You learn something new every day..

Today I learned that the Roman vomitorium isn't what what I thought it was. Go check out wikipedia and then read this.

Magnificent and stupid

You should view this amazing young man as he flourishes cards is ways that simply seem mystical.

The music for this piece way also quite pleasing to my ears and thanks to the Internets you can listen to the original piece here.

The modified version used in the video above is called Opéra from "Métropolitain" by DJ Emmanuel Santarromana.

The stupid part comes when you look up the music on iTunes. The full name of the piece is

"Vivaldi - Nisi Dominus - Cum dederit - Mingardo" but thanks to words being able to kill people the "Cum" is censored to "C*m".

Really?

Pennsic night

Late. Very late. I wander into camp just as the women folk are getting ready for a night out.
I sit with the men folk and have a cider. A pipe is
passed and I find myself wandering over to Vlads for the slave auction. I finally get to say hi to Ariana who got to attend Pennsic thanks to her father (whom she hates) dying, thus getting her out of Qatar. The butler in me takes over and I help serve some great pomegranite mead and canapé. It's hot, a light rain Patters on against the roof of be tent. I stumble back to camp where Wine and Alchemy are playing. I visit Darter who is busy cooking up sausages at one am. We eat. Tasty. It feels more like Pennsic now. Eyes are heavy. Feet so tied. Only a so-so day. Another long solo day tomorrow. The heat saps my energy. I need sleep.

I am not a number.. I am a free man!

It was many years ago that I first heard the original BBC show 'The Prisoner'. I say heard, not saw. My brother recorded them and played them for me when he visited. (No VCR, No tivo in those ancient times) It was a trippy show. Even more so when I actually got to see it. And the ending? Pure madness.

Now it's being redone. But from what I can see, it looks and FEELS just as whacked out (if not more so) than the original. Behold.

Nothing happened today..

I was keen to see what was happening in Iran over the weekend, but I couldn't. Apparently the death of Michael Jackson was the ONLY goddamn thing worth covering for four days straight.

But I don't want to be disrespectful of the dead, so here a small bird moonwalking.

Father-Son moment

Last week my Dad drove down from Boston, on his motorcycle again, at 72, despite having broken his neck a little over a year ago.

This act of sheer ballsiness shamed me into getting my own bike up and running again. It wasn't a huge project. I needed to actually order the new battery I'd put off and go get an oil filter. I didn't expect much. The bike hasn't run for quite a while. But with an oil change and some elbow grease, she fired right up. I spent a few hours cleaning her up and helping my Dad change the oil on his Honda Pacific Coast.

The experience was very strange for me. My parents were divorced when I was quite young, my brother went to life with my Dad while I was raised by my Mom and her second husband (who had his own son). But they eventually divorced when I entered Jr. High. As such, I never really had any of those father/son moments as I hit my teen years. My Mom, bless her heart, was amazingly cool with my strange hobbies and friends and did a great job as a single parent. And I learned to travel and to appreciate history and many other subjects from Jack Ellis, my Big Brother (Mentoring program). But he was more of a kindly Uncle or Grandfather figure. I just seemed to miss out on that special kind of cool bonding that some kids get with their Dad. And to tell the truth I'm sorry I did now.

I have never looked back at my childhood and regretted much of anything. I had a roof over my head, clothes, an allowance. I wasn't abused. Things were, for me, pretty good. But some of these kinds of moments would have been pretty nice too. I'm glad I had the chance to share one, even if it did take a while to happen.



So when we sat in the shop talking and working on our bikes it took me a while to even recognize we were having one of those special moments.

Ok, I'm slightly freaked out.

At about 1:30 am the doorbell rings. Cautious, I grab one of the many swords kept about as decoration and cautiously open the front door. It's the police. I carefully put the sword down behind the door and ask how I can help them. They proceed to tell me a bizarre story.

Apparently 'a woman' went to a house down the road from us several times asking for 'help'. The occupant(s) of the house wouldn't let them in but offered to call the Sheriffs Office. When the police would arrive, the woman would be gone (Although we live only 4 miles from Wellington, we are apparently served by the Lorain County Sheriffs Department in Elyria) After the last plea, the occupants followed the woman who was in a silver car and it pulled into our driveway. According to the police, a man fitting my description was in the silver car at some point (they showed the woman my DMV photo).

None of this, of course, makes any sense. We don't know ANY of our neighbors accept Heidi across the street from us, who has taken care of our cats a few times. I try never to pull into peoples driveways. It pisses some people off. I tell the officers that we were out most of the evening, not getting in until about 10:30pm (the last request for help was made at about 9:30).

They ask if they can speak to my wife, and if they can come in. It's freezing out so I say of course. I go to wake up Rossana, who is sound asleep. There was no easy way to do it so I told her the police were here to make sure I hadn't killed her. That got her up.

We assured the officers that everything was fine. Then the phone rings. Who calls at 1:45am? The Sheriffs Department does!

"Are 2 sherifs deputies at your residence?" asks a concerned voice.

"Why yes they are."

"May I speak with them?"

It now dawns on me. Once the officers entered my home, they lost contact with their dispatcher. This sort of thing likely makes the other Sherifs deputies nervous. I quickly hand the phone to the Officers who inform dispatch that they in fact, have not been kidnapped. Disaster averted. The officers seem satisfied that we are not involved in some drunken domestic dispute and wish us a good night.

The officers were courteous and proffesional but the story they told me just makes no sense. If I hadn't been so gobsmacked I would have asked more questions...but I didn't.

Oddly, we have a pretty good alibi for tonight in that I got my first speeding ticket is YEARS at 10:05 way North of here. Should I call the Sherifs Office tomorrow and tell them this? Do I have some kind of crazy neighbor? Are they readying a strike team to burst in, guns blazing?

Rossana, seeing that there were no answers to be had at this time is off for bed. I am slightly jangled.

Blogging from a small town - Albino Squirrels

I ran some errands in the "Big City" today. That means Oberlin. And as I crossed the town square I ran across one of Oberlin's more odd inhabitants. A white (or albino) squirrel.



Apparently these little guys are well known. Some people have traveled from foreign lands to see these guys. They are indeed white. It seems that due to feeding by locals a trait that would normally take these little guys out of the gene pool pretty quick has allowed them to thrive. There are still plenty of brown and grey squirrels. But I bet the white guys get hit by cars a lot less. Maybe that shows that they are evolving. Blending in with the environment is not as important as not being hit by cars. Hmmm..

More proof!

Very cool...

I would totally do this if i were a crazy rich person.

My brain hurts...

I love movies. I always have. From the annual ritual of watching the original King Kong on Thanksgiving to Indiana Jones, the first film that truly blew me away and still does to this day. I enjoy movies that run the gambit from high concept to lowbrow. I prefer to see movies in the theater, but at home can be nice too. (No missing anything while you run to take a pee) I try not to use absolutes but if I had to I would make the following two statements.

First, Blazing Saddles in Mel Brooks best work. Everything after that started to slip.

Second. Uwe Bol should never be allowed near a camera again under any circumstances.

Thanks to Netflix I've been catching up on some movies I just didn't get a chance to see this last year or so. Two recent experiences have left my cerebellum bruised.

The first is Revolver. It's by Guy Ritchie. I like his style but this isn;t a typical Ritchie film. This thing blew through the theaters a year ago. Do you remember the ads for it? No? Because there were none. It's like it didn't happen. It's not the casting. Jasan Statham is in it giving a great performance. The guy CAN act. Roy Liota is here too, chewing the hell out of the scenery along with a great supporting set of characters. But as I said, this ain't your typical Guy Ritchie film. It strives to be something much bigger, and it almost makes it. Things start out pretty clear. Statham gets out of jail and seeks revenge on Liota, but they quickly spiral out into muddy waters. The story is not what it seems to be. And at the end you say "I think I get it" although you might have missed the big picture. I appreciate a movie taking you most of the way and then throwing you at the finish line. Such as in 'The Usual Suspects'. Fine. But Revolver takes you to within 200 yards of the finish and then wanders off for an icecream cone. I appreciate the attempt, but it doesn't quite work. Your mileage may vary. I recommend you see it.

Southland Tales, on the otherhand.... Well, how can you describe this movie? I honestly cannot. It has a pretty A-list cast with The Rock, Sarah Michelle Geller and even Christopher Lambert etc. But the story. Where do you start? It's supposed to be a dark comedy about the end of the world in a post 9/11 world unfolding over three days in the near future. But it's a trainwreck. No, it's a train hitting a busload of nuns and orphans. Each one of whom is holding a kitten.

There are about 9 different, complete stories in this thing. Maybe 12. Half of them might be good, it's hard to tell. It's like a computer model of Stanly Kubrics brain dropped acid after reading the patriot act. They then filmed the results. It's all over the fucking place. It mocks most of the story telling styles used in Hollywood movies. It throws in random story elements. Even a musical number. I kept thinking "Any time now, this thing is going to pull back and we'll start to see the overall story arc. Something is going to tie these fevered dreams together into something that makes some kind of sense".

But it NEVER did.

It had some potential. If they'd done about a dozen rewrites this thing might have gone somewhere. Or maybe I'm just stupid. It might make a good book. If you weren't constrained by the limited of film this might have made some sense. But it isn't, so we're left to try and make sense of it on our own with a lot of jigsaw pieces from different freakin puzzles.

UPDATE according to this wikipedia article, the movie was to have been part of a graphic novel series. This makes a certain sense. The film does frame a lot of its scenes the way some graphic novels do. The voice overs and images jump suddenly between scenes. But it STILL doesn't work. I've read a few reviews that call it the best film of the decade. Really? If you have netflix, check this out and give me your opion.

The Machine....it WORKS!!!!!!!

Swiss watch found in 400-year-old tomb

Archeologists in China are baffled after finding a tiny Swiss watch in a 400-year-old tomb.

The watch ring was discovered as archeologists were making a documentary with two journalists from Shangsi town.

"When we tried to remove the soil wrapped around the coffin, a piece of rock suddenly dropped off and hit the ground with a metallic sound,? said Jiang Yanyu, former curator of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Museum.

"We picked up the object, and found it was a ring. After removing the covering soil and examining it further, we were shocked to see it was a watch."

The time was stopped at 10:06am, and on the back was engraved the word "Swiss", reports the People's Daily.

Local experts say they are confused as they believe the tomb had been undisturbed since it was created during the Ming dynasty 400 years ago.

They have suspended the dig and are waiting for experts to arrive from Beijing and help them unravel the mystery.

Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!!!!

Those who know me know that I am a great lover...of pie. I am partial to Cherry Crumb but I am by no means limited to cherry. Apple, Boston Cream, Raspberry, Rhubarb even banana cream. My taste buds are open to all and I reject nothing out of hand.

But cake? Well cake is a different matter. I love cake, make no mistake. But I am a bit finicky. I prefer yellow cake with a chocolate butter cream frosting. None of the "Double-death by chocolate with extra slabs of chocolate wedged in it" nonsense. Cakes with the density of peat moss. When such items are wheeled around on the desert tray I trun up my nose. My philosphy is simple: Keep it light and moist.

However...

There are the so-called "Art" cakes. Cakes that aren't created to be eaten so much as to be admired for their artistic beauty. I confess to a fondness for these wonders. I admire the skill of these bakers in the same way I admire ice sculpture. The technical challenges of working in a suger or water based media are many.

But there are only so many great artists in the world. For every Keneth Branagh there is a Keanu Reeves. For every 'Gladiator' there is 'Dungeon Siege: In the name of the King'. So I present to you: Cake Wrecks. A wonderful compendium of awfullness. Enjoy.

Hobbity Goodness

Stumbled across this by sheer chance. If I'm ever in New Zealand I'll be sure to stop by this theme motel. (Click on Hobbit theme motel on left)

Street with a View

Have you ever wanted to know exactly when the google streetview guys were coming so you could be outside in a yetti costume juggling flaming hams? Sure you have. And so did some clever monkeys in Pittsburgh who worked with google to stage a kind of 360 degree art scene.

It's pretty cool. It includes a marching band, mad scientists, an escape from a window and even two Dagorhir fighters with boffer weapons. Wow.

Go check it out.

A clever Man

One night, 22 years ago, Leonard Bernstein showed up at Harvard in a cape and said that if 15 students and 2 bottles of Scotch were present, he would speak.

He did, and you should read it.

It will take a little time, but it's fascinating and oddly prescient.

Brisk baby...

As seven pm rolled around yesterday I started to feel that familiar knot in my stomach. I'd felt it four years ago too. It was much worse then, when I stayed up till 4 am watching the election results, feeling literally sick. Things were looking better yesterday, but that knot of anxiety was unavoidable.

Rossana and I finished another day of canvasing for our little hometown Obama office. The first day the power steering cut out on the minivan making the experience a lot like wrestling a schooner in rough seas. Yesterday was much easier. Drove out to Lagrange twice to deliver voter information. Then we went home.

By seven thirty I had to do something other than stare at the online election tickers. I went out to the shop and started cleaning up. They I started organizing paint cans. I checked the clock. 10pm. Things should be happening. But when I came inside I forgot that the shop clock wasn't yet adjusted for daylight savings yet. It was only nine.

Crap.

Watched some non-election tv and had some pie. When Ohio went for Obama I called my brother in Texas.

"We didn't fuck it up this year!" I yelled to hoots on the other end, then tuned in to the Daily Show special, occasionally flipping back to CNN.

Then, in a flash, it was over. John Stewart called for Obama. Rossana looked stunned, I suppose I was too. I flipped over to CNN just to make sure it wasn't a joke.

It wasn't.

It was then that I began to take off my clothes. When I got to my socks my wife raised her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"I promised that if Obama won I'd run a victory lap around the pond naked" I grabed a flashlight and put my shoes on.

"You did?"

"Indeed."

"It's pretty cold out there." she remarked.

"I am sure I will be quite aware of that very shortly."

"Don't bother the deer".

And off I went.

City of Ember

Every one in a while I hear about a film that is waaaaay below the Radar. Sometimes its a small foreign film or something the studios won't promote like "The Fall".  

I just saw the trailer for City of Ember and I like what I see so far:

Extra Awesome

These guys have some shirts that I have truly fallen in love with. Wearscience!

I told you...we're an anarcho-syndicalist commune...

In case you missed it, the Island of Sark has just joined the 17th century and given up feudalism.

Horaaaay! Welcome to to...wait, what?

According to the Times UK the small island, which was settled in order to keep it free of Pirates in the 16th century never quite got rid of the landowners-get-a-say-and-you-piddly-lot-don't phase. But fear not. Universal suffrage has been agreed upon at last. Europe's last fiefdom is no more.

These guys had a real freakin' Seneschal for god's sake.

ALL ONE!!! ALL CLEAN!!

If you don't know about Dr. Bronners soap you must live in a cave. It's pretty amazing stuff. Not just because it works, is biodegradable and makes your private areas tingle when using it. No!

Its the label that really gets your attention. Go check it out.

The memory of snow...

When the snow came last week I stayed inside. Work to do.

But at last I could no longer stand being cooped up and I walked out to the shop. The moment my shoes hit the snow I had the strangest feeling of deja vu. Or maybe not deja vu. Maybe the strange sensation of knowing this snow. Of having felt it before.

It's almost impossible to explain this to someone who hasn't lived in a Northern clime. They say that the Eskimos have 50 different words for ice (which I doubt) but there are many kinds of snow. It can take on many textures and weights. From a fine powder to a packable mess. And as I stepped out into the cold air I remembered the last time I had felt that exact snow before. It was the winter of 77/78.

You can go and look up records for that year. You can see pictures of people in Buffalo digging down 6 feet to find the top of their cars. I made a lot of money shoveling snow that year and spent a lot of time out doors. And since that year I have not felt snow exactly like it. It's crunch, it's stickiness. After some 30 years or so.

Strange.

Cake and Anarchy

I was geeked to have about 15 people come out to Dave and Busters to celebrate my Day of Birthening. This place is packed on Saturdays and it was looking like we would be waiting until breakfast to get served. But a few well placed bribes and we got a private room to ourselves.

Some of the games were a blast. The boxing game where you actually punch, well, that was too much like exercise. I mean really. The last thing I should be doing after eating a mess of food and cake is taking wild swings at a virtual opponent.

I did get some nice schwag. Thanks guys. It was good to see you all.


The weather started to turn, even as we drove home. By the time we hit 480 it was almost a white out. The temperature plummeted.

This morning it was 7 degrees with 45 mile an hour winds. You would have to be a fool to go out in weather like that to attend a Scientology protest. So I didn't.

But I do have 'friend' who did go. A guy named Erik. He hauled his fat ass out of bed and hit a WalMart for posterboard and a large sharpie. Then he drove to Parma. He got there a little early so he took the opportunity to make his sign "$cientology is a $cam - www.xenu.net" The other side said "Ask Questions" www.xenu.net.

By the time he stashed his car several blocks away so the COS people couldn't get his license plate number there were people out in front of the unmarked building. More people showed up and spirits were high. There were flyers but this area had zero foot traffic. What it did have was a lot of car traffic. People sounded their horns and gave us thumbs up (or looked on confused). At about noon a few cars pulled into the COS lot. We waved to them and held our signs. They all looked like seniors. I beleieve we outnumbered them 3 to 1. Someone inside kept looking out at us furtively. No direct picture taking.

Chanel 5 showed up, shot some footage and asked some questions. We stamped our feet to keep warm and tried to keep out signs from blowing away. This was a mostly young crowd. But smart and motivated. They knew about Scientology. Most wore masks, not just to keep the COS people from snapping their photos but because it was required to stay alive in the blizzard. If Anonymous can get 20 people out in the dead of winter, what will it be like in the Spring?

Most protest pics I have seen online have sucked, but there is a great collection here by someone who knows how to use a damn camera. Some great shots, like this:



There are a lot of important causes in the world. There are a lot of evil deeds that go unpunished. But today was a start. A small step.

Suddenly, spontaneously, a movement has arisen. It has no leaders. It has no authorities. This movement is self directed by each member's own moral compass, and every individual walks in the same direction because that compass points to what is right.

Giggle

If you haven't bookmarked Wondermark I have no idea what you are waiting for. It's f-ing hilarious. If you're into laughing, you may also want to check out Married to the Sea, which is also hilarious, although the language and humor is rougher. A small sample:


marriedtothesea.com

77 Drummers

This the kind of thing I would love to help make happen. A collection of 77 drummers who came together to create one large musical instrument. There is no profit motive. There is no product tie in. There is no CD. There are no sponsors or celebrity talking heads. Just a cool idea. If you've ever played in a drum circle you know it can be a total blast.

Taking a deep breath...

Ok, I've calmed down after my previous rant. Watching this video helped. Then I went to this site which has all kinds of pics of microcars. Sweet!

Greatest Nativity Play EVAR!

No really. It's painful AND it's funny.

The most amazing thing you've ever seen...

People throw that term around a lot. But i think I can safely say that the following link will take you to a story about a place so amazing, made in secret by people with such passion, that you will agree with my statement that it is the most amazing thing ever. I don't know if it's possible to visit this place, but I am damn well going to try.


I give you, The Temples of Damanhur

Strange on many levels...

I kid you not. Here is a link to a flickr photo set of the annual Furries vs. Trekkers bowling match.

Death Kittah

I have only three words for you: Grim Reaper Cat

This story is so strange it even weirds ME out a little.

Bigus Dickus

It seems that the Roman legionnaires are getting a bit unruly.

Y'know, this is why the Senate forbid the armies of Rome within the city. Once Julius Ceasar had his troops cross the Rubicon, it was bound to happen ...

Or am I using waaaaaaay obscure references here?

Curse or statistical fluke?

Is my annual family get together cursed? Looking back ober the last three years. The first year I wasn't feeling well. When my wife finally talked me into seeing the doctor it turned out I had strep throat AND walking pneumonia. Last year, Rossana popped her knee out while gardening. This year? My Dad has an accident (although is wasn't here, he WAS scheduled to be here in a few days).

I'm starting to see a pattern here...

Kicking Science in the Yam-Bag

Why do we do this to science? If you don't believe in Evolution, fine. But masking your whacked out religious beliefs under the flag of a "Science Fair" is not just wrong, it's counter productive in every imaginable way. These people aren't just ignoring reality, they are actively working to teach children the opposite of reality.

Check out this winner in the Middle School division:

2nd Place: "Women Were Designed For Homemaking"

Jonathan Goode (grade 7) applied findings from many fields of science to support his conclusion that God designed women for homemaking: physics shows that women have a lower center of gravity than men, making them more suited to carrying groceries and laundry baskets; biology shows that women were designed to carry un-born babies in their wombs and to feed born babies milk, making them the natural choice for child rearing; social sciences show that the wages for women workers are lower than for normal workers, meaning that they are unable to work as well and thus earn equal pay; and exegetics shows that God created Eve as a companion for Adam, not as a co-worker.

What...the...fuck?!?!?! We'll be seeing him on Jerry Springer one day no doubt.

You may want to go and see this train wreck for yourself. These people will some day be voters and work in government. I weep.

Good touching

I can't make this stuff up. Thanks to Monkey over at HappyBubble.com

I give you: Busty Mouse Pads

Kittah!

This is the kind of responsible behavior I think we can all approve of. Cats using public transport.

Just Married

I alluded to this incident a few posts ago, but just now found my camera and got the picture off it. The scene, somewhere in Kentucky I believe. Tired from a long haul we search for a motel with reasonable rates. Our first two stops are a bust. Then we pull into a no-name budget motel. Rossana hops out to inquire what the rates are. I look out the van window and see the following:


There are no cans and no other signs of decoration. After a minute or two a young mans steps out of the motel office. He's dressed in a cheap windbreaker and a baseball hat and jeans. He gets in the truck and pulls up to a parking spot. Some kind of intense discussion is taking place.

Rossana comes out with a room key. The room rate must be acceptable. We pull ahead and park the van. As Lindsey and Rossana haul the overnight bags to the room I stare back at the truck. Who are these kids? One can create a pretty good narrative just looking at the situation. No friends or family with them, plain dress, and now debating whether they have the funds to get a cheap motel room. Part of me knows that these two are not in for an easy go of it. That they might well be divorced in a year, maybe less, but not before she gets knocked up and goes back to living with her mom. There was just something so sad about this little drama.

I walked back to the office, the young man had found a coupon from one of those travel magazines they have at the rest stops and was literally counting change.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you the man who just got married?"

The kid blinks at me and grins sheepishly. "Yeah, I am."

Man, this kid is what? 19? 20? I recall how I both had and knew jack squat when I was his age, but was smart enough not to consider getting married.

I looked at the motel manager. "I'll be paying for this gentleman's room for this evening. How much is it?"

The manager does a double take and looks down "Um, $51.85"

I pull out a fifty and a one. "Can you cover the eighty-five cents?" I ask the kid.

He's looking art me like I just grew a new eye on my forehead.

"Uh, sure. " he fumbled for a single "I must say sir, that's about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me" His drawl is thick and twangy.

If this is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for him, he's had a far shittier life than me. I've been blessed by good luck and a lot of help over the years from all kinds of people. Thanks to them I never had my gas turned off or a car repossessed or went hungry or had to sleep in my car. And I never forgot it. I never once have thought of myself as a 'self made man'.

"I've had people do nice things for me over the years. Someday you might be able to do the same for someone else."

I wanted to pass on some words of wisdom. Something that might bring about some epiphany or grant him some level of enlightenment or encouragement. But I couldn't think of anything. Besides, the lobby of a cheap motel is not the place to pass on life lessons, also, I didn't want to seem like some weird stalker type. I shook his hand and wished him good luck and safe journeys. Then I walked out.

As I walked back to our room a small part of my brain wondered if maybe this wasn't some kind of scam. Hang around a motel looking forlorn and hoping someone, either the motel manager or a passerby will take pity of you. Was I a sucker? If it was, it was a pretty clever scam. But no, they were already there when we pulled up, and the manager wasn't giving him any kind of break.

I think things were as they seemed. And my stepping in isn't going to change the course of their lives any. It's likely things will unfold as I predicted. But maybe not. Sometimes one small break can make a difference. That's good enough I guess. Anyone else done something strange like this?

Furniture from Guns

A facinating set of pictures of weapons parts turned into furniture.

Funniest video EVAR

If you're not familiar with the British show Top Gear you are really missing something. Alas, I can;t get it here but thanks to youtube some of the best of it is available to all.

WTF??

For those of you who do not yet know of Wikipedia (all three of you) I urge you to visit the site and then bookmark it. It is a great resource for all manner of information. Editable by all, constantly growing thanks to user contribution and available in several languages.

But there is a dark side to Wikipedia. As Stephen Colbert once said "Facts have a well known liberal bias". So some creative people have make Conservapedia. It's like Wikipedia, but without all the whacko, liberal, fact-checking hippies.

There's little I can add to this review by, of all people, a conservative. It'll give you a good chuckle. And if you're really brave, go take a look at the site for yourself. I did. Check out this tidbit about kangaroos:

Like all modern animals, modern kangaroos originated in the Middle East^[1] and are the descendants of the two founding members of the modern kangaroo baramin that were taken aboard Noah's Ark prior to the Great Flood.

Wow.

Pardon me?

After reading the headline from thisUK article I was bit miffed, if not downright aggrivated:

Campaign to pardon Britain's last convicted witch

This is especially strange since she was convicted during WWII. Weren't we done with this nonsence by then? But it gets stranger once you dig a little deeper. Apparently the lady in question, seemed to have information about wartime ship sinkings that hadn't been made public. She was imprisioned for 9 months. Churchill did away with the laws after the war but the woman didn't get a pardon.

She seemed to know something. The Government, having no evidence she was a spy but fearfull D-day information might be leaked, silenced her. Of course it's pretty clear how we'd handle something like this today. Off to Gitmo for a good waterboarding.

It would be funney if it weren't insane and sad...

Some of you may have heard me give the 30 second version of "What Scientology?". Upon hearing this, many of you say "What the....are you kidding me??"

No. I'm not kidding you. If you'd like a nice animated version click the image below.





This is not a joke. This 'church' is very popular among the Hollywood set and they rake in BILLIONS of dollars from their followers. The also have a long and ugly history that involves murder, terrorism, attack lawyers and more. Go check out Xenu.net for more info. But I warn you, you won't like what you see.