Thursday, July 31, 2008

Cute tiger cubs


A dog at a southeast Kansas zoo has adopted three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother. Safari Zoological Park owner Tom Harvey said the tiger cubs were born Sunday, but the mother had problems with them.


A day later, the mother stopped caring for them. Harvey said the cubs were wandering around, trying to find their birth mother, who wouldn't pay attention to them. That's when the cubs were put in the care of a golden retriever, Harvey said.


Harvey said it's unusual for dogs to care for tiger cubs, but it does happen. He said he has seen reports of pigs nursing cubs in China, and he actually got the golden retriever after his wife saw television accounts of dogs caring for tiger cubs.


Obviously this is not that unusual, see this related post:
More cute baby animals rejected by their mom
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Obama-isms, or gaffes

IBD Editorial had a great list of Obama gaffes, or as they call them, Obama-isms:

Barack's Obama-isms

...It was also Obama who said Tuesday from Amman, Jordan: "You know, it's always a bad practice to say 'always' or 'never' " — a statement only Yogi Berra could fathom but which those aboard O-Force One seemed to regard as incontestably profound.

While the media have ensured that Obama's communication skills are now widely viewed to be impeccable, it's obvious that when the man doesn't have a teleprompter in front of him, he tends to mangle both facts and language.


How else to explain his "Face The Nation" comment that the leaders he would meet in the Middle East and Europe are the ones "who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years"?


Had a Republican candidate said that, he'd have been suspected of some dark plan to shred the Constitution and institute martial law.


A few days later, Obama goofed again, asserting that "Israel is a strong friend of Israel's." Sure, he meant America is a good friend of Israel. And sure, he knows the difference. But he's also sure the media will cover his howlers even as they ridicule Republicans when they are just as "inartful."


Maybe the media kept quiet because they know Obama's no better when it comes to geography. Surely they noticed how he confused Sioux Falls, S.D., with Sioux City, Iowa, claimed that Arkansas is closer to Kentucky than to Illinois, and called Iran — with population bigger than France's and a land mass four times that of Germany — "a tiny country." ...


Friday, July 25, 2008

Messiah Obama


Here's an amusing/disturbing parody of the Obama-as-messiah-mania. All good satire must contain a hint of truth. The truths in this piece are very uncomfortable.


...And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.


Suddenly, now that Obama has admitted the surge has worked, it is official and the Iraq war has been won.


...From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.


The media's love affair with Obama - see clips of media reactions to him here - I know you won't like the source, but it doesn't make it any less true


...And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.


...In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.


That one is the most frightening because Obama himself made claims like this in his nomination victory speech:


"... this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal ..."



SCARY!!! This guy actually believes he is the messiah!

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Daily Mail Horror Story - My 7 Abortions

This type of story was the original inspiration of the Daily Mail Horror Story tag

I blanked out the emotions after each of my SEVEN abortions

...As a cautionary tale about abortion, her story reveals a great deal about the emotional legacy of a termination - and especially of multiple abortions.


...After her third termination, aged 26, she tried to kill herself by overdosing on alcohol and painkillers and spent eight weeks in a psychiatric unit.

And yet the ease with which she was able to secure a fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh abortion with no proper assessment is astounding.

Indeed, she reveals that she went to the same abortion clinic for each of her terminations and claims she was offered only the most cursory of counselling before every one.

'I do wish that someone in those clinics had really sat down with me and talked it through properly,' says Angela, who is now undergoing counselling to help her cope with her past actions.

'The reason why I had so many abortions is that I didn't want to bring a child into the world unless my situation was perfect - but it never was.

'With each termination I felt it was my responsibility to get on with my own life and forget about it. After each one I just blanked out the emotions and never thought about it. I felt no remorse at all.'


...In the end, her own conscience is still clearly muddled. While insisting she has no regrets, she says: 'I feel the most incredible shame over what I have done.'


Unfortunately, Angela is not unique:

...This week's figures released by Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo reveal how many modern women are using abortion, not as a last resort, but almost as a form of contraception.

Statistics show that last year 1,300 women had at least their fifth abortion.


