An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for 7 April 2008
NCAA Game
Goes into overtime! Will this EVER be over?
Memphis is choking! Dang it!!!
(1) Kansas 75, 
(1) Memphis 68
#1 KU (37-3) 33 30 12 75
#1 MEM (38-2) 28 35 5 68
Oh well, it’s just a game, right? Good job guys! Congratulations on a great season!
Evil Triumphing
Study: Banning Smoking Increases Drunken Driving
Enacting city smoking bans appears to increase drunken driving, according to a new national study of arrests by Wisconsin researchers.
Fatal accidents involving alcohol increased after communities banned public smoking, the study to be released by the Journal of Public Economics found. The authors attributed the increase to people driving farther to drink, either to a place with an outdoor smoking area or a city without a ban.
“The increased miles driven by drivers who wish to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home after a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents,” the study says.
The researchers, Scott Adams, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Chad Cotti, now at the University of South Carolina, said they were surprised by the results.
“We thought we would see a reduction,” Adams said. “Our first thought was, ‘Throw it away, it must be wrong.’”
But it wasn’t, he said.
Obviously, common sense hasn’t been a factor in the frenzy to ban what should be a choice made by businesses.
Smoke Free Wisconsin Executive Director Maureen Busalacchi objected to linking the increase in accidents to smoking bans, saying people may travel to drink for many reasons.
“How in the world you would figure out where people are traveling unless you are interviewing them?” she asked.
Well, let’s see. You have some folks who want to go out to have a couple of belts, enjoy the company of friends, and enjoy their cigarettes while indulging in their favorite adult beverages. Hmmm…. The closest bar where they are able to enjoy such indulgences is 15 miles away. Their former favorite haunt has been turned into a fun free establishment thanks to the “we know what’s best for you nannies”.
The results were similar nationwide, except in New England, which has many smoking bans, Adams said. A well-enforced national smoking ban would get rid of the drunken driving increases because people would have no reason to travel to drink, he said.
And it’s a whole lot cheaper to go to the liquor store, stock up on the above mentioned adult beverages, and have the friendly gathering in your own home. Make sure to have plenty of ashtrays on hand. Oh, and don’t forgot to apologize to your former local haunts, wish them well their future endeavors, since they’ll be out of business in the not too distant future. Also, don’t forget that since so many tax dollars will be lost from the lack of sales, your local “representatives” will be whining there isn’t enough money, and therefore, MUST raise your taxes……AGAIN!
The study did not include Wisconsin because Appleton and its ban covered too small an area and data collection started before Madison banned smoking in 2005, Adams said.
Fitchburg’s smoking ban started April 1, and Eau Claire’s will start July 1. Marshfield residents approved a ban Tuesday that will become law within 30 days.
And why? Because their are too many people in Wisconsin who are afraid to stand up again the small, but very vocal, nannies. You say, well, I don’t smoke, it doesn’t affect me. Alas, it DOES affect you. If you don’t stand up now, what will be the next adult vice, or anything that is enjoyable, they’ll come after, with all the vigor of a bunch of rabid raccoons!
There is one exception. A group of people who are actually FIGHTING BACK! Visit them on a regular basis to find out what is happening next. Ban the Ban!
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
The Shrilldebeast Lies?
Gosh….who knew?
Paleeeez!
Yet the guy claims it’s going to be a “one day story”. Well, with so many lies coming from the Clinton camp, it’s hard to keep up….especially for the MSM. Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot. The MSM doesn’t care that the top two Dhimmi candidates lie on a regular basis.
Just Cuz….
….they made me laugh!
(my favorite one)
Shared by Brat!
Made My Monday!
Jr and I were on our way to town today, to run some errands. I kept seeing this motorcycle ahead of us with what looked like something being towed behind it. It was going under the speed limit, so I thought it was going to turn. Well, as we got closer to it, I’m afraid I had to bust out laughing. Honestly, I’ve never seen such a thing before.
It look something similar to this:
The bike wasn’t as wide, and the wheels were a LOT bigger. Both were on the ground, instead of what would you would think for actually training for balance. Seriously, it was one of the odder things I’ve seen in a very long time.
I’m not making fun of the person, who appeared to be an older person….I just thought it was a hoot. I had NO idea they had training wheels for motorcycles.
Ya learn something new every day!
Any Homeschoolers Out There?
Need some advice! Jr is needing some aid on her chemistry (high school). The book we are using is great, and covers a lot of the algebra/geometry she needs. My problem, I’d like to find a kit or something that she could do some of the experiments….without blowing up the house, or any such thing. You know, simple things. We have kitchen stuff, but I’d like to be able for her to actually SEE and experience some of the stuff she is reading and figuring out. Visuals, don’cha know!
In case you are wondering, she’s finished history, and mostly her electives are all wrapped up, so concentrating on one subject at a time is working for her.
Pre Dawn “Gift”
Weasel
Dang it! Embedding messed everything up.
Go here!
Absolut Withdrawal
Malkin 1, Absolut 0
During the weekend we have received several comments on the ad published in Mexico. We acknowledge the reactions and debate and want to apologize for the concerns this ad caused. We are truly sorry and understand that the ad has offended several persons. This was not our intention. The ad has been withdrawn as of Friday April 4th and will not be used in the future.
In no way was the ad meant to offend or disparage, or advocate an altering of borders, lend support to any anti-American sentiment, or to reflect immigration issues.
To ensure that we avoid future similar mistakes, we are adjusting our internal advertising approval process for ads that are developed in local markets.
This is a genuine and sincere apology,
By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits
Pfft! Apology still not accepted!
Heh
When you are faking a pose for a camera photo opportunity,
at least you can get the phone turned in the right direction.
Courtesy of Tom the brother in law, obviously snagged from IMAO.
Ok, you may have seen it before, but it’s still kind of humorous.
Blogs for Borders
100% PREVENTABLE!
A Simple Solution
A Good Plan
Everyone concentrates on the problems we’re having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida .
Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It’s a win-win situation.
+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.
+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.
Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?
Odd. I seem to remember suggesting the moat with alligators quite a while back. Although, I have to admit, who ever wrote this left out the piranhas gun turrets.
H/T: Sharon
Ideology and Idiocy
Protesters boo Klansmen at Saturday rally in Selmer
The crowd had been waiting since well before the men had put on their robes, before they had placed the white lectern that read “KKK” in the courthouse yard.
Teenaged girls snapped cell phone photos of the men slipping their uniforms out of suit bags. Others sat on the roof of the Mexican restaurant across the street to get a better view of the men dressing in a side street by the courthouse.
When they were dressed and ready, the men marched to the lectern. The onlookers rushed across the street. Then the screaming began.
“You look like some kind of fake-(expletive) superheroes,” one man yelled.
Now, see here is the problem with such ‘counter protesters’. Using language that has to be bleeped out doesn’t make them look very bright.
“We are superheroes,” said Richard Green, imperial wizard of the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Pfft! Superheroes my left eyeball!
Mississippi and Georgia Klansmen told the Selmer residents Saturday that they were there to defend and preserve the white race. Three to four dozen Klansmen participated.
That’s it? From the way the website reads, I would have thought there would have been hundreds.
But the dozens of white and black protesters who made up much of the crowd only screamed and booed for them to go away.
The Klansmen read a list of registered sex offenders living near Selmer, and complained that a wave of illegal Hispanic immigrants was taxing the country fiscally and culturally.
While I don’t think reading such a list is a bad thing, it should be the regular folks who should be protesting the sex offenders and influx of illegals in the area, not this extremely hateful bunch of yahoos.
They accused the media of hiding violence committed by blacks and other minorities against whites, and said the protesters were brainwashed by a vast Jewish-black conspiracy.
Can we say WHACKOS? This is Tennessee. While there are a large number of crimes committed in the black community, there are also crimes committed within the white community. Crime is crime, the color of the perpetrator isn’t all that important. Jewish conspiracy? Gimme a break. I’ve yet to meet ONE Jewish person since we have been here. I’ve never seen a synagogue around here. So, where is this “conspiracy” originating?
The crowd’s response was virulent, with many cursing and yelling for the men to leave – prompting Klan speakers to mock and prod them more. Several protesters began to clump around the barricade in front of the lectern, saying “Excuse me” as they pushed through the crowd to go scream.
I wonder if this crowd realizes it was manipulated into such a reaction? This is a great area to live, but I gotta tell ya….some real dim bulbs make up a bit of the residential demographics.
Before the rally, Amanda Price, a black woman from Savannah, slumped when she saw children among the Klansmen as they prepped.
“Little kids don’t need to see this,” said Price, 24, holding an orange sign at her waist calling the Klansmen cowards. “… I wish they could give me one reason why we can’t get along.”
She’s right. Children being taught to hate is a type of abuse that none of should tolerate, from any culture.
White protesters, many of them young, said they did not know why the men had picked their town.
“This is Selmer, where everybody gets along with everyone,” said Kaylee Cass, 15.
Good question. Perhaps it was there intent to see to it that folks stopped getting along? It really was an odd choice for the peck-o-woods!
The Klan members, who rallied in Pontotoc, Miss., earlier in the day, said before the rally that they picked Selmer because it was near a property in Henderson where they had initially planned to hold a private gathering.
Then, they should have just moved on along to their private gathering, and left Selmer in peace!
The Selmer rally was briefly delayed as leaders of a Georgia Klan group told a Neo Nazi Klan group that they were not allowed to participate in the rally.
“We don’t believe in Nazism,” Jeff Jones, imperial wizard of the Georgia Knight Riders, told a National Geographic film crew covering the event. “We believe in the pure Ku Klux Klan, as it was in 1922.”
Isn’t it nice to know they are so ‘selective’?
As the protesters continued to scream and curse near the rally’s end, Green thanked the white “race traitors” in the crowd.
“We appreciate you making fools of yourselves,” Green said.
Honestly, I think there were “fools” on all sides of this event.
Gimme More!
Morning Coffee 04/07/08
Tennessee’s district attorneys want to put an end to a death penalty study committee formed to review how the state carries out the ultimate sentence.
The reason: They say the committee is stacked with members who oppose the death penalty.
Well, let’s face it. If you have a committee to study something they have already decided, it’s not much of a committee now, is it. Yep, if this one is stacked, it should be dissolved immediately. If they are serious about making an informed decisions, then you need people from both sides of the argument to serve. Side note: If you hadn’t noticed I’m very much FOR the death penalty. (If they are worried about humane…..bullet to the heart! Very humane!)
Clinton’s Chief Strategist Steps Down
Penn had been a polarizing figure within the Clinton campaign for months because of his personality as well as his strategic vision, but his departure came as a result of another continuing controversy — the conflicts of interest that resulted from his representing major clients as president of Burson-Marsteller, the giant public relations firm, while working for Clinton.
Well, one sure fire way to piss off the voters is to have a person who is working against their wishes. Kind of like D.C. as a whole.
Ben-Eliezer: ‘We’ll destroy Iranian nation’ if they attack us
“An Iranian attack will prompt a severe reaction from Israel, which will destroy the Iranian nation,” National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) said on Monday. Teheran, he added, “is definitely aware of our strength. Even so, they are teasing us with their alliances with Syria and Hizbullah, and supplying them with many weapons, and we have to deal with that.”
Ever get the feeling we’re living in the Twilight Zone? 
Iraqi leader warns Sadr movement
Nouri Maliki told CNN that the cleric’s movement would not be allowed to take part in elections unless it disbanded its militia, the Mehdi Army.
The prime minister and major Iraqi parties had already called for militias to be dissolved as the government waged a security campaign against the groups.
But it was the first time that Mr Maliki had singled out the Mehdi Army.
Well, what took him so long? Playing nice doesn’t work with some fanatical types….well, it doesn’t work with ANY fanatics. (I thought it was called the Mahdi Army? I’m getting confused!)
Hannah Casting Call Draws Anxious Crowd
Thousands of Hannah Montana fans showed up Sunday morning for an open casting call for extras in her upcoming movie. Some Miley Cyrus fans waited more than 12 hours, just to have a shot.
An estimated 6,000 girls lined up Sunday morning at the Sommet Center. It was a fight for position in the early hours of the morning. A shot at being in the next Hannah Montana movie was on the line.
“We walked down here at 2:00 this morning, we were back at 3:00. We weren’t going to let anybody get in front,” said Laura Vargas while waiting in line.
This is getting downright scary!
‘The Grid’ Could Soon Make the Internet Obsolete
The Internet could soon be made obsolete. The scientists who pioneered it have now built a lightning-fast replacement capable of downloading entire feature films within seconds.
At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, “the grid” will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds.
The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the web, the grid could also provide the kind of power needed to transmit holographic images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call.
Just when I’m getting the hang of the internet, they’re going to change things on me? Hmmm….does this mean I’ll get to buy a new confuser, or whatever? 
A small earthquake awoke residents in south Texas, but there are no reported injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.7 magnitude quake happened shortly before 5 a.m. Monday about 45 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Hmmm…. maybe that means U of Memphis is gonna be shaking up San Antonio tonight?
Gwinnett to screen inmates for immigration violations
The 5 million dollar program approved by the county commission last week trains deputies to use U.S. Department of Homeland Security databases to look up inmate records. Deputies also will be trained to begin the deportation process for those in the country illegally.
The new program could begin as early as October. The plan is part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program to equip local authorities across the country with the ability to find illegal immigrants in their detention facilities.
Good idea! I’m wondering, why does it cost $5,000,000 to check the status though? Serious question.
Memphis Zoo successfully breeds endangered frog
Using in-vitro fertilization techniques learned while breeding Wyoming toads in 2004, the zoo has produced 93 Mississippi gopher tadpoles, a number nearly matching the 100 frogs still living in the wild.
“Now the Memphis Zoo is recognized as a leader in amphibian conservation. We are taking the lead in this kind of research,” said Dr. Andy Kouba, the zoo’s director of research and conservation. He noted that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has named 2008 the year of the frog.
Ok, someone tell me why they are using funds to do in vitro for FROGS!
Jury selection begins in stabbing, beheading trial
Jury selection began this morning in the trial of a teen accused of stabbing and beheading a man for a thrill.
Jean Pierre Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 7 slaying of Daniel Sorensen, 26, of River Rouge. His alleged cohort, Alexander Letkemann, 18, of Westland, is expected to be a key witness against him.
Letkemann agreed to a deal last week in which he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for dismissal of a first-degree murder charge. A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life prison sentence in Michigan.
Ya know, if I were that prosecutor, I wouldn’t have agreed to the deal. I’d have made him stand trial. If ever there was a case FOR the death penalty, this is one of them!
