Wednesday, October 31, 2007

IMG00398.JPG





IMG00398.JPG, originally uploaded by thepetecom.






Orignal From: IMG00398.JPG

Off to West Hollywood for the ...

Off to West Hollywood for the Halloween festivities. Watch http://thepete.com for pics and videos!

Orignal From: Off to West Hollywood for the ...

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

TURKEY ATTACKS NORTHERN IRAQ--Is It WWIII yet?

Hey, so did you hear? Turkey has attacked the Kurds in Northern Iraq! What does that mean? It means there is yet ANOTHER war being fought. So, let's see how many that makes:
1) the US against the insurgents in Iraq 2) the US against the Taleband in Afghanistan 3) the US against Al Qaeda all over the place 4) the Iraqi civil war 5) Turkey against the Kurds
OK, so that's like five wars--how many more do we need before we can call it World War III?
Read more about the Turkish attacks on Kurdistan at CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/10/30/turkey.kurds.ap/index.html .




Orignal From: TURKEY ATTACKS NORTHERN IRAQ--Is It WWIII yet?

eBay Auctions for Confiscated Knives, Scissors and More

eBay auctions for confiscated knives, scissors and more

I'm not sure how sanctioned-by-the-NTSA these auctions are, but there seem to be some pretty good prices on knives, multi-tools and more.  All of the items are used (duh) and be sure to not try to take any items you win on a plane with you (also duh).



Orignal From: eBay Auctions for Confiscated Knives, Scissors and More

Consumerist Kit: The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back (Revised Edition)

Consumerist Kit: The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back (Revised Edition)

Some seriously devious tips included.  A MUST read if you've ever had to deal with a corporation not interested in making sure you were happy. 



Orignal From: Consumerist Kit: The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back (Revised Edition)

Help Free Jammie and the Rest of Us, Too

Free Jammie


When I first heard about that poor woman who had to pay off a $200,000+ fine because a bunch of asshole jurors couldn't stand up for what was right, I wanted to put my fist through something. Well, now we all can help her pay that ridiculously cruel and unusual punishment by buying stuff from her CafePress store. She's got T-shirts, thongs, bags and more. Check out her store--it's for a good cause! Swing by her site FreeJammie.com--it's down as I type this, but hopefully that's because Gizmodo.com blogged about her selling thongs to help pay the astronomical fine.

If I wasn't already saving up for a move to Japan and an XO, I'd already be placing an order. I'll definitely buy a t-shirt or two if someone can just give me some steady paying work!! Anyway, if you've got a job, go buy a shirt.

Orignal From: Help Free Jammie and the Rest of Us, Too

ABC News: The Video Prince Doesn't Want You to See

ABC News: The Video Prince Doesn't Want You to See

Prince song in the background of a home movie someone uploaded to YouTube=troooouble! 



Orignal From: ABC News: The Video Prince Doesn't Want You to See

Monday, October 29, 2007

Came across an old post of min...

Came across an old post of mine: http://urltea.com/1x0x Turns out the Federal Reserve is on the Internet--the least secure net of all. ^_^

Orignal From: Came across an old post of min...

What are they selling with this movie poster?




Seriously, look at the elements in this poster. You've got a fey Dustin Hoffman, an adorable Natalie Portman with a lesbian haircut and a bunch of really unimaginative toys. It's amazing what they're trying to pawn off as fantasy. It's so fantastic, it looks like the crap you've already got in your bedroom, kids! Now pardon your parents they've got to go buy a hideously boring car that they've been convinced is "sporty."



OH and BTW, this is a picture of a bus stop, which is why it's so crappy.



Orignal From: What are they selling with this movie poster?

