Zombies are the natural prey of buzzards. It just goes to reason.

Ways the world could maybe end.

1) Major Strike by an Asteroid or Comet

anything large enough to actually be all that dangerous we're pretty sure to see. Luckily. What we can we we can move. It doesn't take much of a push to change something's flight path, if we have enough warning, and we're working on that warning. We've been looking for a while and anything actually smacking us in the next hundred years is rather unlikely.

2) Earth is Swallowed by a Man-Made Black Hole

already making them, some people believe... and they're blipping out of existence too quickly to tell for sure. It would take considerably more power than we currently employ in any form to create a world ending black hole. In all likelihood, without new branches of physics opening up, it isn't even possible.

3) Global Warming

Bah, more heat usually equals more rainfall. The world isn't quite SO simple, but more rainfall usually means more arable lands. I don't think a slow rise in temperature is a problem that humanity will be unable to deal with.

4) Worldwide Pandemic

A virus could come along and kill us all. There's even a good chance that if it comes we'll build it.

5) Robots Take Over The World

Computers will never, ever be accidentally self aware. There may be self aware robots or androids one day, there probably will be- we aren't all that special and many of the individual problems are being solved, but if they do, and they're self aware, it's because we made them so. Will they rise up? That depends. When we made self aware robots- and we probably will one day- will they be slaves? Or will they be citizens? Slaves will rise up. citizens will unionize.

6) Gamma Ray Burst

Could happen, but we should at least be able to figure out if anything that might fry us is actually pointed out way.

7) Nuclear Holocaust

It's no longer really all that likely, but it isn't very comforting that increasingly untrustworthy players can join the nuclear club. I suppose that comes of their era's wealth.

8) Overpopulation

9 billion people is more than ideal but no so many. The real problem is that after 2050 most demographers think the world might start having a population crunch.. and a small young population taking care of a large old population truly is a nightmare scenario.

No matter how I feel about the person, if they deliberately poke out one of my eyes, the relationship is over.

focus not so good, but the best of the 3 shots I took. Shoulda used a tripod.

The French and McDonalds

"We hate it and go to it. It's our paradox," a journalist for the French magazine Challenges, Alice Mérieux, said. "We're very anti-American in principle, but individually, if you're going to the movies and have to eat in 10 minutes, you go to McDonald's."

Huh

A bouncer at a popular restaurant in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighbourhood ejected a lesbian customer from the women's bathroom after last month's gay pride march because she looked too masculine, the woman said today.

There are two things you don't want to see being made - sausage and legislation. - Otto von Bismark



Railroading? Clay Pigeons? Sausage?
S. 1639 has it all, Baby!

Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S.1639
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Dole (R-NC), Nay

We're watching. I wonder who we should replace Burr with in 2010?

Too little, too late: Gore blames scientists for climate crisis

In an extraordinary outburst aimed at America's failure to tackle global warming, Al Gore says that if scientific agreement on the climate crisis had been reached sooner it would have been easier to "galvanise the public and persuade Congress to act".

Gore is complaining scientists without enough data didn't rush to make conclusions.

Gore whines about a G8 non-binding greenhouse gas agreement- because it doesn't make people do things. If the US is willing to accept it, that's well more than Kyoto. Congress refused to ratify the treaty so Clinton basically did nothing with it. Gore likes to accuse Bush of killing it, but he was just doing what Congress wanted. Treaties have to be ratified by Congress or they're not worth the paper they're printed on. (Although some of the more extreme courts seem to be trying to change that)

I'm tired of Gore. I don't take advice from "Lawyers" educated by court TV, I won't listen to an "expert" on a science who hasn't done the time to prove it. There are scientists who agree with him, and I respect their opinions, but as for Gore? The earth's weather is perhaps second only to biology in it's complexity, and maybe it's just me, but it seems he's spent a wee bit too much time writing books, peudo-campaigning, and globe trotting to have spent too much time since the Vice Presidency in classrooms and labs learning this stuff. Talking to experts is one thing, but you you really trust someone with conviction who doesn't have the eyes to see for himself what he's so enthusiastic about? A layman can hear a pretty tune, but can a layman tell if a group of clouds is likely to become a Hurricane? And why? People who don't understand something are easily mislead.

'Soviet era less bleak than US history' - Putin.

Sorry, but... ah, no.

How about this. Three people (two guys and a girl) are transported into the near future, and robots have taken over. The robots aren't the humanoid sort. Somehow, the first guy got his hands on a power suit, powered armor that increases strength, defense, and speed. He's the "leader" of the group, a tactical thinker who has experience with this sort of thing. They're running, and hide in a work shop of some kind, which is curiously behind double doors. The doors have an unusual number of different kinds of locks, but they just lock the main on. The second guy is an engineer/mechanic. He's broad and strong, but without combat experience. He starts using the equipment in the back to put together something. I remember seeing him holding something that looked like a large drill he'd welded into some kind of arm piece. He was working on powered armor that fit his knowledge, skills, and abilities. A tall sentinel robot walked by. There were small windows in the door, see. The "leader" guy was squatted on the floor and the other two were likewise hidden, but apparently the sentinel had better senses than a human and in a few minutes there were ten or so robots near the door. The leader dead-bolted, bared, chained, and stoppered the door, but it still didn't look like it would hold up well. As for the girl, she was a brawler, and probably the best fighter in the group. She hadn't done much yet but later on (past the end of the dream, but I just knew it) she'd get a power suit similar to the first guy's that fit her, and her skills would be vital to getting them somewhere safe, where they make contact with the dregs of local humanity, most of the good fighters were long dead before mankind came up with a good way of fighting the machines... So anyway, my question is, if I were to write it should I write the 3 of them as a 3 some?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

consider this story from associated press. A carjacker tries to steal a car.

Fortunato said the 53-year-old woman was in line at an Arby's Roast Beef Restaurant about 1:30 a.m. Monday when Chestnut walked up and pointed a gun at her, demanding their money and the car.

When he leaned inside, aiming the gun with one hand and trying to yank her out with the other, the 17-year-old grabbed the gun, Fortunato said. He said it went off once as they strugged, but did not hit anyone. Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times, Fortunato said.

In reply to It would have been safer to hand over the keys and let the gunman drive off, Sheriff Harry Lee said Monday. I would have to reply, safer, perhaps, but not safe. He might not shoot you, but he may. His methodology was violent, he was manhandling her out of the car, and well, he could have easily decided to shoot her once out of the car.

Every time someone resists violence and wins, the odds of that violence continuing is lessened. Besides, now the insurances doesn't have to pay for the car. If it even would. Ultimately, that should save everyone a little money.

I dreamed that I was someone different, that some woman had involved in me something strange. I was on a field trip? to New York city, to which I haven't been in real life. The guy who was leading the field trip lead us all into the elevator - but somehow no one else managed to get on. One of the other teachers? chaperons? guides? Shook their head, we watched the elevator and saw that it stopped on the 5th floor. So as many people as could got into the next one. But there was a film/news crew filming something in the elevator. The anchor/actor left, but the camera men stayed. When the elevator stopped I got off.. and was in a hotel room, a rather nice one. My father- who was pretty much completely different than my real one, but I wasn't me either, talked to me though a laptop that was sitting on the bed, telling me that I had to collect these.. Nodes? He didn't explain very well and I'm not even sure that was the right word. He mentioned it several times, and you could here the emphasis in his voice was in whatever those things were, and had nothing to do with me. The first was in the room, and the second I'd find by eating a lot? anyway, I woke up a few minutes after that, but still have no idea what was going on.

China slave scandal brings resignation calls

Local news media have been unusually blunt in demanding answers from the government and calling for resignations.

I guess sometimes you have to let a yapping dog yap, but believe me, party leaders signed off on this.

