Sunday, January 29, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
January 28, 1986
It was a typical South Florida morning, if a bit chilly. I was, also typically, running late for school. I was a student at Palm Beach Junior College, in my final semester there as a theatre major. My folks were bustling about the house getting ready for work, and while I knew there was to be a shuttle launch that morning, I was too busy to pay much attention to it. The radio was on in the kitchen, tuned to the Miami station my mom likes, but the morning talk show never really interested me. Then, as I was leaving the bathroom to head out to my room to finish getting ready, I heard the phrase, 'we have lost communication with the Challenger'. Now, at this point in time the sounds of radio coverage of the shuttle launches were commonplace, so anything out of the ordinary caught my attention. 'Lost communication with the Challenger' did just that, and I stopped and grabbed the tv remote. I remember hearing words like 'explosion' and 'accident', but nothing prepared me for the first replay of that doomed launch. Everything looked fine at first. Huge clouds of steam, bright orange flames, that improbable conglomeration of cylinders and cones lifting gracefully into the air...then that awful flash of flames from the starboard motor, and an expanding white cloud, horned by the uncontrolled remains of the solid rocket boosters as they veered away from the carnage. After the initial shock wore off I called my friends, at least the ones who would have been awake that early in the morning, and told them to turn on their tv's.
It's hard to believe that it has been twenty years since that morning. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I suppose this is the Kennedy assasination of my generation. If you would like to share your memories of that day, or any thoughts on the shuttle or NASA, please post them.
Requiescant in pace.
Marius
It's hard to believe that it has been twenty years since that morning. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I suppose this is the Kennedy assasination of my generation. If you would like to share your memories of that day, or any thoughts on the shuttle or NASA, please post them.
Requiescant in pace.
Marius
Friday, January 27, 2006
Requiem
Yesterday was the first Day of Remembrance at NASA(with thanks to Michael at http://spaces.msn.com/auxumbilicus/ for pointing it out); a day set aside to commemorate the three greatest tragedies in the history of America's space program. Oddly enough they all took place within a week of each other, just many years apart. I will, herein, tell the sad stories.
Apollo 1
Three men, picked to be the vanguard of the bold venture of putting a man on the moon, reclined in the cramped, equipment-filled command module of the first Apollo spacecraft. They were Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The date was January 27, 1967, and the task at hand was a 'plugs out' test of all on-board systems to make sure that the spacecraft would operate independently when launched the following month. The capsule was sealed, the astronauts strapped in, and all systems seemed to be operating properly. Suddenly a faulty wire somewhere in the miles of tightly packed cables shorted out, causing a spark. The atmosphere in the cabin was pure oxygen, pressurized to about 16 pounds per square inch, and it flashed into flame. The cockpit was engulfed, and bulkheads ruptured, spewing flames into the gantry and preventing any rescue attempts. It took five and a half minutes before the hatches could be removed, and by then the astronauts were dead. The official cause of death was smoke inhalation. What came of this tragedy was, among other things, the abolition of the use of pure oxygen in spacecraft, and a redesigning of the double, inward opening hatch system into a single, outward opening hatch.
Challenger
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
Ellison Onizuka
Judith Resnik
Ronald McNair
Gregory Jarvis
Christa McAuliffe
Few people alive today don't know the story of the Challenger. At 11:38 am on January 28, 1986, after many delays and problems, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off on a very cold Florida morning. 73 seconds later an O-ring on the starboard solid rocket booster ruptured, and the spacecraft was destroyed. This tragedy was all the more poignant because, for the first time, there was a civilian on board. Christa McAuliffe was a school teacher who earned the opportunity to be the first non-astronaut to go into space. It was a great chance to boost the flagging public support for the manned space program, not to mention a great opportunity for Ms. McAulliffe. Unfortunately she became an unwilling martyr and symbol for those who would see the manned program done away with. Ultimately it was found that the problem was not faulty equipment, although that was the immediate cause of the accident, but a refusal of the administrators to listen when engineers said there was a problem with the equipment. Launch dates and public relations became more important than safety, and seven people payed for that misplacement of priorities with their lives. Many people lost their jobs when the investigation was finished, and two years later Discovery launched flawlessly. Things seemed to be back on track until...
Columbia
Rick Husband
Willie McCool
Kalpana Chawla
Laurel Clark
Mike Anderson
David Brown
Ilan Ramon
February 1, 2003. The Columbia was coming home after 16 days in orbit. They were tired, but very pleased with the mission, and recovered film showed that they were joking and upbeat until the tragedy struck. No one on board the shuttle knew that during their launch a chunk of the insulating foam from the nose of the liquid fuel tank punched a hole in the leading edge of the port wing. It may be a blessing that they didn't know, since there would not have been anything they could have done about it, but that is a debate for philosophers. The facts are that as the spacecraft entered the atmosphere, turning it's incredible speed into ionized, super-heated plasma, the port wing ruptured and the shuttle was ripped apart in a blazing spread of debris that could be seen for hundreds of miles. Pieces of the doomed ship and crew were found in three states, and it took months to gather it in an attempt to determine the cause. And again, like the Challenger, it was determined that while the equipment failure was the immediate cause, the mindset of NASA to underplay or ignore warnings was the underlying reason.
