November 30, 2007

Friday Ark #167

We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

Birds

Dogs

Other Vertebrates

Invertebrates

In Memoriam

Didn't Make It

  • x

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Posted by Steve on November 30, 2007 | Comments (5)

November 29, 2007

Thanksgiving Birds

The Greenbelt is hosting I and the Bird #63: Thanksgiving Edition.

Fly on over!

Posted by Steve on November 29, 2007

November 27, 2007

Skritch'n Tuesday

You know what to do:

For a slightly different portrayal of pets and animals check out Caw to Art #3.

Enjoy!

Posted by Steve on November 27, 2007 | Comments (1)

November 26, 2007

Did Some Libertarians Support the Iraq War?

Bryan Caplan's question:

Why Did So Many Libertarians Support the War?
The answer is much simpler than the possibilities that Bryan suggests.

No libertarians supported the Iraq war.

Via.

Posted by Steve on November 26, 2007

November 23, 2007

Friday Ark #166

We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

Birds

Dogs

Other Vertebrates

Invertebrates

  • Science Notes: jellyfish wipe out salmon farm

In Memoriam

  • Cascade Exposures: Can't believe it's been one year since Pepper died.

Didn't Make It

  • x

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Posted by Steve on November 23, 2007 | Comments (9)

November 22, 2007

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!


Give all your loved one's a hug!

Posted by Steve on November 22, 2007 | Comments (1)

November 21, 2007

Gmail: One View On How to Fix It

Philipp Lenssman asks: What If Gmail Had Been Designed by Microsoft?

Looks about right.

Posted by Steve on November 21, 2007

November 20, 2007

Scripting the presidential Debates

Why ask hillary a serious question when you can ask her whether she prefers pearls or diamonds?

Because CNN scripted the debate!

Of course, the candidates would not have had anything to do with this....

And, would we have gotten a honest answer?

Via Alas, A blog.

Posted by Steve on November 20, 2007

An Honest president?

Not likely:

An honest president would threaten the corrupt, dishonest and rigged two-party political system, so one getting a presidential nomination is improbable. How could an honest person obtain financing for their campaign? How could they get diverse groups to support their candidacy?

But if we are going to have such an office shouldn't we have an honest president?

If the answer is yes, shouldn't we throw out the current corrupt methodology of selecting candidates? And, yes, we may still not get an honest president but it would be hard to make that less likely than it is now.

Posted by Steve on November 20, 2007

In The We Are Everywhere Category

Alex Allen, the new British Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, is a Deadhead:

A fans' website that lists every album, every track and every piece of trivia known about the group is lovingly compiled by a Deadhead called Alex Allan, the same Alex Allan who, by day, works as one of Britain's top civil servants. Yesterday, he was named as the next chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, the apex of the Government's spy network.
If you are not familiar with the Grateful Dead Lyric and Song Finder you should check it out! And, the links in the left sidebar have even more cool stuff.

I don't think the rest of the article does full justice to a guy who is adding this to his CV:

Nov 2007 Appointed Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.
at the same time he is adding these updates to the Lyric and Song Finder:
18 Nov 2007
I've added a heap more new songs played by Phil Lesh and Friends: Boris The Spider, Chest Fever, Don't Let The Devil Take Your Mind, Downhearted, Ghost, I Put A Spell On You, Lorene, Sympathy For The Devil and Voodoo Chile.

9 Nov 2007
I've added track lists and cross references for Road Trips Volume 1 Number 1.

30 Oct 2007
I've added four more new songs played by Phil Lesh and Friends: The Gambler, Like A Ball And Chain, Plasma and Shine.

Check him out in cycling regalia (2nd from left):


AAdhcycle.jpg


and on his way to work one day in 1999:



(click to embiggen)


Check out the whole wind surfing sequence!


Posted by Steve on November 20, 2007

November 19, 2007

November 18, 2007

If You Are Reading This Blog....

...you are a....

cash advance


Alternate take: maybe that's why there are not tens of thousands of you.....

Via and via.

Posted by Steve on November 18, 2007 | Comments (1)

November 16, 2007

Friday Ark #165

We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

Birds

Other Vertebrates

Dogs

Invertebrates

In Memoriam

  • x

Didn't Make It

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Posted by Steve on November 16, 2007 | Comments (7)

November 15, 2007

Thursday Birding and Artful Pets

I and the Bird #62 is up at Greg Laden's new place. As always you will find wonderful pictures of our feathered friends, travelogues, stories, science and, this time, some poetry.

For a slightly different perspective on critters check out Caw to art! #2: an effort to showcase pets and animals in an ARTFUL manner.

Posted by Steve on November 15, 2007

November 14, 2007

Trespassing Dog Killers

If someone trespasses on your property and shoots your dog it seems you would be well within your rights to return the favor.

Also you would expect that the folks you pay to provide protection against the bad folks would step in, bust the perpetrator and throw the proverbial book at them.

But you would be wrong.

Via The Agitator.

Posted by Steve on November 14, 2007 | Comments (1)

Eliminate Racist Drug Laws

Papa's headline reads Congress Must Fix Racist Crack/Powder Disparity Laws

Criminal penalties for possession and sales of cocaine are severe. But the penalties for crack cocaine are much more severe, despite the fact that pharmacologically they are the same drug. If these suggested changes, take affect and are applied retroactively, it will do a lot to balance the scales of justice in reforming a bad law that has dished out unfair sentences to people convicted of crack cocaine offenses.
Within its context this is right. There is no excuse for the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. In fact, any sentence related to the drug trade is unfair.

Fixing this bit of congressional stupidity does nothing though to fix the problem and relatively little to fix the racist aspects of the drug war.

The problem is the drug war itself. Our supposed public servants have no business in the prohibition business.

Remove the anti-drug laws now and receive a myriad of benefits including, inter alia, a rapid reduction in jail and prison population, substantially reduced law enforcement budgets, improved relations with drug producing countries and their people, dramatically reduced drug prices by eliminating the risk premium and an end to drug trade related violence. And, yes, it will eliminate the massive racial bias in drug law enforcement and sentencing that has existed for decades

STOP THE DRUG WAR.

Posted by Steve on November 14, 2007

November 13, 2007

Tuesday Skritch'n

Need to relax after a long weekend of housecleaning? Well, I do!

Let's go skritch'm:

If you prefer dogs a few boarded last week's Friday Ark. For feathers head over to I and the Bird #61 and if you need things a bit squishier try out Circus of the Spineless #26.

Enjoy!

Posted by Steve on November 13, 2007 | Comments (1)

November 9, 2007

Friday Ark #164

We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

November 8, 2007

High Bribery?

Maybe, maybe not.

But in whose pocket is this money ending up:

In fact, however, a considerable amount of the money the U.S. gives to Pakistan is administered not through U.S. agencies or joint U.S.-Pakistani programs. Instead, the U.S. gives Musharraf's government about $200 million annually and his military $100 million monthly in the form of direct cash transfers.
Shouldn't there be some public accounting of how this money, or any foreign aid, is being used?

dear leader and his little helpers would argue that once they have taken it from us or borrowed it from the Chinese we have no right to know. This is, of course, wrong. A government doing the people's business must be completely transparent!

Via Danger Room.

Posted by Steve on November 8, 2007

Having Drank the democrat's Kool-Aid

Bob Cesca paints a glowing expectation of democratic party behavior:

Public perception can beat the shit out of political nuance. The Bush Republicans know this and they have abused it for their own nefarious ends. The Democrats, on the other hand, have somehow overlooked this very basic rule of 21st Century American politics, which is a shame since they would more often than not use it for the betterment of the nation.
If only the betterment of the nation were their goal....

Cesca spends the rest of this otherwise excellent article berating the dems for their abject failure to work toward the betterment of the nation since taking control of congress.

There is no reason to expect anything different anytime soon. As Arthur notes;

This is where we've come: two criminal gangs run the United States from Washington. Neither of them understands the supreme and sacred value of an individual human life. Neither understands any matter of principle relating to liberty or peace. Both of them are intent upon power, no matter how many innocent people must die, and regardless of how many countries must be destroyed, including our own.

This is your government today. Two murdering, thieving, plundering, power-mad gangs, both of which deserve the worst fate that can be imagined. These are the people who will rule you for years to come.

If you are going to be a democrat or a republican you should own up to the thuggery you are supporting. Nora and John, there really is an alternative.

Being an independent feels pretty good right now.

Posted by Steve on November 8, 2007

November 6, 2007

The True Nature of the Scientific Mind

Go see for yourself:

We make no claim to the doctoral level status of the above links. Nevertheless, Modulator's scan is below the fold.





How does it know that the sunrise has burned my eyes many a time....

Posted by Steve on November 6, 2007

November 5, 2007

Monday Kitty Skritch'n and A New Carnival

Go skritch'm:

Enjoy!

Pet Monologues is kicking off a new carnival this week called Caw to art:

A weekly collecting of animal creative be it fine art, photography, illustration, sculpture, literary works, video, or commercial works.

Send'm your animal art!

Posted by Steve on November 5, 2007 | Comments (1)

November 2, 2007

Friday Ark #163

We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

Birds

Other Vertebrates

Dogs

Invertebrates

In Memoriam

Didn't Make It

  • x

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Posted by Steve on November 2, 2007 | Comments (6)

November 1, 2007

As Seen on TV: Birds, Birds, Birds

I and the Bird #61: As seen on TV! is up at The Drinking Bird:

This fully integrated, fully automated, fully birdinated new product will allow you, yes YOU, to fill all your bird blogging needs!
Yes, I know these bird things like to eat some of our more slimy fellow inhabitants but they are nifty creatures in their own right.

Go join the flock!

Posted by Steve on November 1, 2007

Post Halloween -

Enough, now, of simulated skeletons, vampires, zombies and presidents (past, present and pretenders).

It is time for the real, the more important, spineless!!

The Other 95% hosts Circus of the Spineless #26 and reminds us:

They make up the majority animal life on this planet, 95% by conservative estimates. Though their diversity of form and function, as well as scientific and economic importance, is unabashedly high they often take a back seat to the mere 5% that make the backboned (especially the furry lactating kind).

As always there many wonderful pictures and informative posts to explore.

Posted by Steve on November 1, 2007