check out the National Zoo's baby panda cam. Supposedly watching it helps people relax. Very Zen.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Stewie rules!
Here is a link to a site where you can type in what Stewie should do (laugh, dance etc.) and he does it! Funny.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Cat Man evacuates the Florida Keys
A man who identified himself as only "the cat man" evacuates the Florida Keys on his scooter, with three cat carriers. When faced with luggage over cats, he choose his cats. Good Man!
Hate Speech!
Here is the clip of racial epithets from the movie Do the Right Thing! As senor love daddy says, "You need to chill out!"
Friday, September 16, 2005
Cheney and the F word
VP Cheney told Senator Leahy of Vermont to "go f*** yourself." Of course, Leahy is the most liberal senator (not John Kerry as Bush/Cheney assert)in the US senate, but still....now everyone is in the act. A local doctor yelled at the VP while Cheney was visiting New Orleans, actually, a white suburb of New Orleans, a photo op to show his concern, and the young doc couldnt resist the opportunity to tell the VP what he thought of his photo op.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Bush on Vacation!
George W interrupted his vacation to tour the areas devastated by Katrina, and while he was there, decided to get in some fishin' with his dad. Odd that they are oblivious to the looters in the background, but they just caught a big fish so I guess their inattention is understandable. Do you you think maybe they evacuated a few people in their bass boat when they left?
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Bacon!
Vanderbilt 28, Arkansas 24. The Commodores did it! Beat Arkansas (the Razorbacks, the Hogs) in Fayetteville, in the Hogs new stadium, cut them into port chops, turned them into spam, fried their bacon! I remember the 2003 opener against Ole Miss - they wanted to win that one so bad and the lost - they were so disappointed. They have had some pay back victories since, especially the one against Kentucky in 2003. But this is the best yet: after beating Wake Forest, and now Arkansas, they are 2-0 on the road, the next five games are at home. I am very happy for the team. Its not often when a team with such a high GPA can kick hog butt!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Mexico responds to Katrina!
Mexican army convoys and a navy ship laden with food, supplies and specialists traveled to the U.S. Wednesday to help in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort — a highly symbolic journey marking the first time Mexico's military has aided its powerful northern neighbor.
Yeah Mexico! Our forgotten but good neighbor!
The old saying: "Poor Mexico, so far from god, so close to the united states." Hopefully this will lead to even better relations between our countries - we have overlooked Mexico. Such an incredible culture, wonderful people, diverse land.
Yeah Mexico! Our forgotten but good neighbor!
The old saying: "Poor Mexico, so far from god, so close to the united states." Hopefully this will lead to even better relations between our countries - we have overlooked Mexico. Such an incredible culture, wonderful people, diverse land.
don't live here: United States
Why do people live in New Orleans? Why do they live in san Francisco? Or anywhere that has Hurricanes, or tornados? Or snow storms? Or Mormons? (Mormons?) This map says it all. But Hey! the snow in my part of Pennsylvania isn't that bad, its just the grey, overcast sky and constant 40 degree weather from November to June that drives me nuts! Half the state is on suicide watch by April due to the dark, cold grim sky (I sound like dialogue from a Ingmar bergman movie!)
nola-gibson: Hero or Grand Theft Auto?
Here's the story of an 18 yr old young man, who "stole" an abandoned school bus and picked up strangers on his way to Houston to escape katrina. Hero? or thief? Looters steal TV's, VCRs and stuff, but desparate people "borrow" water and food and buses in order to survive, in my opinion. Here is the story:
"Eighteen-year-old Jabbor Gibson jumped aboard the bus as it sat abandoned on a street in New Orleans and took control. "I just took the bus and drove all the way here...seven hours straight,' Gibson admitted. "I hadn't ever drove a bus."
The teen packed it full of complete strangers and drove to Houston. He beat thousands of evacuees slated to arrive there. Authorities eventually allowed the renegade passengers inside the dome. But the 18-year-old who ensured their safety could find himself in a world of trouble for stealing the school bus.
"I dont care if I get blamed for it," Gibson said, "as long as I saved my people."
"Eighteen-year-old Jabbor Gibson jumped aboard the bus as it sat abandoned on a street in New Orleans and took control. "I just took the bus and drove all the way here...seven hours straight,' Gibson admitted. "I hadn't ever drove a bus."
The teen packed it full of complete strangers and drove to Houston. He beat thousands of evacuees slated to arrive there. Authorities eventually allowed the renegade passengers inside the dome. But the 18-year-old who ensured their safety could find himself in a world of trouble for stealing the school bus.
"I dont care if I get blamed for it," Gibson said, "as long as I saved my people."
Monday, September 05, 2005
Hurricane Ivan and the Burgh
Here is a picture of 6th and 7th street in the burgh, during Hurricane Ivan a year ago. How many hundreds of miles is pittsburgh inland? And this is the flooding that occured from a hurricane that was just about blown out. Its not the winds, but the rains that can cause damage. Flooding is more dangerous than high winds in a hurricane. Duh! No one saw the diaster in New Orleans happening? Ever drive to New Orleans? What do you have to cross to get to the city? Water. Lots of it. No matter which direction you come from: water. The city is surrounded by water. I was in Florida about 7 years ago for a boring conference - the only exciting thing was a hurricane, a category 1 or 2. It flooded our hotel, killed a couple of kids who were swimming in a flooded street and got electrocuted. Again, flooding was the worst damage. You wonder what goes on in the brains of these important leaders: Bush has been to New Orleans, and he knows it is surrounded by water. He must know what a category 5 or 4 hurricane can do: his state Texas gets hit by hurricanes (remember the Galveston hurricane years ago? They still study it in Texas grade school history books - of course Bush went to private school in new england so didnt read that i guess). Rumsfeld and Iraq: People will be meeting our troops with flowers. Condi Rice: no one could imagine planes flying into buildings like missles (actually, she received a briefing about that after new years eve arrest of terrorist in Seattle, 2000). One thing I have learned in academia: no matter what the education level, or status of the individual, our "very important people" arent any smarter than the guy on the street. Hey, ask the parking lot attendant in the strip district (6 and 7th street) about the Allengheny river, and flooding - he'll tell ya!
13% of HS girls in Canton, Ohio pregnant: Mother says, "We need condoms."
At the Timken Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, 13% of the female students are pregnant."Just give them condoms," says one mother of a pregnant student. So far, the Bush Administration has given $32 million to Ohio schools for abstinence programs. I don't mean to be gross but I have just joined "Sam's Club" in Butler, PA, and I bet the Bush Administration could buy an incredible number of condoms wholesale from Sam's Club for much less than $32 million. US census says there are 645,000 high school students in Ohio (21% of all Ohio students).That is approximately $50 spent per high school student on abstinence programs. How many condoms can you buy at Sam's Club for $50? (online you can buy about 72 condoms for $50, so I bet Sams Club would make a deal for 100 condoms for $50, and that is for each HS student in Ohio!) I think abstinence programs for students under 18 yrs old are good - all sorts of studies have shown that students who wait longer to have sex score better on all sorts of socio-economic indicators (higher % go to college, gpa higher, etc). But that is not enough: people have sex, its why our species has continued for millions of years. Spend equal amounts of money on abstinence programs, and condoms. How to avoid poverty? Three things: 1) Don't become a single parent; 2) if you do, get married so at least one parent can be working and earning an income; 3) finish high school. If abstinence doesn't work (and I dont think our bodies are made for that) then use the alternative!
Sunday, September 04, 2005
constant gardener
The book by john le carre was great, but the movie is absolutely FANTASTIC! A must see! the movie is better than the book, and the book was so great that it got me reading more about foreign aid scandals in Africa. The African continent is in melt down mode: things will get worse. Humans are a frightening species: we have amazing ways of creating our own hells right here on earth. "Jesus wept" is the shortest sentence in the bible: God is out there somewhere weeping for what we do (have done)to Africa. See these books.
I read "The Road to Hell" about aid in Africa, and it was depressing beyond belief. These religious charities are scarey: South Parks take on "starvin' marvin" is not far off, only its not Sally Struthers who is gorging herself, but those self righteous religious charities and their opportunistic employees. You might also want to read "Dark Star Safari," Paul Theroux's book about traveling from North to South in Africa on bus: an amazing tale.
I read "The Road to Hell" about aid in Africa, and it was depressing beyond belief. These religious charities are scarey: South Parks take on "starvin' marvin" is not far off, only its not Sally Struthers who is gorging herself, but those self righteous religious charities and their opportunistic employees. You might also want to read "Dark Star Safari," Paul Theroux's book about traveling from North to South in Africa on bus: an amazing tale.
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