Jocelyn pointed me to Kingdom Identity Ministries, an incredibly racist and not shy about it group. They say they are a not for profit organization, which I believe gives them tax exempt status. So, apparently, these hate mongers can peddle such wonderful items as this: 
and this:
And I won't even get into their portrayal of Jews on the site.
Yes, I know I'm hot linking. I'm doing it on purpose out of spite. I think we should hotlink to their stuff everywhere we can and hose their servers. It just bothers me to think that people can support this hate and get a tax deduction for doing it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
My Boss is So Cool
I may have mentioned before how much I like my boss. Well, he reaffirmed his coolness this morning. He has been working on a new test tool for exercising the laser at higher communications speeds. Current communications are at 9600 baud and the customer wants to go to 115k. And they want a prototype by the end of June! So, he had to get this tool designed, built, and the PLD coded ASAP. This morning he was ready to give folks a demo. The purpose of the communications is to alter the frequency and duration of the laser firing on the fly and at high speeds. Can you think of an application of technology where modifying frequency and duration might produce an entertaining result. I know I had thought of it in the past, but never got around to doing it. He hooked up his tool, ran a script, and the laser played the Dutch National Anthem!
Read More......Sunday, May 29, 2005
Nostalgia: 101 Things...
I found this list recently. Some friends and I created it whilst students at WPI, sitting in the "Wedge". Some of the references are dated. And of course, you could really put just about anything on the list. I think some of the humor comes from the sequencing and some from the items themselves. I disctinctly remember H. and Bull and I think Glenn MgGuire, but I don't remember who else was there doing this with us. In my less enlightened days, I read the list aloud to my fiancee while she had a UTI...
101 THINGS YOU DO NOT WANT TO PASS THROUGH YOUR URETHRA
1. the Eiffel Tower
2. a porcupine
3. 700 gallons of Old Spice
4. 200 pounds of rigatoni (uncooked)
5. a calculus book
6. a curling iron
7. rock salt
8. a swarm of hornets
9. an IBM PC
10. a Yugo
11. the USS Wisconsin
12. a row of staples
13. a 2 liter bottle
14. a baby's toy block
15. a cinder block
16. toy jacks
17. China
18. a WWI German helmet (you know, the ones with the spike...)
19. a reactor fuel rod
20. New Order (the band)
21. a CD
22. Napalm
23. a gasoline pump
24. a heavy breasted cow
25. an armidillo
26. Mothra
27. a 15 foot by 8 inch Boa Constrictor
28. Cthulhu
29. Hastur
30. the Quad
31. President Bush
32. a pit bull
33. a Jehovah's Witness
34. 50' Constantina wire
35. The New York subway system
36. Chainmail
37. a bastard sword
38. a yard-shaft
39. an electric cattle prod and the Honda generator it's connected to
40. a brontasaurus
41. a Saturn V rocket
42. Saturn
43. a rhinoceros beetle
44. the national deficit
45. Jesse Helms
46. Ed Meese
47. Tammy Faye Bakker
48. A PC motherboard
49. a running weedwhacker
50. Wyoming
51. Martha Ray's dentures
52. a tasmanian devil
53. the entire Rolling Stones collection on 8-track
54. a little cupcake baked by the devil
55. a 17 piece Zildjian (tm) cymbal set
56. Niel Peart
57. a Massingale douche
58. a class ring
59. a rectal thermometer
60. AT&T
61. The Roman-Catholic Church
62. A Kimodo dragon
63. The Boston Symphony Orchestra
64. Rosanne Barr
65. a Zambonie
66. a Pan flute
67. Zamfir
68. a polar ice cap (either one)
69. Gary Coleman
70. the Voyager II
71. a wire brush
72. super-critical weapons-grade uranium (any amount)
73. a hot branding iron
74. the Persian Gulf (with mines)
75. the Winged Victory of Samonthrace
76. a WWII sea-mine
77. a mountain gorilla
78. Mt. Everest
79. a Lamborghini Countach
80. a Broken Flourescent Bulb
81. a life raft in the process of inflating
82. DAKA
83. a bamboo thicket
84. a giant sequoia
85. a humpback whale
86. a fishhook
87. a meathook
88. an icepick
89. a grappling hook
90. a hydro-electric turbine (not turbin)
91. a wheat combine harvester
92. a drill press
93. the complete works of Nathaniel Hawthorne
94. 700 pounds of fiberglass insulation
95. a discus
96. 12M hydrochloric acid
97. a skinhead
98. a chainsaw
99. Zsa Zsa Gabor
100. the Boston turnpike
101. this list.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
My First Review!
I'm so excited! The North County Times sent a reviewer out to the show last Sunday. This is what she had to say. The short form is that she liked and recommended the show. The longer form is that I got my own paragraph. :)
Brian Weissman adds more than comic relief with his portrayal of Vernon Hines, the man in charge of timing all of the productivity in the factory. His exaggerated movements add to his musical numbers: "I'll Never Be Jealous Again," "Racing With the Clock," "Think of the Time I Save" and the title tune. Weissman is making his California stage debut in this Patio Playhouse production.
She also had some nice things to say about the movie we did for the dream sequence. Between this and the TV spot we did for the local news show, we ought to be playing to some packed houses! Read More......
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
People who make you sick
I want to preface this by saying that I am all for fair representation. I believe in innocent until proven guilty. But this guy bugs me. I hear ads for him on the radio all the time. He is a criminal defense attorney who specializes in DUI cases. His site includes a list of 10 tips for avoiding conviction if you are pulled over for drunk driving. Number six gives you an idea of the thrust of his advertising:
6. Choose a urine test if at all possible. It is the most unreliable of the three chemical tests (blood, breath, or urine).
In his commercials, he talks about people he has gotten off who blew a 0.2 on the breathalyzer and he got them their license back. I may be off base, but the impression I get from his ads is "If you're guilty, come see me. I know the tricks to get you back on the road and drinking and driving again."
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Happy Birthday Auntie Sam!
Ok. It's my youngest sister's birthday, today. Not telling you how old she is. But I wanted to wish her a very public Happy Birthday. I especially wanted to do that since her birthday card is sitting right here on my desk, as are the hand made ones from the kids. They were done in plenty of time to be there on time. Some bozo just didn't go to the post office. Three guesses who the bozo is, he said whilst covering up his red nose and floppy shoes.
Read More......Monday, May 23, 2005
I know something!
I'm not sure when it happened. But I know something about the work they pay me to do. In fact, I know several somethings. I solved a problem that had three more senior engineers stumped all last week. I solved it in under two hours. Not because of superior skill, but because of knowledge! I had heard of something similar before and knew how that was fixed. I was also able to point out where some signals were coming from on a circuit diagram and show another member of the team which registers to read them from. And I'll be doing a tools training session later this week. I guess what I'm saying is that I have somehow become a useful member of the company! I've found a role and I like it!
Read More......Back from the abyss!
No, not me. I don't think I've been in the abyss for a while. Unless you count my evening free time because of rehearsals. I've managed to blog through that. I just haven't seen my family much. No, I'm referring to my friend Steve, proprietor of Absit Invidia. Bloglines is mistakenly showing him with no new content. He's been posting again for at least a week. If you like good commentary on the state of our society, this is a good blog to read. Steve's a conservative, but not a right wing ideologue. He's the type of conservative with whom you can engage in a policy debate and never hear things like "Why do you hate America?". If you have a decent point, you may even get a concession out of him.
Read More......Saturday, May 21, 2005
Finally! A music quiz I can endorse.
I found this one via my friend Jocelyn. I don't just like it because I did well. After all, compared to my demographic, I only beat 19%! But the subject matter was something I could appreciate...The Veteran
You scored 86%!
You've picked up the majority of the classic rock basics. You probably have a classic rock collection and can sing along with most of the songs on your local radio station. This is not the highest score, but it is arguably the best: that subtle combination of impressive knowledge and not being a pretentious geek.
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 19% on notes Link: The BASIC classic rock Test written by allmydays on Ok Cupid
Friday, May 20, 2005
Order of the Stick
My friend Paul has turned me on to a very funny gamer comic. No, I'm not referring to Knights of the Dinner Table. It's great, but many of you already know THAT one. I'm not referring to Dork Tower. Also fabulous, but also not the one of which I speak. It's called The Order of the Stick and is a truly impressive satire on the D20 D&D system and D&D in general. I've added a badge to link to them down in my badges sidebar. There are currently 180-ish strips in the archive. Start at #1. It's worth it. See if you can spot which character Pat Campbell would be.
Read More......Another black eye for the Church
In Montgomery, Alabama, a pregnant senior refuses to bow to an order from her Catholic high school forbidding her from walking across the stage at graduation. They claimed it was for 'safety reasons', but her name was not listed in the program and she was not announced as a graduate. The guy who got her pregnant? He was allowed to participate. Apparently, premarital sex is not a sin, but getting pregnant is.
Read More......Thursday, May 19, 2005
Pirates - Arrrrr!
So, a long while back, in the coming attractions, I mentioned something about pirates. I didn't offer any other details. Just mentioned it. Well, now is the time for that story to see the light of day. Pretty soon, I'll have written about all the things I said I would. Then, perhaps I'll have to post some new previews... *grin*
As many of you know, I have been practicing to be a storyteller. Eventually, I'd like to do it semi-professionally. A part of that is finding a persona and a style for yourself. I intend to have multiple personae to broaden my appeal, but I think my first one is going to be a pirate. I have a number of friends that work the Rennaissance Faire circuit out here, so I have an *in* as it were to a number of gigs. However, I still need to have an act that fits. For some reason that I cannot fathom, pirate characters are big on the circuit. I mean, I understand that it appeals to kids in particular, but pirate lore and culture has been pretty romanticized over the years. Not to mention the fact that the golden age of piracy was later than the time period of most faires. Regardelss, there are a number of pirate guilds that show up at the faires such as HMS Stranglehold and The Black Gryphon. There is also a very good singing pirate duo, Siler and Clarc.
So, the pirate infrastructure is there. In spite of this, there are no pirate storytellers. There are multiple pirate singing groups, however. This means I'm not horning in on someone else's territory and will likely be able to "gig" with the other pirates while bringing something new to the table. The other local storytellers on the circuit have their own very different themes. My two favorites are The Patchwork Players and A Fool and His Family. They both have their own takes on classic fairy tales that would be different from mine.
Of course, the main reason to do it is it would be fun! That other stuff just means it's doable. All I need are some stripey satin pants in a garish color combination and a long bandana. I have the rest of the outfit, more or less. Maybe a sash to add to the mix. Oh yes. I also need an act. *grin*
I have the format of the act already set. Typically, at a faire, you get a 30-45 minute slot. You spend the first five drumming up the crowd and the last five guilting the patrons into giving you money. The rest is where you do your story.
For the opening, I'm going to tell pirate jokes to draw the crowd in. It will also help me gauge how responsive the crowd is and let me know who my likely audience participants are. I've begun a search for pirate jokes. I've already got a few, but am always on the lookout for more. Send me your pirate jokes! You can do it in the comments or in e-mail. Here are the ones I have so far.
Q: What's a Pirate's favorite letter?
A: Arrrrrrr!
Side note: I tried this joke out on Josh. The exchange went something like this.
Me: I have a joke for you.
Josh: Ok.
Me: What's a Pirate's favorite letter?
Josh: E?
Me: No.
Josh: S?
Me: No.
Josh: Q?
Me: Why would it be Q?!?
Josh: I don't know.
Me: Want me to tell you?
Josh: Yes.
Me: It's Arrrrrrr!
Josh: *giggle* Ok. Ask me again.
Me: Ok. What's a Pirate's favorite letter?
Josh: E?
That's almost funnier than the joke itself. There are variations on that same joke, but I figure that one will reach the widest audience. Here are a few other examples of that theme.
Q: Why couldn't the pirate go to the movie?
A: It was rated Arrrrr!
Q: How does a pirate get to his ship?
A: By carrrrrrrr!
Q: Where does a pirate get a drink when he's on shore?
A: A barrrrrrr!
Q: How does a pirate navigate?
A: By starrrrrrrrr!
You get the idea. Josh did, too. He just thought the game was funny for a while. Here are the others.
Q: How much did the pirate's peg leg and hook cost?
A: An arm and a leg!
Q: How much does it cost a pirate for a piercing?
A: A buck an ear!
Q: Why does a pirate wear an eye patch over one eye?
A: If he wore it over both eyes, he wouldn't be able to see!
* * * * *
A pirate walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. What happened, you look terrible!"
"What do you mean?" the pirate replies, "I'm fine."
The bartender says, "But what about that wooden leg? You didn't have that before."
"Well," says the pirate, "We were in a battle at sea and a cannon ball hit my leg but the surgeon fixed me up, and I'm fine, really."
"Yeah," says the bartender, "But what about that hook? Last time I saw you, you had both hands."
"Well," says the pirate, "We were in another battle and we boarded the enemy ship. I was in a sword fight and my hand was cut off but the surgeon fixed me up with this hook, and I feel great, really."
"Oh," says the bartender, "What about that eye patch? Last time you were in here you had both eyes."
"Well," says the pirate, "One day when we were at sea, some birds were flying over the ship. I looked up, and one of them pooped in my eye."
"So?" replied the bartender, "what happened? You couldn't have lost an eye just from some bird poop!"
"Well," says the pirate, "I really wasn't used to the hook yet."
* * * * *
This pirate walks into a bar with a big ship's wheel down his pants. The bartender says, "Excuse me, sir, but do you know you have a ship's wheel down the front of your pants?" And the pirate says, "Aye, and it's driving me nuts!!"
* * * * *
So, I'm planning to tell pirate stories and classic fairy tales recast with pirate characters. The problem is, I'm having a bear of a time finding any pirate stories. I found a Polish/Jewish folktale called "The Pirate Princess" which will make a really good tell, but I need others. So, if any of you know any pirate stories, or have ideas for how to turn classic tales into pirate tales, let me know. I'll probably start a separate pirate page using my ISP account! Arrrrrrrrrrrr!
Riddle me this...
Some sad news. Frank Gorshin, best known for his portrayal of the Riddler in the campy Batman series will riddle no more.
Read More......Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Finger no longer pointing at Wendy's
It appears there has been a 'Major Development' In the Chili Finger Case. Surprise, surprise. The woman with a history of spurious lawsuits is at it again. They know to whom the finger belongs and he just happens to know Ms. Ayala. Or rather, he is an acquaintance of her husband's. Apparently, this was part of a scheme to *gasp* get money from Wendy's. Wonder if this case is covered in Dubya's tort reform?
Read More......Since when does the government want to be fair?
I recently stumbled across a tax reform proposal that is gaining some traction out there. I've been reading about it and trying to sort out fact from fiction. It's called the Fair Tax. Right out of the gate, the name gives me pause, as does the animated flag flying on the page, but I am trying to be open minded about this...
The short form of the tax is that it is a national sales tax. All new goods are taxed while no used goods are. So, a new house is taxed. A previously owned house is not. The rate of tax is 30%. (They say 23%, but they mean that the tax is 23% of the total after the tax is figured in.) Services also appear to be taxed as well. So, you'd pay an additional 30% to visit the doctor. This is offset by the abolition of the Payroll, Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Income Tax. This will also supposedly lead to the disbanding of the IRS. The piece that makes it interesting and worth actually thinking about is the rebate. Every household gets a rebate equal to tax that would be collected on necessities. This amount is standardized by the number of people in your household. A couple with two children would receive $465 each month, regardless of how much sales tax they paid that month. So, if you are below the poverty level, you get back more than you put in. This is what makes it effectively graduated. The more you spend, the more tax you pay. The more you pay, the smaller the rebate is in comparison.
The site touts many benefits. This is a tax neutral plan, so the government revenues stay the same as under the current system. Since it eliminates payroll taxes and tax compliance costs, manufacturers can sell their goods for less and pay their employees more. This is constantly referred to as beating hidden taxation. Because the goods cost less, there is no real impact on your wallet from the new tax. If something cost $10 before. The price would drop to around 7.70, such that the "fair tax" would bring it back to $10 again. Consumption is also allegedly more stable than income as a tax base. Even when people lose their jobs, they use savings to buy stuff. Other benefits include getting rid of the IRS, tax laawyers, and tax professionals. But even they would not be impacted because they are smart people and would have enough advance notice to retrain.
They also have answers for charitable giving and mortgage interest. Both of these are deductible under income tax, but are not under fair tax. Apparently, this is ok, because the fair tax wll drive interest rates down. This will save you more on your mortgage than you gain by the interest deductions. And you are paying the mortgage with post tax dollars under the income tax. Depending on your income level, you only get a percentage of the interest back. With the "fair tax" you have more dollars to begin with, so you manage a net gain.
As I said, I am skeptical, but have yet to find an unbiased analysis of the proposal. If you read any of the pro fair tax sites out there, you'l find that the fair tax will solve all the country's problems. Since manufacturers can lower prices, our products will be in higher demand overseas. There are a number of things to be skeptical about. And that is going beyond the name, the animated flag, and the ringing endorsement that Tom DeLay is for it and President Bush is considering it. Given the amount of tax dodging these guys do now, how likely is it that they will put forth a plan where their burden is higher?
The whole thrust of this plan is that the rich consume at a higher rate because they can afford to. So, this hits them more. Yet every example they show proves that the fair tax is less than the income tax. If it is less for every individual, and there are no payroll, income, or corporate taxes, how is it revenue neutral. Also, in cases where the fair tax clearly offers no benefit, they seem to be manufacturing one. Take charitable giving, for example. They state that 70% of people don't itemize, so the charitable giving deduction is pointless anyway. Further, with more money in their pockets, people will be as generous if not more so. They don't say what percentage of charitable deductions come from people who don't itemize, yet they conclude that the charity take will increase. Logic dictates that people who don't itemize get a bigger benefit from the standard deduction. I think it is at least as safe an assumption as the one the fair tax people are making to say that the 30% who itemize count for as much, if not more, charitable giving as the 70% who don't.
Moreover, the plan looks like glorified trickle down economics. On Monday, my take home pay goes up. By Wednesday, prices have dropped around the country to reflect the cost savings on goods production. Because a company that suddenly had extra money would NATURALLY pass it on to the consumer, right?
This has rambled and meandered a bit. What I'd like is for someone to either show me unbiased evidence that a national sales tax is a good thing or, failing that, help me to organize the opposition.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I love search terms
I decided to check my blog stats today because I was concerned that I haven't seen many comments of late. I thought perhaps my inconsistency had finally driven my friends away. However, looking at the stats, I saw a huge spike in traffic this week and was curious. Some of it is from familiar faces, but there were also a few first time visitors. I looked at some of the searches and had a good laugh. The combination of the joke I posted and the electricity lesson combined to move me into some bizarre neighborhoods. If you do a google search on "+penis +electricity", I come in at number 8. If you search for "reason for penis is shorting", I'm all the way up to #4! That's my contribution to the blogosphere. Perhaps I should change my name to Richard and rename this to Lightning Dick's Amazing Weblog!
Read More......Dumbass
How's this for a stupid idea? This guy is starting a movement to have people wear red on Fridays as a way of showing support for the troops. As if these non-support fads hadn't invaded my life enough. How many guys over there do you think even stop to think what we're wearing back here? And if you were a soldier, and you saw a bunch of people in red on a Friday, would that make you feel any better about what you had to do or had just done? "I have to leave my newborn child for six months, but those red shirts make it all worth it."
Apparently, the red is to symbolize the blood spilled. Perhaps we should wear green on Tuesdays to symbolize all the money we've sunk into the war. You know. As a way of supporting the troops. Mondays will be blue for dual symbolism. First, it symbolizes the ocean separating us from our loved ones. Second, blue can also mean sad, and we are sad that they are away. Wednesdays will be purple, to symbolize all the purple hearts given out to soldiers maimed in battle. If we all wear purple, it's like we're telling the soldiers, "When you get hurt, WE get hurt." Weekends, you can wear what you want. Nobody wants to support the troops on the weekend. That's OUR time. We can't be thinking of colors while we are out spending and consuming. So, let's recap:
Blue Monday
Green Tuesday
Purple Wednesday
Red Friday
Free nights and weekends
Oh, and if you wear yellow on Thursday, you're a fag.
Edit: Apparently, this was just a Fall River thing. When I was in seventh grade, if you wore anything yellow on a Thursday, you were considered to be a homosexual. Since I didn't want another reason to be ridiculed and abused, I steered clear.
More Monday Morning Munchies
Well, it was my turn this week. Actually, it wasn't. It was Mike's turn. But he no longer works in our department. So, it is unlikely he would bring us breakfast. We decided to just shift everyone after him back by one week. That meant it was Karma's turn. But she was going to be in training all week. I graciously agreed to swap turns with her so that the breakfast would arrive.
I brought bagels.
And everyone I saw thanked me for them.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Allergy Friendly Foods
My reporter friend Jenn pointed this website out to me. It's a company devoted to making good tasting foods that are truly free of various allergens. Their mixes are nut free, dairy free, egg free, vegan, and Kosher. The frostings are gluten free. According to Jenn, when she stopped in for the interview, they made her the chocolate chip cookies and they were very tasty. If I can find the link to her story, I'll add it.
Read More......
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