Skinner Sphere

Maybe he finally listened to me, Norm Mineta has resigned. Every time I flew I would fill out a comment card at the airport with one line, "Impeach Mineta". Now maybe we can get some realistic security measures in place at the airports.

Technorati tags: Norm Mineta, TSA, President

Labels: politics, TSA

This is some good news:

Maybe, Just Maybe
We're thinking about coming back. It won't be the same management; the writing will be a bit different; and we won't be trying to blog every day -- just when something really pisses us off. The Old Chief Diplomad has moved on, giving us the keys to the blog, and might send us something or another. Let us know.

Technorati tags: Diplomad, politics

Labels: diplomad, politics

One person's take on the top ten countries in world history.

Technorati tags: countries, top ten list, politics

Via Andrew Stuttaford in the Corner, a highlight from an Atlantic article.

"Despite their enthusiasm, al-Zarqawi, al-Maqdisi, and Abu Muntassir did not appear to be natural revolutionaries. Their first operation was in Zarqa, in 1993, a former Jordanian intelligence official told me, when al-Zarqawi dispatched one of their men to a local cinema with orders to blow it up because it was showing pornographic films. But the hapless would-be bomber apparently got so distracted by what was happening on the screen that he forgot about his bomb. It exploded and blew off his legs."

Technorati tags: Al-Qaeda, Religion of Peace, porn

Taking advantage of his close ties, Iowahawk has the first report from Paradise from the Z-Man. Appears it's not everything he thought it would be. Hopefully the initiation period won't last long.

Protein Wisdom sat down for an interview with Z-Man, but he didn't have much to say. Really would have liked to know his thoughts on Gerry Rafferty.

Technorati tags: humor, Al-Zarqawi, Paradise

Agent Bedhead has a recent picture of Phoebe Cates and she looks stunning. Great looks and an atypical Hollywood marriage, one that lasts. As an interesting compare and contrast, Bedhead includes a picture of two of Phoebe's contemporaries, Teri Hatcher and Nicolette Sheridan. They are not aging beautifully and Teri looks as though she just drank some of that "new and improved" Joker products.

Technorati tags: Phoebe Cates

Riehl World View uses his mad GIMP skills to represent Patrick Kennedy as he wishes to be. Seems he is pandering to the blacks.

Denying that he was drunk and or that he asked the Capitol Police for preferential treatment, Kennedy, a Rhode Island congressman, said he's prepared "in terms of bookings, in terms of mug shots, fingerprints, whatever they might have me do."

"It's what anyone else would have done to them if they were an African-American in Anacostia," Kennedy said in a shaky voice, referring to the mostly minority neighborhood in southeastern Washington.

Could he be working to become the second black president, after Bill Clinton?

(h/t Ace)

Technorati tags: Kennedy, politics, Democrat, satire

Tarzana Joe read a beautiful poem on Friday's Hugh Hewitt show. It's hard to link directly to it, so I will report it here. Be sure to visit Joe's site and read his other works.

The Fence
By Tarzana Joe

Congresspersons, gals and guys
Exalt the art of compromise
They sit, they talk, they schmooze, they chat.
You give me this. I’ll give you that
And usually what they intended.
Comes out horribly amended.
I have it from the best advisers
That stars weren’t built by compromisers
And though I know that in my heart
I’ve decided now to do my part
For on the issues of the border
A compromise must be in order
So let the give and take commence

Take what you want
Just give us the fence

Take amnesty for all transgressions
Take all our worldly possessions
Use parchment for your documents
Just give us the fence

Take the Yankees to Mexico City
Take the entire Senate Judiciary Committee
We bow to your omnipotence
Just give us the fence

Take every “mench” and every “schnorrer”
Take Michael Chertoff’s hair restorer
Take every Pez we can dispense
Just give us the fence

We’ll give up sections of Ohio
And celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Capitulate, for all intents
Just give us the fence

Take all our cheese
From Brie to Stilton
Take Paris, France, Take Paris Hilton
Take everything and take it hence
Just give us the fence

Take both the tiny and immense
Just give us the fence
Take both the passive and intense
Just give us the fence
Take both the fluffy and the dense
Just give us the fence

Take heart, take flight or even umbrage
Free yourself from all emcumbrage
What do we ask for recompense?
Just give us the fence!

Technorati tags: poetry, Mexican invasion, border control

ESPN.com's Page 2 has an interesting look at innovations made long before they were commercially accepted or useful. Included is a form of blogging in 1907 and artificial turf, consisting of fur, in 1915.

Technorati tags: baseball, trivia, history

Sounds as though Greenpeace used this cake decorator to print their flyers.

We present it here exactly as it was written, capital letters and all: "In the twenty years since the Chernobyl tragedy, the world's worst nuclear accident, there have been nearly [FILL IN ALARMIST AND ARMAGEDDONIST FACTOID HERE]."

Now which factoid should we use today?

(h/t Hugh Hewitt)

Technorati tags: Greenpeace, humor, typo