John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha stated a filing from God "... miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here - poof!"
"God" claims that Chambers' point that anybody can sue anybody simply doesn't apply in His case. Earthly laws cannot be applied to Him, and the court lacks jurisdiction. "God" goes on to state that blaming Him for human oppression ans suffering misses the point.
"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is My greatest gift to you," according to the response filing.
I wonder if the Almighty will pull in the Devil as a material witness? Or, would he be too much a hostile witness?
The outspoken Nebraska state senator is attempting to make a point about frivolous lawsuits. And this one is about as frivolous as they get.
Chambers' suit claims God has made terroristic threats against constituents, inspired fear, and "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants." The state senator also claims God has caused "fearsome floods ... horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes."
Even though Chambers has criticized Christians in the past, his lawsuit is not really an attack on the Almighty. Rather, it is in response to a recent federal suit against a judge who barred the use of the words "rape" and "victim" from a sexual assault trial.
I'm wondering if God will have to swear an oath on the Bible?
And, does anyone else think the fan in the background of the picture of Sen. Chambers sorta look like a halo effect?
This is one of the funniest WTF stories I've seen in a while.
The South Lake Union Trolley in Seattle has the unfortunate nickname. It was quickly amended to South Lake Union Streetcar once the unfortunate acronym was realized, but the damage has been done. You can read more about it here.
What makes it even more hilarious, to me, is the trolleys are being installed by area developers Vulcan, Inc. (Who claim the SLUT acronym was never true, a new urban myth).
So, technically, Seattle will soon have numerous Vulcan SLUTs running about!
J.K. Rowling, she of Harry Potter fame, is writing a new book.
Word on the streets, more accurately in the Edinburgh cafes she haunts, is the new book will be a crime drama, a criminal detective novel. [cite]
Now, that just seems a strange leap from the Harry Potter books to writing crime novels. Though, with all the dark doings, murders, and other deaths in the later books of the Potter series, perhaps it is not so much a stretch. And, there is much of detective work to be done, and mysteries to unravel, in the latter half of the Potter series. That they are swathed in magic seems to belay the fact that they are, at their heart, a mystery novel.
You can be sure curious readers the world over will snatch up whatever she puts out. But can she hold our attention sans Wizards and Muggles? Will the new book be kid-friendly, or geared more for adults? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Harry Potter and the Bloody, Dismembered Corpse, anyone?
You know, those drawer drooping dimwits that parade around flashing their unmentionables for all to see. I never got the supposed fashion statement they are trying to make. "Look at me, I'm an idiot"?
It was bad enough when it was just the waistband of their underwear being broadcast in Technicolor. Now, like the pic shown here, kids (and some "adults") are wearing their pants below the 49th parallel.
It can't be comfortable.
I want to rush over and yank the pants down the rest of the way whenever I see it.
Now, I don't find it particularly "indecent". The underwear baring butts are still basically covered. It's more stupid looking than obscene.
And I'm not entirely sure an ordinance against it, with penalties of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine, is any less stupid. It may even be more obscene.
And, the verbiage of this new law covers more than flashing your skivvies. (Hehehe I made a pun!)
The ordinance states, "It shall be unlawful for any person in any public place or in view of the public to be found in a state of nudity, or partial nudity, or in dress not becoming to his or her sex, or in any indecent exposure of his or her person or undergarments, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd behavior."
So ... women with those see-through blouses should fall under this law. (Another stupid fashion statement, btw.) What about middie tops? Are belly buttons next on the list of do-not-show?
And what of those women with the hip-hugger jeans and those lower back tattoos (ha! lower back, upper ass is more accurate) that look more like a patch of unruly and highly displaced hair than art when more than twenty feet away?
What about breastfeeding?
Sure, I don't really want to see some woman whip one out and suckle her young while I'm trying to enjoy my milkshake at the mall food court. But, if discretion is used, and some modicum of modesty, it never truly bothers me. Inevitably, some bare flesh does show while breast feeding. Will that woman go to jail for nurturing her child?
It is a very broad-based ordinance. One with which I am not at all comfortable. It leaves much too much open to interpretation. And that paves the way for unequal enforcement.
Is this something that should be legislated? If so, aren't the penalties imposed above much too steep?
Ever seen an apple riding a Hawg? How about a cucumber rocking out on stage? An avocado eXtreme snowboarding?
