April 05, 2006
South Park kicks ass
They finally address the Mohammed cartoon "controversy" and it is wonderful. Cartman is an ass, and so far they are doing well showing how ridiculous this bowing to terrorists and fantics is.
UPDATE: Never mind. It's all about their hatred of Family Guy.
Which I love, by the way.
Posted by Kat at 10:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 07, 2006
The world loses a fighter
Dana Reeve, an amazing person if there ever was one, is dead at 44. The news seems to have broken around 8:30 this morning.
She looked wonderful at Mark Messier's retirement celebration a couple months ago...I wonder what happened to make her go downhill so fast.
Posted by Kat at 09:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 15, 2006
Gmail "Quote of the Day"
Mark Twain - "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
Does Gmail ever post non-anti-establishment quotes? Anyone know?
Also, in reading Le Monde online, I came across the following article (use babelfish.altavista.com to translate if you don't read French) about Google creating a "Search Across Computers" option in their Desktop Search.
I think I'm upset at this invasion of privacy. How many people are going to enable this without knowing exactly what it does?
Fils des putains.
Posted by Kat at 01:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 14, 2006
Censorship
Apparently behind the Chinese firewall, one cannot access Blog*Spot blogs.
What in FUCKING HELL is Google doing, allowing themselves to be censored by a government?!
I wish I didn't have to leave, because I have so much more to say on this topic.
Alas, I have a paper due in an hour and a half that isn't written.
Posted by Kat at 09:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 05, 2006
Postal rate update
Someone remind me tomorrow to post about my experience with the asshats at the post office.
I'm really pissed at them. They deserve to collapse under the weight of their own bureaucracy.
Posted by Kat at 02:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Postal rate increase
Stock up on those 2c stamps. The postal rate goes up to 39c on Jan. 8th. Sunday.
Anyone else know about this? The first I heard of it was a few minutes ago as I was ordering stamps online. Did a google search, and an MSNBC article, Baltimore Sun article, and Kansas City Star one were the only news bits that popped up.
Fox and NYTimes aren't even on the first google search page. MSNBC and CNN seem to have buried it under the "OMG! Iraq bombing!" headlines.
Posted by Kat at 11:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
We all knew it had to happen someday
My prayers go out to Sharon and his family. Although he may not be able to return to power, perhaps he can be comfortable for his remaining days.
Posted by Kat at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 03, 2005
And the award for obvious statement of the day goes to...
It's a TIE! The UN and The New York Times for Torture Is 'Widespread' in China, U.N. Investigator Says!
Yay!
Posted by Kat at 11:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 29, 2005
A rant directed towards media people
Make up your minds. If they're homicide bombers, suicide bombers, insurgents, terrorists, yellow-bellied cowards, or frat boys with underwear on their head, then call them that. Don't use two things to describe the same person in the SAME ARTICLE!
I mean, really. That's just bad journalism.
Posted by Kat at 10:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 28, 2005
What in God's Holy Heaven are they thinking?!
PETA Tells Kids to Run From Daddy
...comic books that portray fathers as homicidal maniacs.The handout, titled "Your Daddy Kills Animals," features a grinning lunatic gutting a fish, and warns kids to keep their puppies and kittens away from Dad because he's "hooked on killing."
Is that all? No, not in the least.
PETA claims its only goal is to reduce meat consumption by changing children's eating habits.
Right, because making sure that kids are terrified of dad is really going to change their eating habits.
Remember, kids, PETA kills animals!
Posted by Kat at 02:17 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 21, 2005
France
Three weeks of rioting.
Is the country collapsing?
Posted by Kat at 11:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 18, 2005
A child is missing
A child in Colorado is suspected to have been dead for 18 months.
She's 6.
How in hell did someone not notice? A SIX YEAR OLD CHILD HASN'T BEEN SEEN FOR 18 MONTHS.
Only now do her parents say "oh, she ran away a few days ago after I wouldn't give her a cookie."
BULL.
SHIT.
I'm disgusted. People want to protect children, but they always forget about the ones who really need protection in favor of stupid things like the VChip and a woman's tit or naked back.
Posted by Kat at 12:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 15, 2005
A big FUCK YOU to everyone who said "Saddam didn't have WMD"
Commenting on Saddam's enriched uranium stash after the U.S. Energy Department removed it to Oak Ridge, Tenn., in June 2004, top physicist Ivan Oelrich told the Associated Press:"[Saddam's] 1.95 tons of low-enriched uranium could be used to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make a single nuclear bomb."
Oh, ladies and gentlemen, THAT'S NOT ALL...
In a March 2003 op-ed piece for London's Evening Standard, Norman Dombey, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Sussex, calculated that Saddam's yellowcake could have yielded a staggering nuclear arsenal."You have a warehouse containing 500 tons of natural uranium," Dombey wrote. "You need 25 kilograms of U235 to build one weapon. How many nuclear weapons can you build?
"The answer is 142 [nuclear bombs]
No WMD's, huh?
(Thank you, Ace. Although I noticed that the story about MDMA talked about abuse, not moderate use. Abuse of anything will fuck with your brain.)
Posted by Kat at 04:49 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Kids are nasty, no question
I'm gonna disagree with Feisty on this one. Yes, to some degree, kids need to learn how to deal with crap. But if they were really tormenting her, which I suspect they were, the school should have done something about it. Since they didn't, the parents' only recourse was to sue. I just hope it taught the school a lesson.
