*snicker* The Rivrdog takes aim at Baldilocks on her public re-linking of the Acidman, and gets shot down rather smartly. Very nicely said - class act all the way, Baldilocks. Kudos. Doan pick on the gurls Rivr - they's a reason why we always used to give captured enemies to the wimmenfolk, and it wasn't to make their last moments nicer. ;]

[Hey! Slow news day in the blogosphere. Gimme a break. 'Sides, after the mass public de-linkings of Rob, the odd relinking is Above the Fold noteworthy for The DailySpam.]

Very cool. Way South, a South African weblog, was brought to my eyes via a link from Steven den Beste. I think I'm going to be eternally indebted to Steven, damn his black little heart. ;) I'm not hearing you is an interestingly perceptive critique on where we're losing the battleground of propaganda - we're not getting the message out elsewhere, it's being lost somewhere in America.

Heh. And he managed to reduce me to hopeless frustration and envy with a single short post: "A Hunting We Will Go: I'm off to Namibia for a few days. I'll bring back some photos, so come back next week." Grrr... I want to just jaunt off hunting in Nambia "for a few days". Life just isn't bloody fair. ;]

Heh. True to form [true to form for the Left's attention to detail that is ;)] Jim at Smoke on the Water's achieved the dubious distinction of being nominated as one of the most evil blogger linked by Instapundit. Only one problem - he's not linked by InstaPuppy. *snicker* But he is a truly evil man, and we kinda like that about him. ;}

"What you don't know when you're 22 could fill a book. If you write that book when you're 44, you haven't learned a thing." - Lileks

The Laughing Wolf tackles Nude, Naked, Nekkid, and Children Yet Again. Ummm... maybe "tackles" wasn't the best choice of words...

The Rocket Jones Dominates Sex! It's nice work if you can get it. ;] PLUS! He encounters The Christine of Copiers...

Useful Stuff from Kim du Toit. The Grab and Go Bag II. Yeah yeah yeah - I know you read Kim before you come here. Now you can go back and read it again. Not like you have anything better to do, yanno? ;]

Speaking of the du Toit's [and of blogger firestorms], Connie sets off WWV among the Faggy Elf Movie Appreciation Society by comparing the LOTR Trilogy unfavorably to Harry Potter. The resulting comments section is one of the most erudite flamewars I've ever had the pleasure to behold. ;]

And the Radio Free Blog for the Day is: Chrenkoff. I suspect that Chrenkoff is short for "Chock full of Good Stuff", because it is.

"Chrenkin' off" on the Right side of life since 1972 - - - The news and views from Down Under on politics, international affairs and culture

Link(s) for the Day: Student's Moral Fuckwittery Test - link via NotDeskmerc [NOTE: Peacetest.org is not an Opera friendly site]

Who tends the Fires Gratuitous Hopolophobe Repellent Link: The Charles Daly Hi-Power.. Pretty. Now, I like the 1911, but the Hi-Power is elegant in a way that Old Slabsides just can't match. And Daly's version is schweet.

It's The Daily Spam! When cupcakes attack....

"TV News People 'Thank God' for Conservative-Bashing Author - By: Steve Sawyer | Source: CNSNews.com
June 4, 2004 9:42AM EST By Marc Morano CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer June 04, 2004
Washington (CNSNews.com) - Former conservative author-turned-liberal activist David Brock, whose new book and website are devoted to denouncing conservative media outlets, says network news personalities have privately praised him and told him, "Thank God you are doing this..."
Brock, the author of The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How it Corrupts Democracy, told an audience of several hundred fellow liberal activists about off-the-air exchanges he has had with network news hosts.
Brock spoke Thursday in Washington at the "Take Back America" conference, which is billed as a gathering of progressive activists.
"In the past few weeks -- as I have been on some of these TV shows, either talking about my book or about [my website] MediaMatters.org -- I have been -- off air -- been told by network talent: 'Thank God you are doing this because we can't do it -- because James Dobson can send an e-mail and turn NBC upside down,'" Brock said. Dobson is the conservative Christian leader of Focus on the Family.
Brock did not specify which "network talent" had praised him...."

Fascinating. Kinda like Kerry's "Forien Leader Endorsements", eh? *g*

"According to Podesta, the network news anchors -- NBC's Tom Brokaw, ABC's Peter Jennings and CBS's Dan Rather -- can now be considered conservatives.

"Over the course of the years, they may have actually tipped a little bit to the right of center," Podesta said." - IRN News

*ROFLMAO!* Yeah, and Media Matters is shifting right of center now that they've added that Staunch Conservative Oliver Willis to their staff. *snicker*

"MAN PENALISED FOR WARNING OF SPEED TRAP - Pistonheads.com Thursday 3rd June
Pensioner banned from driving for reminding motorists not to speed
A 71 year old man has been banned from driving for warning other motorists of a speed trap up the road - even though he wasn't in his car at the time! He was also ordered to pay £364 in costs.
Stuart Harding stood on the A325 near Farnborough with a sign saying "Speed Trap - 300 yards ahead". He had stood there on previous occasions warning motorists to slow down because of a car boot sale up the road which generated a lot of pedestrian traffic. Police however took exception when Harding warned of their speed trap..."

Of course they took exception - he was interfering in the revenue stream...

"Living conditions for Lejeune Marines change with the flip of a switch - Submitted by: 1st Marine Division Story Identification #: 20046524253 Story by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (June 4, 2004) -- Camp Lejeune Marines deployed to Iraq are finally feeling some cool breezes blow their way.
That's thanks to the installation of electrical hardware in their living areas.
"I can't tell you how much this affects morale here," said Cpl. Kevin J. Klink, a Marine with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. "After a day of patrolling in the heat, we can actually look forward to coming back to our tent."
And it's not just the cool breezes either. The Flagtown, N.J. Marine said he and his fellow Marines are enjoying the creature comforts only a live wire brings.
"We're taking advantage of the electricity in every way we can," Klink said. "We've got a TV set up, and people can watch it or read or do whatever they want to enjoy their down time."
Temperatures regularly reach over a hundred degrees in the desert environment more than a thousand Marines call home. The battalion's Marines were until recently returning from patrols to what many would call a cave - a dark, hot, tent that provided little relief from the day's toils. That all changed with the flip of a switch.
Electricians from Regimental Combat Team 1 installed generators, wiring and air conditioning units for many tents here. For the Marines, it's a blessing from above..."

Very neat. ;]

"Europe Recalls Reagan Fondly; Arabs Don't - By JASON KEYSER Associated Press Writer Jun 6, 5:16 PM EDT
LONDON (AP) -- Former President Ronald Reagan was remembered across Europe for his role in breaking down Cold War divisions and opening the path to independence for Soviet bloc nations. Arab nations recalled the Reagan days as a dark period.
Russians recalled Reagan's tough rhetoric and how he launched a withering arms race with his "Star Wars" program that precipitated the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, which Reagan had famously dubbed an "evil empire."
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for launching liberal reforms in his country, remembered Reagan as an honest rival and friend.
"Reagan was a statesman who, despite all disagreements that existed between our countries at the time, displayed foresight and determination to meet our proposals halfway and change our relations for the better, stop the nuclear race, start scrapping nuclear weapons, and arrange normal relations between our countries," Gorbachev said, according to the Interfax news agency.
"Reagan bolstered the U.S. military might to ruin the Soviet economy, and he achieved his goal," said Gennady Gerasimov, who was the top spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry during the 1980s.
Former Soviet republics and other ex-East Bloc nations remembered Reagan as the American president who stared down Moscow and won, clearing the way for their independence and the 1991 Soviet collapse..."

Measured by the stature of your enemies. And unlike Bush, Reagan's enemies weren't small. Link via Daily Pundit. And you just can't top DP's response to the Arab World: "Who gives a dead camel's ass what you think?"

"Distortions, misrepresentations, omissions and outright lies - By PHILIP GAILEY, St. Petersburg Times Editor of Editorials Published June 6, 2004
If you have seen some of this year's presidential campaign advertising - and what television viewer hasn't? - you may have noticed something different. George W. Bush and John Kerry appear in their own ads long enough to say, "I approved this message."
I guess hearing the candidates assume responsibility for their message is supposed to reassure voters that the ads are factually accurate and truthful. Bush and Kerry wouldn't lie to us, would they? Given their low regard for the truth, I suggest this revision in their ad scripts:
"I'm George W. Bush and I approved these lies and distortions."
"I'm John Kerry and I approved these lies and distortions."
That would be jarring to hear, but it would at least be honest..."

Heh. I'd pay real money to see those ads. ;]

"For its part, the Kerry campaign has been running television ads charging that 'George Bush says sending jobs overseas makes sense for America.' The only problem is that Bush said no such thing." - Gailey

A columnist who blasts both candidates more or less equally - this is such a novel critter that we need to stuff him and put him in the Smithsonian. ;]

"Duxbury schools banish birthday cupcakes - By The Boston Herald staff Friday, June 4, 2004
Birthday kids at Duxbury's Chandler School next fall will get dragon stickers, special seat covers and starred birthday sashes they can wear all day.
But no cupcakes - they're bad for you.
The tradition of cupcakes at school birthday parties died last month when the School Committee unanimously ratified a new handbook that redefines the way students celebrate in class.
``I'm a little saddened,'' said Chandler parent Nancy Krahmer, who favors healthy eating but mourns the loss of the childhood ritual..."

Link via Ravenwood

And thar he bloviates! It's the Great White Whale in the "News" again!

"Rep. Kennedy pans Michael Moore film editing - Kevin Diaz, Bureau Correspondent June 4, 2004 KENN0604
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Mark Kennedy has unhappy memories of his filmed encounter with leftist moviemaker Michael Moore, an encounter featured Thursday in a trailer for the upcoming U.S. release of the film "Fahrenheit 9/11."
"I was walking back to my office after casting a vote, and all of a sudden some oversized guy puts a mike in my face and a camera in my face," said the Minnesota Republican. "He starts asking if I can help him recruit more people from families of members of Congress to participate in the war on terror."
Kennedy said he told Moore that he has two nephews in the military, one who has just been deployed in the Army National Guard.
But to Kennedy's annoyance, his response to Moore was cut from the trailer (and from the film, according to a spokeswoman for the movie).
"The interesting thing is that they used my image, but not my words," Kennedy said..."

I'll bet no one ever took away Mikey Moore's cupcakes when he was a child. ;) Link via the Pejman

Warning! You are now entering a Cupcake Free Zone. Bakers Dozen available at the Kiosk near the White Courtesy Phones. We cater children's birthday parties.

Remember - It's Radio Free: He that dies with the most links wins...

Quote for the Day: "He will express gratitude and respect for the soldiers buried there and will avoid reference to current events. Chirac, on the other hand, will use the occasion to lecture Bush, and Bush will have no choice but to put up with it. And when I read about it, I'll grind my teeth. But there's nothing to be done about it. France holds some of our war dead hostage; the President must travel there to honor them. But I hate the fact that the people they died for scorn everything those soldiers believed, and that the French in their ingratitude and resentment now condemn exactly that which gave them their freedom to express that condemnation." - Steven den Beste

Pretty well sums it up. And pretty well sums up why there was no Memorial Day essay from me - it's hard to type when you're gritting your teeth.

When you give up hostages to fortune - even dead ones - someone will always try to use them to your misfortune.

¹ Word for the Day link via Cult of Darian

UPDATE: WTF, over? Campaign Commercials Not Approved By Candidates: Don't Be An Ass. Yeah I know, that's breaking my "Don't link to Twinkette" policy, but sometimes you just have to boggle.

InstaPundit for example directed me to Bloggers Unregulated by Catherine Seipp at NRO. Hrmmm... quotas in Bloggdom? Yrrk.... whoever is still running around blathering about Blogger Affirmative Action after our last go-round, drive a stake through their hearts. And burn the body.

One of the nice things about a text medium is that it's the Writing, not the Writer that counts. Writing's bad, I don't care what the writer is. Writing's good - it don't matter what sex/race/creed/gender-orientation or whatever the writer is. How many of you knew or cared that Leigh Brackett wrote the screenplays for a number of Howard Hawk's better westerns? Or would have cared that Brackett was a woman after seeing the results of her writing? It's the Words that matter - not the wordsmith.

Misha thinks that Kerry should be brought up on charges. Good idea - but I didn't know that impersonating a human was a criminal offense. ;]p~ Are you sure we can get a conviction, Misha?

Linda over at Civilization Calls has some thoughts on remembering the dead in Sixty-six Thousand and Thirty Three. Worth your time to read. I like the site's new makeover.

Heh heh heh. Benjamin Kepple teaches economic realities in It Gives One Indigestion Just Thinking About It. But Unka 'Bear! With all the wonderful stuff Ben has to read, why'd ya pick that one? Because I could. Quit whining and read whatever you want to - he has a [Main] link. ;]

The Commissar continues his explorations into Metablogging with The Liberation of Celebrity Linkage. Kewl stuffage. Only quibble I'd have with his analysis is where he says "Add some value. Don't just link. Add your thoughts." - if they had any thoughts, they wouldn't have to be milking Google for hits, now would they, khomrade? ;]

Me... I'd never use some cheap Google grabbing trick like randomly inserting Paris Hilton + Sex with Chickens into a post. Nossir. Not me. Never. Never ever. ;}

Lori at Downtown Chickchat says Tim Burton Must Be Stopped. I agree. Prefferably with a stake through his heart. Hrmm... there's that stake thing again. I been seeing too many Buffy Episodes ya think? And Kate gives author E.L. Doctorow a piece of her mind in Get ready for the screaming. Remind me not to make her mad at me. NEVER get a lady who has pet moonbats mad at you... ;]

The Grouchy Old Cripple notes that "Kerry has the dubious distinction of being a war hero for both sides". It must be nice work if you can get it. And the Jackalope Pursuviant is stuck somewhere in the wilds of Camp Geronimo. Hello muddah, hello faddah... here he is at, Camp Grenada. ;]

I'm not sure why I bother linking a new Porretto essay for ya'll. If the Curmudgeon Emeritus isn't on your daily read list already, then you need to rectify that omission.

Mike Hendrix notices that therre's None so Blind etc. Heh. He's right too - it's the same song, same dance. Only the goal posts move. Up to a point - watch how fast all the "anti-war" protestors melt away if Kerry wins. 'Cause then it'll be a Good war with the Right Party in charge, doancha know.

Hrmm.... both Blake and Kim du Toit are praising the newest Harry Potter installment to the heavens. Don't care how many of my friends reccomend them - I'm still not going to watch a Harry Potted flik even with a gun to my head. I even manage to avoid them when they hit cable - which takes quite a bit of doing.

And the Radio Free Blog for the Day is: The True Nature of Reality - "Well, at least one man's version".

Yanno? I thought about doing a tour of the Lefty Blogs just to see what they were saying, and then I realized that'd be about 10 hours of my life I'd never get back just to read repetitions of "AWOL! No Blood for OIL! Illegal War! Stolen Election!" And that'd just be on Kevin Drum's site...

Link(s) for the Day: Cabbits - we suspect they taste like Tuna.

Who tends the Fires Gratuitous Hopolophobe Repellent Link: The Steingass Drilling - oooh, shiney!

It's The Daily Spam! When frogs attack....

"Foreign Frogs Frighten San Fran - CBS "News" SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, 2004 Freaky Frogs Wreak Havoc
(CBS) By all appearances it is a tranquil haven, reports CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone.
But lurking just beneath the calm surface of the lily pond in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is a feared foreign amphibian: the African Clawed Frog.
The African Clawed Frog is kept as a pet in some states but it is banned in California because it competes with and consumes native species.
"They are really hard to pick up because they're very slippery," said Ken Howell, Asst. Curator, California Academy of Sciences. "And if you look at the back you and see the claws -- the three claws on the back there."
Nobody knows how the outlawed amphibians got into the lily pond but they have reproduced wildly threatening to wipe out most everything else.
"These are very aggressive and invasive frogs - they will eat anything they can get their mouth around," said Eric Mills, with Action for Animals...."

They'll eat anything they can get their mouths around. And they vote Democrat...

This is interesting:

"Girls Pushing for Modest Fashion Options - Jun 2, 10:47 PM EDT By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press Writer
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- During a recent shopping trip to Nordstrom, 11-year-old Ella Gunderson became frustrated with all the low-cut hip-huggers and skintight tops. So she wrote to the Seattle-based chain's executives to complain. The industry has been getting the message: A more modest look is in, fashion experts say.
The shy, bespectacled redhead has since become an instant media darling, appearing on national television over the past two weeks to promote modest fashions instead of the saucy looks popularized by the likes of Britney Spears.
"We like to call this new girl Miss Modesty," said Gigi Solif Schanen, fashion editor at Seventeen magazine. "It's such a different feeling but still very pretty and feminine and sexy. It's just a little more covered up."
Shoppers are starting to see higher waistlines and lower hemlines, and tweeds, fitted blazers and layers are expected to be big this fall, Schanen said..."

Sexy and slutty aren't synonymous - as any aficianado of Elizabethan High Court Dress can tell you. Link via Captain's Quarters ² As the godfather of a young lady, I'm with Captain Ed - this is a good trend.

"Democrats bringing blogs to the convention floor - By Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe Staff June 1, 2004
It's official -- the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston will be blogged.
Blogs, or Web logs, are running commentaries on current events, posted on the Internet where millions can read them any time. Over the past two years, blogging has gone from an eccentric hobby to a powerful new form of journalism. Major magazines and newspapers now sponsor blogs, and blogs run by individuals, such as former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan, attract thousands of readers every day.
Now the Democrats are bringing blogs to the convention floor..."

Kewl. And other than Drew Curtis, I'm the first blogger in my circle I've seen mention it. Scoop! Bearette Exclusive! Must credit Bearette! ;]p~ Cheap punchlines like this are found, not made.

"Mountain Lion Caught After 6-Hour Standoff: Animal Took Refuge In Garage - POSTED: 10:20 am PDT June 4, 2004
GONZALES, Calif. -- A mountain lion was safely caught and returned to the wild after holing up in a garage for nearly six hours Thursday.
The animal was chased into the garage in Monterey County at around 2:30 p.m. and was caught in there until about 8:20 p.m.
State Department of Fish and Game officials got to the scene, drilled two holes in the garage and waited for a clear shot before shooting the mountain lion with a tranquillizer dart.
It took hours for the firefighters and police officers to lure the big cat into an open space. Finally, wildlife biologist Jeff Cann hit the mountain lion on its back with his second shot.
Several minutes later, officials bound and tagged the mountain lion and doused it with water to bring its temperature down..."

It's a good thing they were able to talk him out. Coulda been bloody otherwise.

"Earth's big "burp" triggered extreme global warming - Margaret Munro CanWest News Service Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Skeptics of global warming, not to mention Hollywood producers looking for plots for their next disaster movie, might want to consider what happened when the Earth let it rip 55 million years ago.
A report in the journal Nature this week suggests that a massive belch of carbon-rich methane gas from the North Atlantic triggered 200,000 years of extreme global warming.
Temperatures soared five to 10 degrees, rivers overflowed due to extraordinary rains, life in the deep ocean died off, and the face of the world was transformed as northern regions warmed and creatures like camels and primates migrated to the Americas.
Scientists say the pre-historic release from the deep could prove a dramatic analogue for what might happen if humans keep pumping massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the air..."

I always suspected there was way too much methane involved in global warming debates...

"Markos of Daily Kos has launched a political wiki. A wiki is a colaborative website. In the spirit of Wikipedia, the most well-known wiki (a collaborative encyclopedia) Kos and friends has put together dKosopedia, which will be progressive, political, information-rich and..." - Deb

*snicker* The mind boggles at the sheer wealth of adjectives to put in after the "and.." I'm pretty certain there should be a "dis" in front of "information-rich" in that also. ;)

Heh. DKos is creating a bullshit-rich environment. Kewl. Oh wait - he already has... ;]

"Bear Lake Monster lives on - By Kristen Moulton The Salt Lake Tribune
GARDEN CITY -- The Bear Lake Monster has returned from the depths.
A decade after the last reported sighting of the huge dragon-fish -- said to be lurking in the aquamarine waters of the 22-mile-long lake -- reports again are trickling in.
Tourists are reaching for their cameras, and local business people -- as always in the 136 years since the monster first was reported -- for their cash drawers.
The latest spate of suspected monster sightings began after Brian Hirschi, the 30-year-old owner of watercraft rental businesses and the Monster Boat tour service, began talking of a terrifying encounter that he says he kept secret for more than a year.
In the summer of 2002, Hirschi says, he was anchoring the Monster Boat about 200 yards offshore alone at dusk when an enormous, slimy green creature with red eyes passed under the boat and shot from the water, squealing and roaring like a bull..."

And people thought I was being alarmist with my "How to Survive the Coming Wierd Times" series. Sheesh.

Today's Best of FARK One Liners says: "Police adopt special-ops sniper-type tactics to catch speeders. Funny...I don't FEEL any safer..." Heh - that's just what I was thinking. ;]

Warning! You are now entering a Methane Free Zone. Do-it-yourself Atlantic Belch kits available at the Kiosk near the White Courtesy Phones.

Remember - It's Radio Free: The world ends on the Day After Yesterday...

Quote for the Day: "I take these lists of how to/how not to write the perfect 'blog with all the seriousness of those books that purport to tell you exactly how to write a best selling novel. Beyond the blindingly obvious, if such things were quantifiable, everyone could do it. The rest is just opinion, worth what you pay for it." - Myria

Of course... Myria already has the Perfect Blog, IMO. ;]

¹ Word for the day link via Captain's Quarters

³ UPDATE: Whoulps - looks like I didn't snag the exclusive on that news tidbit. Rats. ;)