It's been a while.....

It's Friday Night, It's an oldie... Its Jimmy Page and Paul Rogers as part of the short lived, but kick ass group The Firm. For your listening pleasure : Radioactive.

Bills Retro World

http://www.billsretroworld.com/

If you're an old(er) fart like me, you should check out this site. I never remember algebra, but I never forget this stuff.

WOO HOO!! This party is taking shape!!

Most of you should have this on your calendars -
THIS Saturday,
June 27th, 11am.

I will also send out an email to those I have on my list.
As always, if you would like to be included,
please email me, or if you do not get the email
I send out
(a couple DO get lost, you have NOT been dodged!)

Watch those in-boxes, it was sent
last week with the particulars!!

PLEASE RSVP here as well as volunteering
for what you can bring, thanks

to be added, send an email to...
lizardmom@wi.rr.com

thanks guys!!

***************************
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE DOING GOOD,
PLEASE CHECK IN AND COME ON OUT!!
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I NEED OPINIONS IF WE GET RAINED OUT!!

Michael Jackson Conspiracy Theory

I am in no way trying to make fun of someones death.

I have two different sides to me. A normal side and a side that thinks that there is a conspiracy when certain things happen. And no, Im not sitting in the corner with a tin foil hat on. But here goes anyway:

People have claimed for years that Elvis didnt die, he was sick of the spotlight, and faked his death. Fast forward a few years to when Michael Jackson "married" Lisa Marie Presley. Could this have been done to find out the way that Elvis took care of his business? All of a sudden they "Divorce" Michael has some kids, turns white, loses his nose, gets charged, etc. Now he dies mysteriously, and during the press conference last night, Jermaine sure didnt seem sad or upset. Could MJ have pulled one over on the public to make the spotlight, his debt and his detractors, and any future charges go away. IMO, if all of a sudden his three kids begin to be taken care of "by the Jackson family" instead of the mother, this would be suspicious as well.

It could also be like they said in MIB: "Elvis didnt die, he just went home".

Jacko is Deado

Rock and Roll Revival

Hello my friends and rockers! Welcome back! This week, I'm going to discuss a popular rock and roll legend. Have you heard of the story of combining Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album with the movie Wizard of Oz? Well, I tried it...and it works! It's true! Just link up the disc with the third roar of MGM lion in the movie and you got it!

The results are amazing! I was really impressed with synching up The Great Gig in the Sky with the tornado and the color sequeince to Money. There are many other highlights as well.

However, the band and their engineer, Alan Parsons, deny any relation to this. To them it's all coincedence.

In my opinion, I think someone out there with one too many hits out of a bong and too much time on their hands came up with this. What do you think?

Florida Purse Snatchers Target Elderly Women

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

ABBY, while you're down there with Beejay, I expect you to kick some ass!

Are You Going to Summerfest?

They're worried about how the recession is gong to affect the Big Gig:

"Organizers of the event billed as the world's largest music festival are approaching the opening day Thursday uncertain about how many of their dedicated customers will be cutting back or staying home this year.

"It's reasonable to expect that families' bottom lines will affect Summerfest's bottom line. The question is just how much."

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/49052146.html


I normally don't go at all. I dislike large crowds of people and the heat. And I can't afford it, anyway.

County Fair Demolition Derby

I'm putting out feelers for a demolition derby car. I used to do this every year and think a deaf para needs to be entered. Not only that, but it's more fun from the pits. Maybe even an IRREGULAR paint job. Want to "sponsor" me? i.e. Break windows out, paint brush paint job, yank the gas tank, and chain the doors shut. Battery and cycle gas tank are mounted inside. Not a lot of hard work and might be fun.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my pretty peaches! How are you? The arrival of summer sure was sudden. And apparently final.

The first thing I want to do is to reassure all of you about the weather for this Saturday’s picnic. Remember how I gave my personal guarantee concerning the weather for the last get-together? I know that Ms. Beejay does. Other than the downpours and deluge and thunder and lightning, everything went pretty well, didn’t it? Well I give you the same guarantee for this weekend’s festivities. Thus spake Zoltar™ and thus shall it be!

I received an email this week from the ever-redundant Mr. OrbsCorbs, who wrote:

Dear Most Exalted Madame Zoltar,

My cat is insane. His name is Charlie; maybe you’ve seen him elsewhere on this blog. He believes that he is the master of our household. He wakes me up in the morning and tells me when to go to sleep at night. All activities in our household revolve around him and his habits. He resents the time that I spend online and not with him. If he knew that I was writing this, he would bite me. Ow!

Please help.