Well, you won't see your fruits and veges doing any of that, but you may see them sporting tattoos. No, not pics of flaming skulls, tribal bands, or hearts with Mom in the middle.
If the FDA approves it, we may soon start seeing our once benign food sporting laser imprinted tattoos with expiration, point of origin, brand names, or any sort information on them. This could mean the end of those annoying little polyvinyl stickers no one can peel off without gouging a divot from your fruit. [cite]
The laser only penetrates the very top layer of skin, removing pigmentation, and leaving a legible imprint visible.
It does not damage the product or reduce shelf life, some claim. Others state decay first occurs at the lasered site, and that it gives easier access to germs to infiltrate the produce. Either way, it is edible, as no inks or polyvinyl is used, just a slight bit less skin on the tattooed parts.
I'm all for it.
I cannot stand those little stickers. If I'm not ripping holes in my tomato trying to get them off, I'm forgetting about it and choking it down with a bite off my apple.
Too, it is hoped that the indelible tattoos will help provide a more fool-proof alternative to product tracing than stickers, which can be peeled off. The hope is to more quickly track down where contaminated produce came from.
Some produce won't be able to use the laser etching; potatoes, cantaloupe, and other rough skinned produce. So, some stickers will still be around.
If this gets approved by the FDA, I foresee actual advertising on the produce within a few short years.
Nike swooshes on your peaches, anyone?
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 141 days is:
The supposed highest bidder on the General Lee car from "The Dukes of Hazard" has welshed on his record, nearly $10 million bid.
I wonder how many bids turn out to be fake on eBay? Probably as many items posted for sale.
I admit I'm scared to buy off eBay. Even though I know people who buy and sell through eBay with no problems at all, I am still petrified to do it.
Anywho, Weird Al has a great song about eBay and someone made a video out of it. So, here you go! ~.^
UPDATE: Tek should be going home Friday. He'll be on medications and have some drastic changes to lifestyle to make (food, exercise, stress, etc.), but for now it doesn't appear as if any surgeries or other procedures are needed. Tek's wife wanted to thank everyone for their prayers for strength during this crisis and for guiding the doctors during the tests. Prayer for continued improvement and strength is still appreciated.
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 130 days is:
We have pills to help you sleep, pills to help you stay awake. We have pills to help you lose weight and pills to help you bulk up. We have pills for depression, anxiety, and psychoses. There are pills for aches. There are pills for pains. Pills to aid your sex life. Pills to stop smoking. Pills to grow hair. Pills to give you better gas mileage.
What?
Pills for better gas mileage?
Now, I think things may have gone too far.
Fuel Freedom International (FFI) is touting a new capsule that you pop into your car's fuel tank to "[burn] fuel more cleanly and quickly."
This new automotive wonder-drug is called MPG-CAP™. Small, brown pills in a blister-pack that look a bit like compressed sawdust, or maybe some of that organic, herbal stuff you find in the "hippie" aisle of your local drug store. (Not that organic herb pills are bad, I use Golden Seal myself).
FFI claims, in layman's terms, that MPG-CAP™ works similar to how a non-stick frying pan works. It coats "the combustion chamber of your engine with sacrificial catalytic coating." This basically means it will help keep gunk from forming in your cylinders, which they claim will give you better performance and more gas mileage by running smoother and cleaner.
You pop the "recommended dosage" into your gas tank. The fuel carries the dissolved compounds into your engine, and coats the inside cylinders through heat activation via the combustion process. Their website uses a lot of fancy terms like "infinite nano-phase surface area" and "in cylinder rate shaping." The above teflon-coating analogy was also paraphrased from their site, so at least FFI realizes big terms might make the heads hurt of people who might actually use this.
FFI also claims their product is not an additive like other purported fuel system treatments, rather it is an "engine efficiency supplement."
I don't know about you, but if you ADD it to your fuel via the gas tank, it is an additive.
I doubt this product works as claimed, and tests done by independent agencies showed no conclusive proof that MPG-CAP™ increased gas mileage or engine performance.
I just thought the idea of giving you car a pep pill was hilarious!
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 88 days is:
Now, to my knowledge, cows are herbivores. They don't eat the flesh of other animals. They eat grass, or hay, or maybe vegetables. They don't eat meat.
This cow does.
The calf, and his owner, are now local celebrities in India. They've been featured on Indian television, so I expect YouTube will have videos of this carnivorous cow chewing cackling chicken pretty soon. (None as of now ... I looked. ~.^)
I have my own theory on what is happening.
