6.28.2008

haha...funny

6.27.2008

Trip update # 1

hi. i'm in the enormous and very nice detroit airport.....i have like a 2 1/2 hour layover.

i was bored on my last flight cuz the guy next to me just put on his ipod and didn't want to chat....he didn't seem like that interesting of a person anyway.....i'm hoping to get like an 80 yr old veteran with some crazy ass stories of back in the day...that would be sweet. instead i banged out 100 pages from "the last lecture" a book that i'll probably have done after this next flight if i don't have interesting people next to me....

here's a pic out my window since i was looking out of it for a while out of boredom....


the clouds were pretty sweet....

6.26.2008

Check it.....

I am about to go to sleep.....but that's not the cool part.

The cool part is that I'm moving to Wisconsin. But only for a week. But its going to be the best week ever.

I fly out tomorrow....maybe if you're lucky I'll update on here in the airport during my layover....I'll splatter all my thoughts and any interesting conversations I had with the person sitting next to me on the plane....

Check back soon....

oh yea....be jealous --> http://www.summerfest.com



-CRH-

TWO Ridiculous Stories: WTF & Drunken Marriages

Both from FOXNEWS.com:

1- A man found out that he was married to a woman (who he barely remembers meeting) when he tried to get married to another women and the state intervened.

2- WTF prefixes on License Plates in North Carolina are "offending" people and are being replaced for free by the state's DMV...

6.23.2008

George Carlin Dies at 71

TAKEN FROM CNN.com
  • George Carlin dies of heart failure at age 71, publicist says
  • Comedian known for "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" monologue
  • "Seven Words" routine led to landmark indecency case at U.S. Supreme Court
  • Carlin was to receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- George Carlin, the influential comedian whose routines used profanity, scatology and absurdity to point out the silliness and hypocrisy of human life, has died. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, died of heart failure Sunday, according to publicist Jeff Abraham. Carlin went to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain, and died at 5:55 p.m. PT.

Carlin performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and maintained a busy performing schedule, which included regular TV specials for HBO.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.

Carlin was "a hugely influential force in stand-up comedy. He had an amazing mind, and his humor was brave, and always challenging us to look at ourselves and question our belief systems, while being incredibly entertaining. He was one of the greats," actor and comedian Ben Stiller said in a statement.

Carlin was often quoted, his best lines traded like baseball cards. "Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" began one famous routine. Another pointed out the differences between the pastoral game of baseball and the militaristic game of football: "Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseball park! Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium."

Then there were the non sequiturs: "The bigger they are, the worse they smell," he observed.

He filled three best-selling books, more than 20 record albums and countless television appearances with his material. TIME.com: How Carlin changed comedy

He appreciated the impact his words made on fans.

"These are nice additional merit badges that you earn if you've left a mark on a person or on some people," he told CNN.com in 2004. "I'd say it's flattering, but flattery implies insincerity, so I call it a compliment."

Carlin was probably best known for a routine that began, "I was thinking about the curse words and the swear words, the cuss words and the words that you can't say." It was a monologue, known as "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," that got Carlin arrested and eventually led to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The "Seven Dirty Words" bit prompted a landmark indecency case after New York's WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.

The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that the sketch was "indecent but not obscene," giving the Federal Communications Commission broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves.

"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring.

"It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said." VideoWatch the impact of Carlin's seven dirty words routine »

In November, Carlin was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, given by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

"In his lengthy career as a comedian, writer and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen Schwarzman said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."

In a typically wry response, Carlin said, "Thank you, Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people." VideoWatch an appreciation of Carlin »

Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, in New York. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and joined the Air Force, where his misfit ways continued -- he received three courts-martial and several punishments.

After leaving the military, he spent a few years in radio, where he met Burns. In 1960, the pair left to pursue a comedy career in Los Angeles. Burns told the AP that the Carlin of those years was "fairly conservative," but things changed when the two saw Lenny Bruce in the early '60s.

"It was an epiphany for George," Burns told the AP. "The comedy we were doing at the time wasn't exactly groundbreaking, and George knew then that he wanted to go in a different direction."

Carlin remembered a similar feeling, he told CNN.com.

"[His career] represented a lot of such honesty on the stage, the willingness to confront a lot of sacred cows and expose them," he said of Bruce. "He did it with a great deal of irreverence and with a lot of brilliance."

Carlin went solo in 1962. For most of the decade, he was a conservative-looking presence: clean-shaven, attired in jacket and tie, making his amused observations to audiences on "The Tonight Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show."

But as the times changed, so did Carlin. He let his hair down, grew a beard and dressed in jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts. It was this Carlin who became a hit with college audiences in the early '70s and made such albums as "FM and AM" and "Occupation: Foole."

Carlin hosted the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975.

He also appeared in movies, including "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), Kevin Smith's "Dogma" (1999) and "Cars" (2006). For the latter, he was the voice of Fillmore, the Volkswagen bus.

He starred as a cabdriver in his own sitcom, "The George Carlin Show," which ran from 1993 to 1995. He also played the character of Mr. Conductor on the PBS series "Shining Time Station" and lent his voice to two episodes of "The Simpsons."

Carlin was blunt about his own struggles. He suffered several heart attacks, one at Dodger Stadium during a baseball game. He also underwent treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.

He was relentlessly amused by humanity -- in one of his most famous lines, he pointed out that "if you're born in this world you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America, you're given a front-row seat" -- but refused to consider himself a cynic. He preferred "disappointed idealist."

It all went into his comedy. He was fascinated by language and euphemism, noting that "there's a reluctance to confront reality and a desire to soften unpleasant realities." In a different life, he said, he may have been a teacher.

Which he was, anyway.

"Part of what my impulse is with things I've said or done, I think it is an attempt to demystify these things, to take them out of the realm of the forbidden and the disgusting and the off-base, and to at least bring them into the discussion," he told CNN.com.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; brother Patrick Carlin; and sister-in-law Marlene Carlin. Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997.

CNN's Ed Payne contributed to this report.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All AboutGeorge Carlin

(TAKEN FROM CNN.com)

6.21.2008

TEACHER: LET'S BURN CROSSES ON KIDS ARMS!

An Ohio school just voted Yesterday (finally) to fire a middle school SCIENCE teacher named John Freshwater that burned the image of a cross into a MIDDLE SCHOOL student's forearm. The "educator" at Mount Vernon Middle School has been allowed to teach his junk religion-based pseudoscience for 21 years.

Freshwater used an electrostatic piece of equipment to brand a cross on the arm of a student. The student reported that the mark was painful and that the image lasted for three weeks. The student's family has filed a lawsuit.


Freshwater has, among other things:

- Refused to remove his Bible from his classroom desk.

- Taught creationism with evolution and tried to say that the Bible is accurate in telling the age of the earth...(has anyone ever heard of radiocarbon dating? Let me guess, dinosaurs are fake too?) He (a SCIENCE TEACHER) essentially, according to reports, told kids that evolution and science are wrong in cases when they contradict the bible.

- And, according to CNN.com's sources, he told his students the following:

"science is wrong because the Bible states that homosexuality is a sin and so anyone who is gay chooses to be gay and is therefore a sinner."

I do not know where to even start on this guy.

People wonder why Corey and I get passionate and vocal about religion. "Dave, if you don't believe that's fine, but let everyone else believe what they want!"

A little math for ya: Freshwater taught for 21 years. The average class size for a public middle school is around 28 students. On top of that, remember this is a public school with class rotations. Let's say he had two of their eight periods free (so he taught 6 different groups of kids a day) That means that this guy lied to and brainwashed over 3,500 impressionable children.

The sad part is that there are, without a doubt, hundreds, if not thousands more teachers just like him.

6.19.2008

16-Year-Old from Faith-Healing Family: "I Choose Death"

Article from Associated Press (AP) with my thoughts inserted in parenthesis.

GLADSTONE, Ore. —
Authorities say a teenager from a faith-healing family died from an illness that could have been easily treated, just a few months after a toddler cousin of his died in a case that has led to criminal charges.

(I'm seeing a trend here...)

Tuesday's death of 16-year-old Neil Beagley, however, may not be a crime because Oregon law allows minors 14 and older to decide for themselves whether to accept medical treatment.

(...Err... maybe because Oregon law combined with nonsensical religious beliefs allow for stupidity...)

"All of the interviews from last night are that he did in fact refuse treatment," police Sgt. Lynne Benton said Wednesday. "Unless we can disprove that, charges probably won't be filed in this case."

(If not the parents... Does God get charged with child neglect and murder???)

An autopsy Wednesday showed Beagley died of heart failure caused by a urinary tract blockage.

(Usually when I pray my urinary tract infections go away... hmmm)

He likely had a congenital condition that constricted his urinary tract where the bladder empties into the urethra, and the condition of his organs indicates he had multiple blockages during his life, said Dr. Clifford Nelson, deputy state medical examiner for Clackamas County.

"You just build up so much urea in your bloodstream that it begins to poison your organs, and the heart is particularly susceptible," Nelson said.

Nelson said a catheter would have saved the boy's life. If the condition had been dealt with earlier, a urologist could easily have removed the blockage and avoided the kidney damage that came with the repeated illnesses, Nelson said.

(HOW STUPID ARE THESE PEOPLE!?!? (((Robin Williams voice)))"Well Timmy, it's either death or a catheter... which do you choose?"...)

Benton said a board member of the Followers of Christ church contacted the authorities after Beagley died at his family's home. The teen had been sick about a week, and church members and his family had gathered to pray Sunday when his condition worsened, Benton said.

(Good idea... maybe next time gather around him to pray WHILE AT THE HOSPITAL!!!)

In March, the boy's 15-month-old cousin Ava Worthington died at home from bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.

Her parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, also belong to the church. They have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, and their defense attorneys have indicated they will use a religious freedom defense.

(How, how HOW can you tell what religion an infant is? Have they decided: "HEY, at age 5 months, I have decided that I am a radical Christian who will reject life-saving treatments!" If these parents aren't put in jail because of "religious respect" or "freedom to be stupid-and kill my child-because I force my beliefs on them-respect" then maybe the world is ending)


After earlier deaths involving children of Followers of Christ believers, a 1999 Oregon law struck down religious shields for parents who treat their children solely with prayer. No one had been prosecuted under it until the Worthingtons' case.

Members and former members of the church in Oregon City have told The Oregonian newspaper in previous interviews that the congregation has 1,200 people. It has no apparent ties to other congregations or any mainstream denomination.

(REALLY!?!? They are called "Followers of Christ believers" Hmmm... I'm guessing we can go with Christians for starters.)

6.17.2008

Same-sex Marriage Begins in California Today

From the Associated Press:

By LISA LEFF – 57 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — County clerk offices across California opened for their first full day of same-sex marriages Tuesday, with hundreds of happy gay and lesbian couples ready to take the plunge in what in some cities was a party atmosphere.

A gay men's chorus was singing on the front steps of San Francisco City Hall, brightened up by rainbow flags and supporters handing out cupcakes to happy couples.

Helen Zia and Lia Shigemura sang "The Chapel of Love" as they walked to the city attorney's office to get married. The couple, clad in beige jackets and slacks, exchanged vows with Zia's mother by their side.

"This is the most meaningful day of my life. I've always wanted to get married," Shigemura said. "I just never thought it'd be possible."

From San Diego to Eureka, couples readied their formal wear, local licensing clerks expanded their staffs and conservative groups warned of a backlash as the nation's most populous state joined Massachusetts in sanctioning gay unions.

Some couples were from out of state. Unlike Massachusetts, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, California has no residency requirement for marriage licenses.

The May 15 California Supreme Court ruling that overturned the state's bans on same-sex marriage became final at 5:01 p.m. Monday, and clerks in at least five counties extended their hours to mark the occasion.

Already, dozens of same-sex couples have seized the opportunity to make their relationships official in the eyes of the law.

In West Hollywood, more than 100 people, wearing everything from T-shirts to tuxedoes, were in line Tuesday morning in front of an auditorium that was turned into a licensing center in the city's main park. Six white cabanas with chandeliers and silk flowers were ready for weddings.

Among those getting marriage licenses were actor and gay rights activist George Takei and his longtime partner, Brad Altman; they are planning a September wedding.

"Today we are all here to give flesh and blood reality to that ruling. We are going to make history," said Takei, who played Sulu in the "Star Trek" television series and movies. "Congratulations to all of us and may equality live long and prosper."

Every county was required to start issuing new gender-neutral marriage licenses Tuesday with spaces for "Party A" and "Party B" where "bride" and "groom" used to be.

"Am I Party A or Party B?" Contra Costa County Clerk Stephen Weir jokingly asked his partner of 18 years, John Hemm.

They were the first to marry at Weir's office Tuesday morning. Outside, three opponents of gay marriage from the Westboro Baptist Church picketed, carrying signs with sayings such as "God is your enemy."

Members of the sect are most often seen at military funerals in demonstrations claiming U.S. combat deaths are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

The protesters were easily outnumbered by about three dozen supporters of gay marriage, who held signs that read "Hate is not a family value" and "My marriage is not threatened by theirs, why is yours?" Police vehicles lined up near the demonstrators.

On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who helped start the series of lawsuits that led the court to strike down California's one-man-one-woman marriage laws, presided at the wedding of Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 83.

Newsom picked the couple for the only ceremony Monday in City Hall to recognize their 55-year relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement. More than 650 same-sex couples have made appointments to get marriage licenses in San Francisco before the end of the month.

Newsom called officiating the wedding "this extraordinary and humbling gift." After the mayor pronounced Martin and Lyon "spouses for life," the couple kissed, then emerged to a crowd of well-wishers who showered them with rose petals.

The celebrations are tempered by the reality that in a few months, Californians will go to the ballot box to vote on an initiative that would overturn the high court ruling and again ban gay marriage.

On Monday, three lawmakers and a small group of other same-sex-marriage opponents gathered outside the Capitol to criticize the Supreme Court decision. They urged voters to approve the ballot measure.

"This is an opportunity to take back a little bit of dignity ... for kids, for all of us in California," Republican Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa said. "It really disturbs me that the will of the people was overridden by four members of the Supreme Court."

In both San Francisco and Beverly Hills, where two women became the first same-sex couple in Los Angeles County to marry legally, small groups of protesters waved signs with sayings like "Repent or Perish." They were outnumbered by supporters waving rainbow-striped flags.

Groups that oppose same-sex marriage have pursued several legal avenues to stop the weddings. On Monday, just hours before the ruling went into effect, a conservative legal group asked a Sacramento court to order the California agency that oversees marriages to stop issuing gender-neutral marriage licenses.

A hearing was set for Tuesday.

About a dozen protesters gathered across the street from the Sacramento County clerk's office in the morning, carrying signs that read, "Marriage 1 man + 1 woman" and "Resist Judicial Tyranny."

Juliya Lyubezhanina, 16, came to protest with about 10 other teens from the Slavic Trinity Church.

"They claim to be Christians, but they apparently just don't read the Bible because it's all in there," she said. "It's something to just pray about. It's not a time to be joyful."

A UCLA study issued last week estimated that if the ballot measure is rejected, half of California's more than 100,000 same-sex couples will get married over the next three years, and 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel here to exchange vows.

Associated Press writers Laura Davis in West Hollywood, Eliott Spagat in San Diego, Juliana Barbassa in San Francisco, Don Thompson in Sacramento, Malia Wollan in Martinez and Jeff Wilson in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

6.11.2008

Lake Delton, Wisc Dells: Vanishes



The lake overflowed from all of the rain we have been getting here in Wisconsin. The lake took this house (and several others) with it on its way out.

OCEAN CITY to Evaporate?!?!



Video explained: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365597,00.html

6.07.2008

Religious Beliefs = Ridiculous Actions


Indian school names monkey god chairman




* A freaking Hindu monkey god was given the position of chairman at an Indian business school.

* The fake monkey god will get an office regularly filled with lit incense, a full freaking desk and (as if that wasn't a huge waste of money and a slap in the face to any HUMAN BEINGS with more capabilities than a statue) the monkey gets a laptop computer.

* Hindus believe Hanuman (the freaking statue) led a monkey army to fight the demon King Ravana... how could we have forgotten? I'm embarrassed.


Actual Article on CNN.com taken from the Associated Press is found below.

LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- He's a revered Hindu monkey god. And now, he's the chairman of an Indian business school.

Hanuman, the popular god known for his strength and valor, has been named official chairman of the recently opened Sardar Bhagat Singh College of Technology and Management in northern India, a school official said Saturday.

The position comes with an incense-filled office, a desk and a laptop computer. Four chairs will be placed facing the empty seat reserved for the chairman and all visitors must enter the office barefoot, said Vivek Kangdi, the school's vice chairman.

"It is our belief that any job that has the blessings of Lord Hanuman is bound to be a success," said Kangdi.

All Hindus know that Hanuman can lift mountains and leap oceans, but ancient texts make no mention of his business acumen.

"When we were looking for a chairman for our institution, we scanned many big names in the field of technology and management. Ultimately, we settled for Lord Hanuman, as none was bigger than him," Kangdi said.

Hanuman is one of the most popular gods in the crowded pantheon of Hindu deities. His most famous feat, as described in the Hindu epic the Ramayana, was leading a monkey army to fight the demon King Ravana and rescue a kidnapped princess.

The Sardar Bhagat Singh College in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, awards bachelor's degrees in engineering and management. The school opened last year.

6.06.2008

The God Delusion

I am finishing up reading Richard Dawkin's book The God Delusion. It is an amazing read. The God Delusion made me realize how much I had been lied to in my life. If you don't believe me, then read it for yourself. You can order a copy online for $10 after shipping.

I especially challenge religious folk to read it.

-DFA

Same-sex marriages can start June 17

Written by
Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco - --

California counties can begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 17, the state's Office of Vital Records determined today. That is a day later than many county officials had assumed and some same-sex couples had booked time slots for weddings on June 16.

The decision to issue licenses starting June 17 allows the state Supreme Court the maximum time to consider any challenge to its ruling before it takes effect, according to a letter sent today to county clerks by the Office of Vital Records.

County clerks can begin issuing marriage licenses that day, "assuming no legal developments to the contrary," according to the state letter.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have asked the court to delay implementing its decision until after the November election, when the state's voters are likely to decide whether to amend the California Constitution to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. A Field Poll released today, however, showed most voters do not support such a measure.

The Office of Vital Records also determined today how the new forms for marriage licenses will refer to those who are marrying. Instead of gender-specific designations, the forms refer to applicants as "Party A" and "Party B."

hmmm...



MySpace Funny Pictures


Funny Pictures | myspace layouts | MyspaceBrand.com

6.05.2008

230 MPG: Where the Hell Has This Technology Been?





(From Treehugger.com)"When we first encountered the Aptera diesel-electric hybrid last year, it was another pie-in-the-sky concept with amazing performance specs (330 mpg, 0.055-0.06 drag coefficient) but a concept nonetheless. Happily, last week at the TED Conference, the curtain was lifted over the real thing, and a working prototype of the spacey ride was unveiled. Delivering slightly less than originally calculated, the three-wheeled hybrid still sips fuel to the tune of 230 miles per gallon while humming along at 55 miles per hour. The production of the prototype is a hopeful first step for Aptera, whose company, Accelerated Composites (aka Aptera Motors), is making tentative plans to sell it for about $20,000 apiece.

Pictures of the Aptera after the jump. And stay tuned for details about when you can get one for yourself. ::Aptera Motors via ::Wired and ::Engadget"