Iran says Russia may not let U.S. use Azeri radar. Not that we care. Because we're developing nuclear power only for peaceful purposes. It's just the principle of the thing is all. Is it a question of let though? America can make it's own deals, an if worse came to worse, could easily take the station, the entire country by force. No time in the near term will the US even have 1/10th of the capacity to knock down all of Russia's missiles. But it doesn't take many to be able to knock out the near term capacity of threatening 3rd world countries, and that's what this is all about.

Ah the most extreme forms of socialism. The politics of the people. And because the government is "the people's government." Those people who think differently than the government are going against the will of the people. This mandate somehow maintains itself even when no one is left among the people who actually believe in it.

In Venezuela protests are still going on over the Axing of more or less the last free TV station. Hugo says this is good because it shows that Venezuela is a democracy. Also. He says no further permits should be granted. Because, you know. It's possible to be too democratic.

Also.. what is it with the more extreme socialists claiming anyone who works against them is a Fascist. There is a middle ground, and they aren't it.

Laurie's been on an anti-wheat flour kick lately. So. I'm making Bagels. demi-wheat bagels.

8 oz water
2 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Cup GLUTEN FREE ALL PURPOSE BAKING FLOUR
1/3 cup oats
1/2 cup oat flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum
1 1/2 tbsp honey
and 2 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast


throw all that into the bread machine on the dough setting

then after it's done, divide into 10 pieces, roll into rope, from into bagels, let rise 30 minutes, drop them 2-3 at a time in boiling water 1 1/2 minute to the side, drain, stick on a lightly greased baking sheet, cook for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

for for the report on the tastiness of what comes out in a few hours...

I plan to top them with toasted sesame seeds, if you're playing along at home.

20 minutes into it, the dough is rather a light brownish color and sort of smells a bit beany. But then, most every no-wheat or low wheat recipe looks, and usually tastes strange before you cook it. The cookie dough is uneatable until you cook it, for instance. The water seems to be spot on, but I wasn't overly careful measuring the flour, so as usual you may want to start at 6 oz and work your way up.

edit: dough appears somewhat dry and hasn't risen as much as expected. added about 1 1/2-2 oz of water and restarted the process. Will most likely take it out in 20-30 minutes.

edit2: somewhat disappointing rise, much less than when I substituted a substantial amount of rice flour. Not flat, though. I've shaped the dough and it's in it's final pre-boil rise.

edit3: After eating- tasted.. like Bagels. Unexceptional, a bit on the dense side, but not very. No distracting notes that made them unappropriated for what we filled them with, eggs, steak and cheese.

Last night I dreamed that the cast of Scoobie Doo was at an Anime Con. They didn't go to the cos play because they'd already gone that year. The staff asked Fred if he'd do something about this monster that was under the lake. He agreed, saying "don't worry, I can hold my breath for 10 minutes." Then he winked and told "the gang" that he could really hold his breath for fifteen minutes. Then he dove down, along with Velma. They found this dining room table under the the lake, stocked with food. Sitting on the edge of it was a blue highlighter. A few minutes later the staff of the con showed up.. and the con had been over for a while. Fred asked if it was a ghost table. The staff agreed that it was. He said he knew it. because of the blue high lighter. If it had been a purple highlighter, the explanation would have been different. They'd been doing it for so long that they always knew the answer, you see. Only Shaggy and Scoobie were actually alive anyway. They were invited to eat. They all sat down and started eating. They were asked about the monster and said they couldn't find it, that they thought that it should be right there. And then they were all wait. And counted the people at the table. There were twelve. In magic marker, the number 11 was written. One of the staff was sucked under the table, moving in a quick, but creepily bulbous was an air bubble. Velma? put her hands together like a wine glass and the monster was sucked into it, being compressed into a little crystal. Some of the staff is distrustful of it being bound like that, instead of destroyed. Velma? says she's not strong enough to destroy it, and that it'll dissipate after 400 years, and they can just toss it in a land fill, or a wizard could use it as a catalyst. At some point after that, one word just gets repeated over and over again right before I wake up, with speech going on poetically timed behind it- which I can't make out.

The word is

Amano. Amano. Amano. Amano. Amano. It was some part of the brain. Although I was conscious that it sounded like the Japanese painter.

Reid says U.S. strike on Iran would be destabilizing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected on Monday another prominent senator's call for a military strike against Iran, saying a U.S. attack would destabilize the Middle East.

That prominent senator, which is strangely missing from the first sentence, of course being Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
...

you mean Pakistan - where the leadership has been under constant threat of assassination (not that it couldn't use changing, but the assassins are worse) (not to mention the smoldering semi-border war with India, with whom there have been threats of a Nuclear shooting war...., Iran - who has had a rebellion bubbling under the surface for years now, waiting to pop, Palestinian - where the bad guys and the worse guys run the place, and they're shooting each other when they're not shoot Israel. Or Saudi Arabia, where they smilingly sell us oil then turn around and use the money to promote the worst form of militant Islam, or Israel, who of their neighbors ironically only really have more or less civil relations with Egypt, or Afghanistan, who's old government and tribal policies seek a violent return to the 6th century, but with machine guns... or Lebanon - Hezbollah would love another shooting match with Israel, ... even the moderately stable Egypt isn't all roses. And Turkey, proud owner of perhaps the most secular government in the middle east (Besides Israel) - even it has worries over the religious seizing power.

An attack on Iran wouldn't really destabilize the middle east. a random and concerted bombing campaign of a country selected using darts would hardly effect the over all regional stability, but an attack on Iran now would only effect the stability of Iran- since none of it's neighbors are in a position to attack it- besides Israel, and well, Iran is two countries away, so it would be somewhat difficult to wage a land war.... Want to talk destabilizing? Iran with Nuclear weapons. As long as the people running the country want to blow up one of their neighbors, letting them have Nuclear weapons is a pretty bad idea.

In general, when the logic of MAD doesn't work, the party for whom it doesn't work needs to be crippled for everyone's safety.

From the LA Times: Albania makes Bush feel at home

It was a unique day in the recent history of the Bush presidency: The U.S. leader, whose stops in Italy and Germany earlier on this trip prompted massive demonstrations against him and the Iraq war, could not suppress a satisfied smile as Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha called him "the greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times."

Be honest. That's a reception more welcoming than a room full of republicans the day after the 2000 elections. If they really wanted to make him feel at home, rather than shaking his hand more than a few of them would probably have to have tomatoes. The US media has been rather relentlessly anti-Bush from the get-go.

This isn't really a case of welcoming Bush, they're welcoming the American Dream.. it just happens that he is the one who wears the mantle of that dream at this time. Interesting the author of the article invoked the specter of the Iraq war when the article is about people who'd shuffle across a glass shard floor naked toward the light of Freedom. There are some who can still see the faint glow of liberty's torch in the distance, and reach out toward it. The idea of spreading democracy is a principle reason that we still have soldiers there. Having the goal of spreading democracy seems to be a horrible reason to vilify a man.
...

From The telegraph

Although The Sopranos is about to reach its on-screen climax, sightseeing fans are expected to continue their pilgrimages with the specialist On Location Tours company for a long time. British enthusiasts are already the largest national contingent on the bus tours and the company expects another burst of interest when the final season is screened later in Britain.

The British have among the strongest anti-gun, anti-weapon, and anti-self defense laws in the free world, and have enough security cameras in place that the population should rightly wonder if they're in The Truman Show, not to mention a state policy that makes self defense imprudent. I wonder, if their interest in this particular show could be linked to a wish to live in somewhat more dangerous times.

Well. Times are dangerous. Of course. But the thing that makes danger enjoyable is control. Otherwise roller coasters wouldn't be very enjoyable.

^^