I’m really tired of it all.  Media continue to ask “Do you think Tiger Woods’ apology was sincere?” as if it were a make or break issue for the days it was posted at various locations.

Forget the rodent and forget the almanac.  It’s here.

The ice cream truck passed a few minutes ago.  THAT is the indicator.

I stopped him and offered 5 bucks last year if he’d change the music every other day.

He didn’t think it was funny.

I wasn’t kidding.

Dimwits with a badge.

Source and complete article.

Report: Officers lose 243 Homeland Security guns
February 18, 2010 10:04 a.m. EST
 
Of the 243 guns lost by Homeland Security agencies, 179 are gone because officers didn’t secure them, a report says.

Washington (CNN) — Nearly 180 Department of Homeland Security weapons were lost — some falling into the hands of criminals — after officers left them in restrooms, vehicles and other public places, according to an inspector general report.

Uh, several things come to mind here, the most notable one being, that’s gotta hurt!

Puts a whole new twist on the term “tree hugger,” eh?

See article here.

Thanks to Weasel Zippers for the point on this one.

you may want to pay attention to a detail or two.

It’s not exactly news that thieves have been using devices called “skimmers” to capture ATM information when unsuspecting customers slide their cards into the slot.  The practice has been increasing in frequency and is going on all over the country.  Here in the Orlando area it occurred recently and one of the reporting television stations made it sound like a new phenomenon.

What a joke that was.  It was a hell of a race, partially due to NASCAR’s latest rule changes, but the TWO delays for a total of over 2 hours, closer to two and a half, for a POTHOLE on the track were absolutely ridiculous. 

This is the 21st century in some places, correct?

Source (and there are some interesting readers’ comments there below the article.)

Segregate or suffer

By RON FRIEDMAN
12/02/2010 07:04

Alternatives to ‘mehadrin’ buses are costly, dwindling.

Government’s heavy involvement in business, coupled with the intertwining of religion, sometimes ends up with interesting results.  In Saudi Arabia, who is allowed to work where, especially when it comes to male versus female roles/positions, is heavily influenced by “that religion of peace” – you know, the one that classifies women as second class and not whole citizens, harshly punishes those who are sexually assaulted, and says it is permissible to kill anyone not willing to convert or pay. 

In an era of apologies that read more like excuses, provide possible but undefined fall guys, make the recipient responsible for the situation rather than the doer (”sorry if you interpreted that way”), and in general express no real apology whatsoever, I rather like this one. 

For the last week or so I’ve been reading broad coverage on every outlet, describing a new push in Afghanistan.  The coverage has given all but numbers and times, providing what seems to me to be unprecedented warning to the enemy, providing valuable advance planning time.

Received in an email:

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different…. 

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

It may be my imagination, but I thought there were a lot more very short commercials than usual.  Seems there were also a lot more commercials for the network advertising itself.  If I’m correct in those two observations it may be a sign of the economy — the network couldn’t sell a lot of air time and what they did sell was going for shorter/cheaper spots than in the past.

Chicago Midway

The Weather Channel shows a real mess.  2 cable news organizations are showing no takeoffs or landings because the runways and taxiway have snow plows running on them.  Announcer says Southwest Airlines has cancelled ALL flights for the next 24 hours in and out of there.

(source included at bottom of article)

They’ve got nothing on WalMart here in the US.  Not even close.

School bans ’slovenly’ mothers from wearing pyjamas when they drop their children off

By Laura Clark
Last updated at 3:39 PM on 05th February 2010

(http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=132504&d=6&m=2&y=2010)

Not that similar problems don’t exist elsewhere, but do you think maybe the level of it in your country has something to do with the fact that your organized state religion treats women as chattel only slightly better than farm animals might have something to do with it?

It would be more sporting and perhaps more funny if such a large percentage of New Orleans’ citizens didn’t think it really is proper English.

So, Toyota is recalling a tremendous number of vehicles because of runaway, uncommanded engine speed.  It’s about time.

Everything I’m reading regarding the recall is about the accelerator.

Congratulations, New Orleans Saints.  You managed to win your conference championship game despite a miserable showing.  Know, however, that beating the statistics is seldom good for more than one game at a time. 

Play the same way in the next one and you’ll be able to hold your heads up only by repeating constantly, “But we were in the Superbowl.  We were in the Superbowl.”

State Department Waste in Iraq Costs Billions, Audit Finds

January 25, 2010
AP

The special inspector general on reconstruction says he hopes not to see a repeat in Afghanistan of the State Department’s failure to oversee security contracts and waste of billions of dollars in Iraq.

Things one can learn while on really good pain killers:

1. Spilling an entire box of rice on the floor makes a real mess and it isn’t very easily cleaned up. Doing the same thing a week later with a box of Splenda is much much worse.

Email from Senator Bill Nelson, received September 14, 2009:

Most of the calls and mail coming into my office these days are from constituents worried about health care. Regardless of where anyone stands on the specifics of this issue, I think we all can agree the current system is unfair, too costly, and needs to be fixed.

So there he was, “in the country only a couple of weeks” having emigrated from another English-speaking country to our own, walking down the somewhat rural road, but in a developed area, and there lay a turtle.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Associatd Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. —  Former Air Force reservist Gale Reid received a letter from the Veterans Affairs Department that told her she had Lou Gehrig’s disease, and she immediately put herself through a battery of painful, expensive tests. Five days later, the VA said its “diagnosis” was a mistake.

Well that was peachy.  2 hours of fitful “sleep” and I awake to find this.

One might remember that the VA’s primary mission is health care. 
Or one might do better to forget.

It is said that the reason the penalties for assaulting or killing a law enforcement officer are so stiff is because if a criminal will commit such a crime against someone who is known to be trained and armed, that criminal can logically be expected to do even worse, or the same more quickly, to a more vulnerable civilian.

Swine flu hotline run by 16-year-olds: NHS pays GCSE pupils to give advice and hand out drugs

By Christian Gysin
Last updated at 1:00 AM on 08th August 2009

An NHS call centre is employing 16-year-olds to assess suspected cases of swine flu.

They earn up to £16.40 an hour reading out a prepared script of questions.
It is their responsibility to hand out powerful anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu - known to have violent side-effects.

1.

Carry nonrefundable return tickets, Umrah pilgrims told
Muhammad Humaidan | Arab News
 
JEDDAH: The Ministry of Haj has ordered that Umrah pilgrims carry nonrefundable return tickets with them when they come for the lesser pilgrimage.

Indian Chief “Two Eagles” was asked by a white government official, “You have observed the white man for 90 years.  You’ve seen his wars and his technical advances.  You’ve seen his progress and the damage he’s done.”

The Chief nodded in agreement.

And don’t call me in the morning.

I don’t care what your MRI shows, take 2 aspirin and all will be well.

Your labs show things I’ve never seen before, but then I’m not a doctor.  Take two aspirin and all will be well.