Your servant,
OrbsCorbs

Dear Mr. OrbsCorbs: Oh my, I don’t know how to break this to you, but Charlie is the boss in your relationship and the sooner that you accept that fact, the sooner things will work out for everyone involved. Simply cater to his every whim and everything else will be fine. When he bites you, you are doing something wrong and must be corrected. It is not Charlie’s fault if you are too dimwitted to learn from him.

There were no other messages this week, and it is very warm in the ether these days, so I will keep my blog short today. However, I feel it necessary to comment upon Mayor Dickert’s fundraiser tomorrow for his re-election in 2011. Bravo, Mr. Dickert! I have only witnessed such cold, callous, calculating cynicism toward the electoral process in much more seasoned career politicians. Perhaps you are more corrupt than I first gave you credit for. You’ve been in office but a brief few weeks and done nothing for the citizens of Racine, but already you are jetting around the country on our dime and making plans to cover your butt with our money in the future. You are truly a leader in the mold of Becker and the other greats of our local political scene who have drained the democracy from Racine and filled it with their vision of personal greed and power. To borrow a well-worn phrase, “Party on, Dickert!” The only way to serve the people of Racine is to betray them. And to your credit, you haven’t been busted for molesting children, yet.

I hope that all of the irregulars and our other friends keep cool. I know that many of you may have difficulty affording air conditioning during these tough economic times. That’s why you should know that the a/c is always running in the mayor’s office, even if he’s not there (most of the time). So stop on in and cool off – you’re paying for it, in more ways than you can imagine.

Please send your questions and comments to me at: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Have a wonderful time at the picnic. I will try to stop by on my way to Soothsayer ’09, one of the many psychic fairs and conventions that I attend in order to keep you informed on the latest advances in prognostication. Toodles.

Buzz and Snoop

Buzz Aldrin just cut a video with Snoop Dog called "Rocket Experience".

Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience from Buzz Aldrin

Just in time for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 next month!

Brainfingers

A story on Brainfingers two years ago:



A video posted two weeks ago:



http://www.brainfingers.com/

I would love to play with one of these. Unfortunately: "Total Cost in US dollars: $2,100.00 plus shipping (does not include taxes or duty where applicable)."

However: "It is possible to rental a Brainfingers system for 30 day periods. The cost of renting is $495.00 plus shipping. If after renting you decide to purchase the system the rental cost can be applied to the purchase price. The rental cost covers the cost of training and support during the rental period and refurbishing of the system when returned to us."

Maybe I can get a deal on an old rental model. Then I will learn to control the stock market with my mind.

Drunk Driving a Golf Cart on a Highway

"Richfield — After drinking at least 10 beers at a golf course on state Highway 167 and being left behind by the relatives who brought him there, a South Milwaukee man decided to drive himself the nearly 40 miles back to his home - in a golf cart.

"He did not even take the time to throw the empty beer cans out of the cart before hitting the road in the commandeered cart, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Department incident report released Monday.

"The man, 47, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of second-offense operating a vehicle while intoxicated after a sheriff's deputy stopped the golf cart the suspect was driving southbound on state Highway 175, the report says."

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/48808217.html


That guy really knows how to party on.

Tuesday Morning Grin.......

While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip.

When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table and she didn't miss them until they had been driving about twenty minutes.

By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around -- in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.

All the way back, the husband became the classic grouchy old Man. He fussed and complained and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her -- the more agitated he became. He just would not let up.

To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old Geezer yelled to her..

'While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card!'

Eclipsing Moons

The Cassini Spacecraft orbiting Saturn continues to give us unique views of the Solar System. Today's exhibit is a unique eclipse of Saturn's Moon Mimas (also known at the Death Star Moon) by the Moon Enceladus.

You don't see Enceladus...just its shadow! Enceladus is off the screen. This animations was made from 7 images snapped 30 seconds apart, so the event didn't last long at all. Cassini was about 800.000 miles away when it snapped this sequence of images.

These eclipses can only occur near Saturn's equinox. Most of the time the orbits of Saturn's Moons are tilted with respect to the Sun so their shadows will pass above or below each other. Only near the equinox (which occurs in August for Saturn) will they line up just right so they can eclipse each other. Neither of the Voyager Spacecraft passed Saturn close to an equinox so this is the first time we have been able to see events such as this.

You can find some nice animations of the shadhows of Moons cast on Saturn's rings as well.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Stochasticity

I was catching up on podcasts at the gym this morning and listened to the most recent episisode of Radio Lab on stochasticity. Stochasticity is fifty cent word for randomness. Most people think they know random when they see it, but frequently find patterns where there is really randomness.

The show starts off with a very interesting story about a young girl letting go a balloon with a note tied to it. It is found and, at first, the commonalities she shares with the girl who found it seem extraordinary...but only if you look at the things they have in common of course. A quick examination of their differences makes you wonder a bit more.

They discuss one of my favorite games I did with students occasionally. They do it with two groups but I would do it with 5-7 depending on class size. The game is you give one group a coin. You tell them to flip it 10o times and write down the series of heads and tails (using h and t). The other groups are just to write down (what they think) is a random series of h's and t's without flipping the coin. I leave the room so I don't know which group has the coin. I then come back a few minutes later when they are done and tell them which group was flipping a real coin based on their sequences. What they think is a random sequence has easily recognizable differences from a real random sequence. I am going to make you listen to the episode to hear one way of doing this (they don't reveal all the tricks, but the others are similar to the one they use).

We are programmed to see patterns. That served us well when we were dodging tigers, but now we can see patterns where there are none. From an evolutionary standpoint, we not recognizing a tiger attack results in death and a false positive results in a change of underwear at worst. Therefore, we tend to have a lot of false positives when it comes to recognizing patterns.

We see everything from the face of Jesus on a tortilla to Elvis in the Eagle Nebula (recognizing faces has its whole own subcategory). Gamblers think they recognize patterns (reinforced by bells and flashing lights) that keep them gaming. They have an interesting statistical analysis of athletes who get the hot hand and find it usually isn't as hot as you think it is.

People base their lives on patterns that don't exist. Everything from who they date and marry to their stock market picks and the lottery tickets they buy. We all could use a little better understanding of statistics and how to pick out meaningful patterns.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

uhhh... music. yeah, thats it.

Ohhhh man, what were we talking about again? Where were you when this was popular?

A little naughty one for today.......

Joe and Dean were fishing in Michigan when Dean pulled out a cigar. Finding he had no matches, he asked Joe for a light. 'Yeah, sure, I think I have a lighter,' he replied, and then reaching into his tackle box, he pulled out a Bic lighter 10 inches long.

'Jiminy Cricket!' exclaimed Dean, taking the huge Bic Lighter in his hands. 'Where did you get that monster??'

'Well,' replied Joe, 'I got it from my Genie. ''You have a Genie?' Dean asked. 'Yeah, sure. It's right here in my tackle box,' says Joe. 'Could I see him?' Joe opens his tackle box & sure enough, out pops the Genie.

Addressing the genie, Dean says, 'Hey there I'm a good friend of your master. Will you grant me one wish? ''Yes, I will,' says the Genie. So Dean asks the Genie for a million bucks. The Genie disappears back into the tackle box leaving Dean sitting there waiting for his million bucks. Shortly, the sky darkens and is filled with the sound of a million ducks....flying directly overhead.

Over the roar of the million ducks Dean yells at Joe, 'What the heck I asked for a million bucks, not a million ducks!'

Joe answers, 'Yeah, I forgot to tell you that the Genie is hard of hearing. Do you really think I asked for a 10-inch Bic?"

HAPPY 19th Birthday, Froglover!!

Happy Birthday to Froglover -
I hope it ends as nice and relaxing as it started!!

Love, mom !!

Are Politicians out of Touch with the People?

I’m not a big fan of talking politics but I just cannot believe how out of touch politicians are with the people of Wisconsin and what they continue to hide from us.

If you read this article posted by our friends at Racine News, this is a perfect example of what is going on behind closed doors of government.

Green Bay Teen Bitten by Rattlesnake

"GREEN BAY, Wis. - More than a dozen venomous reptiles and amphibians were confiscated from a west side Green Bay house after a 17-year-old boy was bitten by a rattlesnake and taken to the hospital."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-snakebite,0,5541804.story


I don't know why, but snakes keep popping up in the news.

Or slithering around in the news.

Comfort Wipe

http://www.comfortwipe.com/

Personally, I use a high pressure fire hose.

Lightening

THIS IS A PICTURE THAT SOMEONE TOOK WHO WORKS ON AN OIL RIG. HE WAS GOING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE LIGHTNING AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE TORNADO UNTIL THE LIGHTNING ILLUMINATED IT.

This is a one-in-a-million photo...............

Taken Thursday night, April 2, 2009
Lariat Sandridge Energy South of Ft Stockton , TX

Freedom

"Give me liberty, or give me death!" - Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

"I regret that I have but one life to give my country." Nathan Hale, September 22, 1776

"I have one vote, I gave it to Mousavi, I have one life, I give it for freedom" Unknown Iranian tweet, June 20th, 2009


We are witnessing an incredible drive for freedom in Iran. Meanwhile, our country, the cradle of modern liberty, sits silently while the likes of Patrick Henry and Nathan Hale strive for liberty.

Happy Fathers Day

My dad passed away 32 years ago. The song below makes me think of him.