TCorp

JetBlue Screw You

2006-08-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Raed -like many other Arabs in the US- is feeling the racist wrath of the feeble-minded.

That stuff we put in you wasn't really blood!

2006-07-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

"You've been Punk'd home boyee!! hahaha. C'mon man, laugh. haha. It's ok, you're on MTV...haha"

"Let us experiment on your or...or..umm...OR THE TERRORISTS WIN!!, yeah, that's right...You don't want another 9/11, do you? Now shut up and bend over so we can do whatever we want with you."
TheEmperfect: Human Testing Without Consent

Sunday Bloody Sunday

2006-07-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to http://onegoodmove.org and Rx @ http://thepartyparty.com/

TheEmperfect: Peace Deal Offers Iraq Insurgents An Amnesty

2006-06-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

TheEmperfect: Peace Deal Offers Iraq Insurgents An Amnesty

Blog monkeys, blog!

2006-04-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

This video pretty much sums up my feelings towards human "culture". Enjoy, monkeys...enjoy.

Microsoft packaging iPod

2006-03-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Anonymous cow-ard threatens this blog "shut down"

2006-02-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

lol

A comment submitted for this story reads the following:

(Anonymous:)You can remove that image now, or I'll simply have blogger shut down your blog on a DMCA report. Your choice.

Some people need a life. Forgive me as I shake in my boots while syndicating that article to my other blogs and news sites.

On the other hand, I do grant the anonymous cow-ard that commented, that the hideous portrait of that deviously wicked and unsightly being may cause offence and regurgitational impulses to some viewers.

If Blogger (owned by Google) decides I am indeed in violation of the DMCA for showing a thumbnail image in that article, I'll remove the image from the Blogger blog. Until then, I claim fair use :-D

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)
Sec. 1302. Designs not subject to protection
Protection under this chapter shall not be available for a design that is--
not original;
staple or commonplace, such as a standard geometric figure, a familiar symbol, an emblem, or a motif, or another shape, pattern, or configuration which has become standard, common, prevalent, or ordinary;
different from a design excluded by paragraph (2) only in insignificant details or in elements which are variants commonly used in the relevant trades;
dictated solely by a utilitarian function of the article that embodies it; or
embodied in a useful article that was made public by the designer or owner in the United States or a foreign country more than 1 year before the date of the application for registration under this chapter.

Watch out Google! Here she comes.

American Taliban censor Stones' Super Bowl songs

2006-02-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

The Rolling Stones were censored during their halftime performance at the Super Bowl XL in Detroit on Sunday.
TV censors deemed two lyrics too 'sexually explicit' to be broadcast and they were cut from the three-song show.
Start Me Up (once used in a Microsoft ad for Windows 95) and Rough Justice were subject to censorship, while (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction was left intact.
In 2004, Janet Jackson caused outrage in the US when a "wardrobe malfunction" exposed her right breast during a routine with Justin Timberlake.
TV delay
The incident, which was broadcast to millions of TV viewers worldwide, led to the CBS TV network being fined a record $550,000 (£292,000).
This year TV network ABC broadcast the Super Bowl with a five-second tape delay and a sellout crowd of 65,000 people watched the Rolling Stones, led by 62-year-old Mick Jagger.
They opened their 12-minute performance with Start Me Up, and ended with Satisfaction.
But ABC said the changes to the Stones' show were made by the US National Football League (NFL) and its producers.
The Super Bowl, which is one of the most-watched events on US TV, has featured music stars in the past, including Sir Paul McCartney and U2.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4684716.stm

Moo-Moo-Muhammad

2006-02-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

Please get mad. Please get angry. Please be in rage so I can laugh in your face at your insanity. Burn flags in an attempt to prove your peaceful nature and shoot lead in the air mimicking gorillas running while holding a branch. Be in rage so I can laugh at your superstitions and childish taboos. Show exactly how savage you are. Exhibit your truly primitive and unenlightened nature. Show you have no sense of humor. Show you hold sky-gods and the delusional sect leaders above reason, comprehension and your own human nature. Repeat your mantra, again and again as you have since you suspended thinking. Allah-hu-akbar, god is great, god jumped over the candle stick. Are you mad yet? Are you insulted yet?

I have as much respect for you as I have for any other religion: None. You have done nothing to deserve any respect. The results of your existence have been the suppression of freedoms for billions of people over numerous centuries. Murder, extortion, brainwashing, dumbification of the masses, wars, savagery of preposterously brutal proportions and a sociological anchor lodged and held in the middle ages.

All of the above applies to all religions, really, but people in the middle east -and predominantly in Arab countries- have over the centuries developed a truly obnoxious culture that has mixed together their religion (Islam) and their primitive traditions to an extent that the borders between the two elements have dissolved, binding them together, forbidding progress.

They never had a period of enlightenment throughout the region in their history and are subsequently still living in a distant past where magic, superstitions and sky-gods rule their world.

Catch up, folks.

US propaganda and armageddon plans revealed

2006-01-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile (and any) computer networks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm

The Suits

2006-01-26T05:52:00.000-08:00

"...and then, to the gas chambers..."

2006-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

US may use Guantanamo for military executions

WASHINGTON (AFP) - New US military rules mean that executions of condemned "war on terror" detainees could be carried out at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the US Army said.

The new rules authorize the army to set the location for executions "imposed by military courts-martial or military tribunals and authorized by the president of the United States."

"Enemy combatants could be affected by this regulation," said Sheldon Smith, a spokesman for the US Army.

Only 10 war-on-terror detainees have so far been charged and referred to special military commissions for trial, and the United States is not seeking the death penalty in any of those cases.

But the United States has not ruled out the death penalty for war-on-terror detainees, and the issue has long been a sore point for some US allies with nationals detained at Guantanamo.

The army said the changes in the regulations allow executions to be conducted at locations other than Fort Leavenworth, previously the only authorized site for military executions.

Currently, seven military inmates are on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. No dates have been set for their execution.

The last time the military executed a prisoner was April 19, 1961, when it put to death John A. Bennet for rape and attempted murder.

The order signed January 17 by General Peter Schoomaker, the army chief of staff, said the changes were a "major revision" of the regulations, which apply to all the services, not just the army.

The regulations were last revised in 1999.

Death penalty opponents said the measure appeared to be a "technical adjustment."

"I don't think there is anything imminent but eventually there might be," said Richard Deiter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington.

"I suspect it is aimed at the military tribunals in Guantanamo. They don't want to bring people from Guantanamo and put them on US soil," he said.

Under the regulations, only the president has the power to approve and order an execution.

The secretary of the army then approves the location for the execution. The secretary must set a date for it within 60 days of the president's order.

If there is a stay of execution, it would be conducted 14 to 30 days after the stay is lifted.

The regulations stipulate that executions must be carried out by lethal injection administered by medical personnel or other persons who are qualified to administer intravenous injections.

Media interviews with the condemned prisoner are forbidden.

But at least two media representatives would be chosen from a pool to witness the execution, along with military officials, a chaplain, family members of the condemned and relatives of the victim.

"The condemned prisoner will be placed on the execution table and restrained by means of appropriate fasteners to ensure safety and security of the prisoner and EWT (execution watch team) personnel," the regulations state.

"Once the prisoner is secured to the bale, the execution team will insert a large-bore intravenous channel into an appropriate vein, assure the flow of a normal saline solution, and connect the condemned prisoner to the electrocardiograph machine," it says.

The senior military officer in charge would then read aloud the charges, the finding of the court, the sentence and the execution orders before giving the order to commence the execution.

War Corporatism

2006-01-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Watch this movie:
http://www.knife-party.net/movs/barry.mov
(Quicktime required.)

A Query

2006-01-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

AOL, Yahoo and MSN (the Evil Trio) have handed over your search queries to the US government. Under which context this was done is totally irrelevant. The fact is, they got the data, and they want the rest (Google).

What and Why?
All three of the evil companies say that they gave away no personal information. We don't know if they gave away IP addresses along with the queries. If they did, that may not be personal information, but it makes data mining much easier. Let's say they in fact did not give the justice department IP addresses. What can the US government, it's "intelligence" and spy agencies do with that data? Well, query timestamps are not personal information. But they can expose and identify you. How? Under the Echelon program, the NSA monitors pretty much everything that goes on on the Internets (yes, internets). The problem is the analysis and mining of such huge bulks of raw information.

How does one connect the dots from queries to everything you did on the net and who you are? Easy as pie if you have the data.

Let's say the US government wants to crack down on groups that oppose the war. They can use the raw net data from the NSA together with query data from the US justice department to easily intercept people that enter certain phrases in search engines. If they know the timestamp of a query, they know who entered it by simply taking that query + timestamp and searching those two items in the NSA's raw net data. The raw data will say IP 123.123.123.123 requested from "search.msn.com" URI "results.aspx?q=fack" at timestamp 1/1/06@10:10:03. Now that there's an IP address to work with, the spy agency can take over and query the net traffic that IP has made using the rest of the raw data logs.

In the spying world, there is no such thing as personal information.

Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

A Quote

2006-01-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

"Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labelled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful!"
Richard Dawkins

AMERICAblog: ABC/Disney may have killed new TV show because gay couple won and they didn't want to anger religious right

2006-01-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

AMERICAblog: ABC/Disney may have killed new TV show because gay couple won and they didn't want to anger religious right

Xtian analysis by a blogger

2006-01-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

Click it

Voters Overwhelmingly Want Bush Impeachment

2006-01-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

WORLD WATCH ENIGMA: WAS CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR SPIED UPON, AND IF SO, WHY?

2006-01-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

It's interesting, the best thing since wrestling...:

WORLD WATCH ENIGMA: WAS CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR SPIED UPON, AND IF SO, WHY?

Wikipedia Admin Runs Amok on New Year's Eve

2006-01-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

It was premeditated and pathological. Kelly Martin (a.k.a Kelly Loren, a.k.a Kelly The Hun), an appointed administrator on the highly popular Wikipedia website, apparently went power mad and ran amok last night deleting numerous so called Userboxes on the site's database (with no voting or due process as is customary on Wikipedia) when no one was paying attention - during the New Year's Eve festivities.

Userboxes are info blocks that show what individual Wikipedians (The editors) are interested in and/or their affiliations ("This user supports Amnesty International" or "This user is a republican")

Giving reasons such as "Those templates are crap and should be deleted." and "Screw" the process, referring to the democratic voting process that takes place when an item is up for deletion on Wikipedia, she unilaterally went on a moral crusade to delete whatever template she disagreed with (even the Amnesty International one citing "use of unfree images", though in this case untrue - The image was replaced days earlier with a free version made by yours truly).

This was not left without an outcry from hundreds of Wikipedians worldwide who were turning on their computers one by one after their new year's celebrations. An official Request for Comment was issued and a debate ensued.

Her deletes have since been reverted, but she still remains an administrator with no regret for her actions while maintaining her holier-than-thou attitude.

"I've done this before, and I'll do it again in the future"
"And I have the utmost of respect for the spirit of this project, far more than do the people who create this pox of stupid and useless userboxes. I have long been on record as willing to disregard the formal written policy of Wikipedia when it gets in the way of doing the right thing."
"Screw process. Those templates are crap and should be deleted."

It is not yet clear if she will remain an administrator after her blatand abuse of power and uncivil response to those that opposed her actions, but this wikipedian will surely keep an eye on this rotten apple for at least some time to come.

Update:

Her latest fuckup: She blocked a proxy IP address with numerous Wikipedians behind it.

Evidence suggests God is genocidal maniac

2005-12-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

Recent evidence in global death rates suggests that God is in fact not as loving as previously thought.

Being omni-powerful, He is alleged to have repeatedly committed genocide through middle-men and on numerous occasions failed to stop it from happening.

This is the same God that reportedly stood by and let his only son be tortured for hours and subsequentially nailed to a cross by Roman soldiers around the year 33.

God Himself was not immediately available for comments when prayed for last Friday, but a spokesman is quoted as saying "These allegations are baseless and false. We hope you understand we will be forced to relocate anyone that repeats them to Hell once dead."

Several witnesses have already come forward with damning testimony to the contrary.

This Phone Is Tapped

2005-12-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

All your DOM are belong to us

2005-12-27T05:20:00.000-08:00

Who said blogger had to be boring? A little DHTML here, a little JavaScript there et voila!

The calculation of the steps in resizing the elements is done by multiplying a pre-calculated percentage for each linear step with the total height of the element. The step percentage is returned in a coSinus curvature fashion, creating a smooth acceleration and deceleration at the start and end of the resize animation.

Support Intelligent Design, do not take Flu vaccines

2005-12-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

Flu (Influenza) vaccines are developed by so-called scientists who claim they study the genetic evolution of viruses, when in fact any good scientist can tell you that it is the love of God that is creating these new viruses. Flu shots actually make you ill! Only God has the right to do that!

If you do get ill, it is God's way of wanting to bring you nearer to Him ever more quickly. So, please, don't interrupt God's plan and don't take any medication when you're ill, or you will go to Hell!

Instead, upon discovering you have a flu infection, take the time to visit all your fellow church goers and inform them of the happy news. Bless each one of them with plenty of hugs and kisses and tell them you'll see them in God's kingdom in Heaven.

This has been a message from the TCorp Foundation For A World With Less Stupid People

Fatherland Security

2005-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Agents' visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior
By Aaron Nicodemus / Standard-Times
NEW BEDFORD -- A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red Book."
Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.
The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said.
The professors said the student was told by the agents that the book is on a "watch list," and that his background, which included significant time abroad, triggered them to investigate the student further.
"I tell my students to go to the direct source, and so he asked for the official Peking version of the book," Professor Pontbriand said. "Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring inter-library loans, because that's what triggered the visit, as I understand it."
Although The Standard-Times knows the name of the student, he is not coming forward because he fears repercussions should his name become public. He has not spoken to The Standard-Times.
The professors had been asked to comment on a report that President Bush had authorized the National Security Agency to spy on as many as 500 people at any given time since 2002 in this country.
The eavesdropping was apparently done without warrants.
The Little Red Book, is a collection of quotations and speech excerpts from Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung.
In the 1950s and '60s, during the Cultural Revolution in China, it was required reading. Although there are abridged versions available, the student asked for a version translated directly from the original book.
The student told Professor Pontbriand and Dr. Williams that the Homeland Security agents told him the book was on a "watch list." They brought the book with them, but did not leave it with the student, the professors said.
Dr. Williams said in his research, he regularly contacts people in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other Muslim hot spots, and suspects that some of his calls are monitored.
"My instinct is that there is a lot more monitoring than we think," he said.
Dr. Williams said he had been planning to offer a course on terrorism next semester, but is reconsidering, because it might put his students at risk.
"I shudder to think of all the students I've had monitoring al-Qaeda Web sites, what the government must think of that," he said. "Mao Tse-Tung is completely harmless."

Update: (26/12) Turns out this fatherland securtiy story was made up by an attention whore.

The United States of Paranoia

2005-12-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

I collected the stories listen or summarized below while listening to Danny Elfman's "Descent Into Mystery" from the Batman Motion Picture score, Beethoven's "Ode To Joy" and Léo Delibes' "Lakmé: Viens, Mallika". Excellent music.

BTW...ever just thought about why The Netherlands joined in the takeover of Iraq? I thought it was weird that the Netherlands would happily sign up to be a part of a war when the Dutch themselves know very well what devastation war brings to a country and people.

A Dutch Government website starts by stating:

The Dutch military mission to Iraq ended on 7 March 2005. The 1,100-strong military mission was part of the Iraq Stabilization Force (SFIR) and was stationed in the province of Al-Muthanna in southern Iraq.
The first Dutch contingent of 300 troops left for Iraq on 10 July 2003. The mission helped to restore security and stability in Iraq and contributed to humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. It also helped enable the Iraqi people to govern themselves as soon as possible.

Mission.....accomplished? : - /

Part I

Southwest flight aborted near LA after bomb 'joke'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The crew of a Southwest Airlines jet with 137 passengers on board aborted take-off from an airport outside Los Angeles on Friday after a young man joked about having a bomb in his luggage.
Five Las Vegas-bound passengers on Southwest Airlines Flight 2074, including the man who had mentioned a bomb, were taken into custody as police evacuated the plane from where it stood on the tarmac at Burbank airport and searched for evidence of explosives.
The man's name was not immediately released. He was identified as being around 25 to 30 years old.
"Shortly after push-back flight crew members heard some young folks who were traveling together joking about what they might have on board in their bags," said Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin.
The crew members "did what they were trained to do, which was contact the captain, and the authorities elected to search the aircraft," she said.
Police, assisted by a Los Angeles County bomb squad and bomb-sniffing dogs, searched the plane for more than two hours before determining that no explosives were on board.
Harbin said Flight 2074 was expected to depart for Las Vegas later in the evening.
The plane had taxied into position for take-off when the crew brought the plane to a halt and evacuated the passengers, who were taken to a secure area in the terminal.
Local TV stations showed dozens of people streaming off the plane as it was surrounded by police, who began a search of the baggage compartment and passenger cabin.

Part II

When terrorism paranoia goes too far
The reaction to the shooting death of Rigoberto Alpizar provides a sobering glimpse into America's current obsession with keeping ourselves safe from terrorism. Alpizar was shot by federal air marshals after he ran off a plane that was about to depart from Miami to Orlando.
Initially, authorities claimed that Alpizar was yelling that he had a bomb as he ran down the plane's aisle with a backpack strapped across his chest. Yet the Orlando Sentinel interviewed seven passengers who claimed Alpizar wasn't saying anything at all, let alone yelling about a bomb, while no passenger backed the government's story.
Alpizar turns out to have been mentally unstable and altogether harmless. It's of course possible that Alpizar claimed he had a bomb once he was out in the jetway, but it's also possible that the two air marshals who shot him panicked, and concocted the story about a bomb after the fact, to make their tragic mistake of shooting a harmless mentally ill man seem like a justifiable use of lethal force.
Or perhaps Alpizar was suffering from a delusion that there was a bomb on the plane, and the marshals misunderstood something he said in the jetway. The ongoing investigation of the incident will no doubt produce more details, but one thing is already clear: the disturbing eagerness with which the government and the media rushed to judgment in this matter. Within hours, White House spokesman Scott McClellan was proclaiming that the shooting was justified, despite the haziness of the factual situation.
This was hardly surprising, but what was disappointing was the markedly deferential attitude the media took toward the government's hasty assertions that the air marshals acted properly, even after major discrepancies began to appear between the government's initial story and the emerging facts. This deference was all the more striking given that less than five months ago the British police released what turned out to be a wildly inaccurate story about a man who they had just shot to death on the subway, in what later came to look like a case of something not too far removed from cold-blooded murder.
Indeed, some of the media commentary on the day after the shooting treated the incident not as sobering tragedy, but as an encouraging sign that the system is working. One guest on a cable news show devoted to analyzing the stock market went so far as to recommend airline stocks, on the theory that Americans would be reassured that an apparent security risk could so readily elicit a lethal reaction from those entrusted with keeping us safe.
A comment posted on the Orlando Sentinel's Web site reflects a similar sentiment: "The lesson here for all of us is this: we have to take responsibility for our family members and ourselves. If you act in an unsafe manner, you may very well be shot. I am OK with the terrorists understanding this lesson."
The attitude reflected in this comment illustrates what most if not all of the elaborate security rituals that have been enacted since 9/11 are really about. These rituals don't actually make Americans appreciably safer (who believes that a real terrorist would behave in the manner Alpizar did?), but they make many of us feel safer.
What all the security protocols, and color-coded threat levels, and air marshals who are prepared to shoot people who act strangely are designed to achieve is to create the illusion of competence and control. The authorities know what they're doing _ this is the essential message. And if innocent people end up getting spied on or imprisoned or tortured or shot, well that's just a cost of what our government likes to call freedom.

Part III

Is the Pentagon spying on Americans?
Secret database obtained by NBC News tracks 'suspicious' domestic groups
WASHINGTON - A year ago, at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Fla., a small group of activists met to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high schools. What they didn't know was that their meeting had come to the attention of the U.S. military.
A secret 400-page Defense Department document obtained by NBC News lists the Lake Worth meeting as a "threat" and one of more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the country over a recent 10-month period.
"This peaceful, educationally oriented group being a threat is incredible," says Evy Grachow, a member of the Florida group called The Truth Project.
"This is incredible," adds group member Rich Hersh. "It's an example of paranoia by our government," he says. "We're not doing anything illegal."
The Defense Department document is the first inside look at how the U.S. military has stepped up intelligence collection inside this country since 9/11, which now includes the monitoring of peaceful anti-war and counter-military recruitment groups.
"I think Americans should be concerned that the military, in fact, has reached too far," says NBC News military analyst Bill Arkin.
The Department of Defense declined repeated requests by NBC News for an interview. A spokesman said that all domestic intelligence information is "properly collected" and involves "protection of Defense Department installations, interests and personnel." The military has always had a legitimate "force protection" mission inside the U.S. to protect its personnel and facilities from potential violence. But the Pentagon now collects domestic intelligence that goes beyond legitimate concerns about terrorism or protecting U.S. military installations, say critics.
Four dozen anti-war meetings
The DOD database obtained by NBC News includes nearly four dozen anti-war meetings or protests, including some that have taken place far from any military installation, post or recruitment center. One "incident" included in the database is a large anti-war protest at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles last March that included effigies of President Bush and anti-war protest banners. Another incident mentions a planned protest against military recruiters last December in Boston and a planned protest last April at McDonald’s National Salute to America’s Heroes - a military air and sea show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Fort Lauderdale protest was deemed not to be a credible threat and a column in the database concludes: "US group exercising constitutional rights." Two-hundred and forty-three other incidents in the database were discounted because they had no connection to the Department of Defense - yet they all remained in the database.

Can you feel it?

2005-12-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it "bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East".
How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice. But Bush has been clever. He has not ratified the International Criminal Court of Justice. Therefore if any American soldier or for that matter politician finds himself in the dock, Bush has warned that he will send in the marines. But Tony Blair has ratified the Court and is therefore available for prosecution. We can let the Court have his address if they're interested. It is Number 10, Downing Street, London.
I have said earlier that the United States is now totally frank about putting its cards on the table. That is the case. Its official declared policy is now defined as 'Full Spectrum Dominance'. That is not my term, it is theirs. 'Full Spectrum Dominance' means control of land, sea, air and space and all attendant resources.
The United States now occupies 702 military installations throughout the world in 132 countries, with the honourable exception of Sweden, of course. We don't quite know how they got there but they are there all right.
The United States possesses 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads. Two thousand are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with 15 minutes warning. It is developing new systems of nuclear force, known as bunker busters. The British, ever cooperative, are intending to replace their own nuclear missile, Trident. Who, I wonder, are they aiming at? Osama bin Laden? You? Me? Joe Dokes? China? Paris? Who knows? What we do know is that this infantile insanity - the possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons - is at the heart of present American political philosophy. We must remind ourselves that the United States is on a permanent military footing and shows no sign of relaxing it.
Many thousands, if not millions, of people in the United States itself are demonstrably sickened, shamed and angered by their government's actions, but as things stand they are not a coherent political force - yet. But the anxiety, uncertainty and fear which we can see growing daily in the United States is unlikely to diminish.
- Harold Pinter, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2005

White Christmas and the war against it

2005-12-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sick and tired of hearing and reading about this mythical "war on Christmas".

Just like that stupid "Cyber Monday" idea that was developed by marketing "geniuses" at Shop.com to sell more products over the holidays, the "War On Christmas" is a promotional gig that was developed by right wing conservative Christians that are desperate to push their own agenda - and plug a book by right wing nut case and Fox news correspondent John Gibson at every possible opportunity, might I add.

It just makes me want to regurgitate my breakfast into their faces.

A deceptive maneuver to enforce the belief that Christmas is about Jesus, when in fact it was celebrated even before his alleged date of birth, by the pagans. It's not like anyone has forgotten this fact, but you can compare this to the US government paying for ads that promote US made cars when 99% of Americans already buy them.

In any case, if you really do need a mythical messiah to worship, try Robin Hood, or even Mickey Mouse even. His date of birth was November 18, we know very little about his parents, he brings joy and laughter to those he entertains, when they say he's coming back next week, he really is coming back next week and also, like the Jesus character, his maker hated the Jews. Unlike Jesus however, Mickey never dies in his stories. There's no blood, no gore, no torture, no suffering, no guilt, and at least his magic tricks are cool.

Mickey is known to have a number of disciples, including Donald (see Donaldism), Goofy (not to be confused with Tom Cruise) and Pluto (not to be confused with Pluto, god of the underworld).

If you're a nut case, republican, fundamentalist Christian conservative, you'll love worshipping Mickey.

There are many things I'm sure you'll find in common with him. You're both rats and you're both stuck in a fantasy world resembling an America somewhere between 1901 and 1966.

Happy holidays - And, yes, happy "holidays". Where do you think that word originated in the first place you ignorant Christmas-war mongers?

What has civilization come to when I, an educated person that does not believe in gods, ghosts, goblins or messiahs am set at ease during these days, yet those of faith in invisible beings are perpetrating and promoting a struggle and war that is not there? Why is it left up to people like myself to set the minds of these uneducated Neanderthals to rest that their beliefs and superstitions are not under attack?

I play along during Christmas - just for the fun of it!

It's fun to give gifts and it's fun to get them. The kids like Santa, the trees, then lights and attention they get. I call it Christmas because that is the word other people use to name the day. There is no other word reserved for the season.

Here's another phrase I use: Merry Christmas. "Merry", derived from the old English word "myrige", originally meaning "pleasant". They could've also went with "Gay", meaning "happy", but for some reason that never happened. I say "Merry Christmas" without really thinking about the meaning of the words in it and I frankly don't really care. If I did care I'd never use words and phrases like "goodbye", "damn", "holy shit" my favorite: "Sweet zombie Jesus".

Religion has infiltrated and embedded itself into many languages all over the world. Most of these words will die out eventually as they have done in the past. When was the last time you called someone a "witch" and called for their execution? "Sacrilege" is dying out too, thank goodness. I guess people have forgotten how many people got hung for that.

Anyway, should you have been sufficiently distracted these last few days by all this, that you forgot reality, let me bring you up to date. Iraq is still occupied and people are still dying.

Happy holidays....I mean goodbye...I mean...Later.

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me."
-Jesus (the son of God, not your gardener) in Luke 19:27

Sarcasm, or NOT!: XBOX 360 cooler than Jesus

2005-12-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Almost on a daily basis I read things in papers or online and I honestly can't tell if it's meant to be sarcastic or not at first glance. I'm going to post these things on here from now on.
The Question

Dear Pastor,
I go to a secular high school because my stupid unsaved parents don't have decent jobs and can't afford to send me to a Christian school. So if you will, please excuse my poor grammar, as I present a question to you.
I was visiting a friends house (someone who I had been witnessing to for about 2-years) and we sat down in his living room to play some video games. He had one of those new Xbox 360's that everyone is talking about. Well, now I know why everyone is going so nuts over them, because they are freaking incredible! I told my friend that his Xbox was amazing, and he afforded the opportunity to mention to me (because he knew I was always trying to get him to go to church) that the Xbox 360 is cooler than Jesus!
Needless to say, I was so offended that I kicked his Xbox across the room and then proceeded to smash it against a wall. It is pretty much broken now and he is really peeved (that means upset) about it. Well, now my stupid parents are involved and all kinds of crap. His mom and dad want my parents to pay for the game system, which they can't do - because they can't afford it.
What the heck am I supposed to do? How can faithful Christian witnesses like me compete with something that every kid in the world already thinks is way cooler than Jesus?
William Thorncastle
Phoenix, Arizona

The Answer

Dear William,
I've been faced with some tough questions in the past, son - but the solution to your dilemma is quite simple. Creation Scientists here at Landover Baptist Church have been studying the Xbox 360 for several months (before it was even released to the general public). It was found to be made of plastic and metal and filled with electronicalized gizmos that enable it to be connected to a television set. Somehow (and keep in mind, we're Creation Scientists here, son - not engineers) the device is able to accept discs which play videos and video games on television sets in vivid colors.
My suggestion to you is to ask your unsaved classmate the following questions. Then he'll see just how "cool" his Xbox 360 really is, when compared to Jesus Christ.
Can the Xbox 360 turn water into wine?
Can the Xbox 360 fly?
Can the Xbox 360 burn millions of people in Hell because they don't accept it as their Lord and Personal Savior?
Can the Xbox 360 endure a virgin birth?
Can the Xbox 360 survive after having enormous rusty spikes hammered into it?
Can the Xbox 360 walk on water? Oh heck! I bet it doesn't even float!
Can the Xbox 360 effortlessly fling a 50 ton slab of granite off the entrance to a cave?
Can the Xbox 360 watch you masturbate?
I'm sure it will help millions of youngsters shim-sham their tallywhackers because it delightfully accepts dirty videos! But it isn't going to sit there out of concern while it watches you commit the sin of personal abuse, and it isn't going to cry tears of love and forgiveness as you get up to find a paper towel afterwards!
Can the Xbox 360 forgive you of your sins and offer you eternal life with an all expenses paid trip to Heaven - and even throw in a free Mansion with a driveway made of solid gold?
Can the Xbox 360 lead a REAL army of Godly Christians into the final battle of Armageddon and slaughter millions of people until the Earth is covered with flesh and blood?
I'm sure your unsaved friend will think twice about comparing Jesus to his Xbox 360 after you present him with these questions. As soon as you see him even slightly contemplate his eternal security - rush in at that moment of vulnerability and present him with the plan of Salvation immediately! Get him to confess Christ as his Savior, throw him in the trunk of your parents' car and dump him off in front of your local Baptist Church. They'll take care of the rest.
God Bless You, and Good luck!
Pastor Deacon Fred

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news1205/xbox360.html

The God Who Wasn't There

2005-12-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

D29 - take one of me

2005-11-29T16:34:00.003-08:00

D29 - take one of me
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - yawn

2005-11-29T16:34:00.002-08:00

D29 - yawn
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

The upper beak not connected to the skull.

D29 - youngest

2005-11-29T16:34:00.001-08:00

D29 - youngest
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - smiling

2005-11-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

D29 - smiling
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - fluffy

2005-11-29T16:33:00.001-08:00

D29 - fluffy
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - cosy

2005-11-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

D29 - cosy
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - cockatiel iris

2005-11-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

D29 - cockatiel iris
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D29 - cockatiel almost adult

2005-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

D29 - cockatiel almost adult
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - where is dad?

2005-11-29T15:22:00.001-08:00

D25 - were is dad?
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - the king is getting his crown

2005-11-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

D25 - the king is getting his crown
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - standing tall

2005-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:00

D25 - standing tall
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - macro closeup of cockatiel face

2005-11-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

D25 - macro closeup of cockatiel face
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - how cockatiel babies get most of their foods

2005-11-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

D25 - how cockatiel babies get most of their foods
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

While they are fed, the feeder (either male or female parent cockatiel) bobs the chick's head back and forth rapidly, thrusting the regurgitated food inside the chick's mouth.

D25 - cockatiels after mating

2005-11-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

D25 - cockatiels after mating
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Blogger will block my account for posting porn, I bet..

Be you human or be you bot?

2005-11-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

XML blogging using flickr could get you marked by Blogger as a spam robot.

As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened to this blog. (hello Blogger staff)

I noticed this when I logged into blogger today trying to find out why blogging via flickr didn't work anymore. In reality Blogger had completely remove XML blogging ability from my blogging account, meaning theoretically, I couldn't (and still can't btw) blog to Blogger using any device or software using XML. All posts made using Blogger API to my account are saved as draft and not actually published.

In the Blogger Posting / Create page, (for me) there's now a "Word Verification" section for me to use. Grrr.

Blog Locked message page:
Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive.
Before we can turn off mandatory word verification on your posts we'll need to have a human review your blog and verify that it is not a spam blog. Please fill out the form below to get a review.
Find out more about how Blogger is fighting spam blogs.

I hope this "human review" is a one time thing only or this could get seriously annoying.

D25 - cockatiel looking up

2005-11-25T06:57:00.004-08:00

D25 - cockatiel looking up
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel feathers

2005-11-25T06:54:00.001-08:00

D25 - cockatiel feathers
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel chick looking out

2005-11-25T06:53:00.003-08:00

D25 - cockatiel chick looking out
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel chicks playing

2005-11-25T06:53:00.002-08:00

D25 - cockatiel chicks playing
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel chicks

2005-11-25T06:53:00.001-08:00

D25 - cockatiel chicks
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel exploring finger

2005-11-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

D25 - cockatiel exploring finger
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

D25 - cockatiel cheek macro shot

2005-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

D25 - cockatiel cheek macro shot
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Macro shot of a day 25 cockatiel

D23 - Pearl cockatiel

2005-11-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

It turns out that one of the cockatiels is a "Pearl" mutation!

D23 - Cockatiel Wing Feathers

2005-11-23T11:46:00.001-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

It's a growing cockatiel wing.

D23 - Cockatiel

2005-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Feathers are coming along nicely. The head is still just spikes for now on this one.

D23 - Feathers still growing

2005-11-23T11:45:00.002-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

The feathers are still soft but they're almost at full length.

D23 - Tail spikes becoming feathers

2005-11-23T11:45:00.001-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Imagine these growing out of your behind...Ouch!

D23 - Spiky feathers

2005-11-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Hard spikes on and around the neck.

D23 - Finger...

2005-11-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

"Tastes like chicken..

Male parent Pied Cockatiel

2005-11-23T11:43:00.001-08:00

Mature Pied Cockatiel
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

This is Tweetie, a mixed Pied/Whiteface cockatiel. He's the father of the bunch.

D23 - looking out

2005-11-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel @ 23rd day
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

Yup, still growing...

D20 - Cockatiel baby macro face

2005-11-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel baby macro face
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

(20 days old) "what's this then?"

Very curious and since he's being hand raised not shy at all towards people or other new objects.

D20 - Cockatiel baby in hand

2005-11-20T12:49:00.001-08:00

Cockatiel baby in hand
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

(20 days old) Very good balance already. Moving my hand back and forth, I can feel him keeping his balance to stay level at all times.

D20 - Oldest one of the cockatiel babies

2005-11-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

Oldest one of the cockatiel babies
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

(20 days old) Slowing showing a red patch on its cheek. This one is probably male.

D20 - Second youngest cockatiel baby

2005-11-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Second youngest cockatiel baby
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

(20 days old) Not photo-shy at all.

D20 - Growing cockatiel wing

2005-11-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Growing cockatiel wing
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

(20 days old) It's like watching evolution before your very eyes.

D13 - Eyes wide open

2005-11-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

cockatiel chick
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

checkin' out the outside world

D13 - older cockatiel chick

2005-11-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

cockatiel chick
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

13 days old and still tired.

D13 - cockatiel chick

2005-11-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

cockatiel chick
Originally uploaded by TCorp.

It's a 10 day old baby cockatiel. It hasn't got a name yet and it's too young to make out its sex.

If it wasn't for bloggers crappy profile section....

2005-04-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

..,this blog would validate as valid XHTML STRICT 1.0.

Unfortunately I have no control what so ever over how the code in the profile section looks like....and then there's that blogger bar on top of the page...grrrr...ah, well...I managed to convert my X2 template to a blogger template and I'm just writing this text to see how it looks like with more text in it.

hmmmmmmmmm....anyway, I think this'll do for now...

My first blogger post

2004-12-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Big deal