Saturday, February 21, 2009
I Hate this @(*#*&@?! State
I'm getting a PO box in another state and will use that as my address for ITunes. Screw the state and screw the govenor. I won't spend any more money in this blasted place then I have to, and I don't care if I single handily keep the economy in a recession.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/40012437.html
Need help my daughter lost her clarinet.
Friday, February 20, 2009
It's A Real Ticket....
And they have a "catch all" just like Racine's disorderly conduct charge.
Theirs is called "other"!
"Becker deserves apology"
Mr. Casey apparently believes that Mr. Becker was acting on "natural inclinations" when he pursued sexual relations with someone he believed to be a 14 year old girl.
Well, there's further proof that I am not natural: I have never desired sex with a child in my entire life.
What the hell is the matter with me? :(
And we thought only Detroit built more than they could sell?
Nissan has announced plans to cut its Sunderland workforce by 1,200. Thousands of unsold cars are stored around the factory's test track
Earlier this week Jaguar Land Rover said 450 British jobs would go
The build-up of imported cars at the port of Newark , New Jersey
Stocks of Ford trucks in Detroit , Michigan
New cars jam the dockside in the port of Valencia in Spain
Peugeot cars await shipment to Italian dealers at the port of Civitavecchia
Unsold cars at Avonmouth Docks near Bristol
With many manufacturers on extended Christmas shutdown, the number of cars rolling off production lines in December fell 47.5% to just 53,823
Thousands of new cars are stored on the runway at the disused Upper Heyford airbase near Bicester, Oxfordshire, on December 18, 2008.
Sales of new cars in the UK have slumped to a 12-year-low and production of cars at Honda in Swindon has been halted for a unprecedented four-month period because of the collapse in global sales and represents the longest continuous halt in production at any UK car plant. The announcement comes on a day when the EU's Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen warned the outlook for the European car industry was 'brutal' and predicted not all European manufacturers would survive the crisis
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Off to Spacefest...
There is an astronaut lunch on Saturday...I am seated at Buzz Aldrin's table. Saturday night I will be having dinner with one of the original Mercury 7, Scott Carpenter.
I may post an update here and there, but you might not see me much for the next couple of days!
Sugaring off the Maple tree
The past few days got just warm enough I filled a two gallon pail 3/4 full of sap. WOW. The sugar content is much higher this mid-winter tap off than last spring was. The taste is almost like sweet warm butter. Very, very rich in flavor. You sure can't get anything this good off a store shelf.
This year I did something different and its really worked out well so far. I bought gray plastic hose barbs and clear plastic water line from Menards. The hose barbs are 1/2" ID and the hose is 5/8" ID. The plastic walls on the hose barbs make the outer diameter 5/8" and there is no way I'd ever mate 1/2" hose and half inch barbs. The first tree hose barb is a 99* and starts the run around the tree. The next two are 180* Ts and short lengths of hose link them all together going around the tree. Last hose is a 20' line that runs to the house. It's suspended from the dog run for a down hill slope.
To drain my sap from the collection bucket, I just wheel out the door, and the bucket is right there at the corner of my ramp by the door. Gravity is my friend. Last year, I flipped the chair in the yard, I spilled buckets of sap, and rain ruined a couple of collections, just no fun, but lots of YUM. This year both FUN and YUM! I bet I could get hooked on this stuff. Withdrawal will be pain.
Rock and Roll Revival
This first week's a double header. As some of you may know the Grammys were held about two weeks ago. I don't usually pay too much attention to the Grammys. Largely because of my disdain for the music industry as a whole. They shamelessly promote the big names with the gimmicks and often ignore the real talent. The Grammys are a joke. Remember the Milli Vanilli and the Jethro Tull incidents? I do. This year's nominees were quite interesting and the winners surprised me. Most of them all with Robert Plant and Allison Krauss's award for their album, Raising Sand. So what do you think of the Grammys?
Here's a video from the album.
Here's my favorite tune from the album and one for Madame Z.
With the success of Robert Plant's venture with Allison Krauss, Robert opted out the possibility of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour. My next question is-should Robert Plant forge ahead and broaden his music spectrum or do a reunion tour with the possibilty of filling stadiums and making a gazillion bucks?
Are you one good seasoning away from a cure??
As some of you know, I am the much sought after
object of my lizards affections. Max, my dear, over-sexed,
overly hormonally imbalanced oaf, went thru mating season
back in the fall. He began it AGAIN a couple weeks ago.
They show affection by biting.
I keep his face in control when I hold him while he is
'in season' and glowing orange.
Today, I had to hold him or he would have lost
what little mind he has left.
That was all fine and good. He settled down.
When I put him back, he wanted to show me just how
must he loves me..., so I kept his tail
between me and his mouth.
Somehow, the chowder-head managed to
get my index finger. Not deep, just 4 - 1" scratches that
wouldn't stop bleeding. BOOGER!!!
I just happened to be on Facebook with a friend
from England, a lizard guy.
I told him what Max had done, and he popped out with
a very strange yet insanely effective home remedy to
stop the bleeding. It worked instantly
(after going thru 5 bandages prior)
PEPPER!!!!
He said to sprinkle pepper on it. It stopped the bleeding,
and it is said to keep it from scarring.
Who knew??
At work I am known for my 'odd' cures, but they work.
SUGAR - stops hiccups, every time.
Throw it to the back of your throat and
swallow fast and hard and they just stop.
So, in my home remedy arsenal, I have sugar and pepper.
What else am I missing?
I seasoned my finger and lived.
Couple Time Wasters
Woot One Day – One Deal
Deal of the Day Masterlist
Congressional Ass Chewing!
A Sensible Suggestion Concerning Infant Mortality
Use the $10 million to hire surrogate mothers to conceive and carry the babies to term for these unfortunate individuals. After birthing the infants and nurturing them for awhile, the surrogate mothers could then turn them over to the alcoholics, addicts, child abusers, and other assorted ne'er-do-wells who need babies in order to ensure their continued welfare benefits.
Win-win for everybody.
"Doyle is open to tolls to help fund roads"
State toll highway authorities have historically been hotbeds of corruption. The thieves just can't resist all that money pouring in. We only have to look to Illinois to see how this works. Just what we need, more government, more reaching into our pockets for more money.
How to Post a Blog Here
Register with JT Irregulars first. There are instructions at left, near the top of the sidebar, on how to do that.
After you've registered, sign into your Google account and log onto the JTI site. Then select the "New Post" tab at the upper right of the screen:
That will open this page:
Type your blog title here:
Type the body of your blog here:
When your blog is complete, click "Publish Post" on the lower left:
That's it! Your blog will appear on the JTI site.
The formatting tools (type font, size, italics, bold, etc.; insert images, hyperlinks, etc.) are located here. Play with them until you feel comfortable:
If you're relatively new to this, make sure that you are in "Compose" mode. If you click on "Edit HTML," everything will be in code and unintelligible to you:
If you have trouble, don't forget the "Help" tab on the upper right of the screen:
Finally, here's the "Getting Started Guide" from Blogger Help: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=112498&topic=12470. They do a much better job of explaining it than I ever could.
Happy blogging!
Help me get the vision out of my head
Please help me. I had a dream about Becker and Hughes. They were both standing in a jail cell. Becker was standing behind Hughes with his hands on Ben's shoulders. Becker then began to sing the Michael Jackson song:
Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you my friend will see
You've got a friend in me, You've got a friend in me
Ben, you're always running here and there
(Here and there)
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
(Anywhere)
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go, You've got a place to go
I used to say, "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say, "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
A friend,Like Ben,Like Ben,Like Ben
What can I do to get this OUT OF MY HEAD?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Spooky Spookfish
Spookfish live at a depth of about 1000 meters where there is very little light. The two eyes pointing upward (the orange spots) use a traditional cornea to focus light much like our eyes (most of the focusing power of our eyes comes from the cornea. The lens is used to fine tune the focus for nearby or far away objects...as you get older the lens loses flexibility which is why you may be able to see far away just fine but need reading glasses). The other part of the eye points downward (the black spots in the image). Light from below is reflected off a mirror like surface in the eyes and onto the retina. The mirror shows not only what is directly below the fish, but out to about 50 degrees in all directions (which is useful for avoiding predators!) There is evidence that the fish can slightly change the shape of the mirror to focus the images much like our lens changes shape to help us focus.
Some animals (like housecats) have a reflective layer called the tapetum to help them see in dim light. The tapetum lies behind the retina and increases the sensitivity to dim light but does not focus the light.
The spookfish has been known for over 100 years. However, a live specimen was never caught until recently. The deep sea is truly one of the final frontiers on Earth with lots of odd treasures waiting to be discovered.Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicst Blog.
Diamond Dick is going at it again...
He called for altering Wisconsin's exemption for capital gains to pull in an additional $85 million and boosting the state's cigarette tax by 75 cents a pack to draw an additional $290 million over the biennium. That would push the state's tax to $2.52 a pack, which would be among the highest in the nation. With the new federal tax figured in, smokers would now pay $3.53 in taxes a pack.
This was copied from a article in the Wiscpolitics.com.
I’m sure many non-smokers applaud this tax increase and think it is great that the government wants to “stick it to those nasty smokers”.
Do you think the same people will applaud the increase in criminal activity, which is brought about by increasing taxes? They should because it’s bound to happen.
The following has been copied from Cato.org, Cigarette Taxes, Black Markets, and Crime: Lessons from New York’s 50-Year Losing Battle.
Thanks to recent city- and state-level tax hikes, New York City now has the highest cigarette taxes in the country—a combined state and local tax rate of $3.00 per pack. Consumers have responded by turning to the city's bustling black market and other low-tax sources of cigarettes. During the four months following the recent tax hikes, sales of taxed cigarettes in the city fell by more than 50 percent compared to the same period the prior year.
New York has a long history of cigarette tax evasion. Former governor Malcolm Wilson dubbed the city the "promised land for cigarette bootleggers." Over the decades, a series of studies by federal, state, and city officials has found that high taxes have created a thriving illegal market for cigarettes in the city. That market has diverted billions of dollars from legitimate businesses and governments to criminals.
Cigarette tax targets a select group of people, so it is time to start taxing other select group. The state should add a $5.00 tax per round of golf and a $1.00 per game tax on bowling. Softball is huge in the state of Wisconsin, a $50.00 per team tax should be added when teams resister in a league.
I am sure there are many other select groups out there just willing to pay an increased tax on their activities.
Dear Madame Zoltar
I also have another prediction for my fellow Racineans. I predict that no matter what the economic or political upheavals, we will resolve the issues in our city. We will do that because Racine has many fine, hard-working, decent individuals who live here and love Racine.
And while I’m on the soapbox, I should say a word or two about my mayoral intentions. My campaign has not been very high-profile, but I have a number of ideas to offer to the community which I think are productive and unique.
My first thought is that we should take whatever stimulus money we get from the government and convert it into bills of low denominations, primarily $5’s, $10’s and $20’s. Then we take that money, and
1.) Load it onto an airplane or helicopter that will fly low over the city and drop the money to waft down onto the streets. Of course, we select a day with optimal wind conditions (calm) and perhaps a weekend so that more people have an opportunity to get the cash. Or maybe declare a special holiday just for the money drop.
OR:
2.) Build an enclosure in City Hall and fill it with the money. From there, I’m open to suggestions. Perhaps we could hold a lottery to determine who gets to wade in the cash for a specified amount of time and keep whatever money they can grab. The lottery may make the operation self-sustaining, or even profitable. Another idea would be to televise the event. Again, I would be the people’s mayor. What are your ideas?
With the surprise (to you) resignation of Mr. Ben Hughes as City Administrator, I’ve also revised my plans concerning that office. From the picture that I saw of it in the local newspaper, it looks like just the place to display and sell my potions and tonics - 50% discount to city residents, 100% if you’re laid-off (think of your ex-boss).
Finally, I want to remind you that I am the Mistress of the Dark and the Master of the Light. Voting for me could pay off for you in ways that you can now only imagine. Once I’m elected, stop by the office and see me sometime. I will know who voted for me and who didn’t. If you did, perhaps we can discuss your affairs and how I can help influence them to your advantage. If you didn’t, stop by and we can discuss the removal of the strange growth that started protruding from your forehead after Election Day.
Please tell me your ideas and suggestions for rejuvenating Racine. Post them below, or email me at: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.
Have a beautiful week, my lilies of the valley. Keep your eyes on heaven and your feet on the ground. And don’t forget: vote free, vote Z!
ATHEIST HOLY DAY
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor,how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas,Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays. "The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant." The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judges aid, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states,'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion ofthis court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
From the Office of Superintendent, Racine Unified School District
It has been brought to my attention, on several occasions; we have students who have learned everything there is to know.
If you have one of the children attending Racine Unified School District, you as parents/legal guardians may receive a letter by special carrier. The actions of this letter WILL BE EFFECTIVE WITH THE DATE LISTED ON IT. See attached.
Thank you for allowing Racine Unified School District in the education of your child.
Mister Potato Head
Superintendent
Racine Unified School District
Please refer to:
JT IRREGULARS: Texting Leads to Arrest of Teen#links
To the woman who crapped her pants in my car...
I thought we had chemistry sitting at Buffalo Wild Wings sharing the basket of hot wings while drinking Chili Beer. I really felt like there wasa connection there. I found you to be intelligent and witty and looked forward to further conversation with you.
At some point in life, everyone has gambled on a fart and lost. It just happened to be on a first date in the passenger seat of my car. Please don't feel bad. The package I sent you with Pepto the next day and the note that said, "First dates are always a crap shoot, call me" was meant to be funny, not offensive.
I have gambled on a fart and lost on multiple occasions. The first time I did was very memorable. It happened when I was 5 and sitting on my uncle's lap. I am lactose intolerant but love cheese. I probably win 95% of the time, but I don't think anyone wins 100% of the time. That's why they call it "gambling". I'm the last person to judge you for crapping your pants. In fact, I am impressed by your boldness. The timing, on the other hand, could have been a tad bit better...like when you're not sitting on a heated leather seat.
What I am trying to say is, if you want to go out again, I would be more than happy to take you someplace where we can get a meal that is high in fiber and less taxing on the digestive tract.
I await your call,
"West Allis man not guilty in open carry gun case"
My understanding has been that there is no law prohibiting openly carrying a firearm in Wisconsin, but everyone knows that the police will arrest you for disorderly conduct if you do it. That is exactly what happened in this case. And a judge threw it out.
Ben Hughes Resigns
This "reporter" was given an exclusive over the weekend concerning Racine City
Administrator Ben Hughes. I was told that he would be going down next. There were also some very nasty insinuations made about his role in the Becker scandal, but I have no proof of said allegations, so I'll keep them to myself for now.
Dumbest man in the Senate; you can't cure stupid
And, he is the Democratic Leader in the US Senate!!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Progress on the Constellation Program
Work is well underway and highlighted in this week's Big Picture. My favorite image shows the upgraded lightning supression system at Launch Complex 39.
I am really looking forward to seeing hardware for the Ares V, the big one they are building.
Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.
I'm the winner forold appliances
1948, does this make me the winner? Oh, my sister gave me a new stand mixer years and years ago, but it'sa still in it's plastic bag. Just not as powerfull as my Dornmeyer.
Free Money for 1st District Voters
Contact:
Keith Fair
228 Main St.
Racine, WI 53403
[Offer not limited to 1st District residents - others can and will qualify.]
"Infant mortality fight gets $10 million boost in state"
I assume that this is to assure that they survive long enough for us to arrest their mothers for child neglect.
Of course, we could spend $10 million teaching people not to breed irresponsibly, but then that wouldn't guarantee a steady supply of people crippled into dependenccy upon the welfare system.
Kim Plache Responds to Racine's Mayoral Cattle Call
http://racineinsider.blogspot.com/2009/02/two-women-could-seek-city-top-post.html
Speculation continues that Bill Clinton, Rod Blagojevich, and the ghost of Tex Reynolds are also considering runs.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Ant And The Grasshopper, An Update!
The fable concerns a grasshopper who has spent the warm months singing away while the ant (or ants in some editions) worked to store up food for winter. After the winter has come, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger, and upon asking the ant for food is only rebuked for its idleness. The story is used to teach the virtues of hard work and saving, and the perils of improvidence. Some versions of the fable state a moral at the end, along the lines of:
....Idleness brings want
....To work today is to eat tomorrow
....It is best to prepare for the days of necessity
OLD VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
MODERN VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfort table home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
Immortality...But at What Price?
How does this jellyfish accomplish such a feat? After it reaches sexual maturity, it can revert to is juvenile state. The process seems to be able to repeat indefinitely.
Therefore, immortality is possible if you are willing to go through puberty repeatedly.
"Millions down the drain"
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/39625137.html
It doesn't stop, does it?
It's not going to until we do something about it.
Keith Fair Trying to Scam into Office Again
That liar Keith Fair is running for alderman in my district again. Keith is the scumbag who trucks homeless people into my neighborhood and registers them to vote for him. That is how he "wins" elections; otherwise he can't get a majority of the people who actually do live here to vote for him.
Good luck, Keith. I'm going to being hammering at your lies day and night.