Rock In The Shoe

If the Shoe Fits:

2010-09-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

This was made for the 2008 Election but still mostly applies for the 2010 election (save the mention of then President Bush)

Bottom line: the current Republicans are a collection of idiots and wealthy sociopaths.

Running on the Treadmill...

2010-09-24T17:05:00.001-07:00

Ok, we sometimes get this, especially in middle age.
Last year, or rather 11 months ago, I felt caught in a trap. I am too old to get a new job at this level, but stuck in a position if
1. If I do well, I get stuck doing the same things
2. If I do poorly, I get stuck doing the same things

No matter what, I am stuck in a cold rust-belt town and an old fat wife. That, plus a family crisis (pedophile idiot) and physical pain (torn meniscus in the knee, though I did know that at the time) made for being down in the dumps for a while.

But .....these things often don't last; it does get better. Oh sure, the job is still nowhere and the wife is older and even fatter, but it does have periods of fun. And yes, it pays the bills and provided health insurance to fix that torn meniscus.

The body is healing and things are much sunnier.

Moronic Wife

2009-11-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Axiom: there is no situation so good that my wife couldn't screw it up. Also, there is no situation so bad that this narcissistic "know-it-all" couldn't make it worse.

People

2009-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

People suck. They lie, they cheat, they steal and they molest kids who can't defend themselves.

Staying up late

2009-07-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

Going on facebook has been a real opener. I've found old classmates; almost all of them are right wing reactionaries. They got educated at government expense (service academy), got government paychecks (military), some get pensions and/or disability payments and are against taxes and government spending???

Assholes.

I've also found out that old flames are on there too; once I met a rounded high school girl who wore the thinnest white shorts I've ever seen; there was no challenge in seeing her tiny white nylon bikini underpants.

She is on facebook.

I got a friend request by someone else I used to ogle; she no longer looks the way that she used to. What a pity.

Still another facebook friend: years ago I saw her at a meeting in very tight, very shiny, royal blue spandex shorts. I wanted to rub her ass so badly!

Now, she couldn't fit one leg into those shorts; that is how it goes.

My wife is an idiot

2009-07-22T05:18:00.000-07:00

"Honey, the milk is spoiled; I found that out when I got my coffee this morning".

"Ok."

So I go to get coffee; hardly any is left; barely enough for one cup (I usually take two).

"Did you throw your coffee out?"

"Yes....what was I supposed to do?"

"There wasn't much coffee left"

"Oh.....should I have made another pot?"

Duh.

I don't get enough sex to put up with this.

A Change in Local Footraces

2009-05-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Over the years, there have been changes in local footraces. The crowd has become less serious and far slower.

But what you are seeing more and more of is a plethora of women of the following type: early 30's, usually dark haired, white, and dressed in a white technical top and black spandex on the bottom. Few are fast at all; most run in the 8-10 minute per mile range (or slower).

But they are always good for some visual entertainment, if you love seeing some feminine butt-crack.

Besides, their finishes count and help old, slowing runners pad their finish statistics. :-)

Get a Load of This Moron!

2009-03-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Note how this idiot accepts no responsibility for her ineptitude. Note how she whines because she was made to "feel stupid".

Guess what? She IS stupid!!!!!

But this is a direct result of the way that these pitiful little snowflakes are raised: they are praised for doing even the most trivial things. Hence if something is difficult for them, it must be the fault of the course/professor, etc.

Your first "F" in a 100 level course??? You are a senior and making an F in a 100 level course? That says something about YOU and how trivial your "show and tell" degree program is.

My hope is that anyone who might employ this imbecile would find this on the internet and not hire her.

A Call From My Yoga Teacher

2009-03-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

My yoga teacher called me yesterday. She said: "I want you to help me learn a headstand".

This is the version I do (though I sometimes lift with straight legs for an added challenge)

This is more advanced than what I do; when I do the straight legged lift I don't do it from a straddle.

Nevertheless I am excited. The last time my teacher tried a headstand she bent way over like this:

And then put the crown of her head on the ground. The spotter's job was to stand in front of her (her back to you) and then move her hips and butt toward vertical; in other words I will be putting my hands on her ass!

I am motivated...

To Parents of College Bound Students: Don't worry

2009-01-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

This is a shout out to all of those parents who are worried that their precious little darlings might not make it in college: don't worry!

What studies are showing is that college grades are going up

More students at the University of Minnesota get A's in classes than get C's, D's or F's combined, according to a Pioneer Press review of grades.

The examination of marks handed out at the state's leading university between fall 2004 and spring 2007 also found that in lower-level courses, more than 70 percent of students get either an A or a B.

Of course, school officials have a reason:

School officials say the top-heavy grading is the result of smarter students.

Really?

Well other studies show that these same students are dumber than ever before:

They don't know the basics of our society

Once again the Intercollegiate Studies Institute has produced a report saying that America’s college students don’t know enough about basic U.S. history and civics, and blaming a group of top colleges for their students’ plight.

For this year’s report, released today, the institute surveyed 14,000 college seniors and freshmen at 50 colleges. Among other findings, the report, “Failing Our Students, Failing America: Holding Colleges Accountable for Teaching America’s History and Institutions,” says the average college senior knows “astoundingly little about America’s history, government, international relations, and market economy.”
The findings largely parallel those in last year’s report, although a slightly different batch of colleges have been singled out for censure.

And the students can't read worth a darn either.

Having trouble understanding the arguments on today's editorial page?

A college student may be able to help. But then again, maybe not.

A new study that measured the skills of students nearing graduation from a four-year university found that more than half lacked the literacy skills to handle complex tasks, such as analyzing arguments in newspaper editorials or understanding credit card offers.

Students at two-year colleges fared even worse, with at least 75 percent lacking the skills to perform complex tasks, according to a study released Thursday by the American Institutes for Research.
"It is kind of disturbing that a lot of folks are graduating with a degree and they're not going to be able to do those things," said Stephane Baldi, the study's director at the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization.

The study was the first to target students nearing the start of their careers. Researchers used the same test as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, the government's examination of English literacy among adults. Results of that study were released in December, showing about one in 20 adults is not literate in English.

The test was given in 2003 to a representative sample of 1,827 students at public and private colleges.

And while the results show that college students' literacy levels are higher than that of adults across the nation, the study nonetheless serves as "an alarm bell for colleges and policy makers," said Justin Baer, the report'sco-author and AIR senior research analyst.

The study found that 20 percent of students completing four-year degrees and 30 percent earning two-year degrees had only "basic" quantitative literacy skills -- meaning they could calculate the cost differences between items in a grocery store, but could not perform more complex calculations, such as whether they have enough gasoline to make it to the next station or compare credit card offers that arrive in the mail.

So what are we to conclude? How about this: colleges are so desperate to please the students and their parents that they will do just about anything to ensure that your little darling will not only get a degree but graduate with a "good" GPA, no matter how retarded they are.

Of course, there are still some "stick in the mud departments" (e. g., mathematics, physics and other hard science departments) that actually demand that students demonstrate that they've actually mastered something prior to getting credit for a course.

But there are always the soft-subject departments where "anything goes"; those are the ones to steer your little darlings to.

After all, such departments are staffed by those who have written their Ph. D. dissertations on utterly useless subject areas; often their publications consist of stringing some -isms together or talking about how it is "sexist/racist/homophobic" some standard convention of society is. These professors have nowhere else to go if they get fired; hence they will bend over backwards and wipe your little snowflake's bottom if that is what is required.

Here are some of the techniques these "professors" will use to ensure that your little darling graduates:

1. If your snowflake is only mildly retarded, your kid's professor will let them rewrite their assignments over and over again. By the 4'th or 5'th iteration, the professor will actually be reading their own work rather than the rubbish your kid would produce under their own steam, hence your darling gets their "A".

2. If your snowflake is a bit more retarded and isn't even capable of elementary mimicry, your kid's professor will suddenly classify their grammatical mistakes and spelling errors as "artistic innovations" and claim that it would be "elitist" to insist that they turn in something comprehensible. They get their good grade.

3. If your kid is really retarded, your school (if it is one of those private ones) will issue your retard a "retard pass" (aka "learning disability waiver") so as to either waive the basic requirements or to give your little snowflake so much assistance that they really don't have to learn anything to pass their assignments.

Wait, you say: "but my kid would have had a college degree but will have learned nothing!" Well, that may be true, but what the heck. Your little retard is going to end up moving in with you after college anyway! So why sweat it?

See? There is nothing to worry about, is there?

Inspiration to Work Out

2009-01-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

It is colder than all get out around here and I am in some need for inspiration.

I saw some folks running the 5K run on a local bikepath; I saw the tail end of the pack. Let's just say that they looked more like those in the late miles of a marathon run than those doing a 5K; then again 1 F temperatures will do that.

But there was plenty of spandex to see. :-)

So perhaps these images will inspire me to get out there (I've been mostly sticking to the treadmill):

Video one

Video two.

Wives and Big Butts, etc.

2009-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

While on a recent trip, I saw my wife bending over her suitcase.

I couldn't resist.

That, in turn, reminded me of this timely photo:

Which, in turn, reminded me of this joke:

Never Tell Her She Has A Big Butt! -- powered by flowgo.com

Speaking of wives, mine decided to tell me that she didn't like where I had parked my car in the driveway (it is snowy, cold and I had shoveled hard for a while); I reminded her that the path that I shoveled out for the postal carrier wouldn't be affected as the car wouldn't be there when the carrier.

But I offered to let her move the cars and or shovel to her own pleasure; of course that isn't going to happen.

Monument to Human Stupidity: various objects up various orifices

2009-01-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am not sure as to why I thought about this.

But I was recently reminded about the Vicar who had to go to the emergency room because he had a potato stuck in his rectum.

The clergyman, in his 50s, told nurses he had been hanging curtains when he fell backwards on to his kitchen table.
He happened to be nude at the time of the mishap, said the vicar, who insisted he had not been playing a sex game.
The vicar had to undergo a delicate operation to extract the vegetable, one of a range of odd items medics in
Sheffield have had to remove from people's backsides or genitals.
Others include a can of deodorant, a cucumber, a Russian doll – and a carnation.
Speaking of the vicar, A & E nurse Trudi Watson, of Sheffield's Northern General Hospital, said: "He explained to me, quite sincerely, he had been hanging curtains naked in the kitchen when he fell backwards on to the kitchen table and on to a potato.
"But it's not for me to question his story. He had to undergo surgery to have it removed."
She advised anyone tempted to use such objects in sex games to think again.
"It can be very dangerous and potentially life-threatening," she said.

Ok.

The article pointed out that this Vicar wasn't alone; here is a list of stuff that has had to be removed from peoples rectums:

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object                             Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
  Bottle or jar                       32
  Bottle with attached rope            1
  Glass or cup                        12
  Light bulb                           7
  Tube                                 6
Food
  Apple                                1
  Banana                               2
  Carrot                               4
  Cucumber                             3
  Onion                                2
  Parsnip                              1
  Plantain (with condom)               1
  Potato                               1
  Salami                               1
  Turnip                               1
  Zucchini                             2
Wooden
  Ax handle                            1
  Stick or broom handle               10
  Miscellaneous or unspecified         3
Sexual Device
  Vibrator                            23*
  Dildo                               15
Kitchen device
  Dull knife                           1
  Ice pick                             1
  Knife sharpener                      1
  Mortar pestle                        2
  Spatula (plastic)                    1
  Spoon                                1
  Tin cup                              1
Miscellaneous tools
  Candle                               1
  Curling Iron    1
  Flashlight                           3
  Iron rod                             1
  Pen                                  2
  Rubber tube                          1
  Screwdriver                          1
  Toothbrush                           1
  Wire spring                          1
Inflated device
  Balloon                              1
  Balloon attached to cylinder         1
  Condom                               1
Ball
  Baseball                             2
  Tennis ball                          1
  Pool cue ball                        1
Miscellaneous containers
  Baby powder can                      1
  Candle box                           1
  Shampoo Bottle   1
  Snuff box                            1
Miscellaneous
  Bottle cap **                        1
  Cattle horn                          3
  Chain (gold)    1
  Frozen pig's tail                    1
  "Kangaroo tumor" #                   1
  Hair Mousse Cap   1
  Plastic rod                          1
  Stone                                2
  Toothbrush holder                    1
  Toothbrush package                   1
  Whip handle                          2*
Collections (one case of each)
 2 Glass tubes
 72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
 Oil can with potato stopper
 Piece of wood, peanut
 Umbrella handle and enema tubing
 2 Glasses
 Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
 402 Stones
 Toolbox ##
 2 Bars soap
 Beer glass and preserving pot
 Lemon and cold cream jar
 2 Apples
  Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

Ok. Note: the link contains some x-rays of the above objects prior to their being removed.

But one of the biggest internet "sensations" is the infamous and completely NOT SAFE FOR WORK "One Man, One Jar" video.

So click at your discretion.

If you are squeamish but want to know, I'll tell you below (spoiler alert)

Basically a camera focuses on the pelvic region of a naked man. He has a glass jar placed underneath him and he squats down on the jar and uses his rectal muscles to raise the jar through his anus into his rectum. Much of the jar indeed makes it up.

But remember that the jar is made of glass.

That's right; the excess pressure breaks the jar when it is almost embedded in his rectum; the result is that you see pieces of broken glass coming out, along with a stream of blood.

Ok, Fess Up time: my history (sorry: nothing sexual here)

1. The first misadventure involves the candy "red hots" and something called a "cracker ball". A "cracker ball" is a type of cap that has a covering to make it look like a small rock; the idea is that if you threw it hard against, say, a sidewalk, it went "boom". Boys like such things.

So, when I was in 7'th grade, I bought a package of these. I also bought a package of candies called "red hots" and I forgot what pocket I put which in.

At a school play I started eating the red-hot candies. Well, I went into the wrong pocket for one of the candies and put a cracker ball in my mouth instead.

Boom!

I went to the dentist office and no harm was done, though I felt like an idiot.

2. As a young man, I frequently wore ear plugs when reading or even when attending loud games. I noticed that one of my pairs of ear plugs were missing the end tips (the part that goes into the ear).

I also noticed that clearing my ears (as one does in an airplane) had become painful.
That lasted for couple of years.

Then I got sick and went to the doctors; they checked my ears and noticed something. They irrigated my ears and, surprise, out came the "missing tips" of the plugs.
,

Bibilical Morality? Don't Make Me Laugh

2009-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Many still claim to get their morals from the Bible. Well, what does the Bible actually say?

The following is a very incomplete list but is nevertheless a valid list.

1. How do you determine if someone is guilty? Answer: gamble. We read from the Book of Joshua, Chapter 7:

2
Joshua next sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Bethel on its eastern side, with instructions to go up and reconnoiter the land. When they had explored Ai,
3
they returned to Joshua and advised, “Do not send all the people up; if only about two or three thousand go up, they can overcome Ai. The enemy there are few; you need not call for an effort from all the people.”
4
About three thousand of the people made the attack, but they were defeated by those at Ai,
5
who killed some thirty-six of them. They pressed them back across the clearing in front of the city gate till they broke ranks, and defeated them finally on the descent, so that the confidence of the people melted away like water.
6
Joshua, together with the elders of Israel, rent his garments and lay prostrate before the ark of the LORD until evening; and they threw dust on their heads.
7
“Alas, O Lord GOD,” Joshua prayed, “why did you ever allow this people to pass over the Jordan, delivering us into the power of the Amorites, that they might destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan.
8
Pray, Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back to its enemies?
9
When the Canaanites and the other inhabitants of the land hear of it, they will close in around us and efface our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?”
10
The LORD replied to Joshua: “Stand up. Why are you lying prostrate?
11
Israel has sinned: they have violated the covenant which I enjoined on them. They have stealthily taken goods subject to the ban, and have deceitfully put them in their baggage.
12
If the Israelites cannot stand up to their enemies, but must turn their back to them, it is because they are under the ban. I will not remain with you unless you remove from among you whoever has incurred the ban.

[...]

14
In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes. The tribe which the LORD designates shall come forward by clans; the clan which the LORD designates shall come forward by families; the family which the LORD designates shall come forward one by one.
15
He who is designated as having incurred the ban shall be destroyed by fire, with all that is his, because he has violated the covenant of the LORD and has committed a shameful crime in Israel.”
16
1 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was designated.
17
Then he had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of Zerah was designated. He had the clan of Zerah come forward by families, and Zabdi was designated.
18
Finally he had that family come forward one by one, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, was designated.

“Designated”? This sounds a bit like The Lottery to me.
Read from Exodus 28:

30
4 In this breastpiece of decision you shall put the Urim and Thummim, that they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus he shall always bear the decisions for the Israelites over his heart in the LORD’S presence.

Wow! CSI would have been a boring show. But just think: we could do away with all of that DNA evidence and just throw “sacred dice”!

So what happened?

2. You kill the whole family for the transgression of one.

19
Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give to the LORD, the God of Israel, glory and honor by telling me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20
Achan answered Joshua, “I have indeed sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:
21
Among the spoils, I saw a beautiful Babylonian mantle, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight; in my greed I took them. They are now hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22
The messengers whom Joshua sent hastened to the tent and found them hidden there, with the silver underneath.
23
They took them from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORD.
24
Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, with the silver, the mantle, and the bar of gold, and with his sons and daughters, his ox, his ass and his sheep, his tent, and all his possessions, and led them off to the Valley of Achor.
25
Joshua said, “The LORD bring upon you today the misery with which you have afflicted us!” And all Israel stoned him to death
26

“him”? The KJV says “them”. A Jewish version has it:

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said: ‘Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day.’ And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones

In short, the whole family was killed. We have better justice now-a-days.

What happened next?

3. Murder a whole town if they are on land that you want.

Read on (Joshua, Chapter 8)

The king of Ai saw this, and he and all his army came out very early in the morning to engage Israel in battle at the descent toward the Arabah, not knowing that there was an ambush behind the city.
15
Joshua and the main body of the Israelites fled in seeming defeat toward the desert,
16
till the last of the soldiers in the city had been called out to pursue them.
17
Since they were drawn away from the city, with every man engaged in this pursuit of Joshua and the Israelites, not a soldier remained in Ai (or Bethel), and the city was open and unprotected.
18
Then the LORD directed Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will deliver it into your power.” Joshua stretched out the javelin in his hand toward the city,
19
and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose from their post, rushed in, captured the city, and immediately set it on fire.
20
By the time the men of Ai looked back, the smoke from the city was already sky-high. Escape in any direction was impossible, because the Israelites retreating toward the desert now turned on their pursuers;
21
for when Joshua and the main body of Israelites saw that the city had been taken from ambush and was going up in smoke, they struck back at the men of Ai.
22
Since those in the city came out to intercept them, the men of Ai were hemmed in by Israelites on either side, who cut them down without any fugitives or survivors
23
except the king, whom they took alive and brought to Joshua.
24
All the inhabitants of Ai who had pursued the Israelites into the desert were slain by the sword there in the open, down to the last man. Then all Israel returned and put to the sword those inside the city.
25
There fell that day a total of twelve thousand men and women, the entire population of Ai.
26
Joshua kept the javelin in his hand stretched out until he had fulfilled the doom on all the inhabitants of Ai.

