BMEWS
 
When Sarah Palin booked a flight to Europe, the French immediately surrendered.

calendar   Thursday - January 10, 2008

I am just stunned

Get a load of this guy. No, it isn’t me!! But what a way with words, such a turn of phrase. I’m awestruck. Of course the message isn’t exactly PC ...





The Trouble With Islam






This fellow has put up 33 or so videos in the last year. They seem to be labeled as comedy, so they don’t get torn down as “hate speech”.

Here’s another, one of his earlier episodes. He starts off with “Recent events in Brussels have confirmed for us in Europe what we’ve long suspected: that we’re governed by unprincipled, vote-whoring cultural apologists who can’t wait to dismantle our heritage in order to show how culturally sensitive they are, and who’d be quite happy to see us living under sharia law as long as it keeps them in office.” and it just gets better from there.



Islam in Europe






wow ... I am stunned silent.

Oh, in the interests of full disclosure, this fellow seems to be against most religions. Well, he does point out several of the weak points of most of them. Let’s just say he absolutely is not a Calvinist.

LinkTrek: After being let down again by Glenn Beck’s coverage of the “honor killing"* murders in Texas, I hit the net, starting with the lovely genius Pamela at : Atlas Shrugs and then to -->LockAndLoad to -->Gates of Vienna which is a great site, and led me to -->Islam Watch from whence I found -->Pat Condell at YouTube.

* I used the scare quotes because there is no honor in them whatsoever. But that’s what they’re called.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/10/2008 at 10:49 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
Comments (9) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

A Solution to Man-Made Global Warming

A Solution to Man-Made Global Warming
by Pat Sajak (Yeah, that one)

There are apparently tens of millions of people around the world who are convinced global warming is real, and mankind (particularly American mankind) is responsible. Further, they believe utterly catastrophic results are imminent unless we drastically alter our lifestyles—and soon. These alterations include the things we eat, our transportation, our daily work and leisure habits, and even the number of children we should have. The problem is there are also tens of millions of people around the world who are skeptical of this theory, and, despite one side’s claims the debate is settled, a significant and growing number of climate experts keep challenging their conclusions.

So, those who believe disaster is around the corner face a dilemma: while they’re educating their fellow citizens and demanding governments regulate believers and non-believers alike, the problem continues, and the date of the world’s doom draws ever closer. But there is a solution. It’s relatively simple, can begin immediately, and will change the dynamics of global warming overnight. Instead of continuing to preach to the rest of us, the true believers need to step forward and set an example. I’m not talking about recycling Evian bottles; I’m talking about giving up cars and moving into smaller houses or apartments, or even forming communes where people can live simpler, more Earth-friendly lives. Yes, I’m talking about living the kinds of lives they want all of us to live.

Such a movement could literally start tomorrow. It would need a leader, of course; someone who could inspire others to choose a more spartan lifestyle. The obvious choice would be Al Gore, who already has a loyal following. If he would eschew large homes, gas-guzzling cars, private jets and the consumption of meat, millions more would likely do the same. If enough people joined the cause, Mr. Gore and his followers would be able to demonstrate the results of this new way of living in very short order. They could lead by example. They could create a movement. They could have uniforms and badges and secret handshakes. The could have their own reality TV show. In short, they could become a major force for change. Carmakers would be driven out of business or forced to dramatically alter their products to meet the demands of this eco-friendly Gorian tsunami. Companies of all stripes would, similarly, have to adapt or perish.

Once the rest of us saw the presumed reversal (or at least slowing-down) of global warming, it would do more to convince us than any lecture or study signed by UN scientists, and it would likely add millions more to the cause. So what if you can’t get one-hundred percent co-operation initially? Wouldn’t half (or a third or a quarter) of the population make a huge difference if they made substantial sacrifices? You could argue it wouldn’t be fair to have some of us going on abusing the planet and leading our lives of consumption and gluttony while others are putting aside the trappings of modern life, but this isn’t about fairness; it’s about survival.

The time for talk is over. The time for action is now. Just think of millions and millions of committed Americans making the personal sacrifices necessary to demonstrate their resolve to combat man-made global warming. And, most important, thanks to their efforts, theory would be replaced by fact. It’s much easier to argue about a study than it is to refute the demonstrable results when the temperature drops and the ocean levels stabilize. When future generations write of the sacrifices of these men and women, they’ll use words like “inspirational” and “heroic”.

And so, I urge the advocates for change to embark on this important mission. Do it for the children. Godspeed.

Well said, Pat.  I urge all of you MMGW Truthers out there to get on the bandwagon and show us how its done.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/10/2008 at 02:53 PM   
Filed Under: • CelebritiesClimate-Weather •  
Comments (17) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Wednesday - January 09, 2008

Explain this, please?

Hey guys, hope you all had a great holiday break. We went back home to KY/Southern IN. had a good time. Kids are spoiled as always, what else is new?
I’m gonna try to post more when I can come across some interesting stuff.
Today’s example is from the Washington Post (not posting it all, cause I’m not sure what are their excerpting rules) and it’s one of those when I read the headline, then skimmed it over to make doubly sure it didn’t come from the Onion or Scrappleface....

Arun Gandhi (Mahatma Ghandi’s grandson) - Jewish Identity Can’t Depend on Violence

Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the holocaust experience—a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends. The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful. But, it seems to me the Jews today not only want the Germans to feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on the regret turns into anger.

Apparently, in the modern world, so determined to live by the bomb, this is an alien concept. You don’t befriend anyone, you dominate them. We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity.

What the hell? Israelites get blown to bits for what, existing, and it’s THEIR fault? I don’t know what’s more of a barf alert on this piece, the content or the source of this crap.


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Posted by Severa   United States  on 01/09/2008 at 01:56 PM   
Filed Under: • Middle-East •  
Comments (10) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

a JP for 12 years, was handed a formal reprimand

I saw this in The Telegraph under, A Telegraph Reporter.  What’s with that nonsense? And even tho I darn near wrote in a paragraph it still wouldn’t come up.
So I did a Goog search and found the story on a blog.  ?? How’d they find it?  So I’ll h/t Sugiero blog with thanks.  Cause really folks ... this is so totally over the top that if I had any hair left to pull, I might do it.  How dumb can they get here?  How far backwards are these folks gonna bend before their collective back breaks?  And all to soooooooth the feelings of those wonderfolks who gave us 9/11 and all that followed.
Hmmm ... the more I write the more pister I get so I’ll take the good advice of Drew and Chris and stop writing.

Political correctness training demanded:
A MAGISTRATE who refused to deal with the case of a Muslim woman wearing a veil has been reprimanded and ordered to undergo training in a move branded “ludicrous” yesterday.

Ian Murray walked out of court last summer because defendant Zoobia Hussain was wearing a niqab – a veil covering her entire face apart from her eyes.

Hussain made a formal complaint and yesterday Mr Murray, a JP for 12 years, was handed a formal reprimand by Justice Minister Jack Straw and the Lord
Chief Justice.

He was also ordered to attend further training on how to keep to judicial guidance, even though this states that such situations should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
The magistrate’s comment on the issue:
Mr Murray, 62, a taxi driver from Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, left the hearing without explaining why, but said later he felt the way Hussain was dressed raised identity issues. He said at the time: “I believe I am not bound by the guidelines and I will withdraw.

“I do not feel that I have to give any reasons. That is my personal view and not that of my colleagues.”

A family friend said later: “Mr Murray strongly believes he has made the correct decision.

“He feels there is no compulsion to wear the niqab on religious grounds as it is not mentioned in the Koran.

“He doesn’t feel it is right to wear the niqab in a court because you need to see the defendant’s face to assess them properly.

“It is also unfair to allow the veil when other people have to show their face. That is not a level playing field.”

The Islamic Human Rights Commission were, of course, thrilled about the reprimand.


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 01/09/2008 at 10:36 AM   
Filed Under: • Stoopid-People •  
Comments (6) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

HEY ..WHILE I’M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE, LAY YOUR EYES ON THIS FOR SECONDS

A BEAUTIFUL BLUE ANGEL AT 25 FEET OVER WATER

http://www.flixxy.com/low-pass-jet-flyby.htm


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 01/09/2008 at 09:56 AM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
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calendar   Tuesday - January 08, 2008

Monster Hunter International

I jsut received Larry Correia’s book, Monster Hunter Nation today and read the first couple of pages over lunch.  This is going to be a fun read.  If you’re not familiar with Correia, he is a frequent contributer at The High Road and has his own blog at Monster Hunter Nation.

Monsters are real… And it turns out that there is good money to be made killing them. Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

It is out of stock at Amazon (Congrats Larry!), but you can back-order it there anyway.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/08/2008 at 05:46 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
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no kidding. Really?

Michigan finds that more CCW holders equals less crime. Well, at least no more crime.

via Insty

Michigan sees fewer gun deaths—with more permits


Six years after new rules made it much easier to get a license to carry concealed weapons, the number of Michiganders legally packing heat has increased more than six-fold.

But dire predictions about increased violence and bloodshed have largely gone unfulfilled, according to law enforcement officials and, to the extent they can be measured, crime statistics.

Hey, what more needs to be said? We were right, and you were wrong. The Upper Penninsulas really isn’t covered in blood as you predicted, now is it?

More than 155,000 Michiganders—about one in every 65—are now authorized to carry loaded guns as they go about their everyday affairs, according to Michigan State Police records.

The other 64 in 65 probably are still waiting for their paperwork to be processed.

“I think the general consensus out there from law enforcement is that things were not as bad as we expected,” said Woodhaven Police Chief Michael Martin, cochair of the legislative committee for the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. “There are problems with gun violence. But ... I think we can breathe a sigh of relief that what we anticipated didn’t happen.”

But, but, they said it was going to be the Wild West!! You promised us rivers of blood and mayhem in the streets! I want my money back. I’ve been disenfranshised. Recount!! Recount!!!

Kenneth Levin, a West Bloomfield physician, was one of those critics. In a letter to the Free Press in July 2001, he referred to the “inevitable first victim of road or workplace rage as a result of this law.”

Last month, Levin said he suspected “it probably hasn’t turned out as bad as I thought. I don’t think I was wrong, but my worst fears weren’t realized.”

gee whiz Lefty, so sorry to dissappoint you that your worst fears didn’t come true. Twit.
And in your great human compassion you’re just sitting there like an impatient HIV positive vulture, waiting for the first body to fall. Meanwhile ignoring all the other bodies felled by illegal gunfire of course. Mega-Twit.

Shikha Hamilton of Grosse Pointe, president of the Michigan chapter of the anti-gun group Million Moms March, said she believes overall gun violence (including suicide and accidental shootings) is up in Michigan since 2001. Many incidents involving CCW permit holders have not been widely reported, she said.

Cuz, you know, the press is like totally controlled by BushCo and the eviiil Right Wingnut Conspiracy. Yeah, like the MSM wouldn’t have 4 dimensional technicolor orgasms if illegal shootings increased when CCWs were issued. No, they’d cover that one up, like fer sher. Turbocharged Mega-Twit.

Hamilton said that even if gun violence has ebbed, it remains pervasive, tragic and unnecessary. At the least, a more liberal concealed weapons law means there are more guns in homes and cars and on the street, she said, and more potential for disaster.

Oooh, the potential. The potential!!!!!!111!! Let’s not let any facts or evidence cloud our judgement. After all, it’s based on our feeeewings.
Dingdingding!! We have ourselves a moonbat folks!
banghead  trophy  propeller

Mark Cortis of Royal Oak, who conducts concealed weapons license training and sits on the Oakland County gun board, said he believes the benefits of an armed citizenry are evident in small ways almost every day, as permit holders deter trouble and live more confidently.

“The police just can’t protect you,” Cortis said. “If you have to call 911, it’s probably already too late.”

Got that right. Thank you Mr. Cortis. I’m so glad there is at least one functioning brain up there. Hey, wait a second ... the Oakland County gun board?? What the Hell is that?

You can read what little bits I didn’t quote in the article here.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/08/2008 at 02:23 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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pissin into the wind

NJ went and passed the bill I wrote about yesterday, with only small modifications. Once again the state chips away at my freedoms. Well, let’s try writing some letters. Yeah, not only will they get read, they’ll make a difference. I’ll get an intelligent response from my Senator, and my words will cause the Governor to toss this bill in the garbage where it belongs. As if.

Dear Governor Corzine

Please do not sign bill S2470/A2602. There are major flaws in this piece of legislation. It is one more mostly useless gun law that will do nothing to deter criminal behavior, while making honest citizens paper criminals.

It is impossible to determine if any given cartridge is designed to be used only in a handgun, as this bill now reads, because almost every cartridge ever made has been chambered in both rifles and handguns.

Unless things have recently changed, the firearms ID card in some towns is very primitive and can easily be forged. New Jersey is a small state and it would be a short trip to PA or NY where anyone could buy as much ammunition as they want with no IDs necessary, or have an out of state friend mail them some. It is beyond simple to get hold of ammunition; this bill will not even slow the criminals down.

The application of this law is not made clearly in the bill as written. Given a criminal in possession of a box of bullets, there is no way to tell if it will applied once or 50 times for that possession.

The definition NJ is using for ammunition includes the component parts. As far as I can tell this bill would criminalize people who collect range brass - fired ammo - for recycling. That’s just wrong.

I support measures to reduce criminal violence, but I feel this bill is no more than showboating. It will do nothing to deter anyone, and will likely be plea-bargained away immediately. Please don’t add one more useless law to the books.





batbat




Dear Senator Lance, 23rd District;

Now that you have voted for Bill S2470/A2602 and it has passed:

How will this bill impact mail order ammunition companies operating in New Jersey? I noticed that New Jersey is using the Federal definition of ammunition, which includes the component parts as well - the primers, brass cases, bullets, and gunpowder. Thus this bill applies both to retailers who sell live ammunition and to those who sell ammunition components. Very few of these retailers have a shooting range right there in their store and rely on mail orders for a large percent of their income. Did you just put all these companies out of business?

Could you explain to me please how law enforcement agents will be able to discern that any given ammunition was “specifically designed to be used only in a handgun” as the final version of this bill requires? There are so many different models of cartridges available, and many of them that are usually thought of as handgun cartridges also have rifles in which they will work just fine. While I could give you dozens of cartridge models as examples, this is a fundamental error in the wording of the bill. Cartridges are designed, period. The market then chambers a variety of firearms for those cartridges and sees what sells. It has been this way for over 130 years. There are very very few cartridges that only exist as rifle chamberings, and just as few that only exist as handgun chamberings.

You might think this bill is going to make it harder for criminals to obtain ammunition. It is not. They can still take a short drive to PA, NY, or any other state and buy as much as they want without the need to show any identification or government permission slips, as this bill demands. Criminals with the smallest bit of imagination can find someone to mail them a box of ammo, and you can’t do a thing about that. It is not a crime to send ammunition through the mail in most other states. At best this bill would make receipt of that package a crime, and you will have a very hard time enforcing that.

The last time I saw a New Jersey Firearms ID card it was a simple small piece of blue cardstock bearing the name and address of the isuee, a printed number, and a signature. Are there now plans in the works to make the ID card as copy proof as the new NJ Driver’s License? Will every township and borough have to use the exact same ID format? I hope so, because the ID card I saw was so simple a small child could easily forge one. How many million dollars will such an improvement effort cost the taxpayer?

Lastly, the application of this bill is unclear to me. Will it be applied on a bullet by bullet basis? If you catch a criminal in possession of 10 live rounds, does that mean 10 violations of this bill or just one? Will attempting to purchase ammunition without the proper papers be a violation of this bill as well, or just possession? Since the definition of ammunition includes the component parts, and the price of metals is at an all time high, have you just made criminals out of people who pick up range brass for recycling? What about the people who have a small hobby business casting lead bullets? Are they now criminals as well?

I think this new bill has good intentions, but really only opens a can of worms and adds to the grey areas of firearms laws. I think passing it was both a mistake and a waste of time. All you have done is added one more minor crime that a criminal can be charged with, and since this bill specifies that it is a crime of the fourth degree I think the likelihood of this charge being plea-bargained away is nearly a guarantee.





batbat




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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/08/2008 at 12:30 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat LeftistsGovernment •  
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What Parental Rights?

Holy Crap

SWAT officers invade home, take 11-year-old at gunpoint
Cops demand boy go to doctor because of fall during horseplay

By Bob Unruh

Nearly a dozen members of a police SWAT team in western Colorado punched a hole in the front door and invaded a family’s home with guns drawn, demanding that an 11-year-old boy who had had an accidental fall accompany them to the hospital, on the order of Garfield County Magistrate Lain Leoniak.

The boy’s parents and siblings were thrown to the floor at gunpoint and the parents were handcuffed in the weekend assault, and the boy’s father told WND it was all because a paramedic was upset the family preferred to care for their son themselves.

Someone, apparently the unidentified paramedic, called police, the sheriff’s office and social services, eventually providing Leoniak with a report that generated the magistrate’s court order to the sheriff’s office for the SWAT team assault on the family’s home in a mobile home development outside of Glenwood Springs, the father, Tom Shiflett, told WND.

...

The accident happened during horseplay, Tom Shiflett told WND. John was grabbing the door handle of a car as his sister was starting to drive away slowly. He slipped, fell to the ground and hit his head, Shiflett said.

He immediately carried his son into their home several doors away, and John was able to recite Bible verses and correctly spell words as his father and mother, Tina, requested. There were no broken bones, no dilated eyes, or any other noticeable problems.

The family, whose members live by faith and homeschool, decided not to call an ambulance. But a neighbor did call Westcare Ambulance, and paramedics responded to the home, asking to see and evaluate the boy.

The paramedics were allowed to see the boy, and found no significant impairment, but wanted to take him to the hospital for an evaluation anyway. Fearing the hospital’s bills, the family refused to allow that.

“This apparently did not go over well with one of the paramedics and they started getting aggravated at Tom for not letting them have their way,” a family acquaintance told WND.

“The paramedics were not at all respectful of Tom’s decision, nor did they act in a manner we would expect from professional paramedics,” the acquaintance said.

So the ambulance crew, who also could not be reached by WND, called police, only to be told the decision was up to the Shiflett familiy.

The paramedics then called the sheriff’s office, and officers responded to the home, and were told everyone was being cared for.

Then the next day, Friday, social services workers appeared at the door and demanded to talk with John “in private.”

They were so persistent Tom ended up having to get John out of the bathtub he was just soaking in, to bring him to the front porch where the social workers could see him, the family reported.

Then, following an afternoon shopping trip to town, the family settled in for the evening, only to be shocked with the SWAT team attack.

Surely there’s more to this story, right?  It can’t be any kind of vendetta against a [shudder] homeschool [/shudder] family, could it?

The sheriff said the decision to use SWAT team force was justified because the father was a “self-proclaimed constitutionalist” and had made threats and “comments” over the years.

However, the sheriff declined to provide a single instance of the father’s illegal behavior. “I can’t tell you specifically,” he said.

But, surely Sherrif Futznozzle would let the paramedics take his child to the hospital in similar circumstances, right?

However, the sheriff said if his own children were involved in an at-home accident, he would want to be the one to make decisions on their healthcare, as did Shiflett.

“I guess if that was one of my children, I would make that decision,” the sheriff said

Damn, this just boils my blood.  Who in God’s green earth gave this pissant the authority to bust down a guy’s door, point guns at his kids, handcuff he and his wife and spirit his son off to a doctor, more than 24 hours after the kid fell down, simply because he might have been rude to an ambulance driver?

I better get to the range before I have an aneurysm.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/08/2008 at 11:17 AM   
Filed Under: • Outrageous •  
Comments (7) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

GREAT WHITE SHARK SNAPPED UP CLOSE

okay, not the usual stuff and nothing political but I was really taken with this.
I very much doubt I’d have had the nerve this guy did, and I have seen other pix even closer. But still.

Great white shark snapped up-close
By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 5:01pm GMT 07/01/2008

Global project maps whale shark numbers
They are the ultimate oceanic killing machines, but the presence of a great white shark did not stop a New Zealander from having his mates dangle him in the sea so he could photograph the predator close-up.

In what must qualify either as an act of supreme bravery or extreme folly, Gary Porter, a builder, asked friends to hold him by the ankles and dunk him over the sides of a small boat so that he could snap the 13ft-long shark.

The group were on a diving expedition off Kapiti Island, near Wellington, at the time.

The shark passed close enough for the men to touch its dorsal fin and its apparent lack of interest in fish the men threw into the water encouraged Mr Porter to dip his arm in the sea to take underwater photos with a digital camera.

The extraordinary pictures show a powerful, barrel-shaped great white heading straight towards him from a distance of just a few feet.

“I just wanted to get some photos of this amazing creature,” he told Radio New Zealand.

“I’ve got a few regrets about not hopping in with it and having a good swim with it.”

I’ll bet the shark regrets a missed lunch.  Hey Gary ... stay for dinner. Where ya goin? Come back.

http://tinyurl.com/2wbd36


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 01/08/2008 at 07:38 AM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Monday - January 07, 2008

Wonderland

Via the Opinion Journal

The Pre-Election Paradox
While 70% say U.S. is a mess, 84% say they’re happy. Is progress possible?

BY DANIEL HENNINGER
Thursday, January 3, 2008 12:01 a.m.

On New Year’s Eve, Gallup’s poll delivered unto us the good news that 84% of Americans say they are satisfied with how things are going for them personally. What Woody Allen might say about that phenomenal datum of good cheer one can only guess. One then has to account for the darker data Gallup released two weeks earlier: Some 70% of those responding believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction.

Explanations for this paradox would fill screen after screen of comments on Internet blogs, written no doubt by the 16% who can never be satisfied with “how things are going.” Sample: It’s the 46 million uninsured, stupid!

I think the most interesting quote from the story is this:

Let me describe a pre-election moment of perspective this way: Later today some people who will start their evening with Iowa’s caucus by watching angry Lou Dobbs--convincing themselves, again, that they and this country are getting shafted, and coming to this conclusion while watching a $700, 32-inch Samsung flat-panel, high-definition TV with Lou’s sad song flowing through Monster digital coax cables to five Onkyo HT-SR800 home theater speakers.

I think that people are already election-weary and this poll is like the many that will follow it...hard to read.  People do not generally think in terms of tomorrow, they think in terms of today.  Yes, they are happy with today (because we are generally in good shape economically), but think we need to change (because tomorrow is scary).


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/07/2008 at 03:57 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Blogmaster Found

I am pleased to announce that our search for someone to take the reigns has been successfully completed.

As I wrote in the post below, I have become sort of burned out.  I still actively read the news and keep up with most of the comments here, but have not been posting content for a couple of weeks.  I knew some help was needed.

I actually didn’t want to give it up, but did not see a choice if the site was to be viable.  As we talked, it became clearer to me that a partnership may work out better for everyone since the responsibility could be shared.

So it is with great excitement that I announce that our very own Drew has agreed to come on as a full partner in the BMEWS Megopolis of Terror.  As you know, he is a voracious reader and poster of topics vast and varied.  he is a technical geek as well, so we will both have the skill to manage the site.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am that he has agreed to come on board.  Join me in lifting a pint and welcoming the new co-owner in the BMEWS brand.
beerparty 


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/07/2008 at 03:39 PM   
Filed Under: • Blog Stuff •  
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A NANNY STATE and THE TRICKLE DOWN SYNDROME

A RANT TO START OFF THE NEW YEAR 1/6/08

A NANNY STATE and THE TRICKLE DOWN SYNDROME
or – How to Get Your Meds and an Rx in a Nanny State.

This country – this island – This beautiful and green soon to be paved over England,
with a population of over sixty million and growing – has more ministries and
ministers then the bloated government of my own country – the USA.  At least it feels that way.

There’s a minister for children and in fact I think there might be two of em. There’s a ministry for women but I don’t think there’s one for men.  And of course the ruling almighty ministry for Health and Safety.  Those nice folks have as their life’s mission the God given duty to see to it by whatever means are necessary, that nobody ever get hurt and that includes peoples’ feelings.  Every aspect of your being from cradle to grave will be looked over by this agency. 

For example, Under Health and Safety some barbers can not use a straight razor in all instances.  On a mans haircut for instance, no razor around the ears, as we’re used to in the states.  Here, that’d be a health and safety violation.

Lock yourself out of your car and thinking you’re lucky because LOOK THERE!  A police car just pulling up almost right next to you.  Saved.  Oh yeah?  Not so fast sport. A cop can’t use a slim jim or any other device to pop open your lock.
Under Health and Safety regulations he can’t do that.  But … he will take the time to drive you home, get a spare set of keys and chauffer you back to your car.
Now how that’s safer then popping your lock in a few seconds is something to be pondered.  I’m still working on that one.  Soon as I unlock the riddle I’ll pass on the answer.  Health and Safety.  That’s the mantra.

Meanwhile, England has a very serious problem with something called binge drinking.  It’s reported to be the worst in all of Europe and so far nobody I’m aware of has figured out what to do about that.  They passed new legislation last year allowing pubs to be open 24 hours.  Apparently Health and Safety folks think if people have enough time drinking they won’t be falling down in the streets and may sober up by morning.  Yeah I know.  Doesn’t sound right to me either but hey, I just report what I hear and read in the papers.

This part of my nannyism diatribe I call; PENALIZE The GUILTLESS cause we’re easy targets.
Now then, I can’t speak with authority or claim to be an expert on all things English.
However I do claim that authority on those things I have personal experience with.
And the following is my experience over the past week in trying to get a perfectly legal Over The Counter cough medication.  Notice my use of caps on those words.  I just wanna make sure you know that’s exactly what I’m writing about.  Over the counter meds. Legal. Don’t need a docs Rx.  In fact, the medication for a painful and persistent cough was recommended by my doctor.

It has now become my personally lived experience where only the law abiding are penalized.

Aspirin.  Yeah, that deadly and dangerous concoction first dreamed up by German chemists all those many years ago. Aspirin … sold in packs of 28 tablets.  In fact, most meds sold here if pill or capsule come in packs of 28.  That’s so people can’t use em to commit suicide.  They used to sell in bottles of 100. 

Safety Coated Aspirin.  As in, Safety Coated Aspirin.  Not sold over the counter, but behind it.  Safety coated aspirin is sold ONLY with a doctor’s written Rx.
And my doctor and dentist didn’t even know that till I had to go back to the dentist’s office and ask for an Rx for safety coated aspirin.  Health and Safety hard at work on my behalf.  I feel so warm and cozy now. Someone cares. A whole agency made up of hundreds of …. silly people who care about my well being.  Of course, that doesn’t mean I might not get beaten to death by drunks out for fun as happens here on a regular basis.
H & S doesn’t cover that little problem too well.

I’m surprised that fireworks as in fireworks, boom,sparkle and bang are so widely available and used on occasions such as New Year celebration, birthday celebrations,
graduations and various historical events.  But safety coated aspirin is treated like a class ‘A’ drug and then sold in limited amounts with a doctor’s Rx.

In the US if you’ve been seeing a doctor for some time, he knows what meds you’re on should you require a refill or a new prescription.  At days end his PA or nurse will call it in to your pharmacy for you.  Usually, on refills you simply call your pharmacist.  But not here.  If there’s a difficult way to do things, Brits go out of their way to find it.  As my Brit wife reminds me.  There are two ways of doing things here.  The easy, rational, logical way – and the Brit way.

I don’t know what the policy is in other parts of this country— but here in Winchester, England’s first capital city long before London, we can no longer call our doctor’s office and ask for an Rx.  You must email your request using a non encrypted email to the office, and then allow a period of two or three days before going into the office to pick it up and take it to a pharmacy.  Or else, if you’d like your Rx delivered to a pharmacy of your choice, the office will put your Rx in a bag with that pharmacy’s label on it. Someone will make a pick up every morning and once it gets to your pharmacy, if your medication is in stock they will fill it.  But usually it takes a week.  If you bring in a refill request to a pharmacy, they then send that prescription BACK to the doctors office for approval on a medication that already has been marked as approved for so many refills.  Simple huh?  Stay with me please.  I’m almost done and this gets worse I promise.  What?  You thought I’d say it gets better?
Haven’t you been reading this?  This is an actual confirmation from a doctor’s office
after emailing a request for a prescription. Look how long the wait is for an Rx.

“YOUR PRESCRIPTION REQUEST HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
Please be aware that this service is for prescriptions only and other requests cannot be dealt with via E-mail.
When collecting from the surgery, please allow two full working days.
When collecting from a Chemist or requesting delivery, please allow 5 working days.”

(a note here. a surgery is an office. surgery isn’t performed there. a politicians office is also referred to as a surgery.)

I asked them how they thought people without computers would manage this new rule they put in place.  I didn’t get any answer that made sense.  But why should it? This is Britain in the year 2008.

After many weeks of asking and getting a prescription for something called Codeine
Linctus, the one med so far that’s found to work on a very nasty cough, my doctor then informs me that I can buy it over the counter without a prescription.  Wanna Bet?

Here’s exactly what I faced when trying to buy this particular medication for my cough. 

Pharmacy ~1
At our local pharmacy about a mile away, we’re informed that only the manager
can order that drug, and she’s on Christmas holiday and won’t return till Jan. 7.
Also, they don’t like to stock that medication as they have to order it by the case of 12 (small bottles).  Fine, we’ll buy the whole case then since it’s an over the counter (so my doctor thinks) medication.  Well no, it has codeine in it and people have been known to become addicted to it due to the codeine.  No foolin’ – guess what chemical suppresses coughs.  Duh!
But okay, nothing for it but to go into town and stop by a pharmacy on the high street.

Pharmacy~2
Can I buy some Codeine Linctus for my cough please? 
Reply. We don’t like to stock it and don’t feel comfortable selling it due to people abusing it.  Okay … screw em. If they don’t want my money I’ll go to the biggest pharmacy on the high street.  Boots.  (I think been bought by American company last year)

Pharmacy~3
Can I get yadda,yadda I ask.  They don’t sell that so I asked for the codeine stuff.
Reply from the pharmacist. “ No.  We don’t stock it over the counter because it’s
an abuseable medication.” Fine I say. Can you sell it to me under or behind the counter. After all, my doctor said it was okay.  Sorry he says.  We won’t stock it.

WELCOME ALL TO THE NANNY STATE WHERE EVEN INDIVIDUALS CAN DECIDE FOR YOU REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR OWN DOCTOR SAYS.
Do you suppose the folks who actually do abuse drugs or use them for recreation ever have any problems getting Class’A’ drugs?

It’s so much easier to penalize the non abuser.  That’s the one easy thing the Brits actually do.  It’s so easy to penalize the already law abiding.

Nanny Knows.
- 30 -


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 01/07/2008 at 11:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Standard of living in UK better than in USA

Standard of living in UK better than in USA

By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 9:06am GMT 07/01/2008

For the first time in more than a century the standard of living in Britain is higher than in America, according to a new report.

Analysts at the respected Oxford Economics consultancy say that increasing incomes, free healthcare and longer holidays make the average Briton better-off than his or her US counterpart.

The GDP per head in the UK is expected to exceed that of the USA in 2008

They predict that gross domestic product (GDP) per head in the UK, an indicator of average incomes, will be £23,500 in 2008, compared with £23,250 in America, reflecting the strength of the pound against the dollar and the steady growth of the British economy.

Adrian Cooper, managing director of Oxford Economics, said: “The past 15 years have seen a dramatic change in the UK’s economic performance and its position in the world economy.

“No longer are we the ‘sick man of Europe’. Indeed, our calculations suggest that UK living standards are now a match for those of the US.

“The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001, so it is a well-established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations.”

Back in the early 1990s Britain’s GDP per capita was 34 per cent below that in America, 33 per cent less than in Germany and 26 per cent lower than in France.

Now, average incomes are not only above those in America but they are more than 8 per cent higher than in France where it is £21,700 and Germany, with a predicted £21,665.

The British financial services boom and soaring house prices have led to an uninterrupted expansion, credited with boosting the UK’s strength. And in contrast America and many European countries slid into recession in the early part of this decade.

However the average British person may not feel richer than their US cousins as goods and services there are often vastly cheaper. So, despite earning less, the average American can buy more.

The report authors also warn that a significant fall in the pound against other currencies could push Britain back down the ladder.

Citigroup, the most accurate forecaster of Britain’s economy last year, predicts the slowest rise in consumer spending this year since 1992.

Michael Saunders, Citigroup’s UK economist, said: “After the credit-fuelled boom in domestic demand and asset prices, the UK economy now faces a hangover, with slowing credit growth, falling property prices and tightening lending standards.”

http://tinyurl.com/3d6h3p


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Posted by Drew458   United Kingdom  on 01/07/2008 at 08:46 AM   
Filed Under: • EconomicsMiscellaneous •  
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