chupacabra

08:20 pm: GLOBAL WARNING!
I have been delighted to watch, over the past year, Global Warming go from crank theory to pop sensation. It's hard to find any newsmedia outlet without its Global Warming scare story. It even has its own rock concert franchise. Reactionaries are already babbling about the hype and hysteria and I will be interested to see in the near future newsmedia tackling its all-time favorite topic - the excesses of the newsmedia, in a series of searching articles about the flood of Global Warming coverage. A local newspaper recently jumped on the Warming wagon with its own front-page scare story under the headline "Life could worsen by degrees," sub-headed with "Climate change predicted to bring floods, fire, rain."

I am so thankful that I learned about "weasel words." Those are words which are used to make a statement seem meaningful but which, once you learn about them, tell you clearly that it's actually quite meaningless. Words like if, could, might, and may in a statement tell you that the statement is NOT FACT. That means it is speculation, extrapolation, or even pure fantasy. I went through that article and marked every appearance of those words. I marked "predicted," which is also speculation, as well as "according to experts." What experts, and how did they become experts? It doesn't say - that's a logical fallacy called "appeal to authority," another way of making things seem factual. Potential is another way of disguising pure speculation, and "based mainly on peer-reviewed and published scientific and technical literature" is just another way of saying "according to experts."

Almost every paragraph of the article had one of these disclaimers in it. One remarkable section, ten paragraphs in length, was a comparison of the city of Houston Texas with Portland Oregon. It all pivoted around one central IF - if Portland became as hot as Houston these are what the results would be. Could that happen and how? Do the geophysical situations, for example, of the two cities have any similarity which could make that possible? Dunno. Not addressed. Not just speculation but PURE FANTASY, no more or less factual than winged pigs.

When I got through eliminating everything that was speculative or fantastic, there wasn't much article left, and I can't find a single thing in it that looks like a factual conclusion. Every piece of evidence is attached to a might or a could or an if.

I am all for Global Warming - the only thing I don't like about it is that it's so slow, reducing my chances of ever seeing overturned ocean liners nosing in among flooded skyscrapers. To most people it's just this decade's El Nino - a pat explanation for any raindrop that falls out of place, every tornado or winter storm. Ten feet of snow? Global Warming! Gee it's hot today. Global Warming! My lettuce isn't doing well this year. Global Warming! It's been peddled to the public in deceptive propaganda pieces using cartoon polar bears and forest fire photos, and the facts are almost impossible to find amid all the sensation. Is it really happening? You sure can't tell from the papers.

I think anything that gets people to stop being so damn stupid is basically a step forward, and most of us are so dumb the only thing that will get us off our butts is a gun to the head. I am a believer in the principles of Systemantics - all systems operate in failure mode, and any attempt to improve a system creates more problems than just letting it fail. Nobody asks me what I think they ought to do before they do it, and I think the best thing I can do for people is to let them learn from their own mistakes. So hooray for Global Warming! Learn as much as you can from it.

07:55 pm: The nine Commandments of the Bohemians
Read and heed, for they are the rules by which you shall go
down in a blaze of glorious drink, women and the tattered,
burning shreds of western literature.

I: Thou shall write your own life.

II: Thou shall sever your family roots.

III: Man kann seine Eltern nie schlecht genug behandeln

IV: Thou shall never beat your neighbour for less than five
crowns.

V: Thou shall hate and despise all farmsmen.

VI: Thou shall never bear celluloid cuffs.

VII: Never neglect to make a scandal in the theatre.

VIII: Thou shall never regret.

IX: Thou shall kill thyself.

07:53 pm: It's a female chupacabra
http://chupa.servebeer.com/gal Look for Emma.

04:02 pm: Can I make 80?
After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, the doctor said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco or drink beer or wine?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either."

He asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"

I said, "No, my other Doctor said that all red meat is unhealthy."

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking,or bicycling?"

"No, I don't," I said.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"

"No," I said. "I don't do any of those things."

He looked at me and said, "Then why do you give a shit?"

10:28 pm: New/Not So Job
After I pretty much recovered from my scooter wreck I went looking for a job on craigslist. Tired of IT I decided to do something that actually produced something. Machining.

Found one or two and sent in the resume. Got one interested in my cryogenic work so I was sure I could get that one. Found out it was in Driftwood, Tx and I live in 78704. Oh well the scoot will make it so I go for the interview. An hour later and I am lost sitting in Driftwood proper.

Went around another hour to Wimberly and asked someone about my age and they told me exactly how to get there. Walked in and it is an artisan shop. Hand forged swords and other medieval things. Walked around and thought, "This should be fun." My interview was, "If I told you to run this part what would you do to start off?" I said I would want to look at the blueprint first. He said "There ain't no prints." I knew then I had the job because I knew the interviewer for 20 years. We had been in different shops competing for and swapping parts for years.

Asked what I had to ask for money and got it.

Figured out it was 30 miles each way but traffic was always the other way so it was good. The Vespa was not happy but I awaited my first check to buy a new black box for my BMW motorcycle. Everyrone out on those country roads wants to do 80. My scooter only does 70. One guy repeatedly came right up on my ass and passed and at the last minute only to slam on the brakes when in front of me. Maybe it was my Tie-Dye sox. I dunnoo. First time I called him out: shot the finger and other things not so mentionable here. The I just started waving and smiling at him. He still persisted.

First check wasn't enough to pay all my bills and a black box. dern it So it was another two weeks on the scoot all the way down Manchaca to Hays High School then over to 150. I used to only do that route for fun early Saturdays.

The work is good. Took me a while to get the whole thing because it is so unusual but now I can design my own wack out stuff to sell. I had to fight off the biggest scorpian I ever saw in Texas and now I am a little freaked but maybe I will get over my scorpian fear. He/She was hiding behind the tool and cutter grinder when I went to turn it on.

Ok nuff for now. this will change and get larger. if not remind me to get on the stick.

01:00 pm: BrokeBack Mountain
As Oscar voters gear up for the season we thought we'd post this hilarious sendup of Brokeback Mountain.

http://pinkdome.com/archives/2006/01/for_your_consid.html

03:16 pm: Ethical Delimma

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:


1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your small car?

Think before you continue reading.

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.


Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again..........

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered, "I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside the Box "

HOWEVER...., the correct answer is to run the old lady over and put her out of her misery, have sex with the perfect partner on the hood of the car, then drive off with the old friend for a few drinks!!!!

God, I just love happy endings.

02:23 pm: Fun with Teachers Cellphone.



More workplace inappropriateness was revealed this week with the news of
a teacher in Cyprus who left her mobile phone unguarded on her desk when
stepping out of the classroom.

Cypriot kids being much like kids anywhere else, it transpires,
unsurprisingly, couldn't resist such a jaw-gapingly fortuitous,
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for mischief and snatched the mobile off
Teacher's desk.

Possibly thinking about sending some joke texts or making some prank
calls the child or children behind the theft were understandably
distracted from any previous plans they may have had when they
discovered a picture message featuring Miss in the buff.

There probably aren't words for the magnitude of the 'Oh dear Lord,
we've struck gold' feeling which swept through the minds of
impressionable youths at this point.

Of course, you know what happened next. The picture was sent to every
student with picture messaging capability on their handset, who in turn
forwarded it on some more until within hours it had pretty much been
seen by everybody on the island. (OK, the Round-Up exaggerates.)

The rumpus alarmed parents and staff leading to a full investigation in
co-operation and the involvement of the local police... who probably had
to look at the picture closely for the purposes of the investigation.

And to think some said MMS would never be successful.

12:03 pm: Dern Xtians
Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's
morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several members did
not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to
maintain their silence.
She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being
an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only
bar one afternoon. She emphatically told George and several others that
everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.
George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and
walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing. Later that
evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house...walked
home....and left it there all night

04:06 pm: An account of the War on Terror, as rendered via the Unix command-line:

The War on Terror

As viewed from the Bourne shell.

$ cd /middle_east
$ ls
Afghanistan Iraq Libya Saudi_Arabia UAE
Algeria Israel Morrocco Sudan Yemen
Bahrain Jordan Oman Syria
Egypt Kuwait Palestine Tunisia
Iran Lebanon Qatar Turkey

$ cd Afghanistan
$ ls
bin Taliban
$ rm Taliban
rm: Taliban is a directory
$ cd Taliban
$ ls
soldiers
$ rm soldiers
$ cd ..
$ rmdir Taliban
rmdir: directory "Taliban": Directory not empty
$ cd Taliban
$ ls -a
. .. .insurgents
$ chown -R USA .*
chown: .insurgents: Not owner
$ cd ..
$ su
Password: *******
# mv Taliban /tmp
# exit
$ ls
bin
$ cd bin
$ ls
laden
$ cd ..
$ rm -r bin/laden
bin/laden: No such file or directory
$ find / -name laden
$
$ su
Password: *******
# mv bin /tmp
# exit
$ pwd
/middle_east/Afghanistan
$ cd /opt/UN
$ ln -s /Bad_Guys/Al_Qaeda /middle_east/Iraq/.
ln: cannot create /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda: Permission denied
$ su
Password:*******
# ln -s /Bad_Guys/Al_Qaeda /middle_east/Iraq/.
# cd /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
Al_Qaeda: does not exist
# rm /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# mkfile 100g /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
mkfile: No space left on device
# rm /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# cd /opt/Coalition/Willing
# mkfile 1b /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# chown -R USA:Proof /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
#exit
$ cd /middle_east/Iraq
$ ls
saddam
$ ls
saddam
$ ls
saddam
$ ls -a
. .. saddam
$ find / -name [Ww][Mm][Dd]
/Korea/North/wMd
$ wall Propaganda.txt
Broadcast Message from USA (pts/1) on USS_Abraham_Lincoln Th May 1st
Mission Accomplished!
$ rm saddam
saddam: No such file or directory
$ find / -name saddam
/var/opt/dictators/spiderhole/saddam
$ wall NewsWorthy.txt
Broadcast Message from USA (pts/1) on Time.Magazine Sat Dec 13
We Got Him!
$ mv /var/opt/dictators/spiderhole/saddam /opt/jail
$ cd /opt/USA
$ cp -Rp Democracy /middle_east/Iraq
$ cd /middle_east/Iraq/Democracy
$ ./install
Install Error: Install failed. See install_log for details.
$ more install_log
Installed failed!
Prerequisite packages missing
Conflicting package Wahhabism found in /midde_east/Saudi_Arabia
Packages Church and State must be installed separately
File System /PeakOil nearing capacity
Please read the install guide to properly plan your installation.
$