You can read about the routine ethnic cleansings in later chapters; this is from Chapter 11:

1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, learned of this, he sent a message to Jobab, king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,
2
and to the northern kings in the mountain regions and in the Arabah near Chinneroth, in the foothills, and in Naphath-dor to the west.
3
These were Canaanites to the east and west, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the mountain regions, and Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4
They came out with all their troops, an army numerous as the sands on the seashore, and with a multitude of horses and chariots.
5
2 All these kings joined forces and marched to the waters of Merom, where they encamped together to fight against Israel.
6
The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for by this time tomorrow I will stretch them slain before Israel. You must hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”
7
Joshua with his whole army came upon them at the waters of Merom in a surprise attack.
8
The LORD delivered them into the power of the Israelites, who defeated them and pursued them to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth-maim, and eastward to the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them all down, leaving no survivors.
9
Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
10
At that time Joshua, turning back, captured Hazor and slew its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the chief of all those kingdoms.
11
He also fulfilled the doom by putting every person there to the sword, till none was left alive. Hazor itself he burned.
12
Joshua thus captured all those kings with their cities and put them to the sword, fulfilling the doom on them, as Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded.
13
However, Israel did not destroy by fire any of the cities built on raised sites, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
14
The Israelites took all the spoil and livestock of these cities as their booty; but the people they put to the sword, until they had exterminated the last of them, leaving none alive.

So there you have it: guilt by dice throwing, execution of an entire family, and mass murder.

But wait, there is more.

4. It is acceptable to offer your daughters up to be gang raped.

What happens when men come to your door and want to rape your male house guest? See Genesis 19:

Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old–all the people to the last man–closed in on the house.
5
They called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them.”
6
Lot went out to meet them at the entrance. When he had shut the door behind him,
7
he said, “I beg you, my brothers, not to do this wicked thing.
8
I have two daughters who have never had intercourse with men. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you please. But don’t do anything to these men, for you know they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

Offer to let the men rape your daughters!

But wait, there is more: What happens when you make a bet that you can’t cover? Let’s see what the Biblical hero Samson does (chapter 14)

5. Murder and stealing are an acceptable way to settle up gambling debts.

5
2 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When they had come to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came roaring to meet him.
6
But the spirit of the LORD came upon Samson, and although he had no weapons, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a kid.
7
However, on the journey to speak for the woman, he did not mention to his father or mother what he had done.
8
Later, when he returned to marry the woman who pleased him, he stepped aside to look at the remains of the lion and found a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s carcass.
9
So he scooped the honey out into his palms and ate it as he went along. When he came to his father and mother, he gave them some to eat, without telling them that he had scooped the honey from the lion’s carcass.
10
His father also went down to the woman, and Samson gave a banquet there, since it was customary for the young men to do this.
11
3 When they met him, they brought thirty men to be his companions.
12
Samson said to them, “Let me propose a riddle to you. If within the seven days of the feast you solve it for me successfully, I will give you thirty linen tunics and thirty sets of garments.
13
But if you cannot answer it for me, you must give me thirty tunics and thirty sets of garments.” “Propose your riddle,” they responded; “we will listen to it.”
14
So he said to them,
“Out of the eater came forth food,
and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” After three
days’ failure to answer the riddle,
15

I agree; those who were stumped threatened the wife. But what happened when Samson had to pay up? How did he do it?

On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him,
“What is sweeter than honey,
and what is stronger than a lion?”
He replied to them,
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.”
19
The spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty of their men and despoiled them; he gave their garments to those who had answered the riddle. Then he went off to his own family in anger,

So murder some people, steal their stuff, and pay off your debts!

Finally, what do you do with people who have “wrong” conceptions of God?

6. Kill people who worship other gods.

Let’s let Elijah answer: (Kings 1

19
Now summon all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20
So Ahab sent to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.
21
Elijah appealed to all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” The people, however, did not answer him.
22
So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
23
Give us two young bulls. Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but shall start no fire.
24
You shall call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God.” All the people answered, “Agreed!”
25
Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.”
26
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
27
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: “Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
28
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
29
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was not a sound; no one answered, and no one was listening.
30
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” When they had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been destroyed.
31
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said, “Your name shall be Israel.”
32
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two seahs of grain.
33
When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
34
“Fill four jars with water,” he said, “and pour it over the holocaust and over the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
35
The water flowed around the altar, and the trench was filled with the water.
36
At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command.
37
Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their senses.”
38
The LORD’S fire came down and consumed the holocaust, wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench.
39
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”
40
Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Let none of them escape!” They were seized, and Elijah had them brought down to the brook Kishon and there he slit their throats.

Note: in this account, “God” was causing a drought because Israel was worshiping this other God.

Now what do you do with indolent kids who make fun of older people? You send bears to tear them limb from limb!

7. Death is appropriate for someone who makes fun of a religious figure.

See 2 Kings, Chapter 2:

2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

Update So, is it a surprise when this happens:

I’ve been hiding from the horrible news in the Middle East, but this story induced me to poke my head out of my tortoise shell…so I can puke. A rabbi consulted his holy books to see what God had to say about the vicious violence going on right now, and you can guess what God’s word might be:

Eliyahu ruled that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings.

Sometimes, it does get better

2009-01-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

I admit that I was a bit grumpy on the drive back home. We had a bit of a hard time finding an air station in Muskogee, Oklahoma (the first two we tried were broken) and we went through a 50 degree (F) drop in temperature.

Even worse, my wife hogged the radio/CD player; basically we listened to what she wanted to listen to.

Besides, my wife has had a few minor health issues and her medications have lowered her libido. Her weight gain, while unsightly, didn't lower mine. :-)

Nevertheless, by the time we got back home, I was both irritated and horny at the same time; heck I was all but willing to call up my yoga teacher.

No, my yoga teacher is no spring chicken and she is, well, just a bit "squatty". But she is far more physical that my wife and she can kick her leg over her head.

So what if she is a total dumb-ass who thinks that houses can actually be haunted and she actually thought that Sarah Palin was a GOOD CHOICE for VP (good, for Obama-Biden!).

But she is good about bending over a lot and sticking out her ass, so she would do.

Fortunately, it never came to that. My wife said yes to my offer, it was a ton of fun, and she let me have the TV during the NFL play-offs.

And, I still have 8 days prior to school starting, so there is no reason I can't get a flying start on research and learn this new (to me) software package.

Israel has gone too far this time.

2008-12-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

The Daily Kos is a liberal blog. Many members are Jewish who are very, very supportive of Israel.

Now you see the following as a recommended diary:

Today I end my support of Israel
by Chilean Jew [Subscribe]
Sun Dec 28, 2008 at 11:07:48 AM PST
Like davidminzer, I'm Jewish and descendant of holocaust survivors. Moreover, I've been a Zionist all of my life. I went to a Zionist school, I was active in Zionist youth groups. I've always been a fervent supporter of Israel as a refuge for Jews around the world who seek a place to exercise their traditions and embrace their identity in peace.

I sang the Israeli anthem in the train rails of Aushwitz-Birkenau and I pledged to fight every day of my life to make sure the savage crimes that had taken place there would never happen again. Every year I pledged: Never Again. Remember and Never forget.

