Americans, "eat eyes"

Okay, let me see if I follow this one. America is grinding the bones of children and eating their eyes and Israel is not a real country but merely a pupput of the US created for the sole purpose of committing genocide against Muslims, just like the Indians? Hmm… Well for starters I don’t think many Cheeseburger and Coke Americans are going to be adventurous enough to eat the eyes of a human child and as for the genocide thing if that’s our goal and the American Indians are the standard then I have to say we are way off our game.

So why do we give money to the PA again?

France to China: Take Taiwan, Please!

France* has once again stepped to the forefront of the fight for freedom. They have openly stated that they are in support of China’s new anti-succession law which allows for the invasion of Taiwan if they don’t play ball. Oh and somehow for the French this increased bellicosity from Beijing proves that the arms embargo is “Anachronistic” and needs to be ended. Did I mention China buys 33% of all Airbus aircraft? Did I?

Maybe we could get the French to like us more if we closed Beoing.

*This would be the same France that fought to get embargos against Saddam lifted all the while they where inking illegal oil deal and he was imprisoning children.

Well looky here

Jeremy wins.

Maurice Clarett has surprised everyone by sneaking into the end of the 3rd round when most had him pegged for the 5th or later. At this point a mature individual may look at the time that’s past since Clarett was a Buckeye, say goodbye to the turmoil and perhaps even wish him well in the NFL.

Unfortunately we’ll never know if I’m that kind of person as Clarett was drafted by the hated Denver Broncos. As he is now a Bronco I, as a Browns fan, have an entirely new set of reasons to wish him ill in his career.

May the Broncos rue the day they drafted “Mo C”.

My most hated college player now with my most hated NFL team. It's like they are grooming my nemesis, only he's a complete fuck up.
Note: It is being said that Ohio State wouldn’t “let” Clarett go to the funeral of a friend after the ’02 Championship game. This is not true. What Ohio State wouldn’t do is pay for the early flight to him to get back in time. The reason they wouldn’t is because to do so would be giving him special treatment (buying him a ticket for a special flight while everyone has to wait for the Chartered flight) and as such would have been a violation of NCAA rules. Is it shity that Clarett couldn’t be there? Yes, but point the finger in the right place. This nonsense about Ohio State denying him right to go home is one of the many BS allegations he made against Ohio State that for some reason, perhaps peoples innate desire to always see things through David v. Goliath glasses (ya man, that sounds just like something Ohio State would do!), has managed to stick in the national press.

One in every bunch

I love semantic arguments but I’m innocent in this case.

The following are quotes from notes and review guides (errors in the original) given to me by the most pompous arrogant twat of a professor / instructor / teacher I have ever had the misfortune of studying under at any level.

a) “Strength – A topic I will empathize later”

b) “A material that will not deform plastically under is said to be brittle a material that can be drawn into wire is ductile.”

c) “Compared to steels with similar microstructures, strength, hardness, hardenability, and ductile-to-brittle transition temperature are increased with increasing carbon content up to approximately .60%.”

My comments, which I can’t say to him, would be:

a) Oh really?

b) Under what? Perhaps that missing info got sucked up by the same singularity that sucked up the coma after brittle.

c) It took 2 other students and me 10 minutes to decipher this you illiterate jackass.

I could go on with examples. But the incident that has me steamed was on Tuesday when I asked him for clarification to a homework question. The question was asking about a “eutectoid composition”, which is find and dandy except for the fact that in neither his well crafted notes or the $112 text book could I find any reference to a “eutectoid composition”. So I asked if he was referring to the “eutectoid point”, which is the only similar term that there is any reference to in the book or notes. As I did the students in my immediate vicinity stated they where also confused by the wording. He then took this opportunity not to clear things up but rather to accuse me of playing semantics. He then went to the front of the class, informed the class that a student had asked him an interesting question but that it was really just an attempt to play a game of semantics and then looking right at me said, “which won’t get you any where here.”

How I was able to bit back the retort, “Well Bill, looking at your inability to navigate yourself around the English language I’d say you’re in no position to be determining what is or is not a semantic argument.” I’ll never know.

As class was ending he told me I could consider point and composition synonymous.

?

Next on WRAF a point by the German pointer Wagner. Does this story have a composition? This sheet rock is made of a gypsum and paper point. Could you hand me the compositiony scissors?

What a sweet deal

I’m not a fan to protectionism in any way so learning that sugar growers have been getting protection and subsidies for almost 200 years has my shorts in a bunch.

In 2004, government price controls through trade-quota restrictions and loan guarantees priced U.S. sugar at more than 20 cents a pound, which is about two-and-a-half times the world price. This means that Americans spend about $2.5 billion more a year in higher prices for sugar and food items that contain sugar than if this country enjoyed a free market in sugar.

It’s well over due to put an end to this.

Something to hang your hat on.

North Korea takes pride in bringing the “US imperialists ... to their knees”.

It took the US Navy decades to recover from the loss of this... er, ship?

Morris Garage: 1905 - 2005, RIP

Today an era has come to an end; MG has gone out of business. A once strong and vibrant auto manufacturer, they have finally succumbed to the legacy issues that had burdened them since the collapse of the British economy in the 70’s. High labor costs, outdated factories, massive debt and the socialist policies of the old labor party in the 60’s and 70’s are part of the blame. The rest you can lay at BMW’s door step for their “cherry picking” of MG a few years back. After all that they really didn’t stand much of a chance.

At least this MG stands a chance of being saved.
Now, with the fall of MG so to has fallen the last remnants of the British auto industry. England now joins countries like Mexico who assemble cars but don’t “produce” cars.

England - Scotland 2005, part II

Today started with a trip to Palm Sunday services at the church Helen and I will be getting married at in September. I’d say it was about 15% full, and they say the English have lost their faith. Anyway it was bearable but the meet and greet with all the throngs of parishioners was almost too much. Younger English are taking better care of their teeth. These people weren’t young, unless that is your frame of reference was dirt.

After ducking out it was off to Edinburgh and my first visit to Scotland. Today on the road I was greeted with odd ball American vehicles. I spied a white mid 90’s Lincoln Town Car, a late 80’s Ford Mustang 5.0 replete with JC Whitney bolt on crap, a newer Chevy Astro (yes, Astro!) conversion van and a Harley-Davidson edition Ford F-150 crew cab.

As for the drive it was pleasant. Cruised along the M6 at 95 mph for a good clip. The 407 did ride smooth at speed but you needed to bring a lunch to get there. The last 30 miles of the trip was on the twisty 2 lane A702 which included many 5th-3rd shifts just to keep the Peugeot moving.

Me, driving along the A702 in Scotland... slowly.
Once in town we got a room and headed towards the castle. By the time we walked up to the top it was almost closing time. We checked out a “kilt store” directly in front of the castle’s entrance that was such a cheese ball tourist trap it’d make a huckster from Pigeon Forge TN blush. After the laugh we stopped into Maggie Dickson’s for a pint. The pub is in the heart of the action on Grassmarket.

Maggie Dickson’s was named after a poor women who had been hanged (apparently for having a child out of wedlock, ouch!) but had somehow managed to survive the hanging, was then pardoned and lived for many years in Edinburgh afterwards. The Grassmarket area seems to have been the center for public executions in Edinburgh, an area that now hosts the nightly execution of many brain cells based on the high number of pubs. You say these streets were covered in the blood, urine and feces of the dammed? Make that two pints of bitters.

iDistracted

I have been remiss in postings over the last few days (I know you was all worried) due to the recent acquisition of a new 20gig iPod. By acquisition I mean Helen spoils me but I did get 4 A’s over winter quarter so. So I have been playing with and converting music for the last few days. I decided to cherry pick songs and not just slap entire albums on in an effort to have the most music. As such I currently have a meager 782 songs on. Next I need to get a mini to mini jack for Heidi and an adapter for Mila so I can really increase my geek quotient.