What Have I Started?

Alright....this is starting to get a bit weird.

On Saturday, after reading the story of Angeles Duran - the Spanish woman who has laid claims of ownership to the Sun - I wrote a short little goof piece entitled Al Gore sues Angeles Duran for Damages. When I noticed that the post was getting an enormous amount of hits (enormous for me) I put together an "I.N.N. news story" called Al Gore Sues Sun's Owner Over Global Warming and put it in as a "source".
It was fun going to Google Analytics and checking out the increased traffic, but when I discovered that my post had been taken seriously by someone at China Daily.org - well, that's when it became just a bit creepy.

The link will go to the story at the Chinese website........I'm not making this up. I've taken a screenshot of a portion of the page just in case it disappears.

In less than 36 hours, my humble little blog post has received nearly 2500 visits from more than 900 cities in 70 countries. That's pretty amazing for a blog that usually gets about 60 visits in a 24 hour period.

Thanks, Al.

You never know..........

Yesterday, after reading about Angeles Duran and her claim to be owner of the Sun, I did a silly little post on Al Gore filing a lawsuit against her due to damage caused by Global Warming. I didn't spend a lot of time (or thought) on the idea.

Little did I know the reaction that little piece would have.

The image on the left is a snip of maps showing the location of visitors to the post......331 visits from 90 cities in Sweden.

Googling keyword like angeles duran or angeles duran al gore and al gore has filed a law suit against the woman for damages caused by global warming and my blog ranks high on the list. I'm not quite so sure why anyone would have googled "al gore has filed a law suit against the woman for damages caused by global warming" but, evidently someone thought to do just that.

I wish there was some way to take advantage of the increased traffic. You just never know what's going to attract readers.

Update: After giving it some thought, I did an I.N.N. story and added to yesterday's post.

Al Gore sues Angeles Duran for Damages.

Hours after learning of Angeles Duran's claim of ownership of the Sun, former Vice President, Al Gore has filed a law suit against the woman for damages caused by global warming.

"I'm seriously considering adding Spain in our suit", Gore told reporters. "Duran will be collecting fees from users of solar energy and she says she'll be giving half the money to the Spanish government. She can't hide the money that easily."

At the press conference, one reporter pointed out to Gore that he had been claiming global warming was aggravated more by human activity rather than sunlight. "That was before the Sun had a clear-cut owner", Al said.

Sunowner, Angeles Duran could not be reached for comment on Gore's lawsuit.
News Source: Al Gore Sues Sun's Owner Over Global Warming.

Note to Janet Napolitano and Barack Obama.

One month after arresting Pakistani-born U.S. citizen Farooque Ahmed for his involvement in an attempt to bomb and kill commuters at Washington-area subway stations, FBI agents arrested Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, who is suspected of attempting to detonate a vehicle bomb at an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.

Let's see.......Muslim jihadists, attempting to commit terrorist acts.

Note to Janet Napolitano and Barack Obama - neither one traveled by air.

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Thanksgiving Proclamation
City of New York
October 3, 1789
by: George Washington

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their Joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th. day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the greatest degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Ruth Marcus to America, "Grow Up!"

In her recent piece for the Washington Post, Ruth Marcus tells us that any American leery of the new TSA security procedures should grow up.

She admits that the "pat-downs" are intrusive, but she assures us that we might not have to submit to the groping if we agree to simply walk through the "souped-up screeners". Besides, she writes, ".....where is the harm if some guy in another room, who doesn't have a clue who I am and doesn't see my face (it's obscured on the machine), gets a look at my flabby middle-aged self? "

Abortion advocates have been telling us for years that abortion should remain legal because of the Constitutional Right to Privacy. So now, with the present administration, this Constitutional Right to Privacy is abandoned for the sake of national security.

We must, she tells us, put up with any inconvenience and the lack of privacy because Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been able to board a plane with explosives in his underwear. On Christmas Day 2009, Abdulmutallab boarded a plane in Amsterdam, headed for Detroit. To the best of my knowledge, Amsterdam does not use the same intrusive security procedures that the TSA uses. Our security methods would only catch would be terrorists already in the USA.

I don't understand the government's obsession with airplanes. A terrorist in this country can travel anywhere he chooses by car. Anyone hellbent of terrorizing the citizens of our nation could do more damage to our national psyche by killing 20 people at 2 different Walmarts than by killing 300 in a plane flying from one American city to another. How long before we can look forward to being subjected to "pat-downs" and "souped-up screeners" before we can enter a theater, subway or football stadium?

Referencing a recent Washington Post Poll, Marcus is certain that most Americans are not bothered by the new TSA regulations. She was wrong about the Tea Party as well.

Obama's approval rating is the lowest it's ever been. The brouhaha over airport security certainly won't bring his rating back up.

Hurts Car Rental?

Responding to complaints over body scanners and genital groping by the TSA, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "if people want to travel by some other means," they have that right.

I suppose Napolitano is asking terrorists to follow the lead of Timothy McVeigh and rent a vehicle rather than fly.

Gives new meaning to the idea of "Hertz car Rental".

One Good Rant Deserves Another.

Reading Richard Cohen's rant on tobacco today, [The faces behind tobacco's deadly addiction] I have to wonder how long it's been since he smoked his last cigarette. He admits to being a former smoker, but his piece in the Washington Post demonstrates that he is still very much addicted to the drug.

Cohen still misses "......the stuff, the rush, the virtually sexual release from lighting up, the nicotine triggering an onset of dopamine - focusing the mind, twittering the senses, occupying the hands, soothing, comforting, assuring."

I'm a former smoker my self - quit 18 years ago after having smoked for more than 25 - but not once in that 25 years of smoking did I feel a virtual sexual release from lighting a cigarette. Sorry, Richard, but your mind just isn't right.

Cohen goes on to say, "We former smokers are an intolerant lot. We are motivated by regret and rage. We have been suckered and sucker-punched, lied to repeatedly and fooled in our juvenile years into taking a course that we can only partly remedy."

Intolerant? Speak for yourself, Mr Cohen. Why be motivated by "regret and rage"? It's really pointless to be angry with Louis C. Camilleri, Richard Burrows, Daniel M. Delen or the other tobacco industry big-wigs you name in your article.....those guys are not responsible for your having smoked as long as you did. First of all, the guys you rave about are all younger than you and were probably only a glimmer in their father's eye when you took up the nasty habit. You can't even blame the tobacco executives who were around when you started - they're more than likely dead now any way - but the responsibility for your having started in the first place rests firmly on your shoulders. Depending on how old you were when you started, part of the blame might be put upon your parents.

Cohen goes on to suggest that, rather than put the new, more graphic warnings on cigarette packs, the government should require that photos of tobacco executives be used on the warnings instead. How about we track down all the folks holding tobacco company stocks and put their photos on cigarette packs as well?

I agree with Cohen that anyone involved in the selling of cigarettes in perfectly despicable .... I'm thinking that there may be a special corner in Hell reserved for them, but seriously, Mr Cohen, you're still carrying this addiction around in your head and you need to just drop it. You may have been "suckered and sucker-punched, lied to repeatedly" but it was you lying to yourself.

Because you asked:

In a comment from yesterday's post, Al asked if I could post a recent photo of JP to compare with the photo I posted of him when he was newborn.
OK, here's one from a couple of months ago.

Happy 5th Birthday, J.P.

One of the first photos of J.P. from the day he was born. Happy 5th birthday,son.

Will Oklahoma City OK the LFL?

OK, I admit it; I am not a fan of professional football. I have no interest in watching millionaires play ball.

I will, on occasion, watch college football - particularly if I think there's a chance I can see Alabama getting beat.

Being unfamiliar with "the Super Bowl halftime alternative television special called the Lingerie Bowl" , I was totally unaware of the Lingerie Football League (LFL) until I came across a news story telling how Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett was against the idea of the league bringing a franchise to his city. Now,in typical political fashion, Cornett says, “I just said I was against it. I never said that I wouldn't allow it.”

The league hopes to expand to Oklahoma City in time for the 2011 season.

LFL spokesman Stephon McMillen said, "We find it interesting that satanic worship at the Civic Center and cheerleaders wearing far less than our athletes is moral, but LFL is not.”

After a bit of web searching, I found a few clips of LFL games on MTV2 . I've always felt that my post are more interesting with visuals, so I'm including a screenshot from one of the videos; it wasn't easy deciding which screenshot to use.

Sure, the game was interesting....I just can't remember the final score or which team won.

Democrats Holding Their Ground.

It's amazing how two individuals can look at the same event yet come up with two completely contradictory opinions regarding the meaning of that event.

I'm referring to Washington Post writer, E.J. Dionne and Ann Coulter and their different understanding as to what transpired on November 2nd.

Dionne looked at the recent election - and the drubbing received by the Democrats - and came to the conclusion that the electorate wants the Democrats to continue their attempt to drag the country further to the Left. Dionne wrote of the 2008 election, when "the largest number of voters in American history gave the Democrats their largest share of the presidential vote in 44 years and big majorities in the House and Senate" and concluded that we, as a nation, really do want to live in the world as envisioned by Obama.

Unlike Coulter, Dionne hasn't caught on that the 2008 election results came from a disproportionate number of air-headed 18 to 26 year old children voting for "Obama as a fashion statement". Contrariwise, the 2010 election was the product of mature, clear thinking, tax paying adults taking back control of the country. Thankfully, it's normally difficult to get the young to vote.....and even harder during an off year election. With many of the young disillusioned with Obama, the children that put him into office stayed home this past November.

Dionne wants the Democrats to hold their ground. Don't give in to the Republicans, he says. In spite of the fact that the recent Republican victory was massive in scope - on the State and Federal levels - Dionne is convinced that the GOP is made up of extremists who do not represent the American people.

I hope he gets his wish. I hope that the Democrats continue to show us exactly what they believe and the direction in which they want to take us. Democrats holding their ground will bring about further loses for them in 2012.

Photo (shop) of the Day.

My idea........
my sister's handiwork.......
voilà !!

Olbermann Unfired.

From the New York Times via boston.com - regarding Keith Olbermann's suspension from MSNBC:

"On Friday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow asserted that MSNBC’s enforcement of its policy in this case confirmed that Fox News was a “political operation’’ while MSNBC was a “news operation.’’ Sean Hannity, a primetime host for Fox News, has donated thousands of dollars to Republican candidates without penalty because Fox does not discourage such donations."

Well, MSNBC announced that Olbermann's suspension will be over after Monday night's show.

Sounds a bit like a publicity stunt to yours truly.

Olbermann Fired.

When I first read that MSNBC had canned Keith Olbermann for contributing $7,200 to three Democratic candidates in late October, I assumed, for a moment, that the network had fired him because his contribution hadn't been enough.

As it turns out, MSNBC does not permit journalists giving money to political candidates. One would have thought that Olbermann would have been exempt from this ban on the grounds of his not being a journalist.

Though not a fan of Olbermann or MSNBC, I can't understand why MSNBC prohibits this. The Washington Post article writes,
"The revelation of Olbermann's contributions -- first reported by Politico -- means that the anchor was leading on-air coverage of races in which he had privately picked favorites."

I guess that means MSNBC doesn't allow it's anchors to vote in elections....after all, when Olbermann votes, he's privately picking favorites.

The same Washington Post piece writes,
"The policy cautions the network's journalists against taking part in activities that might create an appearance of conflict of interest."

Since when has Olbermann or any MSNBC anchor not shown bias? Is donating money to Democrats really any different than what Olbermann and his ilk do anyway?

Movie Review.

Ever the blogging pioneer par excellence, LarryD of actsoftheapostasy has done it again with his post, "Dan And Fran": An AoftheA Cinematic Presentation.

With the help of xtranormal.com, Larry has created a funny video satirizing the issue of women in the Catholic priesthood.

After viewing the video, I went to xtranormal.com and let me tell you, it's obvious that Larry put a lot of effort into making this little gem.

It gets my vote for the next Academy Awards.

For the Liberal who has Everything.

In yesterday's post I linked to an article at Slate.com where Curtis Sittenfeld asked the question, "Am I the last person in America who still adores President Obama?"

Perhaps Curtis will be interested in the Barack Obama sex doll for sale in China.

Last Man Standing?

In a piece on Slate.com, Curtis Sittenfeld asks the question, Am I the last person in America who still adores President Obama?

Oh, Lord, I hope so.