Well, I haven't forgotten. And so to honor that pledge, to honor the memory of my family members who died in those death camps and because "there comes a time when silence is betrayal", today I finally and publicly end my support for the state of Israel.

Chilean Jew's diary :: ::

I do this with great pain in my heart, but nonetheless with the overwhelming conviction that it is the only right thing to do. I was patient: I tolerated the destruction of the Oslo process by refusing to end or slow down the constant and criminal construction of settlements. I held my nose and stood my ground when Barak killed the final status negotiations at Taba 2001. I even remained loyal after Sharon's massacres in the West Bank, the brutal Annexation wall, the illegal "selective assassinations" and Olmert's war crimes in Lebanon.
I had to defend Israel and Israelis with my friends and others who demanded I be consistent with my progressive views and oppose a country that was responsible for horrible crimes against innocent human beings. "Israelis are scared, they are traumatized, you have to understand...", "Israel is responding to attacks on itself, tell me one other country that wouldn't respond when attacked...", I demanded understanding, I pleaded for a fair and comparative analysis.
ENOUGH. I'm done justifying crimes against humanity by a country that claims to be an illuminated western democracy. I'm done defending a country that is unwilling to grant self-determination to a neighboring people because it won't let go of a few settlements and divide a city. I'm done tolerating the slaughtering of innocent kids, the murderous and barbaric occupation of an impoverished people, the utter disregard for human life.
Fuck them.
If they think their daily peace of mind is worth the lives of hundreds of innocent people, Fuck them.

What the diary author is talking about is this:

GAZA CITY: The Israeli Air Force on Saturday launched a massive attack on Hamas targets throughout Gaza in retaliation for the recent heavy rocket fire from the area, hitting mostly security headquarters, training compounds and weapons storage facilities, the Israeli military and witnesses said.

Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, the head of emergency services at the Gaza Ministry of Health, said at least 140 Palestinians were killed in the raid.

Most were members of the security forces of Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, but a few civilians were also among the dead, including children. Scores more Palestinians were wounded.

Even if the immorality of killing civilians doesn't bother you, remember that much of the Middle East views Israel and the United States as being linked.

Sure, there is blame to go around, but there is no question that Israel is being seen as the bully this time around.

And remember where Israel is getting much of its aid from:

Since the 1970s, Israel has been one of the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid.^[16] While it is mostly military aid, in the past a portion was dedicated to economic assistance. In 2004, the second-largest recipient of economic foreign aid from the United States was Israel, second to Iraq. In terms of per capita value Israel ranks first.^[17]

In 2007, the United States increased its military aid to Israel by over 25% to an average of $3 billion per year for the following ten year period, while ending economic aid.^[18]^[19]

In 1998, Israeli, congressional, and Administration officials agreed to reduce U.S. $1.2 billion in Economic Support Funds (ESF) to zero over ten years, while increasing Foreign Military Financing (FMF) from $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion. Separate from the scheduled cuts, there was an extra $200 million in anti-terror assistance, $1.2 billion to implement the Wye agreement, and the supplemental appropriations bill assisted for another $1 billion in FMF for the 2003 fiscal year. For the 2005 fiscal year, Israel received $2.202 billion in FMF, $357 million in ESF, and migration settlement assistance of $50 million. For 2006, the Administration has requested $240 million in ESF and $2.28 billion in FMF. H.R. 3057, passed in the House on June 28, 2005, and in the Senate on July 20, approves these amounts. House and Senate measures also support $40 million for the settlement of migrants from the former Soviet Union and take note of Israel's plan to bring remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel in three years.^{[citation needed]}

Israeli press reported that Israel is requesting about $2.25 billion in special aid in a mix of grants and loan guarantees over four years, with one-third to be used to relocate military bases from the Gaza Strip to Israel in the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and the rest to develop the Negev and Galilee regions of Israel and for other purposes, but none to help compensate settlers or for other civilian aspects of the disengagement. An Israeli team has visited Washington to present elements of the request, and preliminary discussions are underway. No formal request has been presented to Congress. In light of the costs inflicted on the United States by Hurricane Katrina, an Israeli delegation intending to discuss the aid canceled a trip to Washington.

Congress has legislated other special provisions regarding aid to Israel. Since the 1980s, ESF and FMF have been provided as all grant cash transfers, not designated for particular projects, transferred as a lump sum in the first month of the fiscal year, instead of in periodic increments. Israel is allowed to spend about one-quarter of the military aid for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and services, including research and development, rather than in the United States. Finally, to help Israel out of its economic slump, the U.S. provided $9 billion in loan guarantees over three years, use of which has since been extended to 2008. As of July 2005, Israel had not used $4.9 billion of the guarantees.

So, whereas I acknowledge that Israel grants better rights to those who live in its borders than the other countries do in that region, the current aggression is unacceptable, given that it comes from a country that is mostly propped up by the United States.

A Bad Case of the I don't Wants

2008-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I simply hate the winter holiday season.

I live in a small Midwestern rustbelt town where it is often cold during the winter. I have never liked the cold but this is where the job was. It pays ok; but it will be tough to leave as I have a child (through my 300 + pound ex wife) and I am obligated (rightfully so) to make child support payments.

So, I am stuck with a job I don't want in a place where I don't want to live.

Also, mistake number 2: I did remarry; I have a wife I don't want in a place I don't want to live at a job I don't want (mostly teaching students who don't want to learn).

And, well, there is no way out, at least for another 4-8 years.

Still, this is tolerable until the winter holiday season when I am forced to take the winter holiday trip to bring my daughter back to this *hit hole where I live.

That means either a long drive that I don't want to take or flying on today's airlines; this past trip featured a flight cancellation, lost bags and being given the run-around, stuck with an extra night's hotel, etc.

Frankly, I'll throw a party when American Airlines goes under; I am never flying those *ssholes again.

And of course, there is spending holiday time with people I don't want to associate with; either my in-laws (fat, stupid, noisy, obnoxious people) or my own family (same).

I just simply HATE THE FRIGGIN HOLIDAYS!!!!!

If I can switch jobs, I'll make this non-negotiable demand: NO WINTER HOLIDAY.

Grumble...

Are there good things? Of course, the employment is steady and it doesn't feature back breaking work or breathing toxic fumes (except for the polluted city air), some of the students are ok and my work colleagues are actually fine people.

I have some close by places to work out (pools, trails, etc.) and my daughter really is healthy (ask anyone who has a seriously sick kid) and economically, whereas I won't like paying off the car repair and trip bills, I am doing fine (usually no balance on the credit cards, etc.)

It isn't as if I am ready to Go Santa on anyone. (though it wouldn't have broke my heart if Santa had done the American Airlines executives prior to doing himself in).

What is it with these fundie pastors?

2008-12-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Of course, liberals are up in arms that the nauseatingly ignorant and bigoted Rick Warren has been picked to do the invocation for Obama's inauguration.

But I've noticed that Warren, like the late Jerry Falwell, is obese.

Is gluttony still a sin these-a-days?

And I Thought that my students were idiots!

2008-12-14T20:41:00.001-08:00

Idiots Doing Idiot Stuff - video powered by Metacafe

On a positive note: some guy at the pool was quick with the camera.

Getting College Students Ready For the Workforce

2008-12-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

I've had some time to think as it is final exam season at many universities. Some places of higher learning are just that: they seek to educate students; to not only give them access to knowledge but also to teach them how to learn and to love learning.

But many other places have become de-facto "credential obtaining" and "job training" centers; the idea is to give the students the tools which will optimize their chances for success in the workplace.

Ok, given that one works at such a place, one might have the following quandary: a not so talented C student asks for help (via e-mail) on a take home exam; they have had a week to complete it but the e-mail pleading for help is sent on Saturday evening when the assignment is due on Monday?

Then the little snowflake asks if she "could possibly get a B" for the course (uh...maybe with a brain transplant?)

But the snowflake does wear low cut blouses and mini skirts to class and, frankly, looks good in them.

So: given that her chances of getting ahead in the work place by her brain power is minimal (ok, of measure zero) but that she looks good enough to sleep her way up the ladder, does the faculty member have an ethical obligation to let her have some practice this, "talent"?

Sarah Palin's plan to encourage Bible Reading

2008-08-31T10:53:00.001-07:00

We know that Sarah Palin (McCain's pick for VP) has trouble with church-state issues.

So I am wondering if this is really her plan to inspire more Bible reading?

Note: this is a post of the "what if we were like Corsi" variety.

An open letter to those who pass on "Obama is a Muslim" e-mail messages and the like.

2008-07-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

You've seen the smears.

This is Obama leading the Pledge of Allegiance in the United States Senate.

Obama took his oath of office on his family Bible:

Obama has been a Christian for years. He describes his conversion from being "faithless" to Christianity in his book Dreams From My Father on page 295; note that this book was published in 1995.

Note that he had been a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ for about 19 years until recently:

Barack Obama Racist Black African American Trinity Church
by Jesus_Christ4Barack_Obama

So: stop spreading these lies. If you want to vote for John McCain: you are entitled to your choice for President. You are NOT entitled to your own facts.

Resources:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp

May Jesse Helms Rot!

2008-07-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'd say "may he rot in hell" but I don't believe in hell.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1995/05/bates.html

INNUENDO AND DIVERSION

After nearly a quarter century in the Senate, Helms understands how a determined minority of one can influence the national agenda. Whether he is suggesting that the commander in chief needs a bodyguard or demanding that Fidel Castro leave Cuba "in a vertical or horizontal position," Helms is well-known for his use of innuendo and diversion. Even the Republican Party treats him as a rogue elephant, powerful yet dangerously erratic. But the recent GOP stampede has given Helms a respected position from which to trumpet his bitter opposition to abortion, gay rights, racial equality, arts funding, and aid to what he calls "foreign rat holes."

His agenda is driven by a lifelong opposition to democracy and diversity. In his first months as Foreign Relations chair, Helms called for tougher sanctions against Cuba, accused Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide of unleashing "vigilance committees," and moved to gut support for developing nations. On the home front, he introduced a bill to eliminate all affirmative action programs, which he denounced as "reverse discrimination at the hands of ruthless bureaucrats."

How did someone so mean-spirited end up in a position to act on his divisive politics? For the most part, Helms wins political battles by keeping the spotlight on the morality plays he stages. To hear conservatives tell it, Helms is a personal friend of Jesus Christ, a populist defender of the little guy, and a bitter opponent of big government.

Shifting the spotlight reveals a different Helms. A former bank lobbyist whose fundraising machine has been fined for breaking federal campaign laws, Helms favors a big-spending, activist government--one that aids those in economic power. He voted to bail out the savings and loan industry, for example, and has seldom met a big-ticket missile system he didn't like. By contrast, he has voted to slash school lunches for impoverished children, medical care for disabled veterans, prescription drugs for the elderly, and wages for working families (see "On the record," below).

"Looking at the record, people ought to understand that Helms is not representing them on the great majority of issues," says Rep. Melvin Watt, a North Carolina Democrat. "They perceive that he stands up for the little guy, but he really stands up for rich people rather than poor and working-class people."

[...]
POLITICS OF SEGREGATION

The strategy that helped Republicans sweep to power last November is one that Jesse Helms perfected decades ago. "Jesse Helms understood before anyone else that the proverbial angry white male feels the most aggrieved, and is therefore the most likely to vote," says Larry Sabato, a professor of government at the University of Virginia. "Jesse Helms was an angry white male before most of his compatriots were. He should have been lucky enough to be on the ballot in '94. He would have won easily."

Unlike many of his Republican counterparts, Helms has changed little over the past 50 years. Long before Rush Limbaugh, Helms pioneered the use of television to rally public sentiment. While Ronald Reagan was losing primaries to Gerald Ford, Helms mobilized the religious right and built one of the most profitable political fundraising machines ever. And long after die-hard segregationists like George Wallace and Strom Thurmond began courting black voters, Helms fueled white fears by opposing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whistling "Dixie" while standing next to Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, and supporting apartheid in South Africa.

"His racial politics are deeply held convictions, not simply politics of convenience," says Christopher Scott. "He has a view of a fundamentalist Christian society in which everyone is not welcome. If you could pick up the South Africa of 20 years ago and transplant it to America, that's what he would do."

Born in Monroe, N.C., in the fall of 1921, Helms grew up in a segregated world not unlike the one of apartheid. He dropped out of college to work full time as a reporter before discovering the two arenas that would shape his career: broadcasting and politics. He learned about radio as a Navy recruiter during World War II and stuck with the emerging medium as news director of a fledgling station in Raleigh. And he was an "unofficial" researcher for conservative Willis Smith, whose 1950 Senate campaign is still considered one of the meanest and most racially divisive in the country's history. (One of Smith's ads featured a doctored photo of the incumbent's wife dancing with a black man. Helms has denied any involvement, but a newspaper advertising manager later told Helms biographer Ernest Furgurson that Helms personally cut up the photos.)

Smith won, and Helms was rewarded with a job as staff administrative assistant. In 1953, Helms returned to North Carolina as executive director of the state's banking association, spending the next seven years fighting to enrich his bosses. He won a seat on the Raleigh City Council and, in 1960, took a job as a TV commentator. He spent the decade railing against King, "Negro hoodlums," the media, "sex perverts," and anyone on welfare. As he explained in one of his nightly five-minute broadcasts, "A lot of human beings have been born bums."