TheWife and TheMe at The Trader Joe's




Isn't she adorable mid-yawn? ^_^



Orignal From: TheWife and TheMe at The Trader Joe's

I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl.com/222ww3 Racistish food packaging?: Interesting how the Mexican woman is a painting and th

Orignal From: I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl.com/28nrzr Nip/Cut bus ad: Yes, because, in every Bible I've glanced through every angel wea

Orignal From: I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl.com/2gmeg3 TheWife and TheMe at The Trader : Isn't she adorable mid-yawn? ^_^

Orignal From: I just uttered http://tinyurl....

Nip/Cut bus ad





Nip/Cut bus ad, originally uploaded by thepetecom.



Yes, because, in every Bible I've glanced through every angel wears hot

pants.



Orignal From: Nip/Cut bus ad

Saturday, October 27, 2007

A passion for all that's goodTM

TheWife and I make a late night trip to the supermarket and discover that Ralph's has "A passion for all that's good.TM" Gotta love when a corporation TMs a sentence like that.Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: A passion for all that's goodTM

In Best Buy w/$10 to spend, but.

There's nothing I want!! Well, I'd like an iPod Classic, but 0 Best Buy rewards certificate won't cover that :(Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: In Best Buy w/$10 to spend, but.

Holy crap! It's a Smart Car!

Just saw this from the bus. And we were just Uttering about this, weren't we?In other news, some ash just fell on my Sidekick's keyboard (from the sky).Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Holy crap! It's a Smart Car!

Heading to the post office

Ah life in LA without a car. It's frakkin' hot out!Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Heading to the post office

900k+ Evacuated from SD

More news from Twitterer NateRitter: http://twitter.com/nateritter/statuses/358527412 Or the article he links to in his Twitter pictured above: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071023/D8SF7PN00.html NateRitter's Twitter stream: http://twitter.com/nateritterMobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


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A MEDAL FOR NATE RITTER

I'd just like to give a big shout out and a friggin' MEDAL to Twitterererer NateRitter for doing the amazing job he's doing micro-blogging the San Diego fires. He's been providing seriously useful information all day today and yesterday, thus removing any need for me to use CNN to find out what's going on down there. If you're on Twitter, follow him at http://twitter.com/nateritter.This guy is a great example of how much better news can be done by "regular" folks.Forgot to add a link to the Flickr pool of SD fire pics: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sandiegofire/pool/Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


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Smart Car crash video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8sWith all the chatter about the Smart Car in the Utterverz this morning I thought people might enjoy seeing what a high-speed crash looks like in one.It's a little scary, but I still want one eventually.Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


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Out of the Apartment!

I've been watching an anime series called "Welcome to the NHK". It's about a guy who is a jobless, college-drop out who spends days on end inside his apartment making up lies for himself and others so that he doesn't have to go out. The Japanese have a word for this kind of person: "hikikimori." I think it's extra ironic that I started watching this show in the middle of a period in which my income is very spotty and all of it stems from work I do at home. I could go back to temping, but I don't. I hardly ever leave my apartment and until today I hadn't really cared. I think that show might be getting to me! Anyway, so here's the picture of me and my creepy wife being creepy out on the town--Westwood, CA to be exact--a place we've lived for FAR too long and are far too bored of. But, we're both pretty broke, so here we stay... for now.Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Out of the Apartment!

Test Utter #2

OK, the last Utter posted properly--but will it post audio and a pic? (I'll test video next)Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Test Utter #2

Test Utter

This doesn't seem to be posting to my WP site-- ThePete.ComMobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Test Utter

ThePete Utterz!

Hey there, just signed up for a cool new site called Utterz.com. It's kind of like what audioblogger.com used to do, only it allows you to post audio, video and text from your phone via a number or email. It's a pretty sweet set up. I'm sending this from their website but plan on testing out posting by phone later today (assuming I actually go out). So, now you can find me at http://www.utterz.com/~h-thepete/list.php on Utterz. Yeah, that URL's a little chunky, but ah well. The attached audio file is just to prove I could do it--and to make me giggle.Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: ThePete Utterz!

Utterz.Com Post

Hey there, just signed up for a cool new site called Utterz.com. It's kind of like what audioblogger.com used to do, only it allows you to post audio, video and text from your phone via a number or email. It's a pretty sweet set up. I'm sending this from their website but plan on testing out posting by phone later today (assuming I actually go out). So, now you can find me at http://www.utterz.com/~h-thepete/list.php on Utterz. Yeah, that URL's a little chunky, but ah well.Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies.


Orignal From: Utterz.Com Post

Watching the original Star War...

Watching the original Star Wars (LaserDisc source!) on my iPod while I set up my PB's external display. Not sure if that's a good idea...

Orignal From: Watching the original Star War...

I just uttered http://tinyurl....

I just uttered http://tinyurl.com/2hebch A passion for all that's goodTM: TheWife and I make a late night trip to the supe

Orignal From: I just uttered http://tinyurl....

A passion for all that's goodTM


TheWife and I make a late night trip to the supermarket and discover
that Ralph's has "A passion for all that's good.TM" Gotta love when a
corporation TMs a sentence like that.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: A passion for all that's goodTM

Friday, October 26, 2007

Come on Now, Web Designers, Enough with the Clutter

I know my site isn't perfectly designed but I've seen some sites recently that boggle my mind. One of the things I always wrestle with is the fact that I have so much content I want to present but can never come up with a truly orderly way to present all of my content. This is not an excuse for a cluttered design, but it is the reality for my site and plenty of others, too. Still, some site designers seem to think of their sites as a piece of graph paper and plug stuff into every damn square and think it looks great (or at best, fails to realize how terrible their design looks). Take, for instance blog.taragana.com. This website has a some great content. I've used the dude's code and WP plugins before, but have a look at this screencap:



Does that look like a design that he thought out at all? Again, I know I'm not perfect, but just look at that! "Simple Thoughts" my ass.

And it's a shame because the content, itself, that the designer is presenting is good stuff. It just deserves a better thought out presentation.

Then, there is Eschool.com. This site is so cluttered I have no idea where to look first and the font is so small, I actually find it awkward to read. Based on the screencap below you can see that the font is readable, but it does feel like it adds to the clutter of the design. Have a look:


Gah, that's ugly. There's no breathing room--there's just content on top of content. While it isn't as cluttered as blog.taragana.com, it is very busy--just too much to decide from and the design elements don't really make any suggestions as to where you should look first.

It's sites like these that make the World Wide Web a difficult to navigate. I mean, look at those screencaps! They tire you out!

This is one of the reasons my site has had so many different looks over the years--I always look at it with a critical eye and think I can do better. As I type this, I'm contemplating another redesign. I want this to be the final redesign. Of course, I said that six months ago and six months before that. Regardless, I think I've got a good idea for a more orderly layout and I'm going to go for it. I hope the designers of the above-mentioned sites will do the same. It's great to have good content, but if it's delivered poorly, you might as well have no content at all.

Orignal From: Come on Now, Web Designers, Enough with the Clutter

Thursday, October 25, 2007

FOX CALLS THE SOCAL FIRES ON AL QAEDA

Check out the below excerpt nicked from an October 24, 2007 post at ThinkProgress.org that reported on how Fox news claimed Al Qaeda could have caused the SoCal wildfires:
DOOCY: You're looking live at pictures from San Diego — Santiago, CA, where the wildfires continue. We were talking earlier in today's telecast with Adam Housley and apparently police officers in a hovering helicopter saw a guy starting one of these fires. And Allison Allison Camerota, an FBI memo from late in June of this year is popping up this morning and it is ominous.

CAMEROTA: This actually has happened for many years in the past as well. An FBI sent out to local law-enforcement said that an al Qaeda detainee had given them some information that the next wave of terrorism could be in the form of setting wild fires. Adam Housley said lots of people on his block were asking him about it. Obviously this is something the FBI has looked into. They will continue to investigate it.


Wow, this is a bit funnier than the folks blaming the wildfires on global warming!

Now, it would be one thing if Fox cited real evidence, but as with most of the media, they're just parroting what the USG is telling us rather than doing, you know, their jobs and researching to find out if there actually IS evidence of AQ playing with matches.

Likewise, blaming the fires on global warming is equally absurd. Perhaps the SoCal climate is unusually dry because of GW, but a dry climate alone doesn't cause fires. And, NEWSFLASH, it's already pretty dry out here in California--in fact, we're known for being, uh, what are those things called again? Oh yeah--a desert!

So, if we could get both extremes to just SHUT THE HELL UP and look at REALITY, perhaps we can actually take care of these damn fires.

Special thanks to TheJen for TheLink to this story. ^_^

Orignal From: FOX CALLS THE SOCAL FIRES ON AL QAEDA

In Best Buy w/$10 to spend, but.


There's nothing I want!! Well, I'd like an iPod Classic, but 0 Best
Buy rewards certificate won't cover that :(
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: In Best Buy w/$10 to spend, but.

Gotta Work on This Layout

Sorry about the layout--ever since I added the Voxant video at the bottom of the sidebar everything's been a bit out of whack. I'm working on it! Thanks for your patience!

Orignal From: Gotta Work on This Layout

ALL RIGHT, WHO'S LOOKING FOR ATOM BOMB DESIGNS ON THEPETE.COM?

Wow, this was kind of funny. I was looking over my stats (I use the SlimStats plugin for WordPress) and spotted something a little disturbing. Check out this screencap to see how someone found their way to ThePete.Com:


Yep. Someone looking for an "Atom Bomb Design" found my site through Ask.com. What's even more disturbing is that I totally forgot that I actually posted atom bomb plans a couple years ago to show how lousy security was for this kind of thing.

haha...

OK, just kidding. I really didn't post plans that would allow you to design your own atom bomb, but I did blog about how you didn't need to be a scientist in order to come up with your own design for an atom bomb. And yes, there's something even more disturbing: that post has been viewed over 200 times.

Of course, that's nothing compared to the 164191 times my post "Kari Byron Pics and More!" has been viewed, but hey, we can't all be horny for smart, cute-as-hell women who look adorable in short, plaid skirts, can we?

Orignal From: ALL RIGHT, WHO'S LOOKING FOR ATOM BOMB DESIGNS ON THEPETE.COM?

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

OC Weekly: Rogue Statesman Dana Rohrabacher


Orange County Weekly - Rogue Statesman

From a September 5, 2002 article at OCWeekly.com linked to in an October 24, 2007 post at TheDayTheyTriedToKillMe.com:

"Listen! Hold on!" said Rohrabacher. "I am a bigger expert on Afghanistan than any member of Congress."

As a speechwriter and special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Rohrabacher played a key role in the late 1980s getting money and arms, including U.S.-made Stinger missiles, to Afghan holy warriors, then at war with the Soviet Union. He once bragged of being "certainly a major player" in a coalition inside the White House that supported anyone "opposing Communist domination around the world." In November 1988, he even visited the Afghan front lines during a five-day hike with an armed mujahideen patrol in eastern Afghanistan. Among those fighters he encountered, he later recalled, were "Saudi Arabians under a crazy commander named bin Laden."

...

 
A November/December 1996 article in Washington Report on Middle East Affairs reported, "The potential rise of power of the Taliban does not alarm Rohrabacher" because the congressman believes the "Taliban could provide stability in an area where chaos was creating a real threat to the U.S." Later in the article, Rohrabacher claimed that:

  • Taliban leaders are "not terrorists or revolutionaries."
  • Media reports documenting the Taliban's harsh, radical beliefs were "nonsense."
  • The Taliban would develop a "disciplined, moral society" that did not harbor terrorists.
  • The Taliban posed no threat to the U.S.

Although he continues to describe himself as an expert on Afghan history and politics, Rohrabacher was obviously dead wrong on all counts.

Evidence of Rohrabacher's attempts to conduct his own foreign policy became public on April 10, 2001, not in the U.S., but in the Middle East. On that day, ignoring his own lack of official authority, Rohrabacher opened negotiations with the Taliban at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, Qatar, ostensibly for a "Free Markets and Democracy" conference. There, Rohrabacher secretly met with Taliban Foreign Minister Mullah Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, an advisor to Mullah Omar. Diplomatic sources claim Muttawakil sought the congressman's assistance in increasing U.S. aid—already more than $100 million annually—to Afghanistan and indicated that the Taliban would not hand over bin Laden, wanted by the Clinton administration for the fatal bombings of two American embassies in Africa and the USS Cole. For his part, Rohrabacher handed Muttawakil his unsolicited plans for war-torn Afghanistan. "We examined a peace plan," he laconically told reporters in Qatar.

... 

 

"[Rohrabacher] says the Taliban are devout traditionalists—not terrorists or revolutionaries. He believes a Taliban takeover [of Afghanistan] would be a positive development."

—Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, November/December 1996 issue

 



Orignal From: OC Weekly: Rogue Statesman Dana Rohrabacher

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Holy crap! It's a Smart Car!





Just saw this from the bus. And we were just Uttering about this,
weren't we?

In other news, some ash just fell on my Sidekick's keyboard (from the
sky).

Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: Holy crap! It's a Smart Car!

Heading to the post office


Ah life in LA without a car. It's frakkin' hot out!
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: Heading to the post office

900k+ Evacuated from SD


More news from Twitterer NateRitter:

http://twitter.com/nateritter/statuses/358527412

Or the article he links to in his Twitter pictured above:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071023/D8SF7PN00.html

NateRitter's Twitter stream:

http://twitter.com/nateritter
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


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Twitter / nate ritter: Confirmed 950k people, 350k houses evacuated

Twitter / nate ritter:  Confirmed 950k people, 350k houses evacuated

Holy crap.  My little problems with the bank are nothing. 



Orignal From: Twitter / nate ritter: Confirmed 950k people, 350k houses evacuated

A MEDAL FOR NATE RITTER





I'd just like to give a big shout out and a friggin' MEDAL to Twitterererer NateRitter for doing the amazing job he's doing micro-blogging the San Diego fires. He's been providing seriously useful information all day today and yesterday, thus removing any need for me to use CNN to find out what's going on down there. If you're on Twitter, follow him at http://twitter.com/nateritter.

This guy is a great example of how much better news can be done by "regular" folks.

Forgot to add a link to the Flickr pool of SD fire pics:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/sandiegofire/pool/

Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: A MEDAL FOR NATE RITTER

Twitter / Bloggers Blog: Posted a list of California wildfire resources

Twitter / Bloggers Blog: Posted a list of California wildfire resources

We're in the middle of an amazing revolution.  As half of SoCal (where I live) is on fire, I've been getting more and better information from microbloggers like NateRitter than I have from CNN online or off.  It's almost like we're going back in time to the era of town criers.  The above link is from microblogger and Twitterer BloggersBlog who normally covers blogging in general, but decided to mb on something else for a bit. 



Orignal From: Twitter / Bloggers Blog: Posted a list of California wildfire resources

Monday, October 22, 2007

Homemade Helicopter: Nigerian Man Builds Working Helicopters from Junk


Homemade Helicopter: Nigerian Man Builds Working Helicopters from Junk

Too damn cool!  Too bad this sort of thing wouldn't even be legal in the US.

Still, it really captures the DIY spirit.  I'm sooo jealous!



Orignal From: Homemade Helicopter: Nigerian Man Builds Working Helicopters from Junk

Smart Car crash video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

With all the chatter about the Smart Car in the Utterverz this morning I thought people might enjoy seeing what a high-speed crash looks like in one.

It's a little scary, but I still want one eventually.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: Smart Car crash video

http://tinyurl.com/2z4l22 I Ju...

http://tinyurl.com/2z4l22 I Just uttered(Out of the Apartment!): I've been watching an anime series called "Welcome to the NHK". It's about

Orignal From: http://tinyurl.com/2z4l22 I Ju...

Out of the Apartment!


I've been watching an anime series called "Welcome to the NHK". It's about a guy who is a jobless, college-drop out who spends days on end inside his apartment making up lies for himself and others so that he doesn't have to go out. The Japanese have a word for this kind of person: "hikikimori."

I think it's extra ironic that I started watching this show in the middle of a period in which my income is very spotty and all of it stems from work I do at home. I could go back to temping, but I don't. I hardly ever leave my apartment and until today I hadn't really cared. I think that show might be getting to me!

Anyway, so here's the picture of me and my creepy wife being creepy out on the town--Westwood, CA to be exact--a place we've lived for FAR too long and are far too bored of. But, we're both pretty broke, so here we stay... for now.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz Replies.


Orignal From: Out of the Apartment!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

eBay auction: Hanna Barbera Stuff from ThePete!

Hey there, as you may recall, I'm planning to move to Japan and I need to sell as much of my stuff as I can to make the move easier and to pay for the move. HELP ME DO IT! Every week I'll be listing items on eBay--I just listed a stack of new auctions and there's still one more day to bid on last week's stuff--so check out my auctions now for cool Star Trek, animation, Hanna-Barbera, Duckman and more stuff! Here's a sampling from the batch of auctions I just posted, it's a STACK of models, backgrounds and other great Hanna Barbera stuff I picked up while working there back in the 1990s. Have a look at just some of it:
eBay: Hanna Barbera stuff auction!


There's a lot more stuff I have up for auction, too. So, please check out my auctions!

Sorry for the hard sell, but I need to raise that money! Thanks for supporting me!

(You can also click the red "support" links around the site, buy books, DVDs or anime from ThePete's Amazon store, head over to ThePete's CafePress store and buy stuff there, or just click on any Google ads to help support me, too!)



Orignal From: eBay auction: Hanna Barbera Stuff from ThePete!

Just finished posting pics of ...

Just finished posting pics of my latest custom toy: http://tinyurl.com/29uhnx my favorite yet!

Orignal From: Just finished posting pics of ...

Just finished posting pics of ...

Just finished posting pics of my latest custom toy: http://tinyurl.com/29uhnx my favorite yet!

Orignal From: Just finished posting pics of ...

ThePeteToy: ThePeteMunny!

20071020ThePeteMunny07


Just finished up another ThePeteToy! This one is ThePeteMunny, which is based on ThePeteMan who's first adventure you can read in the first issue of ThePete.Comic, which you can buy at it's very own CafePress store!

Check out pictures of ThePeteMunny by clicking on the screencap of ThePeteMunny's photoset at my Flickr:

ThePeteToyThePeteMunny




Orignal From: ThePeteToy: ThePeteMunny!

MUCH ADO OVER BIRTH CONTROL FOR KIDS (aka Nothing)

So, parents are in a tizzie because some folks in Maine decide their kids deserve to have the option of contraception. People like Bill O'Reilly who make their living off of being alarmist had this to say in a story headlined "Birth Control Pills for 11-Year-Old Girls..." :
At the King Middle School in Portland, Maine, medical workers are allowed to give the girls as young as 11 birth control pills without their parents knowing about it.

The school board in Portland voted 7-2 to make that happen. The rationale is that some kids will have sex and the school must try to reduce pregnancies. Also, parents must sign a waiver allowing their children to receive medical care at the school.

However, that medical care is kept secret from the parents, in the birth control area.

Now giving sixth grade girls the pill is dumb. It doesn't protect them from disease and tacitly says that sex at that young age is understandable.

This is foolish, ridiculous, and irresponsible. But in the secular progressive world. The SP doctrine is to quote, "empower children" and downgrade parental authority because some parents are bad.

Right now seven states: Connecticut, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and New Hampshire have no parental notification laws concerning abortion. That means that if young girls in those states get pregnant, Planned Parenthood can set up the abortion and parents will never know.


That's actually pretty funny, Bill, but WRONG.

I was surfing around this new site I signed up for called Utterz.com, and found a post by an utterer (??) called PixelFish describing how kids do need permission to get birth control services according to an article covering the Portland, Maine birth control for kidz story at http://guardian.co.uk. Here's a cutting:
At King Middle School, birth control prescriptions will be given after a student undergoes a physical exam by a physician or nurse practitioner, said Lisa Belanger, who oversees Portland's student health centers.

Students treated at the centers must first get written parental permission, but under state law such treatment is confidential, and students decide for themselves whether to tell their parents about the services they receive.


Typical Bill O'Reilly--not very clear on the specifics. Kids can not tell their parents about the abortion, but to be treated in any way, they need to have their parents' permission. So, the abortion can stay secret, but the parents are still going to know something's up if the 'rentals care at all. If they don't want their kid to be having an abortion, then they should be paying more attention. I'm using "abortion" here because that's the word Bill used.

The point is, relax, folks! The set up is actually pretty reasonable. It leaves the kids with the responsibility to decide for themselves.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Treating kids with respect!!

Of course, the parents can stop it any time they want by revoking their permission. So, ultimately the parents do have control.

Orignal From: MUCH ADO OVER BIRTH CONTROL FOR KIDS (aka Nothing)

Saturday, October 20, 2007

MS GETS CLEVER WITH MS DEWEY BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH

So, I was following a blog chain earlier today and eventually came to discover Ms. Dewey. Ms. Dewey is a search engine that plays upon the heterosexual male (and lesbian) urges in the hopes that said urges will get you to use Micro$oft's search engine more. How are they doing this? Well, have a look at the gimmick:



Yeah... forget "Jeeves"--this search engine is HOT!

Seriously--I spent about an hour entering different things into, uh, her (!) to see what she'd do and how she'd react to everything from polite questions to rude demands (hey, just being honest about my hikikimori ways!). Now, once you run out of lewd things to ask Ms. Dewey (which already assumes you've run out of polite questions) you naturally wonder "damn, this chick is sooo beautiful--I wonder if she's been nude in any movies!"

So, you Google Ms. Dewey (no, you don't MSN Live search her) and discover that Ms. Dewey's real name is Janina Gavankar and YES Janina Gavankar HAS been nude in movies!! Well, she's nude in at least one movie, called Cup of My Blood. She was also on episodes of The L Word (!) and has done a handful of other films. She also has a vaguely Jessica Alba thing going on, though she looks much more mature (a good thing in my mind).

So, here's where Micro$oft's little gimmick won't pay off. The search engine in this search engine is completely tangential to the whole "asking the hot woman to take off her clothes" thing. Like I said, to learn more about her, I didn't just do a search on her right there, I actually opened another tab in Firefox and googled her. Why? Because--when I search, I don't want hot chicks. Well, that's usually what I'm searching for--if I find one before I even start looking, what's to keep me looking?

See your problem Micro$oft?

Now, if you're looking for Ms. Dewey pictures or Janina Gavankar pictures, you've come to the right place. I'm including my favorites from my hour with her below (please feel free to click on those google ads to pay for the bandwidth you're using up--thanks!):



For some seriously randy (read: obscene) attempts on my part click through to page 2 of this post but ONLY if you are over 18 and ONLY if you are not easily offended by the word "cock" used in a way NOT referencing a chicken.

By clicking here you agree to expose yourself to words that would make Mitt Romney cry and you agree to not sue ThePete.Com (or ThePete) for obsceneness.


Ah, Kari Byron--if only you would become the spokeswoman for a giant corporation's search engines! Ah the dirty, dirty, scientifically interesting things I'd ask you!

Orignal From: MS GETS CLEVER WITH MS DEWEY BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH