October 2003 Archives

Friday, October 31, 2003

Minister aims to put anti-gay monument in Idaho

from the Idaho Statesman;

A minister known for his fiery rhetoric against homosexuals and who unsuccessfully fought to erect an anti-gay monument in Casper, Wyo., is now turning to the tiny town of Rupert.

The Rev. Fred Phelps asked Minidoka County Commissioners this week to buy a small section of the courthouse lawn for the same monument rejected by Casper?s city leaders on Tuesday.

He got the idea after learning that Rupert?s local American Legion post was seeking to buy the land for a Ten Commandments monument. American Legion members hoped that by purchasing the land, they could display the biblical message without violating the separation of church and state.

...Phelps, 73, of Topeka, Kan., said he was unconcerned that his anti-gay message could prevent the Ten Commandments from being displayed in Rupert, a community of 5,645 people about 165 miles southeast of Boise.

"My message is infinitely more important than the Ten Commandments, because nobody is delivering it," Phelps said. (emphasis mine)

Another very scary, very spooky story for Halloween. And I for one would not want to be standing next to this assclown when he repeats his thought about being more important than the Ten Commandments. Lightning can cause collateral damage and this hateful sumbitch is the most deserving candidate for a dose that I know right now!

Oh this gets my dander up!

Nate 8:09 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Polygamist pleads guilty to incest from the Salt Lake Tribune, by Stephen Hunt
Here's a scary Halloween story...

Asked by the judge to state the facts supporting his plea, Kingston said: "I had a relationship, a sexual relationship, with LuAnn for about four years. That relationship ended about four years ago."

He added that LuAnn Kingston is "my mom's sister's daughter, so she is a first cousin."

After the hearing, LuAnn Kingston, now 23, said it was "kind of a shock to hear him actually admit to it. He's never admitted to anything like that before."

Jeremy Kingston was arrested three months ago at the Kingston clan's annual Pioneer Day celebration in Bountiful, where about 800 family members had gathered.

The estimated 1,200 Kingston family members who make up the Latter Day Church of Christ quietly run numerous businesses -- with an estimated worth of $150 million -- along the Wasatch Front and elsewhere in Utah.

Ya can't make stuff up that's stranger than the truth folks.
Nate 9:51 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, October 30, 2003
The Camel-Toe Report

All my prayers answered
A shrine to the puffy pelt
Camel Toe dot Org

Ahem. Soft drink/coffee/monitor/keyboard interference alert, if you're not too prudish.
Nate 8:26 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Punkin Chunkin Champ to Defend Title

HOWELL, Mich. - Most people prefer them baked in pies or decoratively carved. But for Bruce Bradford, the preferred method of serving up pumpkin is to have it shot out of an air cannon. That is, after all, how he became the world champion of Punkin Chunkin ? a sport where winning is a matter of distance, not taste.

This Halloween, Bradford will defend his title at the Punkin Chunkin World Championship in Delaware's Sussex County. His team triumphed in the air cannon division last year after the pumpkin they shot out of their cannon sailed 4,594 feet. (emphasis mine)

Ya know, some day I am going to take some vacation days to go see this fun. I've seen it on tv, heard about it on the radio, even talked to one of the competitors on the telephone. And of course punkin chunkin is well documented on the web. But I really want to go see thses guys playing live.

And I'd love to be able to play with them too but the BSU says I can't have an 18,000 pound, 100 foot barreled cannon in my driveway. Which is why I have to satisfy urge to blast food using my potato cannon. And I promise to get a picture of my current spud gun for the one of you that asked about it.
Nate 10:17 AM - [Link] Say something...
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ITS SNOWING!
And not just up in the mountains, just outside the window that I can see through if I turn left leaving my cell! Er, cubicle...
Nate 10:02 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Apologies to both (all seems presumptious) for the lack of posting yesterday. I got busy and there were multiple meetings and then some lunch and later bs sessions in the cubical and pretty soon the whole day got away from me. And I didn't even turn on my 'puter at home last night at home, which is very unusual but again, I just got busy with real life and overlooked blogging.

And I've got nothing interesting to say right now either. I am formulating my scary story for the 2nd Annual Axis of Weevil Story Telling Festival, which is a true story BTW and I'll try to write it today in a way to make it interesting to all. One of my readers here will be able to vouch for the factuality of the story once its published, if they choose.

So I'll be getting back to work and I'll try to find something interesting to share later today.
Nate 8:11 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, October 28, 2003
By the way, in preparation for the Halloween Trick or Treaters that come around my humble abode, I thought aloud that maybe I could use my potato cannon to launch the little packets of Sweet Tarts to the urchins in the street. Its always my job to sit there, upstairs, away from the television set and hand out the candy. But think how much more fun it would be if I just launched handfuls of candy packets out over the yard and into the waiting hands of the goblins and ghosties and cowboys and Square Bob Sponge Pants characters passing by in the street.

BSU says I can't use the potato cannon but instead have to hand out candy the traditional way... Rats!
Nate 2:33 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Busy today with meeting preparations and charts and conference calls and trying to get a dozen people from 4 organizations and 5 countries all seated at one conference table at the same time. Very much the proverbial "herding cats" exercise. Hardest part is actually arranging a room as they are at a premium. Oh, and I have another meeting, for a different program, at 6 AM tomorrow! Yikes that's early!

And the parts, the parts that the supply system promised back in 2001 would be plentiful by 2003, are not plentiful. They lied. The parts are not on the shelf, not backordered and not on anybody's radar to get ordered! And there are F16s sitting, unflyable for a want of a light lens. Can't fight or go to war or train because somebody in the supply chain didn't get the lights on contract with the only vendor that makes them in time to prevent the airplanes from being grounded.

I've been working on that situation today too.

Surprisingly, I have had no fallout from my little email response from yesterday.

I've also noticed a dropoff in the number of comments being left on my blog. Even when I leave you pretty pictures to look and and remark upon. I think that means that I'm getting fewer return visitors and friends stopping by and more folks googling in for arcane reasons like AMC Pacer wiring diagrams. Don't be shy. Take a minute to say hi. I'll feel better for it.
Nate 1:49 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, October 27, 2003
This email could be problematic...

FROM THE F16 NETWORK SUPPORT DESK: As of today YP Internet traffic is going to being monitored 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Every web-site that you visit is going to be logged and stored. The base is running a spy-ware tool (Pest-Patrol) on all of our systems. (They will continue to do this indefinitely) This is to prevent some illegal software from being installed. It helps prevent against some types of viruses. It also helps prevent the wrong people from getting information about you and your computer. (I.E. credit card numbers, Bank Account numbers, files from your system, etc....)


Arrh! I guess I'll see what's possible and what's not. But if they get serious about counting hits to pages, I'm gonna have to knock it off...

Dang computer geeks anyway!

Nate 3:22 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Gadget may wreak traffic havoc

Tired of sitting at endless red lights? Frustrated by lights that turn from green to red too quickly, trapping you in traffic?

Now anyone can breeze through congested intersections just like the police, thanks to a $300 dashboard device that changes traffic lights from red to green, making nasty commutes a thing of the past and leaving other drivers open-mouthed at your ability to manipulate traffic.


Ya know, I've got a Palm PDA with software that lets me change the channel on essentially any television set I can see. I'll bet if I just upgraded the 3 volt system with 12 volts, and installed a higher power LED in the front I might just be able to replicate this machine!

Still not as good as my idea for a handheld directional electromagnetic pulse device though...

Nate 3:08 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Well I've done it this time! I've kicked an anthill just to see what happens! Through the AF email system I received an email that went out to 400 people in the basewide organization, one of those "Security Awareness- Everyone Must Know This Right Now!" type panicy rumors that too frequently are NOT true, get passed around the internet and make it into corporate policy. Here's some of the email:

This is right from Security Forces, and the source who stated the information.
N

Hello All,

Regarding magnetically encoded hotel room key cards...

I telephoned Pasadena Police Department this morning. Because this is a huge OPSEC issue for everyone, not just the Air Force, mine was not the first telephone call regarding it. I said no more than my name and that I worked OPSEC, and the person I talked to asked if I was calling about hotel keys. I was told that the initial report is accurate. I was also told that they have revisited the issue and discovered that it is no longer being done. Pasadena PD's claim is that the report originated from a training session. During this session, at least one person from Pasadena PD saw firsthand what type and how to collect information from a magnetically encoded hotel room key card. Pasadena PD did not disclose to me how long ago or by whom the training was provided.

The closest thing to official policy I have seen on this matter is roughly, "Take it for what it's worth, make your own decision."

KARL AXXXXX
Security Specialist

Well I couldn't let this bit of junk gain any more credibility and it took me less than a minute to find this link and this one discrediting this rumor.

And I sent the email back to the person that sent it to me by clicking the "reply to all" button...


Nate 11:20 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Sunday, October 26, 2003
This report from Little Green Footballs makes my blood boil!

I know this world is not a friendly place. I know that there will always be disagreements, disparities and turmoil. But this level of hatred is hard for me to accept. It makes my stomach hurt.
Nate 8:31 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Just for the record, here's a picture of my front yard right now. I didn't make this yard art, we bought them a number of years ago.

I think they may have earned a repainting after this year.
Nate 8:11 PM - [Link] Say something...
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My Pilgrim Children are done! At least the first set is ready for display. What do you think of them? I have found a suitable turkey, courtesy of Google and with a little help from Kinko's have it blown up to a large enough size. Though BSU disagrees, she wants it BIGGER! But the size I have fit on the scraps of the plywood from the pilgrims! Making the turkey means buying more plywood and I just didn't feel like it today.

Just back from the movies; we saw Secondhand Lions. Enjoyable but no Academy nominee. At least not from me. BSU liked it better.

So tell me what you think of my Pilgrim Kids.
Nate 8:04 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Saturday, October 25, 2003
`Gilligan's Island: The Musical' opens as real Mary Ann watches

Birmingham theater patrons had a chance to see "Gilligan's Island: The Musical" on opening night in the company of the Mary Ann they remember with such fondness from the television series in the 1960s. Watching the CenterStage production at the Virginia Samford Theatre was actress Dawn Wells, best known for her portrayal of Mary Ann, the sweet Kansas farm girl shipwrecked on Gilligan's Island.

I sure hope Terry didn't miss a chance to take Miz Reba out for a fancy dress night!
Nate 9:10 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, October 24, 2003
Warren Miller's Journey

In spite of the fact that we went to the theater last night in shirtsleeves, ski season MUST be near because it was Warren Miller movie night last night! It was son Noah, buddy Brian and your humble scribe out again as a group and getting antsy for the snow to start piling up.

The movie was excellent and a great time though not quite as overwhelming as other years. A definite wild ride though and worth the cost of admission. This year we went to the 6PM show instead of the late show as is our usual and I won't make that mistake again. Early shows means family's with kids, the late show is filled up with rowdies chanting for powder and is a bunch more fun for it.

So its just one month away from a potential ski season beginning and the forecast actually looks kinda bleak. It better snow dangit!

Nate 1:37 PM - [Link] Say something...
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I know this is going to make me sound like even more of a dork than usual, but I need your help. I want a yard art pattern of a turkey. A Thanksgiving gobbler, somewhat cartoonish in appearance and still standing on his feet, not plucked, golden brown and with his drumsticks tied up behind.

I'm working on a piece of yard art right now, (there will be two of these when I'm finished), a pilgrim boy and girl holding a "Happy Thanksgiving" sign. I would like a turkey to go in the yard with them.

But I can't find a turkey pattern. Not in my local craft stores and not online. Pumkins, scarecrows, reindeer and candy canes, I can find those. But I can't find a turkey.

So if you know where I can find one, leave me a comment or send me a link or something. And my yard will be cute for Thanksgiving.
Nate 10:04 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Paul Harvey speaks at the Landon Lecture Series, Sept. 19, 2003

Self-government requires self-discipline. Years before 9-11 traditional American freedoms had been abridged. Back then you were not free to go out and get on an airliner without submitting yourself to search and your luggage, and if indicated, your underwear. Why? Because there's some dictator in Washington determined to dictate? No, that's not why, it's simply because we had a handful or airheads running around a long time before Saddam Hussein. We had a handful of loony birds with guns and knives and homemade bombs long before New York's tragedy of 9-11. We've had American sickies hiding razors in apples so that whole states had to outlaw Halloween. And they've taken away our fireworks. They've threatened to take away our guns because some misuse theirs, and it's not because there's tyranny in government, it's because -- no, it's not because of the Taliban -- it's because there is anarchy in the unbuttoned brains of a handful of looney birds who don't deserve to be free so the rest of us can't be, and it's down that road that whole nations go from regulation to regimentation to tyranny.[emphasis mine]

There's more good stuff in the whole thing.
Nate 8:10 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, October 23, 2003
Busy today. And not much to say as well. Seems to be a boring day in the news except for the "300 Wal-Mart employees arrested" headlines, which is a lie really because they are employed by a contractor. So its a non-story as far as I'm concerned.

My brain is tired and I just don't have much to say or to comment on. Maybe tomorrow after I go see the Warren Miller ski movie tonight. And my Kel-Tec pocket pistol is nearly paid for, I'm getting anxious for that.

So don't give up hope for new stuff here just yet. Hell, send me some inspiration!
Nate 12:56 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Woman peels apple on airline flight from Musings of The GeekWithA.45


"Until every commercial cargo and passenger plane takes off with a trustworthy armed American on board, domestic anti terror initiatives are bullshit, posturing and pretense."

Yup.

Nate 9:16 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, October 21, 2003
My other computer is a Macintosh from Snooze Button Dreams. Go see what Jim found today!

And on a weird note, my computer at work will not refresh SBD! It either shows the Poopie haiku or the Dreaded Post, both from back on the 16th! So I have to come home to read all the good stuff I've been missing.

Nate 5:21 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Its been a very busy day today and the fun continues throughout this week. I actually prefer work to keep me mentally and actively involved even if it does detract from my blog reading and posting. There's good stuff afoot here though even though it is mundane and intricate. So maybe there will be a little relief in the number of electrons sentenced to the purgatory of keeping this bit of gibberish alive on the web. Or, I'll goof off, surf for hours and dump on you the ephemeral effluvia that I find interesting!

Guess you'll have to keep coming back to see what happens!
Nate 3:55 PM - [Link] Say something...
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'You are not to reference the Constitution ... '

There's a lot more to this story and I can tell that I don't agree with everything that Rick Stanley promotes. But this story rings some disturbing bells in my head... Read it all...

Protesting a Denver ordinance against bearing arms, business owner and Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Rick Stanley late last year strapped on a hip holster bearing a .380 Beretta (fellow protester Duncan Philp chose a shoulder rig) during a Dec. 15 rally celebrating the 210th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.

He'd advertised what he was going to do and invited Denver police to come get him. They did. He was peacefully arrested by 18 officers, and brought to trial on May 15 in the municipal court of Judge Robert L. Patterson.

It was defense attorney Paul Grant's voir dire questioning of a potential juror who was also a police officer that gave the first indication of the way things were going to go in Judge Patterson's courtroom.

"I asked her when you became a police officer didn't you take an oath to protect and defend the constitutions of the United States and the state of Colorado. She said, 'I guess I did; I can't remember.' I asked her were you ever instructed in those constitutional rights, and she said no.

Stanley describes "pandemonium" erupting in the Denver courtroom halfway through his attorney's question, the city attorney leaping to his feet to object as the judge banged his gavel...

...The defendant and his attorney report that the judge said, "Then I'll explain it again. You are not to reference the Constitution in these proceedings. You will not address it in voir dire, you will not address it in your opening remarks, you will not ask any questions about the Constitution when you summon your witnesses, and you will not talk about the Constitution when you give your closing arguments. Do you understand my instructions?"

...But Judge Patterson rejected that defense argument along with all others, replying (according to Grant, Stanley and another witness) that precedents of the Colorado Supreme Court and even the Constitution of Colorado are not applicable in Denver, because Denver is a home-rule city.

..."As I understand it," Bryant recalls saying to Puckett, "Judge Patterson just said that because I live in Denver, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of Colorado do not protect any of my rights from the government of Denver. Is that your understanding? Is the city government free to deny all the rights secured to me by the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of Colorado, so long as they only do it here, in Denver?"

"Yes," Bryant claims he was told by Puckett. "The Constitution has no force or effect in Denver, because this is a home rule city." ...



As I said, there's more to this story. You can catch up if you're inclined over at Publicola.


Nate 10:52 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Sister of Boy Killed Speaks Out About Gun Violence KSL News:


A family still grieves after a South Jordan boy was accidentally shot and killed by his best friend last month. Now the little boy's sister is taking a stand against gun violence and telling people about the impact the shooting had on her family. She warns all gun owners it is their responsibility to make sure guns are safely out of reach of children.

...Melissa Owens lost her 12-year old brother Jake early last month. Today she helped plant 1000 daffodils at the Peace Gardens to honor those killed or injured by guns.

Jake and his 14-year old best friend were cleaning out a neighbor's garage in early September. The older boy found a loaded gun and moments later, while handling it, the gun went off; a bullet hit Jake in the head.

...Three times this year, and twice in September, Utah teens died in accidental shootings. More people were killed by firearms than in car crashes in 1998. Nationwide nearly 80 people die every day in firearm related incidents.

...GVPC aims to reduce gun violence in the state by addressing firearm suicide, access of firearms to children, and the toll gun violence takes on families and communities. Melissa Owens never thought much about gun violence until her brother was killed.

...Owens thinks her brother's death could have been avoided if gun ownership had been taken more responsibly, but the owner of the gun faced no charges. Now her family and the family of the boy who handled the gun will always feel the grief.

First, I have to say that is a sad thing when anyone's life is taken at such a young age. My heart goes out to this young man's family.

But. I got fired up last night when this story was told on KSL because they focused on the violence part of the story instead of the misuse and mishandling of the gun that killed Jake. It wasn't an act of violence that killed him, it was lack of respect for other people's property and a lack of common sense in gun handling.

Long story short- the two boys found the gun, loaded, under the front seat of a neighbor's car, while it was parked in his garage. The boys had permission to be around, they did chores and yardwork for this neighbor. But in an unattended moment they found his gun and began handling something dangerous and deadly, without proper instruction.

Jake, tragically, died.

We teach kids "stop, drop and roll" in grade school don't we?
Nate 7:48 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, October 20, 2003
Unbelievable

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - A French judge was placed under official investigation for "sexual exposure" in a courtroom, prosecutors said on Friday, after a newspaper reported the judge masturbated while a lawyer pleaded her case.


YUCK!

Reason #6,341 to love the French...

Nate 12:15 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Changes afoot at Kim's house Well if you haven't already read it, Kim is making radical changes to his blog. Its not going to be updated daily and the Gratuitous Gun Pics will be a thing of the past. THat's the bad news.

The good news is that Kim has a number of novels in work and the first one is due out shortly. I'll be watching for it because I will buy it and will be expecting a great read.

Check it out.

Nate 10:08 AM - [Link] Say something...
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SPEED STREET INDOOR RACEWAY Boy oh Boy! What fun this was!

Son Noah, Buddy Brian and your humble scribe headed out yesterday afternoon for a bit of new fun that recently arrived in our neighborhood. I found out about Speed Street through a Val-Pak coupon that arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago. I stopped in to check it out when I was down in the neighborhood last week and then KSL news did a 3 minute feature on these guys on the news, at 6 and 10 PM! So their business is booming and we decided we needed to jump in and play too.

Racing at Speed Street was a great time! We signed up as members and that got us a 10 minute race. Finishing that one we did a second 10 minutes after a soda and bench racing break. The kind proprieter of Speed Street even comped us for the second race because the computer that records lap times had failed during the first race. Whoo Hoo! A freebie, how great is that?

And he agreed to set up a real race with everyone starting from a waved flag after 3 warmup laps to determine starting position. This worked out well as I started from 3rd, passed into 2nd upon the flag drop and chased Son Noah for most of the race. It wasn't until a yellow flag came out allowing the field to bunch up that I was able to finally get past him when racing resumed. He was napping a bit and not watching that flagman close enough so I got the jump on him and beat him into the first turn. Another lap in I was passed by a young gal with a fierce driving style and an 80 pound weight advantage over me.

Noah did end up with faster lap times than me; (there's that weight advantage again), I think he had a 24.42 best, mine was 24.52.

But guess what... We'll be going back! And I'm going to try to organize an evening of racing for the Hill Ski Club gang.

Nate 8:01 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Sunday, October 19, 2003
Weird day in desert, Quirky race draws horde of riders The Salt Lake Tribune -- Janet Rae Brooks

They were dressed like princesses in tiaras and tutus, but Team Barbie planned to kick butt at this weekend's 24 Hours of Moab.

"Girls can have muscles and get dirty, as well as be pretty," said Kate Chapman, 17, who rode the first 14.9-mile lap for the Colorado team. Twelve-year-old Jozy Gessner, who took over from Chapman, was the race's youngest female competitor.

Promptly at noon Saturday, to the strains of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," a stampede of hundreds of bikers bolted from the start line in the desert about 12 miles south of Moab. Wearing bike helmets and dust masks, they sprinted about 100 yards, then turned and ran back to their waiting bikes to begin the country's toughest 24-hour bike race.

The LeMans-style start is designed to space out the field, which this year attracted a record 488 teams. Sixty-one men and nine women are racing the entire 24 hours solo. Nearly 1,800 riders are competing in teams of two, four or five.

The instant city that began springing up two weeks ago was filled with another 3,000 residents and visitors, including support crew and cheerleaders. Tents, teepees, trailers and RVs covered the red dirt plain, where cattle normally graze. The night before, the crowds had almost stripped Moab supermarkets bare of Gatorade and bottled water.

The gathering, held under sunny, cloudless skies, had all the verve and color of a European street fair, and boasted more lycra shorts per square foot than anyplace else on earth.

As team names went, Victory 2 Vagina was almost run-of-the-mill. There were also the Blazing Saddle Sores, the Weapons of Ass Destruction, and Nocturnal Mission. A men's masters team called themselves Too Young to Golf. Then there were Four Sausages and a Doughnut, Uno Testicali Tres Grande and Beer Eye for the Bike Guys. One team, unafraid to admit its weaknesses, chose Weak, Fragile, Inept and Scared.

The race, which is run by Granny Gear Productions, even had its own Granny. "Usually Granny would be racing, but we left my bicycle back in Virginia because we wanted to make it fair for everyone, and Granny is the best," said "Granny," who wore a prim black dress with white lace collar and cuffs. She also carried a parasol and had a sunflower stuck in her bike helmet.

Years past I have been down to this fantastic, fun event. Son Noah and I have even worked the timekeeping tables where the riders check in and out which is really the best volunteer duty to pull. It IS dusty under the big tent but exciting to be right in the thick of the adrenaline charged riders continually racing in to handoff to their waiting teammates.

The real madmen (and women) are the ones that do the entire 24 hours by themselves! And some of them do it on single-speed bikes! Yowsa! Way more capable than I ever will be. I have ridden the course before, after the race and it is a very strenuous mountain bike ride. It can put a whuppin on you, that's certain.

Anyway, obviously this year we did not go to Moab for the 24 Hours. Too many other things going on I suppose. Maybe next year.



Nate 9:39 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, October 17, 2003
Well its been a busy week even though the actual number of hours I've been here, in my chair producing charts and forms and such for the government have been fewer than normally required. Makeup time will be next week. I promise.

Especially since I have to be out this afternoon to run the BSU to another doctors appointment, this time in Salt Lake City. So blogging will be short and sweet today as later tonight is the Hill Ski Club's annual membership drive meeting. I'll be there, and Brian and the rest of the regulars and the folks that come to check out the club. Tonight's meeting will be at the Prairie Schooner restaurant, so there will be drinks and snacks and lots of schwag given away. Last year I won new goggles and matching beanie and a pair of skis! The skis actually turned into a new snowboard for son Noah but it was still a really nice freebie.

This weekend is also BSU's birthday and our 21st anniversary. So there will be some dining out and festivities related to those events. (Which if you are a new reader are on the same day.) We divorced back in 92 for a 6 month break, when we remarried, we did it on her birthday, simplifying my gift and date remembering immensely.

There is something else, still developing, related to one of my bloglist folks, Karen. You might remember that she is also from Ogden, the town I call home. Well come to find out there is lots more that we have in common. I'll try to write a little bit more about that in the near future.
Nate 11:54 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, October 16, 2003
I want one of these. Its a Stevens Favorite 22 caliber single shot rifle. I am going to buy one sometime soon and not one of the new Savage replicas but an original.

I especially want one particular rifle. It was last seen in Ohio many years ago. I suspect it is unique because the entire action was nickel plated and the stock was cut short for a boy. I'll pay a premium price for that gun because it was once my own, my first gun, given to me by my dad as a birthday present when I turned 12. The action was nickel plated by my Grandpa Harry after he machined a new firing pin when the original broke. The plating's not reflective like chrome, it was never polished out, just left silver colored.

I sold it years before I joined the USAF for gas money and some groceries to get me through until the next payday. And the XSU was very afraid of it being in the house so one weekend it had to go. Now I want it back.

So if you live in Ohio, probably in the northwest part of the state, and you find a Stevens Favorite that has been wrecked for collectors value, call me. Email me, send smoke signals, something! And if I don't find that gun in particular, I'm going to buy one anyhow.
Nate 10:21 PM - [Link] Say something...
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China reveals space station plan That's so 1962...

His flight makes China only the third country on Earth to have launched a man into space, some four decades after the former Soviet Union and the United States pioneered the feat.

Next- China produces the car of the future, the Corvair!
Nate 8:02 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Dammitall! Stupid Blog Studio just ate my first post in two days! And it included the words "bear poop formerly known as Timothy Treadwell." Rats!

