Mindless Design?

Hardly. Secret behind squid beaks uncovered

"Nature takes care of the problem by changing the beak composition progressively, rather than abruptly, so that its tip can pierce prey without harming the squid in the process," Zok said. "It's a truly fascinating design!"

Fascinating finding, but it takes a mind to design. And it still ain't all that easy, just ask the scientists trying to put this knowledge to good use.

I love how they speak as though someone were designing these things and then claim no one did.

Hmmmm

Double standard?



Hate is hate.

Out of Touch

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the film Fitna:

I condemn, in the strongest terms, the airing of Geert Wilders’ offensively anti-Islamic film. There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence.

I fail to see the incitement to violence or hate speech in the film, unless, of course, he's talking about the incitement to violence and hate speech against the West. In which case he is barking up the wrong tree.

Poles Apart

Muslim nations condemn Dutch Koran film

Muslim nations on Friday condemned a film by a Dutch lawmaker that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, and Dutch Muslim leaders urged restraint.

OK.

"The correct Sharia (Islamic law) response is to cut (off) his head and let him follow his predecessor, van Gogh, to hell,"

Obviously, Muslims have some things they need to work out amongst themselves.

Precisly

Fitna not so offensive after all.

Omar Bakri, the Libyan-based radical Muslim cleric who is barred from Britain, did not think the film was very offensive. "On the contrary, if we leave out the first images and the sound of the page being torn, it could be a film by the [Islamist] Mujahideen," he said.

Nevertheless, LiveLeak pulled the video because of serious threats, which only proves the film correct.

America - Wrong on Abortion

Scalia wrong on abortion

In fact, I believe the Constitution outlaws abortion – and I think I can prove it to you.

I agree with his thinking on this, unfortunately, our Government has long since started ignoring the Constitution and just doing whatever it wants, and too many times getting away with it. How do we stop that? By electing Obama, Hillary or McCain? Hardly. Oh, I know, lets indoctrinate our youth with commmunist ideals!

I'm getting a migraine.

Fitna, The Movie

The controversial movie by Geert Wilders is out.

I thought it was about as tastefully done as could possibly be. There is nothing that should be particularly offensive to anyone, besides some gruesome scenes (and it stops short of being completely sick, it cut right as I was about to hit pause and skip), but that is the reality of the subject matter at hand. There's nothing really new in it, nothing made up, in fact he lets the Islamists speak for themselves and if you've been paying attention you have heard them before. It doesn't try to analyze Islam, it just places the images and words before you - this is the picture we get, this is the face of Islam as we see it, this is what is happening, ignore it at your peril.

If you are a Muslim and don't like what you see in the movie, well, talk to your fellow Muslims about that, don't ask us to ignore reality.

Oh, and I didn't see any Koran burning or anything like that. There is only the cartoon Muhammad picture and juxtaposed to the scenes in the rest of the movie, it's about as benign as you can get. So get over it.

Did It Hurt?

Man Claims to Speak 'Australian' After Allegedly Being Raped by a Wombat.

Arthur Ross Cradock, 48, from the South Island town of Motueka, called police on February 11 and told them he was being raped at his home by the wombat and he needed help,

A wombat?

"Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right, you know."

Yeah, well, we'll get back to you on that.

And in answer to my opening question:

"I didn’t hurt my bum at all."

Obama's Platform Found!!!

You saw it here first, this is a picture of the political platform of Barack -Don't Call Me A Liberal- Obama. It was found in Politicians Field and the photographer, who wishes to remain anonymous (my son), was quoted as saying, "It was just lying out there on the ground, I almost stepped in it." The would-be voter in the picture investigated the situation and quickly ran away.




Walk, don't run, to the nearest exit. Well ... walk fast.

Classic Newhart Clip

Racial Hostility

Good Question

Why Do Palestinians Get Much More Attention than Tibetans?

The long-suffering Tibetans have been in the news. This happens perhaps once or twice a decade. In a more moral world, however, public opinion would be far more preoccupied with Tibetans than with Palestinians, would be as harsh on China as it is on Israel, and would be as fawning on Israel as it now is on China.

We Can't Do It On The Mexican Border,

but we have no problem sending $23 million and support teams to Egypt to help build their border fence.

While building the wall, the Americans also hope to help Egyptian security forces locate and destroy smuggling tunnels into Gaza.

Anatomy of the Lie

You have to watch this all the way through to see how it progresses.

Protecting the Wrong People

Librarian fired for reporting child pornography

A bizarre battle has erupted over the arrest on child pornography charges of a man at a California public library, with library and county officials siding against the staffer who called police to arrest the alleged criminal.

Librarian Brenda Biesterfeld was fired from her job after disregarding her supervisor's orders not to call police.

The supervisor, Judi Hill, is the one who needs to be fired. Immediately.

See also: Fired for protecting children?

Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player

Someone in Mexico doesn't much like musicians.

Especially country musicians.

Big Dog, Quadruped Robot

Pretty cool, but it makes an incredibly annoying noise.

Annoying Software Updates From Apple

Mozilla CEO says Apple's Safari auto-update 'wrong'

In a blog on Friday, Mozilla CEO John Lilly criticized Apple's practice, uncovered this week, of offering iTunes and QuickTime users Safari 3.1 on Windows through the Apple Software Update pop-up.

I agree. I have Quicktime installed on my home computer and it is always wanting to download iTunes. I unclick the box but in a couple of days it does it again. I don't want iTunes and I shouldn't have to keep telling Apple I don't want it. Now it wants me to install Safari, too? Sorry, I need to get rid of Quicktime. Ask me once, fine, but constantly bugging me - Apple must go.

Parking On Ice

Not as good an idea as first thought. Possibly the heat from the bottom of the cars helped thin the ice a bit.

Dude!

When He said "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me," (Luke 9:23) He didn't mean that in the literal sense. If you think He did, then why don't you do it every day?

If I were Canadian, I'd be in trouble with the Canadian Office of Stamping out all possible offenses for saying that. I don't mean it in an offensive way, however, just trying to help out, save you a little lot unnecessary pain.

It's Come To this

"You're not allowed in Canada to speak in a persuasive way about your own faith,"

Canada orders ministry by Christians shut down

"The Canadian government has ordered a Christian ministry that teaches doctrine and the differences between Christians and cults shut down because its reference materials were "critical" of the beliefs of those who are not Christian,"

How sad, you're not allowed to think for yourself in Canada. What's next? No scientific theory may be thought better than another? If someone believes the earth is flat you can't point out any flaws in his thinking? You'll have to ban all text books that don't teach all possible thoughts on a subject equally no matter how insane it may appear. Hey, if someone, somewhere believes it, you can't offend them.

Where else can you go? How sad for Canadians. Not that America is all that far behind.

Words to Live By

10 Of The Greatest Pieces Of Conservative Wisdom

Don't know if they are the greatest, but they are good.

We're far too cavalier as a society about tinkering with our society's most important traditions and customs. We discuss making fundamental changes to marriage, to our cultural norms, and to the customs and laws that have helped preserve this country since its foundation with nary a thought to the lasting damage we may be doing to our society.

People should remember that the history of the world is not that of great countries rising to prominence and then staying there eternally. To the contrary, the landscape of history is littered with nations and empires that became great, lost the spark that made them exceptional in the first place, and then dissolved or came to ruin.

Tibet

What in the world is China's problem with Tibet? I can understand why they wanted Hong Kong back and why they want Taiwan - although I think they should leave Taiwan alone. How does controlling Tibet benefit them? How would letting it go hurt them?

I can certainly understand why Tibet wants autonomy. Who would want to be ruled by the Chinese government? I mean if they had a choice. Even the far left of this country won't go for that, they want to be the ones calling the shots. It's no fun being a communist if you're not in control.

Anyway, the Dalai Lama is prepared to face china.

This is Funny

The guy falls off his bicycle but it keeps racing without him.

I Hope This Is Reality Soon

Real soon. Anything that grows 'can convert into oil'

After three years of clandestine development, a Georgia company is now going public with a simple, natural way to convert anything that grows out of the Earth into oil.

J.C. Bell, an agricultural researcher and CEO of Bell Bio-Energy, Inc., says he's isolated and modified specific bacteria that will, on a very large scale, naturally change plant material – including the leftovers from food – into hydrocarbons to fuel cars and trucks."

"He expects to have the first pilot plant for the process running within two to three months, and will operate those for a year to collect engineering data to design full-scale production facilities. He thinks the larger facilities will be producing oil "inside the next two years."

It really can't come soon enough. I wouldn't get too excited, though, we've been let down before. Show us results, not promises.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal for Vice President?

Works for me!

How McCain Can Win the Base

And what a governor! Having taken office in January, after winning 54% of the vote in the open-field primary, Mr. Jindal immediately called a special session of the legislature and persuaded them to pass his 64-point agenda for ethics reform. They said ethics reform couldn't be done in Louisiana--a state whose reputation as a cesspool is legendary--but he did it in a two-week session. Now he's calling a second special session to pass the tax cuts necessary to jump-start the post-Katrina economy in his state.

I actually think Duncan Hunter would be the better choice but I don't think he's putting his hat in.

Who is Obama, What Does He Stand For?

Link: sevenload.com


Link: sevenload.com



Still don't know, eh? Doesn't matter to me anyway, I always thought he was wrong for president and unless he sees the light and becomes an ex-liberal, I always will.

I also know that Jeremiah Wright is not speaking the truth in his sermons, bits of truth thrown in here and there, perhaps, but not the truth. A very, very warped reality. I'm not saying he doesn't believe it, he may, but he's wrong. Where is this KKK-A, anyway? It's reputation far exceeds it's presence. It's more of a projected reality, that's the image you expect, that's the image you see. Let go of the past, it's gone, what's left is mostly held up with hot air.

Also see Down the memory hole: Wright’s testimonial deleted from Obama’s website.

As True Today As the Day He Said It

"We have mislaid God, and now we are building skyscrapers, and engines of war. Humanity forgets God, and then gropes after the spacious, and fights for the secure, and never makes anything so big but that the sky laughs at it; and never secures itself for one five minutes from a possible outbreak of devastation."

-- G. Campbell Morgan

Recommended Listening

An excellent talk, The Lie Inside, available for listening or download here.

Gotta Ban the Bags

Saw this item in the USA Today newspaper this morning about banning plastic bags. Here's the money quote:

"It's a small, simple, modest act that makes people feel that they're actually contributing" to reducing litter, waste and dependence on foreign oil,

It's all about making people feel good, they feel like they are actually contributing. It doesn't matter that they actually doing nothing at all. Typical.

Sorry

No blogging this morning. I've been watching NewsRadio episodes on Hulu.com. Watched a Land of the Giants episode, too. Remember that one?



This is worse than YouTube. I wish they would put every new show on Hulu as they are made so I can watch what I want at my convenience and get rid of cable TV. No need to record a show to watch later, it'll always be available to watch when you want and anywhere you want. As long as they don't get greedy, which is bound to happen.

Hulu

Here's an entire Bob Newhart Show episode courtesy of Hulu.com. Henry Winkler is in this one. The video quality is excellent, even at full screen. Hulu features many of your favorite TV programs and some movies, too. All free. Very cool.



Imagine a website like this where you could watch any show ever made? Perhaps it's coming. But, who has time to watch all this?

Code Pinkoes

This is pretty funny.

"If Only There Was an Organization Sworn to Defend That Free Speech"

Hat tip: IMAO

The Benefits of Our Modern Educational System

Evict the military recruitment station, cage the recruiters!

On Wednesday, March 19, POG will be holding a torch-lit march to a modern day castle of abominations—our local military recruiting station. If the station remains open, we intend to evict it and everything inside of it, occupy the location, and transform it into something useful for the community. We'll also be bringing a movable cage in which to confine military recruiters until they no longer pose a danger to our friends and neighbors. Link

When they do, the military needs to put them in the movable cage and ship them to San Fransisco or Berkley.

