Barter

This Guy Named Mark from Sweden carves these groovy pipe tampers, and he’d love to trade you something for them.

Hat Tip: Joffre

This Administration Brought to You by Pepsi

Two days before the election, I spent the day in Washington D.C. with some friends, and I noticed something odd: At first, I assumed that the metro stations were just decorated for the upcoming inauguration. A number of the lighted pillar-things had a simple tri-coloured design on them that looked a little something like this:

And I thought “Hey, isn’t that they Obama campaign logo? Odd.” This opinion was bolstered by several posters that had the symbol and a single word or phrase “Hope”, “Change”, “Pop”. Wait: “pop”? Something wasn’ right (there was also one that said “soul”, which, honestly, why didn’t they just say “fried chicken”? I mean, good grief.):

Turns out, it was a pepsi add campaign, but the confusion was (and is) understandable and dare I say intentional:

To be fair, maybe the Obama camp stole Pepsi’s idea:

All of which sparked a memory of a propaganda poster I came across a few years ago:

Y’all gonna make me go all out…

I’m sitting at the breakfast table, soaking up some sunlight and reading last Sunday’s Washington Post (this week’s paper is probably still out on my door-step). Number one daughter is watching The Triplets of Belleville, number two is cooing up a storm in her swingy-chair on the floor next to me, and the wife is tracking down some much deserved sleep. The cat is perched inside the new hutch catching some rays as well (I really need to get my act together and finish putting the doors on that thing). The snakes and fish are doing nothing of note, but thank you for asking.

In short, it is a peaceful Sabbath morning for all (except for that gray squirrel outside my kitchen window that was just nearly blown right off the tree he was climbing. Crazy windy this morning). And the point is, well, its been awhile. And I’m sorry.

Let’s make it right (assuming you haven’t gone off into some corner to sulk). Guido’s got one of these viral contests going on, and I’m going to jump on board, benefiting you, patient reader, in the process.

Here’s how it should work: The first three people to comment on this post and link to it in a post of their own will get a little something special in the mail from me. However, I’d like to liven it up a little. The first two commenters are guaranteed a present, but for the third slot, I’ll put names in a hat after a bit (a real hat, I swear) and pick a winner. That way, even you have a chance at winning!

So, to summarize:
- I have not posted in a long time
- I want to give you stuff
- Comment on this post, and I will give you stuff

You’re welcome.

Increased Liquidity

Headlines from Drudge, read as story:

Obama Advisers to Public: “Temper Expectations”…

Experts call for end of flushing toilets…

Gore warns world may face civilization ‘collapse’…

Putin Vows: Crisis will not sink Russia…

McCain Wins!

[in response to a text message I just received from an unknown number demanding to know "Obama or McCain?!?!?"] I’m going to bed now. Tomorrow, I will have blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

1 + 1 now Equals 4. Further Updates as Events Warrant.

Mira Lorne Carnahan
13 October 2008

Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make…

The inquisition has turned to sorcery, and instead of looking for evidence, they are going to read your mind.

In other witchcraft news, the Chinese are nearly ready to go warp speed ahead, Mr. Zulu.

For Guido

In introducing some of the basic doctrinal trends of the Reformation to my 9th graders, I accidentally wrote Sola Scriptura as “Sala Scriptura” on the board. In speedily correcting my error, I created a visual analogy which I thought my Roman Catholic friends would appreciate. Providence is a funny thing.

Speaking of Black Holes, the thing cost 3.8 Billion Dollars

The wizards and druids have built a Machine. The Large Hadron Collider is buried deep under the Swiss Alps and, after Wednesday’s successful first test, the devout are confident that it will reveal the secrets of quarks, gluons, the Higgs boson, open hidden dimensions of space and time, and cure cancer. Provided it does not inadvertently create a black-hole and suck us all into the abyss of…wherever.

The Ardent Flight of Apples

I observed that learned men in spectacles were talking of the actual things that happened – dawn and death and so on – as if they were rational and inevitable. They talked as if the fact that trees bear fruit were just as necessary as the fact that two and one trees make three. But it is not…You cannot imagine two and one not making three. But you can easily imagine trees not growing fruit; you can imagine them growing golden candlesticks or tigers hanging on by the tail. These men in spectacles spoke much of a man named Newton, who was hit by an apple, and who discovered a law. But they could not be got to see the distinction between a true law, a law of reason, and the mere fact of apples falling. If the apple hit Newton’s nose, Newton’s nose hit the apple. That is a true necessity: because we cannot conceive the one occurring without the other. But we can quite well conceive the apple not falling on his nose; we can fancy it flying ardently through the air to hit some other nose, of which it had a more definite dislike.

- G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, p. 56.

Time to Re-draw the Family Tree

Humans share…maybe 40 percent [of their gene sequence] with lettuce.

- Mary Roach.

Bigfoot Found in Georgia

The seven foot man-ape was “found” dead, though the hunters claim to have seen several other similar creatures walking around in the area. News conference today. Hopefully these guys have the brains and creativity to keep this one going for a while.

Read the article.

HT: Drudge

Unconstitutional

Antiquarians concede that such a personage as Hercules did exist in ancient times, and agree that he was an enterprising and energetic man, but decline to believe him a good, bona fide god, because that would be unconstitutional.

- Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, p. 80.