I've been either busy with Real Life of apathetic about writing for a couple days now and finally, when I sit down with no other task at hand but to fill you in on my boring life, Blog Studio eats it. And now my time is short as I have to take BSU to a Dr's appointment and some ugly tests involving glow-in-the-dark barium and repeated x-rays. She's not happy thinkiing about it and she won't be happy either getting the tests or the suffering through the after affects.

Son Noah is still not enrolled in Job Corp. The recruiter/admissions person is a unorganized dolt with no apparent filing system or method of operation except to keep the folders from sliding off her desk. Noah needs to learn the importance of the squeaking wheel getting greased first when it comes to getting ahead in life. I've been sticking my nose in as much as I dare but he needs to get a bit more assertive about his own future.

Oh yeah. I sold the Baja yesterday. Its no longer blocking my carport. Bought three years ago as a father-sons project it almost worked, then fell off the interest table and became an unloved lump. So it has a new owner and I'll pay off a bill or two this week. Good!

So, I've got to run to get BSU to her tests. I'll be back later no doubt.
Nate 8:14 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, October 13, 2003
From the "letters we would like to see" department...
LARK Program
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20016
Dear Concerned Citizen:
Thank you for your recent letter criticizing our treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

My administration takes these matters seriously, and your opinion was heard loud and clear here in Washington.

You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like you, we are creating a new division of the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers" program, or LARK for short. In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place one terrorist under your personal care.

Your personal detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation under heavily armed guard to your residence next Monday.

Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of admonishment. It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers. We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter.

Ahmed's meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest serving meals that do not require utensils, particularly knives and forks. Also, these should be "one-handed" foods; Ahmed will not eat with his left hand since he uses it to wipe himself after purging his bowels (which he will do in your yard) - but look on the bright side... no increase in the toilet paper bill.

He generally bathes quarterly with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and he washes his clothes simultaneously. This should help with your water bill. Also, your new friend has a really bad case of body lice that hasn't been completely remedied.

Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage: "Does not play well with others." Although Ahmed is sociopathic and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will help him overcome these character flaws.
Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences. He will bite you, given the chance, but his rabies test came back negative, so not to worry.

We understand that you plan to offer counseling and home schooling. Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these skills at your next yoga group. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offend him.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters (except sexually) since he views females as a subhuman form of property. However, he will be eager to assist with the education of your sons; have available for their use several copies of the Q'uran. Oh - and rest assured he absolutely loves animals, especially cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted, but raw is fine, too, if they aren't more than 2 or 3 days dead.

Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you, who know so much, keep us informed of the proper way to do our job. We think this watching over each other's shoulder is such a good way for people to interact that we will be sending a team of federal officials with expertise in your line of work to your place of business soon, just to help you do your job better. Don't be concerned that they have the power to close your business, seize your property, and arrest you for any violation of the 4,850,206 laws, codes, regulations and rules that apply to your profession. They're really there just to make sure you're doing everything the proper way. That is what you wanted, right?

Well, thank you for this opportunity to interact with such a valued member of the citizenry. You take good care of Ahmed - and remember...we'll be watching.
Cordially...Your Buddy,
Don Rumsfeld
Nate 11:09 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Parents praise abducted son's smarts from the Salt Lake Tribune

Here's a scary story that turned out well, and with a bad guy in custody.

Dan and Amy Bladh choked back emotion as they expressed their gratitude to the police and the community for their support in finding their 5-year-old son who was abducted Thursday afternoon.

The boy, whose name is being withheld at the request of the family, was returned just hours later and is doing well, his parents said at a news conference in Mapleton on Sunday evening.

Investigators allege the boy, the second youngest of the five Bladh children, was kidnapped by 20-year-old Robert Allen Kartchner while walking home from school.

Authorities said Kartchner picked up the boy and drove 15 miles to the Diamond Fork campground, where he bound the boy's arms and legs with tape. The boy told authorities that Kartchner used a knife to cut his arms, neck and thigh, then choked him with his own shirt and left him in the woods. Two men working on a fence nearby spotted the boy hiding alongside a road around 7 p.m. The boy had managed to break free from the tape around his legs but his hands were still bound, police said.

Kartchner returned around 1 a.m. to the campground, where deputies recognized his truck from the description the boy gave to police. Investigators said that, during questioning, Kartchner confessed to kidnapping the boy.

"They knew who to look for from the information a 5-year-old gave them," said Amy Bladh, impressed that her son had the mental acuity to stay present, focused and alert throughout the ordeal. "Our son's a strong little boy. We think it is his faith that made a big difference," said Dan Bladh.

The boy told family members that he made it through the ordeal with prayer. "It's a positive story. It's a celebration. It's a good story with a happy ending," his mother said.

Dan Bladh said their routine would not change much at home, and that he would continue to reinforce the rules and values they have always taught their children. "To live in the world you've got to be conscious, but you can't live in fear," he said.

Police expect kidnapping and assault charges to be filed Friday. Kartchner is being held on $250,000 cash bail in the Utah County jail.

A toy drive has been established through Toys "R" Us stores by neighbor Amy Conners. Those wishing to donate toys to the boy can take items to any store through the weekend.

Well, as I said, its a good news story. The only thing I don't understand is the neighbor's toy drive for the little boy. I doubt he was wanting for toys and I don't see how a new truckload from Toys 'R' Us will ease the trauma of being kidnapped. Maybe a collection for a few weeks with a therapist would be a better idea...

Nate 9:31 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Sunday, October 12, 2003
Blogging here a has been light- ok, nonexistent yesterday. Sorry. Not feeling good and I spent almost all day on the couch. Not even going to the gun show today, though I could, but there's nothing I need until I get that new Kel-Tec paid for. Lucky for me there was a fine baseball game of the tv to entertain me when I wasn't snoozing. (Apologies to all that had a run-all-over-the-county type Saturday.)

Anyway, I need to go move the Baja out from under the carport and get a For Sale sign in its windshield. I've added a new link to my blog list today. Jim's a hoot to read and his SBD has become a daily stop for me. You might enjoy his writings too. Check it out.
Nate 11:20 AM - [Link] Say something...
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America's Fascination With Firearms by DAVID B. KOPEL

A very readable essay about America's gun-ownership history and the differences between "citizens" and "subjects."


Such preparations for civil defense are appalling to American gun-prohibition advocates and their international allies. At both the personal and the national level, Americans tend to expect to protect themselves by force, and Europeans tend to expect a superior entity to do it for them. The cultural differences between America and Europe are in some ways just as profound in the early twenty-first century as they were in the late eighteenth.


Share it with all your gun hating/fearing friends.
Nate 10:12 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, October 09, 2003
That's it! Closing time for me today. My apathy levels have peaked and I can't stay here another minute. Blogging will be from the spacious WE world headquarters in my basement for the next four days!

Too poor to take off and go camping this weekend unfortunately. And deer hunting season is in full swing so any campgrounds still open are crowded with camo-clad types and the BSU wouldn't get the experience she prefers. But Jim's home rifle range is open tomorrow morning and he has invited me back out for some friendly shooting. So there's that to look forward to. And I've got to find an excuse to fire up the air compressor!

Later.
Nate 3:23 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Woman shoots alleged abductor


Gary woman says she believed she was going to be killed.

MERRILLVILLE -- A 28-year-old Gary woman said she knew what it meant Tuesday when she noticed the man holding a gun to her head was wearing gloves.

She figured she was going to die.

"I've called police on him before. He's tried to threaten me and my entire family. ... He was going to kill me," she said. "He's a friend who wanted to be more than a friend, and it's not possible."

But, the outcome of the incident took a turn when the woman pulled out her own 9 mm pistol and shot her abductor in the mouth, police said.

The woman, ...said she hoped the three-hour ordeal would be the end of seven months of harassment.

...But once the security guard went back inside the building, the men allegedly blocked her vehicle again and forced her into their car at gunpoint.

She said they then drove to an isolated wooded area in Gary and parked, with one of the men continuing to point a gun at her head.

She said while her abductor rolled down the car window and was momentarily distracted, she pulled out a handgun she had on her hip.

"I shot him and took his gun," the woman said.

"I keep my gun on my hip, and I had it where I could ease it. It paid off. I had one in the chamber so I was able to get one round off," she said.

The woman said she started carrying the gun because of the harassment involving her abductor during the past seven months. She said she believes the man was wearing gloves because he intended to kill her and didn't want to leave fingerprints behind.

First; good for her! This woman to her own security seriously. She protected herself, kept her fear under control and acted forcefully at the correct time. She is alive and well and will have the chance to continue to be successful.

Secondly; Gary Indiana. Isn't that just right next to that handgun hating city of Chicago Illinois? You know it is. And while in this article there is no mention of the circumstances of this woman's purchase and possesion of a handgun, you have to consider the differences between the outcome in this story and this one. (With apologies as I cannot find an archived article to the actual news reporting of the story right now. The Chicago Tribune seems to not keep things beyond one month.)

So legal or not, (since we don't know), this woman armed herself because of a perceived threat. And she is alive today because she did. GOOD FOR HER!

As a side note, my Kel-Tec should be paid for in just another few weeks. I may have to name it Johnson as I intend to keep it just that close to hand...
Nate 2:37 PM - [Link] Say something...
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"If Quincy had eaten me, good, 'cause he's a nice bear."
from CNN.com

I told you he was a dumbass...

The remains of Treadwell, 46, and Huguenard, 37, both of Malibu, California, were found Monday at Katmai National Park and Preserve on the Alaska Peninsula. Treadwell was known for approaching, even touching, bears in the wild.

An air taxi pilot who arrived to pick up the couple contacted the National Park Service and troopers to report a brown bear was apparently sitting on top of human remains in the camp.

A ranger shot and killed a large brown bear when the animal charged at them through the dense brush. Troopers and rangers later killed a smaller bear apparently stalking them.

Troopers recovered video and still photography equipment as well as three hours of earlier video footage from the site, across Shelikof Strait from Kodiak Island.

Much of the footage is close-up shots of bears. Some scenes show bears no more than a few feet from Treadwell, co-author of "Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska." Others show a more timid Huguenard leaning away as bears come close to her on the bank of a river.

...Treadwell's family was in shock over the death. Why? Seems to me they should have been expecting it.

If I seem a little callous, I suppose I am. I don't tolerate idiots well.
Nate 12:37 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Teton Gravity Research - High Life

Last night was the official kickoff to ski season with a showing of TGR's latest ski movie High Life. Every year there is at least a Warren Miller movie to go see with friends, this year WSU's outdoor adventure club sponsored another movie. (That's Weber State BTW, not Weevil State.)

What a fun movie! If you are a skier you owe it to yourself to find a chance to see it. Huge drops, avalanches, steeps that look like building sides, powder so deep that people disappear, its all there on DVD.

Leave the kiddies home if you go to see this. Unlike Warren's movies, this one tends to highlight some apres-ski behavior you may not want them to emmulate. Like every ski film, the music is LOUD and some of it (most) is modern grunge noise and in a coouple cases inappropriate for younger kids.

But go see it yourself and get jazzed up for winter!
Nate 11:49 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Police get bonus arrest when resident protests from the Salt Lake Tribune

Its a stupid criminal story!


Officers knocked on the door of a residence near 500 North and 900 West around 5:30 p.m. with a warrant for a 38-year-old man. An 18-year-old man answered the door, confirmed that the wanted man lived there and allowed the officers to enter the home and have a look around, according to Lt. Doug Edwards of the Orem Police Department.

Once the officers found the man they were looking for, the teen protested, asking them what right they had to come into their home and arrest the wanted man. The officers reminded him that he had given them permission to enter and that the warrant serves as a reason to search the house.

Upon hearing this, the teen asked the officers why they were not there to arrest him, pointing out that he had two warrants outstanding as well, police said.

Officers confirmed the 18-year-old's story and took both men into custody...
Its all about me! Me! Arrest me too!
Nate 6:48 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, October 08, 2003
I checked, the comments section of this twisted smoking pile of crushed electrons is working...

Feel free to jump in there with your own well thought out and thoroughly reasoned opinions.
Nate 2:25 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Bridge Over Troubled Water from Sgt Hook. And no, I don't know why I never made it over to visit his blog before today. I will NOT make that mistake again. Check it out.

Pictures to put a lump in your throat and make you proud.

Nate 12:05 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Bear Mauling Kills Grizzly Advocate, Friend from Yahoo and thanks for the pointer from Snooze Button Dreams

Oh the irony in this story. Another dumbass, (actually two of them) have been removed from the gene pool for being STUPID!

An advocate of grizzly bear protection and his camping companion were mauled to death by one or more bears in a remote part of Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, officials said Tuesday.

Killed were Timothy Treadwell, 46, and Amie Huguenard, 37, both of Malibu, California, said the National Park Service and the Alaska State Troopers.

