Cool

This is really clever.

Dilbert Fans Rejoice

This is a great widget for Dilbert lovers. Plus it's "official" and the strips are in full color. This will replace my "unofficial" widget.

Some Are More Equal Than Others

I was reading this article about a Los Angeles to London flight that was diverted to New York because a flight attendant was suspicious of a passenger. The flight attendant noticed that the passenger in question rode in an employee shuttle bus and bypassed security. Apparently he also was of "Middle Eastern descent."

My big question is why aren't airline and airport employees subject to the same kind of scrutiny as your average Joe? Sure they've passed a background check but things can change rapidly in a person's life or political outlook. You may be considered safe today but tomorrow is another day. Plus I've seen enough movies where the bad guy takes advantage of this type of loophole and kidnaps some employee's family member and threatens physical harm lest the person smuggles a weapon on board..

I think all airline and airport employees should have to be checked by security personnel and screened just as everyone else has to be to enter the "secured" area of an airport. They should have to walk through a metal detector and have their bags x-rayed. Every time. No exceptions. If that's not being done then I think the area really isn't secured and they might as well do away with all the security checkpoints. So the next time you fly, be wary of the flight attendant (especially of Middle Eastern descent) because you know that he/she did not have to go through the same kind of security check that you did before boarding the aircraft. Now sit back, relax, enjoy your flight and sleep with one eye open.

Note: Only one more day before a week of vacation. Hooray! And no, I'm not flying.

Don't Follow Me 'Cause I'm Lost Too

To me things like this belittles the Catholic church but that's just me. Maybe I used the wrong word. It just seems that there are more important issues to be dealt with than moral conduct during the use of a motor vehicle.

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

Oh, please. But I guess if every driver followed these rules driving would be more pleasant and less stressful. Read the whole story here.

I Have No Recollection Of That

That's what you should say especially if you work in Washington. So the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. I don't know. I think that's a little harsh for lying and obstructing and technically no one was really hurt right? Right? Let's see what happens during the appeal. Read the story here.

Black Rain

Ozzy is back and he rocks!!

Holy Reminiscence of Chris Daughtry, Batman!

See, this is why I'm not going to watch the show anymore...again. Sure, Blake can b-b-b-beatbox but his s-s-s-singing is so-so-o-o-o. Jordin is young, pretty, and can sing well but not consistently. My money was on Melinda to win but maybe all her supporters did get complacent. Read the entire story here.

In other news, I think I only come to work because of the free coffee.

My One Cent

A couple of famous individuals got away with it recently in my opinion. That would be O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake. Maybe Phil Spector will be next. But we still have Paris. Of course she only violated probation by driving on a suspended license. A misunderstanding according to her but then again she wouldn't have been on probation if she had not been caught driving under the influence in the first place. Bad Paris. Now she thinks it's unfair and cruel and doesn't deserve going to jail for 45 days. Poor Paris. Notice of intent to appeal have been filed on her behalf.

But this is what really chafes me: a petition to Governor Schwarzenegger to pardon Paris. Oh, please pardon her because she provides "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives," states the petition. It even goes on to say "If the late former President Gerald Ford could find it in his heart to pardon the late former President Richard Nixon after his mistake(s), we undeniably support Paris Hilton being pardoned for her honest mistake as well, and we hope and expect the governor will understand and grant this unusual but important request in good faith to Ms. Paris Whitney Hilton," the petition says.

I'm rolling my eyes with my arms outstretched to the heavens. Apples to oranges, people, apples to oranges. Aaaagh!

Why Would Someone Steal Woody?

I was reading something or watching the news when I heard about a student being arrested for making terroristic threats. And it made me realize that I've heard this scenario many times over the past few years. When I was growing up, it wasn't uncommon to hear such things as "I am gonna get you good" or "You're gonna be so sorry" or "Get ready to eat a knuckle sandwich," especially out on the playground. I even knew someone who would say "You're gonna die after class." I sometimes said, although jokingly, "I hope you die in your sleep" but I guess that's really not a threat but more wishful thinking. I personally don't think a first grader understands he's making a threat or doing anything wrong when he says that but hey, that's my opinion.

Some exciting news about European astronomers finding the "most Earth-like planet outside of our solar system." It is only 120 trillion miles away and circles a red dwarf star. The researchers believe that the planet's "average temperature to be somewhere between 32 and 104 degrees and that set off celebrations among astronomers." Read the entire fascinating article here.

And hooray for Roger Ebert, who will be "returning to public view for the first time since having cancer surgery," at the ninth annual Overlooked Film Festival at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Read about it here.

Ummm, That Was Dreadful

I think the singing of all the men (or boy-men) tonight on Idol sucked. Big time. Based on their performances they should all be voted off the show. Simon rules.

Hey, That's My Seat

I don't know all the ins and outs of American Idol but I'm curious as to whether the producers tell the contestants where to sit before the results of voting are announced. So, according to my calculations, over the past 5 seasons 71% of the contestants seated in between the two on the ends went on to the next round. Of those, 87% were booted off the show if they were seated third from the right and a staggering 96% were gone if they were seated third from the right of a contestant with brunette hair. Coincidence? I think not.

They Were Doing Their Job

A little history in a nutshell first. Two Border Patrol agents encounter a drug smuggler along the Rio Grande river and shoot him as he is running back into Mexico. They then pick up their shell casings and do not report the shooting to their supervisor. The smuggler survived being hit by a bullet and ends up being a witness in the trial against the two agents. They are found guilty in a jury trial of "violating the civil rights of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila by shooting him, then tampering with evidence by picking up shell casings from the shooting" and sentenced to prison. They are to report to prison by Wednesday.

I've been reading a lot of articles regarding vigils and petitions for clemency for the two ex-agents and have had some problems with the ideas presented in them. I don't doubt that these two individuals served their country by protecting its border or that their job was difficult. I also don't doubt that the smuggler was committing a crime. I don't believe this case has anything to do with current immigration issues. I do think that the only reason politicians are getting involved is to gain publicity and to roll with the momentum created by current immigration issues.

The bottom line here is that they broke the law and committed a crime. And then tried to cover it up. In my opinion they should be held to a higher standard because they worked in law enforcement. If the average Joe did the same thing there would be no demonstrations for leniency and absolutely no question of guilt. They shouldn't be pardoned because they were just doing their job or because the victim was an illegal immigrant or drug smuggler. Again, they broke the law and should have to be accountable for their actions.

You can read a current article here or what the Canada Free Press has to say here.