"It's time...to listen to what I'm saying."

This is a beautiful, powerful, simple message that sums up what many of us felt when we discovered that our feelings meant we were queer.

IRONY? Thy name is Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow

One of the punishments of being on a bizarre schedule is being forced to view infomercials for a host of useless and bizarre items-- from all in one gyms to plastic pasta cooking containers for the microwave. I think I may actually lose a few brain cells each time I watch the infomercials

(Sidenote: I could possibly avoid the brain cell death if I were more 'American' and spend my hard earned income on cable or satellite service so I could have many more channels to choose drivel from, and yet I seem unable to do so.)

So what infomercial caught my attention this morning? Why one for the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow fake fire place heater in a wood casing. Why would this catch my attention? Well here, from their website:

"How are the Mantles made?

The Amish-made mantle is made of 100% real wood and top is comprised of a solid-wood and solid front trim pieces are made of plywood with real wood veneer.

Hand cut precision pieces

Hand rubbed to accent wood's character

Hand stained w/ heat resistant catalyzed varnish

Uses mortise joint and kreg drilled design

4 screws bolt the unit into the mantel

Fluted trim sides & cove trim top

With 4 steel casters (2 stationary & 2 swivel wheels)."

The irony is that this lovely Amish handcrafted mantles around encasing a heating unit which emits electromagnetic energy waves to heat room air. That is, in short, a fusion reactor. You know where you force atoms to combine with this high energy wave. 

Cause that is TOTALLY what the Amish stand for. 

UPDATE: Birds dropping dead

Just because the black helicopters are not following you around does not mean there was no government conspiracy in the mass deaths of birds at the end of 2010. 


Yes indeed, it appears at least one mass die off of starlings has been explained. The United States Department of Agriculture announced it was responsible for the deaths in Yankton, S.D., reports the Christian Science Monitor. 

"The USDA's Wildlife Services Program, which contracts with farmers for bird control, said it used an avicide poison called DRC-1339 to cull a roost of 5,000 birds that were defecating on a farmer's cattle feed across the state line in Nebraska. But officials said the agency had nothing to do with large and dense recent bird kills in Arkansas and Louisiana

Seems our friends at USDA Wildlife euthanized four million avians in 2009. But no need to fear, because the project does not cost U.S. taxpayers, the USDA says. In fact, it says the farmers pay the USDA to perform the cullings. 


Now if we can just figure out what caused the deaths in Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Kentucky in the last month.

A whole lotta spam

Perhaps I am odd, but I find Spam email entertaining. So, from time to time I am going to use this blog to poke fun at the Spam email I get in my spam filter.

Todd don't let your Social Security Disability Benefits go to waste This is a curious one. How are my SSD benefits "going to waste?" Don't you have to be legally qualified as disabled in order to qualify those benefits? The answer yes, you do need to certified as disabled to qualify for SSD benefits. They are there, which is why all of us are paying into the fund. Just like Social Security benefits. So the way it works is you pay into the system and if you are ever disabled the benefits are then available to you.

Cancer Alert: Asbestos causes mesothelioma Thank GOD the Mesothelioma Legal Center is on the case. I had no idea about this amazing discover from 1960. How would I ever know without them?

Live your dream: create video games for a living From the actual email, allow me to share the pitch:

Turn your passion for gaming into an awesome career.

Want to help develop the next generation of great games? All
it takes is desire, creativity, and the right degree. Right
now, top schools across the country are offering online or
on-campus programs in game art and design, game software
development, and game programming. Get the training you
need to make your gaming dreams come true.

Why isn't that nice of them to help me live my dream. Except, well, I don't give a steaming pile of poo about gaming. Score one for ESP.

Web Only Offer | DISH Network $24.99/mo | HD for life Woot! A secret web only offer. I am feeling so damn special... Wait. No I am not feeling special. The Web Only Secret offer was in my mail today. And there was just a television commercial for it. Good thinking there DISH. No one would ever know you were blanketing areas via email, USPS and television. Stay classy.

Lift your chest without surgery Just what I was looking for!

Barelifts- The Invisible Solution To A Naturally Perky Look.

Barelifts are completely strapless and will help lift your breasts while ensuring a naturally perky look in virtually ANY outfit. With Barelifts, you can lift your breast and realign your nipple to a higher position, even if you are larger than a D cup.

Holy flying monkeys! Where has Barelifts been my whole life? My nipples are often sagging and unperky. This is the fix for that hairy chest and lack of actual breasts I have been looking for. Barelifts, you are a life saver!

Ah Spamsters of the world unite.

Sarah Palin's Battle Hymn

This just popped up on my Facebook feed.

This homage to Sarah Palin is set to the tune of  "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

The ironies abound.



Read more about the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" here at Wikipedia.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

How do communities address 'dangerous' pets?

In the summer of 2010, there were a rash of reports in Jackson county of quite outrageous dog attacks. Community leaders are, legitimately, concerned about this. The owners of the dogs are, legally, responsible for their pets' behavior. That too is right.

A typical feral cat response when confronted with a human being.
Photo Credit: Yanjing Lu: Wikimedia Commons.

However, there is another type of pet I became well aware of while I worked in Jackson county and it is one which I have had to deal with at my own home in Lansing. Stray and feral cats. By their very definition, these felines are not "owned" by anyone. To clarify, a stray cat is one which will accept limited human touch and interaction. A feral cat is one which is wild and thus unwilling to accept human touch. The closest to human interaction a true feral will have is watching from a distance.

In Jackson, as well as Lansing and all over the state, people build elaborate structures for these cats to shelter in, and provide food and water for them. Usually these shelters are built on private property, usually empty city lots and usually without the permission of the property owner.

Some opinion pieces worth reading

As anyone who knows me is aware, I read a lot the newspapers in the state, and several not in the state. I consume information like a vacuum. I process it quickly, file it away under the appropriate heading, and sadly can recall it quickly. 


With that introduction I would like to share a couple of news pieces I think that are worth taking the time to read.