Treadwell was the founder of Grizzly People, an organization devoted to the protection of grizzly bears and their habitat. According to the group's Web site, Treadwell's practice was to travel to bear country without weapons.

The service had cautioned Treadwell for several years about his bear-safety practices, spokesman John Quinley said.

Treadwell made a practice of getting within inches of the animals, but the Park Service recommends a 50-yard distance, he said.


For the week, that's wild animals: 3, humans: zip.
Nate 8:16 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
A Googlewhack! with my apologies to the whacker for not having a picture of Francesca's house.

I just discovered today that my picture folder is full over there at Comcast where I post the pictures I link to here. That shortage will need to be resolved and perhaps then I can post for you the picture of that wonderful old farmhouse you were seeking.
Nate 1:53 PM - [Link] Say something...
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How to launch your personal watercraft Sometimes things just don't go as planned...

Nate 12:29 PM - [Link] Say something...
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For the ladies - Why we are the way we are from Snooze Button Dreams...


You see, men have an ingrained love of destruction, specifically fire. All of the problems with how we men view y'all started when we were around 4 years old at the family campsite. Dad started the camp fire and then went off to set up the tents leaving you to watch us while unpacking enough supplies to bivouac a brigade of marines for a fortnight. Your professed goal was to unload and set up said gear but we know the truth. Your true desire was to stop us from fulfilling our all encompassing desire to play with that camp fire.

Yup.


Nate 11:15 AM - [Link] Say something...
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One Bloogle of Separation A remarkable story. Read it all. Your day will be better for it.

Nate 11:07 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, October 06, 2003
Kids say the darndest things I've been remiss in not sharing with everyone. I've hung a copy of it in our cubicle, you might too if you're boss will tolerate it...

And BTW, I know that no 6 year old wrote the words since kids don't use contractions. And I know that this one is incorrect. I'll overlook it for the sake of the message.

Nate 11:03 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Good Food! Most of you know that I have pretty simple tastes. This is not the same as being simple, which I am routinely accused of, and last night I wanted one of my favorite suppers, a meatloaf sandwich from Marie Callender's.

This is a fantastic sandwich and if you've not tried it, you need to soon. THREE slices of meatloaf on toasted bread, lettuce, mayo and tomato. Three slices is almost too much meat. Really.

BSU and I had an excellent dinner in there last night even though the service was not good. There seemed to be a lack of adult supervision.

Your results may vary.

And pies. Did I mention they serve pies? We took home an entire pecan pie for dessert last night. Not Southern but good enough for us Yankees that can't get a pecan fix locally like some.



Nate 10:44 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Whew! Finally! I've been unable to post almost all weekend, BlogStudio seems to have taken on all of the "old" Blogger bugs and has been off the air most of the weekend. I haven't spent all the time waiting on it either but its been mighty frustrating no to be able to post when I wanted to.

This installation took up most of my weekend. Saturday's task was to remove the controls from on top of the compressor tank and relocate them on the wall in easy reach. On Sunday I fixed the one leaky fitting I had and then built the table top over the compressor.

So that's what kept me busy this weekend. I've also been pondering the accusations of 15 women towards candidate Arnold out there in California. None of them saw fit to charge him with criminal activity due to his unwanted sexual advances and gropings? Or saw an opportunity to grab a cash settlement from a civil lawsuit? They just sat on their paddled bottoms waiting for Arnold to run for governor to come forward?

Seems hinky to me...

And I wonder if there were high fives in the tiger locker room in Las Vegas after Friday night's show at the Mirage?
Nate 7:38 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, October 03, 2003
How to get the attention of the audience when making a body scrub through a demo speech

WTF? From my referral logs today. And WE was the 13th return for this string and the visitor made it all the way down to me!
Nate 12:51 PM - [Link] Say something...
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49,000 homes go dark, Blackout snarls Weber traffic from the Standard-Examiner, which still requires you to register... remember its "wasted_electrons" & "blogspot". But don't tell!

By JOSEPH DOUGHERTY and CHARLES TRENTELMAN


A power blackout hit the Ogden area just as the Thursday rush hour was getting under way, snarling intersections and forcing businesses to close early.

...The El Monte substation adjacent to the Pioneer power generation station at the mouth of Ogden Canyon lost four lightning arresters, or large fuses, when a surge of some sort, possibly lightning, hit it.

Ogden police reported numerous small accidents during the outage, as motorists quickly got used to treating dead intersections as four-way stops. There were no major accidents.



That would have been during my drive home... while trying to get to the ATM for cash, and to the Flying J for gas for the truck, (11.9 mpg right now, don't ya know), Home Depot for electrical parts and finally to the Wasted Electrons world headquarters, commisary and dormitory otherwise know as "home".

I can almost see the El Monte substation if I walk across the street and look down the hill!
Nate 9:27 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Hogle's lion king will roar no morefrom The Salt Lake Tribune- Greg Lavine


Flip, Hogle Zoo's lone male African lion, died Wednesday after battling an unknown illness for several weeks.

The 16-year-old lion, one of the oldest in the country, managed to hide his illness from keepers until last week. Over the past week, veterinarians offered supportive care for the ailing cat, which came to the Salt Lake City zoo in 1989, said Stacey Phillips, a Hogle spokeswoman.

"He is definitely going to be missed," Phillips said. "He lived a long, wonderful life."

Hogle Zoo has one African lion left, a 17-year-old female named Abby. Phillips said the zoo plans to discuss whether to replace Flip.


Sorry to see you go Flip. Roam easy now.

Nate 9:15 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Salon therapist beats world bikini waxing record from Ananova

Sarah Percival, from Middlesbrough, completed 140 waxes in four hours on air.

The 20-year-old, who is the show's senior beauty therapist, said: "I'm absolutely over the moon to have beaten this world record.

"It's a great achievement for me, especially at this stage in my career and I look forward to seeing my name in lights in the Guinness Book of Records."

Her successful record attempt was shown live on E4.


Lets see what is weird here: She is 20 and a senior beauty therapist, she thinks mass bikini waxing is a career and she thinks she will see her name in lights in a book!

And off the record, I met a number of British women when I lived there. Most of them needed first to learn to shave their legs before worrying about a bikini wax!
Nate 7:48 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, October 02, 2003
Almost closing time and I'm excited to get home tonight to get my compressor hooked up. First a trip to the credit union for cash then Home Depot for electrical parts and some wire and then it will be wired up before dark. (I've got to turn the power off to keep myself from being lit up, so I have to get it done before the sun goes down...)

And another exciting day of government support tomorrow!
Nate 3:42 PM - [Link] Say something...
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My compressor is famous already! And I'm tellin ya Chief, I got a receipt! Its all legal an everything.

Besides, what color was that truck spotted by that unidentified witness?
Nate 12:35 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Jensens' self-righteousness is no cure for son's cancer The Salt Lake Tribune -- Holly Mullen

More on the Parker Jensen story. Read the entire thing, its worth it...


Mollie McDonald is on the telephone, trying to keep a conversation going as her voice quivers and breaks. She is sleep-deprived, overworked, scrambling to finish the details of her wedding two weeks away.
McDonald is the young attorney, a guardian ad litem, appointed to represent 12-year-old Parker in the endless wrangling to get him chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma, an aggressive cancer that has now been diagnosed by five specialists -- including one of the Jensens' own choosing.
...Busily fighting the vast conspiracy they see in medical and child welfare efforts to save their son, the Jensens have won.
Meanwhile, doctors say the cancer is still there.
Medical statistics regarding untreated Ewing's sarcoma point to a bad end. Parker may be presenting no tumors now, as his parents claim. But research (outlined in the Jensen-case court documents) shows a 90-percent chance that without chemo, the cancer will spread.
This case is a shame.
...Parents -- especially those who keep their children clean and fed, and who know how to pander to TV cameras -- may thwart the law, renege on their own agreement to try to resolve a tough case and actively engage in medical neglect of their child.
They keep talking about methods to boost Parker's immune system. But even those who practice alternative therapies -- including the Houston practitioner the Jensens want to visit -- have said Ewing's has not responded well to such treatments.
...Every official from Gov. Mike Leavitt on down is defeated. No, they will not admit it. The spin we get is this: Parker, with the able assistance of his parents, believes chemotherapy will kill him.
..."I'm still asking, what good can we do for Parker? That is my job, and I won't quit asking."
Meanwhile, the cancer is still there.
hmullen@sltrib.com

Ya'll already know my feelings about this story, particularly those dumbass parents. Its not just a parental rights issue folks.
Nate 9:02 AM - [Link] Say something...
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YAHOO! I got an air compressor, I got an air compressor, I got an air compressor! This is big news folks! I've been lusting for an air pump for my workshop for a couple of years now but just never seemed to be able to prioritize the $400 price for the 7 horsepower, 60 gallon machine that I had decided I needed.

I even, two summers ago added an extension to my workshop for the express purpose of housing the compressor of my dreams. And that add-on quickly became ladder, garden hose and Christmas nativity scene storage before I could get an air compressor moved in to its rightful place.

I've got airtools already, many of which I requested and received as Christmas gifts, almost all of them unused. I've got a 100 foot hose that will reach out to my carport where much of my work is done. And now, finally I have a compressor to drive the tools!

Just for no good reason except that I'm often looking for a bargain I stopped into a local pawn shop on my way home from work last night. And there it was, a Craftsman 5hp, 33 gallon, 12.9 scfm @ 40 psi, 10 scfm at 90 psi belt drive compressor. With a $199.95 price tag hanging on it...

But I didn't buy it. Not just yet. I drove home thinking about how to finance this machine, payday was just the next day. Should I put it on layaway? How much could I afford to put down? What kind of a price cut could I get if I bought it outright? How could I convince BSU that this would be saving me $200? Hmmm. Finally, before arriving home I realized that it was the first of the month- my AF retirement check was in my account! More than enough money in there to pay for the object of my desire.

Talked it over with BSU when I arrived home and offered her a deal. I would take her to her two favorite restaurants, Red Lobster and Outback Steakhouse, this month- without complaining if I could buy yhe air compressor. (Since it is both her birthday and our anniversary this month I figured that was a done deal anyway...) And she said yes!

So there it sits in the corner of my workshop, just inside the door. Tonight I have to get the double circuit breaker and an outlet to wire it up and I'm going to mount the pressure regulator and hose connections up on the wall above the machine. So that will be at least, a trip to Home Depot and a stop at Harbor Freight. I did have to take down one small bench to make it fit in the corner but I think maybe I'll build a cabinet around it to quiet the noise and for tool storage.

Oh, yeah. I paid just $170 for my new tool when I went back with cash in my pocket! There was enough left over for take out brisket sandwiches from a new place in town on the way home! Very good eats as it turned out, we'll go there again.

I'm so happy!

Blogging note: I can't find a picture of the model in the Craftsman web page. I'll just have to snap a couple pics for your viewing pleasure.
Nate 7:43 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Christian Soldier, Muslim Soldier from Little Green Footballs and originated by Michelle Malkin
This is really sad. And sickening to me.

Six months ago, Jack Moody tried to send his son, Daniel, a care package containing a Bible study and other Christian religious materials. Daniel is a 21-year-old Army National Guardsman serving in the Middle East. He had written home requesting spiritual support while he risked his life abroad. ...But when Daniel's dad approached the post office in the family's hometown of Lenoir, North Carolina, he was told he would not be allowed to send the items.

According to U.S.P.S. postal bulletin 22097, section E2, Moody was forbidden from sending "any matter containing religious materials contrary to Islamic faith or depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or non-authorized political materials." The postal clerk informed Moody that the Christian contents of the package might be considered offensive to some Muslims overseas. The policy was initiated during the first Gulf War.

... Contrast Daniel Moody's treatment with that of Capt. James Yee. The Muslim convert, who studied in terror-sponsoring Syria and attended an Islamic cultural center run by the terror-friendly Saudi government, was given free rein by the U.S. Army to administer to the souls of al Qaeda and Taliban enemies at Guantanamo Bay.

Yee brought the detainees prayer beads and religious books, facilitated prayer services, and assisted them with Muslim food preparation. And he received lavish, fawning profiles in the "diversity-" and "tolerance-" obsessed mainstream press. Now, he has been charged with sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage and failure to obey a general order. Treason charges may be added...

This dangerous deference to radical Islam -- rooted in a cowardly fear of offending -- is not only a threat to our soldiers' constitutionally protected rights, but to our national security.


Grr! Three arrested or held right now for assisting the prisoners being held at Gitmo and investigations continue. I wonder how many more terror assisting folks will be found wearing U.S. uniforms before the investigation is over.

My buddy Jim says the difference that these Muslim servicemen and support people have shown is this: Most of us served in the military (or government service) for God and Country. These guys have changed that to God or Country. Its a significant change. I hope they all rot!
Nate 12:44 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Citizen Smash - The Indepundit Lt. Smash is back to work in his civilian position after returning from Kuwait. And his real identity has been revealed, he's the Indepundit!

Which is the name of his blog from before he deployed and one that I was sadly unaware of until now. So check him out.

