brainstorming

Lava Lamp Fatal Explosion

A 24-year-old man who placed a lava lamp on a hot stovetop was killed when it exploded and sent a shard of glass into his heart, police said.

I won't say anything snarky, because some family lost their son, but seriously, can you imagine the odds?

It's a Housing Crisis! - The Hand Up Project

Yes, friends it's my sad duty to report on a housing shortage........in the animal kingdom:

Right now, 30 percent of all hermit crabs on our shorelines are living in shells that are too small for them. In the springtime, when the animal has its growth spurt, this shortage skyrockets to 60 percent.

Just how bad is the problem, you ask?

The present lack of housing is so severe that biologists now routinely find land hermit crabs attempting to shelter themselves in glass jars and whatever other ill-fitting forms of refuse they may find at their immediate disposal.

In Jars! In Jars I tell you!  How can we not care?  You do know all about these creatures endearing nature, right?

Hermit crabs are scavengers and often locate these borrowed dwellings by smell, when the original gastropod inhabitant dies and begins to decay.

It makes my heart  go pitter patter it does.  But, wait, there's more!

Once a hermit crab adopts a shell, it will keep it until the shell is outgrown, carrying it continuously as a shield, wherever it goes. This is no easy feat, considering that a properly fitting shell must be larger than the hermit crab that wears it, and will often significantly outweigh the crab itself. In order to carry its home, one of the crab's front claws is completely dedicated to clutching the shell. This claw bends backward and holds on to the spool of calcium carbonate at the shell's center. In order to move, the animal must first use this claw to lift the shell and heave it onto its back. In spite of such difficulties, the drive to remain housed is so strong in this species that a typical hermit crab would rather be torn limb from limb than be pulled out of its shell.

Poor, poor babies!  It's such a hard life.  Quick!  How can we help?

Based on what we know about the new needs of these animals in their current environment, the Hand Up Project proposes to manufacture alternative forms of housing, specifically designed for use by land hermit crabs, out of plastic.

But, where's the guilt?  Surely we have to have guilt, right?

We acknowledge that such trans-species caregiving may in fact be a form of control. In recognition of this paradox, the new structures are aesthetically based on the architecture of Giuseppe Terragni, an Italian Fascist active in the 1930s.

Well, as long as we're following the Fascists, I feel so much better.  Now that I've done my duty, displaying caring and empathy, who are we going to get to pay for it?  (Not me, of course.)

The scope of the project is global, and accordingly, corporate funding has been targeted as a potential revenue source.

A great idea!  We're going to get those rich companies to pay for it.  Yeah!  But, wait........

The project is currently soliciting corporate and commercial sponsorship to fund manufacturing and distribution costs by licensing the houses for advertising. In exchange for financial support, each plastic shelter may be readily produced bearing a corporate logo

Logos?  We're going to go trans-species with corporate logos?  Is this really necessary?

While we recognize that this funding solution will increase the current proliferation of corporate logos on beaches and in other apparently pristine environments, we do feel that it is appropriate to utilize these insignias of global capital, and the wealth they symbolize, in the service of ameliorating environmental problems that have been caused by humans in the first place.

Well, as long as you put it like that, I guess.

The intended audience of the Hand Up Project is someone who, while walking on a beach, might pause to contemplate a slowly ambulating hermit crab, wearing on its back a tiny, man-made plastic house bearing a corporate logo.

I'll keep my eyes open and my contemplation at the ready during my next beach walk, because frankly, it would make me laugh to see a hermit crab sporting a Nike symbol, never mind the fact that it would make a great blog picture.  (On the other hand, I always think that the manufacturer should pay me to wear their clothes if their conspicuous logo results in free advertising.  Maybe we could set up a profit center for these crabs.  Yeah!  Give them the resources to buy their own housing.)

Read the whole thing here.

NARN at Diamond Bluff

Dad and I went to the live NARN broadcast and picnic on Saturday at the beautiful Estates of Diamond Bluff. It was Dad's birthday and we both enjoyed the time in the car on the way down there and back to talk.

Diamond Bluff is a gorgeous place, with beautiful lots for sale high above the Mississippi. We talked to a number of people there and the Patriot fans are all great. It was a special treat to meet Steve from Hello Chapter Two. See his post and pictures here.

Apple iTunes and Visualizer

My system was recently updated to Jaguar. When I'm at my desk, I have two computer screens that I work on. Between Mail and other programs, both screens are full with work, so it's not often that I run the iTunes Visualizer. When taking a break late last night, I turned it on. I don't know when I'd last looked at it, but the effects seemed to have greatly improved. So I googled it. I didn't find much about a change in the program recently, but I did find some keystrokes I didn't know:

press q or w to shuffle through the different kinds of lines (the ones that move when the music is playing), a or s to shuffle the background and z or x to shuffle the color. Pressing m toggles the random slideshow feature...

FWIW I thought I'd share. Having been a Mac user forever and involved in product start ups myself, (though not of the computer variety), I found this piece on the Apple Product Cycle slightly amusing.

Seen on a T-Shirt

Vegetarian: veg·e·tar·i·an: Old Indian word for "bad hunter."

Bada-bing!

Social Unrest for a Good Cause

Time to reveal my secret. You see, I've been too busy to blog because I've been working day and night to get Ralph Nader on the ballot in all 50 states. Go Ralph Go! He He He

However, I still have family responsibilites. One of those is Chief Procurement Officer, in other words providing food for the masses. So the Boy and I were at the local market on Sunday after church. For any who long for small time life, get this....they still bag your groceries for you!

We'd made a pretty good haul. After we were in line, I looked up and discovered to my horror that I had picked the lane manned by the Slowest Cashier in the Universe. I'm serious. She has one speed and one speed only, Slow and Steady. With a sigh I reminded myself, Patience is a Virtue. (Who said that anyway? If you google origin+"Patience is a virtue" the first hit is a web story of the Romulan Empire, titled "Patience is a Virtue". Sure, everything might be available on the web, but they never said we'd be able to find it.)

Anyway, back to the grocery line. I manage to be patient as she slowly checks out the man in front of us. It's Sunday remember. We're fresh out of church and still wearing our best behavior. After checking him out she adjusts a receipt for another customer. No problem. I'm not late to a meeting or anything and we are next after all. Being in her line should only entail an additional 5-10 minute wait, right? Finally it's our turn. She begins and manages to scan 5-10 of our items, then stops.

There are two young hispanic men checking out in the lane next to us. (I mention their heritage because we live in a pretty non diverse part of the country, and I'm unsure if that contributed to the events following or if age was the deciding factor.) They have two carts burdened with enough food for a whole passel of folks to eat well for a week. The first gentleman is through the line and waiting with his cart. The second one, whom appears to be paying for all the goods, is apparently purchasing adult beverages and has an I.D. to document he is old enough to do so.

Our cashier, Slow and Steady, leaves her lane, and requests the I.D. of the gentleman already through the line. She insists that both of them have to be of legal age. Hmmmm. As Through The Line guy protests he doesn't have an I.D., she persists. Meanwhile, I consider what would happen if I were purchasing adult beverages? I have the Boy with me, who is obviously underage. Would she be demanding his I.D.? Would she refuse to sell me alcohol because the Boy is with me on our shopping venture?

I don't think so. For some reason, she's decided it's imperative she treat these two guys differently than she would treat me. Not only that, Slow and Steady has abandoned me to get involved in a situation that no one asked her help with. At that point, Patience left the building, suddenly replaced by Social Unrest.

I interjected myself into the situation loudly, "Excuse Me. Can I Get Checked Out Here?" Quickly followed by, "Isn't there a Manager who can handle this?" (Lucky it wasn't the Girl with me. She is old enough that she would be mortified that I was making a scene in small town America.)

To her credit, the cashier in the aisle next to us quickly calls in the manager to intervine. He rightly determines that only the person purchasing the product needs to be of legal age. Slow and Steady returns to check us out. The manager speeds our departure by bagging our groceries himself. Apologies are offered and accepted for the delay and we're on our merry way.

As we walked into the parking lot, the gentlemen in question were about to pull out of their parking spot. I lifted my hand in a wave, which was returned with a smile.

Northern Alliance Radio Hosts Hugh Hewitt's Show

Don't forget! Today at 5:00 Central time, the Northern Alliance radio crew will be hosting the Hugh Hewitt show.

Stations that carry Hugh's show can be found here.

Links to listen live on line can be found here.

Northern Alliance Radio - Week Four

I'm sure you're asking yourself - week two? Come on! That was two weeks ago? I thought blogs were supposed to be up to the minute?

You're right.

Get used to it. I have a life. Things pile up. I started to just mention week two and got caught up in it.

I missed week three of NARN. Too bad. I especially would have liked to hear Joel Rosenberg since I've considered getting a non-resident concealed carry permit.

At noon yesterday, I was still flipping Freedom Toast in the kitchen. I just can't manage to catch that first hour, a real shame because I know I would enjoy it. (Rocket Man tells us they spent the first hour discussing Clarke's testimony and reports today that Clarke misled the 09/11 commission regarding his party affiliation.) After breakfast and a shower I headed to the van in time for hour two. I'm glad I did.

I have always been of the opinion that the one person who could have prevented the Iraq war was Jaques Chirac. If the U.N. Security Council had been united and presented Saddam with a firm deadline, I believe we may have convinced him to step down. When France announced they would never support another resolution, there was no other choice but war.

Not only did they ensure the war would take place, they even went to other Arab states to try to get them to unite against the U.S. I won't easily forgive them for it. Hence my ongoing boycott of French products.

The first guest on Northern Alliance Radio's second hour today was Kenneth Timmerman, a journalist who lived in France for many years, and author of the book, The French Betrayal of America. During the show Mr. Timmerman revealed that Chirac's association with Saddam goes back to at least 1975, when he introduced him during a visit to France as a "close personal friend", and took him on a tour of France's top secret nuclear facilities.

France then gave Iraq the technology to go nuclear themselves, a nightmare we were saved from dealing with due to the foresight of Israel bombing Iraq's nuclear facilities in 1981.

In recent events, France lied to the Bush administration, vowing in private they would support the U.S. position on Iraq, while secretly working to undermine our efforts.

An excellent guest. I'm putting the book on my wish list.

Next up was Thomas H. Lipscomb, writer for The New York Sun, who's been following the story of Kerry's involvement with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and their November 1971 meeting during which there was a proposal to assassinate U.S. Senators John Stennis, Strom Thurmond, and John Tower, called "The Phoenix Project."

Kerry first denied being at the meeting. After many witnesses placed him there, a Kerry spokesman issued a statement to the Sun saying, "we accept" Mr. Kerry's presence in Kansas City as a "historical footnote", although they must not be happy about it because Lipscomb reported they've pressured the eyewitnesses to change their story.

Captain Ed's been on top of this story here and here, (ignore the sleep deprived woman in the comments please). with breaking news today you don't want to miss. (Hint: Kerrygate?)

What if you were involved with an organization that proposed assassination of political opponents at their meeting? Granted the proposal was voted down and you resigned. Would that be enough on your part? Could you walk away and not report it? Do we want a President who could?

Where is the major media on this story? During his NARN interview Lipscomb revealed he had contacted many major media outlets so it's not as if they've overlooked the reports. He did hint we might see some overdue exposure on these charges sometime this week.

Kudos to NARN for being two steps ahead. No wonder the public turns to talk radio.

The last hour yesterday was spent ridiculing City Pages, a time honored Fraters tradition, an easy target, supplying this recent bit of hype:

We have seen a despot, and he is occupying the White House. We have seen tyranny, and it is the Bush Administration. And yes, I am certain that, if there has been any doubt heretofore, now I am sure that I can be labeled a “terrorist” for saying it. And you, likely, are a terrorist for reading it.

A definite Liberal Hack columnist if there ever was one.

They also shared some viewer mail this hour, including a listener already lobbying for NARN to be a morning drive show. (That's right. Keep those guys busy so I have some chance to keep up with their blogging!)

Another caller asked what a blog is. You could have done a better job answering that one guys. I'm sure there are many listeners who, like the caller, would really like to know.

You too can listen to NARN on AM 1280 The Patriot, in the twin cities area Noon to 3 Saturdays. There are reports that streaming will be available soon.

Northern Alliance Radio - Catching Up Week 2

As I mentioned previously I caught week two of Northern Alliance Radio, (that would have been the March 13 show), actually the last two hours of the show. Hour two featured Peter Bell, chairman of the Met Council, talking about the bus strike in the twin cities. Bell made a persuasive case for the Met Council's position during the show, as he stated in the linked article:

"Fundamentally, the question I pose is: Should the taxpayers be asked to pay wages and benefits that are far in excess of what private sector or public sector employers pay? My answer is no," he said.

The union apparently hasn't taken the message to heart, March 22 negotiations brought the two sides no closer to a resolution.

Next up was Minnesota State Education Commissioner Cheri Pearson Yecke. The Cliff Notes version of what the change her appointment under Governor Pawelnty means for Minnesota education can be understood by one fact.

Under the previous administration, this department was named the Department of Children, Families and Learning, fondly (sarcasm) known to many, (even the Governer in this article), as the Department of Children, Families, Learning, and Happy Thoughts.

It has since been renamed the Department of Education.

To me, the name change alone tells you volumes.

Since coming to Minnesota, Yecke helped defeat an unpopular new graduation standard called Profile in Learning, and is working to establish new academic standards. She explained on the NARN show that social studies standards are usually controversial and MN has been no different.

King at SCSUScholars is really the guy to read on this subject as he's been directly involved in the process. His most recent posts can be found here, here, and here.

If you're from Minnesota, you should also know that the MN Senate has not yet confirmed Ms. Yecke, and the political battle is heating up with hearings expected next month. Minnesota residents can support her confirmation by adding your name to on line petitions here or here. I know if I were still a resident of the state, she'd have my support.

I managed to stay in the van through the second hour, dropping off the Boy to visit a friend, then driving through the swamp area we're famous for. (No really! I spied a couple swans on the ice as I drove through and cursed the fact that I'd left my camera behind.) I got home at the begininng of the third hour, told the Girl to get ready to run to town with me, and waited in the van, (the only place I have reception in case you'd forgotten.) She got in and immediately asks, "Do we have to listen to this?" "Yes! These are my friends!", I reply, (you know, friends in that "on line" kind of way and I did actually meet a couple of the Fraters guys at the Hugh Hewitt Patriot Forum. Translation: OK. We're not really friends, but I do read their blogs.) She gives me the patented eye roll, but relents, being quite familiar with her parents talk radio obssession, having learned young when to pick her battles.

So they start the third hour with J.B's review of Mel Gibson's The Pasion of the Christ, which he nicely summed up here. What? Not a lot of meat, you say? OK. On the show, J.B. basically says he knew all this from doiing the stations of the cross and Mel's version is overwrought. He then proceeds into some weird analogy of the flashback with Jesus working on the table. We don't even want to go there. Captain Ed disagrees, but it's obvious he needs my support. I grab for the cell phone.

You have to love the irony of this. In the Elder's summary of the second week show, he mentions they were taken to task by a listener for using their blog names on air. Having been hung up on by their screen caller the first week, I'm determined to get it right this time. He asks for my name and I reply, "D.C." to which he responds, "So, you don't want to give your real name." Yes! Week two and the NARN call screener already loves me!

When I get on air I proceed to tell J.B. he's got it all wrong. The Passion was a great movie, though admittedly not for everyone. (My review is here.)

J.B. was of the opinion that this movie wouldn't change anybody's viewpoint. I respectfully submit this as evidence it has changed at least one viewer.

It was fun to get my two cents in and the guys knew who DC is even if their screener thinks I'm a master of subterfuge.

Beatles to Sue Apple Computer

Roger Friedman, who writes the FOX 411 gossip column is reporting that the Beatles are planning to sue Apple computer:

Here it is: The Beatles are indeed about to sue Apple Computers over the iPod, iTunes and Apple Music. You may recall that I broke the story last year that Apple Computers long ago signed an agreement with the Beatles' Apple Records that they would never ever ever have a company called Apple Music and that they would never ever ever go into the music business.

Indeed, several years ago Apple Computers actually paid the Beatles a whopping $48 million for copyright infringement. That was when they signed the agreement. But when Apple's Steve Jobs launched the iPod and all its ancillary products, I told you that the Beatles would get litigious.

Now I'm told that the suit is imminent and that the only remaining questions are which jurisdiction it falls in, the U.S. or the U.K. Meantime, the Beatles' songs are just about the only ones not carried on the iTunes service. Now you know why.

Oooops. I suppose it depends what the meaning of "never ever ever" is to Steve Jobs?

On a related note, Apple announced they have sold 50 million songs on the internet in the 11 months since the launch of the iTunes music store, with current downloads at about 2.5 million per week.