Iraq’s parliament has given in to UN and US pressure to modify voting rules in a forthcoming referendum on the constitution.

Originally the assembly decided that the two-thirds majority needed in three provinces to defeat the landmark charter would be counted from all registered voters rather than actual voters.

Now the parliament has passed a motion saying that only those who actually vote will be taken into account.

The previous rules would have made it virtually impossible to defeat the constitution.

It sounds like Iraq will be free as long as it lets us call the shots.

Lawmakers recently forced what was originally known as the Real ID bill through the House of Representatives; it’s scheduled to pass the Senate next week. Didn’t hear much debate over this sweeping bill before it passed? That’s because there wasn’t any. This version of the Real ID Act never received a hearing in either chamber of Congress. In a particularly odious trick, it was tacked on to the $82 billion supplemental appropriations bill which was designed to fund U.S. troops in Iraq. That bill must pass; thus the Real ID Act gets a free ride without any serious or conscientious discussion. The New York Times sharply criticizes the maneuver, saying, “Attaching a bad bill to a vital one is a sneaking business, making it nearly impossible for thoughtful members of Congress to vote against it.” The legislation does little to keep Americans safe; nothing in the bill involves major reform to immigration policies. Instead it’s a poorly conceived, hasty piece of legislation which targets asylum seekers, puts a huge burden on states to clean up a federal mess and grants overreaching powers to the Department of Homeland Security.
Did you ever think “when & how did that become a law? I don’t remember voting on that.”
That’s because you didn’t.
Now that we have Big Brother, will there also be a Big Sister?

Sunn

I was watching a program on PBS about events that shaped the sixties. People in the streets, the war, etc. We have a similar war now but very few people in the streets even considering the latest protest

in D.C. Where is everyone? Will it take more years of war to piss people off? Does an all volunteer Army and no threat of the draft erase the war from most minds? It’s hard to believe anyone wants to be over there.

Well, I know what happened to me. I got old. I was at the W.T.O. in Seattle but since then my feet crapped out. I wont be marching anymore. Where is my replacement unit?

Did you see the senators on national TV giving their take on what should be done in order to help pay for the storm damage caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita (Not Lovely Rita as in Sgt. Pepper’s)?……..

The two that really stuck out in my mind was the one (I don’t remember the individual names and I have not seen the story again) that proposed to put a motion before the senate to forego their next one or two raises…… Now, that’s what I call really digging deep in the ‘ol pocket and sacrificing your lifestyle for those in need….. Hell, most of us have a hard enough time finding a decent job, not alone one with guaranteed raises…..

The other one proposed that we cut all NASA funding on their “Return to the moon” project….. This one really got me….. The original moon program and “Space Race” were almost solely responsible for all the technology and development that placed those weather satellites in space which were used to accurately track the very erratic Katrina and Ugly Rita….. Even though preparation and rescue wasn’t up to a lot of people’s expectations, I think that if we would not have had the accurate tracking furnished by the NASA developed technology, we could have seen the early projection of 10,000 deaths in New Orleans as a reality……

I hope you plan to check into what your senator went on record with and vote accordingly next election……. I know I am…….

We delight in hearing stories detailing the ostentatious demands of rock bands and piggy Hollywood stars. Well, we’d like to direct Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Aguilera to the concert contract rider, a study in modesty from The Beatles. The most influential band ever had simple demands when they toured the U.S. in 1965 . Remarkably, there’s no requirement of bendy straws, Rough Rider condoms, or Cristal for the Fab Four. Instead, the group just wanted adequate police protection, a “hi-fidelity sound system with adequate number of speakers,” and “a platform for Ringo Starr and his drums.” The backstage dressing room accommodations were also spartan: “four cots, mirrors, an ice cooler, portable TV set and clean towels.” As for ground transportation, the performers were not above sharing a ride: “Two (2) seven-passenger Cadillac limousines (air-conditioned if possible), with chauffeurs. My, how times have changed.

Sunn

Ignorance, which procreates fear, is the most lucrative commodity ever. So fear must rule the world. Without fear, the Church, the arms industry, the government, the police and that sort of thing appear to be less of a necessity. Money is also a product that dances with fear, take it away and suddenly you are fearful, unless of course you know how to exist in this world without it.

Sunn

British Rail was having trouble keeping its InterCity express trains running on time in 1998, but executives solved the problem without a major overhaul of equipment or systems enhancement…… They simply redefined “on time”…… Now trains run “on time” if they arrive within an hour of schedule……..

Corporate thinking, eh?…….. Someone probably got a big bonus for that one……

In the ’50’s and ’60’s, we were the same as quaranteed to have automobiles/transporation that didn’t require the use of polluting, foul, toxic gasoline no later than the 1990’s and ,whew, by the 21st century, we would have anti-grav flying cars with all the bells and whistles……

Well, it is the 21st century and, I guess by just looking around, that didn’t work out, but, wait a minute, during the last big gas shortage in the late’70’s/early ’80’s, we were again quaranteed (same as) that extensive research into new ways to improve gas mileage and alternate fuels would be the way of the future……

Well, they started out somewhat on the right track…… In the ’80’s they scaled down most of the autos, stuck small 4-cylinder front-wheel drive engines in them, invented the minivan and called that good enough…… It helped some, but where was the alternate fuel research?…… It was present but buried and underfunded as much as possible in the U.S. by the oil and auto industries…….

Then came the ’90’s……. The people with more money than brains were getting very tired of driving around in underpowered, undersized, no-status peanut cars……. Never fear – the Auto industry to the rescue!….. SUV – Big Box Size- Big V-8 Motor – Big Price – Single Digit Gas Mileage……. And now into the 21st century, you can get a V-8 in pick-ups (full-size, of course), cars (bigger than ever), vans (again, full-size), you name it……..

That is until this latest gas crisis that I don’t think will just go away……. And I have just two questions on the whole mess:

What kind of crap is the auto and oil industry (along with our government) going to come up with this time and “WHERE THE HELL IS MY GEORGE JETSONMOBILE?!”……..

We’ve been storing our coffee beans in the freezer.  A week or so ago, a friend gave us a bag of Torrefazione Italia’s Perugia Blend beans.  It sez this on the package:

For best results, use within thirty days of purchase and grind beans just before use.  To maintain the exceptional flavor, store in an airtight container in a cool place or at room temperature.  We advise against refrigeration or freezing.

Torrefazione’s website doesn’t explain this advice.  Quick searching shows that most recommend not storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer, except perhaps for long term storage (like more than a month).  Here’s the run down:

So we’re going to try storing coffee outside of the freezer.  Will it make a difference?  This is really a question that America’s Test Kitchen is more suited to answer.  I think I’ll send in a request to the show.

How bout a diversion.
I am curious, who is your favorite musical artist and why?
For extra credit, What was their best piece of music.
I know MR. did a similar post on this but I am just curious on a basic level.
As a side line, What is on your I-Pod (If you have one)

That’s what you get if you have any kind of vested interest in the oil and gas industry these days…… Anyone from the oil company CEO to the neighborhood convenience store owner are making immediate excessive profits off Katrina and the oil industry in general….. These are called “Windfall profits” because the original production costs for these products were very low at the time they were produced compared to what they are selling for now…..

In Oklahoma the gas prices jumped into the three dollar range overnight….. That’s a .75 cent increase in less than two days! …… This is in addition to the all-too-regular .05 to .10 increases supposedly due to the Mid-East conflict…..

I thought “Windfall Profits” were made illegal during the last gas crunch on the late “70’s” early “80’s”..

Maybe I’m wrong – Anyone one out there have an opinion?……

It’s an attractive lifestyle choice because you won’t have to worry about losing your mind when you grow old if you lose it when you’re young…… Besides, the progressive dumbing down of America can be taken as a compliment….. Everyone else is trying to become more like you….. Plus, think of the sarcasm relief…… We are all bombarded by cruel, thoughtless comments….. While other people have their feelings crushed, you’ll go blithely on your way….. Or would if you had any idea what “Blithely” meant……

That pedestrian crossing the road may not be your buddy: he may be an undercover police officer.  On a single day alone, Seattle police handed out tickets for 1 in 6 crossings, amounting to 21 tickets.  This is in response to a surge in Seattle pedestrian collisions. (See Know the rules of the road? for an earlier post on this subject.)  The damage for the offending driver?  $101.  Pretty affordable “education” program.  Below is the article from King 5 News.

Seattle mayor, police team up to stop pedestrian accidents

05:40 PM PDT on Thursday, August 18, 2005

By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News

SEATTLE – Seattle Police and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels have teamed up to end crosswalk collisions. The city sent a message to drivers and young people Thursday: Follow the rules!

“You have to be careful that car is following the rules too,” said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who went back to school to teach. “You have to be careful to look both ways.”

The question and answer session at Loyal Heights Community Center is just part of a two-pronged approach to end crosswalk collisions. The mayor’s pedestrian safety campaign continued with the education and enforcement.

Seattle Police Sergeant Larry Nygard led an undercover crosswalk crackdown. “Drivers are forgetting that they need to give the pedestrian the right of way in the crosswalk,” said Nygard. Traffic officers were issuing $101 citations for drivers who sped through occupied crosswalks.

The citywide enforcement and education effort is the reaction to a series of car-pedestrian accidents involving children. A driver hit a 12-year-old in March at 15th Avenue Northwest. Another driver seriously injured an 11-year-old boy in May on Stoneway.

Seattle Police say expect the pedestrian safety program to continue, and more emphasis placed on it as kids get closer to the first day of school. SPD says it has conducted six of those crosswalk emphasis operations and they’ve handed out some 400 tickets to people who’ve failed to yield the right of way to pedestrians.

Seattle police handed out 21 failure to yield tickets Thursday, and that amounted to one for every six pedestrian crossings.

An article in the Seattle Times on Saturday states that only 20 percent of men say they clean house.  Here’s the relevant bits of the article by David Bradley:

This just in: Men don’t like to clean house.

Millions of women are surely tempted to say, “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Statistics bolster what women know to be true: A scant 20 percent of men report they perform housework, such as cleaning, versus a vast majority of women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Ohio State University Extension Service says men would need to perform 60 percent more housework to catch up to the current household workload of women.

I don’t know about you, but I do pretty close to 50% of the cleaning chores.  How did I get this way?  Well it took a little pain and a plan.  We now dedicate Monday evenings to doing house chores.  Nothing else is scheduled.  We found that weekends don’t work well; we’re too busy, too lazy, or maybe out of town.  Anyway what else are you going to do on Monday: go out to eat?

As for the chores, we have the following schedule in place.  For me, having an organized list really helps.  Each Monday I know what to expect and it feels good to get it done.   All in all it takes less than 1.5 hours each time. (Laundry does tend to spill into Tuesday, but the time spent is still roughy the same only counting the load changes and folding.)

This is the by-line from a USA Today article Page 1 this last week.
The article states that 40% of Mexican adults would move to the USA if they could, and would do so illegally if necessary.
It seems that this is happening allready, I refer to MR’s stats in his post “I don’t want to live in Mexico“.
My question to the people of Mexico is What makes your country so bad that you wish to leave?.
In this day and age if something is wrong we do something about it, not just in this country but other parts of the world as well.
No one can argue that a little revolution every now and then is a healthy thing, it changes what needs to be changed (Not always for the better) and draws attention to injustice and problems with a given region or circumstance.
If Mexico is so bad then why don’t the citizens rise up and do something about it, We hear about how corrupt it is in Mexico, well do something about it!
Get up off of your lazy butts and take to the streets and the polls for a better way, If the polititians are corrupt, vote them out, If this cannot be done in your style of government change it. You do not have to stand for anything less than life, Liberty, and the persuit of Happiness. This is just not only words in our constitution but something that every human on the planet should be striving for every single day.
Coming across the border as fast as you can run away from the problems you face will not make Mexico a better place, it does nothing but overcroud the United states and make our goverment programs even thinner.
We all know that the vast majority of illegals coming out of Mexico are coming over here just because they can get on any number of government programs as soon as they get here and get a illegal green card.
I also have a problem with this “Guest Worker Program” This does nothing but provide the corporate fat cats with low cost labor, I am tired of hearing the excuse” They are doing the jobs that you people don’t want to do” Well if the businessmen will pay a real living wage they will not have to rely on cheap labor to get the job done. Yes they are doing the “Shit” Jobs but that is because the wage for these jobs would not even support a single person much less a family, If you take away one of the incentives for illegal immigration that will curb the flow a little.
Now don’t get me wrong I have no problem with Immigration as long as it is legal and done through the proper channels, and when you immigrate to the US that means you want to be an Americian, so start acting like one. Work hard, Become a citizen and register to vote, and vote to change what you think we do so wrong in this country that you wanted to live in in the first place.
My point is if America is so great that you want to live here, why don’t you try to make Mexico just as great, it can be done all you need to do is get up and do something about it.
Ok I have my Flak Jacket on so let em fly.