Nate 11:06 AM - [Link] Say something...
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September 2003 Archives

Tuesday, September 30, 2003

National Ammo Day is coming! Go read about it here. This will be the second year of this effort by Kim and Mrs. DuToit to show in a simple way how much we as American appreciate our right to own firearms. The celebration will be a week long this year to give everyone that wants to a chance to participate. So bank away a few bucks and get ready! I should have my Kel-Tec paid for by then so I'll be buying two types of ammo this year!
Nate 1:56 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Its just not fair!

The difference between the big dogs and the barely-leaving-a-shadow-in-the-blogosphere types like this humble writer is never quite so obvious as this link. Just yesterday Kim begged for some funds to add another gun to his already bulging safe. And some kind reader came along and dropped enough cash on his doorstep to get the Winchester he was lusting for.

On the other hand, my puny blog and its simple request for funds to finish paying off my one and only concealed carry gun goes completely unheeded. Hmph!

I gotta find my niche here in the blogosphere and make this thing more interesting to people with money in their pockets! Generous people actually, with some cash to spare...

Yeah. Right. That will happen.

Nate 10:17 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Liquor law bites the hand that wrote it from the The Salt Lake Tribune


Legislators planning a national conference of state lawmakers from around the nation next year in Salt Lake City want to buck the reputation that it's impossible to get a drink in Utah.

But Monday, in contemplating the details of welcoming attendees with free wine and beer at social events, lawmakers discovered just how restrictive and confusing the very liquor laws they penned can be.

The head scratching began when Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, asked about serving mixed drinks at the 2004 annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Trouble is, the opening social will be held at the Utah Capitol, noted legislative attorneys who aren't sure whether wine, beer or hard liquor are allowed in state-owned buildings.

"We need to research that," said General Counsel John Fellows.

Surprisingly, no one on the bipartisan committee suggested going alcohol-free, though according to Rep. Ty McCartney, it took some teetotaling legislators time to warm to the idea of sponsoring the consumption of alcohol. Most state legislators are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which requires its members to abstain from alcohol consumption.

Tempers especially flared when behind-closed-doors, committee members contemplated shuttling tipsy attendees from the opening social at the Capitol to a planned performance of the Mormon Tabernacle choir, McCartney said. "They were concerned about having drunk people in the conference center or on the Temple grounds."

In time, everyone agreed "people drink at these functions," said McCartney, whose sole concern now is holding a world-class conference that will make visitors want to return to Utah.

"I hope we can pull off even a small magnitude of Olympic spirit," he said. "It will probably come down to how much money we can raise."
kstewart@sltrib.com

Isn't that always the case? It all comes down to how much money can be raised...

Realistically, getting a drink here in Utah is not impossible, in most places. The laws have been loosened up so that all the chain restaurants serve drinks with meals and most all the fancy places have decent wine lists (so I'm told). Nightclubs are easy to score a one-night membership if that suits you.

Its not all so easy though. North Ogden, the next town up from my city had to pass a special ordinance to allow a Wingers restaurant into their city limits. Wingers won't open a place unless they can sell beer, North Ogden wanted Winger's business. But the laws had to be fixed to allow beer sales with food and the city council and harried citizens had strong feelings both for and against the rules. Eventually, the tax dollars incentive won out and the Wingers is open and selling chicken parts and beer. To out-of-towners I suppose.
Nate 7:44 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Sunday, September 28, 2003
One more thing. I almost forgot to mention that I bought one of these. Its a Kel-Tec P3AT. Here is the Kel-Tec web page that will tell you more about this little pocket pistol. Its .380 caliber, weighs 9 ounces fully loaded and the picture you see is full sized... It is a very light, very small backup or concealed carry gun and from everything I have found to read this weekend, an effective and useful tool. I even found through A Human Right, first hand reporting of ownership results of the P3AT's predecessor the P32. The P32 is almost identical to the bigger bored brother so I think all the comments will apply.

So its on layaway right now and waiting for me to finish paying the remainder. It might take me a couple more paydays to have it free and clear but you folks that are concerned for my family's safety could help- by hitting my tip jar! So give if you can, my family will thank you!
Nate 7:51 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Homemade mortars!
I want to go play with this guy! What fun! Thanks to Kim for putting up the link where I could find it!

Nate 7:35 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Jensens still resist chemo for sonThe Salt Lake Tribune -- By Matt Canham


The family of Parker Jensen announced Saturday that they are not ready to follow the chemotherapy regimen recommended by their doctor and once again demanded the right to seek alternative cancer treatments.

"We are currently reviewing the latest findings and considering what treatment options we need to undertake," the family wrote in a statement released Saturday. "We ask for the right and the time to make these treatment decisions on our own, without the fear of immediate arrest or Parker's forced removal from our family."

The Sandy family's comments came in response to a four-page document issued Friday from the state Office of the Guardian ad Litem. That report stated that Boise, Idaho-based physician Martin Johnston believes Parker needs 11 months of chemotherapy to battle Ewing's sarcoma.

Still, the parents assert that no subsequent tests have shown any tumors in Parker's body.
(Of course they ignored the MRI results that shows abnormalities in Parker's mouth...)


...Those talks ended in a legal agreement giving the Jensens custody of Parker as long as they follow the medical recommendations of a pediatric-oncologist of their choosing.

The Jensens selected Johnston on the recommendation of a friend. He brought up chemotherapy as the most likely treatment before examining Parker, which upset the family from the beginning, Daren Jensen has said.

On Friday, Johnston told the state he would no longer be Parker's physician, and Daren and Barbara Jensen, Parker's parents, have refused to give Johnston permission to treat their son.


This story continues to make the evening news and it is so apparent that these parents are making a martyr of their little boy. These dumbasses are obnoxious, self-righteous and arrogant and they probably won't get knocked down a peg or two until Parker dies in a year or two. Their "made for tv" kids playing football in the yard scenes are so staged as to be ridiculous and its all being done to show how normal and healthy Parker is.

Friday night they essentially thumbed their noses at the state even though they chose not to make reference to the latest MRI that shows the boy has new growths in his mouth. They agreed to abide by the Doc's diagnosis, then they have backed out of that agreement because they didn't like the answer they received! They keep claiming to never getting their day in court to explain their side of the story but on 3 occasions they have ignored the hearings and didn't bother to attend!

You can't hardly blame the Doc for backing out of this situation, he gave them his diagnosis after a new battery of tests and the family spit in his face and picked and chose the test results they liked.

Unfortunately, the DCFS boss has backed that department into a corner by stating that he would not take Parker out of the family. He's tied some hands and limited some avenues now, and that's too bad. Because this is NOT just a parental rights issue. A little boy's life is on the line and he is a trapped as a pawn in this fight and its all his parent's fault.

I feel sad for Parker. I hope his parent's get their dumbasses thrown in jail.

Nate 7:28 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Hello! Hello? Is this thing on? Can anybody hear me?

Finally. I'm back. My brain was too tired and work too involved for me to be involved in blogging until this morning, and then blasted Blog Studio was busted and I couldn't fill you up with the wonderment I've seen over the past couple days. And my internet connection here at the house has been on the fritz for a number of days. There is something wrong with the Comcast cable, my connection keeps dropping off, repeatedly, and I have to either unplug the network adapter or the modem to get the signal back. Its been happening numerous times per hour and really getting on my nerves. So the Comcast guy is supposed to be out here Tuesday afternoon to troubleshoot and fix the problem.

Anyway, it has been a spectacular weekend here! The weather is crisp and the mountains are glorious in their autumn colors. BSU and I just returned from our annual fall color driving tour, as well as every other person with a drivers license in the state... There were many groups of motorcyclists, groups of hots rods, convertibles with the tops down, families in minivans, all reveling in a day that begged everyone to be outside and enjoying the scenery and weather that makes Utah special.

Yesterday I drug buddy Brian out of his house for a hiking trip up James Peak. The peak is part of the Powder Mountain Ski Resort but access is only by helicopter and so, I had never been there before. But yesterday was another glorious day and perfect for hiking. We started from the main parking lot and walked up the dirt road to the top of Sundowner Lift then turned right and followed the track up Lightening Ridge. From there we could cut across a saddle and up the face of James Peak. Not very far in miles, really but steep and rocky and a puny trail that went straight up the mountain.

Anyway, we made it to the top. Here's proof. The view from the top was breathtaking, but that might just have ben the altitude and poor physical conditioning... The marker did not have the elevation inscribed but according to this map its 9,422 feet above sea level! (Its a big picture so it takes a moment to download... James Peak is on the far right of the picture.)

Once on the top we found the tribute to Amy and a pvc pipe with a log book. Amy, we discovered was a Powder Mountain Ski Patroller who was killed by a falling tree in Ogden in 1997. Someone that loves her keeps this tribute varnished and painted and tidy and visits here 3 or 4 times each year. Also from the log book we discovered that James Peak is a very popular destination for folks, lots of them had left their words and thoughts in the logbook. Brian took a few minutes to write as well, I just staked my small claim to reaching the top with a few comments. And I took some pictures! This one is looking south to Pineview reservoir and the village of Eden, and this is Wolf Creek canyon. Both of those pictures are to the south, this one was taken facing north towards the little town of Mantua. The line of haze in the picture is smoke from the wildfire burning in American Fork, 6000 acres over 70 miles away! Other than the haze the view was absolutely spectacular and worth the effort to get to the top.

Just to prove that I did, in fact make the climb myself, here's a picture of me next to the Amy tribute.
Nate 6:32 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, September 25, 2003
Hemorrhoid TV Ads Axed During Meal Times from Yahoo! News

"Television and radio broadcasters' advertisements should respect the customs of the masses...and are not allowed to air commercials likely to disgust audiences, for example medicines for hemorrhoids and athlete's foot, sanitary napkins and other hygiene products," the Beijing Times said.


Good for the Chinese! This is such a huge step towards real civilization. I wish we could do the same thing here in America. Maybe these obnoxious commercials could be just stuck on their own network and cable channel, like channel 997 or something...

Nate 10:28 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Bare Bottoms Yank Magazine From BYU Paper from Yahoo news


PROVO, Utah - This week's insert of Sports Illustrated on Campus has been left out of the Brigham Young University student newspaper because it contained pictures of bare-bottomed runners.

BYU was among more than 70 college campuses selected by Sports Illustrated as test markets this fall for a new magazine aimed at college students.

When it contacted BYU, officials of the school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made it clear there would be no beer, no tobacco and no "racy presentations," said Jim Kelly, general manager of NewsNet, the school's combined student newspaper, Web and television news organization.

Magazine representatives agreed and The Daily Universe began inserting the 28-page magazine into the 18,500 papers it distributes across campus each Thursday.

It ran the first week, but Universe staffers pulled the magazine last week because of a swimsuit ad and pulled it again this week after being told it would include an article about college students playing sports naked. The story was accompanied by a photograph of nine bared male and female rear ends.

NewsNet informed Sports Illustrated on Monday that it would not be inserting the magazine and copies of it were not sent to the university.

...The contract between the magazine and the school allows Sports Illustrated to terminate the deal if NewsNet drops three inserts during the year.
"We may have to cancel the thing if this is going to continue on a regular basis," said David Randall, managing editor of NewsNet. "If students can't count on the magazine every Thursday, we're really losing some of the benefit of having it."

Imagine! College student's precious, sacred minds being subjected to nasty photos of bare behinds! The horror! And swimsuit advertisements! Is there no level to which advertisers won't stoop to despoil the sanctity of the children?? The college children? Why, look at this picture, its disgusting how these girls are showing off their legs! Have they no shame? They probably can't get their picture in the school paper...

As a member of the Proboscis editorial staff, I suggest that Sports Illustrated might be better served by putting their special edition in the Weevil State school paper!

Nate 10:28 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Gordon Jump of 'WKRP', Maytag ads dies - Sep. 23, 2003 from CNN.com


Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and made his mark in commercials as the lonely Maytag repairman, died Monday. He was 71
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Rest in peace, Mr. Carleson.

Nate 5:47 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, September 22, 2003
Apologies to all for the lack of blogging today. Another very busy day filled with the administrivia of hosting a 2 meeting for 75 people. Tonight there is several cases of soda, donuts, cookies and juice locked under the tonneau cover of my truck, waiting to be unloaded in the morning. Lots of other last minute changes to briefings and seating arrangements and seating cards to print and all the while trying to keep my bud Matt from screwing himself into the ceiling with his nervous energy.

So the hard part's done. Now its just staying awake in a semi-dark room and being alert enough to keep the coffee pot full and being chumy with all the guests. So no blogging at all during the day tomorrow unless I get a minute at lunch. But don't bet on it!

On a creepy note; this from my referral files. Somebody searched Google for "stepdaughter training naked step" and found their way to Wasted Electrons, even though it was the 90th listing for that search string! YUCK!

Look here Mr Perv, whoever you are, you need to stay the heck away from yours or anybody elses stepdaughters. You don't need to train aybody and you don't need to be trying to train them naked!
Nate 6:21 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Sunday, September 21, 2003
All the old comments are gone- both of them! I've jumped onboard the Haloscan comments train and so the few comments that were on my page have been lost. I was trying out the Blog Studio "Pro" version which enabled comments and a couple other features that I never could get to work properly. So I'm back to the freebie version and making the switch to the much better Haloscan comments feature.

So I hope the changes work well for you too.
Nate 11:49 AM - [Link] Say something...
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So there it is, another new link to a blog that's become a daily read for me; A little Aardvark Never Hurt Anybody. With a name like that its crying out for a button instead of a text link so I may have to see about making one for Little A.

And he and I are going to get together for brisquet brisket and beer next time I get to travel to his neck of the woods!
Nate 11:30 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Roaming rodent gets first-class return to Utah By Nancy Isles Nation, Marin Independent Journal reporter

An adventurous adult male chipmunk is being flown from Marin to Utah in a private plane today to rejoin rodents he left behind after he took a road trip to Terra Linda.
Its a a rodent for crying out loud! One of thousands! Not rare, not endangered, just a dang common chipmunk!

The chipmunk, known by staff at WildCare in San Rafael as "chipmunk 1344 from Utah," apparently didn't know he was hitching a ride when he hopped into Dixie Goldsby's Honda Insight while she camped in southeastern Utah a little more than a week ago.
Hitched in a Honda Insight ... that's a bad sign right away...

Goldsby didn't discover the stowaway until she returned home, and once she was able to catch him she wanted to do the best she could for the creature.

... Today, (Wednesday) the chipmunk is being flown from Gnoss Field in Novato more than 700 miles to the campsite where Goldsby picked him up. Marin pilot Ray Romano offered the use of his time and his Mooney aircraft and WildCare board member Jan Wild, who has experience in wildlife releases, will go along.

Goldsby also will join the entourage. The chipmunk - numbered but not given a name, per WildCare policy - will "have a story to tell," Goldsby joked.
Might as well make a party out of this hapless rodent's rescue!

"Most people would say if this was anywhere but Marin, people would just shoot him," she said.
Hardly worth a bullet for 1 chipmunk...

Unfortunately, that is too true and not quite true either. There are nutcases everywhere, even here in Utah. My next door neighbor who is a wildlife officer had to miss the last Raptors ball game to collect an injured pheasant some dingbat woman wanted to save.

The trip will require more than $300 for gas, along with food and overnight lodging for the humans. WildCare is hoping animal lovers will donate money to help pay for the mission...

Some could interpret the chipmunk's return to Utah as an extreme measure. But Karen Wilson, WildCare executive director, said it's better than the alternative, which would be to euthanize the animal.

"We are trying to make the point of how each animal that comes through our center, we do our best for," Wilson said. "Every animal is important and we try to do everything we can for them."
Aww, ain't that sweet... Could we move a family of badgers into this moonbat's basement? Please?

Goldsby, 53, said the saga began when she was nearing the end of a mountain biking trip and camped out at Canyonlands National Park for the night. She noticed that a couple of chipmunks at her campsite seemed aggressive in seeking out her organic snacks, and she saw one scamper out of her car when she left a door open.

On the trip back to Marin, Goldsby began to suspect that something came along for the ride after spending a night in Nevada and noticing a chocolate bar she had left in the car had been nibbled.

When she finally returned to her Terra Linda home, too tired to unpack the car, she discovered the next morning that a low-carb protein bar had been partially eaten.

Goldsby had a sense all along that the animal needed to be returned to its home. She called mountain bike stores to see if workers knew anyone who would be traveling to the area. Some poked fun at her and asked if she was into crystals.
No, she's not into crystals, she's just stupid!

"If we couldn't get him back he'd be euthanized, so I did have an investment in getting him back," said Goldsby, a clinical lab scientist.
The chipmunk could not be released in Marin legally or ethically because he is not native and because ecosystem balance is important, Piazza said.
Ya know, people that would expend this much effort on 1 rodent, really need to get a real life! It makes me crazy when I read stuff like this about supposedly educated, functioning people that have so little drama in their own lives that they feel the need to rescue 1 single, stupid chipmunk!
Go help build a Habitat for Humanity home, spend a few hours helping in your neighborhood soup kitchen, take a sack of groceries to someone you know that could use them. But kill the dang squirrel and get on with your lives!
Nate 9:37 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, September 19, 2003
I'm adding some new folks to my blogroll and also a link to the Proboscis, which is the new group blog for the Axis of Weevil. It may take me until tomorrow to get everything all hooked so be patient. And stop by often.
Nate 8:31 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Well this is exciting. Not only did I get enrolled in a prestigious university to earn my B.S. degree today but I've also been invited to be on the editorial staff of the school's official campus newspaper!

Of course the BS degree is BS and I'm majoring in Logistics and Ballistics! You've got to read the comments connected to the post to squeeze all the fun from one of Terry's very funny posts.

You also need to go to Billy Joe Bob's BBQ Emporium to read his thoughts about a group blog for the Axis of Weevil, of which he and I are privileged members. Not one hour before reading this post from BJB I had the exact same idea! I had not mentioned it to anyone, barely myself, but somehow we had the same idea almost at the same time hundreds of miles apart.

And that is how we got to the Weevil State University campus newspaper, the Proboscis! Today. This afternoon really. What fun!
Nate 8:08 PM - [Link] Say something...
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An excellent idea! from The Geek With A .45.

I like it!

The large numbers of people who are unwilling or unable to attend to their own defense not only contribute to the problem of crime, but necessitate expenditures of public funds to take up their slack, in the form of more and more police protection, the magnitude of which wouldn't be necessary if they took the propper steps to discourage their own victimization.


Nate 12:51 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Much more administrivia today in preparation for next week's meetings so blogging might be sporadic to non-existent until much later. We have a new Colonel in the front office and he is apparently a micro-manager from hell in regards to charts.

Every briefing being presented to anyone must now pass a 3 layer scrutiny before being deemed acceptable to the Colonel. And he has kicked back 3 sets of PowerPoint charts this morning for the most simple of errors. A closing paren on one line, one word not capitalized, one line of text one size too small, all were unacceptable to the boss! And each required Matt & I to make the changes and then reprint 25 copies of each of the pages that we have already printed!

Now I'm a littler smarter than the average bear when it comes to making charts and a grammar grinch of first order but I could have overlooked such minor errors if only for the sake of not killing more trees due to the reprinting. Anyway, we have fallen behind schedule badly due to the mandated reprinting of a number of the briefings. I've also been tasked to create a Customer Comment form today. Then there's more hole punching, collating, label making and other foolishness that either musst be done today or over the weekend...

But I did get the second pair of tires for my truck last night so it is freshly shod all 'round. Happy-Happy Joy-Joy!

Also, the new, experimental meds that BSU was recently prescribed WERE covered by insurance even though she was told that they would not be covered. Whoohoo! We were told that the meds would be $145 per month, instead it was the typical $9 copay! Major bonus! Now if they will just have the effect they are designed for life for her (and me) could be much better. Cross your fingers! Not to be too embarrassing here but BSU has been living on Immodium for an extended period of time and it does NOT work for her. This new med is supposed to be much better, IF it doesn't kill her... This stuff comes with major warnings and signed consent forms and all kinds of liability limiting exclusions. As long as it works...
Nate 10:32 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, September 18, 2003
Leaving shortly for the mandatory staff meeting and picnic in the park. What a drag! I'm trying to proofread my template text to figure out the errors and I have to stop doing that to go hang out with a bunch of folks I either barely know or don't like. Humph!

And a note to one of my visitors, Little a; Next time I get to Ft Worth, its lunch at the Railhead and beers after work down at the Flying Saucer! Unless you've got other choices that are better.
Nate 11:12 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Missionary Position from Meryl Yourish

Its not what you think but it is still a subject close to my heart.

Well said Meryl!
Nate 10:01 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Two days in a row now that BlogStudio has been tweaked. Its eaten two first of the morning posts. Grr! Maybe this one will get through.

I did build and add a button for my guest map over there on the left. Please use it liberally. I had one comment that suggested that maybe the blanks to fill in for the map were really PayPal donation instructions- which is a really great idea but that function is currently disabled.

Of course my template is dorked up and I haven't found the boo-boo that is causing some of the items to be centered and the rest off to the left. I will try to fix that presently, I promise.

My buddy Todd in Ohio is having surgery today, being turned into a sporting model- no more progeny less he picks one out from the shelter. I offered him the same medical prescription that I received years ago when I upgraded my world-wide readiness capability which was; "Don't pick up anything heavier than a 12 pack, stay on the couch all weekend. Put a cold one where it hurts and when it warms up drink it. Have your beloved bring you another cold one." It worked for me and it was the best medical prescription I ever received.

So Todd, I hope you're feeling better real soon!

XSU resides with her family in Maryland and so is looking into to receive a big portion of Isabele's fury. I'm certain that they are well prepared and securely battened down so they should be safe. I just hope nobody gets washed away back there.

There's also an Axis of Isabele going on right now for up to the minute blogging news of the storm. (Or at least until the laptop batteries and the internet connections die.)
Nate 9:48 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Something new and cool on Wasted Electrons! Its a guest map and there is a link over there on the left. No button right now till I make one, but the link is there just above the PayPal button. Check it out and fill it up! I like it and I found it thanks to Karen who is not only a Utah blogger but an Ogden blogger!
Nate 12:50 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Dangitall! Blogstudio just ate my homework! No, wait. It ate my last post in which I explained that I'll be busy today playing administrative assistant and spending most of the day trying to kill two printers and a copier. There's a Program Management Review next week, for which I have a tremendous amount of boring preparation to accomplish.

So today will be a day of copying, stapling, hole punching, collating and other menial tasks related to preparing handouts for next weeks meeting. Unfortunately a large number of our guests/customers/warfighters/and financiers are all stationed at Langley AFB in Virginia. And they have been sent home to batten down the hatches and head for higher ground. So their briefings are not here for me to copy and their attendance at all is in serious doubt thanks to Isabelle.

So I've got to get back to standing in front of the copier for now. And it is in the hallway, just inside the front door. Its just 41 degrees today so standing there is NOT optimal. Maybe I can get back here later.
Nate 9:45 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Tire size calculator Here's a very cool tool. It allows you to input different tire sizes and see the overall size change and speedometer error that your desired tires will have on your vehicle.

Interesting what people will design and put on the web, isn't it?

Nate 10:18 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Don't bogart that joint, dude! Lots of people commenting today about Canada's efforts to sell dope for medical purposes but the best one I've read so far is from one of my new favorite blogs, Snooze Button Dreams. Check out his take on growing dope in mine tunnels!
Nate 9:36 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Couple refuse to leave condemned home from the Salt Lake Tribune
By Michael N. Westley


As Salt Lake County officials threatened Monday to demolish the Magna home of 76-year-old Robert M. Starkweather for zoning violations, the man and his 78-year-old wife refused to leave the condemned structure. Sheriff's deputies eventually may be called to escort the couple away so heavy machinery can knock down the barn-shaped building at 2185 S. 7400 West.

But authorities insist there is no rush to evict the elderly couple.

Instead, they will concentrate on the mountains of junk that rise and fall for nearly 100 yards between the road and the building they call home.

The yard is littered with fallen trees, pallets, hunks of concrete, junk cars and old trailers. At one point, the Starkweathers had up to 300 goats and 13 dogs on the property, said Del Swensen, Associate Director of Planning and Development Services for Salt Lake County

County officials say they have tried for the past year to persuade Starkweather to correct zoning violations at his home and the 4 acres surrounding it.

Starkweather built the home in 1995 without proper permits, officials say. Exposed plywood on the outside of the home is deteriorating, and Starkweather began piping waste into a nearby ditch when his septic tank stopped functioning. Last month, the county obtained a court order allowing it to demolish the home and bring other parts of the property into compliance.

But Starkweather claims the property belongs to God. In 1993, Starkweather filed a quit-claim deed transferring the property to "Elohim, Jehovah, Michael." A tall hand-painted sign leaning against a tree at the head of the driveway proclaims in green paint that the property belongs to them.

"The county recorder's office rejected that and so the property rightfully belongs to Starkweather," said Swensen.

...In April 2003, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office filed a complaint in 3rd District Court alleging Starkweather's home was "a dangerous building." Judge J. Dennis Frederick issued a default judgment and order on Aug. 11.


"I gave the land to God so the city can't touch me... but I'm willing to dump my raw sewage on God's land and pile up 150 truckloads of refuse in his honor..." [/sarcasm]

More misguided religious zealots loose behind the Zion Curtain making headlines. And I suspect these folks are not members of the "prevailing faith" here in Utah, that's the surprising bit!
Nate 7:14 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, September 15, 2003
Apologies to all, (ok, both of you) that have stopped by looking for exciting news from behind the Zion Curtain. Its been a busy weekend, though no doubt Possum Dad will have me beaten hands down in the busy category, but its been busy for me. And work has kept me entertained this AM and will continue to gather my attention for the forseeable future. Which is goo because it spells continued employment...

But, a bit of this and a bit of that. Friday I located at Smith & Edwards the "just right" gate latch that I needed for my overhauled fence gate. Todd chastised me a few weeks back when he was here about the sagging, lift & kick & wiggle the latch gate that I had tolerated for the 4 years that we've been in our house. So I dug out the old hinge side post that was rotted through, replaced it with a new one, built a new frame for the gate itself, reused the fence boards, added a spring closer and located a new, automatic latch. My gate now swings easily, closes by itself to keep the dogs in and latches securely hands-free.

All that in one paragraph, makes it sound pretty easy but there was several hours of struggling and grunting involved, especially since the post that needed replacing was buried 2+ feet deep in a concrete hole. There wasn't just a clump of concrete buried under a few inches of dirt, it was a 4" square hole in the concrete... Grr! Lots of drilling with a long spade bit and digging with a pry bar to get a hole deep enough and clean enough to install the new post. But boy, did it go in nice and tight!

What else? A movie on Friday night! Once Upon a Time in Mexico, opening night of the new release! That does not happen for me too often but it did last weekend. Going to the afternoon matinee makes it possible, otherwise I don't venture out to the movies on Fridays. Anyway. Inspite of Johnny "I'm a dipstick" Depp's participation in the movie I still enjoyed it. It is weird and the story is disjointed but there is lots of dusty mexican streets, gunfights and Salma Hayek, so well worth the money if you're into that kind of stuff.

And leave your kids at home 'cause there's bad language, violence and some scary scenes that kids shouldn't be subjected to. Be smarter than the folks that brought their kids to the movies, sat behind us and wanted to talk out loud. They did pipe down after I asked them to and if there is any justice, their kids kept them up with nightmares later.

What else? Oh yeah, as mentioned before we will be in our house 4 years later this week. Sadly, one of the big features we really liked when we bought the house, the hot tub, is dead and I spent part of the weekend cutting it up to remove it. The tub had been installed back in 1991 and out of service for a year. The molded part of the tub had actually developed numerous cracks and delaminations so just applying bondo to the cracks wouldn't have fixed the problems. Plus there was a busted fitting that was obsolete and needed some kind of jury-rigging to get back into service. So we decided just to get rid of it and replace it another day- after lots of bills get paid off!

Son Noah is tasked to finish up the job of cutting everything up into manageable sized chunks this week. I think we can get it all into a couple trash cans and maybe avoid a trip to the landfill later on.

I did get to buy a reciprocating saw from Harbor Freight to aid in the cutting up effort and it works very well. Its a tool I've needed to add to my arsenal for a while, I've just always managed to work around the need. But now I have one and I can tell already that it will be a favorite.

Son Noah and I also made a trip to Salt Lake to look at a FiberFab Avenger that was for sale on EBAy. That turned out to be a fun trip and we got a number of fresh ideas to apply to our car when we get back to work on it. I also made a trip out to buddy Jim's shooting range for a little while Sunday to shoot my guns and I had a chance to look at the two choices I have in mind for my next gun purchase.

Lastly, (for now) I stayed up too late last night to watch Living With Tigers on the Discovery channel last night. I do like tigers and this was a fascinating story worth staying up past my bedtime. And Brian my blogson is alive and well and working lots of overtime and so is ignoring Mental Revolutions right now. He promises to get back on track real soon.
Nate 2:07 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Playboy comes knocking at Wal-Mart from CNN.com
Now this is really kind of scary...

Playboy.com announced Monday it is searching for the sexiest women at Wal-Mart Stores, the world's biggest retailer.

"Wal-Mart employees have a reputation for being cheerful and now Playboy.com is giving them a chance to smile for the camera," Playboy said in a press release. "Playboy.com wants Wal-Mart's sexiest assets to roll back their clothes and pose nude."

Playboy ran a similar-themed 'Women of Enron' last year and 'Women of Starbucks' photospreads in the magazine earlier this year. The Wal-Mart theme is the first for Playboy.com.

I would suggest that new employment be arranged before any employees start taking it off for Playboy, not the Wal-Mart would be heavy handed about their employees and corporate image or anything...

And I can't think of any Wal-Mart employees at my local store that I want to see with their clothes off...
Nate 1:29 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, September 12, 2003
I don't think Kim would call this a righteous goblin shooting since it was accomplished by a police officer as opposed to an unbadged citizen but fortunately for all of us another bad guy has been removed from the streets and the gene pool. Thanks Lt. Day and I hope you are healed up soon!
Thanks to Kevin for reporting it first.

Nate 9:32 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Busy today but not at work. This is one of those "work 9 days and get the 10th day free" days. So that means bill paying, another trip to the DMV, a trip to Smith & Edwards in search of the just-right latch for my gate and maybe lunch with the BSU someplace. And I would really like to make it to the gun range but that pleasure might have to be delayed until tomorrow.

So browse around, there's lots more blogs out there for you to read besides this one! (But come on back later because you just never know when something good will be posted.)
Nate 9:20 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, September 11, 2003
I have already written about my whereabouts 2 years ago. So go read Francescas's In Memorium. It is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.
Nate 3:18 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Never Forgive-Never Forget...
From Little Green Footballs, a audio file that you might want need to hear. Today.

And be sure afterwards, when you have removed the tears from your cheeks to read the comments and click the link Watch the Video in comment #4.
Nate 1:15 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Searching for a Kalishna Kitty T-shirt! Please assist!

Folks, a couple weeks ago I stumbled across a web page with a t-shirt for sale. It had the cutesy Hello Kitty character holding an AK-47 in one little paw and a logo that said "Kalishna Kitty."

But, of course, I failed to link to it or save the page anyplace that I could find it again and now I want to buy one of these t-shirts. Not for me, for son's girlfriend Lilly! Seems she is a Hello Kitty fan. And I want to get her a t-shirt as a Christmas gift.

I already asked Rachel Lucas if she was aware of this subversive shirt and the answer was negative. But she wants one if I find it... I've Googled until I ran out of spellings to try and just can't find the page I'm seeking.

But I know its out there, somewhere, in the world wide web, waiting to be rediscovered. So if you happen upon it during your jaunts through the internet will you send me an email with the link? Please?
Nate 12:44 PM - [Link] Say something...
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September 11, 2001

Standing in the Delta Airlines check-in line waiting to go to a business meeting. Every check-in clerk behind the counter, with a phone in their hand and held to their ear, listening- not talking. Every single one of them.

When they put down their handsets a supervisor appeared and announced that the president had grounded every flight in America- right then and indefinitely. We would not be traveling that day.
Nate 7:42 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, September 10, 2003
It was 52 degrees this morning when I left for work and its only up to 55 right now. It was 90 degrees over the weekend! I think this cold snap will be sending my hummingbirds south to Mexico for the winter. I'll bet my feeder goes undisturbed as of yesterday.

But I'll leave it up a few more days in case some late-leaving stragglers stop by on their way south.
Nate 11:25 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Barking moonbats loose in Zion! No doubt he's a regular Indymedia contributor too! I found this in the City Weekly and it was too crazy not to share. You do have to scroll down about 2/3 of the way to get to this particular letter.

..."After citing some more examples of the phenomenon, I concluded by pointing out that liberals always run government better than conservatives.

Now we have another demonstration that liberal government is the best government,the great blackout of 2003. First, conservatives caused it by deregulating electricity and allowing the utilities to cut corners to fatten their profits. Second, New York was the city that best coped with the problem. New York is way liberal compared to Salt Lake City, and has the highest taxes of any city in the nation. According to Utah's Republican propagandists, big tax, liberal New York City should have fizzled. Instead, it triumphed.

Third, the problem started in Ohio, the most conservative of the states involved.

Once again, conservatives did serious damage to the nation while liberals pulled their fat out of the fire. Liberals always run government better than conservatives."

Keith Baker, Heber City
Emphasis is mine- Nate

Hmm, so the blackout was caused by conservatives huh? Sounds like the actons of that vast Right-Wing Conspiracy! Let's turn the control over to the liberals!

Yikes!


Nate 7:22 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Tuesday, September 09, 2003
This goes on my Christmas wish list! And this one too!

Nate 1:27 PM - [Link] Say something...
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For you folks with troublesome squirrels, I think you should try this treatment!
Heh heh heh!
Nate 12:06 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Slip 'N Slide makers sue 'Dickie Roberts' from CNN.com

-- The makers of the Slip 'N Slide filed a lawsuit Monday over a scene in the hit movie "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" that shows actor David Spade skidding to a painful halt on the summertime water toy.

The lawsuit, filed against Paramount Pictures and Happy Madison Productions, charges the filmmakers violated its trademark by using the product without permission.

Wham-O also claims the scene violates the product's safety guidelines, which limit the use of Slip 'N Slide to children between the ages of 5 and 12 weighing less than 110 pounds and under 5 feet tall.


Couldn't somebody just sue David Spade for his continued appearances in movies and television pretending to be funny? The guy creeps me out. And maybe send this movie to the video stores- this week?
Nate 9:37 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Strip clubs recruit student bodies from CNN.com
Now here's a tuition assistance program I could support!

Nate 7:47 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Well, the Raptor's season is over and Provo goes on to the championship games on Wednesday. Last night's game didn't go well at all for the Raptor's. They had an entirely new infield roster with one guy joining the team that day to replace Chin-lung Hu, another player pulled a hamstring and had to be replaced and Ogden's starting pitcher just couldn't get his pitches across the corners called strikes. The Raptor's bats never did warm up and so their season ended last night.

Thanks Raptors, I'll be looking for you in the spring!

Nate 7:05 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, September 08, 2003
Conversations sometimes get a little weird at my house, especially with two teenagers around. This past weekend they spent a couple hours watching television, totally enthralled with old reruns of Bob Ross painting "happy trees".

Somehow the conversation meandered around past what kinds of medications was he taking to be like he was to "Who would win a cage match between Bob and Fred Rogers?"

We decided maybe, (if both gentlemen weren't already expired) that we would pay to see that match on Pay-per-View!
Nate 10:43 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Make-a-Wish Foundation Apologizes for Lewd Madonna/Britney Kiss

Um, yeah. So they should...
Nate 9:56 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Provo Angels fill up on Ogden pitching from the Salt Lake Tribune, By Martin Renzhofer

This was ugly yesterday afternoon folks!

Ogden pitchers may not have served as many grand slams as Denny's Restaurant, but they were satisfying and filling all the same to Provo hitters.

The Angels pounded out 18 hits, including two grand slams in their dominating 20-5 Pioneer League divisional playoff victory over Ogden on Sunday at Lindquist Field. Provo, the best-hitting team in the league, added a three-run homer for good measure as the Angels tied the best-of-three series.

Provo inflicted enough damage for two games. The Angels may have got a break early when Raptor starter Mike McGrew, a left-hander who has struck out 99 hitters in 76 innings, couldn't get loose.

Shelved due to a tight elbow, Barbary turned to David Parker, who learned he was pitching 10 minutes before game time. And Parker started well, retiring the first two batters.

Seven hitters later, Provo led 5-0. The Angels scored six in the first, four in the sixth and seven in the eighth.

Brandon Wood connected for Provo's first grand slam in the first inning. Matt Brown tagged his in the fourth and added a three-run shot in the eighth for seven RBIs.

Chin-lung Hu provided one bright spot for Ogden by smacking a two-run homer in the ninth.

Yup, my beloved Raptors got waxed yesterday. I went to the game and had a wonderful afternoon but it sure hurt to see the Raptors take such a walloping. Loosing the intended starting pitcher and putting in a guy on short notice couldn't have done anything to improve their chances.

And on another related note, Chin-lung Hu played his last game last night with a 2 run homer to end his season. Seems he is due back in Taiwan before 12 September, he must either be enrolled in the university or start 2 years military service. So he is leaving today for Taiwan and will miss tonight's game and any possible championship games.

Thanks for your spirited play this season Hu!
Nate 7:29 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Saturday, September 06, 2003
UPDATE: The Raptors just won game one against the Angels, in Provo, 4-1! Way to go Raptors!
Raptors win in the 9th! Now this was exciting!

That was last night's final game of the regular season. I'm embarrassed to say that I turned off my radio when I came inside from a fence project when the score was still 8-0 Angels and had no expectation that the Raptors would win the game. I knew I should have gone to watch last night!

The Raptors are leading tonight, 3-1 in the first game of their playoff series which is also against the Provo Angels. So I am going to tomorrow afternoon's game to cheer on my team.
Nate 9:08 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Friday, September 05, 2003
Shootout at Blackwater

Thanks to Kevin for finding this link to the Shootout at Blackwater. This is a very fascinating site with lots of noisy gunpowder burning videos to see and some very interesting reading about this get together for the purpose of displaying the latest and greatest in modern weaponry.

Of course, there's also this, available at my local gun store. Buddy Jim wants one and he's big enough to make it work as a concealed carry gun!
Nate 2:01 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Girls Gone Wild Filmed at Least 35 Minors from Tampa Bay Online


The "Girls Gone Wild" staff filmed at least 35 girls exposing themselves during spring break in the Panama City Beach area, prosecutors said.
State Attorney Jim Appleman also said during a hearing Wednesday that additional charges are possible against the producer of the videos, who was arrested in April on racketeering and drug charges after parents complained to police he told underage girls to say on camera that they were 18.

Francis' company, Mantra Films Inc., has disputed the charges, saying its crews always ask young women their age and film only those who say they are 18 or older. (emphasis mine)

The charges are based largely on about 175 hours of tapes Bay County sheriff's deputies seized during a raid at a condominium rented by the "Girls Gone Wild" staff.

A. You mean the girls might have lied about their age? and
B. How do I get invited to the next party?


Nate 10:39 AM - [Link] Say something...
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State may help pay Parker's bill from the Salt Lake Tribune, by Matt Canham


Utah officials are willing to help cover at least some of Parker Jensen's medical costs as part of a settlement agreed to Thursday by lawyers for the state and the family of the 12-year-old Sandy boy.

... Daren and Barbara Jensen, Parker's parents, have yet to sign off on the agreement, but if they do it will go before Utah Juvenile Court Judge Robert Yeates this afternoon.

... All sides are hopeful the agreement will end the standoff that has ignited a national debate on parental rights and the government's role in protecting children.

Parker was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, in May after a small tumor was removed from under his tongue, according to Daren Jensen.

A doctor at Primary Children's Medical Center wanted Parker to start a 49-week regimen of chemotherapy, but the family questioned the diagnosis and wanted more tests done. They say Primary Children's thwarted efforts to get an unbiased opinion from other physicians, even though doctors at University of Washington Medical Center and the Los Angeles Children's Hospital told the court that they agree with the original diagnosis.

The Jensens defied court orders to get Parker chemotherapy and instead searched out alternative treatments with less severe side effects. They say Parker has shown no signs of illness since the medical and legal battle erupted.

The Jensens have selected a board-certified physician at a well-known out-of-state hospital to examine Parker and determine what type of treatment he needs, if any, McDonald said. The Jensens have promised to follow this doctor's suggested treatment, even if it is chemotherapy. The doctor, who has not been publicly identified, has yet to agree to take Parker as a patient, McDonald said.

Even if the agreement is approved today by Yeates, Daren and Barbara Jensen will have to face the kidnapping charges in Salt Lake County. Prosecutor Angela Micklos said she is not ready to drop the charges and instead would like to discuss a plea agreement with Parker's parents once they turn themselves in and the boy starts treatment.

More wheeling and dealing between the Jensen family and the state concerning the treatment of Parker's alleged cancer. It does sound like some agreements will be reached today and formalized by the judge this afternoon. And I am personally glad to hear that the family has agreed to abide by the evaluation by the new sawbones.

Most of the comments I have read in other blogs concerning this story are fully on the side of the parents and have decried the state's involvement. And while I sympathize, I also feel that as parents we do not have the unbridled right to rear our children as we choose without the oversight of the state or society in general.

For instance- Suppose you're a parent that believes in paddling as your choice of behavior modification for your children. Beloved Little Johnny gets in trouble at Sunshine Elementary School one day and is sent to the principal's office. So, Principal Feelgood decides that you, Dad should be called in for consultation concerning what to do with Little Johnny.

After the hasty and noisy review of Little Johnny's misdemeanors, you, now Angry Dad decide that Little Johhny has earned a good old-fashioned butt whipping and your trusty belt is right there in your pants loops. And you proceed to give Little Johnny the whipping that you believe he has earned, right there in Principal Feelgood's outer office.

Having dispensed the punishment you felt Little Johnny would remember and consider the next time he felt the need to misbehave, you, no-longer Angry Dad, return to work. And are promptly arrested for child abuse while Little Johnny and his sister Sweet Susie are on their way to foster care.

Is spanking appropriate? That's another whole post. Think this scenario is unrealistic? I doubt it. I think its completely feasible. Did the Dad in my story exercise his rights as a parent? Sure. Was his right to disipline Little Johnny in discord with society's and the state's rights to protect children? I think so.

So it is NOT "My child, my choice!" as one of the posters in the picture of the protesters claims. IMHO
Nate 10:23 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Well PossumDad Terry over at Possumblog was Instalanched last night. It will probably crash the Blogger servos for all of the Blogger faithful. But I am jealous and equally proud of my blogfather Terry.

Good on ya Terry! And get that new computer on your desk tweaked up soon!
Nate 9:52 AM - [Link] Say something...
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This showed up in my email today:


One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a river, his ax fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "Why are you crying?" The woodcutter replied that his ax has fallen into water, and he needed the ax to make his living.
The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden ax.

"Is this your ax?" the Lord asked.

The woodcutter replied, "No."

The Lord again went down and came up with a silver ax.

"Is this your ax?" the Lord asked.

Again, the woodcutter replied, "No."

The Lord went down again and came up with an iron ax.

"Is this your ax?" the Lord asked.

The woodcutter replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the man's honesty and gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happy.

Some time later the woodcutter was walking with his wife along theriverbank, and his wife fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez.

"Is this your wife?" the Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the woodcutter.

The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

The woodcutter replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to Jennifer Lopez, You would have come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then if I said 'no' to her, you would have come up with my wife. also Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three. Lord, I am a poor man, and am not able to take care of all three wives, so THAT'S why I said yes to Jennifer Lopez."

The moral of this story is: Whenever a man lies, it is for a good and honorable reason, and for the benefit of others.


That's our story, and we're sticking to it!

Nate 9:45 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Thursday, September 04, 2003
Tired tonight after two nights of staying up too late. And the Raptors are loosing to Provo again in the next to the last game of the regular season. One more game tomorrow night that I'm going to try to attend, then Saturday is Provo again, in Provo and Sunday the 2nd game of 3 possible, again with the Provo Angels. Ten games in a row against the strongest team in the league. I supect the Raptors season might be finished on Sunday. Dang.

But too tired to write anything of interest. Maybe I can get some blogging accomplished tomorrow from work. And I've got to get in touch with Brian from Mental Revolutions to see why his blog has gone so quiet. G'night.
Nate 9:03 PM - [Link] Say something...
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Geek question of the day-
Before you read this, go back to that Microsoft Office application that I know you have left open and save your work- so it won't be lost when your system crashes...

Did you click the "Save" icon? Ask yourself how long its been since you saved anything to the object the icon represents. How many of those items do you have in your desk right now? Being used? I'll bet not.

Note to younger readers: that's a 3.5" floppy disc picture on the "Save" button. It holds 1.44 MB of data. Not the 650 or 700 MB of a CD-R, 1.44 megabytes. Not enough storage space to hold a decent PowerPoint briefing...

So here's the real question: how long will that picture remain the icon for saving your work?
Nate 9:56 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Wednesday, September 03, 2003
I got to do one of the most manly of all activities last night and it did not entail killing or gutting any animals! It did entail gutting my wallet though to the tune of $344!

I bought tires! For my F-250 Super Duty truck. Big manly, burly BFG All Terrain tires, sized LT285/75R16. Sam's Club fixed me right up, in and out in less than 30 minutes with barely enough time to completely fill my sinuses with the tantalyzing smell of fresh rubber tires.

But only 2 of them right now because the dang wallet's only so big and I have to keep the lights turned on so I can see my computer's keyboard and the water flowing through the taps and the gasoline flowing through the truck's fuel injectors too. That's $1.82 per gallon right now for 87 proof! The next 2 tires will have to come from the next payday while I continue to fight off the creditors and utility companies with the remainder of this week's paycheck.

The first set of tires, which are looking pretty sad and past their prime were Firestone Steeltex tires, which, to their credit went 70,990 miles before being replaced last night. With only 1 puncture and no treadwear indicator bars showing. Pretty remarkable mileage really for OEM tires and I have to give credit where its due even though I have a long-standing aversion to Firestone tires.

You of course realize that by my purchasing the first half of a $700 set of tires that my Atomic Sugar Daddy skis are in serious jeopardy...
Nate 11:58 AM - [Link] Say something...
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AF Museum sponsors Food for Life Day


Hill Aerospace Museum is sponsoring its annual Food for Life Day on Sept. 20, when visitors can peek inside several vintage historic aircraft for the admission price of one can of food for each person admitted.

Those who elect not to bring a nonperishable food item may make a small monetary donation to the museum instead.

Collected food will be donated to the Women's Crisis Center at Your Community Connection in Ogden.

Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The facility is located at Exit 341 on Interstate 15 in Roy. No gate pass from the base is required to visit the museum. For more information, call 801-777-6818 or visit http://www.hill.af.mil/museum.

Come on out and visit a really first class museum. The open house days like this are well supported and always assist a good cause. My retirement ceremony was held in the museum so it has a special place in my heart.
Nate 8:10 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Hubby punches out flirtatious salesman from the Salt Lake Tribune-- Ashley Broughton


A magazine salesman from Ohio who was looking to "have some fun" in Utah County probably will return home after receiving a beating at the hands of an angry husband, Orem police said Tuesday.

...Officers determined the salesman had been at a nearby home speaking with a woman who was not interested in buying magazines, he said. "When he realized he wasn't going to sell any magazines there, he told the young woman that he gets 500 bonus points for a hug," Edwards said.

The woman, who was caught off guard, gave him a "little hug." But the salesman turned his head and attempted to kiss her on the mouth. The woman pushed him away, slammed the door and called her husband, Edwards said.

The salesman freely admitted to police the incident had occurred, saying he likes to flirt and "have some fun" with women.

The woman's husband caught up with him as he was headed down the street "and was responsible for the condition the salesman was found in."

The salesman told police he probably deserved the beating, and declined to press charges against the woman's husband, Edwards said. "He thinks he'll go back to Ohio."

Seems like a good idea...


Nate 8:05 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Monday, September 01, 2003
I can't resist sharing this link with you. Its called H2 and Stupid People...

UPDATE: The link is gone. Sorry.

Heh! "Women shouldn't drive vehicles taller than they are..."
Nate 10:06 AM - [Link] Say something...
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On a weekend note, the fence project that Noah was working on will be finished today, in just a couple more hours of work. He and I have worked hard on this project all weekend and have just a 21" gap to fill with new boards where we ran out of the old boards due to breakage and differences in board spacing. Yesterday I totaly overhauled the gate and now it works for the first time in 4 years. Needless to say, Vicky the homeowner is very pleased to have her fence and backyard nearly back in order.

And she's promised to repay me for the $70 in materials I have into this project!

UPDATE: The fence did get finished as promised and the yard is cleaned up and back to normal. Vicky is very happy to have the security and privacy of her yard restored and to have a gate that she can actually pass through without endangering her health. The gate at the front also received some attention as it was in danger of falling off its hinges and we decided to fix it up while all the tools were at hand and before the snow starts flying.
Nate 9:57 AM - [Link] Say something...
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I've had a slew of visitors this week come lookiing for more information about Parker Jensen and his family's efforts at keeping him away from the Utah authorities. If you don't know already, Parker is 12 and has been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma and has already had a tumor removed.

But his parents did not want him to undergo chemo treatments (this is what my troll was so upset about) and took off for Idaho to keep the state from intervening. So there's arrest warrants out there, a trip to Houston for alternative treatment that got waylaid and an entire days worth of press conferences and publicity by the family- after they had agreed to not go to the press until some other negotiations could be completed.

So, its a mess. The family is complaining loudly that Primary Children's Medical Center was blocking their access to a second opinion about their son's diagnosis. That's hard for me to believe but I suppose the docs could be pretty aggressive when it comes to getting treatments started. I still think that if the family honestly were seeking a second, legitimate diagnosis that they could have managed that by now. Instead they are traveling about looking for an alternative medicine treatment... You know, they want some herbs and bee pollen to rub on his back and take away his bone cancer...

Another fine mess!
Nate 9:49 AM - [Link] Say something...
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Cops Don't Follow the laws in Chicago... from Kevin over at the Smallest Minority is a story about the gun that was involved in last week's multiple murder in Chicago. I actually wrote a post of my own a couple days ago about this story but Blogstudio ate it and I was too mad to reaccomplish it.

But Kevin's got an even better story so go check it out. It explains why a legally registered firearm was sold illegally to a police officer, who sold it to a second police officer, neither of whom registered the gun and then, somehow it ended up in a criminal's hands. In spite of the strictest gun ownership laws in the country!

And more importantly, a homeless guy has been arrested and been placed in custody, with a $100,000 bond because he didn't keep a piece of paper for 10 years! The original, registered owner has been jailed for failing to keep any sales record of the gun for 10 years according to the statutes of that misguided city...

Its just another reason why living in the west seems like a good idea to me.

Nate 9:33 AM - [Link] Say something...
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