Oftentimes, things are brushed off as "kids being kids" when, if it was a group of adults showing that kind of behaviour, they would be arrested. If, by 7 years old, the kids don't understand what is appropriate behaviour and what is not, that's the parents' problem and needs to be dealt with within the home. However, if the parents aren't doing anything, then the school needs to step in and enact some discipline. If they don't do anything, SUE THEIR ASSES.
If my school had stepped in when I needed them to, I think I probably wouldn't struggle with the problems I have now. It's taken me nearly 15 years to come to terms with how nasty girls can be, and realize that it was their problem, not mine. There are some seriously fucked-up kids out there, and it's the adults' responsibility to straighten them out when they're young.
I don't mean to say "put every kid on Ritalin" or "send them all to gulag camps", because neither of those is a solution. All it does is fuck up the kid more. But parents do need to institute discipline, with the kids' consent. Sit down, talk to the kid when everything is calm, and agree to have certain results for certain actions. Prepare them for real life.
Oh, and in no way was I oversensitive. Even now, people ask how I survived the crap I went through as a kid. Apparently I got it worse than anyone else at my school.
Posted by Kat at 11:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 09, 2005
French use blogs to both incite and quiet violence
Something I haven't seen much in the blogosphere in the last couple weeks is about how the French are using blogs to incite violence, but also to try and quiet it.
CNN has a story about it, though.
Young rioters are using blog messages to incite violence and cell phones to organize attacks in guerrilla-like tactics they have copied from anti-globalization protesters, security experts say.
This goes along with the concept of a post I've been working on about the intersection of modern free-market economics and the internet, as well as how the current consumer generation treats the internet. It's not very long, but is written out longhand and needs to be transcribed. Hazard of writing blog entries on the subway.
Posted by Kat at 05:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
City University of New York
If my call is so fucking important to you, YOU WOULD PICK UP THE GODDAMNED FUCKING PHONE AND ANSWER MY STUPID LITTLE FIVE SECOND QUESTION!!!!!
Posted by Kat at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 08, 2005
Racism
You know there's a problem with narrow-mindedness when a neighborhood newspaper has the headline "Black Long Island Nanny Accuses Her White Employer of Abuse"
Posted by Kat at 06:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 04, 2005
Paris
They brought the riots on themselves.
Their own welfare system fucked them.
I hope the people I know, and their families and friends are ok.
The rest can go fuck themselves.
Posted by Kat at 12:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 31, 2005
Disagreement
For the first time since I started reading her words, I disagree with one of Sissy's posts. Comes as somewhat of a shock to me, as usually I find myself nodding my head and thinking about how to best use her arguments in my own daily discussions with family and friends.
While we agree with Roger re "the infantile partisanship dominating American political life" -- today and throughout our nation's history -- we're still gagging at Lanny Davis's scare quotes attempting to gloss over the b>rampant Clintonian political corruption, from day one of the co-presidency, that was forever swept under the carpet with "I don't recall" and "It depends upon what your definition of is, is." Our personal favorite was the Clinton aide whose excuse was that he had lied to his diary. Don't we all? Did that work for you, Lanny? Sorry. It didn't work for us unwashed out here.(emphasis mine)
Political corruption runs rampant in every presidency. I don't give a flying fuck who is the cause of it, or who furthers it. Whoever those people are, if it can be proven that they knew exactly what they were doing and with disregard for the American Public, they should be gone, and charged with the appropriate crimes.
BUT (and this is a big but)
Clinton was no more or less corrupt than any other president. He had his strengths (domestic policy, charisma) and his weaknesses (foreign policy, charisma), but so does every president. They are human, which is why we have checks and balances in our system, instead of putting all our power in one person. We have a political system that works better than socialism, better than a dictatorship, and better than a facist bureaucracy, because the Founding Fathers understood that the people involved are human, and prone to mistakes.
To highlight one presidency and call it more corrupt than the others (with the exception of Nixon, he was a whole other can of worms), is to misunderstand, however slightly, that these people are only human.
And to do it while writing about an article that discusses the harm of partisanship - shame on you, Sissy, for playing into those politics.
I hate partisanship, no matter where it comes from. There is no need for it, and there is nothing preventing people from ending it themselves, except their own hate and distrust. I expect more from a New England Republican.
Posted by Kat at 10:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
I wish I had one of those "dubious" smilies from message boards
Ok. So, this story, from the Houston Chronicle, talks about Exxon-Mobil employees getting fake flu shots.
Here's the last line in the story:
She said Exxon Mobil also recommended that employees given the flu shot should be tested for blood-borne pathogens, or germs.
Anyone notice anything odd about that line? Keep in mind, this was written by an actual Journalist.
Give me blogs any day of the week.
(Story found via...who else? Laurence.)
Posted by Kat at 01:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 21, 2005
Hehehe
Nancy Reagan: Thank you, President and Mrs. Reagan...
Bush: Freedom is one of the noblest and deepest human aspiration.
Posted by Kat at 02:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Three Questions
1. Who is stupid enough to try to drive a bomb to the capitol building?
2. Who could then be even stupider, and TELL a cop that you have a bomb?
3. What Kool-Aid are these morons drinking, and can we keep it out of the water supply?
Posted by Kat at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2005
Tell me this...
