Archive for June 18, 2010
When Governments Kill Their Citizens
I don’t think we humans — be we county sheriffs or Supreme Court Justices — have the right to decide who lives or dies.
Who’s Writing Carly Firoria’s Tweets?
These aren’t the tweets of a twitterer. One tweets in the first person.
I Volunteer for Tony Hayward’s Job
So, it looks like BP CEO Tony Hayward has his life back. BP’s Chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, the guy who said he really, really cares about the “small people,” sent Hayward back to London today after Hayward spent yesterday in front of a congressional panel saying, in essence, I don’t know anything about what went on or what’s going on.
Tony took home $36.5 million last year.
I’ve volunteered at a food bank for the last year and a half. I am a “food bank assistant” and I’m charged with making sure there are ample supplies of food on the floor of the food bank (as opposed to in the basement, where stocks are kept) so the shelves and bins can be replenished at a moment’s notice. I don’t get a dime for what I do. Yet if I’d been hauled before congress to answer questions about how the food bank works, I could have told the representatives a whole lot more about how the place works than $36.5 Million Tony did.
Outrageous, isn’t it, the imbalance going on around here?
Oil Coming Up Through Floor of the Gulf
FireDogLake has video of oil spewing up through the floor of the Gulf. If it is, we have a problem of biblical proportions.
Executing Dogs in Baghdad — 2,400 Per Day
Baghdad is a hell hole for dogs:
Amid its struggles with Sunni jihadists, Shiite radicals, and Kurdish separatists, the Iraqi government is training its sights on a new enemy: dogs. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Iraq is spending 35 million dinars—about $30,000—to send 20 shotgun-wielding squads out to hunt down the capital’s strays. Their goal: Killing one million canines. So far, they’ve scratched 42,000, and they’re averaging 2,400 a day. “We could consider this the biggest campaign of dog execution ever,” Baghdad’s chief veterinarian, Mohammed al-Hilly, told the newspaper.
But there’s a bright side:
With help from animal lovers like the Baghdad Cat Lady and Marine Maj. Brian Dennis and Nubs, hundreds of service members and contractors in Iraq have adopted strays and brought them home. “These men and women are trained to be tough, but when you’ve seen some of what they’ve seen, a lot of that adds up,” says Terri Crisp, who coordinates Operation Baghdad Pups for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International (SPCAI). “You can’t share a lot of it with your buddies, if they’re going through the same emotions. You can’t cry, you can’t hug. But you can do all that with a dog.” She assists soldiers who want to bring their adopted pets home with them. It’s a costly and dangerous process, requiring Crisp and her staff to fly with a security detail in and out of Baghdad or Erbil with the animals. So far, the effort has retrieved 265 animals—42 cats and 223 dogs—for families stateside.
Actually, all of Iraq sounds like a hell hole, for people and for dogs.
If You’re a Foodie, You Probably Hate These Words
The LA Times put together a list of the top ten foodie words foodies hate, starting with foodie.
I don’t mind foodie so much, but I totally agree with “artisanal.”
5. Artisanal: Used to be, artisans were guild members, craftsmen and women who built chairs and baked bread under often Dickensian conditions. These days this adjective is used with the same indescriminate abandon as “natural.” What does it mean? Usually not much except higher prices. Literally, the word (from Latin) means having to do with art. Art. Well, that’s a pretty nonspecific term too. Is a baguette a work of art? Of course it is. Unless it’s a bad baguette, in which case there’s probably a more specific word for that too.
Soooo overused.
Apologize to Poor BP
We all feel sorry for BP don’t we? Poor things have to pay all that money because of their Gulf oil spill and mean ol’ Obama made them set up a $20 billion escrow fund.
Let’s help make them feel better. Go to ApologizeToBP.com and send your thoughts.
Sarah Palin’s Latest Endorsement: Star Parker
Sarah Palin is on the march again, this time endorsing Star Parker (California’s 37th District) for congress:
I’m proud to endorse Star Parker for California’s 37th Congressional District. Star has an incredible story and a passionate commitment to her community and our great nation. Rising up from being a single mom on welfare, Star worked hard to build a non-profit network that seeks to reduce poverty and create a brighter future for America by promoting free market solutions and personal responsibility. There is no doubt that she will bring a new level of enthusiasm and energy to Washington for American values, limited government, and economic growth. She’s a dynamic leader who is committed to building a more prosperous environment for the families in her district and ushering in positive change. Please join me in supporting Star and her message of hope, opportunity, and self-reliance.
Wow. Parker is a real piece of work. I think it’s perfectly apt to refer to her as an American Taliban. Get a taste of her insanity here:
Hint: “Redistribution of wealth is a violation of scripture…it doesn’t mean that parents of biblical conviction should have no option but to send their kids to these sesspools we call schools so they can be indoctrinated by anti-Christian world view.”
Green Roofs
Look at these beautiful green roofs from around the world. My fave? The The Nanyang Technological University of Singapore:
Condolences to Canada
“Fox News North” Set to Launch in Toronto.
Yo, Canada, don’t let this happen. Your country will never be the same, and I don’t mean that in a good way.
Have You Seen This Picture?
At first, intriguing and beautiful, then horrifying:
Oil in the water off the coast of Alabama.
