Sunday, June 4, 2006
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Friday, June 2, 2006
Today
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The United States warned Iran it will not have much time to respond once it is offered an international package of rewards to encourage it to suspend uranium enrichment, suggesting that the window could soon close and be replaced by penalties. "It really needs to be within weeks," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told NBC.
Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at developing a new energy source. Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, welcomed the idea of direct talks but rebuffed the U.S. condition that Tehran must suspend uranium enrichment before talks can begin.
At the White House, President George W. Bush warned that the confrontation would go to the Security Council should Iran continue to enrich uranium. "If they continue their obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, 'We really don't care what your opinion is,' then the world is going to act in concert," Bush said.
full story here
In other words we don't have the troop strength to go it alone this time and Shrub may have learned his lesson on the pitfalls of such grandstanding. When we do start bombing them, the available troops that are all ready stretched too thin are going to get stretched even further and the draft talk will be louder - perhaps even prior to an offensive.
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The United States warned Iran it will not have much time to respond once it is offered an international package of rewards to encourage it to suspend uranium enrichment, suggesting that the window could soon close and be replaced by penalties. "It really needs to be within weeks," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told NBC.
Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at developing a new energy source. Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, welcomed the idea of direct talks but rebuffed the U.S. condition that Tehran must suspend uranium enrichment before talks can begin.
At the White House, President George W. Bush warned that the confrontation would go to the Security Council should Iran continue to enrich uranium. "If they continue their obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, 'We really don't care what your opinion is,' then the world is going to act in concert," Bush said.
full story here
In other words we don't have the troop strength to go it alone this time and Shrub may have learned his lesson on the pitfalls of such grandstanding. When we do start bombing them, the available troops that are all ready stretched too thin are going to get stretched even further and the draft talk will be louder - perhaps even prior to an offensive.
Hurricane Season is upon us
Chertoff: FEMA is hurricane-ready . Because they really, really arn't. You should be.
Hurricane Preparedness Checklists.No one else is going to take care of you and its an excuse to go shopping! of course you need that new cooler! and have you seen the sexy new tarps for 2006? and hint, hint, buy your batteries before they tell you that you're going to need them! Those puppies leave the shelves faster than the milk and bread.
State Officials Urge Preparedness For Upcoming Hurricane Season, don't say you wern't warned, also, move to Montana and avoid the rush.
Chertoff: FEMA is hurricane-ready . Because they really, really arn't. You should be.
Hurricane Preparedness Checklists.No one else is going to take care of you and its an excuse to go shopping! of course you need that new cooler! and have you seen the sexy new tarps for 2006? and hint, hint, buy your batteries before they tell you that you're going to need them! Those puppies leave the shelves faster than the milk and bread.
State Officials Urge Preparedness For Upcoming Hurricane Season, don't say you wern't warned, also, move to Montana and avoid the rush.
Running and playing and doing and being
I’m going to try an experiment with Dogger at the Dog Park tonight. I am going to wander around in hopes that she will wander around. See, I really, really don’t want to take her for a formal walk. It’s hot and I’ve had a long week and I just don’t want to physically walk on a walk with her. If I take her to the park, I can sit with the other owners and we’ll all try to persuade our dogs to “go run and play” – while not running or playing ourselves.
I need to run and play.
People who don’t sit where the people, are kind of looked at. in a not entirely open and loving way. The other night there was a couple there with some fancy long haired floppy looking dog that appeared to be a standard poodle. It wasn’t. It was some Italian breed – it didn’t matter because their people were sitting on a table a long way away and we couldn’t ask about their dogs - the main thing we talk about between wondering aloud where our dogs are and pleading with them to go run and play. The Italian dog people appeared unsocial and working on social skills is the main reason you go to the dog park in the first place.
Dogger needs to run around more though. We went last night after her vet visit and before she ate dinner and she at least worked the room a little more than she does when we go post walk, post dinner park going. Maybe she just isn’t into running around on a full stomach – but I defiantly think that she needs me to be up and around for her to be up and around. Last night I made an effort to throw a ball for her but she really didn’t have much interest in it. She watched me throw it and got a little excited and she made an attempted to propel herself in the direction it went but once it landed she decided she wasn’t really all that interested in it and really once it hit the ground it was kind of anti-climatic and she didn’t go after it. She thought about it though – I think she thought that she would get pet more if she went back to where the people were. You may get applauded for good fetching but you don’t get pet for it. Dogger is very tactile.
There ain’t no attention whore like a four legged attention whore.
The other dogs will makes passes through the seating area just to check in and make sure their people are still there, but mostly they wander around or play chase with the other dogs or go eat something they found on the ground or go roll in something (not everybody is a consciences dog stuff picker up) or they go see what some other dog is interested in – but Dogger just kind of stays where she’s planted.
I think my plan is going to end up being a quick walk to the post office, then home. Then dinner (for her), then a MASH rerun or two (for me) and then to the park. I think by that time she will have rested up from her walk and maybe had time to recover from dinner sufficiently enough to want to go run and play with the other dogs – but when I think of it, that is kind of what we have been doing and it’s not working vis-a vie Dogger running and playing. Maybe what I’ll do is watch some MASH, take Dogger to the park, take a few laps with Dogger around the perimeter and then go sit with the other folks and try to cajole Dogger into running and playing some more.
I’m going to try an experiment with Dogger at the Dog Park tonight. I am going to wander around in hopes that she will wander around. See, I really, really don’t want to take her for a formal walk. It’s hot and I’ve had a long week and I just don’t want to physically walk on a walk with her. If I take her to the park, I can sit with the other owners and we’ll all try to persuade our dogs to “go run and play” – while not running or playing ourselves.
I need to run and play.
People who don’t sit where the people, are kind of looked at. in a not entirely open and loving way. The other night there was a couple there with some fancy long haired floppy looking dog that appeared to be a standard poodle. It wasn’t. It was some Italian breed – it didn’t matter because their people were sitting on a table a long way away and we couldn’t ask about their dogs - the main thing we talk about between wondering aloud where our dogs are and pleading with them to go run and play. The Italian dog people appeared unsocial and working on social skills is the main reason you go to the dog park in the first place.
Dogger needs to run around more though. We went last night after her vet visit and before she ate dinner and she at least worked the room a little more than she does when we go post walk, post dinner park going. Maybe she just isn’t into running around on a full stomach – but I defiantly think that she needs me to be up and around for her to be up and around. Last night I made an effort to throw a ball for her but she really didn’t have much interest in it. She watched me throw it and got a little excited and she made an attempted to propel herself in the direction it went but once it landed she decided she wasn’t really all that interested in it and really once it hit the ground it was kind of anti-climatic and she didn’t go after it. She thought about it though – I think she thought that she would get pet more if she went back to where the people were. You may get applauded for good fetching but you don’t get pet for it. Dogger is very tactile.
There ain’t no attention whore like a four legged attention whore.
The other dogs will makes passes through the seating area just to check in and make sure their people are still there, but mostly they wander around or play chase with the other dogs or go eat something they found on the ground or go roll in something (not everybody is a consciences dog stuff picker up) or they go see what some other dog is interested in – but Dogger just kind of stays where she’s planted.
I think my plan is going to end up being a quick walk to the post office, then home. Then dinner (for her), then a MASH rerun or two (for me) and then to the park. I think by that time she will have rested up from her walk and maybe had time to recover from dinner sufficiently enough to want to go run and play with the other dogs – but when I think of it, that is kind of what we have been doing and it’s not working vis-a vie Dogger running and playing. Maybe what I’ll do is watch some MASH, take Dogger to the park, take a few laps with Dogger around the perimeter and then go sit with the other folks and try to cajole Dogger into running and playing some more.
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Bushco plays politics with Homeland Security Dollars
* 
DC sends big rasberry to NYC
NEW YORK (AFP) - ( ed note, blue cities in blue states!) New York and Washington, the two cities targetted by the September 11, 2001 attacks, were in uproar Thursday over federal plans to cut their counter-terrorism grants by 40 percent this year.The outcry was fuelled by simultaneous announcements that (ed. note, red cities in red states!) cities like Omaha in Nebraska and Louisville in Kentucky would see their funding increased by the same margin
On a national level, the total funding provided by the DHS fell from 825 million dollars last year to 711 million dollars."Our goal is to greatly enhance the collective preparedness of the nation while making certain that finite resources are directed to areas most at risk and to solutions that are innovative and regionally driven," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Gawds Honest Truth
New York has no national monuments or icons, according to the Department of Homeland Security form obtained by ABC News. (PDF file) That was a key factor used to determine that New York City should have its anti-terror funds slashed by 40 percent--from $207.5 million in 2005 to $124.4 million in 2006.
*(image stolen from Atrios comment section)
DC sends big rasberry to NYC
NEW YORK (AFP) - ( ed note, blue cities in blue states!) New York and Washington, the two cities targetted by the September 11, 2001 attacks, were in uproar Thursday over federal plans to cut their counter-terrorism grants by 40 percent this year.The outcry was fuelled by simultaneous announcements that (ed. note, red cities in red states!) cities like Omaha in Nebraska and Louisville in Kentucky would see their funding increased by the same margin
On a national level, the total funding provided by the DHS fell from 825 million dollars last year to 711 million dollars."Our goal is to greatly enhance the collective preparedness of the nation while making certain that finite resources are directed to areas most at risk and to solutions that are innovative and regionally driven," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Gawds Honest Truth
New York has no national monuments or icons, according to the Department of Homeland Security form obtained by ABC News. (PDF file) That was a key factor used to determine that New York City should have its anti-terror funds slashed by 40 percent--from $207.5 million in 2005 to $124.4 million in 2006.
*(image stolen from Atrios comment section)
As predicted
Iran rejects U.S. talks offer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iran rejected on Thursday a U.S. proposal to join multilateral talks as offering no "new and rational solution" to Iran's nuclear case, according to Iran's state-run news agency.
Iran rejects U.S. talks offer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iran rejected on Thursday a U.S. proposal to join multilateral talks as offering no "new and rational solution" to Iran's nuclear case, according to Iran's state-run news agency.
Thou Shalt Not Kill?
U.S. orders 'values training' for troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military chief in Iraq on Thursday ordered troops to undergo fresh training in legal, moral and ethical standards for the battlefield. Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, issued a directive to his subordinates, telling them to pass the message on down to their units.
The back-to-basics move comes amid inquiries into the alleged killings of 24 civilians by Marines in Haditha, Anbar province, last November. Military investigators strongly suspect that a small number of Marines snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb November 19 in Haditha, a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, and went on a rampage, sources told CNN.
A military source said it was evidence, including death certificates, indicating that many of the 24 civilians had been shot at close range that led to a full-scale criminal probe into the alleged massacre in March.
Warfare is not murder. Combatants on both sides are just that, combatants. Soldiers are not murdered. Civilians are not combatants, the intentional killing of non-combatants is murder. Massacring woman and children is not part of warfare.
Bush: If Marines killed civilians, they'll be punished
"The Marine Corps is full of honorable people who understand the rules of war," Bush said in his first public comments on the killings in Haditha. "... Those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished. I'm mindful that there's a thorough investigation going on," Bush said Wednesday. "If in fact, laws were broken, there will be punishment."
If? He's comfortable with "if". This is what happens when you fail to read your history. You are doomed to repeat it. No one wants another Mai Lai. But this is getting zero coverage and there is no outrage. The press doesn't care and everyone else is so mindful of "supporting the troops" that there is no chance that anyone is going to say anything about this.
The troops that took part in this should not be able to count on anybodies support. They need to be weeded out and punished. They bring the taint of dishonor to the honorable.
U.S. orders 'values training' for troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military chief in Iraq on Thursday ordered troops to undergo fresh training in legal, moral and ethical standards for the battlefield. Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, issued a directive to his subordinates, telling them to pass the message on down to their units.
The back-to-basics move comes amid inquiries into the alleged killings of 24 civilians by Marines in Haditha, Anbar province, last November. Military investigators strongly suspect that a small number of Marines snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb November 19 in Haditha, a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, and went on a rampage, sources told CNN.
A military source said it was evidence, including death certificates, indicating that many of the 24 civilians had been shot at close range that led to a full-scale criminal probe into the alleged massacre in March.
Warfare is not murder. Combatants on both sides are just that, combatants. Soldiers are not murdered. Civilians are not combatants, the intentional killing of non-combatants is murder. Massacring woman and children is not part of warfare.
Bush: If Marines killed civilians, they'll be punished
"The Marine Corps is full of honorable people who understand the rules of war," Bush said in his first public comments on the killings in Haditha. "... Those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished. I'm mindful that there's a thorough investigation going on," Bush said Wednesday. "If in fact, laws were broken, there will be punishment."
If? He's comfortable with "if". This is what happens when you fail to read your history. You are doomed to repeat it. No one wants another Mai Lai. But this is getting zero coverage and there is no outrage. The press doesn't care and everyone else is so mindful of "supporting the troops" that there is no chance that anyone is going to say anything about this.
The troops that took part in this should not be able to count on anybodies support. They need to be weeded out and punished. They bring the taint of dishonor to the honorable.
Yesturday and Today, p.s, hide your sons
Today...
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's foreign minister on Thursday welcomed direct talks with Washington on his country's disputed nuclear program but rebuffed a U.S. proposal that Tehran must suspend uranium enrichment as a condition, state-run television reported. Yahoo News
...And while the Europeans and the Japanese said they were elated by Mr. Bush's turnaround, some participants in the drawn-out nuclear drama questioned whether this was an offer intended to fail, devised to show the extent of Iran's intransigence... New York Times
Yesturday…
In a significant policy shift, the Bush administration agreed Wednesday to take part in talks with Iran about its nuclear program if Tehran suspends efforts to make nuclear fuel.IRNA, Iran's official news agency, quickly dismissed the offer as "a propaganda move," according to the Associated Press. The statement said Iran had no intention of halting uranium enrichment.Yahoo News
Today...
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's foreign minister on Thursday welcomed direct talks with Washington on his country's disputed nuclear program but rebuffed a U.S. proposal that Tehran must suspend uranium enrichment as a condition, state-run television reported. Yahoo News
...And while the Europeans and the Japanese said they were elated by Mr. Bush's turnaround, some participants in the drawn-out nuclear drama questioned whether this was an offer intended to fail, devised to show the extent of Iran's intransigence... New York Times
Yesturday…
In a significant policy shift, the Bush administration agreed Wednesday to take part in talks with Iran about its nuclear program if Tehran suspends efforts to make nuclear fuel.IRNA, Iran's official news agency, quickly dismissed the offer as "a propaganda move," according to the Associated Press. The statement said Iran had no intention of halting uranium enrichment.Yahoo News
Insert Title Here
Imagine, working at work two days in a row! I mean, one day at a time, thank you very much, ya know? I mean I don’t get paid for this shit. Actually, today I got paid. So today I did get paid for this shit.
The copy machine/pasta maker was in a much better mood . It worked for about two thirds of the time I spent working with it a big step up from the whole quarter of the time it worked yesterday. I learned about myself that if I get asked more than one time if I was going to “Break the machine again today too?” that I was definitely going to kill the next person who asked. I was shocked that I have that much patients with this question. They were lucky that the machine worked as well as it did today because if it hadn’t worked consistently I would have had to kill them. As it was I wanted to kill them and it did work consistently .
Dogger went to the Vet today. She charmed them. She is now protected from any number of nasty ickies as well as certified boarding ready. I’m sure the boarding people will be charmed as well. But, she’s not ready to be boarded yet and she’s only going to be there for three days. I had to pay for a vet visit and vaccinations and I still have to take out a loan for the boarding. Does Pell hand out grants for vacation boarding?
Dogger is getting better at Dog Park. Today she got a whole ten feet away from me! -she sat next to someone else. It was very exciting. Tomorrow I'm hoping for fifteen feet, Some day, I hope she will actually go interact with the other dogs.
Who's up for a little photo blogging fun?
Ohhhhhhh! Must be a really hard guy. I bet he's really dirrrrtttyy. So bad ass! He's so hard he needs a parental advisory on his poster
Yes. Such a bad ass, or really, A Bad "A". Mr. Fucking Amazin' isn't all that amaz**g. I'm betting he's really bragging on his MFA. In real life he got his masters in advanced music theory.
Wasn’t that fun?
We have a birthday lunch pot luck at the office tomorrow. She birthday haver has requested that we, the office, bring “meat”. So. I am making “meat” for lunch. Meat and french cut green beans. It will be meaty.
Okay. More photo blogging!
well behaved landscaping
When landscaping goes bad
Imagine, working at work two days in a row! I mean, one day at a time, thank you very much, ya know? I mean I don’t get paid for this shit. Actually, today I got paid. So today I did get paid for this shit.
The copy machine/pasta maker was in a much better mood . It worked for about two thirds of the time I spent working with it a big step up from the whole quarter of the time it worked yesterday. I learned about myself that if I get asked more than one time if I was going to “Break the machine again today too?” that I was definitely going to kill the next person who asked. I was shocked that I have that much patients with this question. They were lucky that the machine worked as well as it did today because if it hadn’t worked consistently I would have had to kill them. As it was I wanted to kill them and it did work consistently .
Dogger went to the Vet today. She charmed them. She is now protected from any number of nasty ickies as well as certified boarding ready. I’m sure the boarding people will be charmed as well. But, she’s not ready to be boarded yet and she’s only going to be there for three days. I had to pay for a vet visit and vaccinations and I still have to take out a loan for the boarding. Does Pell hand out grants for vacation boarding?
Dogger is getting better at Dog Park. Today she got a whole ten feet away from me! -she sat next to someone else. It was very exciting. Tomorrow I'm hoping for fifteen feet, Some day, I hope she will actually go interact with the other dogs.
Who's up for a little photo blogging fun?
Wasn’t that fun?
We have a birthday lunch pot luck at the office tomorrow. She birthday haver has requested that we, the office, bring “meat”. So. I am making “meat” for lunch. Meat and french cut green beans. It will be meaty.
Okay. More photo blogging!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Title
Bloggety,, blog, blog. Blog Blog durn it.
I had to work alllllllll day! I had to use the bad copy machine and it makes reallllly annoying pings and beeps and it is sooo slow. The other copy machine doesn’t make annoying pings and beeps and it’s reallllly fast. It also doesn’t work unless the repair guy is standing over it - and then he blames the machines misdeeds on everything but the machine: Oh, it’s the humidity, it’s just so hot in here! This paper is soaking wet! My Gosh! You have a ream of handi- wipes! My Gosh! Where are you storing the paper? What are you thinking storing this in the office? You should be storing the paper in a humidor! Are you out of your mind? No wonder the machine doesn’t work. This is totally your fault., or You shouldn’t put that much paper in it. Just one ream at a time. Yeah, it says it can hold 3000 sheets of paper but don’t put that much in., or It’s not made to work like this. It’s not made to make copies? Lots and lots of copies? That’s funny, because I thought it was a copy machine. I had no idea it was really a pasta maker.
I’m a state employee, I don’t get paid enough to work at work.
So I spent the entire morning hand feeding a couple thousand pieces of paper into the bad copy machine while I waited on the tech to come to the office and remove a stray staple from the good copy machine. It took him all day to figure out that along with its staple congestion issue it also had a “feeding problem”. Tomorrow it feeds like a shark or else.
Dogger and I went back to the Dog Park. I think I’ve figured out her Schick. Dogger doesn’t want to chase the other dogs, that makes her all hot. She gets her work out by constantly circling the seating area trying to convince people she spends all the rest of her time locked in the cupboard under the sink
Among the dozens of dogs last night, there was a weimaraner! In the past, people who had weimaraners may have thought I might be stalking them. I wasn't stalking them, I was stalking their dogs. I love weimaraners.
Maddie the Wiem
The one last night was a gorgeous male. He was so beautiful and in great shape. He spent his time running and playing with the other dogs. He didn’t need his ego petted, in fact, he rarely came near the seating area so I could worship him. Sigh. He was huge for a wiem even a male wiem though, bigger even than the one true wiem, our poor, sad, departed Moonie and she was a big damn dog. Not as big as Dogger, but Dogger is part pony and Moonie was a pure bred.
Bloggety,, blog, blog. Blog Blog durn it.
I had to work alllllllll day! I had to use the bad copy machine and it makes reallllly annoying pings and beeps and it is sooo slow. The other copy machine doesn’t make annoying pings and beeps and it’s reallllly fast. It also doesn’t work unless the repair guy is standing over it - and then he blames the machines misdeeds on everything but the machine: Oh, it’s the humidity, it’s just so hot in here! This paper is soaking wet! My Gosh! You have a ream of handi- wipes! My Gosh! Where are you storing the paper? What are you thinking storing this in the office? You should be storing the paper in a humidor! Are you out of your mind? No wonder the machine doesn’t work. This is totally your fault., or You shouldn’t put that much paper in it. Just one ream at a time. Yeah, it says it can hold 3000 sheets of paper but don’t put that much in., or It’s not made to work like this. It’s not made to make copies? Lots and lots of copies? That’s funny, because I thought it was a copy machine. I had no idea it was really a pasta maker.
I’m a state employee, I don’t get paid enough to work at work.
So I spent the entire morning hand feeding a couple thousand pieces of paper into the bad copy machine while I waited on the tech to come to the office and remove a stray staple from the good copy machine. It took him all day to figure out that along with its staple congestion issue it also had a “feeding problem”. Tomorrow it feeds like a shark or else.
Dogger and I went back to the Dog Park. I think I’ve figured out her Schick. Dogger doesn’t want to chase the other dogs, that makes her all hot. She gets her work out by constantly circling the seating area trying to convince people she spends all the rest of her time locked in the cupboard under the sink
Among the dozens of dogs last night, there was a weimaraner! In the past, people who had weimaraners may have thought I might be stalking them. I wasn't stalking them, I was stalking their dogs. I love weimaraners.
Maddie the Wiem
The one last night was a gorgeous male. He was so beautiful and in great shape. He spent his time running and playing with the other dogs. He didn’t need his ego petted, in fact, he rarely came near the seating area so I could worship him. Sigh. He was huge for a wiem even a male wiem though, bigger even than the one true wiem, our poor, sad, departed Moonie and she was a big damn dog. Not as big as Dogger, but Dogger is part pony and Moonie was a pure bred.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
North Carolina can be so proud.
"America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals."
who said this?
Democrat Brad Miller?
or
Republican Vernon Robinson?
Need more?
"My wife was interviewed on three television stations last week about why we had not had children and what was my sexual orientation," Miller recently told delegates to the 13th District Democratic convention at Alamance Community College.
And people wonder why the rethuglicans have the reputation of being hateful bastards.
"America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals."
who said this?
Democrat Brad Miller?
or
Republican Vernon Robinson?
Need more?
"My wife was interviewed on three television stations last week about why we had not had children and what was my sexual orientation," Miller recently told delegates to the 13th District Democratic convention at Alamance Community College.
And people wonder why the rethuglicans have the reputation of being hateful bastards.
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