JasonColeman.com: Just Stuff Archives

November 17, 2008

Obamapaloodle. . . .

This week's weekend caption contest at Wizbang gives us a few laughs at the The One. It should be noted that the picture below is apparently NOT a photoshop.

I'm partial to faustian's caption:

"I would like to point out to our black friends that the white dude just behind Obama was a Republican.
Those guys in the sheets were democrats."

But the top six are all winners.

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 30, 2008

Pretty damned impressive. . .

Amazing, stupendous, and oh. . .so. . .cute!

Talk about Dog Whispering.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 29, 2008

How 'bout that Global Warming. . .

Hmmm. So. . . .So far in the 2007-2008 winter season it's snowed at least four times. No link, no need to elaborate. It's important to note however, I'm talking about Birmingham, Alabama. Go ahead, look at a map.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 14, 2008

Contender for the best alcohol related ad campaign eva. . .

Via Instapundit, let's put your hands together for. . .

wait for it. . . .

Tea Partay!1!!!!111!!1!!one!!!1

In case you hadn't noticed the clues in the video, it's part of an ad campaing for Smirnoff. This is right up there with the Best Beer Ad eva.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 30, 2007

Too funny to not mention. . .

62 percent of Democrats admit they are either a little or a lot crazy.

That's probably too mean, let's try this:

62 percent of Democrats aren't playing with a full deck. Yeah, that's better.

Hey! Don't get mad at me, I'm just the messenger, Gallup is the one that put together the report. (via WSJ Best of the Web Today)

The WSJ calls it "The Sanity Gap" but I like my phrasing better, I think it gets more to the point of the matter.

It's an interesting report, and worth taking a few moments to read through it. It also suggests a few possible explanations for the debacle at the CNN/YouTube Republican Primary Debate such as:

1. The reason so many Democrats thought it'd be ok to insinuate themselves into what was supposed to be a Republican Primary Debate of Republican candidates for Republicans. They were simply too mentally unstable to understand that they get their debate, and if they want to have all the questions asked by Democrat activists, interns for Democrat representatives, Democrat campaign steering committee members, Democrat campaign volunteers or Democrat Senator employees, former CAIR interns and Democrat aspiring TV writers who think that absurd racist stereotypes are funny, that's fine; and Republicans should be allowed to have their debate free from interference from Democrats masquerading as Republicans.

2. It also could explain why Democrat and Democrat agenda driven producers at CNN thought that it would be acceptable and appropriate to fly a sitting Hillary Clinton steering committee member from one side of the country to the other (creating what most likely is an illegal in-kind campaign contribution) and then have said Hillary Clinton team member miked up for more uninterrupted air-time than some Republican candidates (Hunter and Tancredo) at a Republican Primary Debate.

3. It could also explain the inability of CNN producers to use Google to vet questioners to insure they were on the up and up about their party preferences, affiliations and endorsements. They simply didn't have the mental capacity to use Google apparently.

4. It explains why Democrats would accept as valid the excuse, "that depends on what your definition of 'is' is."

5. It also explains why a majority of truthers are Democrats.

In all seriousness though, I think the report does raise some interesting points and suggests that accepting and believing in Democrat principles and policies is bad for your mental health. Which makes sense to me as the Democrat party moves farther and farther to the left and into the realm of socialism and communism. It can never be healthy for someone to intentionally subjugate their individualism in favor of collectivism in direct opposition to natural human nature. It also calls into question the validity of Democrat policies when a majority of Democrats admit themselves that their mental health is suffering.

The WSJ suggests that the fragile mental state of Democrats could be the result of spending 7 years in the wilderness while Republicans held the three branches of government, if that's the case, then one has to not only wonder about their mental health but also about their maturity. I've always thought that the Democrats penchant for demonizing Republicans, failing to accept the will of the people in 2000 and claim near constant victimhood status from the actions of Bush, Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld etc was a sign of immaturity just as their penchant for calliing Republicans infantile names like "rethuglican" or "Bushitler" was.

I agree with the WSJ's assesment that without longitudinal data we can only speculate as to the reasons a majority of Democrats are willing to claim themselves mentally defective. If such a survey is conducted over the long term we may find out why a majority of Democrats feel they are mentally defective. At least I hope we can, so that we can address the issue appropriately and turn them away from ideals that seem to be harming their mental health.

--Jason

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December 27, 2006

President Gerald Ford passes at 93

If you had lived in Vail, CO for any length of time through the 80's or 90's your path was bound to cross with the former President of the United States, Gerald Ford. At the very least, you'd come face to face with his Secret Service detail somewhere, I was lucky (and unlucky) enough to do both.

My first experience was with the agents that secure President Ford's home in Beaver Creek, situated directly under the Strawberry Park lift, is common enough (if you consider slopeside multi-million dollar homes common) but the pillbox shaped plain vanilla Secret Service residence and the tiny slopeside guardshack stands out, especially when Ford is in residence and the friendly but firm agents are directing wayward skiiers and snowboarders away from the residence.

On other occasions I was priviledged enough to meet, eat and converse for a few moments with the former President on multiple occasions, in short, he is a down to Earth, sensible and friendly man, whose presence not so much demands respect, but inspires it. He is quick to recognize that one is nervous or seeks a meeting and is quick to calm a visitor and greets humble meeting seekers warmly and with genuine courtesy and friendliness.

For a man who carried the nation's burden at one of her most difficult periods in history, Ford is perhaps a man who was ideally suited to the task. He was certainly not loved by Republicans and Democrats alike, but he was deeply respected by both parties for his intellect and logical approach to things. His decision to pardon Nixon was widely criticized yet proved to be the right thing to do and whiile comedians portrayed him as a bumbling klutz, in reality, he was a graceful, atheletic, surefooted. If you don't believe me, I'll give you a few challenges to prove the point.

First, head out to you local regional airport on an sunny day and bring a pair of very dark sunglasses, find yourself one of those staircars and stand at the top. Now take off the glasses and immediately walk down the stairs as fast as you can, smile and wave at some object/person in the distance and don't hold onto the handrails. Now repeat this exercise 100 times and see how many times you make it to the bottom without stumbling.

Next, lace yourself up a pair of cleats and head down to the local NFL franchise and challenge the boys to a little scrimmage and see how well you fair. Finally, cart yourself to the top of your local ski hill and strap on some vintage 60s era straight skis, bomb the most difficult runs and see how many times you fall. Now, do it again when you're 60, 70, or 80.

Sure Chevy Chase got some laughs at Ford's expense, some even say it cost him the election, but like most modern Presidents, their popular conception is misleading at best, grossly inaccurate at worst. Nixon, indeed, was not a crook, John F. Kennedy was not a saint, Reagan was certainly not an idiot and Ford was not a bumbling clown.

Like the others mentioned, now history can go about the task of evaluating Ford outside of the partisan spotlight and give us an accurate portrayal of the man as a leader, intellectual and genuine American President, who toasted his own muffins in the White House while restoring much confidence and repsect to the Office of President.

Ford won't go down as one of the nation's best Presidents, his term was too short and his tasks were not ones which gave opportunity for greatness, but President Gerald Ford was himself a Great Man, who loved his nation and his fellow citizens. President Gerald Ford had the mantle of a nation forced upon him at a time when few wanted it and still fewer were capable of wearing it.

I wish I could be more eloquent and describe my meetings with the man and the President in terms that showed a greater importance or say that we talked about great things, but alas my meetings were pedestrian, simple and the type one would have with acquaintance at mundane social functions, they were cordial, simple and short. We talked of the food, the snow, the games and the heaviest political discussions we shared revolved around the politics of a tiny ski-town. I will however forever count myself lucky however to have broken bread with him, share a few brief moments and consider myself lucky be recognized by someone I consider a Great Man when we met a second, third and more times.

Rest in peace President Ford, I and many others are sincerely grateful for your service, appreciate your sacrifices and honor your legacy. History will be kind, as well they should, for you were a Great Man in horrible times.

--Jason

President Ford passed at 93 at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA at 6:45 pm December, 26, 2006. [Link]

P.S. Above I allude that meeting President Ford's Secret Service detail was "unlucky". I mean that in jest. While certainly getting shoo'd away from his home while skiing was unlucky, I did have multiple occasions to meet his protective detail on multiple occasions. I even shared more than a few off-duty beers with them. These men and women were always the most professional and honorable of law enforcement officers, although they liked a good joke (as did the President) and were quick to remind me that their Department was under the Department of the Treasury just as the BATF was and since I held a BATF Brewer's license, they could make me squirm from time to time for fun (and it was fun). Professionally, the agents were masters of their craft; efficient, dedicated and trust-worthy almost to a fault, off-duty they were raucous and fun-loving (and some were quite good skiiers). I cherish my interactions with them just as much as I do meetings with the President. The term "unlucky" is used solely in jest.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:59 AM

December 24, 2006

Happy Christmas!!!

Hannakah, Kwanza, Solstice or whatever you want to call it.

This year, though, I'd like to present one of the little known Festivus instrumental carols:

Yes, yes, I know I probably spelled Hannakah wrong, but I just couldn't figure it out.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 17, 2006

This quote just made my day. . .

Coming from Laura W., who blogs at Ace of Spades HQ.

"To sum up: Nanotech flying robots? Within the realm of possibility. Flying cars? Go fish."

I want a flying car. I'd like it if this one worked out.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 27, 2006

Place your bets, place your bets. . .

Everyone is watching the DJI with baited breath today. Will it break through to a new record, or will all the attention cause it stutter?

The image will also refresh when you reload the page.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 8:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 20, 2006

Oh hells yeah. . .

Ok, I know it'll probably be stupid, very stupid, but it's just too good to pass up, Zombies, Rebel Flags, Meth Labs and Karate. Oh hells yeah. . .

The South Will Rise Again

Click the link, watch the trailer, laugh, cry, be offended, I don't care; I just can't wait for this to come out.

--Jason

PS - It's also got the greatest movie tag line I've seen in quite a while. "Karate is about kicking ass. . . Zombie ass!"

-JC

UPDATE: While I've got the pirates from Ace's Place plundering, I thought I'd point them over to the Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival this weekend; where such fine films as the Sasquatch Dumpling Gang, Loud Quiet Loud and tons of other new, short, arty and indie films will be screened in Birmingham this weekend. I'll be there volunteering at the Alabama Theatre Saturday morning for the Alabama Shorts screening. If you're nearby Birmingham, it's a great weekend event with some special surprises. If you're not near Birmingham, you'll just have to make do with the website. The much hyped, panned and decried Jesus Camp that's been the talk of both the sinosphere and dextrosphere of late, will also be screened.

Maybe next year The South Will Rise Again will be there.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 1:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 11, 2006

Eine minuten bitte. . .

As we enter this day (I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to call it an anniversary), that marks the fifth year since the attacks of September 11, 2001; many will have Islamic Terrorism and the greater threat of Islamic Fascism on their minds. This is appropriate, it will be on my mind as well. I just want to put the brakes on a second and remind people that Islamic Fascism is not the only threat we face in the world today.

As we prepare to remember our fallen, North Korea plans to announce to the world that they have indeed created an atomic bomb. Their only possible motivation for this is to blackmail the rest of the world into accepting a regime that starves millions of it's own people intentionally, that imposes an iron fist of state control on a completely opposite end of the scale from the Islamic Fascists.

Now is good time, if you haven't before, to read Bill Whittle's Tribes.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:50 AM

September 1, 2006

Today's the day. . .

Today, in 1939, the Germans invaded Poland, officially starting WW2.

Ironically, tomorrow is the day, in 1945, that saw the official end of WW2 with the surrender of Japan.

--Jason

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August 25, 2006

Ok, so I'll lighten up a bit. . .

Most of the recent posts have been heavy handed, I haven't injected enough reason to have the blog URL passed around and dump bandwidth for no reason lately. So let's do that.

The folks at HowItShouldHaveEnded.com produce some really funny stuff. Their newest work is this one on how Superman - The Movie should have ended.

But this is my fave, partly because I'm a huge Star Wars fan (I'm not into the Expanded Universe or anything like that, although I did play Star Wars Galaxies for a while.) and partly because I feel that this is actually how the movie should have ended.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 3:24 PM

August 16, 2006

NYC 9-11 Calls Released. . .

New York City officials today released over 1600 emergency calls and transmissions between dispatchers, first responders and other responding agencies today. Included are calls from individuals trapped inside the World Trade Center complex and individuals reporting the terrorist attack upon the Twin Towers. Also included are calls between responders and supervisors offering help, support, direction and information as the attack and the its aftermath unfold.

Listening to the released material is quite difficult emotionally and brings the horror of that day once again into sharp relief. I'd recommend that everyone take at least some time to listen to the recordings as they are an important part of understanding the scope of the event for the individuals tasked with responding and managing a crisis previously unimaginable.

I have nothing but praise to offer for the courageous efforts and professionalism the recordings demonstrate.

WARNING: There are some very graphic descriptions of tragic events included in the recordings, they are most definately inappropriate for young children and those easily disturbed.

Links to the released tapes after the jump.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 4:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 15, 2006

Yes, I'm a slacker. . .

Yes, yes, I know I didn't blog hardly anything for the month of July.

Yes, yes, I know I've had a number of broken links throughout the blog.

Yes, yes, I know there are plenty of topics I haven't addressed that I should have.

Yes, yes I know I haven't posted any pictures of my recent trip to Germany yet, or even mentioned it for that matter.

BUT. . .

I did fix the Combloggerator link in the sidebar today, which I've taken a bit of heat for leaving broke for so long. The Combloggerator community has my sincere apologies for that.

If you're confused or wondering what I'm talking about, the Combloggerator is a collection of blogs based in and around Birmingham, AL. You can get to it by clicking the links in this post, or the picture of Vulcan in the sidebar.

--Jason

PS - Truth be told, I'm toying with letting this blog go the way of the dodo and starting up another at one of the other domain names I have. I've made a number of structural mistakes with this blog; such as not creating enough categories, not paying attention to bandwidth issues and not posting regularly. Shutting down this blog gives me some mixed feelings, and although I'm sure that eventually I'll figure out the direction I want to take, sometimes I just look at it and say "Dammit, this isn't what I want." So I mumble and grumble and carry on, maybe this tiny bit of venting will provoke me into making the changes I want and starting up something more serious and paying greater attention to it.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 14, 2006

Has Google jumped the shark. . . .

Internet behemoth Google, seems to be setting itself up to jump the shark. From censoring results in China, to some dubious methodology in it's click-based advertising system, Google has already been under fire.

Now it seems they are taking offense to the terminology "to google" claiming that its use by media outlets is approaching trademark infringement.

While I can see Google's point, and I can almost agree with its, I think it's a seriously bad move to send menacing legal notices to media outlets. Google is on shaky ground with the rest of the world media via it's Google Video and Google News services. Further, their plans to digitize and make available on the web, every book ever published is setting the internet giant up for a showdown with Big Media over intellectual property rights.

Personally, I think they are setting the stage for a battle they cannot win by antagonizing the media and trying to play the bully. When push comes to shove, it's highly unlikely that their plan to digitize and offer up every published work will succeed. Authors like readers, for sure, and so do publishers, but both groups also want to be paid for their intellectual output and the resources used to publish such works. If Google succeeds in dealing such a fatal blow to print media, the public will be ill served as publishers will begin to step back from publishing hard copy and publishing only via electronic means where they have a greater control over who can access their content.

To take books away (as Google is unwittingly trying to do) would be a significant negative blow to the education of the masses. As much as Google would like it to be so, access to the internet is not universal and it never will be. Additionally, the ability to transfer knowledge without additional technological support (other than handing over a book) will be seriously harmed. Google is facing a showdown and before they get to the dance, they are further antagonizing their partner and will only gain enemies by trying to buck common vernacular and determine how people use the English language.

If Google wants to fight the use of their name as a verb, they need to go first to the publishers of Oxford's English and other dictionaries, not the people using the terminology found there.

Google is severly over-valued as a company, their position is far from stable at the top of the heap and as we've seen time and time and time again, your position on top is short-lived if you go after the people who put you there.

If they press this particular issue with the media, eventually they'll get a backlash, and the lawsuits over Google News and other services will begin to mount up. Remember, it only takes one successful lawsuit to force Google to shut down it's News or Video services. The sudden injunction on either of these services would severely hurt Google's stock, it will also produce a pile on effect as lawyers descend on Google en masse to begin a "death of a thousand cuts" which will be championed by the media that Google is antagonizing. Google has alot of cash, cash that once tapped with a successful lawsuit, will bring about a legal swarm of locusts that will make drug company liability cases seem pale in comparison.

For me personally, I don't rely on Google as I once did. I found over time that there were other search engines which produced better results with particular subject matter. While Google's interface is clean and fast, their results are being "gamed" more and more everyday. Just like Windows is targeted by virus developers because it's the prominent platform, Google is targeted by SEO con-artists and spammers because of it's position at the top.

Unlike Microsoft, there are simple and widely available alternatives to Google. Their position is not secure, they live in a multi-layered glass house, and if they start throwing stones at the brick and mortar media, the brick and mortar media will throw back. It doesn't take a structural engineer to determine who will win the rock throwing contest.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 23, 2006

Yay for OLD U2, new U2 sucks. . .

I wonder if Bush has some old U2 on his iPod, you know, stuff from the Boy, October, War and Under a Blood Red Sky. Once U2 hit the Joshua Tree album, they started a long run downhill in my opinion.

Why do I even bother to cast judgements about the quality of old U2 versus new U2? Well, it's actually just a lead-in for this video:

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 13, 2006

The media. . . better late than never. . .

Seems that the media is finally getting around to taking offense at the "Hodji Girl" (or "Hadji Girl") video I posted back in March.

Here's my original post with the video embedded, and here's a post about the pseudo-third-party death threat I recieved for posting it.

Dan Riehl has transcribed the lyrics, and as I said before, if this video pisses you off, GO AWAY!

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 23, 2006

The Python of the Christ. . .

As an atheist, I do have a healthy realization that I could in fact be wrong. It's possible, not probable but possible there is a God.

So this is one of those posts that I'll have to apologize for profusely for in order to avoid going to hell.

Great that if need be, I can just say, sorry, didn't believe it, now I do, please forgive me, and I'm in!

Presenting. . . .The Python of the Christ. (Some graphic content, you've been warned!)

--Jason

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May 18, 2006

A little help needed. . .

I'm looking for a bit of help from any botany geeks out there. I'm trying to identify as closely as possible, the plant below.

The plant was originally found in the woods of Alabama, so it is most probably native to this region. The stem growing in the middle currently stands about 6 feet tall. As far as I know, this plant has not bloomed in the past decade.

If you have any info, or know of a forum where people might like geeking out on plant identification, please drop a note in the comments section below. If you need a larger image, click here.

UPDATE: Thaks to Southtrek, I believe it's save to say that this is indeed a Yucca, more specifically, I believe it's a Yucca Filamentosa. Here's the USDA NCRS Plant guide on Yucca Filamentosa, and interesting excerpt:

Ethnobotanic: The Catawba, Cherokee, Nanticoke and other Native American tribes used Yucca filamentosa for a variety of purposes including food, medicine, cordage and even soap. The roots, which contain saponin, were prepared by boiling and pounding for use as soap. Roots were beaten into a salve or poultice that would then be used to treat sprains or applied to sores on the skin. The roots were used to treat gonorrhea and rheumatism. Skin diseases were treated by rubbing the roots on the skin and by taking a decoction of the roots. The plant was used as a sedative to induce sleep. An infusion of the plant was used to treat diabetes. The flowers were eaten both raw and cooked. The pounded roots were thrown into fishing waters to “intoxicate fishers” allowing for easier catch. The green leaves are easily split into long strips that can be plied into cord. The leaves have long, very strong fibers, a type of sisal, which were twisted into strong thread used as cordage for binding and to construct baskets, fishing nets, fishing lines and clothing. The leaves of Yucca filamentosa contain the strongest fibers native to North America.

There is of course a catch, I believe this is some sort of a hybrid, perhaps Yucca Filamentoas / Yucca Flaccida, the plant is rather weak leaved like the Flaccida, but it also produces the filaments on the leave edges characteristic to the Filamentosa. These weak leaves could be a result in the plant growing in nearly permanent shade, I'm not sure.

If you're a plant geek, botanist or just have a green thumb about such things and can give more info, please drop me a line, or better yet, leave info in the comments. So far though, here's what I believe it to be:

Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass Liliidae –
Order Liliales –
Family Agavaceae – Century-plant family
Genus Yucca L. – yucca
Species Yucca filamentosa L. – Adam's needle

You learn something new everyday.

UPDATE 2: This Floridata page on Yucca Filamentosa has alot of info as well, I especially like this this bit:

There is much confusion regarding how many species of Adam's needle there are. Some experts (the "splitters") recognize Y. flaccida, Y. smalliana and Y. concava, as separate species, and others (the "lumpers") lump them all with Y.

The "splitters" bit reminded me of that Monty Python Life of Brian bit about the Romans, PFJ, JPF and the rest:

REG: Listen. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the f-ing Judean People's Front.
P.F.J.: Yeah...
JUDITH: Splitters.
P.F.J.: Splitters...
FRANCIS: And the Judean Popular People's Front.
P.F.J.: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
LORETTA: And the People's Front of Judea.
P.F.J.: Yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
REG: What?
LORETTA: The People's Front of Judea. Splitters.
REG: We're the People's Front of Judea!
LORETTA: Oh. I thought we were the Popular Front.

Which would lead me right back around to this.

I really never imagined that a plant in my front flower bed would lead to all this. I promise.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 17, 2006

Ouch. . .

I've been bloggin pretty lightly over the last month or so, mostly because I've had other things going on and getting ready to implement some layout/structure changes with the blog itself. So you can imagine my surprise when I decided to check out my server stats (not Sitemeter) and saw that somehow my bandwidth had skyrocketed to over three times it's normal level (So far this month I'm 10 gigs over the blog's busiest month.). At first I thought it was a result of the server migration my webhost conducted at the end of April, but after a deeper look, I realized that after a year and a half of getting away with light controls on the blog, the hotlinkers and bandwidth theives had finally raped my site and have been directly linking alot of the videos here.

I began tracking down alot of the bandwidth thieves over the course of the day, and most have responded politely and agreed to save the hotlinked videos to their own sites, a few even worked with me to transfer alot of the videos and flash presentations here over to YouTube, Google Video and other sites more friendly to the casual blogger who wants to throw up a video now and then.

A relative few reacted with anger and threats, very surprising actually, but hey "Some people's kids. . . " right?

So starting tomorrow, alot of the video clips, audio clips and large images will be gone until I can lay in some controls. I hate hitting broken links just as much as anyone else, but I've got to do it.

If you're using something and suddenly it's gone, drop me an email and I'll send you a copy or give you a temporary link to download a copy. I probably won't bother with alot of the smaller images, and if you're someone I like (hint, hint, Mr. Dunbar) I'll leave it alone until I can get in touch with ya.

My apologies in advance if you come looking for something and it's unavailable, check back later and I'll be putting it back up, you just won't be able to hotlink it (if you do wind up hotlinking it, and I find out, don't be surprised if suddenly in turns into a gay porn video on your family webpage).

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 10, 2006

Hmmmm. . . .

I'm actually quite surprised Chris got booted from American Idol. I didn't catch the show, but I just Technorati'd it and found out. Boy some people are upset.

Go Taylor Go! Birmingham represent!!!!!

--Jason

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April 25, 2006

The most moronic idea eva. . . .

Is the so-called "windfall profit" tax or the even better "excessive profit" tax. Anyone who thinks that this will in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM lower gasoline taxes is simply DELUSIONAL. Any additional tax on oil companies (who by the way DO NOT set the price of oil or the price at the pump) will simply be passed on to consumers by HIGHER PRICED GASOLINE.

I'm waiting for the day when an "excessive profit" tax is talked about for Google or Microsoft.

REDUCING TAXES WILL LOWER GAS PRICES, INCREASING TAXES WILL RAISE GASOLINE TAXES, if that's too complicated for you to understand, then you have no business even talking about gasoline prices, much less being a United States Senator.

/rant off

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 2, 2006

A brief musical interlude. . .

Click the triangle to play, may take a minute or so to load. If it doesn't work for you, try THIS LINK.

Hope you enjoy. If you don't?.?.? Well, it wouldn't really be me if I said I cared.

--Jason

PS - Support the band by checking out their site: The Right Brothers

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April 1, 2006

HP Printing

HP Officejet 6310

--Jason

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March 30, 2006

Here's something to make your blood boil. . .

I think if I'd have been a parent of a child who was subjected to THIS, I'd be showing up at Apopka middle school the next day with a rubber tire and a gas can. Then I'd kick down the principal's door (surprising him of course, after all this "experiment" needs surprise), then I'd give the principal his new "necklace", show him the gas can and chase him out of the school.

Of course I'd be arrested, but when they found that my gas can was filled with water, if they still wanted to press charges, I'd just demand a jury trial, then demand that the jury be divided with half getting the little yellow stars and told to stand in the back of the courtroom throughout the trial and of course, no lunch for the jew-jurors.

Yeah, this story pissed me off.

What's wrong with well-educated "educators" sitting children down in their desks, telling them to open their textbooks and learn the course material like we've been doing for well over a hundred years. BOOK LEARNIN works, people!!!!! Stop with the cheap theatrics, especially at MIDDLE SCHOOL.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

This is fun. . .

The Movie Timeline

--Jason

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March 22, 2006

Not that he needs the traffic. . .

But I must say, that the Instapundit has a particularly interesting column this week on Tech Central Station.

Sorry for the lack of blog, over the last week, I've been Spring Breaking with a young friend who gets herself in the strangest predicaments. Events at Camp Jason include:

"Oh, I accidently set the yard on fire"
"Oh, I accidently locked your car keys in the trunk"

and

"Can we sit on the very top row of the movie" Or the converse "Can we sit in the very front row"

Just some samples. Much fun, and confusing, frustrating, just plain goofy all the same.

Oh wait, let's not forget the "Why?" game; which can lead to very detailed discussions of the force of gravity or celestial mechanics while passers-by in a suburban shopping-mall give quizzical looks.

Seriously, the kid's shows have gone to hell, I'm sure there are still a few good examples of children's programming out there, but they seem to be very few and far between.

How does this relate to the Blogfather's post. It doesn't. It just makes me think about Google-zon and the fact that today we're going up to Vulcan, so if anything newsworthy happens there, we'll be on scene with video/photos/reporting.

--Jason

NOTE: The Google-zon link will take some time to load; it's a large flash movie. Check your volume before it starts.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:16 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 17, 2006

What happened?.?.? Tom Cruise happened. . .

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!"

-Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Servents of the Dark Lord Xenu

So goes the rather unusual press release by the creators of South Park regarding Comedy Central's decision to yank one of their episodes that criticizes Scientology and specifically, Tom Cruise. The episode, which has aired previously, is causing more of a stir since Isaac Hayes, who voices the character of "Chef" recently decided that he needed to grab some headlines and block for his fellow Scientologist Cruise who's not only dumped little Katie, but has a big budget mega-movie coming out (Mission Impossible 3).

Media control and manipulation is a game in Washington, but it's high art in Hollywood where entertainment reporters and studios/production houses/networks/publicists and actors all work hand in hand to create the "hollyworld" that is Big Entertainment.

Yes, kiddies, just like Big Oil, and Big Pharma, there is a "Big Entertainment", accept this as a truism and your world will become a better place seemingly overnight. Once you realize that BE is merely after those rectangular pieces of paper with green ink smeared all over them which your evil government prints but doesn't guarantee that you have enough of to spend on your every whim or donate to each Sally Struthers appeal for Cheesy Poofs for Africans, you'll be better off, mentally, physically and emotionally.

When I first read that Chef was leaving South Park, I immediately thought it was a practical joke, or a publicity stunt for the rebroadcast of the Scientology episode. The lead-up to the new season is underway and Comedy Central is replaying all the most "controversial" episodes in a heavy rotatation with lots of commericals for the first season. The "Chef leaving" story just seemed to fit with something Parker and Stone might try to pull off, and while it may still be a stunt, I'm going to have to run with the idea that suddenly Chef saw the upcoming re-run of the Scientology episode as a threat to his religion, offensive or some such. Personally, I think it's bollocks, or more appropriately, Chef's Salty Bollocks, but whatever.

South Park, like Carlos Mencia (most excellent comedian by the way, catch him on Comedy Central as well), is an equal opportunity offender. Parker and Stone are two after my own head and heart and I have laughed, cried and even . . . well, lets just say, I was waiting for a commercial, then started laughing and well. . . . new pants. Yeah, their stuff can be that funny. It's also, HIGHLY OFFENSIVE to damn near everyone at one point or another, but that's part of it's genius. It's offensive, but with a message, and 99 times out of 100, that message is overwhelmingly positive.

We've seen the South Park kids tackle Islam, Judasim, Fundamental Christianity and most of the other "Big Religions", we've seen them attack the far left and the far right, the celibate, gays and straights have all been their targets, you name it, they've probably blasted it (TIMMAY!!!!!). If they haven't? Just wait, it's coming in a future episode, don't worry. (TIMMAY!!!)

So is Chef grabbing headlines for himself, blocking for Tom Cruise, playing martyr for L. Ron Hubbard, in on the joke or is he just trying to end his ten year run on South Park in a way that his agent thinks will absolve him in the eyes of Big Entertainment for all the years of slams and digs he was a part of while cavorting with Parker and Stone? Who knows.

I'm more interested in the "over the top" way that Parker and Stone will dispose of Chef's character. I'm certain they won't take this lying down and it'll be painful (in a good way) to see what they do to Chef, and I can't wait. Although apparantly I'll have to wait, as the next season is in the can and we won't see Chef written out until the following season comes. Which on a good note gives some time for the controversy to die down and Isaac Hayes can come back as a Guest Star to voice Chef's demise. That is, of course, assuming that Isaac Hayes does in fact share Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls.

BUT. . . . .

This Comedy Central yanking of the Scientology episode is just STOO-PID. Or genious, who knows, but I do know that Parker and Stone are coming out on top of this one eventually. For any Scientologist to try to "go after" South Park is a HUGE mistake. It's a totally unwinnable fight to defend a religion created as fiction and then hijacked by some actors to set up a perpetual pyramid scheme of "yes people" funneling money back and forth to one another through "religious donations" is not something that can be defended when the light of day is shined upon it.

If any Scientologists decide to pursue this, in even the slighest way, it'll be the "jump the shark" moment for the nutball religion of Travolta and Cruise. Personally I think it's JtS moment was long ago, but it seems to hang on.

It's simple really, Parker and Stone could care less who's offended and who's happy with their work, they love the work and they love the characters just as much as they think their messages are important. They do the work first and put the soapbox second, that's what makes the HONESTY of their positions come through and resonate with the viewers. While the soapbox is integral to what is "South Park", the soapbox never takes over the work and warps the entire production. Parker and Stone have reached a balance point with their viewers between message and amusement, and I, for one, am a better person for it.

Yes, I am a South Park Republican.

--Jason

PS - And now, without further ado, lets have that South Park Scientology episode, shall we???

Click that triangle in the circle above and the episode will play in a few moments.

NOTE: Please drop me a note in the comments if the video quits working so I can take down the player. Currently, as of 9A Monday, it's working. It can take up to a minute to start playing so please be patient.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:44 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 13, 2006

I feel like I've graduated. . .

Just scanning through the logs/lists and other paraphenalia that go along with running a blog and I noticed this little gem of a comment from someone who fancies themselves as "Your Nightmare" (I'm guessing that means a nightmare to the proprietor of the blog, namely me):

I'm sorry to see such a pathetic race of people such as yourself. The civil war is coming to America and your on the hit list. I do support the troops only in as far as bringing every last one home. But anyone who thinks this war in Iraq was justified or necessary should be tortured and killed.

The comment was in response to this post, which is ironically titled "If this pisses you off, go away. . .", the post is a video taken of a Marine in Iraq singing a parody song based in part on a theme presented by Matt Parker and Trey Stone, of South Park fame, in their great movie, Team America: World Police.

The irony just abounds, and I feel so priviledged to get great commenters like "Nightmare" above. I wonder, should I be nervous? Is this finally the "jihad on me" that I've been so anxiously awaiting????

Does this mean I've grown up a bit and now I'm an adolescent blogger instead of just a baby blogger???? Who knows.

I'm doubting that this "Nightmare" will cause me to lose much sleep.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 7:54 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 9, 2006

Ah, New Orleans gets the shaft again. . .

Now I bet you'll think that I'm talking about the storm system that's bearing down on Lousisiana threatening tornados. Well, I'm not.

I'm talking about the "Dubai Ports Deal". Are you looking at your screen like a dog does when he hears a high pitched whistle???

How can the two be connected? I'll tell ya.

Dubai Ports World knows ports. I mean they REALLY know ports, of all the companies in the world, DPW is probably the most efficient and effective managers of seaports there is. They've built some of the most sophisticated and efficient cargo handling operations on the planet, from Dubai, to Hong Kong, wherever you found large concentrations of ships and cargo containers you found DPW. They found their niche and became the worlds best player at the game of shuffling cargo containers on and off ships.

DPW is the world leader in automated handling of cargo containers. Whereever they've gone they've installed automated cranes, robotic trucks and computerized container storage yards and dramatically increased the efficiency of the port facilities they operate.

Now it seems they're about to be cut out of a market that desperately needs their expertise, and more importantly, their money and investement.

One of the port facilities . . . . OK, I'm going to stop here for a second and point out a few things.

PORT SECURITY - Port Security WAS NOT, I repeat WAS NOT being turned over to DPW. The deal was this: DPW would lease some land within a designated "port area" and offload and onload ships into a yard where US Customs would inspect and oversee the "border" within the ports. Security would have remained a U.S. responsibility.

It should also be pointed out that in MOST of our ports, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Venezeula, Great Britain, France, Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea and many more nations have entities like DPW that are CURRENTLY operating facilities within U.S. ports.

This ridiculous and false debate is NOTHING MORE THAN partisan politics, racism and ignorance combining to conspire against Dubai and Arabs in general. It's sickening in that sense alone, but wait. . . .there's more.

The port of New Orleans was devastated by Katrina, container yards, loading facilities and critical port infrastructure was largely destroyed by the storm, flooding and inattention after the storm as the companies that operated the facilities largely disappeared when their employees left town.

One of the most attractive portions of the DPW deal was the acquisition of leases for property in the Port of New Orleans. Making it more attractive was the need to completely rebuild the port facilities and making it even more attractive was that now there's actually an opportunity to expand port operations in New Orleans as the city is rebuilt in a more sensible and practical way. The Port of New Orleans was hemmed in, slums, housing projects and lower to middle class neighborhoods cramped any efforts to expand the port, sending business AND MONEY out of the city into St. Bernard parish, Baton Rouge and east and west along the intracoastal canal.

Katrina opened up whole new possibilities for New Orleans to become a MODERN PORT FACILITY. In fact, the possibility that the Port of New Orleans could be completely reworked was perhaps the one shining light in the entirety of the Katrina disaster.

Mardi Gras won't save New Orleans, tourism is only icing on the cake that is New Orleans. New Orleans is a port, it's always been a port as it will always be a port. New Orleans is the primary gateway for all those within the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Red River watersheds to get their products to the open sea via water, the most cost efficient way to ship products long distances. New Oreleans was also the primary gateway for products coming into those markets. Take a look at a map of the nation and look at those three watersheds and the smaller ones that feed into them, New Orelans in many ways is the beginning and the end of domestic shipping for a large portion of the nation.

Katrina has given us the opportunity to expand, upgrade and enhance the Port of New Orleans. It was (and may still be be) our opportunity to create a seaport that was the rival of the world, unconstrained by zoning and neighborhoods preventing an efficient layout of the port. This was the opportunity to FIX so so so many problems with the Port of N.O. It was the opportunity to develop an automated system to handle cargo by offloading, scanning, monitoring, inspecting, TAXING and loading shipments in the most effective way possible.

DPW realized this opportunity and like any good business who's business was ports would, they struck a deal to get in on this exceptional opportunity.

There aren't many players in the port game at this level. In the United States we have Haliburton, in Israel they have Zim, in Dubai, they have DPW, the Brits have P&O, et cetera, et cetera. All of these players work together wherever you find large concentrations of ships and containers. All of these players come together wherever a nation puts its ports of entry.

Now, at the time we need international cooperation on international shipping the most, we've told one of our allies, both in business and in the GWOT to essentially go away, that we dont' want them to do business with us anymore. The players in this game (and that's what it's become, a game) are effectively stiff-arming New Orleans once again, and I'll suggest that their motives are far from honest and sincere once they step in front of the cameras.

On one front you have the President and the Administration, who approved the deal because it MET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT CONGRESS LAID OUT. That's right, the Administration, through it's bureaucracy that transcends President Bush or any individual, put the DPW deal through the mill and checked it off against all the requirements that Congress had set forth. The DPW deal is a good deal. It's a deal we've done time and time again within our ports, it's a deal we make with numerous nations, Arab, Caucasian, Black, Asian, it's a deal that before now was blind to race, but GUESS WHAT? The Democrats (through Reid and Schumer) led the racist charge to bring this deal down and they convinced a number of Republicans to come along for this hate-fest through misinformation, fear and spin.

No one talked about New Orleans and the need to rebuild the port operations there from scratch, but BOY O BOY were they ready to LIE about "turning over security". No one talked about automated efficient cargo handling like they have in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Dubai or some of the major ports of Europe, but BOY O BOY were they ready to destroy the reputation and goodwill of one of our allies in the GWOT. No one talked about the reality of the deal, they only gave out the false soundbites, the false claims that security was at risk, and misleading assertions that the "port" would be taken over.

When I talk to people about the ports deal, they believe that it means the entire port would be taken over in various U.S. cities. Why do they think this? Because the media tells them so, even though the media knows it's untrue. It's easier and more effective to their purposes to scare and mislead than it is to tell the truth and explain what it means. People are also under the impression that there is a security threat, when exactly the opposite is true.

How can the opposite be true??? Well lets see there for a second. With more efficiency comes more time, with more time you can do more. Makes sense doesn't it???

So here's the kicker. DPW wanted to install automated loading, offloading and handling systems in their port facilities much like what they have installed in other places. By automating many of these processes you gain time, and time is what port security needs most. The reason that only 5% of containers coming into this country are inspected is because the offloading of ships is so inefficient. Every available shortcut is taken by companies to get cargo off ships and onto trucks because port facilities are generally too small and cramped. Containers now in many places come straight off a ship and are dropped onto a truck which passes through an inspection station and then moves out into the city. A majority of cargo coming into the country comes in just this way. It's rarely inspected in our ports other than a quick glance at the manifest, maybe someone walks around the truck with a radiation detector and maybe a dog sniffs the back end of the truck, but that's it, mostly cargo just sails on through.

DPW offered a partial solution in their automated cargo handling systems. By using automated cranes to transfer containers to automated shuttles you gained time. The actual unloading of the ships is dramatically increased and the congestion and chaos of the yard is replaced with the quiet hum of electric motors as automated shuttles ferry containers through a radiation detector, place suspect containers aside for customs inspection and move the bulky cargo away from the docks into holding yards where there is time (and in the case of New Orleans, ROOM) to actually undertake systematic inspections of containers on a grand scale. When you're paying people by the hour to sit in the cab of a truck and wait for inspectors to look at the cargo, money gets wasted and people get sloppy. No one cares about a robotic shuttle sitting still or going in circles back and forth to inspection stations, the computers won't complain about wasted time and not enough mileage. Robots don't argue with customs agents that they need to get on the road so they can get home early for their kids recital.

DPW wanted into the U.S. market in a greater capacity then they already had been. Yes, Dubai already has operations in the U.S., they bring in oil and natural gas to numerous terminals, and have shipping and receiving terminals in many ports across the U.S. The facilities that P&O operated were much sought after leases within the 6 ports in question, but the jewel of the deal, make no bones about it was the Port of New Orleans and the opportunity to create a world class port facility in New Orleans and turn the tragedy of Katrina into a godsend for a city that so desperately needed it.

But yes, fear, racism and partisan politics once again conspire to keep New Orleans down. Just like the idiocy of the reports of mass murders and rapes and lies about the events dominated coverage of Katrina, and continue to do so today, lies and misinformation dash hopes for a truely world class port facility to be developed in New Orleans.

I probably won't revisit this topic again, I'm pretty sick of spineless Republicans and fear-mongering Democrats and their treatment of this issue. I'll close by saying that when all is said and done, I'll tell you who's going to be controlling these port facilities now that the deal is killed. I'm sure we'll hear cries of foul and evil Bushhitler dirty tricks when it's said and done.

I'll tell you though, this new entity, when you look at who they really are, will be shown simply to be the company I mentioned in this post three weeks ago.

New Orleans gets screwed again. Of course people will say that it's all Bush's fault again. To be honest, it seems like the entire federal government on both sides of the aisle and in every agency is against New Orleans, add to that the mayor and governor too. It seems like the only one who is actually on the side of New Orleans, is the President. Go figure.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 8, 2006

If this pisses you off, go away. . .

Because I think it's absolutely hilarious.

The audio is a bit hot, so be ready to turn it down, and you may not understand all the lyrics at first, but give it a little bit and I promise it gets better. About half way through, you'll be tempted to turn it off because you'll feel like it's run it's course, but I encourage you to stay with it for the entire video.

If you don't find it funny, well, let's just say that if you don't, then, you're not really my target demographic, OK?

If the embedded player isn't working for you, you can click here.

A small bit of commentary below the fold. . .

Now I know SOME people are going to find this offensive, but I'd suggest that anyone who doesn't realize the stress and the activitiy levels of our troops in harms way, also won't recognize that humor is their way of coping with being far from home, doing a tough job and most importantly, battling the feelings that people at home aren't behind them.

I post this because A) I find it hilarious, B) I like poking those who would find it offensive and C) I really support the boys and girls in harm's way and can empathize with their desire to lash back a little by using humor.

So before you fire off that 10 page hate mail missive to me, just realize that if this offends you, and you bitch at me about it, I'm just going to laugh at you.

Also, lets just say that if you snipe at me or have a problem with me, that's cool, take a swipe at the troops or my "target demographic" in comments and I'll delete ya. Got it?

--Jason

UPDATE: Comments are closed due to spambots.

-JC

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:30 AM | Comments (5)

March 6, 2006

Bobsled vs. Rally Car. . . .who wins????

I'm not telling, so you'll just have to watch.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 8:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 17, 2006

The international language of. . ..

"Common Sense."

First found via my favorite web diva.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:43 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 16, 2006

Ok, I don't watch it, but that doesn't mean I live in a cave. . . .

American Idol, that bane on humanity that is also the biggest and baddest TV show on the block despite the fact that so many people actually despise it.

For the record, I despise it.

Nonetheless, I live Birmingham, Alabama, so like Natalee Holloway (which I refrain from commenting much on for fear of lynchings or vigils on my lawn) I can't avoid hearing about it, and although I don't comment on Idol all that much, that doesn't stop people from commenting to me about it. (I'm talking in person here, not blog-commentary, that's now changed though.)

A blog reader (who must be shy, since they don't want their name revealed) asks why I don't comment on Taylor Hicks, the Birmingham contestant who's made it to the final 12/12 (that's 12 guys and 12 gals). The answer I'm afraid is simple. . . I didn't know he'd made it because I don't watch the show (that's not entirely true, but I'll get to that in a second).

I did know that Taylor Hicks was Birmingham's "contestant du season" for Idol, and I also knew that like Ruben Studdard (who was top dawg in Season 2) and Bo Bice (#2 in season 4), Taylor was just a little out of the ordinary for typical Idol finalists. In case you do live in a cave here's a picture to explain what I mean.

Yep, he's got gray hair, he's a geezer, a fogey, and he’s one step away from pushing up daisies. OK, well, actually he's only 29 and I've got 5 years on him, but that hair??? Even I don't have gray hair yet and I'm an old codger by comparison.

With the age comes experience though, and Taylor Hicks may be the most experienced contestant Idol has had yet make it to this level of competition. Sure Bo had a band, and so did Ruben, and both were older than your average Idol finalist; but Taylor Hicks has played with the likes of James Brown, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Drive by Truckers, and Percy Sledge.

Now despite reader comments and the general rumors that we're putting something in the water to boost our Idol candidates to stardom, there's nothing special about Birmingham (well actually there is, but it's not related to enhancing musical talent) and there's no secret tie between Simon, Paula or Randy and the Magic City. I think we're just a moderate to large Southern City that attracts and develops talent of all types and our proximity to Atlanta makes it easy for our kids to head over and audition.

Now I said I don't watch the show, but that's not entirely true. I try to catch the season premiere (actually my mother has tricked me into watching it the last 3 years) so I can see the truly horrid auditions and laugh/cry about the foolishness of people chasing their dream to be an "Idol". I also try to catch an episode or two at the end, and if there's a Birmingham or New Orleans contestant, I take down the voting number for them and fire off a couple of votes. Otherwise I could care less about it. It's not a show I can sit down and watch, nor do I care for the inflated dramas about contestants sleeping with judges, who's being mean to whom, the antics of young kids in Hollywood also don't interest me (I've done the young kid in Hollywood thing myself).

Living in Birmingham forces you to at least feign some level of caring about Idol, just like it forces one to acknowledge that Natalee is still missing and that the Aruban's botched the investigation when then tried to pin it on the security guards right off the bat. When I'm out of town people also ask about Taylor. "Have you seen him live? Is he popular in Birmingham?" Answers - No, and "a little." American Idol has now even barged its way into my blog, a reader forced me to pay homage to Taylor Hicks and now I feel just a little dirty about it.

All that being said, good luck to the home team, Go Taylor Go! Keep up the good work and. . .

Magic City Represent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Jason

PS - As I prepare to hit the Save button, I can't help but think that this will just lead to hits I don't necessarily want and spam I'll just have to manually delete and hundreds of young kids who have no clue about most of the thing I talk about here will visit. Hopefully a few will look around, and even give a comment or two on things they find interesting. So in a way I'm making Taylor Hicks my blog-ambassador to a younger and probably "cooler" audience. Either that or on some subconscious level I'm just Google-whoring for hits. I don't know. At least I got the opportunity to answer some reader mail and give some props to Birmingham.

Click here for the blog's Main Page.

-JC

**Comments are closed for this entry, if you'd like to add something, contact me via email.**

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:48 AM | Comments (2)

February 15, 2006

More of what the MSM won't show you. . . .

Something tells me that you'll never see an article about this type of reconstruction in Iraq in the New York Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, nor will you probably see it on ABC, NBC or CBS.

Yes, that's in IRAQ, and so is this.

To find out about this kind of reconstruction. You'll have to look to the blogs. This time, you'll specifically have to check out Michael Totten, who's taken to blogging directly from the Middle East. Until recently he was living and blogging in Lebanon, and now he's taken his laptop and digicam to Iraq.

Have a look around his site at MichaelTotten.com, when you're done there, check out Michael Yon.

The MSM is dying on the vine, I'm just glad we have something to take it's place.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 3:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 14, 2006

YEE HA! Look at it go. . . .

So what caused this?

Let's see, Oil under $60, John Deere is up (lawn care), KB Home and Toll Brothers are up (houses), retail sales are up (everything), Qwest is up, Coca-Cola is up this is up that is up, OMG things are up all over!!!!!

Boy what a shitty economy we have here.

Just think where we'd be without 9-11, two wars, a bundle of hurricanes and a slew of Democrats trying to be Chicken Little at every turn.

Happy Valentine's Day!

--Jason

**Comments are closed for this entry, if you'd like to add something, contact me via email.**

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:44 PM | Comments (2)

February 10, 2006

Someone's missing the obvious question. . . .

And that question is: