that has been down on their luck in this neck of the San Joaquin valley has lived in the OD. Its an old, "down-trodden" part of the "Bakersfield" area that you will go through if you ever fly out of here. It was originally small wood-frame houses with HUGE fucking yards. The sq. footage of the yard was usually more than the house. Over time it has been subdivided and apartments shoved into the back of the property, or in some cases the house was razed and a cheesy duplex or triplex was wedged in. NO parking was added of course, thats expensive land just for cars. Cars, that for the most part, residents don't own. I have never seen so many adults on bikes in my life..and I don't mean the ones with engines. These are people powered means of transportation. The kids are bad-mannered. Husbands and wives don't have a problem with airing their dirty laundry so loudly that a square block radius can hear the nasty details. We have more than our share of spun-out people that have that wild look in their eyes and work on their cars at 1 am.
Some parts of Oildale don't even have sidewalks, or gutters for the rain runoff. We are basically the armpit of Bakersfrigginfield..which if you think about it..is hysterical.
Its different being an 08'er, which btw is the last two digits of our zipcode.Merle Haggard was born here. A railroad boxcar is still around that he lived in. I shit you not,he surely did. Buck Owens recording studio is just a block away, closed down and looking abandoned since he moved his operations over to Sillect Ave. awhile back. That wonderful tune "The streets of Bakersfield" was written just a couple blocks from my house in a motel that has long since been torn down. Nascar drivers have grown up here and still come home when they race in the state. Harvick used to race at our lil short track.... that one I can hear on a summers night if I stand at the front door and quit talking for a minute or two, which ain't no easy feat for moi. Tony Stewart uses some of the shops around here to produce parts for him.
Train tracks run through various areas and its a bitch when they play "fuck around" and run the boxcars back and forth over a major street during lunch time when everyone wants to get somewhere quickly.
The residents are primarily white folks, proud to call themselves "Okies". The people with brown and black skin have started moving in, much to the chagrin of the rednecks that still refer to black people as "colored folks". The meth flows freely I am sure, god knows you can smell it cooking if the breeze blows right on a hot summer night. Everyone owns a dog or two and they don't nueter the males, letting them roam the streets when a female is in heat somewhere, which pisses off the postman to no end...and me too. The cats..ah..we could do a whole post on the cats in Oildale..but not now.
So the duplexes and triplexes are on top of each other and every couple of buildings there is still an old house or two, which is what I live in. Which brings me to my current rant....
If that fucking sumbitch next door doesnt stop warming up his damn truck for 20 minutes at exactly 11:45 each and every fucking nite..I am gonna put a cap in his ass. Its spring time for gods sake and the temperature doesnt dip below 50 anymore you dumb bastard. Put the key in and crank it up, wait maybe five minutes TOPS and then drive your happy ass to work. I am tired of my windows rattling whilst you "warm" up your friggin 25 year old Dodge with that big damn engine which I am sure your proud of, but buddy..its an old rust bucket and I need my sleep.
As my two regular readers know..I recently gave two weeks notice at work.
Big deal..I retracted it after my boss hired someone to help me out and swore she would hire one more real soon..HAH!
The 'guy' she hired quit..and he didn't DO any of the stores he was supposed to..wtf is that about? people have no pride in their work? If you wish to quit, do it muthafucka, just finish the job first.
This is the busiest 3 weeks ahead..I literally inventory all the products in the six grocery stores in my territory..my estimated hours for this task alone..for a week..ready... 30...thats NOT a typo..30. Those hours do NOT include my weekly tasks and requirements..which usually come out to 25-30..on a good week.
I need a gun so I can blow that friggin fool that quit after two weeks to hell. I will need a lawyer when I plead insanity because this fucking job is driving me nuts. I will need the money to purchase a gallon or two of Skyy vodka since realistically that is my only legal option at this point.
Brian J. Doyle 55 years of age, thought he was talking to a 14 year old girl on the internet. He sent her numerous sex tapes. He was actually talking to a cop in Florida. He has been arrested and is waiting extradition to FL. on 23 counts of sexual deviancy.
What makes this news is what Brian did for a living. He was the Assistant Press Secretary to the Dept of Homeland Security.
He found her profile on the internet. He initiated sexually explicit convo's with "her". The sumbitch actually told the child what he did for a living both in IM messages and phone conversations...Talk about stupid..or he just had an ego the size of Texas, I don't know which. This jackass is 4th in command at the Dept. of Homeland Security.
One would wonder why his propensity to engage minor's in sexual repartee wasn't picked up during his background investigation. I have a tendacy to think some of these guys are very good at leading their double lives.
He isn't the only federal employee caught in an online sexual sting lately. Some fuckward at NASA was caught with a shitload of child porn on his computer. He hasn't been arrested.
It makes you want to keep your kids off the net. Or install some major spyware and read where they been every night after they go to bed. I thank my lucky stars my son is in his 20's and I don't have to deal with kinda fear. Child predators are everywhere, at every turn, in every chat room and message board. Why are the males of our world so fucked up w/regard to children and sex? Don't they want to have sex with adult's anymore? Whats the fucking deal? I just don't get it...why its proliferating so much in the last 10 years. But its sick shit and I want them to fry..or at the very least get a cell visit from some guy that will really make them squeal like a pig.
First off, lemme say the DODGERS SUCK!!!! :) Hell-A and Atlanta played a slug fest today with a final score of 11-10..jesus christ in a thong..thats some pitching ain't it!
The cubbies(this is for DAVE) beat the living shit out of the Cinncy Reds 16-7. Now, I posted about this game last week. The Shrub(aka President Bush)tossed out the first pitch for the Reds, and I told ya that wasn't a good thing..I rest my case.
My beloved Padres beat the Giants and Barroid Bonds 6-1. Barry got a ground rule double and that was about it for the Giants..too bad, thanks for coming..drive home safely. Peavy pitched a decent game after he settled down.
The Boston Redsox won with Schilling on the mound over the poor Ass-Rangers. Made me smile, I used to love ol Curt when he was a Dback..that world serious where they beat the yanks in the 7th game..I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had just moved back to San Diego from Mesa, AZ. Most thrilling world series in years.Dbacks have sucked ever since.
St. Looey Cards crucified those gents from Philly 13-5. Pujols went yard TWICE even! Hope that made Bruce smile..he's been under the weather lately. Scotty Rolen hit a grannie and it was a massacre sportsfans you could of went home after the 4th inning when the Cards got eight guys across homeplate.
Dbacks lost to the Rockies but it did take 11 innings till their pitching went into the toilet. Webb pitched a good game,only giving up one run..thats the story of Webbs life, he pitches well and the bullpen fucks him in the ass more times than not.
The Mets beat the gNats 3-2. Former Padre X. Nady went 4 for 4. I knew the Padres screwed up by trading his ass for Cameron..bastards. The dos Carlos' went 0-fer..leaving like 6 guys on base..way to go you overpaid hacks. Pauly LoDuca went 2 for 4. I liked Pauly even as a Dodger, good catchers are worth their weight in gold..speaking of catchers....
Mikie Piazza hit a homer in his first at bat off the first pitch from Jason Schmidt..I went screaming through the house singing his praises and forgetting that I thought it was the dumbest move they have ever made by acquiring him in the offseason. He tied the game 1-1 and the Padres never looked back.
Ok..I fucked off all afternoon, gotta go finish up work..have a good monday evening..stay dry..its been raining all day up and down Cali..
Edit: Bucks funeral was filled with music and funny stories about him. It started with Chris Hillman of the Byrds singing "Turn,turn,turn". Dwight sang a hymn through his tears as did Trace Atkins and Brad Paisley. Lulu from Hee Haw closed the funeral with a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace". There wasn't a dry eye in the house or like me, watching on tv. Even the tv announcers were all red-eyed and choked up at the close of the service. It was a fitting sendoff for a man who loved this town and his legion of fans so much he played for them inspite of feeling ill the night before he died.
Tomorrow,(although technically today but there is only ONE game)..the most hallowed of days..the start of the 2006 Baseball season. God, I get wet just thinking about it..well, kinda, you gotta know me to understand my obsession with baseball. The off-season was very stressful for me and I want my baseball now dammit! Lots of changes..
We won't discuss Barroid I swear to god..I have ranted enough on him as of late.
The Padres have changed so much I need a depth chart, as does most of the fan base. They gutted their pitching staff and my beloved Mark Loretta is now a Red Sox. That ain't so bad..I root for them as well, being a former resident of the Fenway area in Beantown...but I digress..the Padres are fighting an uphill battle with none other than..Mikie Piazza. Don't get me started..I hate that signing with every fiber of my being. My other NL West team, the Dbacks will either get better or lanquish in the bottom of the division again, they dumped Troy boy and his inflated salary. The Padres "real" catcher wasn't resigned, Ramon Hernandez was signed by the O's..speaking of the O's..
Slammin' Sammy Sosa is a man without a team. He wasn't offered arbitration by the O's. Only one team offered Sammy a contract this offseason. It was the Gnats..er..Nationals, and it was incentive-laden up the wazoo. Sammy politely declined. Wasn't it just six years ago him and Big Mac were chasing Maris? How fast they fall from grace ya know?
Grady Little, is now managing the hated Dodgers. I like ol' Grady but I hate the Dodgers...nuff said.
I still look for the Cards to be a strong team in the NL Central. They have the god of baseball..aka Albert Pujols. I like Pujols better than A-rod both as a player and a person.
I pray the Red Sox will dominate the AL East. I don't give a shit about the AL Central otherwise known as Comedy Central. The ChiSox should continue to lead that division, the rest will be playing catchup.
I would like to see someone other than the Braves do well in the NL East. With some major changes in both staff(Leo Mazzone left for the O's) and players in Atlanta there could be another team leading that division by the all star game. Mazzone had been the medicene man with their pitching staff for the last..god knows how many years. Could it be the Mets year? I dunno..Omar has been touted as the GM to get it done for the Muts..er..Mets. When is he gonna deliver? They have the two Carlo's..Beltran and Delgado. Both of those men were good at one point point in their careers prior to landing on the Mets and either got hurt or just couldn't cut it in Gotham last year. Cameron is now a Padre..see? I told ya the Padres went nuts on the open market this year, and Cammie's ass is starting the season on the DL..it doesnt bode well for my boys in San Diego..ok, onward sportsfans.
The AL West..I root for the Angels. Its usually them or the A's making a run. I wouldn't mind the Ass-Rangers doing something for a change, I love Buck Showalter from his days w/the Dbacks...my other NL West team.
Anyway..I gotta set up my rosters in my fantasy leagues. I cut back to five teams this year. Have a good weekend..batter up :)
Edit: Buck gets buried today. Its on locally so I am gonna watch it and tape it in case anyone wants a copy. I know my dad does...he made me watch Hee Haw as a child. Its been sad and quiet in BakeTown this weekend. NL Belardes,our local author, writer,podcaster and blogger extraordinaire has some nice posts up on his blog including a podcast exclusive interview with Buck's drummer on the nite before Buck died..Buck wasn't feeling good, but he played because people had come from Canada to see him. Whatta guy..whatta man..whatta legend. Did you know Buck was one of the first to play the solid body electric guitar? No shit sportsfans.
He reminds me of Elvis Costello..sort of..but this friggin housefly that is actually wearing glasses created for him/her by a german company using laser micro-machining. This is NOT photoshopped. Its from a National Geographic article you can check out here. I find this a tad strange..actually very strange that they would do this..but it does sorta showcase the company's talents.. but its still creepy.
A sportsline editorial about the investigation and Bud Selig. I think it mirrors most of my thoughts on the issue, with more emphasis on Seligs weak-ass motivation..or lack thereof. Here is the linkage.
