Is that a gecko in your pants...

 ...or are you just happy to see me?

Looks like some guy got busted for trying to smuggle lizards (44 of them!!!) out of New Zealand in his pants.  That's a hell of a reason to end up in prison.

*****************************************************

Took a noontime drive about 5 minutes west of where I live; it is close to the Oquirrh Mountains, and near the old Hercules Powder Company property.  As usual, click on the photo to enlarge.

Hercules is on the left, those are the Oquirrhs straight ahead.

The property is fenced and posted no trespassing, so there aren't a lot of visitors other than these guys.
 This is a shot from the same spot as above, only toward the property itself.  You can see part of the herd of deer browsing.

Some of them were quite close to the fence, and didn't get too spooked as long as I made no sudden moves.

This doe starting getting suspicious; I was only about 20 feet from them on the other side of the fence.

I took a couple more pictures, then left.  They are out there in the early afternoon almost every day during the winter.  During the summer they usually don't come out until late afternoon.  We sometimes get a herd of elk in the same area, but I haven't seen any of them this year.

*****************************************************

Tiger Wood's wife doesn't want a divorce.

Gary Coleman is a jackass.

*****************************************************

The guy who drew attention to ACORN has stepped in it this time.  It seems he and three others tried to sneak in and to some illegal phone-tapping at a Democratic senator's office.
I don't know what he thought he was doing, but this sort of thing is unacceptable.  I don't care what party a person belongs to, you don't break in and spy on people unless you are in law enforcement and you have a damn good reason and a warrant. 

***************************************************** 

         "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings
         "Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream
         "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & the Shondells
         "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol
         "Beg, Borrow and Steal" by Rare Breed
         "She's Not There" by The Zombies
         "North to Alaska" by Johnny Horton
         "Venus" by Shocking Blue
         "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
         "Stay" by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs

The last two:

A popular song from the eighties.  This one is for Terri.



This one if from 1960, and was quite popular. Yeah, it's 50 years old, but I still like it.

And verily I say unto you; go forth into the digital wilderness...

The Pope has decided that Catholic priests need to catch up with the modern digital world, so he is encouraging them to start blogging.   I guess next we'll be hearing from the other Christian sects about "Blogging for Jesus", and "What would Jesus blog?".

************************************************

The POTUS and the Democratic Party are still all butthurt about the MA elections; Obama has decided that what they need for the November elections is better campaign management, and better spin doctors.  I'd like to make a novel suggestion (to both parties): how about just doing your job, and trying to do a better job of representing your constituents?  I realize this is sort of heretical idea, but it just might work.  I get annoyed by people who go to more trouble to make you think they're doing their job rather than putting some of the effort into actually doing their job.

"The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop."
-P.J. O'Rourke

"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."
-Will Rogers

************************************************

China claims it has nothing to do with cyber attacks on Google.  Yeah, right, pull the other one, it's got bells on.  The Chinese may loan us money, but they are not our friends.  I'd be willing to bet that most of the cyber tomfoolery is directly sponsored by the Chinese government.
The Chinese government does not like its citizens unlimited access to information; education is the worst enemy of totalitarian governments.  Back in the days of the cold war with Russia, they had the same attitude to copying machines.  All Xerox machines were registered with the government, and records were kept concerning what was being copied.  Wouldn't want information to get spread around too much among the peasants, you know.
Our government, however, will probably just go along with the farce, since I doubt anyone in our government will have the stones to actually disagree with them. If they do, it will be in the form of a stern reprimand; that'll show 'em!

Teddy Roosevelt once said "Speak softly and carry a big stick."; the current motto seems to be "Walk softly, and be ready to bow. "

************************************************

 A tape that claims to be from bin Laden has surfaced in which it is claimed that Qaida is behind the Christmas would-be bomber.
In the first place, I'm not really sure bin Laden is still alive; I wouldn't be surprised if we found out he got killed years ago and is just being held up as a figurehead.
In the second place, if they are the ones who recruited that incompetent ball-burner, then they are really slipping.  Hopefully they will train more of their bunch like him.


************************************************


Got looking over the list, and it isn't the most cheerful thing I've ever read.  Must be because of the mood I'm in today.

         "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
         "Ferry Across the Mersey" by Jerry and the Pacemakers
         "The Gallery" by Joni Mitchell
         "Ain't Even Done With the Night" by John Mellencamp
         "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel
         "Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
         "In My Time of Sorrow" by Marianne Faithfull
         "Willow Weep for Me" by Chad And Jeremy
         "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" by Kenny Rogers
         "It Was a Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra

The last two in the list:

This is a blast from the past; most people these days wouldn't even recognize Kenny Rogers from back when he was in The First Edition.



Another classic; this one seems to get better and make more sense the older you get...

And the week slowly winds down

Everyone is still either crowing or groaning over the Massachusetts election earlier this week.   Democrats are freaking out or making excuses why they lost; the  Republicans are busy celebrating and telling why they won.  Truth be known, I doubt if either of them have it right.  Personally, I wish they and the media would just move on.  I'm getting tired of reading about it; it happened, it's over, now get on with your lives.

