Hither and thither 6/11/10

Very early, longer day today. So I'll give a treat to our very early readers, though with this proviso: check back at least once after noon PT, because there are bound to be a number of updates. Here you go, have fun:

• Yay! We're #1! A feature on hot springs begins with "most dangerous," featuring our own Eastern Sierras' Hot Creek. They give a picture. Here are a few of my own. Mine are prettier, but less steamy (click to enlarge):

• I notice that they didn't list the "most swimmable." They could have stayed in the Sierra and listed Keough's Hot Springs, where my family likes to swim on our trips thitherwards.
• Pretty amazing, what cats can fit into:

• Oh my, you just can't make this stuff up. This week's Irony Can Be Pretty Ironic Sometimes Award goes to President Barack Obama, for telling graduates that they should take responsibility, stop pointing fingers and passing the buck, and stop making excuses for themselves.
• Staying with the Pres... look, this is just hysterical, but it does feature one crude phrase — which, if you follow the news, you know the President used recently. I hesitated, but my Dear Wife said it was a must. Warned enough? Perfect. Here you go.
• If that offends you, you should know I blame George Bush. That's right: if Bush hadn't been so focused on doing what he thought was right, and had actually defended his administration against his enemies in the press and the Left, Obama wouldn't have had a cake-walk of a campaign, gotten elected, been president, and used that crudity. So there.
• More seriously, I think Kuhner has it right: this is vulgarity as a cover for callow, clueless, disengaged incompetence. Gollies, who could have anticipated that in an Obama administration? Oh, right: every reader of this blog, plus anyone with a clue.
• One more, from reader Andrew Comings: maybe Obama's weakness in geography is a Chicago thing:

• Whoa. 365 days of stormtroopers. Now, I've not checked out every last one, so I don't know if there are any in-poor-tasties.
• Well, they are pretty much everywhere.

• Hm. Nice switch.

• Now the BibChr Public Service Announcement of the week: how to escape from killer bees. Hey, it could happen!
• So: can we all agree that there is such a thing as taking Star-Trek-love too far? Good. Now, can we agree that this mother is a good example of just that phenomenon? Good.
• As I used to say when folks would ask me about baptism or dispensationalism at the Presbyterranean church: "Look! A comet!"
• You heard that Captain Picard (actor Patrick Stewart) was knighted? Ah yes; but did you know with what? (Thanks to reader Al Stout for the scoop.)

• Didn't I tell you the MSM were all in lock-step?
• You could take a quiz which involves discerning which statements were made by Communists, and which were made by Democratic Party leaders. Not so easy.

• To save some somber liberal drive-by from embarrassing himself: yes, we know — it's a prop!
• Cool. Bible bees.
• Remember the Star Wars Kid? 'Course you do. Here's a where-is-he-now, including a few funny re-dos of the timeless viral video.
• You ask, Is there any news service worse than Associated Press (AP)? I say, Oh, absolutely: Reuters.
• Kinda sad. You're in line for fast food, and... the standing. It's too much work.

• You know, some titles are just so wrong you don't even need to read the attached article. Take this one: Ambah Young, 18, has cosmetic surgery to feel young again. Huh? Yeah, and she's not the only one. Eesh.
• I'll Retire to Bedlam Alert: a warning label on the Constitution, Declaration, etc.
• It's good to have goals. But not this goal.
• I say again, Coffee: It's a Health Food.
• Skateboarding, on the other hand? Not so much.

• By contrast: yeah, but as my DAOD says: "What a tasty way to go!"
• You read that right: woman charged with adultery... in New York!
• Remember the frenetic drummer from this week's Monday Music? In case you're interested, his name's Steve Moore, and I found an interview with him.
• Boy oh boy, tell me that this isn't a terrific setup for a nasty sci-fi/horror movie... especially when paired with this. (Thanks to reader Witness for the tip.)
• Tale of two extremes? On the one hand, a private school teacher blogs (at first) obliquely about a student's speech, and eventually gets fired. On the other, a bus driver singles out a Christian girl for ridicule, harsh namecalling, and utterly out-of-line hectoring — and nothing happens. (See also here.)
• If you'd like to see a gent give new meaning to Exodus 32:9, jump to 5:55 on this video (which doesn't allow embedding) and have a gander.
• Then gander at these: