Pictures: More pictures of Mike

The following are some pictures of Mike while we were touring an old WW2-era merchant marine vessel.

Here's Mike spitting in the face of authority.

Here's Mike spitting even more in the face of authority as he scales the smoke stack.

Mike continues to spit in the face of authority by exploring the bowels of the ship.

Here's Mike getting caught spitting in the face of authority. This is my favorite one. (Luckily, the guy was really nice)

Pictures: Museum of Science and Industry

Mike's having a little difficulty with the wheelchair.

Mike and his new friend.

The stud strikes again.

Mike's embarassed to be seen with me.

Random kewlness.

Awwwww yeeeeaahhhhh baby!

Talk about an overbite.

I don't know why, but I was compelled to take this picture. This is some girl who, with one hand is clawing at the dirt, and with the other, talking on her mobile phone talking about the cool thing she's discovered.

One of the best dogs I've ever had the privilege of knowing.

Pictures: First time kayaking

Mike and his new friend.

Yeah...I'm tired. Go away.

Don't ask.

Mike and I loading the kayaks back up.

I'm such a stud.

Maybe I should stop smiling and turn around to check out the huge boat about to run me over.

Entry: Common sense is extinct

So, I was reading through some random web stuff, completely minding my own business, when BAM! I run into this article. It talks about the new class action lawsuit against Nintendo for their new product. I've known about this issue for about a week now but was avoiding commenting on it. I particularly love this quote....

“Owners of the Nintendo Wii reported that when they used the Nintendo remote and wrist strap, as instructed by the material that accompanied the Wii console, the wrist strap broke and caused the remote to leave the user's hand,” Green Welling said.

I'm pretty sure that, if knives came with straps, the manufacturer would get sued every time someone got cut.

Article: The Christmas hoax

Warning: I consider this to be an interesting article. Religious bias is not intended.

Here's an interesting article discussing some of the major points regarding the origin of the Christ figure. The article discusses details about the Winter Solstice and various other parallels between Jesus Christ and the Sun god. A good read.

Picture: The world's unluckiest anchorman

That would suck! :)

Picture: Awwwwwwww!

Picture: What is this?

Can you tell me what this is?

Answer...it's a dog playing with a mop. Check out more pictures of this interesting canine. :)

Animation: Sad...just sad

I was randomly perusing my buddy's blog and I noticed this post. It's in reference to a youtube animation about a flightless bird who wants nothing more than to fly...even if just once...and even at the cost of its life. I found it moving (to say the least). If you are a sucker for sentiment, then this might just be a tear-jerker for you. :)

Picture: So so true! :)

I'll probably burn in Hades for posting a Microsoft advertisment, but this one is just priceless!

Picture: Fatal Exception

I'm not usually one to glorify the female figure on my blog, but that shirt is absolutely AWESOME!! (And yes...I'm a nerd)

Article: Flatulence causes emergency aircraft landing

Sorry for the picture, but it matches this story perfectly. :)

Apparently, a woman lit some matches on a plane to mask the smell of her recent flatulence. Well...you can probably imagine where the error lies in her reasoning. Read on for more detail.

A good quote from the story....

"It's not the first time the trouser burp has been implicated in an aircraft scare. Back in 2003 a novelty farting dog sparked a US terror alert when its "wind-breaking mechanism registered as a high explosive on sensitive monitoring equipment"."

Article: A Christian nation

I apologize for posting another one of these church/state posts, but I ran across a really good article (and I wasn't even looking for it). It seems to be a very strong topic this week. :)

Mr. Jim Walker goes into GREAT detail about how the seperation of church and state was a very large issue at the founding of this country. The premise of the article is to give a very detailed and thoroughly researched argument that the country was NOT founded on Christian principles (as so many people claim today). He talks about the lack of Christian beliefs commonly found with the founding fathers (and, in fact, cites written letters stating their distaste for them), mentions that "In God We Trust" wasn't introduced until after the civil war, reiterates how "One nation, under God" wasn't introduced in the pledge until 1954, talks about the misconception that common law derived from a Christian template (since it originated with the Saxons), and discusses multiple letters (and even an official federal document) that explicitly state that the country was not based on Christianity or its beliefs. And that's only SOME of it.

If you are of the opinion that the government was not founded on Christian ideals, then this will be a very interesting read for you. If you are on the other side of that fence, you should STILL read it. Reading about a little objective research never hurt anybody (except for folks who are willing to argue these points on faith alone).

I'm not going to add any personal bias to this post. I've probably said too much just by posting it in the first place. :) I do encourage folks to read it though regardless of which side of the debate that they're on. It's a very good read and very well researched. I'm not one to care who takes which side on this, but I am definately a believer that everyone should at least TRY to keep an open mind about all things.

I would also ask a favor to all the readers of this post. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could point me to some reference or documentation for the OTHER side of this argument that is as well researched as this one. Also, if anyone could find an official federal document which makes such statements as well, I would like to read it. I'm very interested to read about all aspects of this debate. Please don't get me wrong....this is not a challenge. I simply wish to improve my education of the subject from all angles.

Enjoy...and God bless! ;)

Article: I swear to Go....umm....Allah

Here's an interesting article. Many of you probably already know that the first Muslim was recently elected to congress. Keith Ellison was chosen by the folks of the 5th congressional district of Minnesota to represent them. Here's the kicker....upon his oath of office, he wishes to place his hand upon the Quran instead of the Christian bible and, of course, every sicko is crawling out of the woodwork to send him death threats.

The article points out some parts that stick out from the Constitution...

1. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." (First amendment)
Translation: The government shall not condone or mandate any religion and shall allow any to be exercised freely.

2. "...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." (Article VI)
Translation: Nobody will ever have to jump through religious hoops to assume his/her position.

3. "The Senators and Representatives... shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution." (Article VI)
Translation: An oath must be taken to honorably serve the office which they will occupy. (No mention of a bible)


The funny thing is that people are still under the impression that it is a civic duty to swear on the holy bible upon taking office. They don't understand that that is simply a tradition and that there is no constitutional authority that will be undermined by allowing the use of any other (or no) book for the oath. The person isn't saying that they will administer the will of their god(s) while they are in office. They are simply willing to swear an oath and do so in the eyes of their respecive deities. It adds a personal and spiritual component to the oath to go along with the civic component. For some strange reason, people have a problem with that. Seriously though....does it REALLY make sense to have a Muslim swear an oath on a bible?? If it makes sense to you, then you are probably visiting the wrong blog.

There are also some great quotes in the article that make analogs between Ellison and terrorism. I use the word "great" here because I think that they not only lack any kind of credibility, but they also serve to undermine the intelligence of their respective authors. My favorite quote is...

"This country was not created on religion but on Christianity."

Come on....TELL me that's not funny!!!

Website: Are YOU unpopular?

If you find that you are unpopular and want to give the rest of the online community the impression that you aren't, then you can check out this website. It's designed to let unpopular people pay to pretend to be popular in front of others.

If someone goes to a site like this and pays for their services, then there MIGHT just be a reason why they feel they need to go there in the first place. ;)

Article: Update to 'Peace on Earth'

Well...perhaps the world isn't as insane as I thought. Apparently, the neighborhood HOA that was fining that woman (mentioned a few posts ago) for putting up an Xmas wreath shaped like a peace symbol started receiving a lot of complaints from complete strangers who were not happy with their decision. They have since repealled the fine and apologized, stating that it was a "misunderstanding".

Question....what was misunderstood?? Why couldn't they just say something like "We have changed our minds" or something else a little more truthful? Why is it that just about everything today is a "misunderstanding"?

"Our invasion of SeaLand was a misunderstanding"
"I called Senator what's-his-hame a 'loser' on camera, but that was just a misunderstanding"
"I murdered my kids with a butcher knife, but it was just a huge misunderstanding"

Wow. I'm impressed with my ability to turn good news into a complaint. :)

Article: Just say 'NO' to peace on earth!

It's official. The world has gone insane. Here's an article about a neighborhood that's up in arms because someone in their midst put up an Xmas wreath in the shape of a peace symbol. Apparently, they consider the wreath to be an anti-war protest. Her HOA has imposed a daily fine as long as the wreath stays up. What is this world coming to?!

Even if it is an anti-war protest....freedom of speech! There's nothing derogatory or offensive about a peace symbol. How is it that people are allowed to put signs up or bumper stickers on their cars that promote the destruction of the enemy in Iraq (and just about anywhere else in the middle east), but a peace symbol MUST be censored? But, again, that's ONLY if it actually WERE a protest on this lady's part.

Nobody's ever heard the old saying "Peace on Earth...Good Will Toward Men"? You really only hear that spoken around the Xmas holidays. It's also part of a very popular Xmas carol. Apparently, we should start sensoring it now.

I'm telling you....in a couple of decades, you're going to need PERMISSION before you are allowed to say anything to make sure that it isn't offensive or can't be misinterpretted by any extremists out there among the ~6 billion other inhabitants of this planet.

Note: Apparently, others accused her of using the wreath as a satanic symbol. I was planning on commenting on that but, after some searching, realized that there are some historic arguments for it. I seriously doubt that was her intention though. Then again, that's only MY humbled opinion.

Article: Student dropout rates becoming "epidemic"

According to this article, the number of kids not wishing to finish high school is mind-boggling. Apparently, some major cities have drop-out rates as high as 40-50%. That's pretty.....interesting. It appears (IMHO) that the divide between the educated and the uneducated is increasing....particularly in a time when higher and higher forms of education are required to stay competitive in the job market.

I just couldn't imagine ever applying for a job and not being able to show ANY indication that I had ANY type of formal education. Without, at least, a high school diploma, employers wouldn't be able to objectively tell an 11th grade dropout from someone raised in the back hills of Kentucky learning to make moonshine from the day they were born. Heck...without a high school diploma (or equivalent), the MILITARY wouldn't even take them. That's saying a lot!

I personally think that it has less to do with kids thinking they already know enough or that they're wasting their time and more to do with a lack of motivation. The sad fact of the matter is that you really have to WANT to learn to ever be able to get there. If someone doesn't want to learn, then there's very little that you can do to help them.

Article: Creationism museum

Interestingly enough, some dude is building a museum which will illustrate the story of creation as it is literally spelled out in the book of Genesis. The price tag? $25 million. Here's an interesting excerpt.....

Nothing can dent the designer's zeal as he leads us gingerly through the labyrinth of rooms still under construction, with bits of wood, and the odd dinosaur head occasionally blocking our path. The light of keenness shines from the faces of the workers, too, as they chisel out mountain sides and work out where to put the Tree of Life. They greet us cheerily as we pass. They, too, know they are doing the Lord's Work, and each has signed a contract saying they believe in the Seven Days of Creation theory. Mornings on this construction site start with prayer meetings. Don't think for a minute that this is some sort of crazy little hole-in-the-corner project.

I particularly like this excerpt as well.....

But what, I ask wonderingly, about those fossilised remains of early man-like creatures? Marsh knows all about that: "There are no such things. Humans are basically as you see them today. Those skeletons they've found, what's the word? ... they could have been deformed, diseased or something. I've seen people like that running round the streets of New York."

I'm wondering what former-mayor Giuliani would have to say about that.

In all honestly, I wouldn't mind visiting this museum at least once after it's completed. I would like to see what they are able to come up with.

Entry: Geek limerick of the day

There once was a lady named Bright
who's speed was much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way
and returned on the previous night.



(I read this in the latest book that I'm reading called 'Resurrection', by Steve Alten. I thought it was kind of catchy. Not a bad book so far.)

Entry: I'm home

Hola amigos! I returned from the rather frigid west coast yesterday afternoon. I had a pretty good time with dad up in the mountains of California (as usual). Activities included (but were not limited to)...

1. Watching a few zillion movies
2. Riding ATVs through the mountains
3. Changing out tires on dad's '71 International
(an annual tradition)
4. Getting stuffed with great food by my step mother
5. Seeing a dog sled demonstration

I'll tell you what....those forrests can sure bring back the appreciation that I have for nature. I used to have it in spades but pretty much lost it ~10 years ago. Definately looking forward to next year's trip (which I'm thinking might be in the summer instead of the fall).

Article: Fun with a microwave

Ever wonder what would happen if you put a bar of soap in a microwave? How about a piece of aluminum foil or a lightbulb? The answers to these questions and more can be answered at this site that was put together by an intrepid nerd (or, possibly, an pyromaniac) who was out to explore the unknown.

Sparking grapes....now THAT'S cool!! :)

Article: What kind of sleeper are you?

I was browsing the web looking for some desent articles on correct sleeping positions. I ran across this site that supposedly makes correlations between a person's personality and the position that they sleep in. It pretty much nailed my personality perfectly. Check it out and see if it rings true for you too.

Also, for anyone else out there who cares, here's a site for correct sleeping positions.

Entry: 'Meg' coming to the big screen

I was leisurely strolling through Barnes and Noble today when I discovered that one of my favorite storylines is soon to make it to the big screen.

Steve Alten is, IMHO, a great author. His stories may not be to everyone's tastes, but many of them hold a fascination with me. The first of his books that I read...'Meg'...is the story of a Megalodon (a pre-historic shark that has been mentioned a couple times in other posts) that ascends from the deep and basically kills/eats everything it encounters.

The fact that it's a giant shark isn't what I find so interesting. The fact that it's a giant shark that once ruled the world's oceans and, as some would argue, could possibly still lurk in the depths, actually existed.

Doesn't that picture kinda send a chill up your spine? Between stories of things like Megalodon and the Colossal squid, it's no surprise that I ever hesitate to swim in the open ocean away from the beach. But then again....I *AM* a coward. ;)

Entry: It's almost Xmas time again

Article: When NOT to open your mouth

Yet another hilarious article. Apparently, the guy who plays Borat got the snot kicked out of him in NY for doing his Borat persona to a random passer-by.

And I thought *I* had a big mouth! ;)

Article: Wanna see Colonel Sanders from space?

This is just hilarious. Some folks created a massive KFC logo in the desert with the idea of having it viewable from space. It's finger lickin' good! :)

Entry: Yard of the Month

Congratulations to my mother for winning Eagle Landing's coveted 'Yard of the Month' award. She is proudly displaying the sign in her front yard.

She deserves every bit of credit and recognition that she gets! :)

Article: Dolphin caught with four fins

This is pretty cool. Some Japanese folks recently caught a dolphin that has four fins. The hind fins are believed to be relics from the mammal's terrestrial-based ancestry. I would honestly not be surprised if this was more common than we knew.

Although I tend to post a lot of opinions on this site, I usually try to distance myself from expressing any sentiments that indicate that I think a group or demographic is wrong in any respect. However, when it comes to the issue of Evolution, I've always found it difficult to imagine how some can forsake exaplainable genetic mutation and, pretty much, the entire fossil record for their own personal doctrines. I mean....maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps this dolphin is one of "God's" many wonderful gifts to the planet (ie....mankind). But....if this is the case, then the fossil record would have to be the greatest practical joke in man's history of existance.

It would be hilarious if a geologist or archeologist were to die and go to heaven and be given an audience with God himself. God extends his (or her) hand to be shaken only to withdraw it as the scientist reached with a resounding "PSYCHE!!!!!".

Castlevania, baby!!

Awwwwww yeeeaaahhhhh! Everybody's favorite game is coming to the big screen.

I still remember the first time I played the original back in '87. Man...I was hooked! Since then, I have bested six of the games in the series (3 for NES, 2 for SNES, and one for Genesis). Is it sad that I can remember that? Of course! It's not like I ever claimed to have a life. :)

In all honesty, I doubt that this movie will do the justice that the game deserves. Who knows....they might even try to add the boomerang-style axes that some of the enemy knights throw. That would be hilarious. If they leave out the Grim Reaper, then I will be majorly miffed.

Anybody else out there have a favorite Belmont? I'm a Simon fan myself. Can't beat the classics.

Article: Go Speed Racer....Go!!

Yep...it's true. They're making a live action 'Speed Racer' movie. Go figure that they'd bring the directors of the Matrix trilogy to direct it. This show was the one that gave the original meaning to the term "trunk monkey".