Deer Head Dilemma

"CALEDONIA — The Department of Natural Resources can try to take the deer head John Longo had mounted without a permit.

"It won’t succeed.

"Unless DNR agents want to dig through the dump, Longo said, they won’t find the head.

“'At the end I said, if you (the DNR) want the deer head, I’ll throw it away or burn it,' Longo said. 'If I can’t have it, you can’t have it.'”

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2009/07/11/local_news/doc4a592183860fe387473197.txt

The short version: Mr. Longo found a dead deer on the road, butchered it, ate it, then had the head stuffed and mounted. He didn't obtain the two DNR permits for those actions. They can't retrieve the meat, but a judge ordered Mr. Longo to turn the deer head over to the DNR. Mr. Longo says he tossed the head out.

“'If they went and picked ’em up [the dead deer] it would be one thing, but they leave ’em rot.'

"That’s what gets Longo.

“'I hate to see it go to waste,' he said. 'I was brought up right after the war. If we had potatoes and eggs and a piece of bread we were lucky ... I’m not a wasteful person.'

“'By being that way, the DNR will crucify me for it? Up their gump stump.'”

Up their gump stump, indeed, Mr. Longo. I think those four words sum up the disaffection that many Americans feel toward their government. "Up their gump stump!" could very well become the rallying cry of a new breed of patriots.

Thank you, Mr. Longo, and please continue to fight the good fight.

Hey, Stu!

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

Last year, I ended near the bottom of the heap - second to last. I haven't the faintest idea of how to play, but I'm wiling to make a fool of myself again.

And, as always, I vow that the Orbliterators will destroy all opponents. At the end of the season, we alone will stand as the glorious victors of the Irregular Football League while all others lie in smoldering ruins around us.

How Do You Spend You Money?

The U.S. Department of Labor published the following fun little graphic illustrating how the average family (excuse me, Consumer Unit) consisting of 2.5 persons spends their average $49,638 per year.
I just think this is kind of fun to compare. Now for the record I am single, one full time job, one part time job, three cats. I am sure I spend an above average amount on reading and insurance/pensions (but only because I max out Roth IRA contributions each year). People pay at least my expenses for me to go to classes, so I am below average on education. My car is paid off so you can put below average on transportation and its fairly efficient (could be better) and I own a paid off scooter which gets great mileage so I am below average there as well. I don't see vacation/travel specifically mentioned...maybe lumped under entertainment? I do well at travel and vacation, so I probably spend as much on that as the average 2.5 person family! Tabacco, 0%. I own a townhome and adding everything up, comes up a bit short of average.

Anyway, I thought this was interesting enough to post. Any surprises on how you compare?

AIG bonuses: $235 million to go

Troubled insurer AIG has asked the government's 'pay czar' to review hundreds of millions more in bonus payments to employees of its most crippled division.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Bailed-out insurer AIG again found itself in the crosshairs of bonus rage on Friday over its plans to pay $2.4 million in executive bonuses next week.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/10/news/companies/aig_bonuses/?postversion=2009071010

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Does it even mater anymore? Billions and millions and trillions and gazillions. Who can keep track of it? I just assume that free money is gushing out of our government like water spraying out of an umanned firehose.

Meanwhile,



Here's the website that will cost us $18,000,000: http://www.recovery.gov/.
It will be worth every penny, I'm sure.

Turning off comments because you disagree with opinions is wrong, cowardly

http://news.racinepost.com/2009/07/marie-black-focus-on-new-hispanic.html

Over and over this happens in Racine. Only the chosen ones are allowed to say what is "positive" or "good" for Racine. Only the chosen ones are allowed to say what is "art."

I think I can agree with the Journal Times policy concerning insensitive comments about someone's death. But I don't agree with preemptive censorship just because you don't like what others might have to say.

For the record, I made no comments in any of the articles about the proposed Hispanic Center, nor did I intend to. I have given up on much of this BS because it is more than obvious that only certain people in Racine are allowed to have certain opinions. It is "positive" for Racine to violate the first amendment. It is "positive" to ignore crime. It is "positive" to reward the few at the expense of many. It is "positive" to have pedophiles working in our neighborhoods.

"All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Fuck all you elitists and fuck your arrogance.

Party on!

Are women born this way?

PSYCHOPATH TEST

Read this question, come up with an answer and then scroll down to the bottom for the result. This is not a trick question. It is as it reads. No one I know has gotten it right. Few people do.


A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much that she fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister..


Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?


[Give this some thought before you answer, see answer below]

Happy Birthday Abby...!!!!

Happy Birthday to you Abby.........SER

Good Bye to the Bevatron

I just saw a nice article on the dismantling of the Bevatron, a particle accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. It was the largest and most powerful in the world when it was built and measured 185 feet in diamter. This amazing device was built in the 1950s and discovered the anti-proton in 1955 (which led to a Nobel Prize, the first of four won by research conducted at the Bevatron). The Bevatron was a fixed target experiment...it would accelerate protons around its ring and then shoot them off to a stationary target (many modern accelerators take two beams of particles moving in opposite directions and crash them into each other...the Bevatron could not focus beams well enough to pull this off).

The Bevatron discovered the first example of symmetry violation in quantum physics and resonances which led to the idea of quarks (which have now been discovered).

In the 1970's, it was hooked up to a linear accelerator called the SuperHILAC. This combination, sometimes called the BEVLAC, eventually allowed scientists to accelerate atoms of any element to almost the speed of light for experiments. The BEVLAC contributed greatly to the field of cancer treatment by using different ions to attack tumors (ions give up most of their energy right when they come to rest, so a well targeted ion can destroy cancer cells while leaving the surrounding tissue undamaged).

But time marches on and eventually the Bevatron/BEVLAC was shut down in 1993 and sat unused for the last 16 years. Now it is finally being dismantled (with the use of some stimulus funding). It has passed the torch to larger and better particle accelerators such as the Tevatron at Fermilab, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven, the Stanford Linear Accelerator, and the new heavyweight on the block, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Evian Roller Babies US

These Kids are good!!!

Becker Whereabouts Posted in Comments on Racine Post & JTI

http://www.jtirregulars.com/2009/07/and-from-snappy-comeback-dept.html

Anonymous said...

Pardon all, I have posted this on the Racine Post website. Thought you all should know. Thank you.

To Dustin and Pete:

Tomorrow I will be calling the Journal Times for this tip I am about to give you regarding Gary Becker.

Gary Becker (and an unknown friend) has bought a foreclosed home located at 1019 Kingston Ave.

He is dumping all kinds of money into the home (Appx. 15-20 thousand dollars by his own admission) in an attempt to fix it up and sell it.

He is there from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day and has been there for the last 5 weeks working on the home.

Current Alderman Coe is constantly at the home as well working on it (prior to his heart or chest related problems last night where he was taken by an ambulance from city hall) with Becker.

My concerns are this:

(1) Where is this guy getting the money to fix this home up and what person in their right mind who may be facing years and years in prison would be doing this? Is their a side deal already in place with the DA's Office in which he knows he will only be getting probation??

(2) Becker has gone out of his way to shake hands with all the neighbors in the area telling them who he is and what his intentions are with the home. Is this guy so arrogant that he has no shame in being seen in this city?? Reaching out to the neighbors in the area making sure they know who he is??

(3) there are many, many young girls (ages 10-15) that live in the area who I believe may be at risk.

(4) Checking city hall records, there is NO MENTION that Gary Becker bought the foreclosed home and that he is the current property owner. The property owner is shown as Federal Home Loans or something like this. Why????? My mortgage company still owns my home, but my name appears in the city records. Who's going to loan this guy over 100,000 dollars knowing their is a big chance he will be going to prison and unable to pay the loan back???

(5) How is it that a current alderman (Coe) can still have contact with this guy?? Are there city regulations prohibiting this until he is found either guilty or innocent at trial?? Ethics issues???

(6) What are his conditions of bond?? Can he be around young girls on a constant/daily/routine basis?? Can he be in possession of a cell phone that could be an avenue for him to have questionable images on it??

Please feel free to go to 1019 Kingston avenue and interview Mr. Becker and ask him these questions and whatever other questions you might have.

The telephone number on the "For Sale by Owner" sign in the front yard of the home is 414-651-6538 if you want to call him and ask him about the house for sale.

I feel REALLY uncomfortable about him being in my neighborhood day in and day out.

Something doesn't seem right with this. Am I paranoid?? YOU BET, and I have good reason to be based on his pending charges.

Here is your chance to beat the JT to this story.

Thank you.

July 8, 2009 9:59 PM

http://news.racinepost.com/2009/07/who-takes-over-10th-district.html

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my precious popsicles! How are you? Did you have a good 4th of July? I sure did. I had a red, white and blue-painted booth in downtown Racine where I charged $10 apiece for quick psychic readings. Patriotism has been very, very good to me. I also would like to state that for next year’s celebration, I am available to broadcast telepathic messages into the minds of parade-goers rather than using those tacky airplanes. I’d probably charge less, too.

I received no questions or comments this week; no runs, no hits, no errors. Therefore, I am free to do as I please. I’m devoting the rest of my blog to humor.

Q: How many spiritualists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None - they prefer to work in the dark.

All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my right hand.

Q: What did the blind psychic say to his girlfriend?
A: I wish I could seer you.

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

Q: How does a psychic refer to a blonde?
A: Light reading.
(Sorry, Ms. kk.)

Jennifer visited a psychic of some local repute. In a dark and hazy room, peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news: "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt - prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and horrible death this year." Visibly shaken, Jennifer stared at the woman's lined face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She simply had to know. She met the fortune teller's gaze, steadied her voice, and asked: "Will I be acquitted?"

Q: Where is a psychic's favorite vacation spot?
A: Astralia.

Classified ad: Wanted - Telepath. You know where to apply.

A: One.
Q: How many psychics does it take to change a light bulb?

Finally, check out Jimbo the Psychic (Deaf Mute) Sideshow Dummy: http://www.octanecreative.com/Parodyville/jimbo/index.html

If you have a joke to tell, post it below in the comments. Or send it to me at: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Thanks for the laughs, dearies. Pepperoni!

12:34:56 7/8/9

Yep take that second to look at the clock today and see all the numbers lined up. Only thing better will be in 2090 when you get zero on the end!

What does it mean? You're a geek if you set an alarm so you can look at the clock to see it!

WHEN DAD IS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

We all know that Moms love to dress up their kids.
But when Dad is a graphic designer, anything is possible....

It all started out with the innocent baby picture below...

Dolphins at Dana Point

I just got back from California yesterday. I had an AWESOME time. Thanks to my sweetheart, Layla! She showed me around Los Angeles, Hollywood, and went up and down the California coast.

One of my highlights was a trip to Dana Point to go whale and dolphin watching. I tell you, it was an experience! The ocean was choppy that day and we got wet. I tried to take a few pictures, but ended up hanging on to the rails for most of the journey. Layla and her sister, both having done this a few times, took to the seas like warriors! We didn't see any whales, but we saw dolphins and sea lions!

Here is a video from our trip, taken by Layla.

Easy to Make Stink Bomb

Kip Kay creates all sorts of gadgets, hacks, pranks, and other fun things that you, too, can make.

His YouTube channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/kipkay

His website is: http://kipkay.com/


A neat site for video instuctions on just about any kind of project is Instructables.com: http://www.instructables.com/

Morning wake up music

Woke up to this the last three days.

The ISS in July: Part I (I Hope!)

A little cloudy here in Tucson, but that didn't stop me from going out to catch the ISS pass. Went to my usual haunt at Saguaro National Park East, right at the end of Speedway for those that know Tucson. Here is the first shot (click to embiggen).

This is the first part of the pass. There was a bit of a breeze and the clouds were moving fast. You can see they look blurred in this 15 second exposure.

The ISS moved to a more clear part of the sky and I got another shot.

That's more like it. Hoping for better weather later this week, but the monsoon season in Tucson is pretty dicey.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

"Racine Uncovered"

I'm bumping this blog because Racine Uncovered is now more fully up and running. Check it out.

Originally published July 1:

A Racine blogger who has been very active on the Journal Times site, and who successfully worked to have a state law changed, has started a website entitled Racine Uncovered:

http://racineuncovered.wordpress.com/

She goes by the username "racineres" on the Journal Times site and has been a tireless advocate for a law and order approach to crime in Racine. Like me, she has been spending time listening to the local police scanner. I have been stunned to realize how much police activity and crime in Racine goes unrecognized and unreported. It is an almost constant battle that our civic "leaders" just ignore, apparently in the hope that it will go away. Of course, I have been "whining" about this for years. Rather than address the crime issue, our "leaders" distract the citizens with smoke, mirrors, and parties.

In any case, it looks like "racineres" has launched a site that will address the very real issue of crime in the very real Racine that most of us live in (except for our "leaders" who live in a crime-free artists' colony). Doesn't ANYONE in City Hall think that it's odd that local people are starting blogs because our official media do not report the truth in this city? How many alternatives to the official lies have to be launched before our "leaders" address this issue?

I, for one, am fed up with bearing the brunt of criminal activity just so some Docker-wearing swine can glut themselves in a personal downtown Neverland paid for with tax dollars.

Go, "racineres," go, go, go!

ISS Passes This Week

The International Space Station is in the middle of a good series of passes for the U.S. Check out times for your location at sites such as Heavens Above or use Space Weather's Simple Satellite Tracker.

For Racine this week, the best times are tonight at 9:42pm in the SSW, July 7th at 10:06pm starting in the SSW and passing almost overhead, July 8th at 8:56pm low in the SSW, July 9th at 9:20pm staring in the SSW and passing almost overhead, July 10th at 9:44pm in the west, and July 11th at 8:58pm in the west. You have a lot of good chances this week...those are just the evening times. If you are an early riser, you can check the websites for the morning passes (I don't get up well in the morning in general!)

Near the solstice we get more good ISS passes. This is due to a combination of factors. First, the ISS is in an orbit which is inclined about 57 degrees to the equator meaning it spends more time farther north (and south) of Earth's equator. Second, the Sun is also farther north at this time of year which means it can illuminate the station better after sunset and before sunrise. Twilight lasts longer the farther north you go, so people in the northern U.S. can get two good passes in an evening (here in Arizona, twilight doesn't last as long so we usually get only one good pass per night). Go to a weather site and check sunset times and the length of twilight at different latitudes. It can be illuminating to say the least.

I thought about getting an ISS photo last night, but it was passing very close to the Moon from where I live. To get the ISS, I would have used too long of an exposure and the Moon would blast everything away. There are some good passes I can try this week.

If you want to photograph the ISS, you need a camera that can do timed exposures. Simply point the camera near the ISS, open the shutter for 10-20 seconds, and you should get a streak on the image. You can change the ISO of the film depending on the lighting conditions. If the sky is very dark, you might try 800. If it is still somewhat light, use lower ISOs so you don't overexpose the sky. The passes can last 3-4 minutes, so you can try multiple exposures if you are quick!