I shall not editorialize on these tragedies, I merely wish to memorialize in my own small way. These astronauts died in pursuit of one of the greatest of human dreams-the furthering of our knowledge and understanding of the universe in which we live. It's true that, compared to the 2,000+ dead in Iraq, and the millions who have died in wars and atrocities all over the world in the decades since 1967, seventeen lives lost is pretty insignificant, but these lives were freely given in the noble attempt to better humanity, and that is worthy of remembering and honoring.
Rest in peace, travelers.
Marius
Apollo 1
Three men, picked to be the vanguard of the bold venture of putting a man on the moon, reclined in the cramped, equipment-filled command module of the first Apollo spacecraft. They were Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The date was January 27, 1967, and the task at hand was a 'plugs out' test of all on-board systems to make sure that the spacecraft would operate independently when launched the following month. The capsule was sealed, the astronauts strapped in, and all systems seemed to be operating properly. Suddenly a faulty wire somewhere in the miles of tightly packed cables shorted out, causing a spark. The atmosphere in the cabin was pure oxygen, pressurized to about 16 pounds per square inch, and it flashed into flame. The cockpit was engulfed, and bulkheads ruptured, spewing flames into the gantry and preventing any rescue attempts. It took five and a half minutes before the hatches could be removed, and by then the astronauts were dead. The official cause of death was smoke inhalation. What came of this tragedy was, among other things, the abolition of the use of pure oxygen in spacecraft, and a redesigning of the double, inward opening hatch system into a single, outward opening hatch.
Challenger
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
Ellison Onizuka
Judith Resnik
Ronald McNair
Gregory Jarvis
Christa McAuliffe
Few people alive today don't know the story of the Challenger. At 11:38 am on January 28, 1986, after many delays and problems, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off on a very cold Florida morning. 73 seconds later an O-ring on the starboard solid rocket booster ruptured, and the spacecraft was destroyed. This tragedy was all the more poignant because, for the first time, there was a civilian on board. Christa McAuliffe was a school teacher who earned the opportunity to be the first non-astronaut to go into space. It was a great chance to boost the flagging public support for the manned space program, not to mention a great opportunity for Ms. McAulliffe. Unfortunately she became an unwilling martyr and symbol for those who would see the manned program done away with. Ultimately it was found that the problem was not faulty equipment, although that was the immediate cause of the accident, but a refusal of the administrators to listen when engineers said there was a problem with the equipment. Launch dates and public relations became more important than safety, and seven people payed for that misplacement of priorities with their lives. Many people lost their jobs when the investigation was finished, and two years later Discovery launched flawlessly. Things seemed to be back on track until...
Columbia
Rick Husband
Willie McCool
Kalpana Chawla
Laurel Clark
Mike Anderson
David Brown
Ilan Ramon
February 1, 2003. The Columbia was coming home after 16 days in orbit. They were tired, but very pleased with the mission, and recovered film showed that they were joking and upbeat until the tragedy struck. No one on board the shuttle knew that during their launch a chunk of the insulating foam from the nose of the liquid fuel tank punched a hole in the leading edge of the port wing. It may be a blessing that they didn't know, since there would not have been anything they could have done about it, but that is a debate for philosophers. The facts are that as the spacecraft entered the atmosphere, turning it's incredible speed into ionized, super-heated plasma, the port wing ruptured and the shuttle was ripped apart in a blazing spread of debris that could be seen for hundreds of miles. Pieces of the doomed ship and crew were found in three states, and it took months to gather it in an attempt to determine the cause. And again, like the Challenger, it was determined that while the equipment failure was the immediate cause, the mindset of NASA to underplay or ignore warnings was the underlying reason.
I shall not editorialize on these tragedies, I merely wish to memorialize in my own small way. These astronauts died in pursuit of one of the greatest of human dreams-the furthering of our knowledge and understanding of the universe in which we live. It's true that, compared to the 2,000+ dead in Iraq, and the millions who have died in wars and atrocities all over the world in the decades since 1967, seventeen lives lost is pretty insignificant, but these lives were freely given in the noble attempt to better humanity, and that is worthy of remembering and honoring.
Rest in peace, travelers.
Marius
Monday, January 23, 2006
A Question for the Ladies
Help me, oh you of the female persuasion, to figure out this totally irrelevant yet perplexing quandary. I shop regularly at Wal-Mart, and occasionally at Target(and no, I do not pronounce it Tar-jay, thank you)and I have made an observation. The clientele at Wal-Mart resembles a Cops reunion, while the shoppers at Target look like they are on their way to an America's Next Top Model audition. To my male, uninitiated eyes there isn't that much difference in the selection and quality of merchandise at the two stores, so why such disparity in appearance.
I realize there are several generalizations in this query. Not all who shop
are female, and not all who go to Wal-Mart look like Jeff Foxworthy's distant cousins. Nor do all who shop at Target resemble Tara Banks on her way to a Prada debut, but as I am ill equipped to contemplate this properly, I appeal to you. Any thoughts?
Marius
I realize there are several generalizations in this query. Not all who shop
are female, and not all who go to Wal-Mart look like Jeff Foxworthy's distant cousins. Nor do all who shop at Target resemble Tara Banks on her way to a Prada debut, but as I am ill equipped to contemplate this properly, I appeal to you. Any thoughts?
Marius
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Excuse me?
I recently heard a couple of idiotic comments of late, and thought I'd share them with you, oh faithful few.
First, there has been more than a little bashing of the religious zealots who decry anything scientific as anti-God, but I can now give equal bash to idiots on the other side. In November the Dali Lama endorsed research being conducted into the actual effects of meditation at Harvard and Princeton universities. He said, "Without investigation, you cannot see reality." Pretty cool, I think. I like the Dali Lama. Actually I like most of what I have heard from both Buddhism and Hinduism, since both pretty much seem to leave others alone should they not care to follow that particular path. But, just as some religious extremists wouldn't accept water from a scientist if they had just crawled out of the desert, some scientists are disdaining the Dali Lama for daring to even talk about science. At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Washington, DC, he made the above comment, but there were actually people petitioning to cancel his talk, and six presenter removed their posters. That is so incredibly stupid. Here we have a man of faith who is saying that there is room in the universe for both science and religion, and the scientists decry him for it. I am constantly shocked by the number of closed minds in the scientific community. Ah well.
And today, while at the grocery store, I heard the most bizarre comment. A young man, probably an athlete judging by his size and dress, was in the next aisle talking very loudly on his cell phone. The store was quite crowed, and I had my 8 year-old with me, so his frequent use of expletives at such a high volume spoke very highly of this fellow's upbringing, but I digress. What caught my attention was that he seemed quite incredulous about something he had just been told, to which he replied, and I quote, "Oh my fucking gosh!" Gosh? GOSH?! He has no problem dropping the F-bomb on half a store, but sweats taking the Lord's name in vain?
Call me old fashioned, but if you are peppering your speech with enough profanities to make Dick Nixon blush, the odd god thrown in here and there really isn't going to make matters worse.
But then again, that's how things would be if I were Gosh.
Marius
First, there has been more than a little bashing of the religious zealots who decry anything scientific as anti-God, but I can now give equal bash to idiots on the other side. In November the Dali Lama endorsed research being conducted into the actual effects of meditation at Harvard and Princeton universities. He said, "Without investigation, you cannot see reality." Pretty cool, I think. I like the Dali Lama. Actually I like most of what I have heard from both Buddhism and Hinduism, since both pretty much seem to leave others alone should they not care to follow that particular path. But, just as some religious extremists wouldn't accept water from a scientist if they had just crawled out of the desert, some scientists are disdaining the Dali Lama for daring to even talk about science. At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Washington, DC, he made the above comment, but there were actually people petitioning to cancel his talk, and six presenter removed their posters. That is so incredibly stupid. Here we have a man of faith who is saying that there is room in the universe for both science and religion, and the scientists decry him for it. I am constantly shocked by the number of closed minds in the scientific community. Ah well.
And today, while at the grocery store, I heard the most bizarre comment. A young man, probably an athlete judging by his size and dress, was in the next aisle talking very loudly on his cell phone. The store was quite crowed, and I had my 8 year-old with me, so his frequent use of expletives at such a high volume spoke very highly of this fellow's upbringing, but I digress. What caught my attention was that he seemed quite incredulous about something he had just been told, to which he replied, and I quote, "Oh my fucking gosh!" Gosh? GOSH?! He has no problem dropping the F-bomb on half a store, but sweats taking the Lord's name in vain?
Call me old fashioned, but if you are peppering your speech with enough profanities to make Dick Nixon blush, the odd god thrown in here and there really isn't going to make matters worse.
But then again, that's how things would be if I were Gosh.
Marius
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Bouillabaisse
We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let's dive right in.
First of all, if you are looking for a cheap, not-yet-illegal high, stay away from the Angel's Trumpet plant. Rumor has it that these plants are powerful hallucinogens, but the reality is that unless you are very, very careful the only high you'll be getting involves a long tunnel with a bright light at the end. Recently a 17 year old Titusville, Florida boy nearly killed himself in his quest for Nirvanna. What ever happened to driving to the 'wrong part of town', buying a nickel bag from some shady character in baggy jeans, getting stoned, eating a bag of Doritos and a pint of Ben and Jerry's and going to sleep?
Kudos to NASA. Thursday afternoon the New Horizons spacecraft launched flawlessly into the azure Florida sky, beginning a decade-long journey to our, maybe, most distant planet Pluto. The timing of this launch was critical because Pluto is as close to us as it will be for another 500 years or so, and even though the New Horizons probe will take nearly 10 years to get there, missing this window would have added nearly half again as much time to the mission. In February of 2007 the probe will pass close enough to Jupiter for the planet's gravity to add to its already incredible velocity. If all goes well the rendezvous with Pluto should occur sometime in 2015-2017.
Why is it that conservatives will rabidly sound off about defending the Constitution, but as soon as someone exercises their First Amendment right to disagree with the administration they are 'unpatriotic', or 'stupid'? I once had a discussion in my class with a very intelligent young lady who was very conservative, and she took exception to the stereotype of the ill-informed redneck conservative, a point I granted her, but everywhere I turn it seems that all I hear from the right is 'You f**king liberals need to just get over it. We won, and yer stupid for daring to question his holiness, W.' And I wish I were exaggerating.
A friend recently turned me on to a web site called www.pandora.com. You input the name of a group, or song, and it automatically programs music for you based on your input. You can link to music purchasing sites, but it's free to listen. I highly recommend it.
Ok, with the exception of another too-cute kitty pic that will go up after this, that's all for now. And hey, let's be careful out there.
