Homeschooling is looking more appealing
Our children aren't being politically indoctrinated one bit:
Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and Jesse Hughes do a CCR cover
Dave drops the F bomb on this one, I apologize:
"the (socialist) state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat."-Karl Marx
Don't you love it when...
Someone doesn't even deny what their real intent is? Look at the Marx quote, he makes my point more eloquently than I ever could; "dictatorship of the proletariat". Let's put the people who are on the lowest income level in charge of the economy; sure that makes real sense; I always go to broke people for financial and political advice. Proletariats are people that are more accustomed to a welfare handout than to working or studying, please explain to me how someone like that is qualified to run a government and this is exactly what Obama wants. You should be VERY scared right now because Obama is ahead in electoral votes.
I don't quite understand how someone who has worked to acheive their fortune has to be compelled by government to share it with the less priveledged. If a person with money wants to do this on their own, then that is great. It is NOT the government's place to tell a person how to spend their money. This is contradictory to the pursuit of life, liberty, and property on so many levels. Where is the incentive for a person to work and better themselves in a system like this?
What we need is less government intrusion into our life, liberty, and pursuit of property, not more. It's too bad that bad apples like Ken Lay, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac have the make the rest of us suffer now because they abused their liberty. Just becasue these and a few others are dishonest and corrupt does not indicate that everyone is dishonest and corrupt. Instead of the government passing laws like the Sarbanes-Oxley act, business should be imposing regulations upon itself. All Sarbanes-Oxley does is make it harder for the little guys to compete with the big guys.
If you agree with me on this, please vote Libertarian this November.
Something I wrote in 2005
I was going through some old email tonight and found this. I got a laugh out of it, so I decided to share it:
I saw Landon Donovan and his team, the L.A. Galaxy, get beat by Real
Salt Lake this Saturday, 2 to 1. I was sitting right behind the L.A.
bench and was able to tell Landon what an over-rated primadonna he is
and how much he sucks. I also told him that he'd still be in Europe
if he had any game at all. He just smiled, took a drink of his water,
then sat down on the pitch and started crying.
Poopdog Magazine
I'm especially looking forward to their interview with John Lennon. I'm not sure how he intends to do the Beatles reunion. That should be an interesting read. The article about soccer not being for Eurotrash seems like it would be interesting too.
Sarah Palin on Glenn Beck's show
The big point to consider here is brought up by Glenn Beck; Alaska was brought into the union because of its resources. For the government to rely on foreign energy sources is what is causing so many problems in this nation today. I'm still not sold on McCain, but holy cow, Sarah Palin makes sense in this video:
Queen's Guitarist Publishes Astrophysics Thesis
The founder of the legendary rock band Queen has completed his doctoral thesis in astrophysics after taking a 30-year break to play some guitar. Introducing Dr. Brian May.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Stevie Riks - Oasis and James Blunt Parody
Stevie Riks impersonates Liam and Noel Gallagher and James Blunt in this funny video.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Blizzard's Next Game Could Be More Successful Than WoW
Game Director Jeffrey Kaplan: "I don't believe that WoW is untouchable," he said. "I completely believe that a game could come out and be more successful than WoW. I'm hoping that we're working on it right now."
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Sysadmins slam ACMA web filtering study
The System Administrators Guild of Australia has criticised the Australian Communications and Media Authority's report on ISP-level content filtering, questioning its relevance to real-world conditions. A major objection is that the ACMA tests did not align with the actual bandwidth expected and demanded by today's Internet users.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Teenager mutilated by a battle axe on his own driveway
A Kearns, Utah teenager attacked with a battle ax by two thugs. The teenager was mutilated right in his driveway, and the sister of one of the men accused of doing this is devastated...
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
July marks least-deadly month for American troops in Iraq
July 2008 was the least deadly month for Americans in Iraq since the war began more than five years ago.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but
I'm starting to think there is a socialist, nay communist, conspiracy against Hollywood. In the case of "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull", Russian communists are calling for a ban of the movie in Russia because of its negative portrayal of communists in the movie:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b139139_indiana_jones_kingdom_of_angry.html
In the case of "The Love Guru" Hindus are all up in arms about politically incorrect stereotypes of their religion in the Mike Myers comedy.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gZr2WsUt1vASfKlHxcrKiE-B8kGw
The only recent movie that stereotypes an Ethnic group negatively and gets away with it is "Borat" which portrays Americans in a negative light.
More and more the world is turning against America and American products. American cinema is still one of our most important exports to the world. If political and religious groups can prevent movies from being played in their countries, then they are able to strike a blow against American industry.
I had heard many negative reviews of the new "Indiana Jones" movie before it was even in theaters. I saw the movie today and really liked it. Sure there were some things in it that were not believable, but when I was able to suspend my belief for 2 hours, I found it quite entertaining. I suspect that there may be a political motive to negative reviews of a movie that is expected to be a big blockbuster hit. Certainly that is my opinion. I hope I am wrong. I would like to give people that benefit of the doubt, but the more and more anti-American rhetoric I hear, the more I suspect that the world has conspired against us in an effort to destroy our way of life, our liberty, and our freedom.
RGD.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b139139_indiana_jones_kingdom_of_angry.html
In the case of "The Love Guru" Hindus are all up in arms about politically incorrect stereotypes of their religion in the Mike Myers comedy.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gZr2WsUt1vASfKlHxcrKiE-B8kGw
The only recent movie that stereotypes an Ethnic group negatively and gets away with it is "Borat" which portrays Americans in a negative light.
More and more the world is turning against America and American products. American cinema is still one of our most important exports to the world. If political and religious groups can prevent movies from being played in their countries, then they are able to strike a blow against American industry.
I had heard many negative reviews of the new "Indiana Jones" movie before it was even in theaters. I saw the movie today and really liked it. Sure there were some things in it that were not believable, but when I was able to suspend my belief for 2 hours, I found it quite entertaining. I suspect that there may be a political motive to negative reviews of a movie that is expected to be a big blockbuster hit. Certainly that is my opinion. I hope I am wrong. I would like to give people that benefit of the doubt, but the more and more anti-American rhetoric I hear, the more I suspect that the world has conspired against us in an effort to destroy our way of life, our liberty, and our freedom.
RGD.
Today's Top 20 Blues Man Names
Tuberculosis Thimbleberry Kennedy
Flatfoot Pineapple Jackson
Paranoid Coconut Van Buren
Mute Pawpaw McCain
Senile Dementia Pomegranate Garfield
Hair-lip Pear Reagan
Chicken-pox Elderberry Roosevelt
Borderline Pear Nixon
Hypothermia Orange Kennedy
Trench Foot Wineberry Pierce
Hypoglycemic Saguaro Arthur
Wet Lung Passion Fruit Taft
Coughin' Tangerine Grant
Histrionic Lemon Carter
Fistula Grape Ford
Rosacea Citron Arthur
Psychotic Pawpaw Coolidge
Demented Cashew Grant
Hair-lip Avocado Fillmore
Bipoloar Loganberry Wilson
You can get your very own Blues Man Name from http://www.flippyjoe.info/blues/index.php
Flatfoot Pineapple Jackson
Paranoid Coconut Van Buren
Mute Pawpaw McCain
Senile Dementia Pomegranate Garfield
Hair-lip Pear Reagan
Chicken-pox Elderberry Roosevelt
Borderline Pear Nixon
Hypothermia Orange Kennedy
Trench Foot Wineberry Pierce
Hypoglycemic Saguaro Arthur
Wet Lung Passion Fruit Taft
Coughin' Tangerine Grant
Histrionic Lemon Carter
Fistula Grape Ford
Rosacea Citron Arthur
Psychotic Pawpaw Coolidge
Demented Cashew Grant
Hair-lip Avocado Fillmore
Bipoloar Loganberry Wilson
You can get your very own Blues Man Name from http://www.flippyjoe.info/blues/index.php
Getcher Blues Name Now!
You got the blues but you ain't got a name? With my amazing patented software you now got a blues name. Ain't it great?
http://www.flippyjoe.info/blues/index.php
http://www.flippyjoe.info/blues/index.php
Reasons I am not voting for Mike Huckabee
The following are some reasons I personally am not voting for Mike Huckabee:
He uses demons to control the minds of his followers and will at some point command them to suicide en mass.
He gave me erectile dysfunction.
He doesn't inhale...ever.
Mike Huckabee causes projectile vomiting.
Mike Huckabee voted for Mitt Romney before he voted against Mitt Romney.
Personally believes that everyone is going to hell except for Mike Huckabee.
Always asks himself, "What would Jesus do?" when he's faced with a difficult tee shot that doglegs to the left.
Mike Huckabee believes that Mormons are Satan's brothers and sisters.
The French pronounce his name, "Huck-a-pee".
He will ask Vladimir Putin if he's accepted Christ as his personal Savior.
Mike Huckabee, allegedly, drinks chicken blood.
Mike Huckabee has a level 70 Orc Shaman that he uses to gank lower level Alliance characters in World of Warcraft.
Of course these are all things I've heard, you know more about it than I do. Am I right?
He uses demons to control the minds of his followers and will at some point command them to suicide en mass.
He gave me erectile dysfunction.
He doesn't inhale...ever.
Mike Huckabee causes projectile vomiting.
Mike Huckabee voted for Mitt Romney before he voted against Mitt Romney.
Personally believes that everyone is going to hell except for Mike Huckabee.
Always asks himself, "What would Jesus do?" when he's faced with a difficult tee shot that doglegs to the left.
Mike Huckabee believes that Mormons are Satan's brothers and sisters.
The French pronounce his name, "Huck-a-pee".
He will ask Vladimir Putin if he's accepted Christ as his personal Savior.
Mike Huckabee, allegedly, drinks chicken blood.
Mike Huckabee has a level 70 Orc Shaman that he uses to gank lower level Alliance characters in World of Warcraft.
Of course these are all things I've heard, you know more about it than I do. Am I right?
Winter in Utah
When you see photos like this, you would never think that Utah is a desert. We've been getting a steady stream of moisture almost every weekend, it seems. I'm not complaining, I like the snow. I wouldn't mind if it snowed every day. I just don't like driving in it very much.
My Official Endorsement of Mitt Romney
After careful consideration of all the candidates in the field, The RGD Factor officially supports Mitt Romney in his bid for President.
Okay, now that all formalities have been taken care of...now for the lighter side of the news. I read this on imao.com and couldn't stop laughing. I even forwarded it to the Romney campaign. I think Mitt should do at least one of these. I really like the timber wolf idea.
Okay, now that all formalities have been taken care of...now for the lighter side of the news. I read this on imao.com and couldn't stop laughing. I even forwarded it to the Romney campaign. I think Mitt should do at least one of these. I really like the timber wolf idea.
I actually do care about the Florida primary and hope Romney wins. I just really don't like McCain and Huckabee (and have no strong opinion about Giuliani -- much like most Florida voters).
I just wish there was some aspect to Romney to get behind other than "acceptable to conservatives." Liberals seem to hate him, but liberals also hate Bush so liberal hate alone only gets you so far in my book.
What Romney needs is an image change. First thing: Grow a goatee and shave your head. That will make you stand out from the paint by numbers presidential candidates. Next, lose the suit and wear something more appropriate for a member of Hell's Angels. Thirdly, tame a timber wolf and have it follow you around on the campaign trail. Finally, lose the long winded speeched. Instead, just shout to assembled crowds words like "CRUSH!" and "DESTROY!" (those really are great applause lines). If you feel you must say something more, say, "I am Death! My coming cannot be stopped!"
If Romney can pull that off, I'll not only vote for him, I'll donate to his campaign.
The Miracle on Ice
I was pretty young when this happened. This is the first time I've seen the actual video. It still puts a lump in my throat.
A message to Jesus Christ
Jesus,
I don't know you as well as I would like to. I mention your name all the time; mostly when it suits my needs and avoid it when it's inconvenient. I would like to know you better. I have been going through some rough times of late and I'm trying to use these challenges to get to know you better. I hate that I only come to you in times of hardship and need and would like to be able to communicate better when things are going good.
Please help me to find you and stay near you always. Help me to really mean it when I say that I know you.
I don't know you as well as I would like to. I mention your name all the time; mostly when it suits my needs and avoid it when it's inconvenient. I would like to know you better. I have been going through some rough times of late and I'm trying to use these challenges to get to know you better. I hate that I only come to you in times of hardship and need and would like to be able to communicate better when things are going good.
Please help me to find you and stay near you always. Help me to really mean it when I say that I know you.
Why bad things happen to good people
Sometimes when I'm sleeping I have profound thoughts come to me. Last night was one of those times. I was wondering why the Lord allowed me to marry a mean and mentally unstable ex-wife and stay in the marriage as long as I did.
The thought came to me that the Mormons left New York and went to Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then Missouri, then Illinois, then finally Utah. Why did the Lord allow the Saints to be persecuted everywhere they went? Then the thought came to me, had they come to Utah straight from New York, they would have had to leave in January in order to get to Utah in July. I figure it would have taken them 6 months to walk from New York to Utah. Any way you cut it, the Saints would have had to travel for a fairly long amount of time in the winter months and many more would have died along the way. Instead, the Saints left Nauvoo in March (the beginning of Spring), yes it was still cold, they had to cross a frozen Mississippi, but for the most part they were able to travel in warm months because they were closer to their final destination.
How does this compare to me? The Lord was using my ex-wife to help me get closer to my eventual destination. Along the way I had to be humbled and learn certain things. I had to build up "temples" only to abandon them.
I am now in a much happier place, not that I don't have trials and struggles, but I am now in the "land of my inheritance". I have a great wife and great kids. This is where I was meant to be but I would have never reached this destination had I not had struggles in my personal "Missouri" and "Nauvoo" in order to help me get closer to my eventual destination.
The thought came to me that the Mormons left New York and went to Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then Missouri, then Illinois, then finally Utah. Why did the Lord allow the Saints to be persecuted everywhere they went? Then the thought came to me, had they come to Utah straight from New York, they would have had to leave in January in order to get to Utah in July. I figure it would have taken them 6 months to walk from New York to Utah. Any way you cut it, the Saints would have had to travel for a fairly long amount of time in the winter months and many more would have died along the way. Instead, the Saints left Nauvoo in March (the beginning of Spring), yes it was still cold, they had to cross a frozen Mississippi, but for the most part they were able to travel in warm months because they were closer to their final destination.
How does this compare to me? The Lord was using my ex-wife to help me get closer to my eventual destination. Along the way I had to be humbled and learn certain things. I had to build up "temples" only to abandon them.
I am now in a much happier place, not that I don't have trials and struggles, but I am now in the "land of my inheritance". I have a great wife and great kids. This is where I was meant to be but I would have never reached this destination had I not had struggles in my personal "Missouri" and "Nauvoo" in order to help me get closer to my eventual destination.
Yo Gabba Gabba and The Polyphonic Spree
My kids like to watch a program on Nickelodeon called Yo Gabba Gabba. The music reminds me of The Polyphonic Spree. All this gives me further suspicion that children's programs are created by aging hippies who are having LSD flashbacks.
I was wrong, the NBA is fixed
This article in the N.Y. Post indicates that an NBA referee allegedly bet on and fixed games that he reffed...
Click Here to Read Article
Click Here to Read Article
Don't Support Companies That Support Iran
I received a phone call last night from a "charity" by the name of something like Presidential Action Committee. They told me that they had a one question poll and wanted me to listen to a statement from Dick Morris before taking the poll. I listed to the statement, it was a recording of Dick Morris (former Clinton administration adviser and current Fox News analyst). In the recording Dick Morris indicated that there are numerous companies that are doing business with Iran and this is helping Iran's efforts to create a nuclear program that would threaten Israel and the U.S.
When the recording was finished, the man on the other end asked me if this was something I agreed needed attention. I told him it was. He then asked me if they could count on my $200 or $300 contribution. I told him that I was in the process of adopting three children and all my money is tied up in legal fees and that I had already contributed money the Mitt Romney campaign, but I would be willing to volunteer my time. My words were something like, "I can't give you money, but I can give you my time. I agree that this is a worthwhile cause, how can I volunteer my time to help you?" The answer I got was all they wanted was a donation. Now, this makes me wonder if this is a legitimate group or not. I was thinking that maybe I could give them $5 but I'm glad I did not because I don't know if it's a scam or not.
Wouldn't you think that a legitimate charity would more than welcome my offer to volunteer my time? Heck, I could even start up an office for them in Utah County. I haven't seen anything else online indicating whether this is a scam or not. I hope someone that knows more than I do will read this and comment on it. My suggestion to everyone is, whenever you get a call from someone asking for money, it could very likely be a scam, be careful. I'm grateful that I didn't have the money to give them and grateful that I was quick enough to think that I could volunteer my time to them. I honestly would have done this too. It kind of bothers me that they prefer my money to my time. Now I'm blogging about them warning people not to give them money, wouldn't they prefer that I was on here blogging asking people to give them money?
When the recording was finished, the man on the other end asked me if this was something I agreed needed attention. I told him it was. He then asked me if they could count on my $200 or $300 contribution. I told him that I was in the process of adopting three children and all my money is tied up in legal fees and that I had already contributed money the Mitt Romney campaign, but I would be willing to volunteer my time. My words were something like, "I can't give you money, but I can give you my time. I agree that this is a worthwhile cause, how can I volunteer my time to help you?" The answer I got was all they wanted was a donation. Now, this makes me wonder if this is a legitimate group or not. I was thinking that maybe I could give them $5 but I'm glad I did not because I don't know if it's a scam or not.
Wouldn't you think that a legitimate charity would more than welcome my offer to volunteer my time? Heck, I could even start up an office for them in Utah County. I haven't seen anything else online indicating whether this is a scam or not. I hope someone that knows more than I do will read this and comment on it. My suggestion to everyone is, whenever you get a call from someone asking for money, it could very likely be a scam, be careful. I'm grateful that I didn't have the money to give them and grateful that I was quick enough to think that I could volunteer my time to them. I honestly would have done this too. It kind of bothers me that they prefer my money to my time. Now I'm blogging about them warning people not to give them money, wouldn't they prefer that I was on here blogging asking people to give them money?
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
It's fairly obvious that they're syncing to a recording of the song, but hey, it's Jimi Hendrix!
The Democratic Party, The Party of Defeatism
85% of those likely to vote for Senator Clinton don't believe that the U.S. can win the war in Iraq. Let's just throw in the towel and give up on Iraq, it's a lost cause, Hillary's supporters say so.
April 12, 2007 - Likely Primary Voters on Iraq(source: http://americanresearchgroup.com/)
There are stark differences between likely Democratic and Republican primary voters over Iraq.
The following results are based on nationwide samples of 600 likely Democratic primary voters (PV) and 600 likely Republican primary voters (PV) conducted April 9-12, 2007. The theoretical margin of error for each sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points, 95% of the time. Primary preferences for each party are below.
Question:
Do you believe that the United States can win the war in Iraq, or not?
Can win No Undecided
Democratic PV 17% 70% 13%
Republican PV 75% 20% 5%
85% of likely Democratic primary voters voting for Hillary Clinton, 71% of those voting for John Edwards, and 64% of those voting for Barack Obama say they do not believe the United States can win the war in Iraq.
86% of likely Republican primary voters voting for John McCain, 62% of those voting for Rudy Giuliani, and 68% of those voting for Mitt Romney say they believe the United States can win the war in Iraq.
Question:
Do you favor or oppose setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq
Favor Oppose Undecided
Democratic PV 70% 17% 13%
Republican PV 17% 77% 6%
74% of likely Democratic primary voters voting for Hillary Clinton, 57% of those voting for John Edwards, and 81% of those voting for Barack Obama say they favor setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq.
89% of likely Republican primary voters voting for John McCain, 63% of those voting for Rudy Giuliani, and 62% of those voting for Mitt Romney say they oppose setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq.
Flashback to 1992 - (LANGUAGE WARNING!)
1992 was the year I saw these guys live at The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm not sure if this is from SLC or not. I can't recall if they performed it.
The Parable of The Talents
There's a parable in the bible about a lord that gives his servants a different number of talents (money). One of the servants takes his talents and uses them in a productive way. Another one of the servants takes his and buries them in the ground because he's afraid to try to use them. When the lord returns and finds out what they've done with their talents, he rewards the ones that have used them and punishes the one that hasn't.
I think a lot about this parable and about how at one time in my life I was afraid to use my talents. Since then, I've returned to school and I'm now working on my Masters degree. I've been out interviewing for other jobs and found out that more people are interested in a person that has a college degree, especially someone that graduated with honors.
We often get caught in a trap thinking that it's too hard, or it's a task for someone else but not for me. I work with certain people that wont go back to school because they think they're too stupid for school. In today's world, I just don't see any way that a person can truly succeed without a college education. Sure there are a couple like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison, but they are the exceptions and you also have to admit that they have an intrinsic business acumen that most people lack and have to learn in college.
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is God gives us all talents, some more than others. In my case I think he gave me very few when I look at the rich kids I grew up with. It took me time to learn to use those talents, but now I feel like the Lord is opening up new opportunities and increasing my measure. This is something I want for everyone, not just myself. I just wish some people would pull themselves up by their boot straps and get to work.
I think a lot about this parable and about how at one time in my life I was afraid to use my talents. Since then, I've returned to school and I'm now working on my Masters degree. I've been out interviewing for other jobs and found out that more people are interested in a person that has a college degree, especially someone that graduated with honors.
We often get caught in a trap thinking that it's too hard, or it's a task for someone else but not for me. I work with certain people that wont go back to school because they think they're too stupid for school. In today's world, I just don't see any way that a person can truly succeed without a college education. Sure there are a couple like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison, but they are the exceptions and you also have to admit that they have an intrinsic business acumen that most people lack and have to learn in college.
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is God gives us all talents, some more than others. In my case I think he gave me very few when I look at the rich kids I grew up with. It took me time to learn to use those talents, but now I feel like the Lord is opening up new opportunities and increasing my measure. This is something I want for everyone, not just myself. I just wish some people would pull themselves up by their boot straps and get to work.
Johnny Rotten Rants
Well, I don't know if this really would qualify as a rant, how about a diatribe? Johnny Rotten cracks me up, especially with his comments on the L.A. Galaxy. Even the English think American soccer is femmy.
No Free Speach at Rice-Eccles
A few fans decided to fly the Tibetan flag at the China vs. RSL friendly match. China didn't like that and refused to play. Here's what happened:
God Hates Westboro Baptist
If you haven't heard of Westboro Baptist, they are a so-called church that has put up web sites like God Hates Fags dot com, God Hates Sweden dot com, etc. Another modus operandi of Westboro Baptist is to go to the funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq and tell their family members that their son, brother, father is going to hell for fighting in an unjust and unrighteous war. Now, Westboro Baptism is planning on protesting the funeral of a Utahn that died in Iraq.
How exactly does this promote Christ? Did Christ teach us to condemn others and tell their family that they're going to hell. I seem to remember a story about an adulterous woman that was brought to Christ. The people wanted to execute her by stoning. Christ told them that if any of them were free of sin, they should throw the first stone. All of the woman's accusers left. Christ asked the woman where the people that accused her went, she told him that they left. Christ told her that he did not accuse her either, to go her way, and sin no more.
Instead of making accusations and condemning others, shouldn't Westboro be forgiving them? Maybe I'm totaly wrong here, maybe Westboro's intepretation of the bible is diffrent from mine. But it was always my impression that the gospel of the bible, the gospel of Christ, is a gospel of love and forgiveness.
And you know what? I don't think God hates Westboro Baptist either. I think he's probably just really frustrated with them right now.
How exactly does this promote Christ? Did Christ teach us to condemn others and tell their family that they're going to hell. I seem to remember a story about an adulterous woman that was brought to Christ. The people wanted to execute her by stoning. Christ told them that if any of them were free of sin, they should throw the first stone. All of the woman's accusers left. Christ asked the woman where the people that accused her went, she told him that they left. Christ told her that he did not accuse her either, to go her way, and sin no more.
Instead of making accusations and condemning others, shouldn't Westboro be forgiving them? Maybe I'm totaly wrong here, maybe Westboro's intepretation of the bible is diffrent from mine. But it was always my impression that the gospel of the bible, the gospel of Christ, is a gospel of love and forgiveness.
And you know what? I don't think God hates Westboro Baptist either. I think he's probably just really frustrated with them right now.
Warning: Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm You
It looks like I'm going to have to go cold turkey. I already knew that soda-pop was fattening and had no nutritional value, even if this study hasn't been proven yet, why take the risk?
Warning: Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm You
(Article from NewsMax.com)
You may want to think twice before you sip another soft drink: research reported in the UK's Independent newspaper says a common preservative used in fizzy drinks can switch off essential parts of DNA. The preservative may bring on premature aging and trigger diseases associated with old age.
The problem preservative is sodium benzoate, commonly used for many years by the $160 billion worldwide soft drink industry. Sodium benzoate, derived from benzoic acid, prevents mold in drinks like Coca-Cola, Oasis, Dr. Pepper, etc., and is also used in pickles and sauces.
Alarm bells have already been ringing about it, because it's been discovered that when it's mixed with vitamin C in soft drinks, it creates the carcinogenic substance benzene. Now UK Professor Peter Piper of Sheffield University has sounded an even louder alarm — his experiments show that benzoate damages DNA in the energy-producing mitochondria of cells.
"These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether," Piper said. "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it — as happens in a number of diseased states — then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA—Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."
The World Health Organization, the Food Standards Agency in the UK, and the US Food and Drug Administration all say that sodium benzoate is safe. Professor Piper, however, says that FDA tests are out of date.
"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are completely safe," Piper said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Article published May 25, 2007
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Ethan Sacks
New York Daily News
ADVERTISEMENT
It really was a long time ago.
Today, it'll be exactly 30 years since "Star Wars" blasted away all expectations after opening in just 32 movie theaters on May 25, 1977.
It's remarkable to note how, in the days before universe-filling marketing campaigns and studio tracking reports, no one, not even writer-director George Lucas, was prepared for the lines that snaked around theaters showing "Star Wars."
Audiences cheered from the opening blasts of John Williams' score to the closing credits, pausing only to boo Darth Vader.
Facing high demand for tie-in toys that had yet to be manufactured, department stores were forced to issue IOUs.
In the late 1970s in America, the movie "appealed to people at a time (when) things maybe weren't going great," says Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in six movies and several TV specials. "People wanted something to make them feel good.
"And boy, did it take them out of their environment!"
Or as Rick McCallum, producer of the recent prequel trilogy, says: "It was a single moment in time that's not likely to be repeated."
The movie that 20th Century Fox nearly abandoned in midproduction ended up earning $460 million at the box office in the United States alone, boosted by the release of a special edition in 1997.
The film is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind "Titanic."
There is no competition, however, in the world of toys and other tie-ins. The "Star Wars" franchise has raked in $13.5 billion in merchandising alone since 1977, according to Lucasfilm.
"There's no question that was the film that made the entire movie industry rethink its attitude toward summer movies, toward juvenile movies for big kids, science fiction, special effects and, of course, merchandising," says film historian Leonard Maltin.
This weekend, people who want to praise the Force can celebrate several ways:
l Now in bookstores is J.W. Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars," a mammoth tome so packed with photos and facts, a wookiee could get a hernia trying to lift it.
The $75 book, surprisingly, is a first for "Star Wars."
But the author recently told the New Daily News that he stumbled across four boxes of transcripts in the Lucasfilm library archives from interviews that took place between 1975 and 1978, conducted by the film's original head of marketing.
The background they provided formed the basis of the book, which is chock-full of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes photos and early storyboard sketches (Darth Vader, it seems, once looked more like a vacuum cleaner).
* Think the creature cantina at Mos Eisley spaceport was filled with a motley bunch?
Watch "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed," a new two-hour documentary airing Monday on the Discovery Channel, and see Newt Gingrich, Dan Rather and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi comment alongside "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson. Far out.
* To coincide with the anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing 15 "Star Wars" stamps.
But Lucasfilm isn't stuck in the past: There are two TV series in the works, animated and live-action, with the latter reportedly filling in the blanks of what some characters were doing for the 20 years between Episodes III and IV.
McCallum says the plan is to get them on the air in 2009.
"'Star Wars' was revolutionary, otherwise it wouldn't have lasted this long," says Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 English actor who played Chewbacca. "So I'll talk to you again in another 30 years."
Copyright © 2007
The News & Record
and Landmark Communications, Inc.
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Ethan Sacks
New York Daily News
ADVERTISEMENT
It really was a long time ago.
Today, it'll be exactly 30 years since "Star Wars" blasted away all expectations after opening in just 32 movie theaters on May 25, 1977.
It's remarkable to note how, in the days before universe-filling marketing campaigns and studio tracking reports, no one, not even writer-director George Lucas, was prepared for the lines that snaked around theaters showing "Star Wars."
Audiences cheered from the opening blasts of John Williams' score to the closing credits, pausing only to boo Darth Vader.
Facing high demand for tie-in toys that had yet to be manufactured, department stores were forced to issue IOUs.
In the late 1970s in America, the movie "appealed to people at a time (when) things maybe weren't going great," says Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in six movies and several TV specials. "People wanted something to make them feel good.
"And boy, did it take them out of their environment!"
Or as Rick McCallum, producer of the recent prequel trilogy, says: "It was a single moment in time that's not likely to be repeated."
The movie that 20th Century Fox nearly abandoned in midproduction ended up earning $460 million at the box office in the United States alone, boosted by the release of a special edition in 1997.
The film is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind "Titanic."
There is no competition, however, in the world of toys and other tie-ins. The "Star Wars" franchise has raked in $13.5 billion in merchandising alone since 1977, according to Lucasfilm.
"There's no question that was the film that made the entire movie industry rethink its attitude toward summer movies, toward juvenile movies for big kids, science fiction, special effects and, of course, merchandising," says film historian Leonard Maltin.
This weekend, people who want to praise the Force can celebrate several ways:
l Now in bookstores is J.W. Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars," a mammoth tome so packed with photos and facts, a wookiee could get a hernia trying to lift it.
The $75 book, surprisingly, is a first for "Star Wars."
But the author recently told the New Daily News that he stumbled across four boxes of transcripts in the Lucasfilm library archives from interviews that took place between 1975 and 1978, conducted by the film's original head of marketing.
The background they provided formed the basis of the book, which is chock-full of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes photos and early storyboard sketches (Darth Vader, it seems, once looked more like a vacuum cleaner).
* Think the creature cantina at Mos Eisley spaceport was filled with a motley bunch?
Watch "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed," a new two-hour documentary airing Monday on the Discovery Channel, and see Newt Gingrich, Dan Rather and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi comment alongside "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson. Far out.
* To coincide with the anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing 15 "Star Wars" stamps.
But Lucasfilm isn't stuck in the past: There are two TV series in the works, animated and live-action, with the latter reportedly filling in the blanks of what some characters were doing for the 20 years between Episodes III and IV.
McCallum says the plan is to get them on the air in 2009.
"'Star Wars' was revolutionary, otherwise it wouldn't have lasted this long," says Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 English actor who played Chewbacca. "So I'll talk to you again in another 30 years."
Copyright © 2007
The News & Record
and Landmark Communications, Inc.
Star Wars: How The World Changed
Star Wars: How The World Changed
Posted By:Ted Kemp
Topics:Technology | Media | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Technology | Media
Companies:News Corporation
By Ted Kemp News Editor | 21 May 2007 | 12:42 PM ET
Font size:
“Star Wars,” the fantasy space epic that premiered 30 years ago this week, is often portrayed as the quintessential, even archetypal blockbuster—the flick that forever changed how the film industry writes, makes and markets movies. But things aren’t quite that simple.
The company that made the film, 20th Century Fox was a publicly traded—but still independent—studio on May 25, 1977, the day Star Wars debuted in 32 U.S. theaters. The company had never surpassed $37 million in annual earnings since its formation in 1935 through the merger of Darryl Zanuck’s Twentieth Century Pictures and William Fox’s Fox Film Corp.
In 1977, those profit numbers were about to change. Gary Arnold, a “Washington Post” staff writer who wrote an original review of the movie, told the story of two friends who “placed orders with their brokers (for 20th Century Fox stock) minutes after seeing the film.”
Box Office Gold
“Star Wars” raked in $6.8 million during its first weekend of wide release. Within months it would do something no movie—including “Jaws,” released the year before—had ever done: It surpassed the $300-million revenue mark. “Star Wars” topped out at $798 million in worldwide revenue. Earnings at 20th Century Fox more than doubled their best-ever mark in 1977, as did the company’s stock price.
Still, says Agatino Balio, a former professor of film at the University of Wisconsin who has written several books on movie industry history, not one of the underlying business strategies that created the “Star Wars” phenomenon was really all that novel.
“As a genre, and as a marketing strategy for a motion picture company, there wasn’t anything new about 'Star Wars' as a concept,” Balio says.
"Star Wars" would go on to be serialized, generating three decades of revenue through the release of sequels and prequels. But Balio points out that United Artists had pioneered the serial concept years before with the James Bond films. And “The Godfather” and “Jaws” had established themselves as “event” films with sweeping cultural impact while "Star Wars" was still an amorphous idea knocking around in George Lucas’ head. Star Wars can’t even claim the honor of being the first mega-blockbuster: After taking inflation into account, "Gone With The Wind" still ranks as the highest grossing movie of all time.
Nothing To Write Home About
As for depth of plot line , "Star Wars" certainly didn't open new territory. "The story of 'Star Wars' could be written on the head of a pin and still leave room for the Bible," said critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times.
All those things said, “Star Wars” did, indeed, break new ground. Even though it came along after "2001: A Space Odyssey," Lucas’ firm Industrial Light & Magic (which he founded only because 20th Century Fox had recently scrapped its special effects department) saw to it that “Star Wars” took effects—video, audio, robotic, miniature modeling and otherwise—to extremes previously unimagined.
Related Stories
* Jim Goldman: The Empire's Real Legacy
* Slideshow: Behind The Scenes At ILM
* StarWars.com
And for pure mythic originality, “Star Wars” represented something unprecedented: Arnold of the Post and Vincent Canby of “The New York Times” struggled to categorize the film, saying alternately in their first reviews that “Star Wars” evoked everything from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, classic westerns, pirate melodramas and aerial combat films, to samurai epics, “Ivanhoe,” the Legend of King Arthur, and the Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Given that “Star Wars” was made for $11 million, its return on investment certainly surpassed anything before it and probably anything since. "Star Wars" accomplished that without the benefit of "saturation booking"—the relatively new industry practice of opening films in thousands of theaters on the same day. Not bad for a movie whose release 20th Century Fox execs moved to before Memorial Day because they were certain it wouldn’t be able to compete with that summer’s "Smokey and the Bandit."
Blockbuster Business Model
Today, a single film can cost $200 million to produce, and a hoped-for blockbuster may cost another $100 million to market, says Gordon Hodge, media analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners. In short, since the days of "Star Wars," the movie business has become a game of very big bets.
“When you think about the cost of just one film, you could even start a significant company with that kind of money,” Hodge says.
But consumer demand for the blockbuster remains. So, therefore, does studios’ incentive to turn out potential mega-hits. With the investment stakes higher than they've ever been before, motion picture companies have begun turning to financial devices that weren't available in 1977.
Today's movies have the benefit of revenue from DVD sales, which Hodge says often match box office sales. Because DVDs don’t require a huge marketing budget, they present less risk to the studios.
Movie companies have also begun mitigating risk by taking on banks and financial services firms as initial investment partners. Several banks and even hedge funds have developed formulas that factor actors, genres and other elements into account to gauge a film's chance of success. If they like the way the numbers come out, they get on board with the studio. Hodge cites Merrill Lynch's backing of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" and "Hulk II," both slated for release in 2008.
Marvel Studios, which has borrowed more than one page from the "Star Wars" playbook, has proven itself a winner with its "SpiderMan" films. And it takes full advantage of the new, emerging—and unprecedented—financial tools at the disposal of today's film companies.
Taken in that context, "Star Wars" didn't so much herald the era of modern movie making, as it became the symbol—albeit a very successful one—of an age of filmmaking whose time has already passed by.
Posted By:Ted Kemp
Topics:Technology | Media | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Technology | Media
Companies:News Corporation
By Ted Kemp News Editor | 21 May 2007 | 12:42 PM ET
Font size:
“Star Wars,” the fantasy space epic that premiered 30 years ago this week, is often portrayed as the quintessential, even archetypal blockbuster—the flick that forever changed how the film industry writes, makes and markets movies. But things aren’t quite that simple.
The company that made the film, 20th Century Fox was a publicly traded—but still independent—studio on May 25, 1977, the day Star Wars debuted in 32 U.S. theaters. The company had never surpassed $37 million in annual earnings since its formation in 1935 through the merger of Darryl Zanuck’s Twentieth Century Pictures and William Fox’s Fox Film Corp.
In 1977, those profit numbers were about to change. Gary Arnold, a “Washington Post” staff writer who wrote an original review of the movie, told the story of two friends who “placed orders with their brokers (for 20th Century Fox stock) minutes after seeing the film.”
Box Office Gold
“Star Wars” raked in $6.8 million during its first weekend of wide release. Within months it would do something no movie—including “Jaws,” released the year before—had ever done: It surpassed the $300-million revenue mark. “Star Wars” topped out at $798 million in worldwide revenue. Earnings at 20th Century Fox more than doubled their best-ever mark in 1977, as did the company’s stock price.
Still, says Agatino Balio, a former professor of film at the University of Wisconsin who has written several books on movie industry history, not one of the underlying business strategies that created the “Star Wars” phenomenon was really all that novel.
“As a genre, and as a marketing strategy for a motion picture company, there wasn’t anything new about 'Star Wars' as a concept,” Balio says.
"Star Wars" would go on to be serialized, generating three decades of revenue through the release of sequels and prequels. But Balio points out that United Artists had pioneered the serial concept years before with the James Bond films. And “The Godfather” and “Jaws” had established themselves as “event” films with sweeping cultural impact while "Star Wars" was still an amorphous idea knocking around in George Lucas’ head. Star Wars can’t even claim the honor of being the first mega-blockbuster: After taking inflation into account, "Gone With The Wind" still ranks as the highest grossing movie of all time.
Nothing To Write Home About
As for depth of plot line , "Star Wars" certainly didn't open new territory. "The story of 'Star Wars' could be written on the head of a pin and still leave room for the Bible," said critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times.
All those things said, “Star Wars” did, indeed, break new ground. Even though it came along after "2001: A Space Odyssey," Lucas’ firm Industrial Light & Magic (which he founded only because 20th Century Fox had recently scrapped its special effects department) saw to it that “Star Wars” took effects—video, audio, robotic, miniature modeling and otherwise—to extremes previously unimagined.
Related Stories
* Jim Goldman: The Empire's Real Legacy
* Slideshow: Behind The Scenes At ILM
* StarWars.com
And for pure mythic originality, “Star Wars” represented something unprecedented: Arnold of the Post and Vincent Canby of “The New York Times” struggled to categorize the film, saying alternately in their first reviews that “Star Wars” evoked everything from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, classic westerns, pirate melodramas and aerial combat films, to samurai epics, “Ivanhoe,” the Legend of King Arthur, and the Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Given that “Star Wars” was made for $11 million, its return on investment certainly surpassed anything before it and probably anything since. "Star Wars" accomplished that without the benefit of "saturation booking"—the relatively new industry practice of opening films in thousands of theaters on the same day. Not bad for a movie whose release 20th Century Fox execs moved to before Memorial Day because they were certain it wouldn’t be able to compete with that summer’s "Smokey and the Bandit."
Blockbuster Business Model
Today, a single film can cost $200 million to produce, and a hoped-for blockbuster may cost another $100 million to market, says Gordon Hodge, media analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners. In short, since the days of "Star Wars," the movie business has become a game of very big bets.
“When you think about the cost of just one film, you could even start a significant company with that kind of money,” Hodge says.
But consumer demand for the blockbuster remains. So, therefore, does studios’ incentive to turn out potential mega-hits. With the investment stakes higher than they've ever been before, motion picture companies have begun turning to financial devices that weren't available in 1977.
Today's movies have the benefit of revenue from DVD sales, which Hodge says often match box office sales. Because DVDs don’t require a huge marketing budget, they present less risk to the studios.
Movie companies have also begun mitigating risk by taking on banks and financial services firms as initial investment partners. Several banks and even hedge funds have developed formulas that factor actors, genres and other elements into account to gauge a film's chance of success. If they like the way the numbers come out, they get on board with the studio. Hodge cites Merrill Lynch's backing of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" and "Hulk II," both slated for release in 2008.
Marvel Studios, which has borrowed more than one page from the "Star Wars" playbook, has proven itself a winner with its "SpiderMan" films. And it takes full advantage of the new, emerging—and unprecedented—financial tools at the disposal of today's film companies.
Taken in that context, "Star Wars" didn't so much herald the era of modern movie making, as it became the symbol—albeit a very successful one—of an age of filmmaking whose time has already passed by.
In case you needed another reason to get rid of your TV
Just in case you might be considering getting rid of your television altogether, here's one more reason to do it: A giant rat that teaches your children how to rap.
Mario: Game Over
Have you ever wondered what became of Mario and the Princess after Mario saved her?
Here is is. (WARNING: The bad language is censored, but you can still figure out what they're saying.)
Here is is. (WARNING: The bad language is censored, but you can still figure out what they're saying.)
The untimely demise of Bob Barker, may he rest in peace
Current mood: sad
Category: somber Movies, TV, Celebrities
Bob Barker, born December 12, 1923 - death May 7, 2007
Bob Barker was, by far, my favorite game show host. He was almost like a grandfather. He was very calm with people and remembered to have his pets spayed and neutered. Bob passed away today after being eaten by wolves as he was doing some gardening at his Beverley Hills home.
Barker hosted The Price Is Right from September 4, 1972 and announced that he would retire this year.
I appeared as a contestant on The Price Is Right in 1990 but never was able to get on stage. I received a lifetime supply of Turtle Wax as a consolation prize.
We'll miss you Mr. Barker. You were best in Happy Gilmore. Ciao!
Currently listening : Price Is Right By Alan Price Release date: By 01 October, 1996
Top 10 signs that your blog isn’t very popular
10. When checking your hitcounter, you can identify your regular readers by their IP addresses.
9. Your site has a PageRank of -3.
8. You have on more than one occasion unsuccessfully attempted to Slashdot or Instalanche your blog.
7. The bulk of your traffic is the result of obscure fetish seekers, and your blog happens to be the only site on the internet containing the words sexy German toes squishing creamed corn, but not necessarily in that order.
6. The last twenty visitors to your site? ALL YOU!
5. You log into your Adsense account and it says you owe Google $7.
4. The Truth Laid Bear had to create a special Ecosystem ranking just for you: Antimatter.
3. You shamelessly link and/or trackback to Instapundit, Malkin, Dooce, and Wil Wheaton, in the hopes of the off chance that they will see the link and visit your site.
2. No one ever responds to your meme tags.
And the number one sign that your blog isn’t popular:
Posting “FIRST!!!” in your comment threads is no great feat.
9. Your site has a PageRank of -3.
8. You have on more than one occasion unsuccessfully attempted to Slashdot or Instalanche your blog.
7. The bulk of your traffic is the result of obscure fetish seekers, and your blog happens to be the only site on the internet containing the words sexy German toes squishing creamed corn, but not necessarily in that order.
6. The last twenty visitors to your site? ALL YOU!
5. You log into your Adsense account and it says you owe Google $7.
4. The Truth Laid Bear had to create a special Ecosystem ranking just for you: Antimatter.
3. You shamelessly link and/or trackback to Instapundit, Malkin, Dooce, and Wil Wheaton, in the hopes of the off chance that they will see the link and visit your site.
2. No one ever responds to your meme tags.
And the number one sign that your blog isn’t popular:
Posting “FIRST!!!” in your comment threads is no great feat.
Utah Jazz
I have to admit, since the Stockton and Malone era, I haven't watched the Jazz as often. It may also have something to do with the fact that I'm older, more mature, married with children, and don't have as much time for basketball and other sports. Regardless of all that, I was able to watch part of the game tonight on the Internet using a program that let me watch a feed of the game from China. You see, I decided to downgrade my satellite TV to the $19.99 family package and TNT isn't included in that package. About one hour into the game I started googling frantically for search terms like "TNT on Internet", "NBA on Internet". I finally found what I was looking for and was able to catch the 2nd quarter. At halftime my connection decided to poop out and I was never able to get a feed again.
What I did see of the game, it looked like they were having fun. I love to watch The Jazz pass the ball around when they're on offence and make the opposing defense run and scurry. The way The Jazz pass the ball is almost artistic in a way. Back in the Stockton and Malone era you'd see the pick-and-roll all the time and it was usually a pass from Stockton to Malone and a score, or if Malone was covered he'd pass it back out, but it was rare to see more than about two or three passes. With this 2006-2007 Utah Jazz you'll see about 5, 6, 7, or 8 passes on offense. The Jazz also run a faster offense, their players are younger than the old Stockton and Malone teams.
Anyway, I'm just glad the Jazz beat Houston and will go to the next round against the Golden State Warriors. By the way, the Warriors are my new second favorite team by shear virtue of them beating Mark Cuban's team, the Dairy Queen Mavericks. I'm also glad that the games will be on ABC. I'm predicting a Jazz win over the Warriors and a Phoenix win over San Antonio. I don't think the Jazz can get past either Phoenix or San Antonio, however. The Jazz should have beat Houston in 5, instead they dragged it out to seven games. The upside is that the Jazz are relatively young and a 7 game series wont take as huge a toll as it would on the Stockton and Malone teams.
My prediction for the NBA finals is Phoenix from the West and Detroit from the East. But wouldn't it be cool to have a Jazz/Bulls rematch?
The next nice story tonight was RSL's 3-3 tie against the New York Red Bulls with new Head Coach, Jason Kreiss at the helm. Yeah, it wasn't a win, but New York is the best team in the league and hasn't given up a single goal this season, until tonight. I was also happy to see, former RSL player, Clint Mathis score two goals against his old mates. Hopefully Clint's found his game again. Maybe Mathis just does better in that kind of environment. RSL has Colorado on Thursday in Denver and I'm predicting 3 Points (a win) for RSL.
Panquecas
Panquecas or Crêpes
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in blender and and beat until smooth. Cook as you would for crêpes.
Filling
Use your favorite vegetarian filling, the chicken filling for Brazilian chicken pie or this ground beef filling:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (if you can't find cilantro, use green onions and parsley)
oregano to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
10-12 pitted green olives
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef, cilantro and oregano and cook until brown. It should be rather dry, not very much liquid at all. Remove from heat. Add olives and chopped eggs.
Making the panquecas
Fill each panqueca with this mixture and roll it up. Put panquecas together in a large Pyrex. Cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, and warm in oven or microwave. Serve piping hot with white rice and green salad.
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in blender and and beat until smooth. Cook as you would for crêpes.
Filling
Use your favorite vegetarian filling, the chicken filling for Brazilian chicken pie or this ground beef filling:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (if you can't find cilantro, use green onions and parsley)
oregano to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
10-12 pitted green olives
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef, cilantro and oregano and cook until brown. It should be rather dry, not very much liquid at all. Remove from heat. Add olives and chopped eggs.
Making the panquecas
Fill each panqueca with this mixture and roll it up. Put panquecas together in a large Pyrex. Cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, and warm in oven or microwave. Serve piping hot with white rice and green salad.
PHP and MySQL
For about the last 2 months or so I've been learning PHP and MySQL to create server side scripting for Web sites with a database backend. Let me just say that this has been very fun and challenging at the same time. I have written a quiz that tracks who takes the quiz and what their answers are. I have written a Web crawler that will crawl a site for Hyperlinks and put them onto the Web page (useful if you want to start a search engine or if you're harvesting links for a database). I wanted to get started with JSP with a Tomcat Web Server but I've been having issues with it. Someone at school suggested that I try PHP. I found a great book called "Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL" by Kevin Yank. It can be found at http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpmysql1/
Here is the code for my Web Crawler:
Here is the code for my Web Crawler:
/
<html>
<head><title>Web Crawler</title></head>
<body>
<form id="form1" method="post" action="">
<label>URL:
<input name="url" type="text" id="url" value="<?php $url; ?>" size="65" maxlength="255" />
</label>
<br />
<br />
<label>
<input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" />
</label>
<label>
<input name="Reset" type="reset" id="Reset" value="Reset" />
</label>
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>
<?php
if (isset($_POST['url'])) {
$url = $_POST['url'];
$f = @fopen($url,"r");
while( $buf = fgets($f,1024) )
{
$buf = fgets($f, 4096);
preg_match_all("/<\s*a\s+[^>]*href\s*=\s*[\"']?([^\"' >]+)[\"' >]/isU",$buf,$words);
for( $i = 0; $words[$i]; $i++ )
{
for( $j = 0; $words[$i][$j]; $j++ )
{
$cur_word = strtolower($words[$i][$j]);
print "$cur_word<br>";
}
}
}
}
?>
Battlefield 2142 Screenshots
It's 2:19 in the freaking morning. Here are some screenshots in slide show format. Good night:
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
I think I know one of the guys that got quoted in this news article. I'm not sure, but I think he's related to me. :)
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C660191694%2C00.html
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
Bank logo posted by hackers asked for personal information
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A Web site formerly used by Pony Express Elementary's PTA became entangled in a phishing scam.
Sometime recently, hackers got access to software that parent Gerald Banks used for www.ponyexpresselementary.org. The hackers posted on the site the logo for Regions Bank, the nation's eighth largest, with offices in 16 states from Florida to Iowa but none in Utah.
"They were trying to get your name, your Social Security number, your Visa debit card number, just as much personal and financial information as they could," said Roger Douglass, another Pony Express parent who spotted the scheme because he works for Blue Coat Systems, a Web security company in Draper.
Douglass routinely looks for phishing schemes at work and found the scheme involving Pony Express Elementary on Wednesday when visiting phishtank.com, an online community where people voluntarily post Web sites they believe have been overtaken by phishers.
The scheme probably was posted on phishtank.com after a member of the Web community received a spam e-mail from people claiming to be bank officials, visited the Pony Express site and found what he perceived was a scam, Douglass said.
"And I recognized it because it's my daughter's elementary school," Douglass said. "So that's kind of what made me go, 'Whoa, wait a second ..."'
Douglass called Banks, who said by Wednesday afternoon he had already taken down www.ponyexpresselementary.org, after receiving notifications about the scheme from the Alpine School District and XMission, the Web site's host.
PTA leaders used the site last year to advertise events at the Eagle Mountain school. It has not been updated since then, Banks said.
"We monitor for these sites constantly, and whenever we see them we act as quickly as possible to contact our customers and even non-customers who might be fooled into entering personal information," said Rick Swagler, spokesman for Regions Bank.
Swagler said such schemes are typically reported to the federal government.
"The bank will never send you an e-mail asking you for personal information or asking you to update information," Swagler said.
The banking industry works together to try to curb phishers.
According to the American Bankers Association, 25,816 phishing Web sites were discovered in November, an increase from previous months.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C660191694%2C00.html
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
Bank logo posted by hackers asked for personal information
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A Web site formerly used by Pony Express Elementary's PTA became entangled in a phishing scam.
Sometime recently, hackers got access to software that parent Gerald Banks used for www.ponyexpresselementary.org. The hackers posted on the site the logo for Regions Bank, the nation's eighth largest, with offices in 16 states from Florida to Iowa but none in Utah.
"They were trying to get your name, your Social Security number, your Visa debit card number, just as much personal and financial information as they could," said Roger Douglass, another Pony Express parent who spotted the scheme because he works for Blue Coat Systems, a Web security company in Draper.
Douglass routinely looks for phishing schemes at work and found the scheme involving Pony Express Elementary on Wednesday when visiting phishtank.com, an online community where people voluntarily post Web sites they believe have been overtaken by phishers.
The scheme probably was posted on phishtank.com after a member of the Web community received a spam e-mail from people claiming to be bank officials, visited the Pony Express site and found what he perceived was a scam, Douglass said.
"And I recognized it because it's my daughter's elementary school," Douglass said. "So that's kind of what made me go, 'Whoa, wait a second ..."'
Douglass called Banks, who said by Wednesday afternoon he had already taken down www.ponyexpresselementary.org, after receiving notifications about the scheme from the Alpine School District and XMission, the Web site's host.
PTA leaders used the site last year to advertise events at the Eagle Mountain school. It has not been updated since then, Banks said.
"We monitor for these sites constantly, and whenever we see them we act as quickly as possible to contact our customers and even non-customers who might be fooled into entering personal information," said Rick Swagler, spokesman for Regions Bank.
Swagler said such schemes are typically reported to the federal government.
"The bank will never send you an e-mail asking you for personal information or asking you to update information," Swagler said.
The banking industry works together to try to curb phishers.
According to the American Bankers Association, 25,816 phishing Web sites were discovered in November, an increase from previous months.
New host
I really like Blogger.com/Blogspot.com but I have my own domain. When I figured out that my host supports PHP script and MySQL database I figured that it was probably time to start hosting my blog there since I'm paying for 5 gigs of space and only use about 100 Megs of it. I am also going to be working on an open source project that requires me to use PHP and MySQL and it might be a good time to start learning PHP and practicing up on MySQL. PHP seems pretty straight forward, it's a scripting language which means that it's not really a programming language but it can be used to make logical decisions and parse data that is fed to it from a data base or a user. Most likely what I will be using it for on my site is Web-based forms which allow a user to input their information. I will eventually have a Web-based storefront and start selling my kids online. I'M ONLY KIDDING, PLEASE QUIT CALLING DCFS ALREADY!
Happy 95th Birthday Grandpa!
My Grandpa Doc was born January 31, 1912, a little bit more than 3 month before the Titanic set sail and ran into an iceberg, five years before the USA entered World War I (not World War II). My grandfather lived through the Great Depression (the biggest oxymoron in our languge, there was nothing great about it.) My grandpa taught me how to golf and how to swear, for hellsakes. My grandpa also taught me the value of a dollar, of course he taught me the value of a 1942 dollar and not a 1982 dollar, but that's beside the point. My grandpa taught me to eat beans and love it. He never perfected them and I thought the only good beans were the kind you buy in a can (because they were soft) until I went to Brazil and discovered that the trick is to put them in a pressure cooker and season them with onions and bay leaves.My grandpa passed away 6 years ago and Salt Lake City has been less colorful ever since. There's nobody left to tell ethnic jokes and lawyer jokes. He was the last politically incorrect person I knew. He'd go to a restaurant and call the waitress, "honey" or "sweetheart". He'd refer to women as gals. Yeah, that's sexist, and I wont repeat any of it. The ethnic jokes are better off dead too and I should have never laughed at them. But my grandpa was one funny sunuvabitch!
What if I were an ad executive?
It might go something like this:
I created this image using a photo of BooKoo and a freeware program called The Gimp version 2.2.13
I created this image using a photo of BooKoo and a freeware program called The Gimp version 2.2.13
Fast Food Franchise Owners
I used to work for a fast food franchise somewhere in a college town in Northern Utah. I really don't want to say what the company is or who the owner is because the people that read this blog on a regular basis will know who I'm talking about anyway.One of the benefits (downsides) to having kids is that you get to watch lots of cartoons. Mr. G's (the son I named and older version of this blog after) favorite cartoon is "Spongebob Square Pants". Spongebob's boss is Mr. Eugene Krabs. Mr. Krabs favorite expressions are, "I like money." and "The money is always right." If Mr. Krabs were being shot at and his daughter was on one side of the room and a penny were on the other side of the room. He would risk his life to save the penny first and his daughter second. In the Spongebob movie, Mr. Krabs sees King Neptune coming to his restaurant and marks up his sandwiches to the $100 range.
The owner of the fast food franchise where I worked found out that another franchise for the same chain was charging more for their fries. Instead of using the opportunity to advertise that his price was lower, he used to opportunity to raise the price on his own fries. He required all of us to charge .10 cents for any extra items that didn't already come on the sandwich. For example, one sandwich didn't come with pickles, but a customer asked for pickles. I tried to charge the customer an extra 10 cents as I had been instructed and got into an argument with the customer. Instead of defending me, the owner told the customer what a S.O.B. I was and refunded his .10 cents. Part of the owner's franchise agreement with the chain was that his employees were required to give out two packets of free condiments with every sandwich sold. He found out how much this was costing him and told us only to give them out if the customers asked for them. How many times have you gone to a fast food place and forgot to ask for the ketchup? Some of these places are exactly the same, they don't give it out unless you ask. Customers get in the habit of the condiments being placed in the bag without having to ask. When a cheapskate owner decides that he's going to save money by cutting back on the condiments all it does is make customers angry and not want to come back.
Anyway, in honor of my former employer, I have used The Gimp to draw his likeness and post it on this blog and am declaring January 30 cheapskate franchise owner day. I used to also work in the hospitality industry and hotel franchise owners are a bunch of cheapskates too. (Okay, not all of them, just most.) Today is the day where you get to tell your kids that you're too cheap to buy a 10 pack of pencils but instead cut one pencil into 10 pieces for your kids to share. The kid that makes the most mistakes gets the eraser. Instead of throwing away that bottle of ketchup that has less than a teaspoon of ketchup left, put a little water in it and shake it up. You can do this 3 or 4 times before you have to throw the bottle away. Instead of buying a fancy gourmet pizza, go to the store and by a 91 cent Tostinos pizza and put your favorite vegetables on top of it; may I suggest the Danish blue cheese and frozen peas as toppings? It's out of this world. Instead of throwing away that bottle of maple syrup that the ants got into, tell your kids that there are two kinds of syrup in this world: creamy and crunchy. Instead of buying your kid his favorite comic book, buy him a ream of printer paper and a Bic fountain pen with the black, red, green, and blue ink and tell him to draw his own comics.
Yay, yay, yay, it's International Cheapskate Day. Sing it high, sing it loud, sing it low, sing it proud! It's International Cheapskate Day. We love you L.W.!!!
My prescription for a bad headache
Take one Rockstar and two Excedrin Tension Headache Geltabs and call me in the morning.
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