Selene, granting safe passage to the giant hand in return for the pumpkin seed it was carrying.
30.9.06
Friday Rodent Blogging
Selene, granting safe passage to the giant hand in return for the pumpkin seed it was carrying.
29.9.06
Sick and Lost
One good thing to come from being sick, and therefore off work, for the last few days, is that Mrs Doombreed and I have begun watching the first two seasons of Lost.
For those not in the know, Lost is the story of a group of people who survive a 'plane crash on a tropical island, and how they deal with two facts: the first is that nobody knows where they are; the second is that the island would provide storylines for a whole season of The Twilight Zone.
We're about halfway through the first season, and already the show has provided the winner of the Legal Alien Award For The Best Star Trek Reference In Any Show.
Two of our heroes, Locke and Boone, are out a-scouting when Boone makes an off-hand comment about "red shirts" (and any self-respecting Trekkie knows what they are). Locke, not being much of a telly watcher, doesn't get it, so Boone explains about how, whenever the captain and his pointy-eared chum beam down to a planet, they are accompanied by anonymous people in red shirts who, inevitably, die. Locke ponders this for a second before replying:
"Hmmm.. Sounds like a piss-poor captain to me.."
Which, if you think about it, is a fair assessment of a captain who loses crew at the rate Kirk did.
For those not in the know, Lost is the story of a group of people who survive a 'plane crash on a tropical island, and how they deal with two facts: the first is that nobody knows where they are; the second is that the island would provide storylines for a whole season of The Twilight Zone.
We're about halfway through the first season, and already the show has provided the winner of the Legal Alien Award For The Best Star Trek Reference In Any Show.
Two of our heroes, Locke and Boone, are out a-scouting when Boone makes an off-hand comment about "red shirts" (and any self-respecting Trekkie knows what they are). Locke, not being much of a telly watcher, doesn't get it, so Boone explains about how, whenever the captain and his pointy-eared chum beam down to a planet, they are accompanied by anonymous people in red shirts who, inevitably, die. Locke ponders this for a second before replying:
"Hmmm.. Sounds like a piss-poor captain to me.."
Which, if you think about it, is a fair assessment of a captain who loses crew at the rate Kirk did.
27.9.06
Still a-coughin'
Yeah, still sick, but getting a little better. The antibiotics and the lung sucker are helping.
But before I head up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire (as my dad used to say), I just wanted to pass a comment on this story (a la Beeb) which breaks the news that GCSE maths will no longer involve coursework. This is because some no-doubt expensive committee went and looked and found that - gasp - perfect answers to mathematical questions were available on the Internet. Education Secretary Alan Johnson said there was "increased concerns" over whether or not students were doing all their own work.
Well duh!!
That, my dear Mr Johnson, is the very reason my teachers gave me as to why GCSE maths was a 100% examination subject when I took the course.
And that was fifteen years ago.
The Labour party: Tough on intelligence, tough on the causes of intelligence.
But before I head up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire (as my dad used to say), I just wanted to pass a comment on this story (a la Beeb) which breaks the news that GCSE maths will no longer involve coursework. This is because some no-doubt expensive committee went and looked and found that - gasp - perfect answers to mathematical questions were available on the Internet. Education Secretary Alan Johnson said there was "increased concerns" over whether or not students were doing all their own work.
Well duh!!
That, my dear Mr Johnson, is the very reason my teachers gave me as to why GCSE maths was a 100% examination subject when I took the course.
And that was fifteen years ago.
The Labour party: Tough on intelligence, tough on the causes of intelligence.
26.9.06
Sick report
Yesterday's "feeling sick" has turned into today's full-blown coughing and wheezing attacks, which led to a trip to see the doctor and a diagnosis of bronchitis. One inhaler and a bunch of antibiotics and I'm merely feeling sub-human.
koff-koff-hack-hack
G'night.
P.s. This whole coughing and hacking came to me via Mrs Doombreed, who came down with a cold late last week and, by Sunday, had infected yours truly.
At least we're being miserable together.
koff-koff-hack-hack
G'night.
P.s. This whole coughing and hacking came to me via Mrs Doombreed, who came down with a cold late last week and, by Sunday, had infected yours truly.
At least we're being miserable together.
25.9.06
Hey hey, we're the monkeys!
Feeling sick right now, so here's a quick link to an entertaining short film that points out some uncomfortable truths for those of us who haven't already taken off the rose-coloured glasses.
We're all just monkeys
Hat tip tp B-cup (and AgingHippy) at AP.
We're all just monkeys
Hat tip tp B-cup (and AgingHippy) at AP.
Bengals 28-20 Steelers
Well, that was sweet. Interceptions, fumbles, sacks, stupidity and a victory. Palmer and the Bengals taking revenge on the Steelers that knocked them out of the playoffs last time. Nice.
Roethlisberger, the Steelers' QB, was still looking a little uncomfortable, which may have something to do with the recent motorcycle crash and emergency appendectomy.
Houshmandzadeh, the Bengal who rivals Roethlisberger in both the hard-to-pronounce and longest surname categories, caught two excellent passes, and so did the more commentator-friendly Chris Henry.
A thoroughly enjoyable game, marred slightly by the fact that the commentators were apparently getting paid on a "per Palmer vs Van Oelhoffen reference" basis.
3-0-0.
Roethlisberger, the Steelers' QB, was still looking a little uncomfortable, which may have something to do with the recent motorcycle crash and emergency appendectomy.
Houshmandzadeh, the Bengal who rivals Roethlisberger in both the hard-to-pronounce and longest surname categories, caught two excellent passes, and so did the more commentator-friendly Chris Henry.
A thoroughly enjoyable game, marred slightly by the fact that the commentators were apparently getting paid on a "per Palmer vs Van Oelhoffen reference" basis.
3-0-0.
24.9.06
Gas prices, once more
Remember way back when, in the early birth pangs of this very blog, that I commented that gas (petrol) prices in the US were climbing around $2.50 per gallon?
Well, now they are finally back down to below $2.00 per gallon. Not much below $2.00 (my nearest station is charging $1.99 9/10 per gallon), but still, not bad.
For our British chums, that's 52 8/10 cents, or 27 79/100 pence per litre.
Hmm..
At petrolprices.com, the petrol in my old home town is hovering around the 89 1/2 pence per litre mark.
Pthbthbt.
Good news for the motorists. Bad news for the Democrats, who were, it seemed, building some momentum going into this November's mid-term elections, from the average American-about-town's growing exasperation with having to mortgage the house and sell a kid every time they wanted to fill up their car.
Nicely timed, that whole "finding a massive oil pocket in the Gulf of Mexico" business, huh?
Well, now they are finally back down to below $2.00 per gallon. Not much below $2.00 (my nearest station is charging $1.99 9/10 per gallon), but still, not bad.
For our British chums, that's 52 8/10 cents, or 27 79/100 pence per litre.
Hmm..
At petrolprices.com, the petrol in my old home town is hovering around the 89 1/2 pence per litre mark.
Pthbthbt.
Good news for the motorists. Bad news for the Democrats, who were, it seemed, building some momentum going into this November's mid-term elections, from the average American-about-town's growing exasperation with having to mortgage the house and sell a kid every time they wanted to fill up their car.
Nicely timed, that whole "finding a massive oil pocket in the Gulf of Mexico" business, huh?
22.9.06
Friday Rodent Blogging
Selene, troubled by tonight's overenthusiastic thunderstorm, takes to chewing on some cardboard in order to alleviate her stress.Whole committees have been formed in order to study what, if any, the differences are between her "chewing on cardboard in order to alleviate stress" chew, her "chewing on cardboard to keep her teeth ground down" chew, and her "chewing on cardboard for the sake of chewing" chew.
Believe me, I know a stress-relief chew when I see one.
21.9.06
A Very Special Day
Today is the anniversary of the day that Mrs Doombreed and I became, well, Mrs Doombreed and I.
That's right. Today is our anniversary. The anniversary of the day that I became the luckiest man alive, when the most wonderful woman in the universe became my wife.
So go find something else with which to entertain yourself.
May I suggest The Ring - In 30 Seconds (and re-enacted by bunnies)?
Or Brokeback Mountain?
Much kudos to Tain at AP for the links.
That's right. Today is our anniversary. The anniversary of the day that I became the luckiest man alive, when the most wonderful woman in the universe became my wife.
So go find something else with which to entertain yourself.
May I suggest The Ring - In 30 Seconds (and re-enacted by bunnies)?
Or Brokeback Mountain?
Much kudos to Tain at AP for the links.
20.9.06
Coffin riding
Steve Irwin has been dead for two weeks, and already the ghouls are jumping on his coffin.
In a spectacularly loathsome stunt, a church in Australia is claiming that Steve Irwin "came to Christ" two weeks before he died.
Irwin was private about his faith (or lack thereof). He did have a ceremony where members of the Buddhist faith blessed his children shortly after they were born, and he did remark, often, on his work with "god's creatures", but he was also an outspoken opponent of so-called "intelligent design theory" and regularly talked about the value of teaching real science, especially to children.
This, I guess, led to his life becoming a worthy target for the "everyone believes in god whether they admit it or not" gang, and, true to form, they started this rumour.
Frankly, I don't care. Irwin brought joy to millions, advanced the cause of conservation beyond everyone's - except, I'll bet, his own - wildest dreams, enlightened and entertained us beyond measure.
But the fact that some people who are allegedly devoted to The Bible are prepared to lie about him raises my hackles.
In a spectacularly loathsome stunt, a church in Australia is claiming that Steve Irwin "came to Christ" two weeks before he died.
Irwin was private about his faith (or lack thereof). He did have a ceremony where members of the Buddhist faith blessed his children shortly after they were born, and he did remark, often, on his work with "god's creatures", but he was also an outspoken opponent of so-called "intelligent design theory" and regularly talked about the value of teaching real science, especially to children.
This, I guess, led to his life becoming a worthy target for the "everyone believes in god whether they admit it or not" gang, and, true to form, they started this rumour.
Frankly, I don't care. Irwin brought joy to millions, advanced the cause of conservation beyond everyone's - except, I'll bet, his own - wildest dreams, enlightened and entertained us beyond measure.
But the fact that some people who are allegedly devoted to The Bible are prepared to lie about him raises my hackles.
19.9.06
Bengals: update
Tonight's Monday Night Football game (which saw the Jacksonville Jaguars hand a hard-fought 9-0 defeat to the Steelers) carried the announcement that Bengals' Linebacker David Pollack, injured in yesterday's game, has a broken neck.
NFL.com reports it as "a neck injury" which, they say, ends his season, though he's expected back next season.
Bengals.com goes into more detail. Pollack, apparently, suffered a fracture to his C-6 vertebra (the sixth cervical vertebra, near the base of the neck) but that, luckily, there appears to be no damage to the spinal cord.
Speedy recovery, dude.
NFL.com reports it as "a neck injury" which, they say, ends his season, though he's expected back next season.
Bengals.com goes into more detail. Pollack, apparently, suffered a fracture to his C-6 vertebra (the sixth cervical vertebra, near the base of the neck) but that, luckily, there appears to be no damage to the spinal cord.
Speedy recovery, dude.
18.9.06
Bengals 34-17 Browns
This was a hard game. Not the score, though. The Bengals dominated throughout, and the Browns never really looked like they were in it. What was hard was that it seemed that the Browns had decided that, if they couldn't win, they'd take as many Bengals down with them as possible.
Rich Braham, Dexter Jackson and David Pollack went out from injuries. In the final quarter, Chad Johnson was hit so hard (and, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't deliberate helmet-to-helmet tackling a penalty?) that his helmet flew off and he was left with a gash on his chin that soaked the collar of his shirt with blood, and required stitches. Several other players received injuries of the "cuts, scrapes and bruises" variety.
Still, a win's a win.
Next, we have the Steelers. Current Superbowl Champions, and the team that knocked the Bengals out of the playoffs last year.
But, 'till then..
2-0-0
Rich Braham, Dexter Jackson and David Pollack went out from injuries. In the final quarter, Chad Johnson was hit so hard (and, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't deliberate helmet-to-helmet tackling a penalty?) that his helmet flew off and he was left with a gash on his chin that soaked the collar of his shirt with blood, and required stitches. Several other players received injuries of the "cuts, scrapes and bruises" variety.
Still, a win's a win.
Next, we have the Steelers. Current Superbowl Champions, and the team that knocked the Bengals out of the playoffs last year.
But, 'till then..
2-0-0
16.9.06
Disillusionment
Y'know, I was getting used to all of the "Jesus/Mary is in my [insert material/item in which, or on which, a vaguely blobby shape has been found]" crap that goes on over here, best exemplified by the utterly stupid "Our Lady Of The Underpass" or The Virgin Mary Mother Of God and her appearance in a grilled cheese sandwich. It's curious that these mysterious "appearances" in various pieces of completely coincidental stains/reflections/grains are most often found in 3rd world countries or the US.
Well, apparently, people in England are also that stupid.
In a gift to the so-called pro-life lobby, an English couple have an ultrasound scan of their baby, with Jesus keeping watch over the lil tyke as he sleeps.
Jesus is, apparently, a goat. Or a camel. Or grotesquely deformed.
Or, it's not Jesus and it's, maybe, the baby's arm? Or part of the umbilical cord?
Still, whatever gets you through the day..
Well, apparently, people in England are also that stupid.
In a gift to the so-called pro-life lobby, an English couple have an ultrasound scan of their baby, with Jesus keeping watch over the lil tyke as he sleeps.
Jesus is, apparently, a goat. Or a camel. Or grotesquely deformed.
Or, it's not Jesus and it's, maybe, the baby's arm? Or part of the umbilical cord?
Still, whatever gets you through the day..
15.9.06
Friday Rodent Blogging
This week's FRB is going in a different direction, and Selene is a little upset at being rousted from her usual top billing.The above picture is of a member of the small colony of chipmunks that live outside our house. As yet, they haven't been named, although there are three names that spring to mind..
Okay, five..
14.9.06
Revenge On The 'Rays
From Australia comes the distressing news that stingrays are turning up dead and mutilated around Queensland, in what police say may be fans retaliating over the death of This World's Greatest Bloke, Steve Irwin.
I don't know what's more ridiculous. The idea that Irwin's fans would do this - when it is the very antithesis of what the man stood for - or that the coppers so easily leaped to this conclusion.
Hat tip to 3vil g3nius.
I don't know what's more ridiculous. The idea that Irwin's fans would do this - when it is the very antithesis of what the man stood for - or that the coppers so easily leaped to this conclusion.
Hat tip to 3vil g3nius.
13.9.06
Rock Star: Supernova
Well, another season of Rock Star is over.
And we ended up with Lukas Rossi.
Words cannot even begin to express the depths of my disappointment with this decision. Had the band picked Magni or Toby, Mrs Doombreed and I swore, we would buy their album and we would have tried to go see them on tour.
Either of the two guys would have had Supernova smashing their way onto the rock scene with a blast that would be creating waves decades from now.
We are eagerly anticipating both guy's solo (or band?) albums.
Lukas? Not so much.
I'm going to borrow from an old Kit Kat ad from the UK:
You can't sing. You can't dance. You look awful.
Seriously, he sings like someone just shoved a lemon up his arse and I've seen people on fire move better. The finale performance, where Lukas joined up with the band to sing Be Yourself & 5 Other Cliches, was the proof. Be Yourself is the all-new Supernova track first performed with Toby, and comparing the two just showed the massive chasm between the two artists. Toby's version was energetic, powerful, and exciting. Lukas' attempt was limp. It was like Talentless Fanboy Night at the karaoke bar.
At least they didn't go with Dilana. That would have been an unspeakable mess.
And a California judge says Tommy, Gilby, Jason and Lukas cannot call themselves "Supernova" until the lawsuit is settled.
Meh.
Check out Toby's original song Throw It Away and and Magni's When The Time Comes.
And we ended up with Lukas Rossi.
Words cannot even begin to express the depths of my disappointment with this decision. Had the band picked Magni or Toby, Mrs Doombreed and I swore, we would buy their album and we would have tried to go see them on tour.
Either of the two guys would have had Supernova smashing their way onto the rock scene with a blast that would be creating waves decades from now.
We are eagerly anticipating both guy's solo (or band?) albums.
Lukas? Not so much.
I'm going to borrow from an old Kit Kat ad from the UK:
You can't sing. You can't dance. You look awful.
Seriously, he sings like someone just shoved a lemon up his arse and I've seen people on fire move better. The finale performance, where Lukas joined up with the band to sing Be Yourself & 5 Other Cliches, was the proof. Be Yourself is the all-new Supernova track first performed with Toby, and comparing the two just showed the massive chasm between the two artists. Toby's version was energetic, powerful, and exciting. Lukas' attempt was limp. It was like Talentless Fanboy Night at the karaoke bar.
At least they didn't go with Dilana. That would have been an unspeakable mess.
And a California judge says Tommy, Gilby, Jason and Lukas cannot call themselves "Supernova" until the lawsuit is settled.
Meh.
Check out Toby's original song Throw It Away and and Magni's When The Time Comes.
12.9.06
Banksy's at it again
Guerrilla artist Banksy, fresh from taking a pot shot at Paris Hilton, has taken a pot-shot at the Bush administration.
He recently placed a life-sized model of a Guantanamo bay detainee in a ride at Disneyland in California. Some better shots here.
He recently placed a life-sized model of a Guantanamo bay detainee in a ride at Disneyland in California. Some better shots here.
11.9.06
5 years on
I think they might yank my Licence To Blog if I don't at least mention that today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11.
Of course, mentioning such - as seemingly every blog in the universe did, and every newspaper, and every TV news show, not to mention Monday Night Football on ESPN, and a myriad of other shows on TV, radio, the Internet - presupposes that you are so dumb you don't know that today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11.
But it is.
I'm going to make no comment on the subject of 9/11. There's enough political rhetoric and opprtunistic coffin-riding being spewed all over the world on a day that should be about simple remembrance.
Of course, mentioning such - as seemingly every blog in the universe did, and every newspaper, and every TV news show, not to mention Monday Night Football on ESPN, and a myriad of other shows on TV, radio, the Internet - presupposes that you are so dumb you don't know that today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11.
But it is.
I'm going to make no comment on the subject of 9/11. There's enough political rhetoric and opprtunistic coffin-riding being spewed all over the world on a day that should be about simple remembrance.
10.9.06
Bengals 23-10 Chiefs
The Bengals won their season opener against the Chiefs 23-10, in a stunning game marred by the injury to Kansas City's QB Trent Green, left unconscious on the field after what may or may not have been a brutal hit by Cincinnati DE Robert Geathers.
Green is reported to have suffered "pretty severe head trauma".
I'm sure all NFL fans wish him a speedy recovery and a swift return to the game.
1-0-0.
Green is reported to have suffered "pretty severe head trauma".
I'm sure all NFL fans wish him a speedy recovery and a swift return to the game.
1-0-0.
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