...This week the Royal College of Psychiatrists warned that women may be at risk of mental breakdowns if they have abortions - something which, as we shall see, is borne out by Angela's story - and should not be allowed one unless they are properly counselled about this potential risk.



But in America we pretend that abortion has no adverse consequences and is the most liberating expression of feminism.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Who am I? What committee am I on?

Not only does he think he's president, he also thinks he's on the Senate Banking Committee:

"This past, uh, this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to, uh, call for divestment from Iran"

Obama is not on the Banking Committee!

Obama incorrectly claims membership of Senate committee


UPDATE: A longer excerpt

"Now, in terms of knowing my commitments [!], you don't have to just look at my words, you can look at my deeds. Just this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to call for divestment from Iran, as a way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon."


He clearly doesn't know his commitments if he doesn't know which committees he's on or that he didn't even vote on this bill!

Poor Lesbos


Lesbos locals lose lesbian appeal

Three residents of the Greek island of Lesbos have lost an attempt to ban the use of the word "lesbian" to describe gay women.

The residents argued that using the term in reference to gay women insulted their identity.

But an Athens court ruled there was no justification for their contention that they felt slighted, saying the word did not define the islanders' identity.

..."This is a good decision for lesbians everywhere," Vassilis Chirdaris, lawyer for the Gay and Lesbian Union of Greece, told Reuters news agency.

...The man spearheading the case, publisher Dimitris Lambrou, had claimed that international dominance of the word in its sexual context violated the human rights of the islanders - who call themselves Lesbians - and disgraces them around the world.

He argued it caused daily problems to the social life of Lesbos's inhabitants.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Wealthiest 1% Again

Another great Wall Street Journal on what the wealthiest 1% pay in taxes

WSJ: Their Fair Share

The nearby chart shows that the top 1% of taxpayers, those who earn above $388,806, paid 40% of all income taxes in 2006, the highest share in at least 40 years. The top 10% in income, those earning more than $108,904, paid 71%. Barack Obama says he's going to cut taxes for those at the bottom, but that's also going to be a challenge because Americans with an income below the median paid a record low 2.9% of all income taxes, while the top 50% paid 97.1%. Perhaps he thinks half the country should pay all the taxes to support the other half.

Aha, we are told: The rich paid more taxes because they made a greater share of the money. That is true. The top 1% earned 22% of all reported income. But they also paid a share of taxes not far from double their share of income. In other words, the tax code is already steeply progressive.

...This is precisely what supply-siders predicted would happen with lower tax rates on capital gains, dividends and income. The economy and earnings would grow faster, which they did; investors would declare more capital gains and companies would pay out more dividends, which they did; the rich would invest less in tax shelters at lower tax rates, so their tax payments would rise, which did happen.

The idea that this has been a giveaway to the rich is a figment of the left's imagination. Taxes paid by millionaire households more than doubled to $274 billion in 2006 from $136 billion in 2003. No President has ever plied more money from the rich than George W. Bush did with his 2003 tax cuts. These tax payments from the rich explain the very rapid reduction in the budget deficit to 1.9% of GDP in 2006 from 3.5% in 2003. ...



Related Post:

The Wealthiest 1%

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Idiot Pelosi Passes Buck on Energy Mess HER Party Continues to Prolong

Pelosi stands firm against offshore drilling

"The president of the United States, with gas at $4 a gallon because of his failed energy policies, is now trying to say that is because I couldn't drill offshore," Pelosi said in an interview. "That is not the cause, and I am not going to let him get away with it."

Because of HIS failed energy policies? Now that's the pot calling the kettle black! Who's the one raising taxes on productive oil companies, increasing ethanol mandates to the detriment of the world's poor and hungry, micromanaging the energy industry, and blocking oil exploration, Mrs. Pelosi? Which party came into office in 2006 claiming they were going to reduce energy prices and lo and behold, the price of gas went from $2.23/gal. in November 2006 to $4.10/gal. today?!

Drill, drill, drill and oil prices will come down!


Kick the Democrats out of office and they will come down even further!
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

World's Creepiest Dad


'World's Greatest Dad' Arrested As Predator

A man whose shirt proclaims him as the "world's greatest dad" has been arrested on charges he tried to use the internet to arrange a sexual encounter with a minor. He was caught in one of Attorney General Mike Cox's cyber stings.


..."Today's arrest is a reminder that a parent can pose a threat to our children," said Cox. "And no matter how "great" a criminal thinks they are, if you intend to harm or solicit children, my office is coming after you."

UPDATE: The Smoking Gun has posted a collection of mug shots with people wearing more ironic t-shirts
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Study Shows Parenting is Very Important (DUH)

Study finds genetic link to violence, delinquency

...And a certain mutation in DRD2 seemed to set off a young man if he did not have regular meals with his family.


"But if people with the same gene have a parent who has regular meals with them, then the risk is gone," Guo said.


"Having a family meal is probably a proxy for parental involvement," he added. "It suggests that parenting is very important."...


Hmmm, who would have thought?



Thanks, Mom, for the family dinners!

Monday, July 14, 2008

No Guns = Knife Crimes

Taking away guns does not eliminate crime, it leaves innocent civilians with no means to protect themselves. In England, the criminals have merely moved on to knives and knife crime has become an epidemic.

The real truth about knife crime: Home Office claims it is stable but new figures show it up by 35 per cent in some areas

Our new figures show that almost every major city is facing soaring levels of stabbings and knifepoint muggings – casting doubt on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s reassurances about the safety of our streets.


The data shows the problem is not confined to London – where 53 people have been stabbed to death so far this year – but is a rising concern in most urban areas.


...Six people were murdered by knives within 24 hours last week, four of them in London.



What are they going to do, ban knives? Well, yeah...

'Jail Anyone Who Carries A Knife'

The Conservative Party leadernow says anyone found carrying a knife should be jailed.


Last month the Prime Minister said everyone, from the age of 16 upwards, should be prosecuted for carrying a knife, but there was no mention of an automatic prison sentence.


...And, in an interview with The Sun, he said: "We have to send the strongest possible message that carrying a knife is completely unacceptable in Britain, end of subject."


He went on: "It is not a minor offence. There is no excuse for carrying a knife when you walk out of your door.


"We have a real problem of epidemic proportions. Eighteen kids in London have been stabbed to death this year. If we don't do something now it will go on and on."


First guns, now knives, what's next?

Related posts:
5-4?!
People Kill People

Friday, July 11, 2008

Just Manny Being Manny Again


Sox slugger Manny Ramirez climbed into the Green Monster on Wednesday and could be seen talking on a cell phone during a pitching change. We asked you to tell us who you thought Manny might be talking to and how the conversation might have gone. Now, we've selected 10 faux calls and ask you to pick your favorite.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Caution: Feminist at Work

In the mold of the early suffragettes who risked everything to give women the right to vote, this woman courageously stood up to the oppressive patriarchy to demand a woman's right to full and equal representation ... on road work signs...



In the battle of the sexes, women's magazine editor Cynthia Good said this was a skirmish she had to fight.


Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read "Men At Work" or "Men Working Ahead."


Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men.


Good demanded Atlanta officials remove the signs and last week, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista agreed.


Score one for gender equality, Good said Wednesday.


Public Works officials are replacing 50 "Men Working" with signs that say "Workers Ahead." It will cost $22 to cover over some of the old signs and $144 to buy new signs, said Public Works spokeswoman Valerie Bell-Smith said.


..."We're calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination," said Good, 48.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Overheard Updates

2PM The Naughty Librarian Strikes Again

Helpful librarian: Here is an explanation of the changes a boy goes through, and masturbation.
Shocked redfaced teen: No, I said books on emancipation!

Ceres, California

via Overheard in the Office, Jul 9, 2008



As You Should Know All Too Well, Cuntrella
Teacher: Does anyone know how to spell that?
(silence)
Student: Looks like it's time to whip out the dic!
Teacher: Some words should *not* be shortened.

High School Classroom
Rhode Island
via Overheard Everywhere, Jun 23, 2008



Elmer and Mrs Fudd Are Justifiably Proud of Their Daughter
PSU freshman (attempting to flirt): Wow, that's an amazing accent! Is it British?
Cute freshman who says Rs like Ws: Actually, it's a speech impediment.
Overheard by: ellen
via Overheard Everywhere, Jun 25, 2008



If You Don't Share with Him
(mom yelling at six-year-old son playing with several magazines)
Mom: Eric, let's go now!
Eric: But Mom, I want one!
Mom: For Christ's sake! Just take one and let's go.
(Eric takes Gay Life)
Mom: Your father is going to kill you.

--80th & 2nd Ave

Overheard by: Schatz
via Overheard in New York, Jun 22, 2008



12PM What Happens When You Learn History on a Hippie Commune
Maintenance idiot: How do you think they came up with that whole groundhog thing?
Electronics clerk: What groundhog thing?
Maintenance idiot: You know, the groundhog sees his shadow and we have six more months of winter. How do you think they came up with that idea?
Electronics clerk: Ummmm... It's six weeks...
Maintenance idiot: I bet it was all of those animal activist settlers back when they came to America, or something.
Electronics clerk: Animal activist settlers?

Ft. Smith, Arkansas

Overheard by: i love my job
via Overheard in the Office, Jun 24, 2008

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Liberal Change the NYT Can Believe In

Everyone once in a while I need to be reminded of how far to the extreme left the New York Times editorial board is:

New and Not Improved



...Mr. Obama endorsed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the District of Columbia’s gun-control law. We knew he ascribed to the anti-gun-control groups’ misreading of the Constitution as implying an individual right to bear arms. [In the real world we call that "reading"] But it was distressing to see him declare that the court provided a guide to “reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe.”


What could be more reasonable than a city restricting handguns, or requiring that firearms be stored in ways that do not present a mortal threat to children?
[What could be more reasonable than a total handgun ban that requires all guns to be disassembled?! The NYT lives in bizarro world]


We were equally distressed by Mr. Obama’s criticism of the Supreme Court’s barring the death penalty for crimes that do not involve murder.
[Read the medical description of what happened to the 8 year old girl who has raped by her stepfather in the case in question and get back to me]


We are not shocked when a candidate moves to the center for the general election. But Mr. Obama’s shifts are striking because he was the candidate who proposed to change the face of politics, the man of passionate convictions who did not play old political games.
[WAAAAHHHH!!! He broke his promise to be an unapologetic liberal!]


There are still vital differences between Mr. Obama and Senator John McCain on issues like the war in Iraq, taxes, health care and Supreme Court nominations. We don’t want any “redefining” on these big questions. [Well, there's already been some redefining on Iraq] This country needs change it can believe in.


THIS is the change to believe in? Marching in lock-step with the liberal party line? Please, America, NO!

So which is the real Obama? The radical reformer who brings hope of liberal change or the guy running for the third Bush term who practices political expediency when faced with reality? We don't know because Obama is unproven, untested, and inexperienced.


UPDATE: I guess Donald Sutherland (Jack Bauer's dad) is apoplectic about the NYT editorial - he ventures some wild conspiracy theories about it. And other lefty wing-nut bloggers are up in arms about Obama paying lip service to moderation. I have to admit it is such fun to see them in a tizzy! They are so out of touch that they think steadfast adherence to the radical liberal line is the best course and don't realize that the appearance of moving to the center can only help Obama. They needn't worry, he's only doing this to become electable in the short term.

Baby Racists

Claim: Kids who say 'yuck' may be racist

Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says.

The London-based National Children's Bureau released a 366-page guide counseling adults on recognizing racist behavior in young children, The Telegraph reported Monday.

The guide, titled Young Children and Racial Justice, warns adults that babies must also be included in the effort to eliminate racism because they have the ability to "recognize different people in their lives."

The bureau says to be aware of children who "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuck'."

"Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships," the guide says.

Staff members are advised not to ignore racist actions and to condemn them when they occur.


Now babies aren't allowed to express preferences in food?! Is there anything left in this world that is NOT racist?

Monday, July 07, 2008

LOL



State offers free replacements for 'WTF' license plates

Thanks to some text message-savvy grandchildren, N.C. drivers whose license plates have the potentially offensive "WTF" letter combination can replace the tags.


The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday the state Division of Motor Vehicles has notified nearly 10,000 holders of license plates with the letter combination. Officials learned last year the common acronym stands for a vulgar phrase in e-mail and cell phone text messages.


But this week, the DMV officials got another surprise when they learned the same letters appeared on the agency's own Web site on a sample personalized plate.


...A 60-year-old technology teacher from Fayetteville complained about the plate last July after her teenage grandchildren clued her in.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Post-modern liberal academia in a nutshell

Whatever I Can't Get from Miss Cleo, Anyway.
Professor: Temperature is an example of an invented reality. Temperature doesn't exist. It's all in our minds. It's either hot or cold out, but what are "degrees" really? Nothing!
Student: Actually, temperature is scientifically calculated by... (goes on to give long, technical explanation)
Professor: Really? I'm going to have to go look that up on Wikipedia. I get all of my information from Wikipedia.

University of Toronto
Canadia

Overheard by: Glad you're teaching us then...
via Overheard Everywhere, Jul 1, 2008

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Moving the Goal Posts on Iraq



  1. First they said, "It's taking too long," and then Baghdad fell;


  2. Next they said, "Saddam's still at large," and then he was dragged out of his spider hole;


  3. Then they said, "The Iraqis don't have control of their government," and then Iraqis held their first elections in decades and set up a government;


  4. After that they said, "It's a civil war," and then Sadr agrred to a cease-fire;


  5. They said, "too much violence," and then the bloodshed was dramatically reduced;


  6. Most recently they said, "The Iraqi government isn't meeting benchmarks," and now we have the report saying 15 of 18 benchmarks are satisfactory.



How are you going to move the goal posts next, liberals?


BRING IT ON!

The latest fashion craze

Now you, too, can wear the hot fashions of the FLDS ladies as seen on tv!

FLDS fashions for kids sold on enterprising Web site

A new clothing brand may be born out of the Texas raid on a polygamous sect.


FLDS women for the first time are offering their handmade, distinctive style of children's clothes to the public through the Web site fldsdress.com.


Launched initially to provide Texas authorities with clothing for FLDS children in custody, the online store now is aimed at helping their mothers earn a living.


The venture, which has already drawn queries from throughout the U.S., is banking on interest in modest clothes, curiosity and charity to be a success.


"We don't know what to expect on demand but we have had a flood of interest," said Maggie Jessop, a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Canadian & British Health Care Lie In Ruins

Canadian Health Care We So Envy Lies In Ruins, Its Architect Admits

..."We thought we could resolve the system's problems by rationing services or injecting massive amounts of new money into it," says Castonguay. But now he prescribes a radical overhaul: "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."

...What would drive a man like Castonguay to reconsider his long-held beliefs? Try a health care system so overburdened that hundreds of thousands in need of medical attention wait for care, any care; a system where people in towns like Norwalk, Ontario, participate in lotteries to win appointments with the local family doctor.

...De Vires is far from unusual in seeking medical treatment in the U.S. Even Canadian government officials send patients across the border, increasingly looking to American medicine to deal with their overload of patients and chronic shortage of care.

...Canada isn't the only country facing a government health care crisis. Britain's system, once the postwar inspiration for many Western countries, is similarly plagued. Both countries trail the U.S. in five-year cancer survival rates, transplantation outcomes and other measures.


The problem is that government bureaucrats simply can't centrally plan their way to better health care.


A typical example: The Ministry of Health declared that British patients should get ER care within four hours. The result? At some hospitals, seriously ill patients are kept in ambulances for hours so as not to run afoul of the regulation; at other hospitals, patients are admitted to inappropriate wards.


Declarations can't solve staffing shortages and the other rationing of care that occurs in government-run systems.

...However the candidates choose to proceed, Americans should know that one of the founding fathers of Canada's government-run health care system has turned against his own creation. If Claude Castonguay is abandoning ship, why should Americans bother climbing on board?