Friday, August 06, 2010

Hither and thither 8/6/10

Goodness, another week for me. Thursday was more like Monday. Ahh, but it's Friday, and so far so good.

Here's your weekend's worth of hithery, thithery goodness. Updates possible until noon, Pacific. Have fun.
  • For starters, terrific sale price on the NICOT volume on Hosea, by J. Andrew Dearman, Westminster Bookstore is offering it until August 19 at 45% off the cover price. On that link, you'll see an extra discount on every additional NICOT volume you buy. Good deal.
  • Reader Berry Davis wonders whether you love your iPhone and Japanese food enough to shell out over forty clams to get one of these covers.
  • Drop by and say "hi" to brother David Wayne, and tell him you're praying for him.
  • Did you know that R2D2 is in the recent Star Trek movie? Srsly. (Thanks to Mr. Grasshopper Kerry Garrett.)

  • ...aaand here's another Star Wars fan.
  • Meanwhile, in another country adrift: a Japanese man married his pillow. (No comment from Judge Walker yet.) [Correction: reader NLB points out that the man is Korean. It's the pillow that's Japanese.]
  • So: you rob a Wendy's. (Work with me here.) You get home. You count the loot. Hunh, not much there. What do you do? Why... you call the restaurant and complain! Twice! (Thanks, Becky.)
  • Would you call this the opposite of anti-Semitism? No, that doesn't really fit, to describe the prejudice a professor claims to have experienced from apostate Jewish colleagues when she converted to Anglicanism. The article says that Dr. Tali Argov converted to Christianity, but only specifies Anglicanism — so it could mean anything, or nothing. The ironically-named Dr. David Ariel, president of the Centre, vehemently denies her accusations.
  • If you haven't seen the Trunk Monkey commercials, you really must. (Thanks to my friend John.)
  • Never, never do this:
  • Democrats don't get that government confiscation of capital from job-producers is bad for the economy. Republicans do get it, and they think it's a winning issue. Maybe... if they can (A) articulate and (B) disseminate. Unfortunately, that's a pretty big "if."
  • As the Phillips Birthday Month looms nigh, DAOD notes a set of thirty birthday cake designs.
  • Dude: the new trailer for Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
  • Wellsir and wellma'am, the least-qualified President, ever arguably just got the least-qualified candidate, ever elevated to the Supreme Court. Given Kagan's record of homosexual-agenda activism, the prospect of the marriage issue reaching the Supremes is a matter of legitimate concern. The folly of American voters may harm us for decades and decades to come.
  • So, why is Obama's popularity plummeting? Eleanor Clift knows. Who's she? I used to watch John McLaughlin's show, and Clift was not only always wrong about everything, she was always wrong in the most sneering, superior, abrasive way. Her answer, then? Obama doesn't blame Bush enough. I (A) kid you not, and (B) don't have to make this stuff up.
  • So yeah, I'm with Clift. I'm sure the spectable of a president continuing to whine and moan and point fingers at his predecessor will rally the bold American spirit right behind him. No way it's going to make Americans nostalgic for the days when there were actual adults in Washington. Do it, 0!
  • Meanwhile, it's true: more blame Obama for the present economy than they blame Bush. I blame Dem Congress + Obama. Bad combination. Hope this November changes one of those elements decisively.
  • However, with great foresight the Dems have created more and more dependents. So we have that working against us.
  • Think of it. This President actually parades his failures as successes. To him, the more who look to the government for salvation and life and meaning, the better. A maz ing. Not in a good way.
  • Oh, and by the way — about those three examples of Obama's complete failure to free moneymakers to restart America's economic engine? One had a very recent criminal background. Oopsie. Oh well, the 0-ministration is about big ideas, not little details.
  • In  happier economic news, one little entrepreneur got a reversal and an apology. (Thanks to reader Aaron for the tip.)
  • Hope the economy's never so bad that I have to get a job doing this.
  • Bristol Palin and that guy are engaged ag... oh, wait. Never mind.
  • Can't you hear the sighs of relief all the way from Wasilla? (Thanks to Julie Garrett for the links.)
  • Paula noticed a new idea for taking care of Grandpa or Grandma. And speaking of Grand-ness....
  • One fun new thing in my life is reading to my grandson, Timothe. Not this book, though:
  • I worry about China. So does my buddy John, who sent me a report on a possible new, game-changing Chinese weapon. Add that to our having a feckless, clueless, weak President, and our daily national pursuit of new ways to offend God... and there's still more to worry about.
  • Shall we dread more of this, when "gays" serve? (Thanks, CR.)
  • And now a few pet-related items.
  • First, the expression for organizing the unruly is "herding cats," so famous are they for their independence. Yet it is being thought that groups of cats do have a hierarchical structure. All I know is, we ain't on the top of ours.
  • Second, family and readers alike can bear witness that I've never been heard to say, "And another cool thing about cats is: they might save your life!"  And yet....
  • Which segues nicely into our Title of the Week which is, ahem, unusually nasty. Ready? Here you go:
    Jack Russell Terrier eats Michigan man's toe and saves his life.
  • Does your cat love you? Here are ways to tell.
  • Now consider the story of Zzyzx. You know. The town.
  • Reader Pam Siegried found some well-done 3-D chalk art. (The site as a whole = not recommended.)
  • We're not all born knowing how to fish.

  • The latest breaking news from Science. What dinosaurs can you name? Bronco... thingie; Tyrannosaurus Rex; raptors; and... well, duh: Triceratops. Only — not so much.
  • And this time they're sure! Promise!
  • Fun watching, but a bit harrowing (turn your volume down). One does wonder why the video stops just when it does.
  • Amazing pencil-lead art. (Get some pix) (h-t Phil).
  • Why, you... you... you Sarcastic Fringehead, you!






  • And finally, for my Josiah — but you can look, too.

16 comments:

Robert said...

Good eye spotting R2 in there!

DJP said...

It wasn't I who spotted it; Kerry spotted someone spotting it.

(c:

JackW said...

Oh man, the fisherkid has in stitches!

Fred Butler said...

Regarding the morphing dinosaurs... That report is by Jack Horner, whose team it was that discovered soft tissue, red blood cells and DNA in a variety of dinosaur bones. All supposedly 70 million years old.

Barbara said...

Re: "When cats save your life" article...

Who knew that a cat scan could detect cancer?

How 'bout the Lab(rador) work?

DJP said...

Barbara!

ba-dum bum!

David Regier said...

Sarcastic Fringeheads is the name of my new band.

Aaron said...

I want you all to know that the Dems have now officially targeted Texas, which is the last bastion for them (that is if Texas goes blue then Texas, CA, and New York would be the only states that matter for Presidential elections). They added an amendment to the lastest bailout that will require the Texas governor to assure that Texas will continue to spend the same money even after the bailout money is spent (of course, that is strictly against the Texas Constitution).

I'm personally not worried about China. If God chooses to judge us he could use China or some backwoods tribe from South America.

I've driven by Zzyzx exit many times and always wondered about it (it's on the freeway from LA to Vegas). Thanks for solving that mystery for me.

Isn't your Grandson just a few months old?

jmb said...

Man Marries Pillow. He should have slept on it before making the decision.

Herding Grasshoppers said...

It's Friday morning, the boys are gathered around me for a warm, family moment...

... laughing hysterically at Trunk Monkey!

Many thanks,

Julie

Paula Bolyard said...

Here's an editorial from Cliff Kincaid about the gay Wiki-leaker situation. He raises some important questions about the DOD policy:

"The riveting Telegraph account of Manning's growing rage and anger raises serious questions of how the soldier was able to flaunt his homosexuality despite the fact that the Pentagon still officially has a policy in place of excluding open homosexuals from military service.

In a clear indication that the law was being ignored by the Obama Administration, the evidence demonstrates that Manning was continuing to serve after openly flaunting his homosexuality, including on Facebook.

Who in the Obama Administration-and the Department of Defense-was aware of his conduct and looked the other way? Was Manning given a pass because his "lifestyle" was considered to be in favor and acceptable under the Obama Administration?

Now, because of the obvious mishandling of this homosexual ticking time bomb, it appears that the United States, its soldiers, and relations with countries in the region will pay the price. Lives-and a war on terrorism in Afghanistan-could be lost."


And our family doctor wondered why I balked at having my children's vaccination records in the state database?

SolaMommy said...

I have a feeling this is going to take the whole weekend to get through! Chock full o'goodness!

DJP said...

I'm quoting you in Twitter, SolaMommy!

Ron (aka RealityCheck) said...

Speaking of “ba-dum bum!”, I think that first cake design is a real hoot. Sorry… couldn’t resist.

Trunk Monkey had me lol.

I remember Eleanor Clift… if that woman owned a compass it would point South.

China a concern… nah… Bill Clinton handled all of that years ago.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/9/29/25139.shtml

Oh my, Zzyzx Road, I remember driving by that sign so many times and my Dad and I saying that we needed to check it out but never did.

How about a name for the dino experts themselves like… obliviousaurus!

Becky Schell said...

Those Trunk Monkey commercials are so funny! Number three reminded me of the she-bear and the young lads in 2 Kings 2.

This is a great H&T, Dan. I have spent way too much time here!

Halcyon said...

Pillow-man reminds me of C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.

When the Pendragon reveals himself to Merlin, he goes into some mythopoetic talk about the original inhabitants of the moon, how that their heart's were so darkened (by turning away from Maleldil) that they would no longer marry each other but would instead construct statues of each other and marry them. They soon destroyed themselves.

I always found that part cool but quaint. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't prophetic.

Word Verification: "storisi"; noun: pasta with a tale to tell.