Goodbye Scottie : A tribute to our departing chief of propaganda

"I do expect that the President will say something at the beginning of his remarks today, at the conversation. "

“Flood control has been a priority of this administration from Day One.”

“an obligation not to render people to countries if we believe they're going to be tortured.”

Getting Off Scott Free: AP Presents McClellan's Past Quotes on Rove and Plame

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says White House Reporter Helen Thomas opposes the war on terrorism

Friday Quote of the Day

“We have been chosen, ... by fate or providence or whatever you wish to call it. As far as we can tell, we are the best there is. We may be all there is. It's an unnerving thought that we may be the living universe's supreme achievement and its worst nightmare simultaneously.”

-Bill Bryson

Signs of the Apocalypse

David Blaine. What a fucking wierdo. I wish he was sleeping with the fishes... in cement shoes!

The 33-year-old magician will perform his latest stunt by living underwater for seven days and nights in a "human aquarium" in front of New York's Lincoln Center.

He will conclude by attempting to hold his breath underwater longer than the record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds.

I hope someone breaks the supports on his spherical aquarium and sends him rolling down Broadway. Who else thinks that would be hilarious?

Apathy is the order of the day

As the latest Bush scandal hits Washington, the whole bio-weapon trailers justification for war being a total load of bullshit, I'm struck with a sense of complete and total apathy. Perhaps it is just the season for apathy and lack of discontent. Perhaps the source lies in the face that I haven't believed a word the President has uttered for many years (6 and half to be exact). I should be angry. Outraged even. And yet, the best I can muster is "why should this suprise ANYONE?!?!"

Perhaps I'm a victim of the 24 hour news blitzkrieg of which I'm so happily addicted. The saturation of political scandal has so infected my core that nothing moves me anymore. In fact, the only media that provokes anger in me anymore is watching Hannity and Colmes. And that's just because every word that comes out of Sean Hannity's mouth is venomous hate speech that has been tailored through years of practice to perform a unique brand of verbal fellatio on white males, Age 18-35 who don't like anyone that doesn't fit into their gated community, McDonald guzzling , SUV driving picture of life (hooray for demographic research!). Oh great, I just admitted that the only thing that can currently inspire my righteous indignation is the Jerry Springer of 24 hour news. Fan-Fucking-Tastic!

Am I truly defeated? Or do I just need some grilled meat and beer? Tonight I will test this theory. Stay tuned tomorrow for the results.

Oddities of a public restroom

So, I just got back from using the restroom on the first floor of the Physics building. I went to sit down on the toilet and look at the floor. What do I see? Fingernail clippings. Lots of them. A few of them were big. When I say big, I mean it looks like someone clipped the talons off of an eagle! So, after brief reflection on this incident, I'm left with the following questions...

Who the fuck clips their fingernails in a public restroom stall?
And why don't you have the common courtesy to clean that shit up when you are done?
Anyone else spot some fun items in public restrooms?

Friday Quote of the Day

Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills. [on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999]

Tom Delay

Global Politics in 30 Seconds

Fat Kids: brought to you by the food and soft drink manufacturers of America

Kids in the U.S. are overweight. Fat even. Why is this happening? One big reason is the unhealthy slop that kids are served in school cafeterias. Another reason is the vending machines in school that dispense sugar in either liquid or solid form.

Ok, so this is a problem. But what are you going to do? Food and soft drink companies are big evil corporations who wield unreasonably large amounts of power in our nation's schools. Well, Congress has finally decided to step foward with some proposed legislation that will put minimum nutrition requirements for food served in schools.

Is this not the perfect analogy of corporate America today? Federal legislation is required to force school districts to provide a healthy meal to school kids instead of making a buck from Coca Cola or Frito Lay.

"We talk a lot about healthy nutrition, we teach the kids about the food pyramid, and then they go down the hallway and get the high fat, high sodium and high junk available in the vending machines," Ms. Murkowski said. "We need to be consistent. People are beginning to connect the dots between rising health care costs and obesity." - Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska

Picture Blogging France

I'm finally back from France. It was a great vacation. Right now, jet lag is kicking my ass but I figured that I might as well get these pictures up while I can.

Here's a front view of the Eiffel tower.

Here is a view from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower looking up.

My sister's boyfriend proposed on the intermediate level of the Eiffel Tower. She accepted and here is the ring. It's a Platinum ring with a big Sapphire gem and diamonds. Quite the bling bling.

My family traveled down to Southern France and stayed for a few days at a farm house in the Pyrenees mountains. I'm messing around with one of the dogs at the farm house on a hill that is called "nipple" in French.

Another farm picture.

Here's the view from hill next to our farm house.

My French relatives house near Monein.

This is the cave at Lourdes where St. Bernadette saw a vision of the Virgin Mary.

My sister and her fiance in front of the Cathedral at Lourdes.

I took this picture of the Pyrenees at dawn the last morning of my stay at the Farm house in Southern France.

My French relatives, Mary Te and Jean Claude, making us a gigantic meal. I can't remember the last time I ate that much food and all of it was fantastic.

Me at a beach in Southeastern France, about 40 km from the border with Spain.

Me in front of the Louvre. The Louvre was absolutely incredible. Next time I go to Paris, I'm going to spend at least a whole day there, if not more.

Notre Dame.