Chick-Fil-A has long had an advertising campaign where cows urge people to "Eat Mor Chikin". The calf is simply a victim of high pressure marketing.
I imagine he was lazing about in his little baby-cow paddock one day, watching some television, and thoughtfully chewing his cud, when a Chick-Fil-A commercial came on. Here, right before his eyes, were other cows. On television! And, they weren't part of some dairy product or hamburger commercial. And, they were telling him -- HIM! -- to eat more chicken.
The calf was probably sick of hay and grass, and thought, well if the television cows told me to do it, it must be good. So off he gamboled off to waylay a hapless hen.
He must have enjoyed it, because he kept chewing on chickens. I don't really know what his thoughts were at the time he began partaking of poultry. It may have had to do with dipping sauces.
I have another theory.
The calf may have been penned up near the chicken coop.
He was subjected to the hens cackling and the roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing. All day. All night. Every day. For a year.
It was then he decided to add some protein to his diet.
You see, by then, the calf had gone clucking mad.
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 70 days is:
Director and Producer James Cameron is set to terminate the widely held belief of Jesus of Nazareth's Resurrection in a titanic New York press conference on Monday (February 26th).
A new documentary by Cameron will be sure to outrage Christians with claims that Jesus was not resurrected after his death on the cross, and that he had a son named Judah.
Cameron claims he has evidence via DNA testing, archeology, and even from the Bible that three coffins he will reveal at the press conference belong to Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary, and Mary Magdelene.
The timing of this couldn't be better from a propaganda viewpoint.
With all the hype that surrounded "The Da Vinci Code" and claims that Jesus had sired a line of descendants, as well as the recent focus on the supposed "lost" gospels of Judas and Mary Magdelene, the world is primed for another shake-up of religious beliefs. Cameron's claims and documentary is bound to fire up Christian and skeptic alike.
You can read more at Time Magazine's Blog. And, of course, I'll post more as this develops.
Okay, my awful alliteration abuse aside, these are the kinds of headlines surrounding a animal rights flap taking place in my area.
Tampa-based Checkers Drive-In Restaurants recently re-released a commercial starring a rapping feline named, of course, RapCat.
When it was first released last Fall, it was an "overnight success", according to a Checker's spokesman. I loved the commercial when I first saw it, both for the Right-side vs. Left-side aspect, as well as RapCat. I still love it, and walk around singing the RapCat song after I see the commercial again ... and sometimes just because. People, and my own cats, give me odd looks when I do. I don't know why. ^.^;;
Watch the commercial for yourself and decide if RapCat is stupid or genius. Either way, I bet you get the meow rap song stuck in your head. ~.^
The commercial spawned dozens of letters and emails to Checkers requesting RapCap merchandise.
Now, RapCat has his own official website at http://www.rap-cat.com/ where you can get RapCat merchandise (coming soon), download RapCat themed goodies, read RapCat's bio, and watch RapCat's Music Video World Premiere on March 5th!
Checkers even has carry-out bags emblazoned with RapCat's jersey design. Instructions on the bag tell fans how they can dress their own cat like RapCat:
1) Cut out the holes 2) Put YOUR cat in the bag 3) Submit the best pics/vids of your cat keepin' it real ...
They issued an advisory on Monday asking people not to put their cats into the bags. Their fear is that a cat or cat owner will be hurt stuffing a cat into one of the bags. The department also stated in a news release that if someone does force a cat into a bag, they could be charged with animal cruelty. A First Offense comes with a stiff $300 fine and arrest.
What?
I mean, okay, it's probably not the nicest thing you could do to your cat, but I don't think it is cruelty. Not any worse than the pet apparel you can find in most pet stores. How about those ridiculous costumes for animals? Are those cruel? (Well, actually, yeah they are cruel to the people who have to look at the poor animal in its stupid outfit).
Let's take it a step further ...
Is it cruel to force men to wear constricting neck ties to work? How about women forced to wear hot pantyhose or feet twisting heels? What about our put-upon children whom we dress in school uniforms and march them off into the halls of conformity? (Note: I like school uniforms, keeps my budget down. hehe)
The Hillborough County Animal Services Animal Ordinance describes animal cruelty as:
Unnecessarily overloading, overdriving, tormenting, depriving of necessary sustenance, shelter, or medical care, or unnecessarily mutilating, or killing any ANIMAL or causing the same to be done, or carrying in or upon any VEHICLE, or otherwise, any ANIMAL in a cruel or inhumane manner.
Intentionally committing an act to any ANIMAL which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done.
Poisoning a DOG, CAT, FERRET, PET PIG, or other pet ANIMAL.
I suppose some may consider placing a cat into a paper outfit tormenting, or even infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering. I don't see how it's painful unless you violently wrestle the cat in. The bag would likely be ripped to shreds if the cat really, really didn't want in. It'd be more painful to you if your cat has all its claws. Sharp, needle point claws.
I get shredded by my cat because I clip his claws. He hates it. With a passion. I force him to do it for his safety, and ours. This involves me physically restraining him. He hates that even more. Is that abuse. Am I being cruel to my cat? Does it hurt him? No.
Putting your cat into a paper bag outfit is not torment, it's just stupid. Funny, perhaps. Maybe even cute. But stupid.
Checkers even includes a warning on the bag stating, "Not all cats will be down with wearing this bag. Do not harm or endanger any cats."
Yeah, it's probably meant more for legal protection than actually warning that some (ha! most) cats won't like it, or to avoid hurting them in the process. Still, anyone who tries this will find out very fast if their cat will submit to the indignation of it or not. I say not.
You may remember my previous blog entry about tape and cats? We showed how cat fur acts like a sensory organ, making the cat try to "get away" from the pressure of the tape (or clothing, or paper sacks). Most cats simply do not like it. The same applies with the RapCat bag outfit.
Sure, you will get an amusement factor from it, and it won't actually harm the animal, but you may stress it some. And it probably won't be happy with you for a while. And, I don't see how it's cruelty any more than a leash, collar, or other cat apparel.
See how this cat, named Tufts, reacts when put in the RapCat bag:
Tufts doesn't particularly care for her new wardrobe, but she is not overly stressed. As shown with cellophane tape, Tufts seems more concerned from getting away from the strange pressure sensation than actually upset. She appears to go check her food bowl; not a sign of a distressed cat. Her tail swishes in annoyance, but it is not down or curled under with anger or distress. She even seems to be purring at one point. Of course, an argument can be made that cats are known to purr when in extreme distress ... usually when seriously injured, however.
A local station, Fox13, posted a news story on the whole RapCap and bag thing while I was writing and researching this article. I could have saved myself some time. *sigh* Watch their news video for more info.
Seems to me they are playing it slanted towards sensationalism. I'll post updates on this as I learn them.
It's lunchtime now ... I'm going to Checkers. ~.^
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 51 days is:
(Another early pre-post due to earache, family visiting, and a possibly long day away from home. I know how you cannot live without your daily Roost rations! ~.^)
Back on January 6th of this year, a beloved childhood icon was accused of pugilistic pawing of a 14-year-old boy in Disney World's MGM Studio Theme Park. The incident was captured on video and rocketed into the national spotlight on news stations, Internet sites, and blogs ... including mine.
Disney had suspended Michael J. Fedelem, the man inside the Tigger suit, pending an investigation of the incident by the Osceola County Sheriff's Department.
The investigation is done, and the State Attorney's Office in Orlando has decided that Tigger is not criminally liable for what occurred. No criminal charges will be filed against Fedelem. The DA stated to a local Orlando news station "The family didn't react like they wanted justice, they reacted like they wanted cash."
No word yet on whether Tigger can bounce back to work at Disney.
This makes me so happy to hear. Anyone who reviewed the video could plainly see Tigger was provoked or that the "head punch" was entirely unintentional. Score one for the Florida State Attorney's Office and the little guy!
Of course, this does not mean Jerry Monaco, Sr., the man who shot the video and whose son was involved, will not file a civil complaint against Tigger, or Disney. One source states "the Monaco family is asking for unspecified money damages from Disney." Previously I had felt any lawsuit filed by the Monaco's would win. Now, I'm not so certain. No clear word on whether any further legal action will be taken by the Monaco's ... other than to change their names for trying to weasel money out of a false accusation of a well-loved American icon. ~.^
The same source cited above, as well as two others, cite Disney's employee union representative Donna Lyne Dalton saying Jerry, Jr. was agitating Tigger by pulling the back of the costume and cutting off air supply and that restricted peripheral vision didn't allow him to see where his "paw" was going when he swung around. A transcript from an unedited and longer version of the video, shows Jerry, Sr. may have taunted Tigger a little and that both a woman and Jerry, Sr. told Jerry, Jr. to stop "crowding" Tigger. Another source claims "the full-length video shows Junior pulling on the Tigger costume's tail, thus blocking proper air flow" and " earlier in the clip, Senior is heard mocking the character, sarcastically apologising for supposedly sitting on its head."
We'll wait and see. When I find more out, it'll be posted.
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 48 days is:
Okay, double post for today. (Even though I wrote the first one last night).
I know a lot of you, my good readers, are from up North. You have suffered some awfully cold weather the last few days, and you may be interested to see what kind of oddities that cold weather can do. For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of tide that freezes as soon as it comes in. Very cool!
I have no idea where this is, but it must be damn cold for the tide to come in frozen. Not only is it cool to watch, it's kind of pretty, too. It's a fairly long video, over 5 minutes, but it's worth it to see how the frozen tide just keeps building up and up and up ...
If you couldn't tell, this was swiped from Ebaum's World.
Want a morning pick-up but don't like the taste of coffee? How about a yummy doughnut, instead?
Doctor Robert Bohannon, a molecular scientist in Durham, North Carolina, has come up with a way to add caffeine to baked goods. Each doughnut is equivalent to 2 cups of coffee, and it won't have that bitter caffeine taste. [link]
This could be the next big thing at doughnut shops. As if the sugar and other carbohydrates in doughnuts wasn't enough. But, mmmm mmmm, who doesn't love a good doughnut? I like hitting Krispy Kreme when their 'Hot n Fresh' sign is lit up. Good thing the nearest Krispy Kreme is 5 miles away from me.
When, not if, this becomes available to purchase, people are going to still buy their coffee and these new Buzz Donuts (as they may be called). People are going to be walking out of Starbucks, sipping their lattes and munching a caffeine croissant, getting that little buzz going, trying to stave off tiredness that could be alleviated if they would just get more sleep. Of course, their caffeine consumption is so high they can't sleep. So they need more caffeine because they are tired all the time. Which means they still can't sleep, so get more tired and need more caffeine.
I know, not everyone is that bad. But, I suspect more people are addicted to caffeine than you think.
Caffeine is a psychoactive substance. That means it "acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, and behavior." [cite]
Over the short term, too much caffeine, being a diuretic, will make you have to pee more. You could get jumpy and nervous, jittery with a rapid heart beat. It has a pretty wild effect on spiders, too. Imagine the web is your work load for the day, and you're hopped up on caffeine. You know you got people like that in the office. now you can nickname them "caffeine spiders". ~.^ [cite]
High usage over a period of time can have serious effects on your health' including insomnia, headaches, stomach ulcers, acid reflux, increased insulin resistance (semi-rare), shaking, twitching, and in extreme rare cases, death. [cite]
Caffeine is also addictive, and withdrawal is pretty nasty. Headaches, nausea, feelings of fatigue and drowsiness all accompany caffeine withdrawal. You call might call it a caffeine crash. Usually, a little hair of the dog that bit you will stave it off. Unfortunately that means more caffeine use, a bigger crash later, and increased risks of stronger, or more severe, problems later.
In moderation, caffeine is not that bad for you. Not when you put in the light of other lifestyle choices we make daily; exercise (or lack thereof), diet (more McDonalds anyone?), even driving can be hazardous.
When I was younger, I would drink the equivalent of 4 liters of regular soda per day. This went on for several years. Along with the typical teenager's diet, and a sharp decrease in physical activity, I began to have health issues in my early 20's.
I severely slashed my caffeine intake after kidney stones. I stopped drinking caffeinated sodas as much (usually only when out to eat, and if caffeine-free stuff is not available .. except Sprite ... hate Sprite), and started drinking more water. I never was a coffee drinker, so that helps. Within a week I seemed to have more energy and less fatigue late in the day. My sleep improved, lasting longer and going deeper. My sleep apnea is under control; I rarely wake up gasping any longer. And, best of all, it seemed to have a positive effect on my blood sugar, thus helping to control my diabetes. (I also drink diet sodas now, to help that even more).
I think caffeine is great for occasional pick-me-ups, but a constant, prolonged use is not something I want to go back to.
Now, those doughnuts will have one really great effect ... all the cops will be much more alert!
The US government has gone and created an honest to goodness ray gun. Our soldiers are now (or will soon be) equipped with a directional energy-based weapon. Science fiction has become science fact, and the world somehow seems a scarier place to me.
