April 2nd, 2004
I have been laid off.
You bet your sweet bippy I'll be trying to take advantage of this medium to help find a new one. Sometime soon, I'll post some of my skills and what I'm looking for. Anyone who thinks they seriously might want my resume, contact me at the address to the right.
Oh, and have a good weekend everyone.
UPDATE: Well, at least Duke lost. (I had to watch it in tape delay. With mute. I can't stand listening to national broadcasters compete to out cream each other over Duke.)
Posted by fad at 3:07pm
Don't forget to sacrifice an hour to the sun gods this weekend. Unless you live in one of those places that doesn't participate in such pagan rituals.
Posted by fad at 1:51pm
With the job news this morning also came a tick up in unemployment to 5.7%. I'm having fun reading in which order various headlines put the news, or in some cases don't mention one at all. Informal survey says that if both are mentioned, unemployment goes first. If only one is mentioned, it's jobs.
Posted by fad at 11:28am
I would prefer there were no attacks in Iraq. I would prefer that there were no bombers. But we don't always get what we want. So if there are going to be attacks and bombers, let more of them be like this.
The three were planting the bomb at the entrance to a town hall in Riyadh, 16 miles west of Kirkuk when it exploded, killing them instantly, police Col. Iyad al-Jabouri said.It saves everyone a lot of trouble.
Posted by fad at 10:17am
I usually do a decent job of keeping politics from preventing me from enjoying things. I'll still see movies with idiots in them or watch TV shows populated with people who are droolfarms when not presented with a page to read. But I think this would hit my limit.
Beijing-based Red Star Co had signed a deal with an undisclosed U.S. alcohol sales company to distribute its high-end Diamond Erguotou brand of "baijiu," a high-proof spirit made from sorghum, the China Daily newspaper said Friday.I just don't know if I could drink something made by a company called "Red Star". I'd find it annoying if it were some ironic hipster thing, but that it's really straight up from China makes it harder.
Posted by fad at 9:41am
I'll bet you didn't get to spend an evening with Dave Barry. Well, unless you're Matt or Vicky, I guess.
Posted by fad at 8:43am
Oh please, please keep this up.
Non-farm payrolls climbed 308,000 in March, the Labor Department said, the biggest gain since April 2000 and well above the 103,000 rise expected on Wall Street.This will be very necessary in the next 30-45 days.
Posted by fad at 7:53am
I was wondering when registering offenders even after they serve their time would spread to crimes beyond sexual ones.
Under the legislation, anyone convicted of arson as an adult would have to inform State Police of their address for 10 years.This is in Illinois. Now I am not one who generally favors "slowly boiled frog" or "slippery slope" arguments. They have their merits, but more often they are used as an excuse not to even bother considering the individual thing at hand. Rather than looking at and debating the actual issue on its own merits, too many times the easier way is taken by discounting a thing with the above template rather than actual thought.
So what do I think of this? I'm not really set any way. I lean heavily against it, though I do understand that arson is a terrible crime whose criminals are often serial at it. I could see the argument possibly for registering someone after they have been shown to be a serial arsonist, but I'm still not sold on the whole idea of registering people after they serve their time anyway. It's something I never bothered to settle in my mind.*
Geez...I need to hit a coffeehouse and smoke unfiltered, Soviet-era cigarettes if I'm going to keep writing sentences like that one.
Posted by fad at 7:47am
Hey, a conclusion to a Post-Dispatch editorial that I can agree with!
Regardless of one's view of the war, the United States can't leave precipitously; we would be abandoning Iraq to chaos and sending a signal that we run every time a mob drags an American through the streets. It would be obscene to invade a country, kill thousands of its people, lose hundreds of our own, and then run off without giving Iraqis at least a chance to build a nation that is free and stable."Obscene" is a very good choice of word.
Posted by fad at 7:29am
Light a candle, say a prayer and hoist a beverage. It's the official end of an era.
A marquee that was home to illusionists Siegfried and Roy's Las Vegas show is being taken down six months after the spectacle was closed by a tiger attack.Now bad comedians will have to find another pair to make their homosexual subtext jokes. They'll probably fall back to Batman and Robin.
Posted by fad at 7:05am
During the 5 minutes a day weblogs.com is actually up to be pinged, is anyone else getting an error about "Junk" returned to them?
Posted by fad at 7:03am
Bomb found in Spain.
Bomb-disposal experts have found between 10 and 12 kilos (22-24 pounds) of dynamite under the line about 60km (40 miles) south of Madrid, Mr Acebes said.That sounds less sophisticated than most recent bombs which tend to be detonated remotely by some cableness method (the exception being the suicide version, of course).
The explosives were connected to a detonator with a 130-metre cable.
Posted by fad at 6:59am
"Iraqis who hate U.S. ashamed at desecration"
As the rage cooled in Fallujah yesterday and the burned and beaten bodies of four American civilians were wrapped in white cloth, many townspeople said they were torn between pride in the attack and shame over the mutilations.Well. That's nice. It would also be nice if we could ever see a story with the reaction of some Iraqis who don't hate America. Unless that just doesn't fit the script.
Posted by fad at 6:50am
Emily Jones is profiled over at Normblog. This is notable mostly for having the best favo
Posted by fad at 6:46am
April 1st, 2004
Posted by fad at 5:37pm
Emulate former child stars and fight cancer!
Treatment with Nembutal (pentobarbital), a powerful barbiturate, can reduce the growth and spread of colon cancer in mice, according to findings presented Tuesday at an annual cancer meeting.Woo-hoo! Prevention, here I come!
Posted by fad at 3:18pm
The coverage of the showing of the horrific images from yesterday's murder in Iraq is almost blatantly full of hopeful expectation that this, finally, will be the event that will end American support for rebuilding Iraq. The headlines all couch it with "Will this shake support?" or "This could weaken support", but reading and hearing the stories, the subtext is "Will this (finally) shake support?" or "This [s]hould weaken support." The near glee over having these images to show is a bit disturbing.
Posted by fad at 3:12pm
When fucked up is not enough, there's this.
Posted by fad at 1:33pm
I'm not a big fan of April Fool's Day tomfoolery. It's a day when the unfunny forget that's what they are and play really bad, stupid jokes. Yeah, a few good pranks are pulled every year, but most of them are little more than standing around a corner, jumping out as people pass by, and punching them in the face yelling, "April Fool!" Plus it's just too typical and expected on this day. Pranks and jokes are better random. I think we should change it to "Punch A Mime" day. At least that'd be useful to society.
I have spoken. You must agree.
UPDATE: Ok, actually I have typed, not spoken. But the "you must agree" part still goes!
Posted by fad at 11:26am
I think I shall join them in solidarity. Since, as we learned last year, solidarity now requires being naked in a field spelling out things, I need some volunteers to join me in spelling out "D'oh" out under the Arch. Someone bring nachos.
Posted by fad at 9:37am
March 31st, 2004
USA Today does obligatory spring break debauchery story from Cancun. In it, a young woman is quoted saying this.
"We want to get drunk and naked - that's why we're down here," says bikini-clad [Name removed. I don't want to get the inevitable search hits -- me], 20, of Ramapo College in New Jersey. "This is sun and alcohol 24/7."Now, the story is on the wires and the internet. A wacky afternoon radio talk show in Chicago, the Roe
[...]
"We went shopping for slutty clothes before we got here," she says.
The producer of the show, doing his job, tracks down her father's number in New Jersey and calls, hoping for a statement or a reaction on air. He assumed that by 4:30pm Central time, the father would have been informed of this.
He hadn't. This was the first he heard of it. He, after a long silence, had, uh, no comment. Well, at least for them. One assumes he has a few for his daughter.
Posted by fad at 4:46pm
Whether or not there is a good time to go to Uzbekistan, I do know that the brother of one my friends picked a really bad time to go there.
Posted by fad at 4:02pm
The UN will start up an independent investigation to the Oil-for-food scam. Yes, that's me editorializing.
The U.N. Security Council said Wednesday it would cooperate with an independent investigation into allegations of corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program and called on all nations to do so also.At the end is this gem.
Some council members had wanted the investigation to be paid for with revenue from the oil-for-food program, but diplomats said this was ruled out because members agreed that this money belongs to the Iraqi people.Some fine reporting there. Any names they could mention?
Posted by fad at 1:36pm
Get your banners and your climbing gear. They're thinking about building new nuke plants.
In an effort to revive the nuclear reactor construction industry, seven major companies plan to announce on Wednesday that they will apply for a license to build a new commercial power plant. The last time a plant was ordered but not later canceled was 1973.I'm going to be 30 years old in June. That means no nuclear plant that was later built has been approved during my lifetime. No human has set foot on the moon in my lifetime either, but that's another (frequent) rant.
They said that they hoped to submit an application in 2008, and that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might rule by 2010.Woah! Slow down there, fellas. No need for the rush.
Posted by fad at 7:33am
2004 marks the 25th year of one of my current banes, the spreadsheet on the PC. Somehow these, like Power Point presentations, control reality. I have actually had discussions with my boss in which he refused to believe a certain login existed to a server because it was not listed on a spreadsheet. He persisted in this belief even after I logged in using that login right in front of him.
Yeah, it's yearly evaluation day. It...uh...ain't gonna be pretty.
UPDATE: Eep.
Posted by fad at 7:04am
March 30th, 2004
Posted by fad at 6:37pm
The end is near.
Radio Flyer Inc., maker of the little red wagon loved by generations of children, plans to move its manufacturing operation to China.Then again, I never had one of those, so to hell with future generations.
Posted by fad at 3:36pm
Serbia really doesn't like that their batshittery isn't being as noticed lately, so have taken steps to get our attention again.
Serbian lawmakers on Tuesday awarded salaries, legal fees and other financial perks to former President Slobodan Milosevic and fellow Serbian war crimes suspects being tried by a U.N. tribunal in the Netherlands.Money, I'm sure, they can well afford.
The new law also would cover travel and mailing expenses incurred by families of the two dozen Serb war crimes suspects currently imprisoned in The Hague.
Posted by fad at 3:02pm
And here I thought I knew fun.
The reporter does enough apostrophisin' to fill 17 "Huckleberry Finn"s, though.
Posted by fad at 2:48pm
When I first moved to Redmond, WA, in 1998 I was doing my usual "new town" thing of trying to get lost and find my way home again to learn the new digs. Driving a few minutes from home, I saw this strange, green roofed building amongst the sod farms. Driving to investigate, I learned it was the Redhook Brewery, which was a bit surprising because I thought it was located in Oregon. I didn't think I was that lost.
Anyway, turns out Anheuser-Busch, which at least this time I know where it is located, is Redhook's distributor accounting for 70% of revenue. Since this is the 10th year of the deal, both companies can break off the deal, a move which would kill Redhook. A-B has quite the leverage, I'd say. Hope it continues to work out. I have fond memories of that place and its product.
Posted by fad at 2:41pm
I which I try to sound smart but instead just have a fanboy moment.
Posted by fad at 2:02pm
Some rented chunk of shit just microwaved a styrofoam cup. The smell is...well, not going on my list of favorites. While I have no proof, I like to think it's the same toedick who intentionally clogs the toilet every other week or so. I hate thinking there's yet another droolfarm wandering around here.
Posted by fad at 11:29am
Pooh freedom!
A judge has ended a legal fight against the Walt Disney Co. that has stretched more than a decade over Winnie the Pooh merchandise royalties.Wow, harsh, man. Must have had a crappy lawyer. But being able to say, "I have Pooh rights" has to be a good consolation.
[...]
McCoy dismissed the suit with prejudice, meaning Pooh rights owner Stephen Slesinger Inc. cannot sue again on the claim.
Posted by fad at 11:12am
Dialup sucks.
When Mark Walters received a $2,500 bill from his long-distance carrier, Denver-based Qwest, he figured it had to be a mistake. It was, and it was his daughter's boo-boo.I'm guessing they have a second line for the computer. Either that or they don't make many calls.
Elissa Walters, 18, had gone home to Springfield, N.J., for Christmas break, turned on a new computer and called an America Online number in the 973 area code -- the Walters' home area.
Figuring it was a free local call carried by their local carrier, Verizon Communications, she left the computer on. And on. And on.
He begged for a break, saying even $500 would be fair -- enough to teach Elissa a lesson without bankrupting her, but said a representative named Bob told him last week that wouldn't happen.Don't fuck with representatives named Bob. They will mess you up every time. Though I picture this "Bob" to be a giant floating head like in the Wizard of Oz who shrieks, "DENIED!!!" to all supplicants.
Posted by fad at 11:08am
I recommend walking over the border from now on.
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that agents at the border can take apart and search a vehicle's gas tank for drugs or contraband without violating constitutional privacy rights.I wonder who pays to have the car reassembled.
In a victory for the U.S. Justice Department, which argued routine searches can catch drug smugglers and terrorists, the high court said agents need not have a reasonable suspicion the gas tank contained illegal items.
[...]
Rehnquist said the expectation of privacy was less at the border than inside the country. "We have long recognized that automobiles seeking entry into this country may be searched," he wrote in the seven-page opinion.
"While it may be true that some searches of property are so destructive as to require a different result, this was not one of them," Rehnquist concluded.
Posted by fad at 10:48am
In momentous and preposterously self-important site news, I am adding a link list to the site. Please don't be insulted if you aren't on it. Also, please do not write in requesting a "link exchange", which sounds like what Kang and Kodos do when disguised as Clinton and Dole. Your desire to link to this site should not be contingent on mine to link you, just as my desire to link you is not influenced by yours to link me. Oh yeah, and it'll be a slow and haphazard process.
You may now return to your day.
Posted by fad at 10:14am
Extremely whiny, self-indulgent post. Please avoid it if you don't want your lunch ruined by how stupid I am.
Posted by fad at 10:04am
There will be posts today. I hate everything I've tried so far. I'm trying to fight through.
Posted by fad at 8:53am
March 29th, 2004
Under Senate Bill 2944, potlucks can't be regulated as long as people aren't charged for the food and no one is compensated for bringing a covered dish. The event also must not be run for commercial purposes.Damn straight! No one can get between me and my sun-soaked potato salad, jello with mysterious chunks of whatnot suspended in it or dried out lasagna!
[...]
Rutherford sponsored the proposal after the Woodford County Health Department put the lid on a potluck dinner in Minonk earlier this year. The United Methodist Church organized the event for senior citizens, but the health department said the food didn't meet safety standards.
Posted by fad at 4:29pm
More importantly, though, I got my Trashcan Sinatras EP with three songs from their new -- as of yet unlicensed in the US -- album plus 11 live tracks. Woo-hoo!!
Posted by fad at 3:32pm
I just got a very long letter from Hillary! explaning that she didn't think anything could shock her anymore, but that evil George W. Bush and the Republicans broke out the electrified shock machine (before they were just rubbing a balloon on their heads). The end result of her being so shocked is that I'm supposed to send her, well, the Senate Democrats, a bunch of money.
So, I guess this means I got on a Democratic mailing list somehow. Yay.
Posted by fad at 3:29pm
I don't understand why people think the oven is a good hiding place for things. I know it's one of the first places I would look were I on the rob.
They said a friend of hers had hidden the .357 caliber handgun in the stove two weeks earlier without telling her after she told him no guns were allowed in her house.And those who do appear especially fond of hiding guns there.
When Perez heated up the fish sticks she also heated up the gun, which caused several rounds to be fired. One hit her in the leg.
Posted by fad at 2:28pm
And here I thought Bert Convy was dead.
Posted by fad at 12:30pm
And now, the new killer bees.
In addition to the attacks researchers documented in nursing homes -- two each in Florida, Texas and Mississippi -- fire ants have also attacked a resident in a state institution in Alabama. At least 4 nursing home residents have died after a fire ant attack.That'll get you squirming.
''This is a wake-up call,'' Rockhold said.
Posted by fad at 10:21am
Remember a while back that story about a woman faking her daughter's cancer? Here's a catch up.
Teresa Milbrandt told the Columbus Dispatch for a story in Sunday's editions that she regrets what she did, which included shaving her daughter Hannah's head and giving her sleeping pills to make it look like she was undergoing chemotherapy. She also made Hannah wear a protective mask and put her in counseling to prepare for death.The assumed motivation is all the money she was able to get from kind people trying to help out with the medical bills. Oh and being sick, twisted horror. Well, gets even better.
[S]she concocted the scheme to keep her husband from leaving.Well, then, who could blame her?
[...]
''I knew how much he cared about Hannah and if she's sick, I thought, he's not going to leave us. I just said she had cancer and next thing I know, people were giving me money,'' she said.
Posted by fad at 10:19am
Hamas claimed a new ally this weekend.
The new Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, called President Bush the enemy of Muslims and said today that God had declared war on the United States.I'm sorry, but that's impossible. At the time God was supposedly declaring war on the US, He was actually at my place making waffles for me and my personalities. Smashing chap, he is. Dispensed maple syrup from his index fingers.
Posted by fad at 7:22am
From the same article quoted above comes this passage.
In a highly publicized incident on Wednesday, Israeli troops confronted a 16-year-old Palestinian who was wearing a suicide bomber belt at a checkpoint on the edge of Nablus.The way it is written, it makes the Israeli troops the agressors since they are the ones doing the confronting, therefore the active act. I think it would be better stated that the boy with a bomb strapped to him did the initial confronting.
Posted by fad at 7:20am
March 28th, 2004
Posted by fad at 12:29pm