Why is it all these reporters are over reporting on the earthquake, but none of them seem to be helping dig people out?
Posted by Kat at 11:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 07, 2005
I'm highly disturbed - again
The MSM is all over this terrorism threat, but the blogosphere seems to be ignoring it.
I'd like to know what my fellow bloggers think, but no one (except Michele) has anything, even a mention.
Seriously. The first credible threat against the NYC subway system, and no one says anything?
Posted by Kat at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 06, 2005
States rights and SCOTUS
One way in which I always differed from the Democrats, even when I was an active member of that party, was in regards to states' rights. Another way was regarding welfare states, but that's an issue for another time.
The current case before the Supreme Court is regarding doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.
Who Chooses Physician-Assisted Suicide?
One of the statments from Roberts was the following:
"If one state can say it's legal for doctors to prescribe morphine to make people feel better, or to prescribe steroids for bodybuilding, doesn't that undermine the uniformity of the federal law and make enforcement impossible?"
This seems like he's pro-big government, although other things he has said in the past show him to be pro-states rights. If he truly is against this being the state's decision, I have many problems with him.
Growing up in NH, one tends to get a sense of the state's motto, Live Free Or Die, not just as the phrase on a license plate, but as a representation of what the founding fathers felt. Whether it's gun laws, declaring "Martin Luther King Jr. Day", or requiring seat belts, we do it on our own time, and keep legislation to a minimum. As a result, although there are many Democrats in the state, those who are native (rather than having moved from VT or NY) tend to still believe in small, local government. Town Hall meetings, your neighbor being your state representative, meeting the Governor or a Senator at the state fair, all of these are everyday occurances.
Everytown, USA. All of NH is that. And the right of the state to make it's own laws, rather than having ones forced on them by the Federal Government, is critical to keeping that, not only for NH, but for this nation. NY may want to pass an assisted suicide law. Kansas may not. But they should be able to do so on their own time, rather than having it forced on them by a Supreme Court who shouldn't be hearing the case in the first place.
How is this a constitutional issue? Other than state's rights and people's rights, I don't see any constitutional questions in the topic. And if the court starts taking issues based on a loose interpretation of state and personal rights, then anything could be considered fair game for SCOTUS.
Keep the government out of my life, and don't legislate from the bench.
Posted by Kat at 10:12 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 03, 2005
Racism strikes again
Gosh darn those privileged white kids
White PrivilegeOrganizers of a "Women of Color Dialogue" at Northeastern University in Boston were forced to open an event to all races after initially proclaiming that white women would not be allowed, according to the Northeastern University News.
Members of the Women's Studies and Graduate Consortium wanted to exclude white women from the first session of the dialogue. They said it needed to remain racially segregated in order to help the participants come together on issues that many of them felt were perpetrated by white people.
But after hearing complaints from two caucasian students, the Student Government Association and the school provost, the event was opened to all. Dr. Robin Chandler, director of women's studies and one of the organizers of the event, said she was disappointed by the demand.
"I think it's a shame that one or two white students based on white privilege, a lack of awareness of racial issues and a lack of generosity of spirit complained to the office of the provost and were able, because they were white, to gain admission to the morning session that I was forced to open up," Chandler said.
Posted by Kat at 08:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 30, 2005
Racism and abortion
FoxNews has a curious story about former Education Secretary William Bennett and his remarks that "...it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down..."
Well, of course it would go down. There would be fewer people in a strong economy, therefore more money to go around, and less crime. The economics, when drawn out to that end, would support abortion of any group of fetuses, whether by race, class, or national origin of parents within the United States. When you break down a nation of people based on a random factor (say age) and then insist on the removal of the next generation of children from that group, it is going to have an effect on the state of the nation both economically and socially.
Basic sociology and economics.
I don't get why people are so sensitive that they took his remarks as racist. I took them as him offering an example that would be overreaching enough to give a ridiculous perspective so as to point out that one cannot take anything to it's logical conclusion, since oftentimes that conclusion is not logical. Sure, more abortions means a steadier birth rate, which means a more stable economy, and less crime. It also means that the economy provides enough money to have police officers at a higher rate than if the number of births were higher.
Whatever. It's all theory and discussion, and very little fact. People getting upset over this need to chill out.
Posted by Kat at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
Tracking Rita
Look at that and THEN tell me it's a good idea to start moving residents back into NO.
Posted by Kat at 12:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2005
Karol's take on the elections
If you know Karol, and live in NYC, you're lucky.
If you don't know her, and live in NYC, you're insane.
This is why. She has a great analysis of the campaigns, and why Bloomberg has a good chance at reelection.
I say he does because my wildly liberal (although Israel-supporting and occasionally hawkish), affirmedly Democrat aunt says she'll vote for Bloomberg if she can be assured he isn't going to be a mouthpiece for the Bush administration.
I don't think I can impart exactly how amazing it is that she would even consider voting for a Republican.
Posted by Kat at 07:08 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
Pretty soon, that loverly NyQuil (tm) may not be your friend
Kate, I hope you feel better soon. However, that wonderful medicine you found will have to be confiscated.
Unless you'd be willing to show ID, that is.
The bill would require stores to sell Sudafed, Nyquil and other medicines only from behind the pharmacy counter.
Hmm...Don't really see anyone else blogging this right now, so I think I'll take advantage of my LGF-lanche to bring it to everyone's attention.
They didn't even bother to make it it's own bill. Just snuck it in.
Consumers would have to show a photo ID, sign a log, and be limited to 7.5 grams — or about 250 30-milligram pills — in a 30-day period. Computer tracking would prevent customers from exceeding the limit at other stores, according to the bipartisan bill.The Senate voted by unanimous consent to add the anti-meth measure to the massive Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill, which is expected to pass the Senate next week.
Shit like this sickens me.
via Jason, without whom I probably wouldn't have known about this.
Posted by Kat at 10:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Um, wow.
I never thought my one little post would get such a response. Sorry it took so long for me to approve comments, but I was in class to get my bartender's license today. I'll allow unmoderated comments for the rest of this week, since I won't be available to moderate.
To respond to some of you:
Yes, I know Turner no longer owns those networks directly, but his influence still holds there.
TCM is unlike any of the other channels, since it doesn't run commercials.
WTF do you mean they're running them in Europe?! This means it *isn't* just a local thing, it isn't just the local affiliates.
My "surprise" had to do with someone having the money to run a commercial during prime time on a major cable network, not only one, but at least three I know of.
(Which reminds me...)
According to the Boy, it was on FoxNews today.
My concern isn't whether or not it's true, or even that it's running. They have the right to say whatever they want, I have the right to be offended by it, but the stations should NOT be running it ON 9/11.
gumshoe, you confuse me. I'm going to continue to allow your comments, but if you continue to be a fuckhead, expect to be banned.
Spears, I understand what you say, barely, but not the reasoning behind it. Of course there was a huge explosive force, of course there were secondary and tertiary explosions throughout the buildings, the damned things were hit by a PLANE! If you hit something hard enough with that much fuel and that kind of speed, there are going to be odd repercussions that appear independant of the collision. Basic high school physics. If you want to bash Bush and rehash the same old arguments, do it on your own blog. You've been warned.
(This is not to say that everyone here has to worship Bush, just don't play conspiracy theorist. I hate those, as should be evidenced by the entry itself.)
I believe that's it, feel free to continue the discussion, and look around. You might like it here.
Posted by Kat at 08:40 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 11, 2005
A day of mourning and reflection.
I moved to NYC on June 1st, 2001.
I moved into my apartment on the UWS on June 3rd, 2001.
I moved to my current apartment on March 20th, 2004.
The person I was when I moved to NY and the person I was moving to Harlem are so different, they may as well have been unrelated, or a symptom of split-personality disorder.
Most of this can be attributed to 9/11/2001.
(Please pardon the sappiness. I'm trying to hold it down, but I seem to be having a problem with my hormones today)
I woke up at 5:30, having been on only a couple hours sleep. My intention was to be out campaigning for several candidates, it being primary elections. I was supposed to go with Jason, and then head downtown to the Financial District for campaigning.
Instead, I rolled over and hit my alarm clock, then went back to sleep.
Just after the first plane hit, I got a call. Gella was in Brooklyn, home for the elections. I didn't have a tv at the time, so I turned on the radio. Then went online.
I was up and down at that point, alternately pacing and sitting, stunned by what I was hearing.
One plane.
Two planes.
People running.
Cops and firemen running into the towers to evacuate people.
All those people trapped on the top floors.
But we didn't think it was all that bad. I mean, these were the Towers. They survived the '93 bombing, they'd survive this, right?
Right?
Then the first tower fell.
Ok, so one fell. Tragedy, but there was still one standing, and it was the one that had been hit first. As long as it stood, we could be guaranteed that we would survive.
Then it fell.
I walked around like a zombie all day. Picked a friend of ours up from HS, along with a couple other students, but only after a struggle with the Administration. We had walked there from the UWS, and were prepared to walk to the Village, where our friends lived.
The entire trip down to the school was filled with people listening to radios and wondering what they could do. Everything was still. The only thing travelling down the streets were emergency vehicles, and everyone was huddled together in groups. The city was quieter than I'd ever heard it. There was no panic, just calm fear and awareness. Occasionally you'd see someone walking and staring, completely on automatic, and you just knew they'd been down there.
They just kept walking.
By the time we left the HS, they had the trains running, somewhat. What normally took 30 minutes instead took hours.
We got out of the W4th station, and stood there on 6th avenue, staring down at a plume of smoke. Sillouhetted against the smoke was the black rectangle of building 7. At this point, it was nearly 7pm. Only a short while before the final building fell.
There is not a single thing in this world I wanted more than for the people who had the idea to do something that terrible...Well, at the time I didn't know what I wanted, because my feelings of "peace is the answer" clashed with my sense of "kill them all, the mutherfuckers" and neither one felt right.
So many other things happened that evening, which I'll keep to myself out of respect for the others involved.
Coming full circle to 2005
I found myself looking down Lenox Avenue last night and wondering what the light I saw was, and trying to hash out where it was coming from. I knew it wasn't 125th, and it had to be below Central Park, so maybe Midt...
Oh.
Of course.
It was the Towers of Light. The memorial I consider to be the best possible. My mind, saturated with video games, pictured the souls of the dead rising through the pillars.