Since Helms won election to the Senate, no "bums" have felt his rage as fiercely as citizens of poor nations. Over the years, the senator has proposed hundreds of measures to slash foreign aid, overthrow governments he doesn't like, and block administration policies. As the new chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, he has made it clear that his first priority is to enact deeper cuts to a foreign aid budget already slashed nearly 30 percent in the past decade.

"The fact is that the American people are sick and tired of this whole foreign aid concept anyhow," Helms said last year. "I find myself wishing that somehow we could put it on a national ballot and say: 'What do you think of this?'"

Those cuts will hit hardest in the Third World, where Helms has long been a staunch ally of right-wing military rulers like Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Raoul Cedras in Haiti, and Roberto D'Aubuisson in El Salvador. Confronted with evidence that D'Aubuisson directed death squads to murder civilians, Helms made it clear that some things are more important than human life. "All I know," he replied, "is that D'Aubuisson is a free enterprise man and deeply religious."

Rot you worthless bigot; I am glad that you are dead!

Hold Fox News Accountable

2008-06-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

I got the following letter in my e-mail inbox:

Dear Friends,

Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us."

I've joined on to ColorOfChange.org's campaign to push back on Fox, publicly demanding they stop their race-baiting and fear mongering. If that doesn't work, then we'll go to their advertisers and the FCC. I wanted to invite you to sign on as well. It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2157-594745

Here's what happened recently:

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a "pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a "terrorist fist jab." Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black people everywhere.

After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means the apology is meaningless.

These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Fox has a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Black leaders, and Black people in general.

If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join me in helping to bring an end to Fox's behavior.

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2157-594745

Thanks.

To see the kind of BS that they are talking about:

More on Obama

No, I don't like his backing the compromise on the FISA bill (even if he says that he'll work to get immunity taken out). But I do think that he is worth electing. Evidently the wingnuts are scared of him.

David Horsey has an interesting cartoon:

Other topics

Yoga was fun; my yoga teacher has a charming way of pushing her butt out when she bends over to pick up her yoga candles.

No that isn't her, but that is the "kind of bend-over".

Also, one of the other yoginis proved that some slender women really do have cute butts. :-)

when humility pays off

2008-06-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

In yoga class, I ended up moving to the back row so as to be able to use the back wall for balance.

It turns out that there were two "easy on the eyes" yoginis in the row in front of the one I moved to; so it wasn't all bad. ;-)

Sure, their Warrior I poses suck, but who cares? :)

Uncontacted Tribes

2008-06-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

For more, lots more, go to this link.

Still, I think that firing arrows at an airplane is downright comical. Sure, they don't know what the plane is, but I'll tell you this: if some group or thing that had technology well beyond what we had came around, I sure as hell wouldn't shoot at it. I'd think "those people/beings could kill me easily; I had better be nice to them!"

Note: the women are in black body paint.....actually I'll bet that they are pretty hot!

Note that these folks don't even get colds; I wonder if they do get sick from time to time, and if they do, is it from diseases transmitted by animals? Or do some local viruses mutate enough to become diseases for these people?

Some interesting video

2008-06-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Sights at the Public Gym

2008-06-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I work out at a public gym. Frankly, most of the folks there are, in physical terms, train wrecks. Sure you do have some physically fit types (triathletes, weight lifters who could lift the whole gym at once), but mostly you have fat middle aged people.

This is what most people do around here. :-)

Still, there are some nice, um, sights. Today, I did some run/walk on the track; I am a walker who is trying to reintroduce some running into my program. There were two younger ladies; one was dark haired (almost dyed jet black) and wore grey spandex; the other was a bit taller and wore pastel green not-as-tight spandex. But both of them were asking to be butt-cupped!

Yesterday, I took a yoga-lattes class; the woman in front of me had on white shorts that were hiked up as much as possible; she had on striped underpants underneath. Yep; she had a good shape too.

In short, there is some good to counteract the bad; for every fat woman there is on the track who is going round and round at 25 minutes a mile while yelling on her cell phone "...yeah, she sez......" there is some babe to brighten my day.

Or for every one on the right, there is one on the left...

And there are always races:

I've just added a post

2008-06-13T05:12:00.000-07:00

What do you believe about evolution, creationism and/or intelligent design? Take the poll and find out (also on the sidebar of this blog)

Opinion Polls & Market Research

What I love about walking

2008-06-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am one of those folks who likes to walk long distances; on occasion I've completed marathon walks and, on three occasions, walks of 100 miles.

There are many things I like about such events, and this is one of them: the sights!

No, I didn't take these, and I wonder how the person who did avoid getting slapped. These appear to be taken near the Chicago Lakefront; I've finished three 50K walks there.

This person isn't an athletic walker, but she is still a lot of fun to watch.

Now I need to leave for my final session to help new walkers finish a 4 mile race (we have a program called "Building Steam"); the walkers I am working with are, for the most part, overweight and undermotivated. :-)

The Democratic Primary Ends

2008-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Barack Hussein Obama won the Democratic Primary last night. Many are very happy.

But some are not.

I can understand Hillary Clinton supporters being disappointed. After all, their candidate was the presumptive favorite. She even thought so:

And why not? She started with big leads in the polls and she had the big donors behind her.

But her campaign made some huge mistakes; her top campaign manager even called Obama a "flash in the pan"!

But things didn't go so well for them. As they started to get desperate, they started to loudly attack the rank and file Obama supporters.

Bill Clinton said that Obama supporters "didn't need a president".

Of his wife's recent travails, he said, "the caucuses aren't good for her. They disproportionately favor upper-income voters who, who, don't really need a president but feel like they need a change."

Bill Clinton dismissed some of Obama's wins:

Bill Clinton called Obama supporters "elitists" who don't follow the same rules as anyone else.

Bill Clinton on Barack Obama’s suppoters:

In Clarksburg, Clinton contrasted his wife’s appeal to working-class people with the elitists he says support Obama. He made the same comparison two months when he last campaigned in West Virginia, calling his wife’s critics in the party “glitterati” and “elites.”

“The great divide in this country is not by race or even income, it’s by those who think they are better than everyone else and think they should play by a different set of rules,” he said in Clarksburg. “In West Virginia and Arkansas, we know that when we see it.”

Clinton said his wife’s primary challenger has “got so much money and it’s a different electorate. It’s a little more upscale and modern … than those poor people in Texas and Ohio.”

Official Clinton surrogates called Obama supporters a collection of "African Americans and eggheads"

Obama supporters are called, well, read for yourself:

Of course, there is "he wouldn't be winning if he weren't black" comment by Geraldine Ferraro:

Then Hillary Clinton herself: she implied that Obama supporters are delusional:

She says that she has the support of hard working Americans, White Americans

Much broader base?

Oh she has a much broader something all right:

Then came her graceless, classless speech last night.

Nevertheless, Obama and his official campaign continued to show class.

But I don't have to.

Just listen to some of the more moronic stuff from some of her rank and file supporters:

Here's a sampling of the pearls of wisdom being offered at HillaryClinton.com:
They have totally skrewed Hillary, lets get her on the ballot ourselves!!!We need each other not the DNC or Obama, I refuse to support him! [bb]

I sincerely wish that Hillary does not accept the second slot. I just cannot and will not support the Democratic party nominee. I will vote for McCain B4 I vote for BHO. The present DNC has stabbed Hillary in the back, I cannot continuing supporting the Undemocratic party. I will always support and Vote for Hillary but cannot support Chicago mafia(BHO) [bestpresident]

Let's take this to DENVER..........She is the only one. I will never vote for BO...Neither will my family or friends..We will either not vote or vote for McCain...Oh, today I just registered and my family and friends too as INDEPENDENTS....SCREW THE DEMOCRATES.... We love HIllary with all of our heart and we will always support and back her...but what the democratic party has done to her they have done to us....ENOUGH!!!!LET THE DNC HANG THEMSELVES........................DISGUSTING!!! [caspercat]

I say run as INDEPENDENT NOW!! Obama will want Hillary to campaign for him. Hillary is much greater than that. I hope Hillary goes with the "will of the people." She is the "People's President." I will never think of BO as my President. Nope, I just cannot do it. It is about the way they treated HILLARY. Call it whatever you like, dirty politics, etc. etc. She worked so hard, and every step of the way, they tried to diminish her, even when she won her landslide victories. I say, DENVER - DENVER - DENVER - DENVER [LillaBet]

Some even resent his running at all!

And of course there are the moronic Clinton supporters who showed up at the DNC rules meeting:

No, you aren't a second class citizen, you aren't even a humanoid; barely a vertebrate perhaps. ;-)

But this was not an isolated thing:

For moronic ranting about all this supposed misogyny, go here.

Well, I (and my friends) have something to say about that:
More Things the Obama Campaign Couldn't Resist to Anger Clinton Supporters:

1. Enter the race.

2. Be so damn likable and inspirational.

3. Be a better candidate.

4. Win election contests - even in states like Iowa, Maine, Idaho, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where hard working White people live.

5. Encourage real people to send him money.

6. Be so solid on women's issues that NARAL threw their support behind him.

7. Draw huge crowds.

8. Appropriate hip-hop gesture from Jay-Z and not look stiff doing it.

9. Establish meaningful grass roots campaign organizations in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

10. Win in the South.

11. Win in the Northwest and Mountain states.

12. Win in the Midwest.

13. Always look unflappable.

14. Play by the rules of the DNC in Michigan and Florida... just like the other Democratic candidates other than Hillary.

15. Win over superdelegates, including many formerly committed to Hillary.

16. Not cheat on his wife.

17. Give citizens hope for the future.

18. Call Hillary out on that STUPID gas tax idea.

19. Write his own game-changing, law-dropping speech on race relations.

20. Not hire Mark Penn.

And I have some things to say.

To those who voted for Hillary Clinton because you like her, or think that she is the best candidate: I am glad you worked for her.

But for the others: if you are one of those who resented Obama for even running, or thought that Obama won only because of sexism, or because the people who voted for him are delusional, or because you want a "full blooded" American, or if you are one of those "Hillary or else" types:

A few articles:

Educated People vote for Obama.

Not winning educated voters isn't a good thing.

Now others are taking the high road.

I am not. Here is what I have to say to you who will vote for John McCain in the fall or not vote:

Frankly, I am glad to purge losers like you from the Democratic party. The sooner we get rid of low-lifes such as yourself, the sooner we can become the party of winners.

Get the hell out. But my guess is that even the Repukes won't want you.

Yoginis Say the Darnedest Things

2007-12-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

Incident One

Some time ago, I was looking out from our yoga room over the entrance to the building (our room in on the second floor and has one wall which is mostly glass).

I noticed that there was a pretty female triathlete who was wearing tight spandex; she was bending over her gym bag. A guy walked out and his head swiveled to look at her; another guy walked out, same thing.

I start laughing.

The yogini asks me what is funny and I tell her.

She asks "what was she wearing" and I said "spandex shorts". She smiles, winks and says "I had better get some of those".

Incident Two

Today my yoga teacher (female) asked me if I had gotten an e-mail reply that she had sent me; I had sent her a photo of Fred Thompson's wife:

She sent me a one line reply: "That's disgusting".

I said that perhaps she (my teacher) should teach yoga while wearing something low cut and wondered how that would look when she lead us into the "flat back" bend position.

She laughed and said "well, maybe that would get my students, at least the guys, to keep their heads in line with their spines!"

Note: while looking up photos for this post, I stumbled across the following page:

http://www.marisolhume.com/gpage.html

It has many photos such as this one:

Go there; the photo spread is outstanding.

The Holidays

2007-11-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am on an academic schedule. Therefore, I had the Thanksgiving holiday off.

To be honest, there are times when I'd rather that I didn't have this holiday off. Why?

Well, "quick" holidays seem to go like this:

leave work
pack
travel though bad weather, either flying on a packed airplane or driving on crowded roads
spend time with people that, to be honest, I probably wouldn't socialize with if I weren't related to them (blood or by marriage)
travel home, again either fighting bad traffic in bad weather, or putting up with crowded airports
arrive back home more exhausted than when I left
then, while in a sleep deprived state, attempt to catch up on missed work.
Spend about another week unpacking

But, if I don't leave home for the above routine, my ever loving wife says "ok, we can have MY relatives over since you are here!"

A dream come true for me is to actually HAVE days off during the holidays, with no relatives, noise, etc.

Wife with a sense of humor

2007-11-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

One thing that I love about my wife is that she has a sense of humor.

Some time ago, she asked me the dreaded "do these pants make my butt look big" type of question: "honey, are these pants too tight?" Fortunately, I have a digital camera and was able to take a quick photo and let her judge for herself:

(no, she wouldn't have wanted me to post the photo)

Anyhow, as she left for work, I playfully caressed her butt and kissed one of her gluteal cheeks. She took it in stride and said: "if any other guys do this to me while I am at work, I'll know that my pants really were too tight!"

I had to laugh!

First Post

2007-11-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hi. Welcome to Rock in the Shoe. This is an anonymous blog where I'll discuss life in general.

No, that isn't my photo; I really like it though.

Me: married, darned close to 50 years old, with modest accomplishments and a desire to get stuff off of my chest in a manner that won't hurt the feelings of those that I love.