*******************************************************

Some interesting stuff going on over in Russia.  The stray dog population is going through a change.  It would seem they are gradually evolving back into wolves, both physically and mentally.  For those who don't believe in evolution(why?), this is a good example of it happening in a relatively short time.  It'll be interesting to see how things work out with them over the next few years.

*******************************************************

The anniversary of Roe v. Wade has got marchers out, both for and against abortion.  I have something to say for each of you.
For:  YOU WON!! Why are you out waving signs and making noise?  If you want to do something useful, how about trying to work on education and birth control so that abortions can be kept to a minimum?
Against: THEY WON!!  The law found for them, and it isn't going to go away just because you march around and wave signs.  My advice to you is the same as to them; how about working on the reasons that abortions are done, and maybe you can get them down to a smaller number?
Seems like in this country every time someone gets an idea in their head they have to organize a march and hoot'n holler until the press gets interested.  You have the right to do it (I am a firm believer in the First Amendment), but that doesn't mean it's working.  Half the time it's just annoying.  Just because you have a right to act like a jackass doesn't mean you have an obligation to do so.

*******************************************************

I'm hoping to get out and do a little photography one of these days.  I've been tending children the past three weeks, and have been dealing with a 24-hour a day back problem (constant spasms of varying degrees), so I've been spending most of my time indoors.  The children are going back to school next week, and hopefully the weather will change a bit, which is the main cause of my joint problems.  What we could really use around here is some rain or snow.  The Salt Lake Valley is prone to inversions, and when that happens the pollution gets trapped in the valley, causing a multitude of problems.  Most people I know, including myself, have been plagued with sinus problems and lung congestion.  We need a storm to wash the air out a bit.

*******************************************************

See anything you like?

         "I Wanna Go Back" by Eddie Money
         "Gypsy" by The Moody Blues
         "Alone" by Heart
         "Strange Days" by The Doors
         "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" by Johnny Cash/Waylon Jennings
         "Kicks" by Paul Revere & the Raiders
         "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
         "For Ladies Only" by Steppenwolf
         "Gunpowder And Lead " by Miranda Lambert
         "Promenade" by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

The last two on the list:

The girl in this video is not the singer, but the video is a hoot, nonetheless.




Most people are not familiar with this piece unless they enjoy classical music, but I find it quite beautiful, and uplifting; it is from Pictures At An Exhibition.

More hysterical hand-wringing...

...courtesy of SCOTUS.

WASHINGTON — Government cannot restrict corporations from spending money to influence political campaigns, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in an opinion that immediately reverberated across the political landscape and drew strong criticism from the White House.

The decision upends the political battlefield in time for November's high-stakes congressional elections. It also is likely to affect state contests. Twenty-two states prohibit corporate spending in state candidate elections, and two more, New York and Alabama, impose limits on such spending.

The 5-4 decision rolls back at least two decades of restrictions on what unions and corporations can spend in elections and frees special interest groups to unleash a flood of advertising to sway the outcome of races close to elections.

I have a question to those who are pissing their pants over this: Are you people stupid, or just amazingly naive?  Are you trying to tell me that large corporations and organizations have not been throwing money into campaigns and buying candidates for years?  Who the hell do you think is funding all the lobbyists in DC?  The only thing I see any different about this is that now you might be able to see them buying and selling their political pawns. 

*****************************************************

It now appears that a teenage Orthodox Jew saying prayers is indistinguishable from a terrorist hijacker.  Evidently, tefillin can be mistaken for weapons or bombs.  What kind if idiots are running security on these planes?  If this is their idea of sniffing out terrorists, then we may as well give up now.


*****************************************************

Seems there are some people here in the states who think that the  US government is being remiss because their relatives in Haiti have been missing since the earthquakes started.  They feel that everyone should drop everything they are doing and concentrate only on finding their family members.  I realize that parents are worried about their children, but it's not like the people down there have magic wands.  There is a lot of confusion and chaos, and rescuers can only do so much.  So to those people that are making all the noise, STFU and quick acting like a bunch of arrogant selfish assholes; you give Americans a bad name.

*****************************************************

Not sure what this list shows about my mood, any thoughts?

         "Autumn Leaves" by Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis
         "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" by Gordon Lightfoot
         "Comin' Back to Me" by Jefferson Airplane
         "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles
         "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John
         "Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke
         "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel
         "Africa" by Toto
         "Looking Back" by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
         "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf

The last two songs below:

An older song from one of the great blues bands.



Not the most photogenic guy in the world, but he sings right from his heart.

Another trip around the sun accomplished

As of today I'm 58 years old.   Where the hell did all the time go?
Thanks for the e-card, Karen.

************************************************

Haiti is hit by another aftershock; hopefully this will be the last, but the tectonics in that area could have some more bad news ahead for them.

