i usually check out msnbc.com for my news, but recently have discovered the english site, mailonline.com. it often has more news about the u.s. than the other site, however i've seen more simply terrible articles on it recently.
so i have to say i'm just really sick of demented parents horribly abusing their kids, incredibly narcissistic celebrities, criminals who walk when they are unbelievably guilty, completely clue-less and wicked business persons, disgustingly self-centered politicians, the miranda warning, disturbing weather trends, and plastic surgery.
that said, i found this story about the elk being gentle with a small marmot very nice. even if he just got it out of the water because he doesn't like wiggly things in his drinking bowl, it was still nice.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
finally!
finally an idea of what's going on (from the albuquerque krqe.com station) (a straight line from los alamos to white rock is about 6 miles) ...
be a boy scout!
I don't think i've ever seen an emergency plan quite like this one. i went to http://inciweb.org/incident/2385/ to see what they had to say about the fire. they were reminding everyone of the 3-step process to be ready for emergencies:
1. ready -- clean brush from around your home, get your supplies together in one place, plan your escape route.
2. set -- pack your vehicle with your emergency items, i.e., the six Ps: people, personal computers, pets, pills, papers, and pictures.
3. go -- leave early and follow your plan.
hmmm ... personal computers. nope, i don't recall seeing those in action plans before. by papers i assume they mean passports, birth certificates, social security cards, etc, and by pictures they mean your possessions so you can make claims to the insurance companies. but personal computers? i must be really out of touch. i mean, yes, absolutely, i'd take mine. i guess i'm just surprised it's one of the top six things. like i said, out of touch.
1. ready -- clean brush from around your home, get your supplies together in one place, plan your escape route.
2. set -- pack your vehicle with your emergency items, i.e., the six Ps: people, personal computers, pets, pills, papers, and pictures.
3. go -- leave early and follow your plan.
hmmm ... personal computers. nope, i don't recall seeing those in action plans before. by papers i assume they mean passports, birth certificates, social security cards, etc, and by pictures they mean your possessions so you can make claims to the insurance companies. but personal computers? i must be really out of touch. i mean, yes, absolutely, i'd take mine. i guess i'm just surprised it's one of the top six things. like i said, out of touch.
not enough time to make smores
well, there's a wildfire just southwest of the little town MYS lives in. i saw it in the news this a.m. and texted him when i got to work. later he got back to me and said they were watching things and that evacuation at that point was voluntary.
about 2+ hours later he texted back and said they were heading out. the 'voluntary' had just turned 'precautionary mandatory', with the intent of erring on the side of caution rather than ending up running for one's life.
so they're in santa fe waiting to see what the conclusion of the drama will be. let's hope the fire missed them by a wide margin! (he's going to post pictures if he gets a chance -- http://vyncentvega.livejournal.com/)
about 2+ hours later he texted back and said they were heading out. the 'voluntary' had just turned 'precautionary mandatory', with the intent of erring on the side of caution rather than ending up running for one's life.
so they're in santa fe waiting to see what the conclusion of the drama will be. let's hope the fire missed them by a wide margin! (he's going to post pictures if he gets a chance -- http://vyncentvega.livejournal.com/)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
glenn miller and benny goodman and tommy dorsey .....
do you sit and think about the old days? do you ever yearn to go back to the simple life? if you decide you want to wash your clothes by hand, think about putting together this neat idea of a spinner. it may help you do the job, and then, of course, hanging everything up to dry is the finishing touch.
i really do wish i had a clothesline so i could hang stuff up outside. if our yard was bigger, maybe .... but no, the seagulls would just poop on the clean clothes. oh well, when we move to new mexico .....
i really do wish i had a clothesline so i could hang stuff up outside. if our yard was bigger, maybe .... but no, the seagulls would just poop on the clean clothes. oh well, when we move to new mexico .....
won't do any good to flip off this car....
what the hell does this headline mean: Green light given to Google as changes to the law make driverless cars legal. nevada apparently is leading this new paradigm shift.
it's odd, really, because this is the first time i've heard of this concept, and yet just three weeks ago i could swear i saw a car going down the street, with no one in it, as i drove to work. i thought it was beyond strange at the time, i mean, there must have been some rational explanation for what i thought i saw, but .... maybe not?
(i'm not sure i need to drive in a parking garage at 44 mph which is what the video shows.)
anyhow ...... curious new thing.
it's odd, really, because this is the first time i've heard of this concept, and yet just three weeks ago i could swear i saw a car going down the street, with no one in it, as i drove to work. i thought it was beyond strange at the time, i mean, there must have been some rational explanation for what i thought i saw, but .... maybe not?
(i'm not sure i need to drive in a parking garage at 44 mph which is what the video shows.)
anyhow ...... curious new thing.
we've been blind-sided
well, this is interesting. if you're in the habit of telling all on facebook, or in your blog, or showing all through pictures or videos, or exposing yourself somehow on some other public 'net place, even ebay, you could be jeopardizing a future job. the federal trade commission has given 'Social Intelligence Corporation' permission to check applicant names (as well as user names) online, for those employers looking to check on prospective employees. the ftc reasons that the company complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act even though the information is stored for seven years. yes, you can protest a finding, but by then the job is long-gone.
