Assorted Links©

Cool stuff:

• Online Conversion: Trade kilometers for miles or ounces for litres. This site has all the tools.
• Slipups.com: If you have some time to kill, browse through over 11,000 goofs, blunders and bloopers. Most are just lack of continuity. This site is similar to Easter Eggs, looks to be run by the same folks.
• The Nitpickers Site: Similar to Slipups.com but even more fun as it just crashed my brower.

Cool Through the Ages

Found an interesting slang timeline. From the Flapper 20s, through the Beatniks in the 60s and onto the Rappers in our current day, slang is become more and more mainstream. The all-time award for longevity goes to, “cool.”

Rebuilding Iraq

Retired General Jay Garner has been put in charge of rebuilding a new Iraq based on Democratic elections and citizen representation. Now, that the first election has been held, the picture will start to form as to what kind of nation Iraq will be.

The majority of Iraqis are Muslims that have historically persecuted the members of other religions. Hopefully, we can help steer them towards a society where no one is forced into any single religion, but that each soul can seek God honestly and government keeps its’ hands off this extremely important aspect of human life.

Filet O’ Fish Is Down. Sell! Sell!

Don’t say I’m crazy, some people do use Big Macs to making investing decisions. And only some of them are kooks.

What Is an Evil Action?

What is evil? This definition is very clear:

Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm;

So, is someone who doesn’t actually commit the evil act, but rather, protects and supports the person doing the act, also evil by relation? Most would agree that this is true. With that said, Sen. Santorum is being persecuted for something he didn’t say while Sen. Boxer has worked for years to protect the people who kill babies via abortion. Boxer’s stance on partial birth abortions is pure babble. While the gay journalists would want you to think that Santorum is evil, those shoes actually fit Boxer.

New Sidekick for Your Hero?

The original Sidekick got rave reviews, so now the new (color) Sidekick has taken the stage. With an Editor’s Choice award, it looks to be a strong competitor.

Man Immune to Pain

Men being men will gather and watch sports, drink beer and punch each other in a show of machismo. But that’s not what it means to be a man. THIS is what is means to be a man and this is what he looks like. I haven’t been this awestruck since the time my friend Eric drank 29 pints of milk and didn’t blow up.

Politically Correct Inconsistencies

Political correctness is an insidious form of dishonesty that when taken seriously can do a great deal of damage. Let me give you a couple of examples.

• I heard on the radio today that a “concerned” group has decided that brainstorming is an offensive term to some people. Can you guess what group this term is attacking? Neither could I. Turns out, it is people with epilepsy. If you’re a parent of a child with epilepsy and you think the term is unfairly belittling your child, could you let me know? Their solution, just say thought shower.
• Also on the radio (Jim Rome), I heard an interview with Billy Bean. Now, I do sympathize with Mr. Bean for the unfair and unloving treatment he’s received from many a player and fan for him being an openly gay baseball player. But what I do think unjustified is whenever someone applies the term homophobe to someone who merely disagrees with the homosexual lifestyle. Several dictionaries have added to the word contempt to the definition, when phobia has meant fear since it’s Latin root. So now they are changing the meaning of words, when it fits their cause. Even if the word did include the newly attached meaning, mere disagreement wouldn’t fit that definition.

This tells me that the politically correct crowd has a political agenda to promote. When is free speech not free speech? When it’s being used to combat the agenda of the PC illuminati.

‘Drink in My Hand, Toes in the Sand’

Need some vacation ideas? My Dad found Vacation Rentals by Owner, which makes it easy. Now, Boca… or Maui…

Lakers Receive Referee Bias

Very few things enrage me like bad officiating. It’s like when my brother cheated in Monopoly, I went straight to violence bypassing all other means of resolution. Some people say that the referees in the NBA do a good job. I say, “Let’s let an impartial third-party audit each game and publish the results.” Well, I didn’t say it, Mark Cuban did, but the point is still valid.

Look at this write-up of last nights Lakers vs. T-wolves game. Generally, the author is bound by some unwritten law not to criticize the refs, but there are (4) times where he specifically questions a call. And these were all in the overtime period.

1. …after fouling out early in overtime on a questionable call, the Timberwolves…
2. …Bryant made a 3-pointer five seconds later, was fouled by Szczerbiak on another questionable call and completed…
3. …Bryant was fouled by Rasho Nesterovic — who was standing still with his hands straight up — on a drive…
4. …Jannero Pargo made two free throws after another suspect foul call, putting the Lakers ahead…

So either is the author was extremely biased against the Lakers (heaven knows I am) or the refs should get a failing grade for the job they did in this important game.

Cell Phones Could Down a Jet

A new study says that cell phones pose a real flight risk. Here’s how I’d phrase the pre-flight message, “It is an FAA regulation to turn off all mobile phone devices during flights in the US. If we find you using your phone, you will be locked into the specially prepared bathroom-cabinet for the duration of the trip. Have a pleasant flight.”

Half Life 2 Announced for 10/03

After a 5-year haitus, Half-Life is finally going to have some offspring. Half-Life 2 is slated to be released in on September 30. I’m sure it will be good, but with this kind of wait, shouldn’t it be stellar?

Slick Site Design

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a link to a well-designed site, but Matias Zadicoff is one talented jack. His site, Mediaramas, is one of the slickest I’ve seen.

Alcohol and Alligators Don’t Mix

What do alligators, an angry drunk woman, gunfire, a lake, and a 40-year-old lifeguard have in common? They were all together in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Mel Gibson to Do Passion Movie

Mel Gibson has done some great work in his time (and some not so great as well) but will his new project thrive or die? The Passion is a movie about the final hours of Jesus on planet earth. That’s not so strange, but the entire dialog will be in Latin and Aramaic. No subtitles. When asked in this interview, why do yet another film on the life of Christ, Gibson replied, “This film will show the passion of Jesus Christ just the way it happened. It’s like traveling back in time and watching the events unfold exactly as they occurred.”