I mentioned the other day that I could smell a taste of autumn in the air. I got a good dose this morning…the temperature read out on the bank across the street says it’s 33 degrees. Of course I fell asleep with every fan in the house on and I’m freezing my ass off now.
I am SO not ready for winter.
No TagsI’ve been wondering how long it would take before this started to happen.
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — A militant Islamic prison gang may have been behind an alleged plot to attack synagogues and National Guard installations on Jewish holidays or the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, investigators said.
The group — known as Jamat Ul-Islam Is Saheeh, or JIS — is headed by an inmate at the California State Prison, Sacramento, law enforcement officials said. It has existed for about five years and is one of at least three Islamist groups operating in state prisons, officials said.
The fastest growing Muslim population is the PRISON population. Isn’t THAT comforting?
No TagsI came across a pretty interesting article this morning that caught my attention.
DENVER, Colorado (AP) — If a group of prominent ecologists have their way, lions and elephants could someday be roaming the Great Plains of North America.
The idea of transplanting African wildlife to this continent is being greeted with gasps and groans from other scientists and conservationists who recall previous efforts to relocate foreign species halfway around the world, often with disastrous results.
This is going to get many pairs of panties - on BOTH sides - in a wad. Let me start by saying that I am a humanist. I’m all for animal and habitat conservation, but not at the expense of human lives OR livelihoods. I also believe that there IS a middle ground somewhere and we need to work harder to find a way to meet both goals. Ecological parks and preserves are the way to go because they create jobs and tourism dollars while also keeping the animals in ONE specific area.
On the surface, I think transplanting species to similar habitats available in other countries is a great idea. Africa can’t seem to keep poaching under control in their own country. To be fair, they’ve got bigger fish to fry than animal conservation with HIV/AIDS, famine, civil war taking up the little resources they have. I’ve long held the opinion that the ONLY good thing about Africa is it’s wildlife.
If there’s ONE country on the face of the earth that can do something before animals such as the African lion or elephant become extinct in the wild, it’s the United States. Our wildlife agencies are better equipped and prepared than any similar agencies in the world. The US has the money, manpower and goodwill to pull off such a stunt.
Now, the reality. Ask any Aussie about introduced species and you’re liable to get an earful. Rats, canetoads, wild pigs, camels and goats are all introduced species in Australia and all are wreaking havoc on the natural ecosystem. The hooved beasts are all tearing up the landscape, the canetoads are poisoning wildlife that is already threatened and endangered and rats are eating everything in site. What would happen here in the US if we were to introduce herds of African elephants? These are the largest land mammals on earth and each can eat up to 300 pounds of foliage a day. Their feet can trample acres upon acres of land every day. They travel for miles every day. Can we provide large enough spaces for them and how would those spaces be maintained? How much human interference is necessary before an ecological preserve starts to be just a really BIG zoo? And how does one keep an elephant behind imaginary lines anyway? The last time I checked, when an elephant wants to go somewhere, there’s not a hell of a lot that is going to stop it. And I’m sure that the local farmers and cattle ranchers are going to have a lot to say about the introduction of predators such as lions and tigers.
What’s going to happen when these animals breed beyond the borders of the preserves? Will we be willing to hold seasonal hunts on them like we do deer and bear or will the PETA fruitcakes succeed in making sure that doesn’t happen? If we introduce these species and they end up thriving, what will the impact be on our native species? Will it stop with just the elephants and lions, or will we import other animals like zebras and gazelles? What about the snakes and lizards of Africa? I’m pretty sure THIS guy would have something to say about gaboon vipers, mambas and boomslangs cozying up in his backyard with the copperheads and rattlesnakes.
Where would it stop? Would we start importing species from other endangered ecosystems to similar environments in the US? I’m quite sure that the Siberian Tiger would do well where I live, but I’m equally sure that I’ve already got my hands full with bears and coyotes in my backyard.
The african elephant is probably my favorite animal of all. There are less than 500,000 left in the wild and it breaks my heart to think that I might live long enough to see the wild population die out. I admire their family groups, their grieving process when one dies or is killed. I most admire their protectiveness of their young. I would do most anything to insure that my grandchildren would be able to live in a world that included elephants in their natural habitat.
However, I seriously question the wisdom behind ’scientific’ ideas such as this.
No TagsHead on over to NK News. From Reuters:
Launched in May, www.nk-news.net boasts of having nearly every KCNA article since December 1996 — “over 50 megabytes of hard-core Stalinist propaganda … each article written in the unique and indelible style of the KCNA.”
Good stuff right there.
UPDATE: Before leaving that site, check out the Random Insult Generator. My favorite?
You politically illiterate political dwarf, we will transform your country into a sea of fire!
No TagsI think from the moment I was born, I was a daddy’s girl. I worshipped the ground that man walked on…in my mind, he hung the moon and stars just for ME. He taught me how to fish and took me camping and hiking. He taught me to rollerskate, encouraged me to take stuff apart to see what it did and taught me the basics of electronics. He encouraged every hair-brained idea I ever had about what I wanted to be when I grew up and made me truly believe that there was nothing I couldn’t do if I put my mind to it.
Unfortunately, he was a sickly man by the time I came into the world. He had had diabetes for many years and it was just beginning to affect his eyesight when I was in second grade. There were many hospital stays and laser operations on his eyes, but it was inevitable. He was totally blind by the time I was in fourth grade. Even as an adult, I can’t imagine what he was going through as his sight failed. Dad was probably one of the most good natured human beings I’ve ever known in my life, and he handled the loss of his sight with grace and humor. Living with a newly blind person is tragedy and comedy all rolled into one. You learn that crying over spilled milk really does happen sometimes. You learn, the hard way, to remember to take the spoon OUT of the coffee cup before you put it in the microwave. And you learn to make sure that you don’t leave your rollerskates in the middle of the hallway…EVER.
I grew up quickly during that period of my life. Since my mother worked second shift, I had to learn how to cook for my dad and I. I had to fill his insulin needles, always being vigilant to not allow any air bubbles in the syringe. I had to watch for the signs of early insulin shock, in case he missed them himself. Through it all, we kept each other safe and in good humor.
The diabetes continued to get worse and eventually affected his heart. He had a series of strokes…each harder to come back from than the last. He died of a heart attack when I was 12 years old…23 years ago this month.
No TagsI caught the faintest whiff of autumn on the wind this morning. There’s a tree on the hill across the river that has a yellowish tinge. The kids are getting antsy and have less patience with each other. Summer is almost over.
Autumn is my favorite time of year, but I’ll be sad to see this summer end. Next year might very well be even worse.
I’ve been lucky enough to have my current job for most of my kids’ lives. I’m able to work primarily from home, with a little traveling and whole lot of odd hours. It has served my combined needs to make money while not ditching my kids on a babysitter, but I have no desire to do this particular job for the rest of my life. I graduate at the end of next year and I’ve got to do some hard thinking about what I really want to do. Part of me wants to just get a normal 9-5 job working for someone else. The other part of me thinks that I’ll be incredibly bored after pretty much having my own business all of this time.
The end of summer used to be a relief. I could see a light at the end of the tunnel when I’d have a few kid-free hours every day to get work done. But as they’ve gotten older and become less needy, I find that I don’t mind having them home.
No TagsI’m generally a peace loving, level-headed, no bullshit person. I enjoy a debate now and then and can usually find common ground with anyone. I’m not so wrapped up in my own little world that I can’t realize that the world does NOT revolve around me and my opinions. I refuse to drill down human interactions based solely on political or social opinions…because after all is said and done, no ONE person is going to change the world with their opinions. If someone can debate with me without resorting to name calling and questioning my intelligence simply because I don’t agree, they can expect the same in return. It’s called ‘common courtesy’ and the world would be SO much better off if everyone observed such social norms.
I choose to live MY life by those rules. Most of the time, I succeed at it. Sometimes, I don’t. I will sometimes choose to ‘turn the other cheek’ and get on with life…most of the time, I’ll say ‘fuck it’ and forget about it. However, there are TWO things that will turn me into the most vindictive and vicious woman you will EVER have the displeasure of meeting. First, don’t ever try to bully me. Bullies don’t intimidate me…the only thing they do is make me want to show them how to REALLY bully someone. I don’t intimidate easily…never have, never will.
Secondly, don’t ever try to get to me through my children. EVER. Under any circumstances. I WILL hurt you in ways that you simply can’t imagine. NO ONE in their right minds would ever awaken the psycho-mother in me. The psycho-mother has only ONE function: to cause MUCH pain and destruction. You see, all of that anger and frustration that I squash down while dealing with day-to-day human stupidity gets stored inside the psycho-mother, where it festers and boils constantly. There is no pressure-release valve on the psycho-mother. Mama bears, women scorned and nuclear devices ain’t got nuthin on her.
It is only through sheer strength of will that I keep the psycho-mother in check…and I pity the dumb fucker who lets her loose.
No TagsListen up, people. I’m going to clue you in on a little something. Do you know how incredibly easy it is to track someone down with just an IP address? For those that have the knowledge, it’s a walk in the park. See, I take that little fingerprint that you leave on my site, and I feed it into a little program that tells me your name and what internet server you are on. And then I take you name and I feed it into a national credit database, cross reference it with your internet provider, and VOILA! I have your address, phone number, last known employer and basically ANYTHING else I need to know.
Now, armed with this information, I can do MANY things. I can contact your internet provider and have your account shut down for harassment. That’s the least I can do. I can ALSO contact your employer. I can ALSO report you to the cops. I can ALSO call your home. I can ALSO visit your home.
Since I am typically a laid back, easy going kinda gal, I’m most likely to just report you to your internet provider. However, I DO ocassionally get a hair across my ass and get vindictive, in which case, it’s not inconceivable that I wouldn’t make a short phone call to your employer…or the police.
Hit me on the wrong day, however, and there’s NO telling what I might do.
The bottom line is this: before you go shitting all over someone’s blog, you might want to stop and think to yourself “Do I REALLY want to fuck with someone that might be CRAZY enough and knowledgable enough to end up on my front doorstep?”. That is essentially what COULD happen if you’re stupid enough to believe that you can hide behind fake names and numerous email addresses.
So, now I’m asking you, Beth…do YOU want to FUCK with ME? I’ve had your IP address, name and home address since your first visit. I drove incredibly close to your home on my last visit to NY.
THINK about it before you EVER insult my children again.
No Tags You are pure, moral, and adaptable. You tend to blend into your surroundings. Shy on the outside, you’re outspoken to your friends. You believe that you live a virtuous life… |
I question the ‘pure’ description, but the rest of it is pretty accurate.
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