Kisses,
Marius
First of all, if you are looking for a cheap, not-yet-illegal high, stay away from the Angel's Trumpet plant. Rumor has it that these plants are powerful hallucinogens, but the reality is that unless you are very, very careful the only high you'll be getting involves a long tunnel with a bright light at the end. Recently a 17 year old Titusville, Florida boy nearly killed himself in his quest for Nirvanna. What ever happened to driving to the 'wrong part of town', buying a nickel bag from some shady character in baggy jeans, getting stoned, eating a bag of Doritos and a pint of Ben and Jerry's and going to sleep?
Kudos to NASA. Thursday afternoon the New Horizons spacecraft launched flawlessly into the azure Florida sky, beginning a decade-long journey to our, maybe, most distant planet Pluto. The timing of this launch was critical because Pluto is as close to us as it will be for another 500 years or so, and even though the New Horizons probe will take nearly 10 years to get there, missing this window would have added nearly half again as much time to the mission. In February of 2007 the probe will pass close enough to Jupiter for the planet's gravity to add to its already incredible velocity. If all goes well the rendezvous with Pluto should occur sometime in 2015-2017.
Why is it that conservatives will rabidly sound off about defending the Constitution, but as soon as someone exercises their First Amendment right to disagree with the administration they are 'unpatriotic', or 'stupid'? I once had a discussion in my class with a very intelligent young lady who was very conservative, and she took exception to the stereotype of the ill-informed redneck conservative, a point I granted her, but everywhere I turn it seems that all I hear from the right is 'You f**king liberals need to just get over it. We won, and yer stupid for daring to question his holiness, W.' And I wish I were exaggerating.
A friend recently turned me on to a web site called www.pandora.com. You input the name of a group, or song, and it automatically programs music for you based on your input. You can link to music purchasing sites, but it's free to listen. I highly recommend it.
Ok, with the exception of another too-cute kitty pic that will go up after this, that's all for now. And hey, let's be careful out there.
Kisses,
Marius
Friday, January 20, 2006
@#$!!! Automated Phone Systems!!
If you are as frustrated with the interminable telephonic sargasso sea that is the modern automated receptionist, go here for a way to get immediately to a real person at various companies.
Yours in service to humanity,
Marius
http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/
Yours in service to humanity,
Marius
http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dos
This was lovingly swiped from Turtle's blog.(http://turtlelair.blogspot.com/)
Two Names You Go By
1. Rick
2. Wihtgar
Two Parts of Your Heritage
1. English
2. French(hence a constant inner conflict)
Two Things That Scare You
1. Tree Frogs
2. Death
Two of Your Everyday Essentials
1. Coffee
2. The Daily Show
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. Blue Jeans
2. underpants
Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment)
1. Blue Oyster Cult
2. Green Day
Two Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love)
1. Compatability
2. At the very least a tolerance for all the wierd shit I'm into.
Two Truths
1.Contrary to popular opinion, the universe does not need to make sense.
2. Before you criticize someone try walking a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticize them you will be a mile away and have their shoes.
Two Physical Things that Appeal to You About the Opposite Sex.
1. A flat tummy.
2. firm breasts.
Two of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. SCA
2. A certain highly addictive online video game.
Two Things You Want Really Badly
1. To finally be financially stable.
2. To get out of this hell-hole apartment.
Two Places You Want to go on Vacation
1. Scotland
2. Australia
Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die
1. Discover the secret to immortality.
2. Leave the Earth.
Two Ways That You are Stereotyped
1. Mostly Harmless
2. Safe
Two Things You Are Thinking About Now
1. Ok, one of the cats peed in here somewhere.
2. Am I going to regret that nap I just took tonight?
Two Stores You Shop At
1. Kash and Karry
2. Wally-World
Two favorite web sites
1. www.rocketboom.com
2. www.engrish.com
Two cars you owned
1. 1978 Subaru FE
2. 1997 Saturn SL
Two pets you had
1. Blimber- a big, dumb Old English Sheep Dog.
2. Starbuck- the world's cutest kitten.
Two Sports
1.
2. SCA Heavy Combat
Two People who will fill this out
1. Dame Judi Dench
2. Bold Sir Robin
Two things you did last nite
1. Cooked dinner.
2. Played CoH
Two shows you like to watch
1. Mythbusters
2. Battlestar Galactica(the new one)
Two places you like to go "out" to
1. The Olive Garden
2. The Movies
Two Names You Go By
1. Rick
2. Wihtgar
Two Parts of Your Heritage
1. English
2. French(hence a constant inner conflict)
Two Things That Scare You
1. Tree Frogs
2. Death
Two of Your Everyday Essentials
1. Coffee
2. The Daily Show
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. Blue Jeans
2. underpants
Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment)
1. Blue Oyster Cult
2. Green Day
Two Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love)
1. Compatability
2. At the very least a tolerance for all the wierd shit I'm into.
Two Truths
1.Contrary to popular opinion, the universe does not need to make sense.
2. Before you criticize someone try walking a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticize them you will be a mile away and have their shoes.
Two Physical Things that Appeal to You About the Opposite Sex.
1. A flat tummy.
2. firm breasts.
Two of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. SCA
2. A certain highly addictive online video game.
Two Things You Want Really Badly
1. To finally be financially stable.
2. To get out of this hell-hole apartment.
Two Places You Want to go on Vacation
1. Scotland
2. Australia
Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die
1. Discover the secret to immortality.
2. Leave the Earth.
Two Ways That You are Stereotyped
1. Mostly Harmless
2. Safe
Two Things You Are Thinking About Now
1. Ok, one of the cats peed in here somewhere.
2. Am I going to regret that nap I just took tonight?
Two Stores You Shop At
1. Kash and Karry
2. Wally-World
Two favorite web sites
1. www.rocketboom.com
2. www.engrish.com
Two cars you owned
1. 1978 Subaru FE
2. 1997 Saturn SL
Two pets you had
1. Blimber- a big, dumb Old English Sheep Dog.
2. Starbuck- the world's cutest kitten.
Two Sports
1.
2. SCA Heavy Combat
Two People who will fill this out
1. Dame Judi Dench
2. Bold Sir Robin
Two things you did last nite
1. Cooked dinner.
2. Played CoH
Two shows you like to watch
1. Mythbusters
2. Battlestar Galactica(the new one)
Two places you like to go "out" to
1. The Olive Garden
2. The Movies
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Sexual Predators Were Askin' For It
It seems like at least once a month I hear another story of some sick, middle aged bastard busted while trying to meet a 13 year old girl he met on line for sex, only to find out 'she' was a cop. Some civil rights groups are calling this entrapment, but I could not disagree more. Entrapment, according to the 'Lectric Law Library[ http://www.lectlaw.com/def/e024.htm ] occurrs when three things happen:
"- First, the idea for committing the crime came from the government agents and not from the person accused of the crime.
- Second, the government agents then persuaded or talked the person into committing the crime. Simply giving him the opportunity to commit the crime is not the same as persuading him to commit the crime.
- And third, the person was not ready and willing to commit the crime before the government agents spoke with him."
None of these apply to these scumbags. No cop called them up and said 'I am a thirteen year old girl, wanna sleep with me?'. Nor did they continually ask the defendant to rape them. And lastly these vermin were not innocent victims of an idea that was never in their heads. A recent three-day sting operation in California bagged 49 of these depraved sleazeballs, and I say good riddence. I only hope that more of these sicko's get caught by cops posing as children, so that no more real children have to be retrieved from shallow graves in the woods.
Parents, do you know who your children are chatting with?
Sadly,
Marius
"- First, the idea for committing the crime came from the government agents and not from the person accused of the crime.
- Second, the government agents then persuaded or talked the person into committing the crime. Simply giving him the opportunity to commit the crime is not the same as persuading him to commit the crime.
- And third, the person was not ready and willing to commit the crime before the government agents spoke with him."
None of these apply to these scumbags. No cop called them up and said 'I am a thirteen year old girl, wanna sleep with me?'. Nor did they continually ask the defendant to rape them. And lastly these vermin were not innocent victims of an idea that was never in their heads. A recent three-day sting operation in California bagged 49 of these depraved sleazeballs, and I say good riddence. I only hope that more of these sicko's get caught by cops posing as children, so that no more real children have to be retrieved from shallow graves in the woods.
Parents, do you know who your children are chatting with?
Sadly,
Marius
Right to Die
Yesterday Oregon's Supreme Court upheld a law passed twice by the citizenry that allows doctors to prescribe medication to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with dignity and a minimum of suffering. The Bush administration, and several Christian organizations are, of course, vehemently opposing this. And as I listened to this story on NPR this morning I struggled to understand why these groups that are so quick to endorse the death penalty and war are so strenuously opposed to allowing innocent, suffering people of sound mind the right to end their own lives. I mean think about it. A man who brutally rapes, tortures, and then kills an 11 year old girl will get a peaceful, painless lethal injection, but a woman who has committed no crime must suffer a withering, horrificly painful death at the brutal hands of cancer because the 'moral' right says so. It doesn't make sense, even for the radical right-wing extremeists. Then something dawned on me. These folks are also, probably, in bed with the insurance industry. Dead people don't bring in revenue, but a barely living, heavily medicated ICU patient quickly pays for a yacht and trip to Bermuda. This is pure speculation, and I haven't a shred of evidence, but it's the only way any of this makes sense.
That or they are just plain stupid.
Marius
That or they are just plain stupid.
Marius
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
I'm Super, Thanks for Asking
Well, Diablo was fun, but now I've been sucked into an even more addictive game. It's called City of Heroes, and it's a MMORPG, or a massively multi-player, online role playing game. You create a superhero and then run around an incredibly detailed and intricate city fighting evil. The Diablo gang have formed a supergroup, and we fight and chat and run around and generally have a great time. My toon, as they are called, is a cyborg named Dr. Zoidberg who shoots electricity out of his hands and, at least so far, can hover. I'm still a relatively low level character, so it's not that impressive. But given the amount of time I've put in so far, I'll be changing the course of mighty rivers in no time.
Being as I was the one of the group, during our misspent youth, who was not really into video games or comic books I didn't expect to be all that into this game, but a knowledge of comic lore is totally unnecessary to enjoy the living hell out of this. There is also an expansion pack called City of Villains, where you can play a super bad guy. But that's a way off yet.
So if any of you out there that read this want to come down to the 9th level on Champions, look me up.
Dr. Zoidberg
Being as I was the one of the group, during our misspent youth, who was not really into video games or comic books I didn't expect to be all that into this game, but a knowledge of comic lore is totally unnecessary to enjoy the living hell out of this. There is also an expansion pack called City of Villains, where you can play a super bad guy. But that's a way off yet.
So if any of you out there that read this want to come down to the 9th level on Champions, look me up.
Dr. Zoidberg
Sunday, January 15, 2006
A Brief Bit of History
Gather 'round folks, and let me tell you a tale of the past. Many years ago, in the early stages of that wierdest of modern decades, the '80's, five lads in South Florida discovered that they shared an interest in a certain science fantasy film franchise, as well as a penchant for medieval violence. To that end constructed they 'swords' out of whatever scrap wood they could swipe from the local community theatre(well, the Technical Director let us...I mean them have the lumber), and shields out of the flimsiest of plywood. Then one of the lads, being more obsessed with Sith lords than feudal lords builded he a lightsabre out of a broomstick and a piece of pvc pipe. Flourescent orange was the sabre, and many a battle was fought in denim armor and football helms. Fingers were bruised, and teeth were broken(sorry, Jeff) and all but one of the young warriors went on to join the SCA and fight 'for real'. And through it all the one young would be Jedi harbored his fixation on the lightsabre which, in his opinion, was the coolest weapon ever imagined.
Fast forward a couple of decades and a thousand miles or so, when our not so young anymore hero finds, at a local bookstore, that working lightsabres have been made available to the public. No, they don't cut through stuff, but they do light up and make all the proper sounds. Surely this is what Heaven feels like. Finances and timing were not in conjunction that day, and the sabre was merely fondled, but not acquired.
One year later, back in Florida, our Jedi without portfolio sits at home when what to his wondering eyes should appear but Duke Sir Thumithak with a most excellent gift...a lightsabre. Oh frabjous day!! It lights up, it makes the right noises, it is, in a word, SWEET!!!!! I know that effusive gratitude makes him uncomfortable, so I thought I would tell the tale here just so he knows how much this means to me. I know it's just a toy, but it's a toy I've been waiting most of my life for.
Thanks, dude. :-)
Fast forward a couple of decades and a thousand miles or so, when our not so young anymore hero finds, at a local bookstore, that working lightsabres have been made available to the public. No, they don't cut through stuff, but they do light up and make all the proper sounds. Surely this is what Heaven feels like. Finances and timing were not in conjunction that day, and the sabre was merely fondled, but not acquired.
One year later, back in Florida, our Jedi without portfolio sits at home when what to his wondering eyes should appear but Duke Sir Thumithak with a most excellent gift...a lightsabre. Oh frabjous day!! It lights up, it makes the right noises, it is, in a word, SWEET!!!!! I know that effusive gratitude makes him uncomfortable, so I thought I would tell the tale here just so he knows how much this means to me. I know it's just a toy, but it's a toy I've been waiting most of my life for.
Thanks, dude. :-)
Friday, January 13, 2006
Retraction
A few days ago I posted the story of a mouse that, after being thrown inhumanely into a pile of burning leaves, ran back under the rodent slayer's house and set it ablaze. Ld. Thomas commented that the tale had been branded a fake, and now I have independant confirmation that it did not, indeed, occur. Read on.
Flaming Mouse Story Found To Be False
Rumor Squashed: Flaming Mouse Didn't Start House Fire
UPDATED: 8:39 am CST January 10, 2006
FORT SUMNER, N.M. -- A small -town rumor that sparked world -wide interest about a mouse burning down a house has been found to be untrue.
After 81-year-old Chano Mares's house burned down Saturday in Fort Sumner, news services picked up the quirky story.
"Flaming Mouse Burns Down House" read the headline over an Associated Press story that appeared on nbc13.com, for example.
According to the initial report, Mares threw the critter in a pile of burning leaves near his home, but it ran back to the house on fire.
A local firefighter said the mouse ran to just beneath a window and the flames spread up the window and throughout the house.
All contents of the home were destroyed, but no one was injured.
Interest in fires has been high lately. Unseasonably dry and windy conditions have charred more than 53,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes in southeastern New Mexico in recent weeks.
The mouse story, however, has been doused by Mares.
"It's really humorous more than anything that a mouse burned down the house," he told KOAT-TV in Albuquerque. The mouse was dead when it hit the burning leaves.
Mares said he trapped and killed the critter and tossed it on the fire.
The flames, he said, probably reached his house because they were driven by high winds.
Capt. Jim Lyssy of the Fort Sumner Fire Department said the rumor probably got started because there was "a little too much excitement" at the time of the fire.
Mares lost everything -- and has no insurance -- but the mouse story still makes him smile.
"I started laughing, and I'll be laughing from now on," he said. "It's silly."
http://www.nbc13.com/news/5973746/detail.html
Flaming Mouse Story Found To Be False
Rumor Squashed: Flaming Mouse Didn't Start House Fire
UPDATED: 8:39 am CST January 10, 2006
FORT SUMNER, N.M. -- A small -town rumor that sparked world -wide interest about a mouse burning down a house has been found to be untrue.
After 81-year-old Chano Mares's house burned down Saturday in Fort Sumner, news services picked up the quirky story.
"Flaming Mouse Burns Down House" read the headline over an Associated Press story that appeared on nbc13.com, for example.
According to the initial report, Mares threw the critter in a pile of burning leaves near his home, but it ran back to the house on fire.
A local firefighter said the mouse ran to just beneath a window and the flames spread up the window and throughout the house.
All contents of the home were destroyed, but no one was injured.
Interest in fires has been high lately. Unseasonably dry and windy conditions have charred more than 53,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes in southeastern New Mexico in recent weeks.
The mouse story, however, has been doused by Mares.
"It's really humorous more than anything that a mouse burned down the house," he told KOAT-TV in Albuquerque. The mouse was dead when it hit the burning leaves.
Mares said he trapped and killed the critter and tossed it on the fire.
The flames, he said, probably reached his house because they were driven by high winds.
Capt. Jim Lyssy of the Fort Sumner Fire Department said the rumor probably got started because there was "a little too much excitement" at the time of the fire.
Mares lost everything -- and has no insurance -- but the mouse story still makes him smile.
"I started laughing, and I'll be laughing from now on," he said. "It's silly."
http://www.nbc13.com/news/5973746/detail.html
Mea Culpa?
Hi Folks, and welcome to another day here at The Corner. It's audience participation day today, and since it's Friday the Thirteenth(dum dum duuuummmmmmmm!) I thought I would investigate just how annoying all my pictures of Starbuck and Artemis are. I realize that the combination of Kitten + Digital Camera + Internet Access can equal Too Damned Many F***ing Cat Pictures, so have I reached that critical mass yet? I'm like a junkie trying to kick his addiction. Each picture I post is 'definately going to be the last one', but then the little demon does something just sooooo adorable I have to share it lest my cuteness buffer overflows and I start wearing Hello Kitty crap and buying Julie Andrews albums or something. I'd love to show you his evil side, which is only just barely outshone by his immense cuteness powers, but usually when he is being annoying I'm not really in the mood for pictures. In fact usually he's being hurled down the hallway amidst a stream of profanities the likes of which would make Muad'Dib blanche.
So sound off, Gentle Readers. Do we like the pics? Do we hate the pics? Could we give two shits? How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? The ball, figuratively, is in your metaphorical court.
Marius
So sound off, Gentle Readers. Do we like the pics? Do we hate the pics? Could we give two shits? How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? The ball, figuratively, is in your metaphorical court.
Marius
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Starbuck Protests
Starbuck shows his objection to the removal of Peanuts reruns from the local paper by doing his Snoopy impression.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
And Justice For All...even rodents
All I can say about this asshole is...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Blazing mouse sets fire to house
A US man who threw a mouse onto a pile of burning leaves could only watch in horror as it ran into his house and set the building ablaze.
Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, found the mouse in his home and wanted to get rid of it.
"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," he was quoted as saying by AP.
Though no-one was injured, the house and everything in it was destroyed.
"I've seen numerous house fires, but nothing as unique as this one," Fire Department Captain Jim Lyssy said.
New Mexico has seen several major blazes after unseasonably dry and windy conditions which have destroyed 10 homes and devastated more than 53,000 acres (21,200 hectares) of land.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4593682.stm
Published: 2006/01/08 23:45:22 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Blazing mouse sets fire to house
A US man who threw a mouse onto a pile of burning leaves could only watch in horror as it ran into his house and set the building ablaze.
Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, found the mouse in his home and wanted to get rid of it.
"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," he was quoted as saying by AP.
Though no-one was injured, the house and everything in it was destroyed.
"I've seen numerous house fires, but nothing as unique as this one," Fire Department Captain Jim Lyssy said.
New Mexico has seen several major blazes after unseasonably dry and windy conditions which have destroyed 10 homes and devastated more than 53,000 acres (21,200 hectares) of land.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4593682.stm
Published: 2006/01/08 23:45:22 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Feline Intervention
This morning, unbeknownst to me, I rolled double zeroes and invoked the Psycho Kitten of Doom. I had foolishly thought that, since I didn't have to be anywhere today until waayyy past dawn, I could do a bit of sleeping. But I, in my foolish optimism, neglected to consider the 'kitten factor'. I have tried to use classical, operant conditioning techniques with Starbuck, i.e. not feeding him as soon as I get up, get home, or whatever. I did not wish to set up a behavioral link between any predictable action on my part, and feeding time. Oh, how foolish we mortals be. When I finally went to bed, around 1 am, I did not close the bedroom door since Starbuck tends to not start bugging me until after 6ish,which is actually sleeping in for me these days, but that was before I blew my saving throw.
4:45 am: A little furry buzzsaw perches upon my chest.
4:46 am: Said critter is gently expelled from the bed.
4:50 am: The unmistakable sound of 'stuff being messed with' permeates the darkened
bedchamber.
4:52 am: All attempts to ignore the beast fail, creature is less gently consigned
to the hallway.
5:00 am: Faint tappings, as of a kitten gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
5:03 am: A sound that could be a paw tugging at the underside of the door, or of
claws tearing at the carpet beneath the door. A decision is made to ignore
it.
5:10 am: Yup, the little fuzzy asshole is digging at the carpet. Dammit! Well, I
might as well get up since he's not letting me sleep anyway.
So I thought I would teach him a lesson that waking me up won't do any good. I make coffee, and check the email, and ignore both him, and his partner in crime, Artemis. Eventually they grow bored with pestering me directly, and instead opt for a rousing game of Trash The Apartment. Whoever created the myth of feline grace never actually lived with cats. The sound of two cats chasing each other through a fairly small apartment can be compared to the gentle murmur of a wrecking ball tearing down an accordion factory. Finally I cave, before every single object that sits atop anything else is on the floor, and they get their hard earned tuna. And now it's 6:33 am, and the two demons are being all cute, and adorable, and loving, thus insuring their continued survival.