Actually, I heard about this technology back in late 2005, but it was only in development. Word of it had actually leaked out in error to some activist group trying to obtain documents about biological testing via the Freedom of Information Act. Apparently it had been in development since sometime in 2001 (or earlier).
The technical name for the ray gun is the "Active Denial System", or ADS. It works by firing out millimeter waves, very similar to microwaves, at around 95 GHz range. These energy waves are invisible (to the naked eye) and can penetrate human skin no more than 1/64 of an inch. This is 0.015624 inches, or 0.04 cm (just under half a millimeter). The millimeter waves then excite the water molecules in the skin to around 130 degrees Fahrenheit (around 55 C).
So, is this really a Heat Ray?
Those who have experienced it has stated it feels like a light bulb was pressed against their skin. I know from experience that hot light bulbs burn like the dickens. I've left flesh on more than one incandescent glass hell bulb. When I was little, I even cooked with them in my Easy Bake Oven! (Ok, ok ... I also had one of those mad monster bug creator things that used light bulbs, too).
So, maybe this is really a Pain Ray?
Anyhow, no actual damage is caused by the ADS. Or, so they say. Non-lethal deterrent is the term they use. I bet you could cook a hot dog with it, though.
"Hey, Private! Break out the Ballparks. We're gonna have us a weenie roast!"
"But, Sarge, we can't light no fires or the enemy will spot us."
"That's okay, Private. Just go stand over there and hold them franks out a bit. This may smart a little."
Actually, the range on the ADS is around 500 yards, or about a half kilometer. This is well under the range of most small arms fire, thus allowing deterrent with minimal to no risk to the ADS operators or nearby troops. And, it'll penetrate thick clothing to get to the tender flesh underneath. It won't go through walls, though. The waves are too short. I've also not seen anything on the size of the beam, only that it is a beam. Could be pin-point, could be the size of a watermelon. Could be bigger. I would imagine a variable setting from single targets to a wide array beam is feasible. (Like I know anything about energy weapon technology. hah!)
For now, the ray gun (I mean ADS) will be mounted on Humvees to make them mobile and stable. It is expected to start seeing these used in Iraq and other hotspots in the very near future since a fully operational and mounted ADS was demonstrated at Moody Air Force Base (Ga.) on January 24th, 2007. The image to the left is an actual ADS mounted on a Humvee. The dish kinda looks like a parquet table we had in our rec room back in the '70s.
Raytheon, a defense contractor, and a very appropriately named one I might add, converted the larger scale ADS to something portable called the Silent Guardian. Soon you might feel the flash-burn sensation of a heat ray on your own skin if you manage to be some place police don't want you be. Like a riot. Or maybe just camping out in a tent under an overpass.
Until local law enforcement gets portable ADS, they can still use their handy TASERs, mace, and collapsible teflon-steel rods. And box cutters. Can't forget those useful box cutters.
There is some controversy surrounding the ADS, as one can well imagine. Critics of the technology are worried it might be used as more than a non-lethal deterrent. Fears are the technology may be turned to use as a torture device. You know someone will do it, at some point, just because they can. If it isn't us, it'll be someone else who gets the technology.
The future is here, my friends.
Which side of the ray gun are you on?
(PS - A Limited Edition, Platinum No-Prize to the first person who gets the title. hehe)
(PSS - blogger would not link my picture of the ADS equipped humvee whan the image name was ads_raygun. I had to change it to zapouch before it would show. Very, very odd.)
Right now I am having difficulty controlling my anger. I want to lash out and hit something inanimate, the feelings of rage are so strong. The post I was going to make on the government's new "ray gun" will have to wait.
Two recent incidents have gotten me to this state of mind. One is a bit graphic to detail; both are heart wrenching.
Locally, a 39-year-old man named Ebaristo Medina was arrested for sexually and physically abusing a 6-year-old girl. I'm pissed off enough over the abuse portion of it, but what else he did to her simply puts my mind over the edge. This walking abomination of human filth not only sexually abused the little girl , he urinated on her face and defecated in her mouth!
Let that sink in a minute and tell me if you aren't shaking in rage over it.
How could one human being do that to another? Especially a 6-year-old child? Kids that young put their entire trust in adults, and then to have a close, trusted adult do that to you? This poor little girl will have severe emotional issues for the rest of her life because one sub-human piece of sewer sludge wanted to get his jollies. Medina should be castrated, locked in the deepest, darkest, most rat infested hole ever dug and fed only shit and piss until he dies.
I'm sorry, but that is how I feel.
People who prey upon others are the lowest form of life on this planet. People who prey upon innocent, defenseless children are the lowest of those low. I truly do not have the words to describe my emotions over this; there are no words to adequately describe the rancid pus buckets of diseased minded scum that could so such things.
I had to take a break for a half hour before finishing this post because I think my chest might have exploded I was so angry. I'm not quite as mind bursting irate over the next bit of news, though I am shocked and pretty outraged over it.
Across the Bay from me, in St. Petersburg, a battle between the city and its homeless has been raging for several weeks. The city has been forcing the homeless to move from every location they set up a camp in which to have shelter and support from other homeless. Eventually, the Society of St. Vincent De Paul allowed many of St. Petersburg's homeless to set up a Tent City on some of the Society's property.
The homeless were using tents (much like the one shown) donated by the Society and other benefactors. They also were congregating for security and safety reasons, as well as for companionship. Recently two homeless were murdered; no suspects have been found and no possible motives given. Consequently, the other homeless of St. Petersburg feared they might be next.
The city, however, decided that it was unsanitary conditions, therefore against certain city ordinances, and were going to impose fines upon the Society if Tent city was not dismantled.
In slight defense of the city, vouchers were given to help Tent City residents get housing somewhere until they could pay for it on their own. This was mostly in motels. Transportation was offered to those who had friends or family they could stay with. More spaces were opened up at various shelters.
Now, it should be said that the vouchers were not accepted by most of the places the city said would take them. Those places that would accept the vouchers were quickly filled; mainly because they only accepted one or two vouchers. The transportation was only for nearby family; if you had someone a county or two over you might have gone to, tough luck. The spaces opened were in already crowded, and often dangerous, shelters and consisted of a simple mat on the floor. Too, these people also lost the scant privacy their tents afforded, and the sense of community and helping each other they were building in Tent City.
If the sanitation was an issue, why didn't the city offer to bring in port-a-potties and portable showers? The fire codes could have been gotten around with offering portable barbecues so they wouldn't have to secretly cook in the tents.
Did I mention St. Petersburg is in a big revitalization push? And that the elections for any governmental post of meaning occurred last November? These homeless people are simply a blight upon the city. A nuisance that keeps investors from bringing money into the city's coffers. A stain upon the bright, shining beacon of prosperity St. Pete wants to show to the world.
Of course, no official has actually stated such things. But you know that has to be the driving reason behind the harassment of the homeless. Do you honestly think this sort of thing would happen in an election year?
But, wait. Things get worse.
Much worse.
Those that could not (and, to be truthful, some that would not) get assistance moved their belongings and tents under an overpass a few blocks away from St. Vincent de Paul. And, again, the city came after them telling them to move, citing fire hazard due to people smoking or cooking in the tents.
The homeless stood firm. Where else was there for them to go?
And the police returned. This time with box cutters, scissors, and bolt cutters. These duly appointed law officers, the ones who swore to serve and to protect, attacked the makeshift Tent City. The police slashed and tore and cut and rent and broke and ripped and literally savaged the tent homes, the only homes, the only protection from the elements that these poor people had.
Often with people still inside the tents.
How can this happen? How can the government officials allow this? Because these people are poor? Why couldn't they just disassemble the tents nicely? Why destroy the tents? To make a point? To punish? Because it was cheaper than trying to actually find a solution to the problem? Did it salve some politicos morally bankrupt spirit to terrorize people who cannot fight back, who have no voice, who have nothing they can do but watch as their homes are savagely shredded?
The Mayor of St. Petersburg, Rick Baker, claims he had no prior knowledge of the planned raid. He claims the Chief of Police and a deputy mayor set it up.
Fine, let's go to their house and break windows, slash car tires, destroy furniture, throw their belongings to the curb. Because that is what they effectively did to the homeless.
I'm afraid if I were a police officer in St. Petersburg and was told to do what they did, i wouldn't have a job. There is no way I could have taken part in that "embarrassment", as the city leaders are calling the incident. An embarrassment. That's like calling Hiroshima an "oopsie".
This story is still on-going. I suspect the media has been asked to be a little more discreet about it since it "embarrassed" an entire city as I've not seen or heard too much more on the problem as headlines. Guess the media milked it enough, and we good Americans are no longer entertained about it.
I wish I could help. I could probably do more to help the homeless. Donations to Salvation Army are about all I can afford right now; and even those are meager, consisting of clothing, good bedding, old books and videos, and a small monthly cash gift (in the kid's name).
My anger is sapped, now. I feel more helpless than anger. Writing this down has been cathartic ... but it doesn't salve the wounds of the homeless, or of my own conscience.
I just cannot understand people like Medira and the officials who sent the police to shred those tents.
If this blog has gotten you outraged or upset, and you want to help, contact a local shelter for homeless or abused women and children and see what you can do to help.
A 120-pound chimpanzee named Judy escaped from her sleeping area in the Little Rock Zoo (Ark.). She got into primate service area and raided the refrigerator where chimp snacks are stored, as well as rummaging in cabinets and drinking from juice boxes and other soft drinks. At one point, Judy the chimp even wrung out a sponge and scrubbed down the fridge! (cite)
Wait, it gets better ...
She even took a toilet brush and cleaned a toilet!!
Park officials stated the 37-year old chimp was a house pet prior to the zoo acquiring her in 1988.
Eventually, zookeepers tranquilized Judy after they failed to charm her back into her cage. She fell asleep on top of the newly scrubbed fridge with some cinnamon-raisin bread. There was no danger of Judy escaping outside the service area, according to the zookeepers.
I think they should let ol' Judy out more often if she's going to clean up for them. Heck, I can't even get my kids to clean up when I want them to.
Maybe I should feed them bananas ... ??
Who knows? Instead of robots, maybe the future will be filled with chimps and other primates doing menial tasks for us; cleaning, lawn work, writing blogs ... It would be Utopia! Maybe we could even boost their intelligence a bit and have them do food preparation, chauffering, or making major motion pictures. (Some people might claim that we have a super(??) intelligent chimp in the Oval Office right now! I wouldn't, but others might ...) This could be great for the world. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Seems a New Hampshire family (the Monaco's) was down here in good ol' Florida visiting Walt Disney World when lovable Tigger "apparently" goes Rocky Balboa on some teen aged kid (Jerry, Jr.) for no apparent reason. The dad caught it on home video. Be sure to watch the video closely ...
Being the cynic that I am, it appears to me that the kid was messin' with ol' Tigger. Looks like he was trying to unzip his suit, or pull of his head, or something. Then Tigger seems to lose his balance. Sure enough the fake orange cat lays one on the kid. But, was on purpose, in response to being pulled backward or having his head or tail yanked back? Or, was Tigger simply falling, trying to regain his balance and accidentally clocked the kid?
If you watch Tigger's feet, he was in a wide stance, easy to get pulled off balance like that. But, why did he lock the kid's arm in his own? I think the kid was messing with him somehow behind his back, maybe hoping to go home to all his friends and say how he punk'd Tigger by pulling his head off or whatever. Tigger then locked his arm on the kids to stop it. Between the arm lock, the stance, and the kid yanking on him, he looses his balance and either accidentally clobbers the kid or uses it as an excuse to do so. I'm going with accidental.
Either way, Disney is in hot water. The media will play this up for all it's worth, because everybody loves to see a celebrity or big name company do something wrong.
The dad (Jerry, Sr.) says all he wants is an apology from the man inside the costume, which is Michael J. Fedelem, and who has been suspended pending an investigation by Disney and the Orange County Sheriffs. He has also retained a lawyer ... who are oh, so instrumental in getting apologies, especially cash apologies. I bet they win. =/
My biggest question is, where was Tigger's handler? I've know folk who were mascots in theme parks, even in Disney, and they always have a handler. It's hard to see, hear, and move, in those costumes (yes, I know personally because I wore a Maisey Mouse costume at a toy store). The handlers help guide the mascots and usually watch for hi-jinx people pull such as trying to pull the heads off or yank on tails and the like, as well as answering questions since mascots do not usually talk, only gesture
But, all of this may be moot in the end. My crack team of content spies has unearthed a video of a secret training facility for Disney mascots. Here they are taught the basics of martial arts, and are possibly used as an elite protection squad for Disney's upper echelon. See for yourself what kind of raw power Tigger has mastered:
Just remember that the next time you think pulling on Tigger's tail would be hilarious. Yeah, I'm lookin' at you, Jerry Monanco, Jr. >.<
The Roost is updated daily, usually by 3pm EST. Sometimes I miss a day (or two). Sometimes ther are multiple daily updates! Read, enjoy, leave me a comment. Please!! I'm lonely. ~.^
Yesterday I told you about State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha filing a lawsuit against God.
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