************************************************

It'll be interesting to see what sort of repercussions and backlash (both local and national) will result over the election in Massachusetts; I think this will cause it bit of consternation on the Democratic side.  Right now there are probably more than a few wondering if they will be next when November rolls around.  Time to start listening to your constituents, guys.  I imagine there are also some Republicans who think they are safe, but if so they are mistaken.  From what I can tell, this was not really a Republican victory over the Democrats that so many people in both parties seem to think it is; they both need to look at who made the difference.  Many of the recent elections (including the 2006 and 2008 elections) have been very close; both parties have been in about the same numbers.  The difference has come down to who are the independents voting for?  It is the independents who are tipping the scales in these elections, and both the major parties can't seem to get it through their heads.  Take the Teaparty people, for instance.  The Republicans view them as belonging to them, and the Democrats agree with the Republicans.  They may be somewhat conservative in many respects, but they are not Republicans.  Many of them are ex-Republicans who have broken from the Republican party, but do not believe in the Democratic party.  The Republicans need to quit taking them for granted, and the Democrats need to quit believing the idiotic idea that anyone who is not left of center is a Republican. They have treated the independents with contempt, which is the last thing they should be doing.  Show me where the Democratic party is any better than the Republican party, and you may get some followers.  From what I see, the Democratic party  is just as stupid, corrupted, and crooked as the Republican party; both want to tell people how to run their private lives, both believe in a large powerful federal government, and both seem to favor elitists running things.  The independents that both sides seem to discount are citizens who are tired of the two parties telling everyone what they should believe and who they should vote for, like the rest of their branded and gelded sheep. 
Do I think a new third party is the answer?  Unfortunately, I don't think it would fly.  Human beings tend to polarize to one side or the other; they don't like more than one decision.  I think it's because basically we are hard-wired to look at other people as being in one of two categories: Us and Them.  We think of people as either being in our tribe, or as a potential enemy/competition.  I think the best people can hope for is to try to change one of the parties into something worthwhile.  If you look at the espoused principles of each party, neither one is what you would call 100% bad.  The problem is in the interpretation of the people running each party.  The Democratic party has turned to socialism; it wants a large government that runs every part of everyone's lives except the elite few who run the government.  The Republican party wants a large government that also runs people's lives, but with a different group of elites.  Both are bloated bureaucratic monsters that do nothing but suck all the drive, creativity, and ambition from their subjects (yes, at this point they become subjects, not citizens).
Sorry about the extended rant; sometimes I just have to get some of the bile out.

************************************************

Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Late Show.
Tiger Woods, sex rehab clinic.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi.

Who cares?

 ************************************************

 Lot of old stuff in this bunch.  Any favorites, or commentaries on some of these?

         "American Pie" by Don McLean
         "Stardust" by Artie Shaw
         "Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins
         "Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell
         "Baby, It's You" by Smith
         "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper
         "Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
         "My Mirage" by Iron Butterfly
         "32-20 Blues" by Robert Johnson
         "I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood

The two last ones, both blues:

For those who may be confused as to the title, a 32-20 is a caliber of gun that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century.





Blues doesn't get much better than this.

The sky is falling in the Nanny State

It appears that there might be a Republican senator elected in Massachusetts, and Democrats all over the country are pissing their pants in fear.

I don't really see why it is such a surprise.  The Democratic candidate didn't really get that excited over the campaign until it looked like she wasn't winning by a landslide.  There seems to be general feeling that their party is somehow entitled to the position, and that anyone who disagrees is some kind of unpatriotic lowlife.  You know, judging by the way that party has been running Congress, they shouldn't be surprised if the independent voters are getting a little skeptical of the integrity and credibility of the Democratic Party.  In case you hadn't noticed, Democrats are just as crooked and untruthful as Republicans.  The main problem we have with the two party system is that now and then one party gets a large majority, and they look at it as an excuse to rape and pillage the taxpayers, and bully the opposing party.  The Republicans did it for several years, and now the Democrats have done it for the last three years.  They haven't done anything positive, so now public reaction is against them, and they think it's unfair.  Maybe the best thing is if everyone from both parties would just STFU and let Massachusetts settle its own politics, without everyone else butting in.
Just my opinion.

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Haiti is still reeling from the earthquake and the collapse of law and order.  Hopefully the aid coming from the various countries will help them get back on their feet.

********************************************************

 Somali pirates get a record ransom.

Ridiculous.  Why does the world put up with these thugs?  There was a time when pirates got a stretched neck for their trouble.  Instead of negotiating with these dumb animals, how about putting some fear into them?  Someone tries to hijack a ship, blow them out of the water.  They know where their bases are at, why not drop a daisycutter on one to show them the error of their ways?  All they are doing is rewarding them for criminal activity.  

That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
-Rudyard Kipling


Start paying in blood and bullets, rather than dollars, and you might be able to end this farce.

******************************************************** 

Any favorites, or comments?

         "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
         "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" by Tony Bennett
         "Right Kind of Love" by Quarterflash
         "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" by The Moody Blues
         "El Nicoya" by Santana
         "Don't Miss You at All" by Norah Jones
         "Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
         "Photograph" by Def Leppard
         "The Poor Side of Town" by Johnny Rivers
         "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" by Waylon Jennings

"Still shakin' it here, boss"

 I'm assuming most of my small handful of readers recognize the title to this post.  It seemed sort of fitting based on my irregular posting habits.

 ***********************************************

I've been reading about the earthquake in Haiti; looks like quite a disaster.  As bad as a lot of man-made stuff can be, Mother Nature has a nasty was of sucker-punching people that cannot even be imagined by most people.  It's pretty hard to be prepared for something that you can't really predict as far as time or intensity.  Hopefully the aid being sent by various countries and organizations will help.

***********************************************

Give me a break.

Under fire for backing away from a campaign promise to open up health care negotiations to C-SPAN cameras, the White House on Monday highlighted a report from a coalition of watchdog groups awarding the Obama administration an “A” for its openness.

"Watchdog organizations"?  Sounds like they need to start actually watching the White House, instead of doing a verbal emulation of Monica Lewinski.
H/T to Random Nuclear Strikes


***********************************************

 Personally, I think Harry Reid is a jackass.  That said, how long is this nit-picking about politically correct speech going to go on?  Plenty of people in all areas of the political spectrum have popped up with dumbass remarks on occasion; he apologized if it bothered anyone, so let's move on to something important, like the stupid shit he does in the Senate.

***********************************************

 Sarah Palin joins Fox News; liberal heads explode all across the country.
I don't watch news on TV myself; I prefer using the Web to search and cross-check without all the bullshit being pumped out by talking heads on the boob tube.
What amuses me is the almost insane reaction she gets from the left; anyone else and they get annoyed.  With Palin, she seems to bring out a frothing-at-the-mouth fervor that is completely out of scale; no one else seems to get that reaction.  Hell, I hope they keep her around for a while just so I can hear people sputter at mention of her name.  Sort of like when you were a kid and would tap a stick on a fence just to see/hear the dog inside going into a barking frenzy.
Wingnuts and moonbats; there's humor from both ends of the political spectrum.


***********************************************

Any favorites in this bunch?

         "Taking A Ride" by Don Felder
         "I Was in the House When the House Burned Down" by Warren Zevon
         "Substitute" by The Who
         "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams
         "Hero Takes a Fall" by The Bangles
         "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
         "White Bird" by It's a Beautiful Day
         "The Great Gate at Kiev" by Moussourgsky
         "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" by Mike + the Mechanics
         "Downtown" by Petula Clark

A couple from the list.

One of the top songs from the mid sixties, Petula Clark was quite popular. If you have seen the movie/musical Finian's Rainbow, she is Finian's daughter.



This was a popular song in the late sixties. The lead singer/violinist grew up here in Salt Lake, and played first chair in the Utah Symphony before going to the west coast and forming a band.

First post of the new year

Took almost a week.  I would have made a resolution to blog more consistently, but I hate making promises I can't guarantee.

*******************************************************

Looks like we've got all sorts of do-gooder idiots in the news.

There is a bunch of Bible-thumpers who think it is there duty to go to Uganda and preach.

For three days, according to participants and audio recordings, thousands of Ugandans, including police officers, teachers and national politicians, listened raptly to the Americans, who were presented as experts on homosexuality. The visitors discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how “the gay movement is an evil institution” whose goal is “to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”

What a bunch of self-righteous jerks.

Over in the Southern Sea, a group against whaling have gotten themselves in a pickle.  They claim that a whaling ship rammed them, which scuttled their boat.  Looking at the video, I'd say it was their own fault.  It appears to me that they tried to cut them off by going across the whaler's bow, and timed it wrong.  That's what happens when idiots try to play in traffic.



*******************************************************

If you're not in the mood for a rant, skip this section.

Looks like some major Democratic players are retiring, and the Democratic Party is getting all antsy about the elections later this year.   This is almost comical.
The Republicans spend several years getting everyone pissed at them and their POTUS, and so a big portion of the populace decides to throw the bums out and replace them with Democrats.

“This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.”
–Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi 

This bunch had it made.  All they had to do was try to keep things above board, and represent their people better than the Republicans did.  They could have come off as heroes, and made all kinds of point with the public.
Huh...
As soon as they get in, they immediately start emulating the people they replaced.   When the economy starts going bad, both party's solution is to go with a stimulus package which is stuffed with pork.
Now they have a "Healthcare Package" that is a misbegotten hodge-podge of new bureaucracies, new agencies, and enough pork and plain-ass bribes that even the voters can see there is something fishy going on.  They managed to dirty up their reputations, screw over the voters, and pump the already bad national debt to a mind-buggering level, and with all this money, the economy is still going down, and health reform is years away.
And now they are getting all butthurt because the polls show the the voters have an abysmally low opinion of them.  That's what happens when you overdo it guys; most of the populace expects a certain amount of bullshit from the federal government, but you idiots are trying bloat the government to the point where John Public has noticed.  You guys shit in your bed, now sleep in it.
Just my opinion.

*******************************************************

Well, it finally got up to freezing around here, looks like Europe and a lot of the eastern States are getting some nasty record-cold weather.
Good thing we have the global warming...

*******************************************************

Has to be something in this bunch that someone likes.

         "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell
         "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen
         "Back Where You Belong" by .38 Special
         "It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
         "Who Am I" by Country Joe & the Fish
         "Down in Mexico" by The Coasters
         "Bad Company" by Bad Company
         "99 Luftballons" by Nena
         "Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Frey
         "Perfect" by Sara Evans

The first and the last songs, below:

Almost time to ring out the old year

Happy New Year everyone. 
Yes, I know I'm early; so sue me.


**************************************************************

Hope everyone had a good Christmas.  I spent most of Christmas with a head cold, but had a good time anyway.  Two days later, on Sunday morning, I woke up with my right eye completely swollen shut, and throbbing, and my left eye barely able to open to a squint.  Turned out I had gotten conjunctivitis from the infection in my sinuses.   Couple days of antibiotics and they're back to normal, so it worked out ok.

**************************************************************

It's been cold and foggy around here, our warm spells mean it gets up between 25ºF and 30º F.  The past couple of days have been snow, which isn't all that much fun.

 

I took this picture this morning, it has been snowing all day and is about a half a foot deep by now.  I'll be glad when spring comes around.



**************************************************************

 So the Republicans are yelling that the Skivvy Bomber is the fault of lack of  security by the current administration; the Whitehouse  and the Democrats respond by blaming Bush (big surprise; how long is that line going to be used?)

May I make a suggestion?  How about everybody just STFU and worry about how to prevent future problems?  Airline security is a bad joke and everybody knows it.  The disaster was only averted by two things; the incompetence of the bomber, and everyday citizens who had the initiative to fight back.

So to Jasper Schuringa and the other passengers who took the bomber down, well done.

**************************************************************

Can't say I'm happy with sending more troops over to Afghanistan.  We've been told they are being sent over for a couple of years, then will be brought home.  That makes no sense; what if nothing has been accomplished by then?  Will they extend the time, or will they just pull out and leave?  All the enemy has to do is stall, then wait for the soldiers to leave.
If they aren't planning on winning, why bother sending anyone over to be killed?  They might as well leave now.
Just my opinion.

**************************************************************

This one is just for fun, since it's always been one of my favorite songs. It's been referred to as the unofficial national anthem of Australia. This version is one of the best, by the late Slim Dusty.




**************************************************************

Any favorites in this bunch?  Some of them are probably older than a few of my visitors.

          "Take on Me" by A-Ha
         "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring
         "Wolverton Mountain" by Claude King
         "Wild Summer Nights" by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band
         "Walk Like a Man" by The Four Seasons
         "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project
         "Na Laetha Gael M'Óige" by Enya
         "Time of the Season" by The Zombies
         "The Ballad of Thunder Road" by Robert Mitchum
         "Over the Border" by Eric Burdon

The next to last song was from the movie "Thunder Road" starring Robert Mitchum, who not only sang the ballad, but helped write it. Most people don't know it, but he played saxophone, and enjoyed writing music.

The last song is one of the newer releases by Eric Burdon; it was written by David Munyon, who you may remember from a song of his in one of my previous posts.

It's a wee bit chilly around here

Seems like the past few weeks since I last blogged have been filled with two things, snow and fog.

One day it's like this:

The next day we have this:

I've still been able to do some harvesting from my garden, however.

Swiss chard is doing fine, I just have to brush away snow for small leaves

Sage holds up well in snow

Rosemary is an evergreen, and much better fresh than dried

It's actually snowing right now as I write this, we may get four to eight inches today.   Personally, I'd rather have a Christmas that isn't quite as white as that.

***************************************************

I think I'd like to go plinking with this guy:



H/T to Curmudgeonly & Skeptical

***************************************************

I've been keeping up on the progress on the so-called Healthcare Bill; can't say I'm impressed; horrified describes my feeling a lot better.  It would seem to make more sense to me if someone listed the main problems with health care in this country, and then went down the list one-by-one with suggestions to fix each one.  Instead, we have some bloated, chimerical monster that seems to be more about building new agencies and bureaucracies, and consolidating the federal governments grip on the average citizen's life.  Not to mention the horrific cost, which will all go to maintaining said  agencies and bureaucracies.   This isn't about helping people, it is a power grab, pure and simple.  If you want to help people afford insurance, how about trying to fix the economy?  I don't care how affordable insurance is, if you are out of work you can't afford it.  And sticking employers with part of the bill is not the way to insure people or boost jobs.  If an employer has to put out too much on his worker's insurance, he will do one of two things; pass on the cost to the buyers, or dump part of his work force.  Neither one is good for the economy.   The bill is so full of pork now it is ridiculous, and these assholes in Congress and the Senate don't even have the decency to act embarrassed by the fact they are buying and selling votes to push this abortion through.

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain


"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'"
- Theodore Roosevelt

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."
 - Aesop

***************************************************

 Looks like there has actually been a couple of days without hearing about the latest exploits of Tiger Woods.  Honestly, does anyone really care how many bimbos he had?

***************************************************

The Rain Man has died; I didn't even know he lived here in Salt Lake.

***************************************************


If I don't see you in the next few days, I'd like to wish you Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to those who don't necessarily celebrate Christmas due to other religious beliefs.



***************************************************

I know there has to be some favorites in this bunch, both rock and country.

         "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
         "Crossroads (The Crossroad Blues)" by Robert Johnson
         "Mississippi Woman" by Waylon Jennings
         "Both Sides, Now" by Joni Mitchell
         "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard
         "I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls
         "Lawyers, Guns and Money" by Warren Zevon
         "You Ain't So Tough" by Heart
         "Black Blade" by Blue Öyster Cult
         "Bounce" by Bon Jovi

The last two in the list:

I'm posting again

and it hasn't even been a month since my last one.

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It's been sort of chilly around here; a couple of snow storms since I posted last.

Not attracting very many birds


Most of the snow has melted; picture taken out by my mailbox


I have managed to get some interesting shots, however.

This was taken about 15:00 on Thanksgiving Day



Top of an evergreen; some sort of fir, I think


Barberries; they'll stay like this all winter


Nature's tree ornaments




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Anyone following the talks at Copenhagen? It would seem that the UN wants the largest countries to each kick in $10 billion dollars as upfront money. Seems that now we are actually getting down to what it is all about; power and money. Why am I not surprised?

I've been looking over some of the files let loose from the CRU; these are quite interesting. We see efforts to shut out anyone who tries to publish anything against their conclusions; they refused to release data and methods, and fudged most of the data they do have, then destroyed the original data so it can not be checked against. What are they afraid of, since they say that "the matter is settled"?
I've also been reviewing some of the code used in their computer modeling. OMG! My programming teachers would have flunked these writers without a second thought. The code (written in Fortran) is a laboriously patched maze of spaghetti code that is a total fright. And there are places where they deliberately fudge the code to make it deliver the "proper" answers.
Anyone putting any trust in this bunch of Bullwinkles is either completely ignorant, or blindly loyal. Which I guess is why there are so many on the left-wing who accept it as Gospel.

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So a couple of golddiggers crash the White House, trying to get rich and famous. Good job, Secret Service.
Have you noticed that the POTUS seems to surround himself with incompetent people? I thought Bush was bad, but this guy seems to be hiring the whole graduating class from the College of Idiots. Seems like all you have to do to be a "czar" is to be either stupid or a tax dodger.

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In a lighter vein, here are some interesting pieces of miniature technological art. Check out the galleries and movies.
When I first saw these, my first though was of RobertaX, especially her tech blog.

One example; here:





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Mostly oldies.

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies
"The Girl from Ipanema" by Eliane Elias
"Stealing Rosemary" by The Bangles
"Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"Summertime" by Miles Davis
"Last Train Home" by Pat Metheny Group
"Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" by Santana
"England Swings" by Roger Miller
"Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto
"I Got a Line on You" by Spirit

The next to last one is interesting; it is completely in Japanese (it has English subtitles) and was extremely popular in the US. The singer has a good voice, and, even though it is in a foreign language, conveys all of the emotions in his singing. If you are under 55 years old, it is probably new to you.



One of my favorite songs from the late sixties; they did a lot of good stuff.



This one is just for fun, for James who lives across the pond.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Once again I have been remiss in posting. If I felt better or had more energy I would probably do more, but that's the breaks.

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Looks like the current administration is trying to skirt the question of whether Hasan is just a nut or a terrorist. As far as I'm concerned, ALL terrorists are mentally ill, but that is no excuse for their actions. As far as whether he is a terrorist, my vote is for yes.

1. He was screaming "Allah is greatest" while shooting at people.
2. Has a documented history of correspondence with Muslim extremists.
3. Has been outspoken on agreeing with extremists and terrorist tactics.

Just because he was not working directly for a large group doesn't mean he wasn't a terrorist; how are his actions any different from McVeigh's?
Why this administration is trying so hard to avoid calling a spade a spade is frustrating; I'm surprised they haven't apologized to Hasan for arresting him.

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The more I see of the "Healthcare" plan, the scarier it looks. A huge, bloated, expensive bunch of bullshit, in my opinion. With over a hundred new agencies formed, the thing is going to be nothing more than another mass of bureaucracies to soak up time, money, and resources. This thing is not about better care for people, it is about the government inserting itself more into people's lives and exerting more control over them.
Just my opinion.

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The kerfluffle at the CRU is getting more interesting. It would seem that fame, money, and politics trumps the scientific method among some so-called scientists. One of the biggest problems with stuff like this is that it destroys credibility in the scientific community; it can be hard to earn people's trust after a fiasco like that.

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Oprah is ending her show in the near future; sorry if I can't get too excited. I seem to remember catching part of a couple of her shows when I was visiting people, and I have to say I was very underwhelmed.

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Any favorites in this bunch?

"The Green Leaves of Summer" by Dimitri Tiomkin
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston
"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
"Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby" by Eddie Money
"Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty
"Bourree From Violin Partita No. 1, BWV 1002" by Andrés Segovia
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"Witchy Woman" by Eagles
"Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford
"Too Cool" by David Munyon

The first and the last in the list:

Winter has come to visit

Not real crazy about the white stuff falling from the sky. This is what it looked like this morning. One problem is that our leaves haven't fallen yet, and the snow is weighing down the branches badly in some of the trees.


A view from my front sidewalk.



No birds in there...



The vegetable garden is pretty well closed for the year; there are some herbs and greens that I can harvest during the winter, but most everything else is gone, as you can see by the zucchini, tomatoes, and tomatillos.

To everything there is a season...



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A man who hid in a closet talking to emergency dispatchers while his house was being burglarized helped police catch the intruder.

Personally, I can't imagine hiding in a closet while someone robs your home. What if the burglar checks out the closet where you're hiding? I don't like the idea of having to fight my way out of a closet against someone younger than me. If someone tried that to me, and I'm unarmed, I'd rather wait somewhere with a blunt object where I have room to move, and ambush the SOB.
Just my opinion.

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For those who think that there is a communication problem between environmentalists, politicians, scientists, and all the bullshit they seem to come up with, check out Labrat's post; it is one of her best, and she writes a lot of good ones. If you aren't reading Atomic Nerds, you should be.

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The weather and lack of sleep seems to have put me in a bit of a dark mood; some of the tunes seem to reflect that. What do you think?

"Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream
"Lili Marlene" by Dave Brubeck
"Dust in the Wind" by Kansas
"I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" by Merle Haggard
"As Time Goes By" by Terrence Farrell
"Melancholy Man" by The Moody Blues
"Time of the Season" by The Zombies
"Stardust" by Artie Shaw
"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals
"I Am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel

The last two are a couple of my favorite oldies; give them a listen.

Good day for some ranting and raving

By now I imagine everyone has heard of the flight that overshot its destination. The pilots claim they were in a "heated discussion" and lost track of things.













I find that hard to believe. I'm more likely to believe they dozed off. Nobody argues and ignores messages from the ground for over an hour. I'll be curious to see what investigators find out.

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It's looking more likely that the idiots in the Senate and Congress are going to pass the so-called health reform.
Personally, I don't see anything good coming out of what they've done. They have a 1500+ page document that hasn't been scrutinized closely by anyone in the government, and are pushing for everyone to ignore what it says and just sign it. Anyone who thinks that is proper procedure has never bought a used car from an "ethically-challenged" car salesman. I think the major results will be more federal meddling in people's lives, higher taxes, and a lot of problems that will only get worse as they try to patch things later. And since it won't automatically solve all the problems, it opens the way to more governmental control and interference in our lives. Instead of trying to overhaul everything, how about finding a few main points, and then tackle them one by one? You'd think we could elect people in who were something other than crooks and dumbasses.

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain

"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'"
- Theodore Roosevelt

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Looks like even the other media networks are getting embarrassed by the White House trying to own the news media. This administration is acting like a bunch of bitchy pre-adolescent schoolgirls, who are pissed off because they can't get their way all the time. They have several networks who are going out of their way to pucker up to them, but that isn't good enough; everyone is expected to kiss their asses, and only print what The One approves.
Get real, people. All news outlets are biased, to a certain degree, towards one side or the other. The idea of a completely objective media is right up there with Santa Claus, unicorns, and the Easter Bunny. My personal preference is to look over several sources, then form my own opinions. The idea that the White House wants to push out any news network because they aren't sucking up is abhorrent to me, especially as the latest crop of crooks politicians bragged so much about how they were going to have transparency in government, get rid of corruption, and bring sides together rather than being divisive.

What is next, the Ministry of Truth?

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More ancient music, and a couple of videos, of the last two. I think these are older than some of my readers. Anyone remember all of these?


"Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night
"Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot
"Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles
"Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol
"The Poor Side of Town" by Johnny Rivers
"La Bamba" by Trini Lopez
"Two out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf
"Rebel Rouser" by Duane Eddy
"Reasons for Waiting" by Jethro Tull

Does that include the tip?

A Democratic fund raiser in San Francisco that cost $30,400 per person, and you get to have your picture taken with the POTUS. That's lot of coin, whether the president is democrat, republican, or any other crooked political party.
Reading the transcript is interesting; evidently we have "billions of people who don’t have coverage" (his words, not mine); I guess we better get that new census done quick, our population seems to have skyrocketed.
And he said this sort of thing with a straight face:

Somebody in an introduction was saying everybody has a kind word to say about Nancy Pelosi, her generosity, her intelligence.

But with style and grace, but most importantly, with steely determination, she does not back down, she is there doing battle each and every day on behalf of not only her constituency here in California, but people all across America who are looking for a fair shake, who are looking for a decent job, who are looking for quality health care, who want a good education for their kids, who want a planet that they can pass on to their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. That's what Nancy Pelosi is all about. We could not have done any of the stuff that we’ve done this year without one of the best Speakers imaginable.

I may puke.

What we seem to have is a lot of people who paid a lot of money to kiss the president's ass. That's fine if you can afford it, I guess, but most people don't really have that kind of money.
It must really suck to be rich, I guess.

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Looks like the Washington sniper claims that he deserves mercy; I find it amazing that this POS thinks he deserves clemency. Interesting how these types turn into cowards when it comes their time to pay the piper.

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Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement; I guess somebody out there might care, but I'm not sure who...

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Some old songs, some even older.

"American Pie" by Don McLean
"Sentimental Journey" by Les Brown
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
"I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
"Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins
"It Was a Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra
"Understand Your Man" by Johnny Cash
"Heart of the Night" by Spyro Gyra
"99 Luftballons" by Nena
"Keep on Truckin'" by Hot Tuna

LOL!

Check out the golf carts. There are three pages of them.

I'm back again already

It would appear we are going to ease into cold weather this year; usually summer to winter is like flicking a light switch around here. A lot of parts of the valley have had freezes, but I'm still picking tomatoes, tomatillos, chard, and zucchini. There has been some snow, but mainly in the mountains.

Wasatch Mountains on the east side of Salt Lake Valley



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Sunday we took a trip up into American Fork Canyon; it was a bit cool, but a picnic was enjoyable anyway.
There has been quite a bit of snow up there (we were only at a little over 8000ft elevation), but most has melted until you get up onto the mountainsides. Didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but we did get a few pictures at both American Fork and Sundance.

Tibble Reservoir


Tree growing out of a rock


Thistle heads (these were over 7 feet tall)


Sundance


Mountains above Sundance


Closeup of mountains just west of Sundance


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Got a pretty good laugh at the news this morning.

Obama aide accuses Fox of operating as GOP arm

I don't see what all the excitement is about; ABC, MSNBC, and others have been sucking up to the Whitehouse for months now; seems sort of silly to get pissed just because one small part of the media doesn't seem to be in their pocket. Of course, if it were up to them I guess anything that isn't praising The One would be ruled as hate speech, and illegal. I'm no fan of the Republican party, but lately the Democrats are really getting on my nerves. They seem to act like they are better than anyone else, but I don't see where they are any better than the assholes in the GOP. They're certainly no smarter, and they are just as corrupt and hypocritical.
Just my opinion.

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"Naked Eyes" by Tim Weisberg
"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles
"El Nicoya" by Santana
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Born to Fly" by Sara Evans
"Downtown" by Petula Clark
"Reasons for Waiting" by Jethro Tull
"Hellraiser" by Lita Ford
"Tales of Brave Ulysses" by Cream
"Whispering Pines" by Johnny Horton


A lot of people don't remember Johnny Horton. This one from the playlist was one of his best, in my opinion.

I'm in a bad mood, and it shows

Still trying to get my head around the idea of Obama receiving a Nobel Peace Prize; from what I can glean from his supporters (who all seem to be reeling in a group orgasm right now), is that he did not get it for his accomplishments, but for the great job he did talking about what he was going to do. Remember that the nomination had to have been sent within a few days of his coronation inauguration, while he was still spending most of his time patting himself on the back and getting his ass gang-kissed by the media . If talking a good game is all it takes, then he should be sharing the prize with his teleprompter.

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Does anyone really give a rat's ass about Letterman's flings? I'm getting tired of seeing his name any time I look at the news. Almost as tired as seeing Jon and Kate, whoever the hell they are. If I want to see stuff like that, I'll start watching soap operas.

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Two years and nine months ago we got tired of the way the Republicans were running Congress, and gave a bunch of them the boot, replacing them with Democrats. Looking at things now, I can't see where there is any difference between that bunch of crooks, and the bunch now. Anyone see any improvements? We still have politicians being bought and sold, still lying to us, still wasting time on bullshit while real problems go unresolved. Anyone else starting to feel that tar and feathers might be a good investment?

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Any favorites in this bunch?

"We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner
"Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys
"Tuxedo Junction" by Glenn Miller
"Dengue Woman Blues" by Jimmie Vaughan
"I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield
"Diddy Wah Diddy" by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band
"The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert
"A Hard Road" by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" by Johnny Cash
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra

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