November 16, 2005

This seems like an excellent idea

Busy busy, so once again I lift entire:

There is a project underway that will reduce the amount of dependence placed on the government when a natural disaster strikes one of the coastal states (Atlantic, Gulf or Pacific). The projects name is Operation Enduring Service and was created by Beauchamp Tower Corporation.

Posted on phin's blog and cross-posted at Confederate Yankee are calls to press Senators to insert a rider that will allow this to happen. Due to time constraints the legislation required to make this happen is dangerously close to falling by the wayside-in fact it has to pass before Congress ends this Session (less than 14 days).

The project calls for the transfer of decommisioned and obsolete military ships to an established award-winning nonprofit organization that will convert them into powerful and 100% volunteer-funded floating rescue and recovery vessels to assist those in need in the wake of natural and manmade disasters.

Via Operation Enduring Service:

So, you want to see what these old girls will be able to do? Here's a list of only a few things we can provide during a Coastal State disaster (such as flooding or a hurricane)

----Service a disaster area of up to 10,000 square miles (up to 100 miles inland) with minimal (if any) outside support

----Provide complete berthing facilities for up to 400 emergency responders "on scene" at a disaster site

----Fully integrated communications system serving all local, state, and federal agencies, as well as cell phone coverage and military band frequencies--allowing for seamless communications between all disaster scene personnel, no matter what radio frequency or cell phone is being used.

----Daily provide 110 tons of bagged and palletized ice to the disaster region

----Daily generate, bottle, and palletize up to 50,000 gallons of fresh water

----Provide refueling station and loading platform for helicopters operating in the disaster area

----Carry over 7,000 tons of food and supplies for a disaster area

----Store (and provide delivery of) 700,000 gallons of diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel for use in the disaster area on emergency vehicles and critical needs generators (hospitals, emergency operation centers, etc)

.......and that's just one ship.

They're talking about fielding two ships, not one... a regular "Salvation Navy." We have a chance to make a great deal of difference in future disasters (these ships may be ready for the '06 hurricane season) but we must act now. Think of the number of lives saved and the peace of mind that can be brought, while saving the government and tax payers money.

Any help you can give in the form of summoning your readerships to help press the key senators listed (and their own) would be greatly appreciated.

There it is. I call and/or write my congresscritters fairly often on various matters. This time, it won't be to gripe about something, it'll be to suggest that this needs to be done. You should too, it can make a difference.

Posted by: Ted at 05:06 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 15, 2005

I forgot to mention...

We passed a gas station today selling regular for $1.99 a gallon.

Posted by: Ted at 07:33 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Passed? As in didn't stop to top of the tank?

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at November 15, 2005 08:18 PM (ics4u)

2 Actually, just got back from picking my truck up at the hospital. Needed it, so I filled up on the way back home.

Posted by: Ted at November 15, 2005 09:23 PM (+OVgL)

3 A couple of places around here down to $1.95.

How's Liz?

Posted by: CGHill at November 15, 2005 09:37 PM (tEfsQ)

4 back-to-back posts about abdominal pains and cheap gas. I don't whether to laugh or cry.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at November 15, 2005 09:46 PM (ANfwC)

5 Here in Milwaukee, with transport costs, taxes and a state-mandated minimum markup, we are now down to $2.20, from a post-Katrina peak of $3.49. I've seen no news coverage of the drop despite headlines about the previous increases.

Posted by: triticale at November 16, 2005 12:14 AM (WE8HO)

6 triticale,
That's 'cuz good news is no news.

Don't try to keep up! ;P

Posted by: Tuning Spork at November 16, 2005 12:44 AM (w6sl8)

7 We're still paying minimum $2.54 USD per gallon up here. It must be the extra distance back up to where it was originally refined.

Posted by: Oorgo at November 16, 2005 01:00 PM (lM0qs)

8 Canada doesn't have it's own refineries?

I'd bet that most of the price differences around the world are due to taxes in one form or another.

Posted by: Ted at November 16, 2005 01:55 PM (blNMI)

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Little bit of a family emergency thing going on (updated)

First: Robyn and Rachael, if you call, call Mom's cell phone between 12:45 and 1:15 and I'll give you details. Any other time, you'll just get voice mail.

Gist: My wife Liz was taken to the hospital for severe abdominal pain yesterday morning (luckily, she works next door in a medical practice). When things weren't moving quickly enough, then shuffled her to the ER and called me.

Lots of tests and scans and rays later, they've ruled out some things and have plenty of supporting data for their primary diagnosis, but no solid confirmation. It was looking likely that she'd be having surgery last night, but as test after test came back that option was eliminated. They sent us home last night around 1am and I made a followup appointment with her doctor for this morning.

If this turns out to be what Liz and I both thought it was from the beginning, then she's going to be very tender and in pain for a few days. Bottom line is, she had a rough yesterday, but it looks like everything is going to be ok.

Good thoughts and prayers never hurt. Thanks.

I read somewhere once that you should never end a letter on a downer, so I'll mention now that I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance.

Update: Liz has had eight abdominal surgeries over the last twenty years, which tends to build up a lot of scar tissue. The doctor is assuming (and this is what we first suspected) that Liz ripped loose a big chunk of the adhesions. That means that it's time for another laboroscopy (might not be spelled right), which is where they go in through her belly button with a fiber optic camera and a laser and just cut away all the spidery webby scarring that's built up inside. She sees a surgeon Monday to set it up. In the meantime, as long as she doesn't overdo she'll feel a bit better every day.

Thanks for the good thoughts and kind words, everyone.

Posted by: Ted at 07:47 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 14, 2005

Another player in this year's Hockey Whoopass Jamboree

Catt played last year, when we used the minor leagues for the Jamboree. This year, she's been busy having a baby and stuff, but like the true hockey fan that she is, she's got her gloves back on and is ready to high-stick and spear her way to victory.

Then again, maybe not, since her team is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The players:

Machelle and David: Detroit Red Wings
Frinklin: Vancouver Canucks
Brian J: St. Louis Blues
Tom: Philadelphia Flyers
Derek: Colorado Avalanche
Gir: Calgary Flames
Grand Moff Trojan: Colorado Avalanche
Tilesey: Toronto Maple Leafs
Cal Tech Girl: Carolina Hurricanes
Victor: Washington Capitals
Michele: New York Rangers
Brandon: Los Angeles Kings
Catt: Pittsburgh Penguins
Yours Truly: San Jose Sharks

Complete rules - and there's not many - can be found here.

Posted by: Ted at 05:21 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hockey Team Logos

Much like Frinklin does with his sports uniform ratings, Dave at JustWide is doing a Team Logo playoffs.

just wide logo contest

Posted by: Ted at 04:02 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 12, 2005

I don't ask for much

It snuck up on me, but I'm the host of the next Carnival of the Recipes. So please send in your recipes to recipe -dot- carnival -at- gmail -dot- com so I have something to work with.

Posted by: Ted at 06:36 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I only show you the flattering ones

I mean, I didn't post the one that said I was Coconut Cream Yogurt or anything. This one I found at annika's.

(moved to the extended entry)

Posted by: Ted at 01:45 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Didja know?

Munuviana (our group of Mu.Nu blogs for those who didn't know) is the largest Movable Type installation in the world.

We just moved over to a pair of new servers to help handle the workload. Pixy rocks.

Posted by: Ted at 01:18 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 11, 2005

Old folk wit and wisdom

I don't know about the "day late" part, but lately I seem to be "a dollar short" quite often.

Does that make me a half-wit?

Posted by: Ted at 04:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Pat Robertson

Ever notice that these televangelists all seem to live forever? I'm betting that God doesn't really want 'em around either.

What a jackass.

Posted by: Ted at 02:15 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Picking at it like a scab

I visited my friend Dave's blog yesterday, and something I read there really bugged me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. He's Canadian and we disagree on many things. I say that for context, because I'm quite far to the right of Dave, or he's far to the left of me depending on how you look at it. Anyways, this morning while doing drywall (have I mentioned how much I hate doing drywall?), I was turning it over in my mind and I understood what it was about Dave's post that annoyed me so.

He wrote:

Sure the Liberals were corrupt, EVERY government is corrupt as long there are men and women sitting in positions of power. Corruption breeds in backslapping handshaking environments where people get paid 6 digit figures for working 20ish days a year. Deal with it.

Dave, you should never just "Deal with it" when it comes to your government. That kind of milquetoast, bend-me-over-and-please-sir-can-I-have-another attitude is exactly what those ruling bastards are counting on. You, my friend, are a fucking SHEEP, and if I saw you I'd kick you in the balls to remind you that they're there.

If your government screws you over (and by all accounts, they've been screwing you long and hard), then you vote them out. Don't like the opposition? Fine, hold your nose and vote the current party out anyway. Because you never ever reward corruption and theivery by allowing them to remain in power. And if the next government turns out to be as bad, then you vote those assholes out too, and you keep doing your goddamn job as a citizen until someone running for office understands that the people aren't going to put up with "business as usual" and cleans up their collective act.

Being screwed by your friends feels no different than being screwed by the other guys. If you don't recognize that, then you've already given up. You have the ultimate authority in your form of government, yet you're too lazy to use it.

A wise man once said that people get the government they deserve, and Canada is living proof of the accuracy of that. It doesn't have to be that way.

Posted by: Ted at 10:04 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I take it Dave doesn't read The Red Ensign Standard when it comes out? You should tell him to google that phrase and read some of what comes out.

Oh, and how do you like doing drywall, Ted?

Posted by: Victor at November 11, 2005 03:25 PM (L3qPK)

2 The drywall is done except for finish mudding. Today I did the ceramic tiling in the shower.

Yay hats!

Posted by: Ted at November 11, 2005 04:01 PM (+OVgL)

3 Baaaa

No, but seriously, I do vote for the opposition, but it's apparently never the populare opposition. Of course calling Canada's government corrupt coming from an American, that's a lot of the kettle calling the pot black brother. And I wasn't speaking just of our government but of all governments in general.

Besides, any corruption carried out by government officials is usually covered up so well during their time of office that no one ever knows about it. It has to be a seriously big stinker, like, say, outing a Secret Agent, before anyone is removed of office.

Posted by: Oorgo at November 11, 2005 08:00 PM (1JIkb)

4 LOL Be sure of your facts, amigo. It's only against the law if the "agent" is undercover, and Plame wasn't and hadn't been for at least five years. I know several CIA agents (living near DC and working for Uncle Sam, you meet lots of gov people), and a very small percentage are actually "secret" agents. Plame wasn't one, therefor no crime could be committed because you can't "out" someone in that status. By the scenario that you suggest, then anyone answering the phone at CIA headquarters wouldn't even be allowed to give their name.

Now as for corruption being covered up, well, Gomery seems to have shined a pretty bright light on some rats in Ottawa.

But all that misses my point, and that's the frustration I feel when I see the apathy that people have when that sort of corruption happens. Go back and read through my archives, and you'll see that I hold the current administration's feet to the fire when they need it too. I'm not blindly partisan, there's enough stupid on both ends of the spectrum to be annoyed about.

Posted by: Ted at November 11, 2005 08:48 PM (+OVgL)

5 Heh, yeah, Gomery shone a light on the rats in Ottawa, and the GOOD thing about the current liberal leader is he did something about it, and has all the books open to the public. He's trying to fix a party that's been long plagued by old farts in suits lining each others pockets.

The Conservative party though, that's an entirely different sort of corruption, man look at when THEY were in power and how much of our sovereignty they gave away, plus on top of that is their current religious fervor which so resembles the US Republican party hardliners (such as Pat Robertson).

You see why we have so little choice, I mean do you think that anyone will vote in a party like the NDP? They would in all honesty most likely drive us right back down the black hole of debt. I vote for them because I'm as you say left of you, mainly because I would never vote for someone who would govern based on his beliefs rather than the common good.

Posted by: Oorgo at November 12, 2005 02:00 AM (1JIkb)

6 And do mind the mental wandering, that's what beer does to me

Posted by: Oorgo at November 12, 2005 02:02 AM (1JIkb)

7 That's an interesting thing you say there Dave, about "govern based on his beliefs rather than the common good".

I'm not religious, but I can't see why an openly religious leader would be a bad thing. Religion is codified morality, and as long as the person didn't try to prosetilyze (I know I misspelled that) from office, knowing exactly what a person's beliefs are seems like a good thing to me.

And from my point of view, too often when I hear the phrase "common good", it translates into "we know what's better for you than you do, so we're raising taxes".

Posted by: Ted at November 12, 2005 12:32 PM (+OVgL)

8 I guess since According to Wiki almost 80% of Americans proclaim themselves to be Christian then it would be the majority good. The minorities can suck it right? (I'm just jabbing at you now, you know that right? Poke the bear, poke the bear).

Posted by: Oorgo at November 13, 2005 02:47 AM (1JIkb)

9 A politician who says he is acting for the common good has one hand in your pocket and the other stabbing you in the back.

If they say they are acting out of self-interest, then you can trust them... As long as they're in sight and in range.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at November 14, 2005 08:43 AM (QriEg)

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November 10, 2005

Just in case anyone was wondering...

I really, really, really hate doing drywall.

Posted by: Ted at 03:19 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 09, 2005

Progress Report

As of this morning, I am still unable to squirt blood out of my eyes.

Updates as they become available.

Posted by: Ted at 12:05 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Aye Laddie, I have the legs for a kilt

After a tiebreaker question too!

You scored as William Wallace. The great Scottish warrior William Wallace led his people against their English oppressors in a campaign that won independence for Scotland and immortalized him in the hearts of his countrymen. With his warrior's heart, tactician's mind, and poet's soul, Wallace was a brilliant leader. He just wanted to live a simple life on his farm, but he gave it up to help his country in its time of need. Maximus 67% William Wallace 67% Captain Jack Sparrow 63% James Bond, Agent 007 54% Batman, the Dark Knight 54% Neo, the "One" 50% Indiana Jones 50% The Terminator 46% Lara Croft 46% El Zorro 46% The Amazing Spider-Man 42% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Seen over at the Llamabutchers.

Posted by: Ted at 11:37 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Wingbeat Project

I saw this over at QandO (busy bee this morning, so I pretty much just lifted Jon's writeup):

The [Wingbeat Project] blog is "designed to help solve society's biggest problems by jumpstarting the generation of good ideas." How it works:

Each month, the Wingbeat Project will announce a new topic or social problem. Visitors will be invited to submit ideas for addressing the social problem, along with a contribution that helps us keep going in our grassroots efforts. At the end of each month, we will choose a winner from the best ideas, and the winner will receive a cash award.

And your good ideas will be publicized. It's a good way to spread your ideas for social change, with, as Wingbeat says, "a bias toward ideas that involve little or no government intervention".

The best way to minimize the demand for more government is to make it irrelevant. Check out Wingbeat and contribute an idea.

Pointing out a problem is a small step towards making it right. If you don't offer solutions, then you're only griping.

Posted by: Ted at 06:10 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I keep getting them confused

In the Virginia Governors race, did the child-molesting heroin addict win? Or was it the devil-worshipping serial killer?

When there's that much mud being slung, I get disgusted with both parties. I voted for Potts, the independent from FunWinchester.

Posted by: Ted at 05:26 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Have to agree with you on this one Ted. It's amazing there's any ground left in Virginia with all the mud flung.

Is it just me, or does it seem to get worse with each passing election?

Posted by: SilverBlue at November 09, 2005 09:22 AM (GuDvW)

2 LOL re: Funchester

Posted by: BLUE at November 10, 2005 01:14 PM (hDMsP)

3 Yep, when you used that term, I just had to steal it.

Posted by: Ted at November 10, 2005 01:49 PM (+OVgL)

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A Yeti-sized Asswhoopin'

That's what the Colorado Avalanche put on my beloved San Jose Sharks last night, winning 5-2. So, in accordance with the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, the logo of Derek's Avalanche will be posted here for at least 24 hours.

Trivia: The Colorado Avalanche have a Yeti footprint on one shoulder of their sweaters.

Posted by: Ted at 04:57 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 08, 2005

You knew someone would want him

Click for a size worthy of Terrell Owens.

Posted by: Ted at 04:16 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

And yet oddly appropriate for election day

I was heading home from work and just pulling into the local school to vote, when this radio commercial came on:

Young Lady: Dad, do you love me?

Dad: You know I do.

YL: Would you do anything for me?

Dad: You know I would.

YL: Would you run into a burning building for me?

Dad: Of course. *chuckles* Do you want to borrow the car?

YL: No Dad, I want you to get a colonoscopy.

I almost hit the car next to me as I parked, I was laughing so hard. Yepper, Dad, nothing says "I love you" like taking one up the ol' exhaust pipe.

Do it for the children.

Posted by: Ted at 04:09 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 OT for the post,...


a SPACE FOOD STICKS banner?

I'm gonna be ill.

Posted by: Rob@L&R at November 08, 2005 04:24 PM (on28s)

2 Rob, I recommend a colonoscopy.

It was a banner I whomped up for the last Carnival of Recipes I hosted.

Oh, and I can't visit L&R because something there causes my PC to hang!

Posted by: Ted at November 08, 2005 04:30 PM (+OVgL)

3 Colonoscopies and elections go together like cameras and KY jelly 'round these parts. I mean, should we vote for the asshat or the asstwit? I exercised my apathy and decided I didn't give a shit either way.

Posted by: dawn at November 08, 2005 06:20 PM (Dh1V0)

4 I voted for the independent, Potts.

Posted by: Ted at November 08, 2005 08:12 PM (+OVgL)

5 If you love your offspring you'll get a colonoscopy in a burning building.

... er... what was the question?

Posted by: BLUE at November 10, 2005 01:08 PM (hDMsP)

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That's pronounced "Der-eeque", I'm sure

Hockey Whoopass Jamboree trash talk?

A thousand words, mon ami! A thousand words.

Posted by: Ted at 03:52 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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