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January 30, 2005
Good to know it's not just the NFL
So yeah, I was watching Arena football today - i'm not ashamed. Happy to report that I was wrong. NFL referees are actually better than these jokers in the AFL. I KNOW - you didn't think it was possible, but it's true! The cornerback took down the receiver WAY before the pass got there, with a ref not 10 feet away LOOKING at the play - and it wasn't called. Then they gave the dude a penalty for arguing. If they're not careful, I'm gonna become jaded like I am in politics and religion. It's a good thing I didn't pay attention to sports until last year. I'm running out of things to believe in...
On another note, our release party is 2/5 at the Tractor. Should sell out this week, so if you're going, get tickets now. www.ticketweb.com
We'll also be live on 103.77 KMTT The Mountain on 2/2 at 3:45pm or so. This time with Auburn-boy Marty Reimer on the Music Lounge. That's 3 times live on KMTT in 4 months! So lucky, and believe me, we're not going to squander the opportunities that have been given to us. We're just so fortunate to have these relationships.
Happy Sunday.
Posted by Vanselus at 11:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 17, 2005
The Shrinking U.S. Deficit
Since when do I give a rats ass about politics? I don't. But I hate the media more than I don't care about politics, so I can't resist any chance to point out their bias nature.
"Here’s one story you won’t find on tomorrow’s front pages: “The U.S. Budget Deficit Is Shrinking Rapidly.” The headline would be accurate, but the mainstream media is much more interested in talking down this booming economy than telling it like it is.
This week’s Treasury report on the nation’s finances for December shows a year-to-date fiscal 2005 deficit that is already $11 billion less than last year’s. In the first three months of the fiscal year that began last October, cash outlays by the federal government increased by 6.1 percent while tax collections grew by 10.5 percent. When more money comes in than goes out, the deficit shrinks."
Click for the entire article from NRO Financial
Posted by Vanselus at 09:44 PM | Comments (0)
Amazing pictures from Titan
Hard to believe it's a moon of another planet...
Click for larger image
From anthony.leikins.net - click for MANY more shots of the Titan surface.
Posted by Vanselus at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
Gee, why didn't I see this story in the media?
Click for larger image
From snopes.com: "On 9 January 2003, 31-year-old Staff Sergeant Mike McNaughton of Denham Springs, Louisiana, a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, was serving with the 769th Engineer Battalion in Afghanistan, scouting for land mines. Suddenly, according to Sgt. McNaughton, "I closed my eyes for a second going up in the air and then landing on the ground, and that's when I just — I knew exactly what happened." Sgt. McNaughton had stepped on an anti-personnel mine, and in the resulting blast he lost his right leg, as well as the middle and ring fingers of his right hand and a chunk of his left leg. Sgt. McNaughton was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for immediate treatment and later flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for follow-on care.
In the months since his wounding, Sgt. McNaughton has undergone at least 11 separate operations as a result of his injuries and has been fitted with a thin, robotic prosthetic shaft to replace his right leg. While recuperating at Walter Reed, Sgt. McNaughton was honored to receive a visit from President Bush. One of the subjects of common interest they discussed was running, and the President extended an invitation to Sgt. McNaughton to come running with him once he was up and about.
The President's invitation posed something of a dilemma for Sgt. McNaughton: "He said give him a call and we'll go running. How are you supposed to just call the president?" Fortunately, Sgt. McNaughton's doctor at Walter Reed was also a doctor for the President, and the two men were able to keep in touch through her.
In April 2004, Sgt. McNaughton and his family made the trip to Washington, and — true to his word — the President went for a run with him. According to Baton Rouge television station WAFB, Sgt. McNaughton described his return visit with President Bush thusly:
"It rained a little bit. I didn't care if it was storming or lightning all around, I didn't care. It was nice to run with him.
"He has a weight room upstairs, in the White House. We worked out for about 45 minutes, we tried different equipment. He said I couldn't do it, so I had to prove him wrong.
"This goes back to my military training. I never once stopped something and said I can't do it or quit. Just because I lost my leg, why should I start now?"
Sergeant McNaughton says the president was more interested with his new leg than even his own children. McNaughton says the president couldn't stop looking at it or asking questions about it."
Posted by Vanselus at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
Best Oedipus Essay EVER [NSFW]
page 1
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page 5
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From here
Exerpt from original post:
"I actually know the guy who wrote this, and I'm told that he was high when he wrote it and he actually turned this thing in. Knowing him I believe it. What you see is an actual graded paper. Apperrently the reason it passed was that attendance counted (in a college course ). In any case, the name has been removed to protect the guilty and this is almost certainly NSFW."
Posted by Vanselus at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2005
No thanks to the worthless U.N.
For a realistic, on the ground account of what's happening in Sumatra, check out The Diplomad, a blog written by American foreign service officers. Their comments on the U.N.'s contributions are amusing:
"Well, dear friends, we're now into the tenth day of the tsunami crisis and in this battered corner of Asia, the UN is nowhere to be seen -- unless you count at meetings, in five-star hotels, and holding press conferences.
Aussies and Yanks continue to carry the overwhelming bulk of the burden, but some other fine folks also have jumped in: e.g., the New Zealanders have provided C-130 lift and an excellent and much-needed potable water distribution system; the Singaporeans have provided great helo support; the Indians have a hospital ship taking position off Sumatra. Spain and Netherlands have sent aircraft with supplies.
The UN continues to send its best product, bureaucrats."
Most interesting to me was this memo written by Dutch diplomats and circulated at an EU meeting in Indonesia:
The US military has arrived and is clearly establishing its presence everywhere in Banda Aceh. They completely have taken over the military hospital, which was a mess until yesterday but is now completely up and running. They brought big stocks of medicines, materials for the operation room, teams of doctors, water and food. Most of the patients who were lying in the hospital untreated for a week have undergone medical treatment by the US teams by this afternoon. US military have unloaded lots of heavy vehicles and organize the logistics with Indonesian military near the airport. A big camp is being set up at a major square in the town. Huge generators are ready to provide electricity. US helicopters fly to places which haven't been reached for the whole week and drop food. The impression it makes on the people is also highly positive; finally something happens in the city of Banda Aceh and finally it seems some people are in control and are doing something. No talking but action. European countries are until now invisible on the ground. IOM staff (note: this is a USAID-funded organization) is very busy briefing the incoming Americans and Australians about the situation.
FROM POWERLINE - CLICK HERE
Posted by Vanselus at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2005
Measuring impact in Football
Apparently the use of technology "ruining" the game doesn't apply to anything but making calls more accurate. This is pretty cool though - I'd love to know Gs when my head hit the ground in that biking accident... although that would mean i'd have to wear a helmet. Here's a snippet:
"The system is also tough enough to measure the hardest hits in American football - which can surpass 150 Gs, roughly the force of a serious car accident - but sensitive enough to distinguish between a tackle and a player head-butting a teammate in celebration."
Posted by Vanselus at 09:10 AM | Comments (1)
Playing live on 103.7 The Mountain
So a few weeks back we were asked to go to 103.7 KMTT The Mountain studios in Seattle to play on a show called "The Mountain Music Lounge". We were invited because we're one of their favorite up-and-comers (so they say) and this year we've been so fortunate to have their support, which has brought a large amount of very high profile gigs. This radio show was a promo for a show we played at The Triple Door that night. So anyway, if you want to hear the interview (Ian is an amazing speaker under pressure) and us playing 2 songs live on The Mountain in front of 200,000-300,000 listeners, then here's the link: Ian McFeron & The Band Live @ The Mountain Music Lounge
Posted by Vanselus at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)