1984 reigns again.
1984 reigns again.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
wheeeee.....
all you need to fly through the air is a jetski, a muffler pipe, and a couple of other little thingys....
Monday, June 13, 2011
say what??
so if a tornado comes through and dismantles your home down to the ground with nothing left except concrete blocks forming an outline of what used to be there, what would you say if fema denied your claim due to insufficient damage? to quote their letter, "Based on your FEMA inspection, we have determined that the disaster has not caused your home to be unsafe to live in." hmmm, what home?
apparently fema got in trouble from the gao because they gave out too much money after hurricane katrina so they are being so ultra-conservative as to be stupid. now that they've been at both ends of the bell curve though, you'd hope they could find the middle.
apparently fema got in trouble from the gao because they gave out too much money after hurricane katrina so they are being so ultra-conservative as to be stupid. now that they've been at both ends of the bell curve though, you'd hope they could find the middle.
not so peaceful after all
wow! we always thought that having a fish tank was a relaxing, mind-less thing, but they can be very dangerous. this young girl's scratch may cause her to lose her hand. honestly, it's a wonder human beings survive.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
crash, bam, twist, kerplunk
are you a fan of car racing? do you think it's intriguing to watch car crashes? well, this one's pretty interesting -- the driver walked away, but it's hard to imagine how he managed that. to say nothing of the people on the other side of the barrier. i guess the gods were feeling favorable to everyone.
silly old bear...
upcoming movies that hep, good-natured, old people might enjoy: Super 8, Mr. Popper's Penguins, (the new) Winnie The Pooh, or Cowboys & Aliens.
it's almost here!
sci-fi is just about here. you can use a laser and printer to make clothes. well, a bikini, at least. this is so cool! it's almost like in the movies! (but gees, that model is way too skinny!)
Thursday, June 09, 2011
free time
oh. and here's one more called seasons. it's nicely done (and succinct).
okay. i just can't quit watching. here's a short in which i really wondered what was going to happen.
okay. i just can't quit watching. here's a short in which i really wondered what was going to happen.
music in black and white
do you like interesting, curious, strange, or totally weird music videos? if so, go here. if not, move along....
don't scratch it
so. you've had that little dark spot on your arm for awhile and you're not sure if you should go see a doctor about it or not? well, go ahead. might as well find out what's going on and do something about it.
if you're still not sure you really should go to the doctor, take a look at these pictures. you just really don't want to mess around with melanoma, and the other types need to be treated, too.
i have a couple of little places that i have checked every couple of years. they just say to keep an eye on it. hmmm, that makes me feel so much better??
if you're still not sure you really should go to the doctor, take a look at these pictures. you just really don't want to mess around with melanoma, and the other types need to be treated, too.
i have a couple of little places that i have checked every couple of years. they just say to keep an eye on it. hmmm, that makes me feel so much better??
what'd i say?
apparently the queen of england's husband is know for making very un-PC comments. if you've a yen for that kind of thing, read (and laugh) here.
make music!!!
THIS is absolutely the coolest thing in almost forever!!! Google rocks! And you can play it back! (on 06.09.11)
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
gees louise....
my cousin sent me this link -- http://www.wimp.com/vegetablemarket -- and i don't want to spoil anything, but you really need to see it to realize that some people live in crowded circumstances.
this is rich
you heard about the gal who went to a theatre in texas and was texting and they threw her out? excellent handling!
here's the article about what happened. the theatre people decided to use her phoned-in message to them (after the fact) as a way to let people know they don't tolerate that stuff. expletives not deleted.
way to handle the spoiled person! (and, if you're interested, here's a look at it from a business perspective.)
here's the article about what happened. the theatre people decided to use her phoned-in message to them (after the fact) as a way to let people know they don't tolerate that stuff. expletives not deleted.
way to handle the spoiled person! (and, if you're interested, here's a look at it from a business perspective.)
oh look! up in the sky ....
oh cool! we're going to be able to see the northern lights tonight! i'm not sure where i should go to get the best view, since they're supposed to be along the northern horizon and there are evergreens all around our neighborhood. i suppose i should just drive out into the country. of course that would be about 2 a.m. and border patrol would probably drive up and ask what i was doing. still, it would probably be worth it!
tolerance?
okay, we're supposed to be tolerant and even welcoming of the muslim religion, regardless of how different at least some of their tenets are? hmmmm, well, i'm having a hard time being tolerant of this idea of sex slaves.
i mean, nowhere does the article say this policy would work for women as well as men. what? oh, well, ahem, of course there are other objections, too, you know.
i mean, nowhere does the article say this policy would work for women as well as men. what? oh, well, ahem, of course there are other objections, too, you know.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
oh good grief
i think it's curious that the new-and-improved versions of ms updates are crap. i've got this ms office suite 2010 and it's got that new-fangled 'ribbon' on it rather than the old-fashioned toolbar. horrible. it's for mutton-headed people. you have to click all over the place to find what you need,and it's a time-waster, especially if the old way suited you just fine. i figure these new things are for whiners who want everything handed to them, but it really burns me up that it throws the rest of us to the wolves. 'we're just making it easier and more attractive to you' -- no you're not.
i don't know how far back any of you remember, but the computer we had back in 1995 had an excellent assortment of fonts. nowadays it's mostly crap. i mean, who in the universe needs calibri (which is the default for god's sake), batang, dotum, gungsuh, iskoola pota, leelawadee, nsimsun, shruti, or traditional arabic? get that shit off my computer and give me decent fonts i can use and play with. what good does it do to have a bunch of foreign-sounding fonts that look a lot alike in their milquetoast way?
just more of the business people thinking they know what's best for us, and that makes for a very unimaginative nation of people. not good. not good at all.
i don't know how far back any of you remember, but the computer we had back in 1995 had an excellent assortment of fonts. nowadays it's mostly crap. i mean, who in the universe needs calibri (which is the default for god's sake), batang, dotum, gungsuh, iskoola pota, leelawadee, nsimsun, shruti, or traditional arabic? get that shit off my computer and give me decent fonts i can use and play with. what good does it do to have a bunch of foreign-sounding fonts that look a lot alike in their milquetoast way?
just more of the business people thinking they know what's best for us, and that makes for a very unimaginative nation of people. not good. not good at all.
see and hear
so. you sit outside at night in your yard in the big city, look up at the stars and think, wow -- there are so many. but what you don't realize is that light pollution from the city lights is really obstructing your view of the sky.
if you've never been fortunate enough to look at the midwestern sky, out in the country, at night then you'll be awed by the videos this guy has put together. enjoy. (and listen to the music, too)
if you've never been fortunate enough to look at the midwestern sky, out in the country, at night then you'll be awed by the videos this guy has put together. enjoy. (and listen to the music, too)
Monday, June 06, 2011
it's just wrong
this is typical of the kind of crap that happens anymore in this country: since i lost my hard drive, i had a new one put in and a new ms office set of suites. i've always customized my programs so that the stuff i use most is at my fingertips. i also often go to the explorer tree to find things quickly or refresh my memory about something.
in this new setup, however, the 'tree' is all clogged up with crap that is simply annoying and unimportant to me. and for the first time when i look at 'properties', i can see it is set up to not let me change something. it says i need permission. WTF?!! so i asked my computer guy about it and he said microsoft got tired of people messing things up and blaming them, so they made it so you can't mess things up.
that just totally pisses me off. i've always been able to look at and change things, but overnight i can't. there's something wrong with the idea that a group of people are messing with things so everyone should be closed out. i've seen that attitude before and it's just disgusting. someone is afraid to penalize a few wrong-doers, so they shut something down for everyone. that's chicken. and lazy. and makes all of us into babies that have to be taken care of and protected for our own good.
that's a terrible paradigm and one that's frightening, too. i'm not sure where the following paragraph originally came from, but it certainly seems to accurately spell out the rise and fall of a country like ours:
The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. The second from spiritual faith to great courage. The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence. And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.
in this new setup, however, the 'tree' is all clogged up with crap that is simply annoying and unimportant to me. and for the first time when i look at 'properties', i can see it is set up to not let me change something. it says i need permission. WTF?!! so i asked my computer guy about it and he said microsoft got tired of people messing things up and blaming them, so they made it so you can't mess things up.
that just totally pisses me off. i've always been able to look at and change things, but overnight i can't. there's something wrong with the idea that a group of people are messing with things so everyone should be closed out. i've seen that attitude before and it's just disgusting. someone is afraid to penalize a few wrong-doers, so they shut something down for everyone. that's chicken. and lazy. and makes all of us into babies that have to be taken care of and protected for our own good.
that's a terrible paradigm and one that's frightening, too. i'm not sure where the following paragraph originally came from, but it certainly seems to accurately spell out the rise and fall of a country like ours:
The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. The second from spiritual faith to great courage. The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence. And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
little ones
the husband and i just watched babies. i wanted to see it when it first came out, but it just didn't happen. that's actually probably a good thing though -- i laughed uproariously when hattie's dad put her on the slide and she rode her little car-thing down the slide and on away down the park until she upended into a sandpit. i don't know why i thought that was so funny. but anyone at the theatre would have given me really dirty looks and maybe called the cops thinking i was a child abuser.
that little episode aside, gosh! the husband and i are amazed that anyone in mongolia or namibia survives. or that their family jewels do, at the very least. what living conditions they have!! it wasn't unusual for the little boy in mongolia to wander among the cows, pants-less. and the kids in namibia were forever sitting in the dirt, pants-less. and the flies!
i'm just very very glad i had my kids where i did and that we have lived the way we have. blessed are we!
that little episode aside, gosh! the husband and i are amazed that anyone in mongolia or namibia survives. or that their family jewels do, at the very least. what living conditions they have!! it wasn't unusual for the little boy in mongolia to wander among the cows, pants-less. and the kids in namibia were forever sitting in the dirt, pants-less. and the flies!
i'm just very very glad i had my kids where i did and that we have lived the way we have. blessed are we!
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