I watched a plane fly through it, illuminated briefly and looking ghostly. The image burned itself into my retinas and my brain, catching my breath for a moment. I felt the breeze melt past me, lifting my hair and shooting down my spine. Even with the busy street, the cars, people, and general city sound, I felt alone.
Quickly, I picked up my pace and marched home, my eyes continually darting to the line of white cutting through the night-dimmed sky. It brushed past the moon and continued on over the curve of the atmosphere.
I went out tonight and just sat on my front stoop, staring up at the light.
I've come a long way in the last four years. I'll probably continue to change in the next four.
I welcome you along on my journey. Rememberance of the past is the only way we can be assured of a bright future.
Never forget, Never forgive, and We Shall Overcome. But shall we stand together, or apart?
Posted by Kat at 11:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Why would TNT think this was a good day to air this?!
THIS IS REALLY FUCKING PISSING ME OFF.
At 7:50 pm on Sunday, September 11th, 2005, TNT played a commercial which claimed that bombs were placed inside the towers.
The url for this organization is reopen911.org. I refuse to provide a link. Go find it for yourself.
How in fucking hell could a tv station agree to air something that offensive on this of all days.
I'm still working on my 9/11 post, just because it's very emotional and I have trouble working on more than a bit at a time.
Things like that only make it worse.
I don't know if this is airing anywhere outside of NYC, and I hope it is, because sadly that might be the only way these people will be laughed out of business.
Directly from the website:
I had believed the administration’s conspiracy theory that 19 terrorists had attacked us. I thought that perhaps the military had screwed up royally. I am now convinced that it is the Bush administration’s “conspiracy theory” that is absurd; that 19 screw-ups, who couldn’t do anything right, somehow defeated the entire US Air Force, CIA, FBI, NSA, and multiple airport security screenings.
The site also calls Giuliani a "murderer" and claims the 7/7 attacks in London were impossible.
What really scares me though, is that the way they couch their information sounds almost rational. Most of these crackpots can be dismissed because what they sell sounds so idiotic. These crackpots offer facts very carefully, in such a way as to make them sound scientific, and tie reliable quotes from reliable sources to bizzare conclusions that have been extrapolated from sensible ideas.
If they have enough money to run a commercial in NYC on 9/11, what else do they have money for?
UPDATE: Barry reports that it's on CNN Headline News as well.
Turner-owned stations are the devil.
Posted by Kat at 08:13 PM | Comments (30) | TrackBack
August 29, 2005
Death row process streamlined
More than 600 inmates are waiting on death row in California.
Even though...
Since 1973, 121 people have been released from death row in the United States after being exonerated.
Does this make any sense? How about that California inmates wait for 20 years on appeals, while the national average is 10? Both are ridiculous. I'm all for making sure that people are not put to death due to overzealous prosecution, mismanagement of justice, or bad defense lawyers. However, there comes a point at which we reach a reductio ad absurdum fallacy in our arguments. Oh, we do this, so we may as well do this, and if we do that, then we should go further and do this...It ends up that people get off death row due to technicalities rather than true innocence.
This bill would still allow death row inmates their federal appeals, but only based on newly-discovered evidence, like DNA, that shows actual innocence.
Oh, look at that.
Good.
Posted by Kat at 03:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Cue cheering...
A secondary school is to allow pupils to swear at teachers - as long as they don't do so more than five times in a lesson. A running tally of how many times the f-word has been used will be kept on the board. If a class goes over the limit, they will be 'spoken' to at the end of the lesson.
You can use the f-word in class (but only five times)
Posted by Kat at 02:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Ooooooo
Everyone oooo and ahhhhh over me making more than one post in an hour.
Yes yes. All is good.
Now, on with the serious topic.
Jeff misses the point, being blinded by his anti-drug views. Sorry, Jeff, you know I love you, you know you're a good friend, you know I'm not a fan of pot (though other drugs don't bother me as much), but you're way off on this one.
Which is what Feisty Republican Whore discusses in response to him. She goes on my links. After all, how can I not link someone who calls herself feisty, a whore, AND Republican? Not to mention, she links to a porn star's blog. All in all, a good link, and possibly daily read.
Posted by Kat at 01:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
Perfect Wisdom
NEWS FLASH:
To those searching that and getting this post...there's no such thing.
Sorry. That's why this blog is called The Wisdom of CHANGE. Only in change can we come to find wisdom. Only through bettering ourselves and continuing in the constant conversation known as life can we attain any sort of knowledge. Without understanding that life is a constant trip, one cannot gain wisdom.
So yeah. Sorry. Keep searching, maybe someday one of us will find the answer to a question.
In the meantime, keep asking.
Posted by Kat at 01:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 19, 2005
Newt Gingrich
I'm watching C-SPAN right now. Newt Gingrich is speaking at the Press Club. Currently, the topic is the Iraq war, and he's being very clear and very good.
This does surprise me. I remember him being a conservative with a stick stuck up his ass.
He isn't anymore and I think I'll be very supportive of him in the future. His stance is that the war is a subset of the overall war on terror, which is being fought in Holland, Britain, and even here (his earlier topic was immigration). He said "if we pull out of Iraq, do you think Zarqawi is going to retire?"
I think that's one of the best quotes I've heard. He clarified the war in a way that not even the best bloggers have been able to.
This is a war in which one side must win. Because there is a disagreement on culture. The radical Muslim forces we're fighting against will not compromise on many of their stances. If they win, we will not be able to vote, drive, or hold a job. Women will be thrown back to the dark ages. There is no middle ground. Neither side will compromise and we cannot lose.
This is not a war of ideologies. It is not a religious war. It is truly us or them and if we lose, every advance we've made over the last century will be thrown away.
I'm not quite sure why people don't realize that those fighting us aren't fighting for equal rights or to be free or because we're invading them. They started this fight, they brought it to us, and they're doing this to destroy western culture. Yup. You heard me right. They want to destroy everyone who doesn't believe what they do. They do this in the name of Allah and because the Koran has Surahs that tell them to destroy all non-believers.
Newt gets it.
And has a sense of humor in the process.
I'll be keeping a closer eye on him.
Posted by Kat at 08:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 15, 2005
My only words on Cindy Sheehan...
are not words.
Posted by Kat at 01:26 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 02, 2005
A picture is worth more than I could ever say
If anyone can look at this and still add a "but" to the idea that the war on terror is not only good, but necessary, I'm not sure I can speak to them today.
Posted by Kat at 09:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 24, 2005
My God, they have a military?!
The government has hardened its claims over a portion of the Far North after Canada's defence minister quietly set foot this week on a tiny Arctic island that has become the object of an ownership dispute with Denmark.Bill Graham took the extraordinary steps onto Hans Island on Wednesday in a symbolic move that helps to stake Canada's claim to the area when and if the dispute comes to a head. Military personnel landed on the island a week earlier, planted a Canadian flag and built an Inuit stone marker known as an inukshuk.
Via The NYRA Forums.
Posted by Kat at 07:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Irritated
Why is it that when something big, like a bomb scare in Penn Station, happens, the "officials" feel the need to protect us "little people" by NOT RELEASING ANY INFORMATION!!!!!
Posted by Kat at 03:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Penn Station Evacuation
Why did I just get a call from a friend saying "Penn Station is being evacuated, find out why" but there's nothing in the news or on Command Post?
Supposedly the people leaving had been told to "run".
UPDATE: There's really not all that much information being leaked...The only station that has anything is 1010 WINS, and that's because they have transportation info. They said something about a police investigation at Penn, with the A, C, E, 1, 2, and 3 lines closed down at 34th St and Amtrack/LIRR/NJTransit not leaving the station.
MORE: Apparantly streets are shut down from 48th-50th streets, Bway-8th Avenue, along with the 1 line. No word as to why, or if it's related to the Penn shutdown.
EVEN MORE: According to my source, the M102 is diverting from 3rd Avenue to 1st Avenue from 42nd St-57th St. (This might be diverting because of a street fair, I'll know more in a moment.)
Yup. It's a street fair.
NEXT: Finally, at 1:40am, a good hour after all this started, MTA.info has a service alert. Prior to this, 1010WINS was the *only* source for any info, and that was only traffic. Slowly but surely this is leaking out.
EXTRA: 50th St is reopened. I think it was unrelated.
1:51pm: Investigation completed, but still no word as to what it was. I don't know if we'll ever know. How annoying.
------------
Via ABC News
Bomb Scare Prompts New York Station Evacuation Police Investigate 'Suspicious Package' at New York's Penn Station By RICHARD ESPOSITONEW YORK, July 24, 2005 — A "suspicious package" in New York's Penn Station triggered at least a partial evacuation today while bomb squad technicians investigated, city police officials said.
The scare was at least the third such incident of the day.
Within about a half-hour, people began returning to the station, according to a television crew from WABC-TV in New York, and police and emergency officials declared the incident over.
A preliminary report indicated a person may have tossed the suspicious package at an Amtrak clerk, shouted "bomb" and fled, according to other city emergency personnel. Police could not initially confirm that report.
Nerve Center
Penn Station is the terminus for the Washington-to-New York corridor of Amtrak, the Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, and numerous New York City subway lines. PATH subway trains between New York and New Jersey also are in the vicinity.
New York and New Jersey have been on heightened alert for danger to transit — not only because of the London attacks but because of recent, unconfirmed information from a credible source that the Amtrak line between Washington and New York could be the target of an attack.
Terrorists' desire to target transit long has been known. But the recent information was specific enough for the FBI to send warnings to rail officials.
However, officials stressed the information, while specific, was unconfirmable, so the warnings were made as a precaution only.
Other Scares
In the wake of the most recent London attacks, public terrorism awareness has again been heightened. Officials in New York and other states with large mass-transit systems report an increase in reporting of suspicious packages and devices, ABC News has learned.
At the time of the Penn Station scare, the New York bomb squad had responded to at least two earlier reports earlier in the day, one reportedly near the bus terminal at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, possibly aboard a Greyhound bus, and another at 51st Street and Broadway.
Officials have sought the increased public awareness. And even when reports turn out false, they almost always have been from well-meaning citizens.
That's the only news outlet talking about it.
Posted by Kat at 12:49 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 21, 2005
I am PISSED
Police to Check Bags on NYC Subways
FUCK THEM
I REFUSE TO CONSENT TO BEING RANDOMLY SEARCHED
(UPDATE: Karol says it all.)
Posted by Kat at 07:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
London bombing, redux
Again?!
Roundup of news:
And of course Tim Worstall has info.
No word from Insta, Vodka, or any other pundits I read regularly.
Posted by Kat at 09:25 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 20, 2005
Oh...forgot to post this...
It's the anniversary of the Moon Landing.
Posted by Kat at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2005
Is the NYTimes bullshitting us again?
Referring to the American rebuilding program, Mr. Salih said in prepared remarks that its "large-scale, capital-intensive" focus had been inevitable because of the crumbling infrastructure inherited from Saddam Hussein's government.But he added, "It is now clear that that these megaprojects, though essential, have not succeeded in providing quickly enough for Iraqis' basic needs like electricity, water and sanitation."
I'm not sure what to make of this. On the one hand, it seems like Salih is simply stating the obvious and the Times is taking it to further their own anti-war objective.
On the other...Um...There doesn't seem to be an other hand. The Times really does seem to be twisting his remarks.
I guess they are bullshitting us.
Posted by Kat at 04:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 12, 2005
The world is not flat...It's dangerous.
Via Insta
TIM WU IN SLATE:The end of June marked the deadline for independent Chinese bloggers to register with the government. That requirement is another sign, along with Microsoft's recent admission that its Chinese blog site would block titles like "freedom" and "democracy," of the country's efforts to control the Internet. . . .China's long-term vision is clear: an Internet that feels free and acts as an engine of economic progress yet in no way threatens the Communist Party's monopoly on power. With every passing day the Chinese Internet reflects that vision more closely. It portends a future for the Web that we're only beginning to understand—one in which powerful countries refashion the global network to suit themselves.
The ramifications go well beyond China, and the complicity of American companies like Microsoft and Cisco is disgraceful.
I'm in the middle of THE WORLD IS FLAT and this has severe implications for what Friedman has written. He hasn't brought up anything regarding this, and although I'm not one to read his columns, I might start just to see if he deals with this problem.
Posted by Kat at 11:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 07, 2005
Bombing in London
Tim Worstall, reporting from London is giving live updates on the bombings.
He quoted from the Guardian blog the following:
12:02 - Blair - "It's reasonably clear that there has been a series of terrorist attacks in London. It is my intention to leave the G8 to talk to police and emergency services personnel face to face... The G8 leaders will continue in my absence... Each of the countries around that table have some experience of terrorism... They all share our complete resolution for the defeat of terrorism. It is particularly barbaric that this has happened on the day people are meeting to try and help the problem of poverty in Africa... Just as it is reasonably clear that this is a terrorist attack... it is reasonably clear it has been timed to coincide with the opening of the G8... It is important, however, that the terrorists realise our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause the death and destruction of innocent people and impose their extremism on the world. It is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we have here in this country and in other civilised countries around the world."One of the first questions that came to mind is whether this is an Islamist attack or something having to do with G8.
In the end it doesn't matter. As of now, confirmed 33 dead, though the final count for at least one station is not completed.
My heart goes out to all those in the UK. The colours will remain at the top of this site for as long as I feel necessary, and rather than changing the background color back to red, it will stay black.
UPDATE: For the first time, I think, I disagree with Simon. He's getting snippy about Jeff and others declaring that "We are all Britons."
I think it's a good thing. Band together and destroy those who try to destroy us. If that means using phrases, then fine. When something on this scale happens, with the obvious focus of "kill the people who love freedom", then we are all the same.
If we're infidels, does that mean they're fidels? If they are, then when did they all become Castro?! (I'm sure that was uncalled for, but I needed to make fun of the disgusting creatures that did this.)
There were supposed to be two more bombs. Six bombs.
If London wasn't so prepared for an attack, and if Britons weren't so good at reacting to shit like this, it would have been so much worse than a few tens of people dead. It might have been a couple hundred dead. Or more.
I am wavering about blogathoning for the AICR. Maybe I should blog for an organization that is helping out with the cleanup and restoration. Or education of women in the Middle East. Or...
I just don't know.
Posted by Kat at 10:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 06, 2005
Keeping with the theme of my recent discussions...
There's a woman who contacted Alex Koroknay-Palicz of NYRA today.
Her poem is dedicated to helping victims of molestation come forward.
Considering that I've been involved in several discussions about how child molesters and rapists should be "given a hot lead enema" to quote one person, then locked up and the key thrown away, this is very timely. She'll be added to my links, but here's her site:
A Rude (and long overdue) Awakening
Hopefully this draws some attention to her site. Perhaps I don't get a lot of traffic, but I'll gladly point anyone I can in her direction.
I'd like to see her write more about this situation, and what finally drove her to face it.
Posted by Kat at 05:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
11 years
The major swing voter on the SCOTUS, Sandra Day O'Connor, has retired.
Let the battle begin.
Posted by Kat at 11:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
Hey, check it out...
I passed 1,000 visitors since 3/21/05. Ok, so I guess it's time for me to pick it up a bit.
Let's see what's in the news...Major offensive in Iraq...blah blah blah...Wal-Mart heir dies in plane crash...AMD sues Intel...Groups gear up for SCOTUS battle...wow there's a lot out there...A couple of journalists test out the Gitmo diet...NASA set to crash into comet...Bloggers fighting government regulation...
Something about the government regulation article...Duncan Black and Michelle Malkin, Glenn Reynolds, Jeff Jarvis, and James Lileks?
Back to news:
Viagra doesn't cause blindness, all the jerking off you do when you're on the Viagra does.
Baby born from frozen ovarian tissue.
Oh dear God...First we have Paula Abdul urges tough nail salon standards, followed up by Corey Clark cited for alleged food fight. Can this get any funnier?
Maybe it can...Women stripping in Indian forest to foil police. I love the Odd News section of Yahoo News.
Well, that's it for now, come back later for more!
Posted by Kat at 12:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 24, 2005
More on the WMD issue
I will say this, once, and then I am very likey done with the issue.
SADDAM was the WMD. Removing him was the only way to ensure continued security.
Posted by Kat at 09:29 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
So much to post, so little time
So there are many many things going on in the world. There's the dog fucker/child molester, the Mets suck, the Yankees suck, but for different reasons, the Red Sox are doing pretty well, there's a six legged, two penis-having dog, Spainish Catholics are protesting a bill to legalize gay marriage, there are good movies out, and I'm too lazy to link to any of this.
That cover everything?
Oh, and the Blogathon is August 6th. Mark your calenders. I'll be blogging all night.
Posted by Kat at 04:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Blogathon!
They took a break last year, and the year before I was one of the bloggers involved. 24 hours, a post every half-hour...it's great!
It'll be August 6th this year. Count me in!
In the meantime, I'm going to go figure out why my gmail isn't working.
Wonder what charity I'll choose this year...
Posted by Kat at 07:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
The verdict
I really don't care about Jackson. I think he's a pathetic little man who is either simply trying to get publicity, or a true pervert. Either way, any parent who let their kid go near him after the incident in 1993 is a moron and shouldn't have had kids in the first place.
I have no patience for people who hurt kids or give the impression that they're going to hurt kids.
Ditto for cats, but that's another entry.
I've been babysitting for C. since she was 20 months old. I started babysitting her sister, S., when she was 3 weeks old. If they trip on the playground I feel for them. I can't imagine what would happen if either of them was seriously hurt. These girls have my heart.
Posted by Kat at 10:25 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 13, 2005
Blogs, Newspaper Editors, and Sunburns.
Mike Pride, of Concord Monitor*, has a blog. I'm curious to see how this affects not only the paper itself, but the general attitude towards blogging in NH.
I've been looking for new blogs to read lately, something to keep me occupied when I'm not getting sunburned at baseball games.
And boy am I sunburned.
*My hometown paper
Posted by Kat at 12:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 08, 2005
And people wonder...
Why don't I support the Liberals of the world anymore:
The World Trade Center Memorial Cultural Complex will be an imposing edifice wedged in the place where the Twin Towers once stood. It will serve as the primary "gateway" to the underground area where the names of the lost are chiseled into concrete. The organizers of its principal tenant, the International Freedom Center (IFC), have stated that they intend to take us on "a journey through the history of freedom"--but do not be fooled into thinking that their idea of freedom is the same as that of those Marines. To the IFC's organizers, it is not only history's triumphs that illuminate, but also its failures. The public will have come to see 9/11 but will be given a high-tech, multimedia tutorial about man's inhumanity to man, from Native American genocide to the lynchings and cross-burnings of the Jim Crow South, from the Third Reich's Final Solution to the Soviet gulags and beyond. This is a history all should know and learn, but dispensing it over the ashes of Ground Zero is like creating a Museum of Tolerance over the sunken graves of the USS Arizona.The public will be confused at first, and then feel hoodwinked and betrayed. Where, they will ask, do we go to see the September 11 Memorial? The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation will have erected a building whose only connection to September 11 is a strained, intellectual one. While the IFC is getting 300,000 square feet of space to teach us how to think about liberty, the actual Memorial Center on the opposite corner of the site will get a meager 50,000 square feet to exhibit its 9/11 artifacts, all out of sight and underground. Most of the cherished objects which were salvaged from Ground Zero in those first traumatic months will never return to the site. There is simply no room. But the International Freedom Center will have ample space to present us with exhibits about Chinese dissidents and Chilean refugees. These are important subjects, but for somewhere--anywhere--else, not the site of the worst attack on American soil in the history of the republic.
More disturbing, the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. is handing over millions of federal dollars and the keys to that building to some of the very same people who consider the post-9/11 provisions of the Patriot Act more dangerous than the terrorists that they were enacted to apprehend--people whose inflammatory claims of a deliberate torture policy at Guantanamo Bay are undermining this country's efforts to foster freedom elsewhere in the world.
The Great Ground Zero Heist by Debra Burlingame
Who is writing about this? Bloggers. Like Sissy, Jeff Jarvis, Roger L. Simon, and Stephen Green. Notice the lack of MSM in there. No CNN, no MSNBC, not even Fox.
Posted by Kat at 07:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 07, 2005
Celebration!
WORSE THAN HELL IS BACK!
Now go buy shirts. And thank Aaron for being the ballsy fuck he is.
UPDATE: If you're getting here through Google, welcome. And go buy shirts to show your support. Link is above. Aaron is a great guy, and has done a lot to help keep us laughing. He deserves your money.
So do I, but I'm not ballsy enough to ask for it.
Posted by Kat at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack