Well surprize, surprize, surprize...

Gee, whodathunkit???

It's no wonder why R. Lee Ermey is our favorite U.S.M.C. Gunnery Sergeant.

OMG! Not global warming again?!

Despite the obvious, there are still some hard-core anti-capitalist leftists who are determined to keep the global warming discussion alive. Case in point: An Op-Ed article by Judah Cohen, director of "seasonal forecasting at an atmospheric and environmental research firm," posted (predictably) in the NY Times on Christmas day. In the article, Cohen tries to explain the reason for the unusually cold season...

...As global temperatures have warmed and as Arctic sea ice has melted over the past two and a half decades, more moisture has become available to fall as snow over the continents. So the snow cover across Siberia in the fall has steadily increased...

WUH???

How freakin' stupid do you think the public is? Somehow this genius thinks that melting ice in the north is responsible for an increase of snow just a little further south of the Arctic Circle which is pretty much on par with making an argument that 2+2=5. Cohen then tries to back up this ludicrous connection by taking the reader on an atmospheric roller-coaster ride around the world. By time you return to the scene of the crime, provided you haven't fallen off the carnival ride along the way, the reader has forgotten all about the fact that NONE of his assumptions are backed up by actual scientific fact - an inconvenient technicality overlooked by the greater purpose of the article which is the need to re-brand the "global warming" lie into the more aesthetically pleasing title of "global climate change." But just in case you doubted me, you can skip to the end of the article and see it for yourself.

...It’s all a snow job by nature. The reality is, we’re freezing not in spite of climate change but because of it.

At least the NYT had the common sense to place the article in the Op-Ed section. Otherwise, they could have posted it in the local news section under a headline that read "There's nothing quite like the feeling one gets from flogging a dead horse."

Hodie Christus natus est! Halleluja! Halleluja!

...And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
(Douay-Rheims - Luke 2:16-20)


To all of you and your families, I wish a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I pray that the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.

Dominus Vobiscum,
Tony

Tranquilla Nox, Sancta Nox...

...And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.
(Douay-Rheims - Luke 2:8-14)

Winter solstice lunar eclipse AND a meteor shower???

Seems like most everyone with a clear sky got to see a good show last night. For the first time in 456 years, the winter solstice coincided with a full moon and a lunar eclipse! But did you know that there was also a meteor shower? That's right, a meteor shower! Little did I know, the Ursid meteor shower was also taking place which added to the spectacle of the lunar eclipse. While I personally only saw a couple of "shooting stars" last night, I didn't take enough notice at the rest of the sky to realize what else was going on. It was blustery outside and bitterly cold here in the northeast. The temperature was a chilly 27°F and the wind chill made it feel like 17°F. I spent the focus of my time darting in and out of the house to re-adjust my camera and snap pictures every 5 minutes. Unfortunately, most of the pictures didn't come out all that great so I picked out the best four, centered and cropped them and posted them here for your enjoyment.

Christmas is only one week away. Please donate to Toys for Tots...

...and give happiness to a needy child on Christmas morning.

The Marine Corps Reserve once again goes above and beyond the call of duty - as they have for the past 60 years - making sure that impoverished children in our communities have something to smile about on Christmas morning. The happiness of opening Christmas gifts, we and our children take so much for granted, is a joy that every child should share. Please donate something, whatever little you can spare, and spread a little Christmas joy this holiday season. Thank you.

Drop off an unwrapped toy at any one of the many retailers in your area with a Toys for Tots collection bin or simply click on the link below, go to their website and...

Donate to Toys for Tots

Got an iPhone? Launch it into orbit!

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

IMHO, that's about all they're good for.

I'm also thinking that if they added a little weight on the end of a tail underneath the iPhone, they would greatly reduce the amount of roll and sway they experienced. Holding the horizon steady would have improved quality of the video... just sayin'.

LMAO! The 12 Days of Winter...

I'm just surprised it took so long for someone
to think up this brilliant masterpiece.

OBAMACARE DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!

...at least for now. :)

Judge Calls Health Law Unconstitutional
By JANET ADAMY
The Wall Street Journal
DECEMBER 13, 2010, 5:16 P.M. ET

RICHMOND, Va.—A federal court ruled Monday that a central plank of the health law violates the Constitution, dealing the biggest setback yet to the Obama administration's signature legislative accomplishment.

In a 42-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said the law's requirement that most Americans carry insurance or pay a penalty "exceeds the constitutional boundaries of congressional power."

The individual mandate "would invite unbridled exercise of federal police powers," wrote Judge Hudson, of the Eastern District of Virginia. "At its core, this dispute is not simply about regulating the business of insurance—or crafting a scheme of universal health insurance coverage—it's about an individual's right to choose to participate."

The lawsuit, brought by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, is the first court ruling against the law since President Barack Obama signed it in March. More than 20 federal lawsuits have been filed against the overhaul, and judges in two of those cases ruled in favor of the Obama administration.

While the ruling creates a headache for the law's supporters, it doesn't mean states or the federal government must stop implementing the law.

*snip*

Even though the fight isn't over to stop the federal government's takeover of the healthcare system - presently the greatest system in the world, it's about time a judge with common sense ruled that this nightmare called Obamacare was in fact unconstitutional. Seriously, WTF gives them the right to force me into buy anything against my will?!?! So he can rape my grandchildren's future in order to pay for this bureaucratic monstrosity?!?!?! I realize that this is going to end up being decided by the Supreme Court, but why was this crap allowed to even be signed into law in the first place??? Hopefully SCOTUS will support this lower court's ruling that the federal government has no right to impose individual mandates for health care coverage and if that's the case, then Obamacare will fall apart completely because without the ability to penalize taxpayers for not having health care coverage, there won't be enough money available to sustain the program.

Keep praying, folks... keep praying!

Remember folks, reindeer have other uses...

In case you didn't know, I am a proud life member of PETA - People who Eat Tasty Animals. So when I read this article earlier, it made my pallet salivate like Pavlov's dog at the sound of a ringing bell...

Caffe Boa offering an-all-reindeer menu over Christmas
by Howard Seftel - Dec. 7, 2010 10:45 AM
Republic restaurant critic

Last Easter, chef Payton Curry and the crew at cheeky Caffe Boa in Tempe decided to get in the holiday spirit by putting together a special all-rabbit dinner. Public reaction ranged from anger to bemusement. The Easter Bunny went into hiding. Needless to say, the publicity was priceless.

Now, channeling the spirit of Christmas, and firm in the belief that there's no such thing as bad publicity, the Caffe Boa team is fashioning a multicourse tasting menu featuring - you guessed it - reindeer.

Well, not exactly Euro-Asian reindeer, but North American caribou. (The two are basically the same - the distinction is based on geography.)

Don't worry about Rudolph and the rest of the gang not being able to play any more reindeer games: Curry's caribou comes from Colorado and Idaho, not the North Pole.

The menu begins with caribou tartare gilded with pickled quail egg. That's followed by caribou tongue bruschetta with pickled watermelon radish and horseradish cream. Then there's caribou sausage with red lentils and quince mustard. Up next are two pasta courses: pappardelle with caribou Bolognese and caribou-filled tortellini in a parmesan broth. The caribou parade ends with bollito misto, a meat and vegetable stew...

*snip*

It's not that I hate them. They really are some of God's most beautiful creatures and they sure do taste good after cooking for a few hours over a hickory flame. Ten years ago, when I was working down in Westchester County, I had the pleasure of eating at a restaurant named "La Braseria" (at least I think that's what it was called). I can't find them on the internet today, assuming they have since gone out of business, but back then, they must have had a chain franchise in and around NYC. I've eaten at one in White Plains, one outside of Valhalla, and one in the Nanuet Mall. It was a Brazilian BBQ house that features an all-you-can-eat menu of animals, uncommon to typical American cuisine. Servers walked from table to table with long skewers held vertically and resting on a block of wood. Each server had healthy portions of several different BBQ'd meats on his skewer, and upon arriving at your table, would identify each the meats. If you liked something he had, he would remove it from the skewer and place it on your dish. If you didn't want what he had, you simply waited for the next server to arrive at your table with with a different selection of meats. One night, I ate the flesh of 17 different beasts. Among them were ostrich, camel, crocodile, kangaroo, tortoise, and REINDEER. Yes folks, I ate BBQ reindeer and it was damned good, but stay away from the kangaroo, it was tough as leather!

More importantly here folks, the reason for the Christmas season is not any more about Santa and reindeer than Easter is about a large furry rabbit hiding colored, hard-boiled eggs and candy around your house on a particular Sunday in early Spring. These holidays are supposed to be about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even if a bunch of pagans or atheists try to make these holidays about anything other than what they really are, that doesn't take away from the fact that God gave us dominion over other animals for use as food and labor. You should also bear in mind that Santa's reindeer, while probably just as tasty, serve a higher purpose due to their ability to fly, and for that reason alone, have likely been able to save themselves from becoming the main course on Santa's dinner table.

Once again, global warming is upon us...

As I stated recently in a previous post, I chose my favorite cartoon, the original pre-1950s Woody Woodpecker as my Facebook profile avatar for the weekend. That being so, allow me to shamelessly use him to lead off on this particular blog post, highlighting what many of us in the American Northeast consider to be a BRUTAL onset of early Winter weather. For the past several days, the temperatures here have been more common to late January than early December. Perhaps we feel this way because we were so fortunate to have such temperate Fall weather throughout most of November that we've become a bit spoiled. Now it feels like old man Winter is literally pounding down my front door! After the last weather system passed through a couple of days ago, daytime temperatures have dropped into the low to mid 30s and nights have been down in the low 20s. Accentuating this temperature change, the winds have been at a constant 10 to 20mph with gusts up to and exceeding 30mph, putting the wind chill at chilly +5 to +15 deg. Fahrenheit. BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! And making matters worse, the folks at Accuweather.com are making early predictions for a possible weekend snowstorm...

Big Upcoming Snowstorm for the East?
By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist
Dec 5, 2010; 2:35 PM ET



A storm that will take shape by the middle of December will cross the country and could end up developing into a major snowstorm for portions of the mid-Atlantic and New England.

There are different storm track scenarios at this point that mean the difference between mostly rain or a potential blizzard along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston.

So far, Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi has been correct with the Winter Forecast for the Northeast with his prediction that late November to December would be cold and stormy for many...

*snip*

I love a white Christmas as much as the next person, but mentally, I'm just not ready for this. I guess with life getting more difficult all around, it doesn't feel like it has in previous years. There's something missing and it isn't just the lack of funds that were available only a year ago. It's something I can't explain, but suffice it to say, it's giving me cause to be more mindful of the things I do and to err on the side of caution as I move forward.

I guess Jingle Bells didn't make the cut...

A great cause on Facebook...

There's a great movement on Facebook to show support in the fight to end child abuse. The request is to copy the following text to your FB status and change your profile image to an animated character from your childhood and keep it that way until this coming Monday...

Change your FB profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The goal is to not see a human face on FB till Monday, December 6th. Remember your childhood and join the fight against child abuse. Copy & paste to your status to invite your friends to do the same. Please make every effort to try and commit yourself to this effort to try to fight against child abuse.

I originally picked Droopy Dog, but later found that another FB friend had picked him. I can't believe I forgot about my absolute favorite from back then, Woody Woodpecker. While I didn't care too much for the ones produced after 1950, I love the older ones from the 1940s (same with the Bugs Bunny 'toons). Sadly, I don't get the Boomerang channel on Dish, so I've had to live without quality cartoons now for the past 15 years. Thank God for YouTube!

Happy Hanukah to all my Jewish friends!

Better tell Obama, now those evil capitalists are profiling fat people!

Women accused of hiding merchandise in body fat
Bobbie Miller Reporting
KFOR
6:49 p.m. CST, November 29, 2010

EDMOND, OK -- Two women are arrested for shoplifting and police say they used their bodies to conceal the goods. Edmond police authorities say it was at the Edmond TJ Maxx that loss prevention officers found the duo stuffing items under their belly fat and breasts.

They say they took four pair of boots, three pair of jeans, a wallet and gloves; $2,600 worth of store merchandise.

Ailene Brown, 28, and 37-year-old Shmeco Thomas were arrested for shoplifting and are facing felony charges.

Officer James Hamm said, "These two were actually concealing them in areas of their body where excess skin was, under their chest area and armpits."

Police say Brown also had a knife in her purse they say she used to cut security tags in the store.

Copyright © 2010, KFOR-TV

UNBELIEVABLE! In this day and age? I'll even bet the store dick was as thin as a cracker, too! Damned those skinny capitalist cacomorphobist Nazi bastards!