Michelle Malkin writes:

Ideas have consequences. Inaction has consequences. For the past several years, I’ve chronicled the left’s escalating war on military recruiters — and the apathetic, weak-kneed response to it. The anti-recruiter thugs on college campuses and in liberal enclaves have thrived thanks to a combination of public indifference, law enforcement fecklessness and left-wing ideological apologism.

You're Not Qualified!

Fire Extinguishers are being banned

“I was absolutely staggered – Britain has gone mad. How can removing extinguishers be safe?

Indeed.

The Fire Service is backing the ban – which could be brought in across the country under new rules.

The elites must save the sheeple from their inadequacies.

Aiming Low

Susan Jacoby: Is America getting dumber?

"The mind of this country, taught to aim at low objects, eats upon itself." Ralph Waldo Emerson offered that observation in 1837, but his words echo with painful prescience in today's very different United States. Americans are in serious intellectual trouble – in danger of losing our hard-won cultural capital to a virulent mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations.

Excellent article and how true!

Afghan Nationals with Fake Mexican Passports

"They were really tired of Afghan food and were craving some enchiladas."

They should have gone to Guantanamo!

I Knew That

NJ: High Price for Rotten Government

That is, New Jerseyans pay some of the country's highest taxes to get one of the country's worst governments.

That's not the only price they pay.

Where's Mike Rowe?

He's always looking for Dirty Jobs.

cat house

Must See TV

You have got to see this clip of Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan on Al Jezeera TV "facing down a lunatic moderator and a lunatic Islamist with righteous anger."

Wait. We've Changed Our Minds!

Saturday Night Live Hillary commercial

Killers in Theory

Not in fact.

"Scientists are attacking the global campaign to ban plastic shopping bags, saying the activists' claim that the modern conveniences are responsible for the deaths of 100,000 animals and one million seabirds is based on a "typo" in a 2002 report and there is no scientific evidence showing the bags pose a direct threat to marine mammals."

"The figure was derived from a 1987 Canadian study in Newfoundland that found 100,000 marine mammals, including birds, killed by discarded fishing nets."

Appeasing Islam

I couldn't agree more.

Naked Gator Obsession

Remember this guy?

He's back!

He was naked. In a pond. In the dark. There were alligators.

On Friday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said his deputies had once again saved Apgar's life, possibly rescuing him from another alligator attack.

That guy has issues.

This Land is My Land, This Land is Your Land

Hear the Word of Jehovah, sons of Israel. For Jehovah has a quarrel with the people of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

There is lying, and swearing, and killing, and stealing, and the committing of adultery; and blood touches blood.

Therefore the land shall mourn, and everyone who dwells in it shall droop, with the beasts of the field and with the birds of the heavens. Yes, the fish of the sea shall also be taken away.
Hosea 4:1-3

"This chapter in itself is a message to the whole nation. We may call it an indictment of the nation. The nation is portrayed in its terrible pollution. The cause of the pollution is clearly declared. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.' The result is described as that of the uttermost desolation, the judgment of God falling upon them, not as the stroke of a capricious Judge, but as the inevitable outworking and result of the fact that they had rejected knowledge, and so were perishing for the lack of it."

G. Campbell Morgan, Hosea: The Heart and Holiness of God

It's Shoot Like A Pro, Not Like an Idiot

Golfer Faces Charges in Hawk Killing

According to court documents, Isenhour got upset when a red-shouldered hawk began making noise, forcing another take. He began hitting balls at the bird, then 300 yards away, but gave up.

Isenhour started again when the hawk moved within about 75 yards, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer Brian Baine indicated in a report.

Isenhour allegedly said "I'll get him now," and aimed for the hawk.

"About the sixth ball came very near the bird's head, and (Isenhour) was very excited that it was so close," Baine wrote.

A few shots later, witnesses said he hit the hawk. The bird, protected as a migratory species, fell to the ground bleeding from both nostrils.

