What A Game!

I was all ready to give up on tonight's game and they actually won it! The Islanders were winning 3-0 as the third period began. Then, out of nowhere, the Wings managed 3 goals to end with a 3-3 tie! One more goal was scored during overtime to win 4-3. Detroit played an amazing 20 minutes of hockey tonight--too bad a game is 60 minutes long. If they could consistently play good, solid hockey for 60 minutes, there would be no team around that could beat them. Unfortunately, they can't keep it going for an entire game. All in all, though, they are playing a lot better than any of the experts thought they would be this year. I guess it just proves one thing: if you have a lot of decent players, then your team doesn't need to suffer if you lose one or two stars.

We are off on a road trip in the morning and won't be back till some time on Thursday. It will be good to be away from home for a night, again. We haven't been anywhere since October--that is when K started having the health issues. I'll catch up with everyone in a few days.

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Oswald's CIA Connections Confirmed

From a public address by author and JFK assassination writer Joan Mellen available here. Joan provides evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald was part of a false defector program that sent spies into the Soviet Union, run by the head of CIA Counter-Intelligence James Jesus Angleton.

One of those CIA documents demonstrates that Oswald, indeed one of Angleton’s assets in the Soviet Union, communicated back to the CIA through a CIA asset at American Express named Michael Jelisavcic. One of my discoveries for “A Farewell to Justice” was the original of a note that Oswald, arrested in New Orleans for a street fight, handed to the police lieutenant who was questioning him, Francis Martello. On the margin of that piece of paper was Michael Jelisavcic’s espionage number, inadvertently unredacted when CIA declassified the document.

This number clearly directs CIA to an espionage file. Oswald also had Jelisavcic’s name and room number in his possession.

Oswalds CIA connections did not end when he returned to the United States. Joan cites an interview with Hunter Leake, second in command at the New Orleans field office of the CIA. Leake was interviewed by historian Michael Kurtz.

Leake admitted that CIA used Oswald as a courier and that Oswald came to New Orleans in April 1963 because the CIA office there intended to use him for certain operations. Leake either was disaffected from the Agency, or, perhaps, was just an honest man. He admitted that he personally paid Oswald various sums of cash for his services. Oswald was on the CIA payroll, Leake knew. He himself paid Oswald’s CIA salary.

Leake also explained in this telephone interview with Professor Kurtz why there was no documentation on Oswald’s employment with CIA in New Orleans. After President Kennedy’s assassination, he drove the files personally to Langley, Virginia. They were so voluminous that he had to rent a trailer to transport them.

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"I fear that what we are seeing now is an administration intent on laying the groundwork for a wider war in the Middle East."- Senator Robert Byrd

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The authority to kill U.S. citizens is granted under a secret finding signed by the president ...

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I woke up late yesterday afternoon, and missed everything but the last two minutes of the game against Colorado. Not much of a rivalry anymore is it? Datsyuk did score and that made me happy.
Today in the Detroit News paper they stated something about Datsyuk being a "rising star." I think they should have spoken to me a couple years ago. But what do I know right?

Here is a video of Pavel Datsyuk from Russia to Red Wings and his greatest.
You might not like the music so I would suggest turning it down. (I didn't pick the music)

7 minutes 26 sec

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The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is in the final stages of editing and is expected to conclude that there is at least a 90 percent probability that human-caused emissions are the main driver of warming since 1950.

``We basically have three choices - mitigation, adaptation, and suffering,” said John Holdren, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an energy and climate expert at Harvard University. ``We’re going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be required and the less suffering there will be.”

There is about 25% of the population who will never be convinced. Chances are they also deny the theory of evolution and support George W. Bush.

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Asia Times: Debunking Iran's nuclear myth makers

the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, has made known his displeasure with Ahmadinejad's hardline politics through an editorial in the newspaper Jomhuri Eslami, which has called on the president to stay out of the nuclear issue.

The fact is that after some three years of intrusive inspections, the IAEA has discovered no smoking gun and in its various reports, including the September 2006 report, it has admitted that "to date there is no evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities were related to a nuclear-weapons program".

But don't tell that to the formidable army of Iran nuclear myth makers, whose venerable list includes US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who said in Dubai this week that "there is no doubt that Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons".

I can accept that the Bush administration has "no doubt" that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, just as they had no doubt that Saddam's Iraq had WMDs. But "no evidence" is no evidence, and does not make a very good pretext for war.

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Meet the CIA's New Baghdad Station Chief

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Sunday Trivia

For those who would like to ease their way into the Monday routine, I present another installment of trivia. Thanks, again, goes to mental_floss.

--John Lennon and his son Sean were both born on October 9.

--In the year 2000, the number of US households with computers reached the 50% threshold. In 1984 only 8.4% of homes had computers.

--Sardine oil is more costly than the fish, so canners attempt to package as many sardines in each can as possible.

--On October 31, 1926, Harry Houdini died of peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix.

--The Crescent wrench is not a type of wrench, but a brand name.

--Groundhog, woodchuck, and whistle-pig are all names for the same animal.

--On TV and in films, Lassie was always played by a male--even though Lassie was supposed to be female. This was for two reasons: 1) males tend to shed less than females, so the dog wouldn't look so ragged during the warm weather, and 2) male collies are several pounds larger than females, thus making it easier for the dog to do some of the stunts required.

--American Sign Language is the third most-used language in the US.

--Elwood Edwards is the name of the man who says "You've got mail." on AOL.

--Anna Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old widow, was the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

--A 'blue moon' is the second full moon in a month. The next blue moon will be on June 30, 2007.

--The Bayer company once sold heroin as a cough remedy.

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And They Won

I really was worried about how the Wings would do today--after all, they have injuries and illness galore. All three of the goalies had problems: one with a broken finger, two with the flu. Hasek must have felt a whole lot better, because he played. Even though the announcers weren't too high on the game, I thought it was quite good. It wasn't a high scoring game--3-1--but there was good hockey to be seen. We even got to see a couple of slight shoving matches, but nothing more. I'm still waiting to see a good, old-fashioned fight--wonder if it will happen? The Wings dominated the entire game--the Avs really didn't do much to talk about. Next game is on Tuesday when they play the Islanders.

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March against the war

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A U.S. helicopter was shot down early Sunday afternoon near the provincial capital Najaf during a pitched battle with fighters described as religious fanatics.

This is the third helicopter shot down in recent days. The insurgents seem to be getting better weapons.

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If there was a clock to trace our progress towards fascism, I'd put the hands at about 10 minutes to midnight.

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World War III has already begun, says Israeli spy chief.

A third World War is already underway between Islamic militancy and the West but most people do not realize it, the former head of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad said in an interview published Saturday in Portugal.

‘We are in the midst of a third World War,’ former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy told weekly newspaper Expresso

.

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Something Else That's Boring

With nothing interesting to say, I decided to post a list of some of the movies I have never seen. What can I say, it's been a slow news day! :)

--Casablanca
--Goodfellas
--Chinatown
--L A Confidential
--The Maltese Falcon
--Singin' In The Rain
--On The Waterfront
--Annie Hall
--any Marx Brothers' movies
--40 Year Old Virgin*
--Titanic*
--Scarface
--Rebel Without A Cause
--Shane
--anything by Michael Moore*
--Halloween (any number)*

So, am I depriving myself by never having seen any of these? Are any of the movies on the list your favorite? Feedback will be welcome.


*Don't ever plan on seeing.

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Didn't Quite Get It Together

The Wings lost in overtime to St. Louis, 2-1 tonight. It just seemed as if the players were like a bunch of kids coming back after spring break: just not quite with it. It was not a good game. As a matter of fact, I did my filing while the game was on--not something I would normally do during a well-played game. While it isn't an excuse, the Wings were playing without a number of their regular players: 3 had the flu, one has a bad knee, one is out with a broken collarbone, and one has a broken foot. Two or three players had to be called up from Grand Rapids, so they didn't play too badly, all things considered. It WAS a low scoring game, after all. I just hope they play a better game when they meet the Avs on Sunday.

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Henry Kissinger on Terrorism and "New World Order"

The war in Iraq is part of another war that cuts across the Shia-Sunni issue: the assault on the international order conducted by radical groups in both Islamic sects. Such organizations as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Mahdi army in Iraq and the Qaeda groups all over the Middle East seek to reassert an Islamic identity submerged, in their view, by Western secular institutions and values.

The most important target is the United States, as the most powerful country of the West and the indispensable component of any attempt to build a new world order.

Henry Kissinger should really be thankful that his declining years are not like those of General Pinochet, with Justice at his heels.

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Bush denies preparing attack against Iran

“We believe we can solve our problems with Iran diplomatically,” said the US president.

Bush wouldn't lie about a war, would he?

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Horrible Nightmares

I really don't know when I will be back to what I laughingly call normal. Last night I had horrible nightmares and I'm just trying to get over them. Of course, if I use the term 'horrible nightmares,' it must mean the main characters in my dreams were The Family--and that is true. Every single hurt, slight, yell, etc, that they have done to me in the past was in this particular nightmare--and my mind even made up a few for good measure! I still have to stop myself from shaking every once in awhile--it just was too, too real. Hopefully the memories will fade fast.

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Rolling Stone:

"He's an icon. Imagine that: Al Gore, Mr. Straight and Narrow, Mr. Dull on Wheels -- now he's culturally cool."

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NHL All Star Game

I watched the All Star game last night--albeit, with the volume off while I was on the phone with A. :) It really turned out to be a goal-fest with the West winning 12-9 over the East. I was kind of pleased that the young upstarts (Sidney Crosby) didn't run away with the game as predicted. Experience DOES count for something--and the youngsters need to sit back and watch the veterans do what they have been doing so well for so long. It also was nice to see the West win because the best players--statistically speaking--are in the East. Just because you are an individual high scorer doesn't always mean your team is going to win--there IS something to be said for having a lot of very good players on a team as opposed to having one superstar player with a bunch of semi-good ones. All in all, I'm happy the break is over and we can get back to the second half of the season. I will be interested to see if Detroit will be getting any new players before the trade deadline in February. Rumor has it that they might look to get Peter Forsberg--hmmm, an enemy (ex-Av) and an old guy (33) and has injury problems (right foot.) Can't wait to see how this is going to play out.

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Siberia's Once-Frozen Tundra Is Melting

WASHINGTON, October 12, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The landscape of Siberia is transforming. New lakes are forming in the north, while existing lakes are getting larger. Some buildings and houses built upon the permafrost are sinking and starting to crack.

What's more, scientists expect this process to speed up, because as the lakes thaw, they release carbon and methane into the air, which in turn contributes to global warming.

And now for the really bad news:

Vicious Circle

And, Siberia's problems affect not only Siberians. Walters found that melting permafrost in Siberia is releasing five times the amount of methane than was previously thought. And methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas -- it is considered 20 times more damaging as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

This means that Siberia is not just suffering from the consequences of global warming but is also actively contributing to it.

Walters has compared the melting of the Siberian permafrost to a time bomb waiting to go off. Until her team published a paper in the science magazine "Nature" last month, few scientists had an accurate picture of how much methane was being released. Current climate-change models have not yet been updated to predict how Siberian permafrost will affect climate in this century.

But glogal warming is a myth and a hoax, right?

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Senator Chuck Hagel describes the original Iraq war resolution that the White House sent over in this interview.

It wasn’t specific to Iraq?

Oh no. It said the whole region! They could go into Greece or anywhere. I mean, is Central Asia in the region? I suppose! Sure as hell it was clear they meant the whole Middle East. It was anything they wanted. It was literally anything. No boundaries. No restrictions.

They expected Congress to let them start a war anywhere they wanted in the Middle East? Yes. Yes. Wide open. We had to rewrite it. Joe Biden, Dick Lugar, and I stripped the language that the White House had set up, and put our language in it.

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The escalation of US military planning on Iran is only the latest chess move in a six-year push within the Bush Administration to attack Iran, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

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The Web, Politics, 'Excuse Me?!' and Trivia

--Blogger was having some issues earlier today and it seems as if they might be fixed. But, then, who really knows. On a related matter: I have been having serious slowness problems with Sitemeter for the past several days. It is as if I was using dial-up AND every person in the world was trying for Sitemeter at the same time. Slow doesn't even come close to describing the problem. Actually, the entire Web has been just a scooch off for a few days. Hmm.

--Watched a few of the 'highlight' clips from the State of the Union address today and one thought kept running through my mind: the Brady Bunch episode when Marcia and Greg were both running for student body president. How sad is that when the behavior of our elected officials can be compared to The Brady Bunch!

--Does anyone else think this is just getting out of hand? (Or does anyone else even WATCH Grey's Anatomy?) This whole deal with Isaiah Washington and his use of the word 'faggot' is what I am talking about. NOW it is being reported that he has been sent to a residential treatment facility for rehab because of his use of the word. I don't like it when people use 'bad' words to describe or disparage another person, but hasn't this whole thing gone from a non-story to completely ludicrous? Is the show falling in the ratings and they need publicity to keep it on the air? As for me, I am very close to taking it off of my 'to be watched' list. This is getting ridiculous.

--And now, for those who actually have stayed and read through this entire post, some trivia from mental_floss. (Does anyone see how much I LOVE this site/magazine?)

* John Adams spoke with a lisp because he stubbornly refused to wear dentures.

* John Tyler holds the presidential paternity record. He had 14 children live to maturity, the last one born when Tyler was 70.

* James Buchanan had one eye set higher in his head than the other, so he walked around with his neck cocked to one side.

* Chester A. Arthur owned over 80 pairs of pants and insisted on changing several times a day.

* Benjamin Harrison had the first electric lights in the White House, but was scared to turn them on or off for fear of electrocution. Instead, he made the servants do it.

* Calvin Coolidge, while president, enjoyed riding on a mechanical horse and whooping like a cowboy. He also thought it was great fun to hit the buzzer for the servants and then hide.

* Richard M. Nixon loved football. As president, he'd occasionally call up NFL coaches to chat and offer strategic advice.

* Bill Clinton was eight years old when he was mauled by a sheep. That was the day, according to his biography, that he learned he could take a hard hit.

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Candy Barr

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Video Interview with Gordon Novel

It would be easy to dismiss Gordon Novel. The interview above contains references to the Illuminati, reverse-engineering UFOs and anti-gravity--the sort of topics that I stay away from, for the most part. But Gordon Novel has a habit of popping up in some of history's most intriguing cases. He was Jim Garrison's Chief of Security--before Garrison tried to indict him. He discussed erasing the Watergate tapes with Chuck Colson. He was involved in the Waco investigation with Ramsey Clark. He makes an appearance in the Michael Jackson case.

Lisa Pease tells an interesting story about Gordon Novel:

One of the funniest documents I ever read was Gordon Novel's playboy deposition. At one point the lawyer says something like, but all you've told me sounds so innocent so far, Gordon.

Gordon replied just keep going - "it's going to get uninnocent" in a minute.

At another point, the questioner asked him if he had dinner with Allen Dulles. Novel answered in near Shakespearean fashion (see the opening of Romeo and Juliet for the 'bite my thumb' parallel):

If I had dinner with Allen Dulles, I would say I didn't have dinner with Allen Dulles.

Asked whether he did or didn't, in his sworn testimony he said he didn't have dinner with Allen Dulles.

Parse that, if you will.

In later years, Novel told me he did, indeed, have dinner with Allen Dulles. I have numerous reasons to believe him on that point.

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Hockey Players and Elected Officials

Even though I am not getting to see the Red Wings play this week, I did watch the YoungStars game and the SkillsCompetition. Actually, the game didn't hold my interest too well. The last time I realized what the score was, it was somewhere around 9-8 or so. This was, of course, the best of the best young players, so it wasn't that much of a competition. I found the SkillsCompetition to be quite good. It always is amazing to watch a player shoot the puck into the net at 100+ mph. THAT is why it hurts so much when a player gets hit with one! (Granted, ALL of the players don't hit the puck that hard, but do you want to be hit by a puck ONLY going 80 mph?) Tomorrow night is the AllStar game and I will have that on, too. We'll see how interested I am when it is all said and done.

Obviously, I didn't watch the State of the Union address tonight. I really have given up on watching those--I would rather just read the transcript and watch the highlights on the news. This all comes down to one reason: the observers at the speech. Now, I'm not talking just one party here, but ALL of the people involved. I find it very disgusting and juvenile when every minute or so the President's party members jump up and applaud as if he is giving the Sermon on the Mount. And, of course, the opposing party members just sit and--at the most--politely applaud with looks on their faces as if they have something extremely uncomfortable shoved up their respective asses! I don't care who is President, this is the way it is with each of the parties. It is really too bad that we have to observe such ill manners--and people wonder WHY we have bad-mannered sports fans (for example)! If our elected officials, the people who we are to respect and have voted in to run our country, act like this, how can we expect any more from the 'common' man? I guess good manners are something that have gone away.

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Watergate figure E. Howard Hunt dies at 88

(Miami - AP, January 23, 2007) - E. Howard Hunt, who helped organize the Watergate break-in that led to the greatest scandal in American political history and the downfall of Richard Nixon's presidency, died Tuesday. He was 88.

From the Watergate tapes:

Colson: HUNT is a fellow who I would trust. I mean, he's a true believer, a real patriot. My God, the things he's done for his country. It's just a tragedy he gets smeared with this. Of course, the other story that a lot of people have bought is that HOWARD HUNT was taken out of the country by the CIA. Well, he's certainly done a lot of hot stuff...Oh Jesus. He pulled a lot of very fancy stuff in the sixties.

(Withdrawn Item. National Security.)

From the Slate interview:

Slate: I know there is a conspiracy theory saying that David Atlee Phillips—the Miami CIA station chief—was involved with the assassination of JFK.

Hunt: [Visibly uncomfortable] I have no comment.

Slate: I know you hired him early on, to work with you in Mexico, to help with Guatemala propaganda.

Hunt: He was one of the best briefers I ever saw.

Slate: And there were even conspiracy theories about you being in Dallas the day JFK was killed.

Hunt: No comment.

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And We Think WE Have Restrictive Rules

From mental_floss:

Naming your baby Brooklynn, America, or Lindsee might be acceptable (if mockable) in the good ol’ US of A, but don’t try a stunt like that in Denmark. Of all the European laws regulating baby names, Denmark’s are the strictest. Danish parents must choose from a state-approved list of 7,000 names, which seems like a lot, until you fall in love with a name that isn’t on there. And bucking the system means months of slogging through a bureaucratic process to get your chosen moniker individually approved by the Names Investigation Department and the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Each year, those organizations reject 15 to 20 percent of the names they review—all in the, uh, “name” of protecting the baby’s dignity.

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God damn it all to hell--yesterday was Blog for Choice Day and nobody told me. This blog is absolutely pro-choice. The goverment should keep out of our bedrooms and should keep out of women's wombs. Anyone who is anti-abortion is advised not to have one.

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'Smoking Gun' on Global Warming

WASHINGTON - Human-caused global warming is here, visible in the air, water and melting ice, and is destined to get much worse in the future, an authoritative global scientific report will warn next week.

"The smoking gun is definitely lying on the table as we speak," said top U.S. climate scientist Jerry Mahlman, who reviewed all 1,600 pages of the first segment of a giant four-part report. "The evidence ... is compelling."

No amount of evidence will convince the wingnuts, of course, but inevitably they will become increasingly marginalized.

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Our Rightful President Al Gore. Say, has he lost weight?

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Libby to Cheney: "I will not be sacrificed so Karl Rove can be protected.''

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The New York Times asks: Have Pakistani intelligence agencies been promoting the Islamic insurgency?

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, President Pervez Musharraf, under strong American pressure, pledged to help root out Islamic extremism, and, as both head of the army and president, he has more direct control of the intelligence services than past civilian prime ministers. But according to several analysts, Pakistani intelligence officials believe it is more prudent to prepare for the day when Western troops leave Afghanistan.

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A Tuesday Funny

I'm sure this has been passed around far and wide, but it still gives me a chuckle. Hope you enjoy.


20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity


1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point your Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch To Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds."

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8. Don't use any punctuation

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. With a serious face, order a diet water whenever you go out to eat.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme.

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play Tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Coworkers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity......
Share this with someone to make them smile :-)

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PETAs State of the Union Address (nudity)

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I got caught up in the Global Warming debate on today over at See Jane Mom. I was less concerned about debating global warming, which we had already debated on Friday, than with correcting some statements Jane had made about Dr. Heidi Cullen of the Weather Channel. Some excerpts:

Jane: When "climatologist", Ms. Cullen, armed with her bachelor's degree in Near Eastern religions and history from Juniata College starts spouting that if you "don't have the time" to understand global warming, just read this little puff piece from the Pew Center, that's real "climate code" for "you aren't a sophisticated scientist who is near smart enough to understand nuanced mathematical bullshit". And she wants to deny accreditation to all scientists who refuse allegiance to Global Warming.

"Doctor" Cullen is now the hysterical point guard for The Weather Channel's new ??? initiative??? website??? show??? Whatever it is, they call it---"ONE DEGREE". How utterly ironic, given her lengthy resume...

Me: By saying that Dr. Cullen is not a scientist, putting "Doctor" in quotes, and implying that she only has "one degree" in Near East studies, you are obviously and demonstrably factually incorrect, which makes you look uninformed. I am guessing that you got this nonsense from Melanie Morgan's column, but even Melanie has acknowledged (on her radio show this morning) that Dr. Cullen is a genuine scientist with a Ph.D in climate science.

Jane: The "science" of Climatology is in its infancy. That is a fact. And as for this Melanie Morgan, I do not know who she is, but used The Weather Channel's own bio information (nonsense?) for my facts about the front woman for this very dangerous political tyranny.

Jane: When they give Creation Scientists some respect, I'll worry about offending some hack who got her credentials from a matchbook school of political quackery.

Me: Now I am truly perplexed. You used the Weather Channel's info on Dr. Cullen? I found two pages on her at the Weather Channel's site. Both say: "She received a bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations Research from Columbia University in New York City and went on to receive her doctorate in climatology and ocean-atmosphere dynamics at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University."

Columbia University is hardly a matchbook school.

Neither mention her other undergraduate degree, although I was able to confirm that she did get an undergraduate degree in Near East religion and history.

As for Creation Scientists, they are obviously motivated by religion not science. Some of them maintain that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, which is patent nonsense.

(Jane first deleted then restored and answered the above comment.)

Jane: I do not dispute what The Weather Channel's web site says about her. If Joe Biden can do it, so can "Doctor" Cullen. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET IT, GARY?---I REJECT "CLIMATOLOGY" out of hand as a Science with the same disdain as you have demonstrated for CREATION SCIENCE.

And you said "S O M E of them maintain that the Earth is less than 10K years old". SO IF I FOLLOW YOUR LOGIC GARY>>>>> THOSE F E W CRAZIES ARE TO BE BELIEVED ABOVE ALL OTHERS IN THE DISCIPLINE????

Hardly fair, considering you won't give the (you claim) F E W dissenters the same quarter in the GW fray......

Jane then locked the thread from any additional comments, which is just as well as I found her last comment incoherent and unintelligible.

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Monday Ramblings

--I never would have believed it, but I am having withdrawal symptoms because the Wings won't be playing again till Friday. What will I do when the season is over?

--K saw the PCP today. While his blood pressure and cholesterol are pretty good--for someone who is otherwise healthy--the nephrologist wants the numbers much lower. So, he came home with two more prescriptions. He now will be taking Lipitor and another blood pressure med. If he keeps this up, he'll catch up to the amount of pills I take every day! (prescription AND supplements on my part)

--I don't now, or ever have, understood the appeal of American Idol. And after hearing about how mean the judges have been to these people, I don't understand it even more. (And, yes, those people 'ask for it' by putting themselves out there, but still...)

--It is not for me to judge, but I can't really believe that the parents of Shawn Hornbeck allowed him to be interviewed on TV this soon after his return. Despite their assurances that he wanted to do it, I think he shouldn't be making these kinds of decisions until he is an adult--they should be protecting him from all of this. And Oprah--the media whore herself--should be ashamed of herself that she would do this interview. (And, I have not seen the interview--I don't watch Oprah. I have read about this, though--take my opinion for what it is worth: NOTHING!)

--K really bummed me out when he revealed that he had been to the Big Boy restaurant for breakfast this morning! I was quite pissed--we were supposed to go together after the crowds died down. (The old restaurant burned down about three years or so ago and it just was rebuilt.)

--While all politicians are very good at talking without saying anything, I think Barak Obama has to be the best person EVER at this. He 'talks real purty,' but I can't find one bit of substance in what he has to say.

--I am soooo close to trying to put Linux on my computer. I would have done it already, but I am too dependent on programs that will only run on Windows. (As well as peripherals.) Doing a dual-boot WOULD solve the problem, though.

--I am getting new computer fever, the closer it gets to the day that Vista is put on the shelves.

--I think my next bigger purchase is going to be a Wii. I can't stand the thought that I don't have one already.

--'Heroes' returns tonight after many weeks--I can't wait! I will also be watching 'Prison Break'--hooray!!--and '24.' A good night of TV. Tomorrow night: 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Veronica Mars.' AND the YoungStars game and SuperSkills competition will be on Versus. (This is hockey. :)) Be still my heart!

--The AllStar game is on Versus on Wednesday night--can't decide if I will be cheering or booing. Too many players I don't like will be playing.

--I have to get in touch with a close friend this week. We usually try to get together for dinner every 4 to 6 weeks and haven't really even talked since the end of November! Way too long for us not to visit. A friendship is really like a marriage: you have to work at keeping it alive!

--I really must be in a horrible slump--I have been thinking WAAAAY too much about things I want to buy. NOT things I need, just want to buy.

--K starts night shift tonight. Then he is off for three days, works another four days and THEN it will be long weekend. I REALLY hope we can go on a road trip--I REALLY need it!

--There are times--as when I'm cleaning up litter or hacked-up hairballs--that I would like my cat to not be here. As in dead. Then I feel very bad, because I love her so much.

--I'm so over the Hollywood award shows. I used to LIVE for them, but I now find them just so useless.

--Today is the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision to legalize abortion. It is a very sad day.

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Datsyuk in slow motion

19 sec

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Sunday Trivia

As my life is just about as boring as it can get, I don't have anything to write about. So, with that in mind, I hope you enjoy some trivia. Thanks to the January/February issue of mental_floss magazine for all of these facts.

--Both Neil Diamond and Giorgio Armani trained to be doctors but never finished med school.

--The actual name of the character in the board game 'Operation' is Cavity Sam.

--In India, starting 4000+ years ago and continuing as recently as the early years of British colonization, execution by elephant was done. This consisted of the (trained) elephant crushing the person's skull with its foot.

--The Iditarod dog sled race commemorates a 1925 emergency trip to get medical supplies from Nenana to Nome during a deadly diphtheria outbreak.

--A composer by the name of John Cage wrote a piece called "4'33"," which consists of 4 minutes and 33 minutes of silence. This is the most famous work of music to feature no music at all. (Personally, I don't understand this one!)

--In 1996, Betty Rubble replaced the stone-age car as one of the Flintstone vitamin shapes.

--In New Jersey and Oregon it is illegal to have self-service gas stations.

--Because Harper Lee never published anything after 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' some people think that Truman Capote (her close friend) actually wrote it.

--The Ken doll was re-released in February 2006--this, after he was 'dumped' by Barbie in 2004.

--Thalidomide is being used to treat cachexia (the severe weight loss often seen in AIDS and cancer patients) and skin conditions associated with leprosy.

--'The Scream' by Edvard Munch was stolen in 2004 from the Munch Museum in Norway. It was found two years later. To protect it from being stolen again, visitors and their belongings have to pass through a baggage scanner and metal detector before being allowed to see the painting. Also, two inches of bullet-proof glass protects the painting and it is bolted to the wall.

--Not only are there extreme security measures in place to protect the 45.5-carat Hope Diamond from being stolen, nobody knows for sure whether the one on display at the Smithsonian is the original.

--To gain entry into the vault at Fort Knox where the US gold reserve is, several staff members are required to enter their part of the combination. No single person knows the entire code.

--All of the Beatles were born in Liverpool, England.

--Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, had six fingers on her left hand.

--Bibendum is the actual name of the Michelin Man.

--A 'liger' is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. A 'tigon' is the cub of a male tiger and female lion. The males of each of these creations are believed to be sterile.

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As one blogger put it: shooting an old man in the face is probably the least evil thing Dick Cheney has ever done.

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Very Sad

The Wings lost their second in a row--I'm sad. At least tonight's game was better played than last night's--but it still did no good. Hopefully, with the week off, they will get well rested and be back in good form when they play again on Friday.

Only one of the Detroit players--Lidstrom--will be playing in the All-Star game. Zetterberg took himself out of the game because he has tendinitis in his wrist and will probably need a cortisone shot before they play again. Good grief, they don't need another player that can't play! Tonight Kronwall had to leave the game because he got a cut from a skate across the bridge of his nose--they think he should be able to play next week. It is definitely okay that more Wings are not playing with the All-Stars--no need to put them out there and risk getting hurt.

'My boy,' Valterri Filppula, scored the only goal for Detroit tonight. Way to go!

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The Lee Harvey Oswald Bar in Berlin

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Miss Candy Barr

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I Attract Craziness

I must be on the 'strangest magazine' subscription offer list. Got another one in the mail today: Obit magazine. From what I can tell, it is going to be about dead people--famous and not so--and what their lives can tell us about our own. They will do in-depth obituaries and use them as a starting place for introspection. Oooookay!

But, this got me to thinking (not good)--am I ever going to be one who will not only 'never speak ill of the dead,' but a person who puts the dead on a pedestal? For example: K's identical twin died when they were 21. I liked b-i-l, we were good friends throughout high school, but I saw him for what he was: someone who was young, sometimes foolish, with great potential, but without direction. The family has idealized him to the point of absurdity--as if he could never do anything wrong. I really wonder how this makes K feel--after all, who knows a twin better than a twin? I'm sure K remembers his brother's faults better than anyone.

Some could say that I WILL be kinder to the dead when it is a close family member of mine who dies. Maybe. Another example I find extremely strange, though, comes from my own family. I was molested by an uncle when I was young. A cousin was another member who was molested by this same uncle. While I remember him as a drunk--NOT an alcoholic, a drunk--and a many-generation child molester, she only sees his potential for genius (which he had.) She acknowledges the abuse he did, just seems to put that aside and focuses on his intellect and what he could have been. Which one of us is the 'better' person? Her for trying to focus on the good and not the bad, or me--the one who cannot get over the true nature of the person? (And, no, I am not harboring any unresolved feelings about my abuse--I worked through that in therapy.)

The Mother had an absentee father--yet she cannot come out and say how mad and hurt she was by him. If she could only say that she hated him--as well as loved him--I think she could be a more whole individual. But heaven forbid you actually say a mean thing about someone who is dead! I don't understand it.

My, my, aren't we getting a little heavy for a Thursday! I think I have a headache now--must go.

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BBC: Cheney Rejected Iran Concessions in 2003

Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC's Newsnight programme.

Tehran proposed ending support for Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups and helping to stabilise Iraq following the US-led invasion.

Offers, including making its nuclear programme more transparent, were conditional on the US ending hostility.

But Vice-President Dick Cheney's office rejected the plan, the official said.

Observers say the Iranian offer as outlined nearly four years ago corresponds pretty closely to what Washington is demanding from Tehran now.

Syria in the past has also offered concessions to the United States. Here is an interview with Syrian President Bashar Assad in which he sounds damned reasonable. The interview is titled "America Must Listen". America at this moment in history, unfortunately, only listens to the neo-conservatives, who have been wrong time and time again, and whose policies have led us to disaster.

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And Furthermore...

While I realize with my last post that I explained the reasons for not liking football, I neglected to say why I think I HATE it. One reason and one reason only: Packer fans. I'm sure there are many who are NOT complete idiots, I just haven't found any. (And if any non-idiotic Packer fan happens to read this, I apologize.) And the biggest, most idiotic Packer fan I know: The Brother. Enough said.

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I Hate Football

Now, from the title of this post, you would think I hate football. You just don't understand. See, I REALLY HATE FOOTBALL!!!!! That might bring across my message a little better. I have actually been know to cry when a football game--that is EVERY game ever played--has gone over its allotted time and caused a program I want to watch NOT to start at its scheduled time. (Don't worry, I am getting MUCH better about this--I haven't acted like that for at least two or three weeks!) I have tried to like the game. For crying out loud, when I was in high school and going with the 'love of my life,' I tried to understand and like the game just to be able to watch with him. Didn't happen.

In trying to understand a little bit more about my aversion to football, I can only come up with two possible reasons for why I don't like it: football was not watched by anyone--that means The Father--in the house while I was growing up and we didn't have a football team in the school I attended.

There was only one television set in the house while I was growing up and NO ONE dictated what was to be watched, but The Father. After all, he worked hard and it was his right to watch whatever he wanted when he relaxed. So, I had a very good education in westerns--'Gunsmoke', 'Have Gun Will Travel', and 'Rawhide' are just some of what we watched. I also got a real good education on a lot of country singers--if it was 'Hee Haw' or any other show that featured country music, it was watched. As for sports, we watched boxing--still a fav of mine--some baseball, and hockey. NEVER did a football game get played on the set. I attribute my love of hockey and boxing to those early, growing up years. ( I think I always wanted to be 'Daddy's girl'--never happened.)

The school district I attended was small. Our graduating class had about 35 people. We went from kindergarten through 5th grade in the school in the town I lived, and went from 6th through 12th in the school 3 miles away. We had a basketball team and a track team. We had a swimming pool--the only high school in the area (at that time) WITH a pool--and I'm not really sure whether there was a swim team or not. We didn't have a tennis team, despite the fact we had tennis courts. (The tennis courts were condemned because of the mine shafts under them--they were becoming hazardous because of the unused shafts beginning to cave in.) The high school hockey team didn't come about till after I had graduated. AND we had no football team--probably the only school in the area without one. For some reason or another, nobody questioned this. We had a trophy case with an old football in it--not sure why it was there--so it was understood that at some point in time there HAD been a team in the school. I believe the last team the school had was in the 1930s or 40s--and it could have been earlier. One time I questioned The Mother about this--she went to the same school--and she told me the reason football was discontinued had to do with a player who died. It is my understanding that this was the direct result of a football injury--whether he died during the game or after, I'm not sure. I have no idea where to go to find the story, either--I looked on the web, but it was no help. (Yoopergirl, maybe YOU would know where to find the answer!) Over the years, I have found it very strange that I never heard of anyone bringing up the possibility of starting a football program at the school again.

If The Father would have been a football nut--and with me wanting to please Daddy--I probably would have become a fan. If the school would have had a team, I would have had to, at the very least, TOLERATE football, because I was in the band and would have had to attend the games. But because neither of those things happened, I guess I will have to stick with hockey. Oh, I am sooooo sad! ;)

GO WINGS!

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GERM RIDDEN CITY

Well, Robin has kindly shared his germs with me so I also have a cold that he brought back with him from Perth. I have so much to do and am not very impressed which is an understatement. I missed him terribly when he was away and hope I don't next time he goes which will be in a couple of weeks.
Job application is still going, have left my candidacy for a while. Doing lots of paperwork for TAFE which starts up again soon. That will be a relief for my diminishing bank balance. I am looking forward to the interaction with students again. I guess I like teaching but it is still a challenge sometimes.
I have decided that I don't like the gym but I like what it does for me so I think I will sign up for the year. Not much chance of me becoming a gym junkie but I do what I have to. $20 a week is pretty reasonable, I would waste that in fuel driving to remote beaches to do long walks. The poodles will be disappointed but I will just have to take them to the park and occasionally to Mistaken Island which we all love.
I now have my new CD player installed and it sounds great. I have been downloading MP 3's and burning them to disc so I will have a bit of a collection eventually. Have rediscovered Steely Dan. I used to listen to them when I was a teenager and am slightly impressed with how sophisticated my tastes were back then at such an early age - lots of jazz influence, beautiful melodies and harmonies which I still appreciate.
Our band is in a bit of a recess at the moment. Simon goes away to Peaceful Bay a lot and we all generally chill out in the summer holidays, except Brad who I think is back at work.

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Been Tired Lately, Haven't Had Much To Say, EXCEPT...

The Wings won against Nashville tonight, 5-3. WHOO HOO!! This puts them just 2 points behing Nashville in the run for first in the division. The game definitely started off slow, but became very good as time went on. Only two more games till the All-Star break. Halfway through the year--lots more hockey to go!

I really have been in quite a slump lately. Don't know if it's the time of year or if my thyroid is off-whack again. I just think I can WILL myself out of this, but it isn't happening. I have to do something, though.

From the "And This Is Something We Didn't See Coming?" news:
Lindsay Lohan is in rehab. Here is the story. Now I'm just waiting for the story telling of Paula Abdul going in! (If you haven't seen the tape of her disastrous interview, you can find it here.)

Don't know how many of you know about 'Veggie Tales,' but I love them. 'Veggie Tales' are a series of cartoons and products that teach values and Bible stories in a unique and fun way--by using 'vegetables' as the actors. The company behind this very successful product has been around for at least 13 years. I liken 'Veggie Tales' to 'The Muppet Show' as it appeals to both children and adults, but 'Veggie Tales' are more 'message-based' shows. The humor is fantastic--silly enough for children and sophisticated enough for adults. One of my favorite parts of any 'Veggie Tales' CD is 'Silly Songs With Larry.' Here is one of my favs:



And if ALL school lessons were this much fun, we wouldn't be able to keep kids away from school! Enjoy:

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"Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is alive and well and living in Pakistan under the protection of the Pakistan intelligence agency, the captured spokesman for the Taliban, Mohammad Hanif," ABC News reports.

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"I am concerned, however, that a contrived Gulf of Tonkin type incident may well occur to obtain popular support for an attack on Iran"

Rep. Ron Paul

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A poster at the Rigorous Intuition Forum posted a link to this book. I am skeptical as to both telepathy and UFOs, much less secret bases on the moon. Nonetheless, the American military and intelligence community spent a good deal of money investigating remote viewing and Ingo Swann was right in the middle of it. A PDF of this rare book can be found here.

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Author Blames 9/11 On 'Cultural Left'

Conservative author Dinesh D'Souza has a new book out The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11.

"I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector, and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world," explains D'Souza.

What he means by this is that the secular progressive left during the past few decades, with its focus on promoting and even glorifying (at home and abroad) what most of the world's more traditional societies see as depravity and atheism, has provoked a backlash among traditional, moderate Muslims who see their religious and moral values threatened by an aggressive, immoral, anti-religious crusade.

Apparently they don't hate us for our freedoms--they hate us for the way that we choose to exercise our freedoms.

While D'Souza admits many Muslims irrationally hate Israel and some specific aspects of U.S. foreign policy, he argues that the growing anti-Americanism abroad is directed more at the global spread of our debased pop culture and the leftist political ideas that liberals so proudly defend.

Irrationally? Even moderate Muslims object to American and Israeli policies. Sweden is sexually more libertine than America and yet there has been a curious lack of terrorist incidents in that country. The Islamicists seem content to simply let them go to hell. I am sure that they think that America is decadent and depraved. Their women wear chadors and ours prance about suggestively dressed. Also one wonders how they feel about the political and cultural Right and their constant Muslim bashing?

Radical Muslims are simply fighting back with violence. "Thus without the cultural left, 9/11 would not have happened. I realize that this is a strong charge," D'Souza writes, "one that no one has made before."

Perhaps because the charge is idiotic.

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US Military equipment sold to Iran:

In one case, convicted middlemen for Iran bought Tomcat parts from the Defense Department's surplus division. Customs agents confiscated them and returned them to the Pentagon, which sold them again — customs evidence tags still attached — to another buyer, a suspected broker for Iran.

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Pavel Scores Russia Vs. Finland

Great Goal!!!

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Pavel Datsyuk In The Russian Shootout

Someone please translate...

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Another Shutout!

The Wings won 2-0 over Montreal tonight, giving Hasek his 74th career shutout. This puts the 'Dominator' in the top 10 on the career shutout list! And the man is in good company with Tony Esposito, Jacques Plante, Martin Brodeur, and Terry Sawchuk. Surprisingly, he was passed over for the All-Star game next week--and at a league-leading 1.98 goals-against average! He seemed quite disappointed--as he should be--but it probably is a good thing. His injuries have historically come during the second half of the year, and he doesn't need to be taking any unnecessary risks. The longer he can go without an injury, the better the chances he will be healthy for the play-offs--when he really will be needed.

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We Have Winter

Anyone who has read this blog for awhile knows that I really don't mind winter--I don't even mind the snow all that much. What I DO mind is getting winter all at once! Yes, it has been snowing and doesn't look as if it will stop for a few more hours at least. K has to get the ol' snowblower out and start taking care of the driveway--hopefully not much more snow will come after he's done. It looks as if we will have 6" to 12" here in the city when it is all said and done. While that isn't a LOT of snow for us, it just isn't fun for it to come down all in one day.

I am just grateful we aren't experiencing the ice storms that Oklahoma, etc, are having. That's some nasty stuff! (Hope you are doing well, burg!)

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TRUTH AT LAST, TRUTH AT LAST: The Real Story of James Earl Ray

For the first time, the brother of James Earl Ray shares his knowledge of the murder of MLK that has never been revealed before.

James Earl Ray was inducted by the C.I.A. while still a young man in the Army and subjected to mind control experimentation - in that same era when the hallucinogenic drug LSD is known to have been administered by the armed services to unknowing recruits. The mind control work on James Earl Ray took place more than twenty years before he would become known to the world as the assassin of civil rights icon, Martin Luther King.

"He seems to have been highly unsettled after leaving the Army, and we would judge that some traumatic experience occurred which he does not care to tell or cannot verbalize." Progress Report, Inmate James Earl Ray, Illinois State Prison May 1953 "…there are medical aspects involved which cannot be disassociated from any discussion of Mr. Ray's military background." Letter in reference to James Earl Ray's US Army file from Army Major General Kenneth Wickham to Rep. Mendle Rivers

John Larry Ray is the eldest living brother of James Earl Ray. He was a secret witness to much of his brother's covert life, and has come forward to facilitate the revealing of how James Earl Ray was "handled" into committing his infamous crime. John has spent a quarter of a century in federal prison, mostly in solitary confinement. He reveals how he was falsely convicted in the court of Judge William H. Webster - who would later head both the FBI and CIA - in order to silence him about his brother's association with the CIA. John currently resides in his childhood home of Quincy, Illinois

A letter from John Larry Ray alleging:

- That military policeman James Earl Ray, and the OSS/CIA agents had connections to another racial shooting in Germany

- That James Earl Ray accepted a sum of money from mobsters, and CIA agents in Illinois, and Canada to carry out some type of assignment.

- That since 1968, all the FBI directors, all the Attorney Generals, and members of Congress has buried this connection between Ray, and the CIA.

An interesting article: The Plot to Kill a King: How the Saint Louis Art Museum robberies of 1978 led to a congressional investigation of a St. Louis-based plot to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Sunday Evening (Can't Have a Better Title Than This, Right?)

Burg in Oklahoma wrote all about their ice storm on Friday--nasty stuff. While we had freezing rain, we didn't get as much as they had--and ours was more of the 'black ice' variety. Of course, this kept ME home! Since the drizzle stopped, we have been getting snow--looks as if winter has arrived. We are now under a lake effect snow warning through tomorrow night. While we here in the city don't (usually) have as much to worry about, the out-lying areas may be getting up to 12" of the white stuff. I guess we may not have to worry about the dog-sled races being canceled for lack of snow!

I am closing in on 500 posts with this blog and 4000 hits--and not one of the hits has come by way of searching for 'Harry Potter.' Hmmm, I'm still wondering whether the 'Harry Potter' experiment was a bust? Yesterday and today my hits have dropped off dramatically from what they were all during the week--is it just because it's the weekend? Don't know. I do find it all fascinating, though--I'd love to find out what the sociologists are saying about all of this. I'm sure I could find an article online if I REALLY was that interested--but I'm too lazy to search for one now.

With football winding down, NBC has now put hockey on its schedule. Yesterday I watched the Flyers and Penguins play. I really enjoyed seeing two Eastern conference teams play--not something I can see too often. I now have several players in the East in my sights of 'players I can't stand.' :)

Yesterday was 'hockey day in Canada.' I don't exactly know WHAT that means--I thought EVERY day was hockey day in Canada! Anyway, after the Red Wings game last night--which they won 6-3 (YAY!!!)--I could have watched at least two more games (on our 'local' Canadian station) AND a taped replay during the early morning hours. I decided that watching two games in one day was more than enough--don't need to overdose on hockey!

Hockey is the only sport I watch, so I don't get to see too many of the commercials that are geared toward sports' fans. However, I HAVE been seeing a few that are making me gag already and a couple that make me laugh each time I see them. I am SOOOO sick of hearing the 'American Pie' song being played for the Chevy commercials. ENOUGH ALREADY!! So you payed too much for the rights to use the song --suck it up and admit you made a mistake and DUMP IT! The other one that makes me want to switch channels--which I usually do--is the country singer singing about 'built Ford tough.' It isn't ONLY that I dislike country music, but it is more the OVERUSE of the damn song. Let's move on, PLEASE! My favorite commercial of the moment is the lizard versus Jeep one--makes me laugh every time I see it! Another one that I LOVE is quite old--don't think it is playing on TV anymore--and it is the crab and Honda Element one. HYSTERICAL!

I haven't gotten to watch too many movies lately, but did manage to see a couple. Cinderella Man, I thought, was very good. Quite understated, but well done. I thought the acting was good--Zellweger was actually okay--and the story was interesting. I was not aware of the story of Jim Braddock, even though I am a boxing fan. (Obviously, not a big enough fan! :)) I also got to see Walk the Line. I thought the performances were amazing--Phoenix and Witherspoon were unbelievable with their singing abilities--but I just was not happy with the script. I thought the story could have been told better--I never quite knew how much time passed between scenes. Sometimes it seemed as if only a day or two had passed, sometimes it was months--but it just was not EXPLAINED. For example: one day Cash 'tried' pills and in the next scene he was strung out on all sorts of things--but there was no indication as to how long of a time there was between the two scenes. I found it a bit confusing. And the reason I wasn't too thrilled with the movie has absolutely NO relationship to my dislike of country music--I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted to like it. I grew up being 'forced' to listen to country music--that's all that was ever played around our house--so that is where the dislike comes from. Also, I practically knew every detail of Johnny Cash's life because The Mother pretty much worshiped the man, so the movie just didn't do it for me. While I would recommend it, I just wouldn't want to build it up too much--as had been done before its release.

24 begins the new season tonight. And, yes, it is being broadcast as I am sitting here typing. I am taping it so that I can savor EVERY minute of it later tonight. I hope it is a good season--can't get enough of Jack Bauer!

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Arab Times: US military strike on Iran seen by April ’07

Washington will launch a military strike on Iran before April 2007, say sources. The attack will be launched from the sea and Patriot missiles will guard all oil-producing countries in the region, they add. Recent statements emanating from the United States indicate the Bush administration’s new strategy for Iraq doesn’t include any proposal to make a compromise or negotiate with Syria or Iran. A reliable source said President Bush recently held a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice and other assistants in the White House where they discussed the plan to attack Iran in minute detail.

The Bush administration believes attacking Iran will create a new power balance in the region, calm down the situation in Iraq and pave the way for their democratic project, which had to be suspended due to the interference of Tehran and Damascus in Iraq, he continued. The attack on Iran will weaken the Syrian regime, which will eventually fade away, the source said.

This is so detached from reality that it is very plausible that it reflects the thinking of the Bush administration.

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Howard Hunt Blames JFK Hit on LBJ!

Only the most far-out conspiracy theorists believe in scenarios like Hunt's. But in a new memoir, "American Spy: My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate & Beyond," due out in April, Hunt, 88, writes: "Having Kennedy liquidated, thus elevating himself to the presidency without having to work for it himself, could have been a very tempting and logical move on Johnson's part.

"LBJ had the money and the connections to manipulate the scenario in Dallas and is on record as having convinced JFK to make the appearance in the first place. He further tried unsuccessfully to engineer the passengers of each vehicle, trying to get his good buddy, Gov. [John] Connolly, to ride with him instead of in JFK's car - where . . . he would have been out of danger."

Hunt says Johnson also had easy access to CIA man William Harvey, who'd been demoted when he tried to have Fidel Castro poisoned in defiance of orders to drop covert operations against Cuba. Harvey was "a ruthless man who was not satisfied with his position in the CIA and its government salary," Hunt writes.

"He definitely had dreams of becoming [CIA director] and LBJ could do that for him if he were president . . . [LBJ] would have used Harvey because he was available and corrupt." Hunt denies any hand in the assassination, insisting he wasn't one of three mysterious hobos who were photographed at the scene.

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Troop 'Surge' More of a 'Trickle'

One of the reinforcing combat brigades is not scheduled to deploy to the chaotic country until May of 2007 — some five months after the president's dramatic Jan. 10 official announcement of the shift in policy.

As a result of the president's Iraq strategy review, the Department of Defense quietly released on Thursday the particulars of the surge of some 21,500 U.S. military forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Three Army combat brigades will deploy as follows, say officials:

The Third Brigade, Third Infantry Division, based at Ft. Benning, Ga., will deploy in March 2007.

The Fourth Stryker Brigade, Second Infantry Division, based at Ft. Lewis, Wash., will deploy in April 2007.

The Second Brigade, Third Infantry Division, based at Ft. Stewart, Ga., will deploy in May 2007.

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The American company appointed to advise the US government on the economic reconstruction of Iraq has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars into Republican Party coffers and has admitted that its own finances are in chaos because of accounting errors and bad management.

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"I want to address kind of a rumor, an urban legend that's going around," White House spokesman Tony Snow said in a highly unusual prepared statement at his daily briefing Friday as worry over US-Iran tensions ran high.

"This notion that somehow what the president was announcing was a precursor to planned military action -- a planned war against Iran, that's just not the case," Snow told reporters.

Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.

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Irony in Iraq

Ironically, these death squads are the direct by-product of US policy. At the beginning of 2004, with no end to the Sunni insurgency in sight, the Pentagon was reported to have decided to train Shia and Kurdish fighters to carry out "irregular missions". The policy, exposed in the US media, was called the "Salvador Option" after the US-backed counter-insurgency in Latin America more than 20 years ago, which led to 70,000 deaths and countless violations of human rights. Some of the most persistent allegations of abuse have been made against the Wolf Brigade. Their main US adviser until April last year was James Steele, who states in his autobiography that he commanded the US military group in El Salvador during the height of the guerrilla war.

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Top 10 Goals

"Pavel"

2 minutes 46 sec

For more recent Pavel watch his 100th goal or Datsyuk in super slow motion!

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Some highlights from the Colorado game last week.
Zetterburg ends the game with a spectacular goal in the shootout.
Datsyuk's goal on one skate was amazing as well.

3 minutes 48 sec

Thanks to 13C1303 for this clip, it's of the one of the greatest fights in my NHL viewing history.

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Somalia attack "backfired spectacularly"

Oxfam yesterday confirmed at least 70 nomads in the Afmadow district near the border with Kenya had been killed. The nomads were bombed at night and during the day while searching for water sources. Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Kenya has acknowledged that the onslaught on Islamist fighters failed to kill any of the three prime targets wanted for their alleged role in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

The operation, which opened a new front in Washington's anti-terror campaign, seems to have backfired spectacularly in the five days since it was launched. In addition to the scores of Somali civilians killed, the simmering civil war in the failed state has been rekindled

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A New Meme

While I was surfing tonight, I found a few interesting memes--and I will post them over the next several days. Here is the first one:

Do a Google search for "[your name] needs" and list what the Internet thinks you need!

Here are some of the things I need:

...some lovin' (don't we all?)
...to stop looking at clothes (and the point is?)
...you! (always)
...her (depends?!)
...a bone marrow transplant (hope not)
...your help! (at some later date)
...parents who will be able to be patient (won't go there)
...her head examined (and this is surprising, WHY?)
...to stand up to them (ah, YES!)
...a bit more hop (excuse me?)
...relevant information (of course)
...a new fashion template (is this a slam at the way I dress?)
...to rely less on Richard (who exactly is Richard?)
...some sort of female support system (more than I already have?)
...her own reality show (it WOULD be a hit!)
...to put that big girl down (depends on which big girl we're talking about)
...some solid home cooking (no, I think I have had TOO MUCH solid home cooking!)
...to begin digging to find the murderer (I don't think so)
...for him to focus on the accident or else they are dead in the water (???)
...money (this goes without saying!)
...crit pack positioning (???)
...to get out more (depends on where we are going)
...to balance the lifetime memberships (ooookay)
...to be on it (on 'it,' NOT on 'who'?)
...to get a grip (on reality?)
...a photo to post (not happening)
...stuff (YES!)
...something more than just fast sex and a roll in the hay (exactly!)

(When I did my search, there were quite a few people with my name that have already done this, so I ignored their lists when I came up with my own.)

I am not going to tag anyone personally, but if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged! Let me know when you post your list--can't wait to read them!

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Harry Potter Experiment Update

Since doing my Harry Potter posts yesterday, I haven't had anyone come to this blog through a 'Harry Potter' search. Now, I don't know if this means that the experiment failed, but...I guess I can only wait and monitor my hit counters.

I must say, though, for the past several days I have had more traffic here than usual--and none of it has anything to do with Harry Potter. The main searches (historically) that bring people to this blog are 'garters and stockings' and 'spanked brats.' To tell the truth, I DON'T want to know the people who search for these terms--a bit scary. :) For the last several days, though, people have come here through very strange searches. Here are some that have lead people here since Monday:

--most overplayed song in hockey (searcher from Massachusetts)
--looks males prefer, larger eyes (searcher from Washington)
--depression 'paranoid tendencies' (searcher from Massachusetts)
--copy of legitimate fake dentist excuse for work (unknown location)
--malware yay yay yay (Illinois location)
--sunshine tattoos (Ohio)
--sedated diaper (California)
--movies of dogs peeing in owner's house (New York)
--staph infection welts (Sun Health Corporation, Arizona)
--dental problems caused by underbite in dogs (unknown)
--jennifer granholm marilyn monroe (this puzzles me--WHAT does Michigan's governor and a dead movie star have in common?) (Vancouver British Columbia)
--no more noise or smell (Magic Valley Regional Medical Center, Idaho)
--kevorkian's release date (Minnesota)
--deathclock lyrics (Washington)
--of men say prefer women to shave (Florida)
--should i wait till my water breaks to go to the hospital (Texas--and I HOPE she DIDN'T wait to go to the hospital!)
--with a broken leg i'm quite inactive and lazy (Germany)
--older pissy (Pennsylvania)

And these were just some of the more interesting searches! Absolutely unbelievable. And completely fascinating!

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"Nuclear San Francisco" by Charles Neenan (c 2002)

I just thought this was a striking image.

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The Left Wing of the C.I.A. by Perry Raymond Russo

(click to enlarge)

Yes, that Perry Russo, who testified in Jim Garrison's trial of Clay Shaw. I did not know that he was an artist. Actually the full title of the piece is:

"The Left Wing of the C.I.A. Rides the Democratic Party Donkey to War In Vietnam, While the Angel of God Admonishes Satan the President Johnson Snake For Trying to Seduce a Naked Heterosexual Couple Into Fucking For the Purpose Of Making Another Liberal Baby-Killer Registered Voter"

according to artist James W. Bailey. Click on his name for a fascinating post on New Orleans art.

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So far a very low re-enlistment rate among the dead. Why do the dead hate America?

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The American people elected Richard Nixon because they thought he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam. Instead he widened the war into Cambodia and Laos. The American people repudiated President Bush's Iraq policies in November. He did not get the message.

Robert Parry: At a not-for-quotation pre-speech briefing on Jan. 10, George W. Bush and his top national security aides unnerved network anchors and other senior news executives with suggestions that a major confrontation with Iran is looming.

Commenting about the briefing on MSNBC after Bush’s nationwide address, NBC’s Washington bureau chief Tim Russert said “there’s a strong sense in the upper echelons of the White House that Iran is going to surface relatively quickly as a major issue – in the country and the world – in a very acute way.”

The Washington Note: Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the CIA to launch military operations against Syria and Iran

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Holmstrom's Hat Trick

Tomas Holmstrom--along with the Eurotwins (Zetterberg and Datsyuk)--helped the Wings to a 5-1 win over Phoenix. It really was great to see the Wings play as well as they did--after all, this was the last game of their longest road trip for the year. Holmstrom got his second hat trick of his NHL career--always an exciting thing.

On Saturday we get to see Detroit against Chicago--always a thrill to watch two of the original six play.

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Harry Potter...But Not Hockey

A lot of people are beginning to think I write too much about hockey, but not with this post. This is a part of the Harry Potter search/hit experiment. I know, I posted for the experiment already, but I figured I would up the possibility of getting hits if I put the term 'Harry Potter' in the title of the post. Will it work? We'll see. I haven't had anyone come to this blog by searching for Harry Potter yet, so this will tell if it matters if the term is in the title or not.

As you can tell, I'm trying to write quite a bit of drivel--hoping that writing a little more might make the experiment more of a success. (Does that make any sense? I don't think so.) So, once again, Harry Potter! :)

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Wing's play Coyotes at 9:00 P.M.

Mistake?

As of 1-10-2007

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I'm Following The Crowd!

Dazd over at Dazd and Confuzed From Here posted about an experiment to see how many hits a blog could get if Harry Potter was mentioned. Because Harry Potter is a term that is searched for numerous times a day, mentioning Harry Potter should increase the hits a blog gets. So, I am following the crowd and joining in on the experiment--we'll see if this blog gets more hits just by mentioning Harry Potter.

Dazd also mentioned the possibility of getting more hits by talking about the Rosie O'Donnell/Donald Trump feud. I don't like either of those two sleaze balls, so I haven't mentioned either Rosie O'Donnell OR Donald Trump in any of my last posts. Could mentioning them bring more people to this blog? Rosie O'Donnell, Donald Trump. Rosie O'Donnell, Donald Trump. Ick--I feel so dirty now. I really need to go and bathe!

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"I'm a dead man."

Robert Howard posts some most interesting information on one of the mysterious deaths related to the JFK assassination, Hank Killam, who allegedly committed suicide by jumping though a plate glass window, severing his jugular vein. His brother was skeptical: "You don't commit suicide by jumping through a ground floor window." Hank Killam was married to an employee of Jack Ruby.

"I'm a dead man," Killam had claimed after fear forced him to flee from Dallas where he was linked both with Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald. Threats in Tampa, Fla. where he later fled, then sent Killam hurrying home to Pensacola, and to his appointment with death. He cried in anguish to his brother Earl Killam "They're going to get me --- but I've run as far as I'm going to run."

A relative of Hank Killam, Elton Killam testified before the Assassinations Records Review Board:

Elton Killam told the Review Board that within one week of the assassination Hank Killam returned to Pensacola a very frightened man. He claimed he had special knowledge and carried around a large wallet filled with newspaper articles on the assassination. Killam had stated that he had been in New Orleans and Dallas, where the assassination had been discussed. Killam was also a frequent visitor to the New Orleans Show-Bar, and as many may know, that is where the stripper known as Jada (Janet Adams) was employed.

Killam was picked up for violation of his probation in Pensacola in December of 1963. He was in jail for approximately two weeks, but was allowed out of jail in the daytime. He spent his time in a local bar. Killam told the owner he had special knowledge of the assassination. The FBI interviewed and polygraphed him in Pensacola. And they generated memorandums about these interviews.

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Robert Anton Wilson, author of factual and fictional conspiracy books, died today. In his last blog post, Saturday January 6, he wrote Please pardon my levity, I don't see how to take death seriously. It seems absurd.

From his post of December 5:

Wavy Gravy once asked a Zen Roshi, "What happens after death?"

The Roshi replied, "I don't know."

Wavy protested, "But you're a Zen Master!""

Yes," the Roshi admitted, "but I'm not a dead Zen Master."

I recently ran a quote by poet and blogger Piergiorgio Welby, who died recently:

"Dying must be like falling asleep after making love, tired, tranquil with that sense of wonder that pervades everything."

Then again maybe his last words were "aarrgh!"

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About sums up my reaction to the Bush speech.

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"Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity – and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."

We are so screwed. This reminds me of Nixon expanding the Vietnam war into Laos and Cambodia.

US raids Iranian consulate in Iraq

New York Times: To Counter Iran’s Role in Iraq, Bush Moves Beyond Diplomacy

Mr. Bush said the United States would send another aircraft carrier and its supporting ships to the Persian Gulf. Administration officials said the battle group would be stationed within quick sailing distance of Iran, a response to the growing concern that Iran is building up its own missile capacity and naval power, with the goal of military dominance in the gulf.

Mr. Bush also announced the deployment of Patriot missiles to protect America’s gulf allies. A battery of such missiles is already in Qatar, having been moved there several months ago.

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