Yearly Archives: 2006


Get Thee Out

If you believe in things like satan and possession by evil spirits then you probably need folks around called exorcists. Exorcists might say things like:

“Magic is always a turn to the devil,” said the Roman Catholic priest, according to Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.
Amorth, who is also the president of the International Association of Exorcists, said the series contains many positive references to “the satanic art” of magic and makes no distinction between black and white magic.
Amorth compared the Potter character to dictators Stalin and Hitler, saying they were possessed by the devil.
“You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That’s why we need to defend society from demons,” said Amorth, who has reportedly performed 30,000 exorcisms.

Apparently he is paid or at least fully supported to perform his hand wavings.

Via MaxSpeak, You Listen!.


Cleaning Up After w…

Perhaps some hundreds or thousands of these scattered around Bagdad and environs will protect Americans and Iraqis from the hell that dick and george have created:
bulletprooftoilet.jpg
These things are apparently sprouting up in Beijing:

Evidently a necessary invention in a world filled with terror, the structure is not only bulletproof, but can withstand a 15 ton blast as well.

Are the Chinese expecting something?


Friday Ark #103

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….?

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page(construction underway).

Note: Leading off this weeks Ark are the boarders that didn’t make last week’s edition due to the staff’s vacation. They are marked with an *.

Cats

Other Vertebrates

Dogs

Birds

Invertebrates

In Memoriam

  • x

Didn’t Make It

  • x

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

  • x

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map. (72 shouts as of 09/06)

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to the Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey’s Musings.

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and the 128th edition, 9/3 is up at Watermark. The 130th edition will be hosted by Begin Each Day on 9/10. There are more weekly cats at eatstuff’s Weekend Cat Blogging which has many participants who may not be familiar to Ark or Carnival participants. Do go shout out at The Catbloggers Frappr Map.

Bird folks: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks. The 31st edition is up and hosted by migrateblog.The 32st edition will be hosted on 9/14 by Sand Creek Almanac.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles. The 12th edition is up at Sunbeams From Cucumbers . The 13th edition will be hosted September 30 by Deep Sea News.

For other current carnivals check out The Conservative Cat’s Carnival Page, The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Note for Haloscan Users:

Haloscan started (the end of July) rejecting trackbacks if they were submitted “too rapidly” by the same host. I don’t know what the timer is but it is long enough so that it was very difficult to ping everyone that is using Haloscan for trackbacks. I’m sure that they are doing this to try to hold back the tide of trackback spam but it makes the service pretty useless for carnival type posts. Perhaps you can contact them and urge some different solution. Update: Typepad appears to be doing the same thing. Everytime I update the Ark it appears the timers are reset and the long list of MT autogenerated pings fail. Yecchhhh….


Solving New Orlean’s Murder Problem

Yesterday afternoon NPR presented a lengthy story on murder in present day New Orleans:

New Orleans’ murder rate is as high as it was in July 2005, but the city’s homicide squad employs one-quarter the staff it had before Katrina. Day or night, working conditions are beyond difficult.

Early in the piece the reporter noted that many think that the high murder rate, nearly double that of pre-Katrina New Orleans, is due to strife between gangs over drug sales turf. This may be true and midway through the piece one police officer is interviewed who very explicity describes the battles going on over various street corners. Yet of all the murders that are reported in the story only one closes with its cause: a 15 year old boy is killed by someone who thinks he stole his FEMA money.

Not drugs but Fema money.

However, if the good folks in New Orleans would like to dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, the drug turf murders and mayhem they can do so easily: legalize the sale and use of currenly illegal drugs. There are few murders over the marketing and sale of goods and services that are not suppressed by governments.

So, New Orleans, solve your drug related murder problem. Reject the failed war on drugs.