If you want quiet, tape your show on a sound stage, otherwise, put up with it.

Not Me

Americans love mobile phones more than Internet

I hate cell phones. They are good for emergencies and I'm glad we have them but I don't want to surf the net, play games, listen to music, watch videos, take pictures, or even talk on them unless absolutely necessary. I hate carrying them, too.

Amalé is four years old.

The Indian Child who was Buried Alive

The motives of infanticide vary from tribe to tribe, as do the methods used to kill the little ones. In addition to the children of single mothers, handicapped and mentally retarded children are also condemned to death. Twins can also be sacrificed. Some ethnic groups believe that one represents good and the other evil, and therefore, because they don't know which is which, eliminate both of them. Others believe that only animals can give birth to more than one offspring at a time. There are other motives, even more worthless, such as cases of Indians that kill those who are born with simple birth marks - those children, according to them, might bring a curse upon the tribe. The rituals of execution consist in burying alive, choking, or hanging the babies. Generally it is the mother herself who must execute the child, although there may be cases in which she can be helped by the father.

"I didn't realise crocs were so aggressive."

Say cheese!

It should be an obvious rule - don't try to have your picture taken with a crocodile by waving fish bait at it.

Even more obvious than not pulling a tree down with your truck.

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK ...

Nanny State Strikes Again

"Britain's first 'Safe Text' street has been created complete with padded lampposts to protect millions of mobile phone users from getting hurt in street accidents while walking and texting."

If the lamp post in the picture is typical, the padding doesn't go high enough to protect the head. Better wear a helmet.

Come On Baby Light That Fire

Note to parents: Let schools burn - Vox Day

There comes a time when an institution has been so badly damaged that the best thing to do is to junk it and start over. The American schools have been in trouble for as long as I can remember. It's worth remembering that the nation has been at risk due to educational failures since 1983 saw the publication of "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform." But despite repeated reforms, the public schools of America have continued to get worse by nearly every statistical measure.

And it's little wonder. Consider, for example, this recent communiqué from the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento.

There are four main goals that we have and will continue to focus on in the college, which are expressed in the acronym TEACH:

Transformative Leadership
Equity and Social Justice
Action
Collaboration
Human Differences and Diversity

Of course, they only teach education, not mathematics, so one shouldn't expect these professional educators to be able to count to five. Perhaps they expect that "one-two-three-many" should suffice for the intellectually lobotomized victims of their trained thought-executioners, after all, we're reliably informed that it's enough for rabbits. A keen observer might also note that nowhere in the concepts expressed by these fiver main goals is anything even remotely related to a traditional education as the average parent understands one to be.

This is the kind of change I could get behind: Close government schools socialist indoctrination centers.

Snake in the Grass Leaves

I found this Ringneck snake Sunday while doing yard work. It has a beautiful orange belly fading to red toward the tail. I let James pick him up and look at it a while - he named it Jerry - and then we let it go. A very cool little snake.

If You Live in North Korea ...

and find you've accidentally strayed beyond the borders, keep going. Don't go back for nothing.

Canada is Broken, too

Sorry Canadians, but it's true. Have you been following the human rights commission nonsense going on in Canada? They're worse than California up there. How do they let this go on? The human rights commission is just plain evil. It seems the only thing missing is they don't line you up against a wall and shoot you when they're done with you - for the crime of having done absolutely nothing wrong except offend the sensibilities of one man, who's sanity no one can defend.

I prefer living with space lizards

Oh, and the bit at the top about the space lizards? That's a former BBC sports anchor called David Icke whom Mr. Warman has targeted. Mr. Icke went a little odd a few years back and constructed an all-encompassing conspiracy theory starting from the fact that the Queen and other members of the royal family are blood-drinking shape-shifting humanoid reptilians descended from giant space lizards. Mr. Warman decided to shut him down, telling the Independent On Sunday:

"What benefit can there be in allowing him to speak?"

Jonah Goldberg knows what he's talking about: