Mother Nature Attempts Revenge for Dandelion Massacre

February 28, 2011

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Scene of the attempted homocide.

Visalia, CA – Mother Nature, in a blatant act of revenge, attempted to commit homocide* this afternoon.   Using one of the most pervasive tools at her disposal, gravity, the suspect, generally considered a loving, benign caretaker of all things natural, tried to revenge herself for the recent actions of a local resident, Jim Reeves, 53.

On March 19, 2010, this website published an expose, written by Reeves, about Mother Nature, revealing a heretofore secret about the favoritism shown by her towards one particular member of her menagerie.

Yes, the dandelion.  That expose, and recent attempts by the victim to remove them from his front yard, resulted in today’s attempt at  homocide*.  While the intended victim was on a ladder cleaning debris from rain gutters, Mother Nature increased friction between the ladder steps and his boots, and caused a sudden surge in the gravity field just beneath him.  While the attempt caught the intended victim off guard, a quick and graceful (well, not graceful, but let’s not argue with success) cat-like mid-air twist resulted in a safe landing feet first on the sidewalk.   The attack was thwarted by the quick reactions and general he-man-ness of the modest Visalia resident.  “She may try again,” said Reeves, “but she’ll have to do better than that.  I may be getting older, but I’m not an old man just yet! I suspect she’ll lay low for a while, but if I know her, she’ll try again. ”

*yes, we know that’s not the correct spelling of homicide.  Reeves’ insisted on this spelling.  He’s also aware what speaking in the third person means.

Republicans Are Insane

February 27, 2011

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The place:  Georgia (the State, not the European country)

The evidence:  HB 1

The author:  Rep Bobby Franklin (R)

What he’s done:  has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any “prenatal murder” in the words of the bill, including “human involvement” in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death.

The result:   Under Rep. Franklin’s bill, HB 1, women who miscarry could become felons if they cannot prove that there was “no human involvement whatsoever in the causation” of their miscarriage.

See the Mother Jones article, here.

First it was redefining rape.  Then changing the designation of domestic-abuse victims to “accusers”.  Now if you can’t prove your miscarriage was natural, they want to charge you with murder.

Insane.  Completely, totally, over-the-edge, insane.  Anyone who can in good conscious be a Republican must simply not understand what their party stands for these days.  The elephant has lost it’s mind.

When I Should Have Known

February 24, 2011

Jim Reeves commentary, Gay, Personal , , , , , 3 Comments

That’s me, back in 1969 or so.  Twelve years old.  One important thing in my life happened right about then, and a second important thing didn’t.  I wrote about the first thing in a blog posted to Tulare County Atheists some time ago.  This blog is about the second thing, the one that didn’t happen.  At least not for another 25 years.

I had a “girlfriend” when I was 5 years old.  We attended the same kindergarten class in Tacoma.  I remember calling her my girlfriend, and I think she called me her boyfriend, but I’m not sure either of us really thought much of the designation.  For me, it might have been more something my father suggested.  She and I only interacted in school, since we didn’t live close to each other.  We didn’t really play that much together, and other than the status of “girlfriend”, I really don’t recall much about her.  I think her name was the same as my sister’s, Sherry, but I could be mis-remembering that.  We moved after the end of the school year, and I never saw her again.  I don’t recall being upset about that.  Maybe that was the first clue?

That was it for girlfriends up until my senior year in high school.  Second clue?  Perhaps.

I should have figured out the second thing right about the same time I figured out the first.  But there was a big difference between being OK about being an atheist, and being OK about being gay.

More

Vacation Video Blog

February 23, 2011

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Time Warp! July, 1983

February 22, 2011

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25 years old. Before the Internet.  Before dispatching.  Before Ham Radio-ing.  Still in denial, and barely aware of it.  Still slinging chicken and burgers. (Same month as Best CheeseBurger in town!) Noticing several things about this picture:  Still sleeping on the same waterbed! Still have the CB radio (don’t use it).  Still have the table the CB and the shortwave are sitting on.  Still have the stereo that’s barely visible (do use it), although that turntable died years ago.  Still have the picture that’s on the wall behind me (it’s of the Space Shuttle on the launch pad).  The hair on my chest is now thicker than the hair on my head (and the chest hair is not all that much thicker today than then!).  I have gained a few pounds in the interim.  But only a few.  I think that robe may be in the back of my closet somewhere.

Photo Credit: Mom!

Slightly freaky afterthought…
It’s been longer since that picture was taken, than from my birth to that day!

That Isn’t Supposed To Happen

February 20, 2011

Jim Reeves commentary, geek, Personal , , 1 Comment

The Southern California Edison and AT&T Universal Card websites are supposed to be UP when I want to give them money!  Carmax was ready to take my money, but I’d already paid them this month, so that was nice.  Even my cranky bank’s site was up and available.  Now I have to wait until tomorrow.  They really shouldn’t do that, I might not be in the mood to pay them tomorrow!

Sheese!

UPDATE!: More

The #Almighty Tweets Words of #Wisdom

February 19, 2011

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Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach Gets Good News

February 18, 2011

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I Want YOU - For The US Air Force!

On December 22, 2010, I posted this picture and a link to NOH8’s website where it and others of military men affected by Don’t Ask Don’t Tell could be found.

Now the latest news about the status of Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, the Air Force officer in this picture:

The South Bend Tribune reports that the Air Force has informed Lt. Col. Fehrenbach that he will be retired with his full rank and pension on October 1, 2011.  This effectively cancels the discharge proceedings that were in progress since he was involuntarily outed in 2008.

“It was a great sense of relief. I didn’t expect it,” said Fehrenbach, 41, a 1991 University of Notre Dame graduate, in a telephone interview with the Tribune Tuesday from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

For nearly three years, Fehrenbach has been in a battle to save his career because of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy — a policy that was overturned in late 2010.

With no further explanation, the military in January sent Fehrenbach new orders: Effective Sept. 30, he will be retired from active duty at his current rank and with his pension. He’ll serve out the remaining months of his military duty at his current desk job at the base in Idaho.

Vacation Begins: Now

February 18, 2011

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Starts now. Ends March 13. Need suggestions on what to do in between.  Ideas?

Lunar Geek – Fox aired Moon Hoax show 10 years ago

February 15, 2011

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Captain Alan Bean, Apollo 12 Commander holding a sample container, Ocean of Storms, November 1969 Photo Credit: NASA

 

Ten years ago today, Fox aired a program called “”Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?” Bad Astronomy author (and astronomer) Phil Plait writes how this one program did more to advance his career than perhaps any other single thing.

The simple answer?  Yes, of course we went to the Moon. Six times, eighteen crew members, and twelve who actually walked on it’s surface.  The picture above is Apollo astronaut Alan Bean.  Phil says this of the photo:

This is a picture of Al Bean. It’s a man in a space suit. It’s a man in a spacesuit holding a sample container. It’s a man in a spacesuit holding a sample container on the Moon. Standing on the Moon. It’s a man standing on the freakin’ Moon!

And I watched every last one of them, live on TV! Or, as live as was possible back in the days of three networks and six channels, who didn’t always interrupt prime time for our “routine” lunar missions. Before NASA TV, the Internet, and hundreds of cable channels. But when it was on, I was there.

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