Be careful who you mess with...

LMAO!!!!

Four for Fridays

Hello Everyone! Welcome Back! This weeks questions are about snacking out!

1) What's your favorite beverage?

2) What's your favorite snack?

3) How often do you snack?

4) When do you take a snack?

Enjoy your weekend!

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Once there was a phenomenon called the San Francisco Sound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Sound), which included bands like the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Also part of that sound was a band called Quicksilver Messenger Service (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_Messenger_Service).

"Fresh Air" [Caution: Visuals May Cause Flashbacks]


"What About Me?"


"Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder"


Website: http://quicksilvermessengerservice.com/

Winter Pics of the Lighthouse

The Wind Point Lighthouse

Ice formations on Lake Michigan

More ice formations

The City of Racine in the background.

ENJOY!

This one Reminds me of Racine Common Council

I don't know why, but it might be they never ask for imput from the tax payers.

An Old One But Still Funny

Getting A Hairdryer Through Customs...

A young woman on a flight from Ireland asked the priest beside her, 'Father, may I ask a favor?'

Of course child. What can I do for you?'

'Well, I bought an expensive woman's electric hair dryer for my Mother's birthday that is unopened and well over the Customs limits, and I'm afraid they'll confiscate it. Is there any way you could carry it through customs for me? Under your robes perhaps?

'I would love to help you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie.'

'With your honest face, Father, no one will question you.'

When they got to Customs, she let the priest go ahead of her. The official asked, 'Father, do you have anything to declare?'

'From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare.'

The official thought this answer strange, so he asked, 'And what do you have to declare from your waist to the floor?'

'I have a marvelous instrument designed to be used on a woman, but which is, to date, unused.'

Roaring with laughter, the official said, 'Go ahead, Father. Next!'

Ukraine's Got Talent - Very Cute Children's Performance

"Update: For subtitles click on the triangel in the downright corner of the player. Then choose subtitles on.

"Jurij is 7 and Karina 6 years old :))

"look at the bald judge what face he made during the performance!!! :D"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZLaZyMpfUI


I watched it without the subtitles. I recognized a few of the words. :)

That's a beautiful performance by the kids. I think he was more nervous than her.

Irregular Christmas Party RSVP time!!

OK boys and girls,
time to RSVP to our Irregular shindig.

It is 10 days from now, AKA 1 week from Saturday!!
Yup, it's coming fast!!

Time to RSVP and have some fun!!

Anyone RSVP-ing that wasn't here last year,
I will email the location to you.

Saturday, Jan. 30th, 4:30
same place as last year,
Pot luck - there will be soup,
from there fill in the blanks,
see you there!!

By the way, Beejay sent yummy presents to share,
just waiting for the party!! Come on out!!!

Say what??

Today I read a comment on facebook that
had a new word/phrase/whatever, and I like it!

The words - BUTT NUGGET.

It made me giggle uncontrollably as I thought
of all kinds of situations that can be used in.

My grandpa was a good one for strange names,
of his most memorable were...

Nincompoop,
(wow, spell check actually has that listed!)

and fart blossom.
Not sure what he really meant but it always made us laugh.

What goofy/odd/peculiar phrase(s) have you heard?
This should be good!

congress votes

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my choice chinchillas! How are you? How is your personal economy? Has the stimulus (stimuli?) stimulated you yet? Sales are off dreadfully on Zoltar® brand products and potions. Just when I was about to open up a website on the real Ethernet, Wall Street decided to stop believing the cow poop that they had been telling everyone else. Oh my! I’ve had numerous clearance sales in an effort to get rid of overstock, and all production is shut down. It’s not like I’m a large employer, and most of us are family, but the ripple effect is endless. We cut back, and then those we purchase from cut back, then those they purchase from cut back, and so on. I’m glad that the big banks and insurance companies are doing so well that they are handing out large bonuses (bonusi?) to themselves. Obviously, prosperity is just around the corner. Of all people, I wonder why I can’t see it?

There was an item in the email this week, but it wasn’t a question or comment. It was the image below:

There was also this:

“The Journal Times, Saturday, January 16, 2010, page 7A”

Well, I don’t know what I’m expected to do with this information, but I do feel compelled to point out that if the “SM” who wrote this ad is serious about settling down, he better be sure that wherever that is, it can support him. Tee-hee. As for the age range in his message, ahem, oh dear and oh my! Is that who I think it is?

I may have a touch of the winter blues that I’ve been writing about, my dears. I’m not much motivated to blog about anything in particular this week. It’s not that I’m unhappy, I’m just not motivated. I’m usually on the go all of the time, from consultation to consultation, or overseeing production. Now there is so much down time. Perhaps I need a vacation. Like Donald Duck did in 1940:



That brings to mind one of my favorite skits from that television show, In Living Color. It was called “Men on Vacation:”



That’s my disjointed and diffused blog for this week, my Irregulars. I appreciate each and every one of you stopping by to spend some time with me. Be very careful, it’s slippery out there.

Fax your tax to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Here’s to all of my friends, Irregular and otherwise. May the light of love shine upon your hearts. Alcoa!

Happy Whatever Day

I want it to be the day I win the Lottery.

Then I could buy a new Labumba mobile!!

Something like this one!!!

You Drive What?

I think the name of the website says it all..You Drive What? Here's a sample.

How did Ser miss this one?

Naked Astronomy

That should pull some search engine hits in! I was catching up on my podcasts today and found that they snuck a new one in my feed. There is now a podcast called Naked Astronomy (from the same people who bring you the Naked Scientists). Fortunately, they put a sample episode on the Naked Scientists feed...you have to subscribe to the Naked Astronomy podcast separately.

Anyway, I enjoyed it as they talked about a bunch of different stories including the Plank satellite, the LCROSS impact on the Moon and the Messenger mission to Mercury. You should subscribe via your favorite podcast catcher. Don't worry about the title: nothing obscene here. Just an occasional mild double entendre about observing heavenly bodies delivered with dry British wit...oh, and its free!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Tuesday Afternoon Grin

THE BLACK BRA

The Black Bra (as told by a woman)

I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends. One is engaged, one is a mistress, and I have been married for 20+ years.

We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by greeting them at the door wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes.

Here's how it all went :

My engaged friend:

The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask He saw me and said, 'You are the woman of my dreams. I love you.' Then we made passionate love all night long.

The mistress:

Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but he started to tremble and we had wild sex all night.

Then I had to share my story:

When my husband came home, I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. When he came in the door and saw me he said,

"What's for dinner, Batman?"

Everyone's a Little Bit Racist

In honor of MLK day...wisdom about race relations...from puppets.

Test Time

The following 25 questions are about things we see every day or have known about all our lives how many can you get right? These little simple questions are harder than you think-- it just shows you how little we pay attention to the commonplace things of life. Put your thinking caps on. No cheating! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk or computer!

The average person only gets 7 right. This is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see!

Think Test

I have absolutely lost it!!!!

Yesterday, I had a party for a dog....Princess Sable as I call her....she is a wiener dog and naturally, we served HOT DOGS, along with some brats (I have a found many people in Florida who have not had brats properly prepared.....) ...anyway, for your amusement and for my commitment papers, here are a couple of pix of this poor dog.

MLK

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

Grandparents

Grandparents.....

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye...

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3.. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in.. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was.. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin,
we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in..
Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine says I'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her
grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "how do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic:"Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means
carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

New Year's Resolutions Gone Awry

Over in Sweeden we get a report that a floor collapsed at a Weight Watchers meeting while about 20 people were waiting for their weigh ins. Should have figured out the carrying capacity of the floor and weighed in before standing together for the group photo.

Happy Birthday to Why Not's Daughter

Why Not's? daughter 1st Brithday. Grattis Maia Lynn.

Hobbies

A hobby is supposed to be relaxing. It calms us and fills our dead time. I have a hobby that frustrates the crap out of me. I'm into CNC machines. Computer controlled metal mills and wood routers. At the moment I'm taking a break. There are put-the-hammer-down moments and a balky computer is begging for a new life. I'll get er done somehow though. Heh, CNC as a hobby. You spend a LOT of time learning and doing research. Anyone can program them. It's babbling easy to do. My Hobby takes me so much further though.

Thu motors are special and their name is "stepper motor." They don't spin when you power them up. Nope there are 200 magnetic poles that act as detents and the motor spins by progressively energizing four electromagnetic fields. This pulsed turn method (200 pulses a revolution) of motion make them ideal for open loop control of machines. In order to make them move they need a small fist-full of electronic components and knowledge how to put them together. Thank goodness there are Hobby stores that sell the things completed already.

I'm finishing up my first built from the ground up CNC wood router. It's called a JGRO and Youtube has tons of examples if you're curious what they look like. On top of learning G-code, electronics (and how to solder little things into little spaces) you get to also learn how to be mechanical. Then there is learning to be a woodworker too. Gosh,I'm just full of fun. LOL

I'm close on to bringing the router to life. Just having a problem loading a Linux operating system to an old Dell. I ran into a GRUB error so switching out the hard drive. Did I mention building and trouble shooting computers on the list? Anyhow, I finished the control box electrics and electronics, and have the motors mounted and hooked up. I'll spare this hard-drive's life, but it is getting sent to the corner.

I think I'll explain someday why I'm bald and other things.

Sci-Fi is now

MMMmmmmm Mmmmmm, Vat grown meat. Slaughter houses will be a thing of the past. I knew this day was coming. All I need to do is stay alive twenty more years and they will have old age licked. A gene transfusion to fix my ailment, and tooth buds we grow as needed. The only problem is we're all still savages. We aren't ready as social; animals for the new age. Heinlein had the world I dreamed of.down to a tee. Don't be bothered by what goes on next door unless the participants are unwilling. Lynch infractions of social etiquette. No excuse for a line cutter, lynch em on the spot. Oh yeah, vat grown meat is right around the corner.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100115/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_petri_pork

I CAN'T DRIVE 55

A d come midnight I'll be that old. As a kid my parents had three life insurance policies on me. They were sure I wouldn't make it to 16. I didn't think I'd make it to 45. Now here I am burying friends before me. Last year i changed my Birthday date. People change their names, why can't I change the date. I picked June 22, 1955. I don't mind being old, I just hate a birthday in the middle of winter right after Xmas. People are broke and no one has bucks for gifts. "Here Huck, it's a shirt I got at Value Village." Yep story of my life, I get no respect.

June 22 is the day after summer solstice. It is the second longest daylight day there is. It's warm, and there is a good reason to drink beer. This year, plnn9ng a big picnic at one of the parks. heck, might even spring for a roasted Pig. Sure can't do that in Winter. Bah humbug.

Re-Elect Nobody!

The people in political offices throughout the USA just do not get it. They are supposed to represent us, not the special interests that buy their votes. I don't care what political affiliation, 99.9% of them have an agenda that has nothing to do with what their constituents want. I'm voting against every incumbent in every upcoming election. They will not understand, nor will their successors heed us, until we THROW THE BUMS OUT!

[This has been an unpaid political advertisement. Re-Elect Nobody Racine, OrbsCorbs treasurer; send lawyers, guns and money in care of JTIrregulars.com. Alderman Jeff Coe excluded from this blog because he's a good guy.]

Friday Morning Grin...

GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa .
Half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally beautiful!

Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe .
Well developed and open to trade, especially for someone of real value.

Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain , very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.

Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece ,gently aging but still a warm and desirable place to visit.

Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain , with a glorious and all conquering past.

Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel , has been through war, doesn't make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.

Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada , self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.

After 70, she becomes Tibet . Wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages. An adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge.


THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN

Between 1 and 80, a man is like Iran , ruled by nuts.

THE END

Four for Fridays

Hello everybody! This week's Four for Fridays goes to the silver screen!

1) What's your favorite movie?

2) Who's your favorite actor?

3) Who's your favorite actress?

4) Who's your favorite director?

Enjoy your weekend folks!

Baby Got Beat

You have probably heard about people playing Mozart or talking to babies while still in the womb to try and give them a head start. The big problem of course is that by the time the sound passes through to the baby, everything sounds like the adults from a Peanuts television special.

The problem has finally been solved with the Ritmo Advanced Sound System (and yes, it appears to be a real product in spite of my initial skepticism that this had to be a joke or a story from the Onion, as it is available for purchase on Amazon.) Pregnant women can now wear speakers right on their body and pump their favorite iPod mix right into their baby, starting hearing damage months earlier than was previously possible.

Another case of just because you can do something does not necessarily mean you should do it!

Conan O'Brien's Voice Mail

I have been traveling a lot...today is my first day in the office this year. Will get back to a regular posting schedule as soon as I get caught up.

In the meantime, I leave you Jeff Zucker's voicemails for Conan O'Brien.

Leaked! NBC CEO Jeff Zucker's Vociemails for Conan O'Brien - watch more funny videos

Pat Robertson Blames Haitian Earthquake on "Pact with the Devil"

The White House has characterized Mr. Robertson's remarks as "utterly stupid." http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i-cje4nq_47RoAKHYlcJRkRXgQvg

Signs of the Times

All artwork is property of Randy Glasbergen

Testing Bullet Proof Glass In 1952

How much do you trust your husband???

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my wild strawberries! How are you? We’re supposed to experience temperatures above freezing for the next few days. Won’t that be nice? Be sure to watch your step and wear your galoshes. A thin layer of water on ice makes it that much more slippery. I find it dreadful to have to maneuver about at this time of year. Just walking down the sidewalk can be treacherous. I am so grateful for those people who shovel their walks and driveways. Thank you for all that hard work. Salt sparingly, my friends, and don’t expect salt to melt the last three snows which haven’t been cleared.

I have been dreading this part of my blog, the part where I root on our magnificent and salient Packers. The game this past Sunday could not have been more heartbreaking. As the resplendent Packers fought back from staggering early setbacks, my chest filled with pride. The fourth quarter saw point for point battles. And then, in the final seconds, it appeared that all was lost as the Cardinals’ kicker, Mr. Rackers, approached for an easy field goal. At that exact moment, my loyalty to our beloved team overtook any sense of responsibility and I placed the Curse of Kronos on Mr. Rackers just as he kicked the ball. Of course, it shanked wide of the uprights. The Packers then had possession of the ball, with just a few seconds on the clock. I expected a Hail Mary play from our offense, which I would ably assist, and clinch the game. But no, after the snap, both sides knelt for the clock to run out and go into sudden death overtime. Why? Why would we give up possession of the ball for the toss of a coin? We had the ball, we had time to snap it and make a play. Why didn’t we? What would we have risked that we didn’t risk by going into overtime? And we would have gone into overtime, anyway, if we didn’t score. I’m sorry, I was so flabbergasted by these events that I didn’t rightly understand what was happening. I got up to get some tea. When I came back, Mr. Rodgers was being stripped of the ball. I cried and cried. My poor, poor Packers. I am so sorry.

There were no Dear John letters or eviction notices in this week’s mail.

Dear Irregulars, you know I write this blog because I want to help others. If my insights and abilities can alleviate someone’s suffering or put a worried heart at ease, then I am glad to do it and expect no reward other than the customary, nominal fee. If nothing else, I strive to be uplifting and optimistic in my outlook. I desire what is good and right for everyone. I want my blog to influence your life positively. But, I must admit, that can be difficult to do in times like these. There seems to be little good news out there. And my predictions are not particularly rosy, either. Short of putting all of Racine under a spell (I’ve thought of it many times), I don’t know what I can do to brighten your day. So I resort to amusing videos in the hope that they might distract you momentarily from whatever unpleasant tasks you may need to perform. Like this one, entitled Christmas Tree Rocketry:



In another nod to the boys’ brand of humor, here’s The Human Firecracker [Caution: Language Advisory]:



I know, so puerile, yet the laughter is contagious. My son has done that more times than I can count. And he wasn’t even drunk.

Don’t forget to forward your mailing address to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Have a wonderful week, my dears. Enjoy whatever breaks in the weather that we get. I’m already counting down the days to March. Hyperion!

Old Bugs Bunny Movie

I ran into a website which has many old cartoons to watch, this is one of Bugs bunny.

Merrie Melodies: Falling Hare

Ipod heavy rotation

This song has been played alot over the last few days on my I-pod. Once again, thanks to 88.9 Radio Milwaukee for showcasing some new independent music. Please enjoy the Great Lake Swimmers (Cool name!) and She comes To Me In Dreams:

Monday afternoon grins.....

THE ITALIAN ELBOW . .

An Italian grandmother is giving directions to her grown grandson who is coming to visit with his wife.

'You comma to de front door of the apartamenta. I am inna apartamenta 301. There issa bigga panel at the front door. With you elbow, pusha button 301.

I will buzza you in. Come inside, the elevator issa ona the right. Get in, and with you elbow, pusha 3. When you get out, I'mma on the left. With you elbow, hit my doorbell.'

'Grandma, that sounds easy, but, why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?

What . . .You coming empty handed?'

///////////////////////////////////////

>THE UNDERTAKER'S BLACK EYE

>Roy, an undertaker, recently came home with a black eye.

"What happened to you?" asked his wife.

"I had a terrible day." replied Roy . "I had to go to a hotel and pick up a man who had died in his sleep. When I got there, the manager said they couldn't get him into a body bag because he had this huge erection. Anyway, I went up and sure enough there was this big naked guy lying on the bed with this huge erection. So I grabbed it with both hands and tried to snap it in half."

"I see" said his wife, "but how did you get the black eye?"

Roy replied: "Wrong room !."

A BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE ABOUT GROWING OLD!

Crap! I forgot what it was....

Banks Prepare for Big Bonuses, and Public Wrath

"Everyone on Wall Street is fixated on The Number.

"The bank bonus season, that annual rite of big money and bigger egos, begins in earnest this week, and it looks as if it will be one of the largest and most controversial blowouts the industry has ever seen.

"Bank executives are grappling with a question that exasperates, even infuriates, many recession-weary Americans: Just how big should their paydays be? Despite calls for restraint from Washington and a chafed public, resurgent banks are preparing to pay out bonuses that rival those of the boom years. The haul, in cash and stock, will run into many billions of dollars.

"Industry executives acknowledge that the numbers being tossed around — six-, seven- and even eight-figure sums for some chief executives and top producers — will probably stun the many Americans still hurting from the financial collapse and ensuing Great Recession."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/10pay.html?scp=2&sq=bonuses&st=cse


Oink, oink, oink. Snort, snort, snort, soueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Introducing Ronald McDonald

I like this guy better.

Pencils

Sculptures are all made from pencils

Britain 'preparing to offload millions of unwanted swine flu vaccines'

"Ministers are preparing to offload millions of unwanted swine flu vaccines, it has emerged, as officials predicted that there will be no third wave of the pandemic this winter.

"Millions of pounds could be wasted if the Government is unable to get out of orders for the vaccine it has placed with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the pharmaceutical giant.

"Officials confirmed that they are considering a number of options, including attempting to sell or give away millions of the vaccines."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/6952793/Swine-flu-Ministers-preparing-to-offload-millions-of-unwanted-vaccines.html


How is it that with all the forms of communication available to us today, no one seems to know what's really going on?

A Strange Old Tool

To crazy -- Do you know what it is?

Are You Ready to Think Off?

Bloggers are a notorious bunch for thinking the world cannot possibly live without their well reasoned, insightful opinions that they put forth as if they are the most logical, reasoned, brilliant and insightful thinkers in the world. Now they have a chance to prove it.

The Great American Think-Off 2010 is just getting underway. All you have to do is write a 750 word (or less) by April 1st addressing the question, "Do the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?" by April 1st. Four finalists will be flown (all expenses paid) to New York City for the final debate on June 12th for the title of America's Greatest Thinker.

Based on the overall quality of writing by bloggers (and especially by the insightful people who leave comments) I expect this to be a bang up, knock down, drag out contest.

Four for Fridays

Hello everybody! Four for Fridays is back! Hope you guys had a good holiday! This week's questions are about TV.

1) What shows do like to watch?

2) What is your favorite show of all time?

3) What is your worst show?

4) Do you watch the news?

Enjoy your weekend folks!

Tears of a clown

This wasn't the vid I was looking for when I started searching for Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson, but it's poignant and powerful.

People of WalMart Rap

As a follow up to my previous blog about PeopleOfWalMart.Com, I present the "People of WalMart Rap:"

CAUTION: Adult Language

http://peopleofwalmart.com/

I just went there a couple of days ago. Every visit is a novel, every encounter a short story. I've started talking loudly to myself while shopping there. It keeps away most of the whackos.

WOLF, IT'S THE WOLF!!!!

Oh god, please save me, it's the wolf! We're all agonna DIE!!! Where the hell is all the snow?

The Power of Hubble......

The Power of Hubble......

While looking at a post by Hale-Bopp I thought I would connect to the Hubble telescope using a little PFM (pure firkin magic) and my computer.

While looking around I thought I saw something moving inside the circle. So I zoomed in some more.

And to my amazement, there was a little spaceship!

I had to go for it, so I zoomed in even more.

And dang if it wasn’t Hale-Bopp cruise’in the stars!

All pictures posted without owners permission.

I got one stuck in my head and cannot sleep

These two song where done by Brenton Wood:

Brenton Wood (born Alfred Jesse Smith; July 26, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his two 1967 hit singles: "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign".

Mottos

A friend of mine has a great saying posted:

NEVER TROUBLE TROUBLE TIL TROUBLE TROUBLES YOU.

Anyone have any favorites??

Pumpernickel bread

The other day, I bought some pumpernickel bread...got to thinking about the origin of the word 'pumpernickel.' Ran a search on the internet and found the direct translation to be: SATAN'S GAS

Pumper=flatulence
Nickel= Satan

Now isn't that curious??? Apparently, the original bread made folks incur flatulence.

What kind of useless information do you have stored in your brain???
Let's see what you can come up with.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my cherished Chiclets®! How are you? Ready for another plunge into Wisconsin’s winter wonderland? As of this writing, the National Weather Service is calling for a little snow tonight, but 5 to 11 inches tomorrow. Of course, then it’s supposed to get very windy, and then very cold. They say the lake will probably bless us with more snow than those to the west. Well, you don’t live here if you expect tropical breezes in January. I know that some people take frigid dips in lakes for various good causes on New Year’s Day, but I suspect that most of them will be warmly dressed and behind snow blowers or putting their backs to shovels over the next couple of days.

Of course, our tremendous and ecstatic Packers won the game against Arizona. Just like they will this Sunday. Same time, same channel. 1st string, 2nd string, whatever, it doesn’t matter; the Green and Gold will leave the Cardinals in tatters. Look for an exceptionally exciting second half this week, my friends. A little bird told me that special things will happen.

There were no epiphanies or profanities amongst this week’s communiqués.

I’ve been in a bit of a funk since the holidays ended. This always happens. All that hoopla and fuss and stress leading up to the holidays, and then afterwards, the bleak prospect of months more of winter. One of my favorite remedies for winter depression is old comedy movies. Most of you don’t know this, but I’m a Marx Brothers fan. Those silly men and their crazy antics keep me giggling and guffawing. I highly recommend a comedy to combat the blues. You can borrow films from the Racine Public Library for free. You can’t get a better deal than that.

In honor of my comic heroes, I’m going to spotlight a few of their films. First is the famous contract scene from A Night at the Opera:



Next is the renowned mirror sequence from Duck Soup:



Finally, the password scene from Horse Feathers:



Thank you my dear, dear friends for reading my blog. If you have the winter blues, I hope that the Marx Brothers, or someone else, can brighten your day for awhile. You know, that is what we literally need at this time of year: day brightening. We’re fortunate to be alive in an era when so many technological advances exist to protect and distract us from the elements. Or are we?

Please forward your last will and testament to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Don’t forget Downtown Racine Carves Its Niche this Saturday, January 9, 10 am to 3 pm, featuring ice carvers and their sculptures at various locations in beautiful downtown Racine. At 3 pm, the sculptures will be judged by the glamorous and sophisticated Teresa Dickert, wife of Racine's notorious Mayor John Dickert.

Bundle up for the days ahead, my Irregulars. Take time to take care of yourselves. Read a book. Catch a movie. Watch a play. Swordfish!

The Kepler Five

Or at least the first five. The Kepler Space Telescope today announced its first five extrasolar planet discoveries at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, DC. Kepler was launched March 6th, 2009 with the goal of finding Earth like planets orbiting other stars.

These first five planets, named 4b, 5b. 6b. 7b, and 8b (they skipped 1-3 since the first three detections were previously known planets that happened to be in Kepler's field of view) are not very Earth like. The smallest is about the size of Neptune and the largest are bigger than Jupiter. They all orbit very close to their stars with periods on the order of days. Their temperatures can be as high as a couple of thousand degrees Fahrenheit.

Since these planets pass in front of the stars, we can measure their diameters. Follow up measurements can give us their masses so we can find the densities of these planets. The most extreme world, Kepler 7b, has the density of styrofoam...for the entire planet!

It shouldn't surprise us that these are the types of planets Kepler finds first. It is easy to find big planets that orbit close to their stars. Finding planets that orbit farther from the star takes longer simply because they don't pass in front of the star nearly as often. As time goes on, Kepler will find more planets with lower masses, that orbit farther from their stars, and are more Earth like.

There are hundreds of signals Kepler has to follow up and see if they are planets or something else. The good news is that it is working well and that in a few years we will be one step closer to finding out how common planets like ours are.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

The History of the Universe According to Hubble

Here at the American Astronomical Society meeting in DC today, they unveiled a spectacular new Hubble image. Check this out.

Click to embiggen or go and download the really high res image. For even more fun, check out the zoomable version. This image was produced by a combination of two cameras on Hubble: The Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 (which was just installed earlier this year). Combining the different abilities of the two cameras lets you see more objects that cover a wider range of wavelengths.

This image represents a LOT of Hubble time...over 100 orbits of staring at the same little speck of sky. The payoff is getting this image of over 7500 galaxies dating back to the dawn of the Universe. At this point, we don't even talk distance anymore since the farthest we can see is 13.some billion light years. We have to talk about how much the light was redshifted. Look for the tiniest bits of red...those are the most distant galaxies. In this case, they are literally redshifted.

So much great stuff is happening at this meeting...wish I had more time to see it all and write about it!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Tin Foil Hat time

Guy tried to blow up plane in Detroit on Christmas . Airport in Newwark shut down Sunday after someone bypasses secutity. Now today, plane down in Chicago, Airport evacuated in Minnesota. Airport in CA closed with two TSA agents taken away ion abmulances. Something wierd is going on. Feelings? Thoughts?

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

This stunt was created with just two secret rehearsals!
The video was made in Antwerp Central Station on the 23rd of March 2009 with no warning to the poor passengers passing through the station.
At 08:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system and as the bemused passengers watch in total amazement,
over 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and various station entrances.
Remember - they created this amazing stunt with just two secret rehearsals!

Dementia - short and sweet...