There is a saying, popular amongst the bumper sticker crowd, that is very apt. In ancient Egypt cats were worshipped as gods...they have never forgotten this.
Marius the Awakened
4:45 am: A little furry buzzsaw perches upon my chest.
4:46 am: Said critter is gently expelled from the bed.
4:50 am: The unmistakable sound of 'stuff being messed with' permeates the darkened
bedchamber.
4:52 am: All attempts to ignore the beast fail, creature is less gently consigned
to the hallway.
5:00 am: Faint tappings, as of a kitten gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
5:03 am: A sound that could be a paw tugging at the underside of the door, or of
claws tearing at the carpet beneath the door. A decision is made to ignore
it.
5:10 am: Yup, the little fuzzy asshole is digging at the carpet. Dammit! Well, I
might as well get up since he's not letting me sleep anyway.
So I thought I would teach him a lesson that waking me up won't do any good. I make coffee, and check the email, and ignore both him, and his partner in crime, Artemis. Eventually they grow bored with pestering me directly, and instead opt for a rousing game of Trash The Apartment. Whoever created the myth of feline grace never actually lived with cats. The sound of two cats chasing each other through a fairly small apartment can be compared to the gentle murmur of a wrecking ball tearing down an accordion factory. Finally I cave, before every single object that sits atop anything else is on the floor, and they get their hard earned tuna. And now it's 6:33 am, and the two demons are being all cute, and adorable, and loving, thus insuring their continued survival.
There is a saying, popular amongst the bumper sticker crowd, that is very apt. In ancient Egypt cats were worshipped as gods...they have never forgotten this.
Marius the Awakened
Friday, January 06, 2006
Deep Thoughts
Some people like to open the Bible to a random page each day in the hopes that the great unseen hand will guide them to an appropriate passage. I tried that for a while, but all the begetting and smiting got to be too much, so I decided to try using Scott Adams' 'The Dilbert Principle' instead. Here we go.
The Dilbert Principle, pp. 291-292, Harper Collins Publishers, copyright 1996
Genghis Khan Example
Many years ago, on a desperately cold evening on the tundra, Ghengis Khan ordered his Mongol hordes to 'mount their horses' and do a ride-by 'mooning' of the neighboring village. There was no real reason for this except that he wanted some peace and quiet while he sat in his tent designing various fashion items made out of dead animals.
Some of the Mongols were later embarrassed to admit that they misinterpreted the order to 'mount their horses'. This made for a good laugh back at the camp.
Later, through a series of creative retellings, this whole Genghis Khan legend got blown up into a much bigger deal than it was. But you have to remember, there were maybe two dozen people on the planet at the time, so everything seemed important. And everybody agreed it was probably best to embellish the story a bit so the Mongol hordes wouldn't look bad in business books later on.
Truly words to live by.
The Dilbert Principle, pp. 291-292, Harper Collins Publishers, copyright 1996
Genghis Khan Example
Many years ago, on a desperately cold evening on the tundra, Ghengis Khan ordered his Mongol hordes to 'mount their horses' and do a ride-by 'mooning' of the neighboring village. There was no real reason for this except that he wanted some peace and quiet while he sat in his tent designing various fashion items made out of dead animals.
Some of the Mongols were later embarrassed to admit that they misinterpreted the order to 'mount their horses'. This made for a good laugh back at the camp.
Later, through a series of creative retellings, this whole Genghis Khan legend got blown up into a much bigger deal than it was. But you have to remember, there were maybe two dozen people on the planet at the time, so everything seemed important. And everybody agreed it was probably best to embellish the story a bit so the Mongol hordes wouldn't look bad in business books later on.
Truly words to live by.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
I Don't Feel Tardy
Good day, and welcome to 2006, eh. ::sniff, sniff:: Hmmm, what's that smell? Wait, look, on the ground. It's a steaming pile of 2005. Thank Ipthar that year is over. Unfortunately too many people still have some on them. Man, did we get our asses handed to us or what? Too many natural disasters, too many dead in the Middle East, too much anger and anguish and misery. I'm not saying these are the 'end times' or any such nonsense, but 2006 has got to be better for everybody. Even the white clouds in 2005 had shitty linings: we got out of Louisiana, but we live in a crappy apartment, in a crappy neighborhood, and I work at a crappy school(ok, so that last was a bit self-centered, but hey, it's my blog)plus I miss all my LC friends terribly.
Ok, ok, that's enough whining over spilled cosmic milk. It's a brand new year and I am determined that it will be a better year, for everyone. So to all of you out there who have to clean the karmic skid marks from the spiritual undies of 2005 let me wish you a great, happy, prosperous, and squeaky clean 2006.
Just be careful you don't step in it.
;-)
Peace out,
Marius
Ok, ok, that's enough whining over spilled cosmic milk. It's a brand new year and I am determined that it will be a better year, for everyone. So to all of you out there who have to clean the karmic skid marks from the spiritual undies of 2005 let me wish you a great, happy, prosperous, and squeaky clean 2006.
Just be careful you don't step in it.
;-)
Peace out,
Marius
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