Saturday, May 24, 2008

Hydrangia In The Front Yard

This was planted as a seedling three years ago. A gift from my bride's sister. The drought last year did it no , but nature has overcome, these are the first flowers that we had on the new bush.
Native to Japan cultivated varieties of H. macrophylla normally produce round heads of pink flowers, but may be blue, like this one is becoming, if there are certain chemicals in the earth, such as alum or iron.

The name hydrangia comes from the Greek for ‘water vessel’, for the cup-like seed capsules. (Genus Hydrangea, family Hydrangeaceae)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Jazzed About Obama

Which one do you think is goofy?
All the group needs is a Gorebal warming "scientist".
Drawn by John Deering.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Little Johnny

A teacher in Elmira, New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them where Obama fans.
Not really knowing what an Obama fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except Little Johnny.
The teacher asked Little Johnny why he decided to be different.
Little Johnny says, "Because I'm not an Obama fan"
The teacher says, " Why aren't you an Obama fan?"
Johnny says, "Because I'm a Republican".
The teacher asks him why he is a Republican.
Little Johnny answers, "Well, my mom's a Republican and my dad is a Republican, so I'm a Republican".
The teacher asks, " If your mom was a moron and your dad was an idiot, what would that make you?"
With a big smile, Little Johnny replies, "That would make me an Obama fan"

Thank you PJMS.
Should I trot out the really nasty Little Johnny jokes?

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Bill Clinton Crapped Here

A retired english teacher in Lexington Kentucky was left the mother load last week. Bill Clinton, in town stumping for Hillary votes had to take care of some personal business in Kenn Johnson's bathroom. Johnson had these humorous comments....."
"He complimented me on my bathroom downstairs and mentioned he liked the poster of Hemingway hung behind the toilet,"
"My wife groaned, but I was proud that my toilet had served such an historic purpose. ... "
"I am going to get a little rope like you see in museums and drape it in front of my bathroom door. Instead of 'George Washington Slept Here,' the sign will say, 'Bill Clinton Used This Toilet.'
"Don't tell my wife."

Don't tell, no kidding, if my wife had been around around she would have hidden the toilet paper, just to make that rat bastard use his finger. Wouldn't work though, he's got Secret Service men around all the time to fetch things like toilet paper.

Monday, May 19, 2008

1 In 4 Welfare Dollars Go To Illegal Aliens

According to California's KHTS AM 1220 radio station the state's Department of Public Social Services has issued a report that shows 25% of Los Angeles welfare dollars goes to illegal aliens.
This amounts to a benefit of over $1 billion a year on benefits to illegals, for one city. Benefits are paid in the forms of walfare checks and food stamps. The totals do not include funds from education.

"The total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year not including the millions of dollars for education,"

"With $220 million for public safety, $400 million for healthcare, and $432 million in welfare allocations, illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers."


Why in the world would these people want the state of Califiornia to revert its membership to Mexico, the free ride is here in the USA?

Look In My Shorts

Look In My Shorts is another NetFlix selection that fell out because of an earlier search. Released in 2000 and 91 minutes long, this DVD carries a rating of NR.

The movies is a collection of short films all having an erotic main component.

The shorts are....

"Freshening Up", starring Adrian Grenier and Gretchen Mol, directed by Jim Mol brother of the actress. Plot is situated in a club and involves role blurring.

"It's Hard", about a teen aged girl wanting to please her boyfriend.

"Whacked", a spanking fixation and again role mixing.

"Last Time I Had Sex", nothing memorable.

"Six Months of Darkness, Six Months of Light", with Kelly Rutherford as a, well, screwed up tramp.

I would like to go on the help shed light but just don't have the energy. The shorts are really more about the roles of partners than the act.

Did not not like it all, sorry Jimmy.

Score 13 of 50, something that you'd probably watch for 15 minutes on IFC and then move on. Wish I hadn't watched anything more than the first piece.

  • Character Development 5 out of 10.
  • Acting 2 out of 10.
  • Photography, cinematography 2 of 10.
  • Writing, script 2 out of 10.
  • Concept 2 out of 10.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Yeah, Well I Got Your Name .........

1. Go to linked site.
2. Enter first name in first cell.
3. Enter last name in the second cell.
4. Skip e-mail address.
5. Click on 'Vizualizar' and watch

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Nantucket Sleigh Ride

For hundreds of years in the whaling community off Cape Cod Massachusetts being dragged by a whale was the fastest form of transportation. Only problem was that the whale was the one that decided where you were going, at least till he tired out. Sperm whales were known to drag whaling boats up to 23 miles per hour.

Well, on this day 90 years ago, all that changed. On May 15, 1918 a ban was lifted by, allowing automobiles onto the island. The ban had been in place for 12 years in order to maintain the pristine rural environment of the island that was already becoming a tourist attraction.

Today the ferry cost for bringing your car to the island is over $300.00, a profitable deterrent.

In a little more than a month we are going to spend some time there with family.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Right Calls

Back in August Georgia Tech by order of the Federal District Court repealed a policy on allowable speech. Two students filed suit with representation by Alliance Defense Fund, the complaint being that school rules outlawed speech considered to be intolerant.

In the case Sklar v. Clough Georgia Tech was putting the squeeze on hate speech....

Officials at Georgia Tech had been enforcing draconian speech codes that prohibited any kind of student speech they deemed to be ‘intolerant'.

The ruling of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia prohibits the university from changing its new student speech policy without court approval for the next five years.

  • As an engineering school the student population is decidedly more conservative than many universities. Policies were instituted by an administration out of step with both the student population and legality. Acceptable public discourse as this time gives full voice to minority positions and suppresses any dissension expressed as either racism, hate or ignorance. Administration took this a step further by creation of penalties for exercising free speech they deemed intolerant. Dean Clough should have known better, perhaps the Smithsonian will have group of subject more willing to accept liberal dogma.

Now it looks like Tech did not agree with the spirit of the court's decision because last Wednesday the same court ruled additionally that provisions of the school’s “Safe Space” program discriminate against religion and are therefore unconstitutional.

Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Nate Kellum said....

A public university should not be openly disparaging the beliefs of students who hold to a biblical view of homosexual behavior while endorsing other views. The university’s ‘Safe Space’ program had no business siding with certain religious beliefs while viciously attacking others. The program openly ridiculed the faith of many students while declaring that people in other religious groups have the ‘correct’ beliefs. The court was right to declare that portion of the program unconstitutional.

This is the second part of a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against university officials on behalf of students Orit Sklar and Ruth Malhotra in March 2006. The ruling was again against the school administration, ending discriminatory provisions of the “Safe Space” training program, in which officials supported religious positions favoring homosexual behavior while disparaging those in opposition. The court ordered the removal of discriminatory religious information from the program’s training manual, finding that officials had “violated the Establishment Clause by favoring one religion over another in the state-associated Safe Space Program.”

  • We are all familiar with what was going on here. In an attempt to promote first safety and second acceptance for minority groups, the school administration made an attempt to create an environment in which these could grow. In that they must suppress the typical voice of a casual public.
  • Thank you to the complainants, in the character of good Yellow Jackets, smart, stubborn, self assured and hard working.
  • In my opinion this favoritism for minority dominance comes from a liberal belief that can be summarized as self loathing of community .

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Write It When I'm Gone

A book written by Thomas M. DeFrank, published by Putnam Adult, in October 2007 and 272 pages long.

DeFrank was a young reporter for Newsweek weekly in 1974 when he received an assignment to cover the newly appointed Vice President Gerald Ford. Not long into the assignment Ford let slip a comment that revealed he expected to become the President. Realizing his error Ford demanded that DeFrank promise not to print the comment, making him promise to withhold till after he died. The promise must have established a bond between the two because for the next thirty years the pair continued their professional relationship.

A relationship that was close enough for Ford to reveal his opinions on other politicians....


  • Richard Nixon, a man controlled by his mistrust of outsiders and in the end felled by the actions of those he trusted most. No kind words for John Dean here.
  • Ronald Reagan, resented for his lack of support during the 1976 Presidential run.
  • Jimmy Carter, felt that he ran a dishonest campaign but over the years developed a friendship through spouses and common public appearances. Wonkish engineer.
  • George H. Bush, was considered by Ford as a candidate for the Vice Presidential slot that went to Nelson Rockefeller. Ford did appoint 41 to head the CIA, considered him to be a good man who should have replaced Quayle for the 92 election.
  • Bill Clinton, considered to be a talented politician with a sexual addiction. The two communicated and negotiated Ford's support during the impeachment proceedings. Ford demanded that Clinton acknowledge his actions as a precondition and he refused.
  • George W. Bush, felt that he was poorly advise during the congressional review during the ramp up to the Iraq War. Did suggest that Cheney might should have been replaced for the 2004 presidential election.
  • Donald Rumsfeld, former Chief of Staff for Ford, great respect and love.
  • Dick Cheney, another former Chief of Staff for Ford, great respect and love.
The book reveals a truly deep affection on DeFrank's part, for Gerald Ford. The actions of Ford shows the same.

This book is worth reading, give it a try.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

In the Front Yard

Not bad for the middle of May. This bush is always strong in the spring and weakens as the crepe myrtle tree fills out above it.

Repo Man

A 1984 release, written and directed by Alex Cox, 92 minutes long and rated R. There is lots of weirdness and violence.
The recognizable actors are ....
  • Harry Dean Stanton as Bud, the wired but sage reposession expert. Bud buys it in the end. Harry is 82 years old now, what a shame. Anybody in Cool Hand Luke gets my reverence.
  • Emilio Estevez as Otto the punk rocker without a vocation. It must relly suck to have the highlight of your career be the Mighty Ducks trilogy.

Punker Otto is fired from his supermarket job, then gets dumped by his girlfriend. On the streets Bud tricks him into the repossession of a car. When Otto finds out that his parents donated his college money to a televangelist, he starts his new career in a repossession agency. During training, he is thrown into a paranoid world of theft and violence. Otto then meets a new girlfriend who is a UFO conspiracy theorist. Then the story turns really weird, asked to repossess a 1964 Chevy Malibu. The car turns out to be driven by a lobotomized government scientist, who is driving the car with aliens locked in the truck. Anybody who opens the trunk is burned to a cinder. In the end Otto and Miller the mechanic fly the car away like a spaceship.

Score 9 of 50, really, really bad, must have had a few drinks in me to have spent money to see it in the theatre.

  • Character Development 2 out of 10. Not good.
  • Acting 2 out of 10. Not good, even though I love Harry Dean Stanton.
  • Photography, cinematography 1 of 10. At least it was in color.
  • Writing, script 1 out of 10.
  • Concept 3 out of 10. Points for strangeness and originality.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Puccini for Beginners

A movie created for IFC, though I never seen it there, rated NR and 1 hours 22 minutes long. A comedy about relationships and its member roles, directed by Maria Maggenti, released in 2006.
The actors....
  • Elizabeth Reaser plays the lead as Allegra, avowed lesbian that does not hate men.
  • Justin Kirk play Phillip, the Columbia associate professor, bored with life, casts off Grace and becomes involved with Allegra and reunites with Grace.
  • Gretchen Mol plays Grace, Phillip's ex-girlfriend and curious debutant to lesbianism.

This is a rewind movie, starts with a scene of conflict that goes back to the root. Starting at the root, Allegra's girlfriend leaves her to marry her boyfriend. In the dumps she meets Philip, get really drunk, tries to seduce him and proceeds to Ralph on his shoes. Later the mutual attraction restarts and a tryst is begun. Shortly after this Allegra meets a a beautiful blond to whom she is very attracted. The straight blond, Grace has just been dumped by her boyfriend and jumps into trying an affair with a woman. Before long Allegra is blissfully carrying on with both as a juggling act. Then she discovers that Phillip and Grace were a couple, she tries to break it off but before achieving is discovered by everybody at here first girlfriends engagement party. The catastrophe causes Allegra to have an epiphany, she can now commit, when the movie ends, she is happily living with the first girlfriend.

Score 30 of 50, a middling score from me, but I did enjoy.

  • Character Development 7 out of 10. Allegra transforms from a "guy" to a person willing to embrace commitment.
  • Acting 6 out of 10. Very much enjoyed the scene between Mol and Reaser at the glass works.
  • Photography, cinematography 4 of 10. This movie was all about the conversation, other than making New York look like a wonderful neighborhood, nothing special.
  • Writing, script 7 out of 10. Reminded me of a Whit Stillman movie.
  • Concept 6 out of 10. Positive, feminist centered but willing to poke fun at itself.

Thieving Mexican Sacked

It is courteous turn off cell phone and PDA' so that they will no interrupt meetings. At the White House meetings they take it a step further by asking members to leave such devices on a table outside of the meeting room. After a recent meeting between White House and Mexican diplomats, departing members found that the devices were gone. Hotel security included surveillance tapes and this captured the culprit Rafael Quintero Curiel stealing the equipment. Secret Service agents caught up with Quintero who had already reached the airport for a flight home. When confronted the thief initially denied taking the devices, then claimed the possession to be accidental, after confiscation Quintero asserted diplomatic immunity and boarded the plane home.

The news reached Mexico before the person, on arrival in Mexico City Quintero was asked to submit his resignation.

Mexican Embassy spokesman Ricardo Alday said...

Mr. Quintero will be responsible for explaining his actions to the American authorities conducting an investigation. The Mexican government deeply regrets this incident.

Whether the theft was for the purpose of financial gain or intelligence, being fired seems like a minor price to pay for the infraction. If it were me that grabbed the devices, jail would certainly be in my future. If the theft was for spying purposes, which I think unlikely for the devices would have been better protected, in days of old, an act punishable by hanging.

Knowing the current administration's penchant for weakness in dealing with the Mexican government, I expect that President Bush will issue Quintero a commendation for the safe return of the stolen items. After all we wouldn't want to ALIENATE our fine southern neighbors.

Here is the link that led me to this story:

Friday, May 2, 2008

David Letterman's Top 10 Reasons Why There Are No Black NASCAR Drivers

# 10 - Have to sit upright while driving.

# 9 - Pistol won't stay under front seat.

# 8 - Engine noise drowns out the rap music.

# 7 - Pit crew can't work on car while holding up pants at the same time.

# 6 - They keep trying to carjack Dale Earnhardt Jr.

# 5 - Police cars on track interfere with race.

# 4 - No passenger seat for the Ho.

# 3 - No Cadillacs approved for competition.

# 2 - When they crash their cars, they bail out & run.

AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY BLACKS CAN'T BE IN NASCAR..............

# 1 - They Can't wear their helmets sideways.