Boo Hoo.  Christian political organizations attack everything on the planet they find issue with, yet get their panties in a bunch at a nonsensical ratings grabber TV show.  Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families should spend a bit for time with his own family instead of meddling in everyone else’s life.  Do you think Christ would ever use the word “campaign” in any of his teachings or lessons?

CNS story below:

As archeologists question filmmaker James Cameron’s claim that he has discovered the tomb of Jesus Christ and his family, Christian groups are criticizing the Discovery Channel for what they call another attack on Christianity.

The cable channel, which bills itself as “the number-one nonfiction media company,” will air “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” on Sunday, March 4.

According to Discovery Channel promotional material, the documentary produced by Academy Award winner Cameron and directed by Simcha Jacobovici presents “new evidence that Jesus and Mary Magdalene … may have had a son named Judah.”

The filmmakers claim that bone boxes first discovered in 1980 may contain the physical remains of Jesus and his family. They suggest that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that they produced a child named Judah, because an inscription on one of the boxes says, “Judah, son of Jesus.”

(more…)

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The Center for Science in the Public Interest, (man that’s wordy), is calling for regulation of restaurant portions, or adding nutritional information to their menus.  No doubt next to the gigantic pictures of the enormous cheese covered food, or the other giant size accoutrements my hand is wrapped around in the photo below. Furthermore they created the term “extreme eating” as a catchy buzz word to sell their nonsensical spiel.  And it worked:  all of these newspapers and TV stations jumped on the story.  Scanning a couple of these stories I see they’re almost reprints of the CSPI press release.  Hello news directors?  How about some opinion or counterpoints?

This is what bothers me: 

They urged local, state and national governments to make restaurants list nutritional data on their menus.

Why does this need to be regulated?  Oh yeah, for the same reason Sen. Carl Kruger doesn’t want you crossing the street with an iPod.  Michael Jacobson of the CSPI wants to further a nanny state in order to protect you from YOURSELF.  Michael Jacobson wants to sit right next to you at lunch vis a vis his puff attempts at legislation and tell you what’s best for you. 

I say fuck ‘em.  Anyone who slides into the booth at ApplebeeRuckersTuesdays or Shenanigans or similar corny themed restaurant knows they’re not getting healthy food.  (If you can even find your dish under the grease, chili, and cheese slathered on top).   If I want to order a piece of chocolate cake the size of a fax machine than I should be able to.  I actually LIKE the gargantuan portions.  It means I can split one meal with a friend, or take my meal home and have two or more meals later.  Or I can share a hunk of gooey lava raspberry cake between friends.  (Yes Michael Jacobson, some people share items and limit their intake).  You don’t need to be TOLD a hamburger topped with bacon and chili aside a mountain of fries is unhealthy.  The obvious speaks for itself.  And everyone knows it’s bad for you. 

On the other end of the spectrum is the Center for Consumer Freedom, a group that debunks and debates the CSPI’s premise.  Unfortunately they also hate PETA and animal rights groups, which baffles me.  People having the right to make their own decisions is a totally separate issue than animals being used and abused inhumanly for various foods and products.

Is there a point to bringing up nutrition and portions at restaurants?  Sure.  But regulations and laws should exist to protect people from plummeting elevators, crashing airplanes, and tainted peanut butter. Not things you’re capable of controlling yourself.  The U.S. may be hefty, but we’re not a bunch of fucking babies as the CSPI would have us believe.

Reuters Article below:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many U.S. chain restaurants are promoting “extreme eating” with dishes that pack at least a day’s worth of calories and fat, without giving customers facts about their orders, a consumer group said on Monday.

Displaying restaurant offerings including a cheese-laden chicken-and-pasta dish they dubbed “Angioplasta,” officials at the Center for Science in the Public Interest said such dishes help fuel national epidemics of obesity and heart disease.

They urged local, state and national governments to make restaurants list nutritional data on their menus.

Michael Jacobson, the group’s executive director, took aim at “table-service” chain restaurants like Ruby Tuesday’s and Uno Chicago Grill. Such places increasingly stuff their dishes with extra unhealthy ingredients, he said.

“What we’re finding is that table-service restaurants have launched into a whole new era of extreme eating,” Jacobson said. “If we’re going to deal with the epidemic of obesity and the tremendous prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, we’re going to have to do something about restaurant foods.”

Jacobson’s group often criticizes at a variety of restaurant foods. Some critics deride the group as self-appointed food police.

Jacobson showed reporters an appetizer offered by Uno Chicago Grill that he said contained 2,050 calories. It was a cross between a pizza and stuffed potato skins, with a deep-dish pizza crust crammed with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, bacon and sour cream.

Ruby Tuesday’s offers an entree called Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta so loaded with cheese and other stuff that it tipped the scales at 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat, he said. Jacobson dubbed it “Angioplasta,” alluding to angioplasty, a medical procedure to open clogged arteries.

One slice of The Cheesecake Factory’s Chris’s Outrageous Chocolate Cake had 1,380 calories, with layers of cake, brownies, coconut pecan filling and chocolate-chip coconut cheesecake, the group said.

The average daily calorie requirement is about 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.

The trade group National Restaurant Association said many restaurants provide nutritional information about their menus, and nearly all have healthy dishes available.

“Pointing to a select few menu items at a select few restaurants as being high in calories, and generalizing that to all restaurant fare is misleading, inaccurate and does the public a grave disservice,” the association said in a statement.

Jacobson said restaurants have had more than enough time to voluntarily provide nutritional data such as calorie, fat and salt content but many do not — and those that do often make the data hard to find.

“Restaurants have every right to make these foods and you have every right to eat them,” Jacobson said. “But I think at the very least these restaurants should give consumers the information that would enable them to make some decent eating choices.”

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I was talking to someone over the weekend about how archaic voice mail systems are. You have absolutely no way of prioritizing your own messages. You are forced to listen to ALL messages, (or at least skip through them), in order to establish who called and for what reason. The only method of prioritizing is the sender being able to mark a voicemail “high” priority. And as anyone who’s worked in an office environment knows, for some every message is of high priority.

Apparently Apple’s iPhone will have an onscreen feature displaying who exactly left you a voice mail, enabling you to SELECT which voice mails you want to listen to.

Even better, this morning on NPR I listened to a segment with Mario Armstrong of Simulscribe, a company that will send an e-mail or text of your voicemail when received. Even though voice recognition software isn’t a perfectly refined art, being able to scan your messages and avoid slamming your fist waiting for someone’s long rambling voicemail to just “get to the point already” is a service that’s long overdue.

Listen to Steve Inskeep test out the service here.

It’s $10 a month for 40 messages. http://www.simulscribe.com/

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Denver Post’s Susanna S. Brown compiles another list of annoying gym habits.  I definitely agree with these points, but they all can easily be mitigated by eschewing the fancy “fitness centers” that put more emphasis on their cappuccinos and day care perks than their fitness facilities.  I go to a small gym, one big room, and it’s everything I need.  I walk in, start working out, and leave. By keeping it simple and concentrating on doing some good cardio and weights for an hour, (not visiting the sauna and juice bar), you’ll get fit a lot faster, and keep up your visits as it’s far less hassle.

I perused the Cranky Flier last night.  Some good views and insight on air travel, airlines, and aviation business from a former flight attendant.

Check out this slideshow from a robo-sub exploring the depths of Antarctica.

5% of Denver’s light rail patrons grab a free ride.  Unlike New York or major cities we walk up and pay before boarding, so folks that ONLY use light rail (not combined with bus), can easily board a train, and hop off at their stop.

Seven times more fare checkers will be on trains starting Monday morning. They will check to see if riders have paid and if they have the correct ticket for the portion of Light Rail they are riding. RTD says past studies show that about 4.8% of all riders don’t pay. By using 43 new fare checkers, compared to six previously, RTD hopes to cut that percentage down. RTD Spokesperson Daria Serna says most people aren’t meaning to break the law; they’re just not sure how to use the RTD Light Rail system.

From BBC on this day, 1993, car bomb rocks World Trade Center.  Very eerie foreshadowing.

Thousands of office workers were trapped as smoke billowed up through the buildings. With no working lifts or lighting there was total pandemonium. People did not know whether to stay in their offices or brave the journey down via the smoke-filled stairwells. “It felt like an airplane hit the building,” said Bruce Pomper, a 34-year-old broker. Desperate for air, some people smashed windows with office furniture. Hundreds eventually poured out of the building gasping for air and covered in soot. Rescue workers struggled to get oxygen to those in the upper floors. About 100,000 people work in and visit the 1,700ft towers every day - the blast happened at their busiest time.

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In light of the KFC / Taco Bell rat infestation fiasco, WCBS offers this primer on how to detect rats at the next restaurant you visit.  The video of the furry little guys is on this link.  First peanut butter now rats!  I hope I can get home ok without getting molested or having my identity stolen.

I love how the graphic is dramatically titled “RAT RAMPAGE” and “RATS EVERYWHERE” complete with a tiny black rat in the corner.

 

 

Periodic surveys of buildings and grounds can reveal the existence of rat infestation. Inspection visits should be made every other week and increased or decreased according to the severity of the problem. Evening inspection using a powerful flashlight is the best way to see rats, but there are many signs of rat infestation besides the animals themselves. Rat sounds, droppings, burrows, urine stains, smudge marks, runways, tracks, gnawing damage, nests, food caches, pet excitement, and rat odors are all signs of rat activity.

Sounds. Squeaks, gnawing sounds, clawing, and scrambling in walls are typical sounds of a rat infestation.

Droppings. A single rat may produce 50 droppings daily. Norway rat droppings are larger (3/4″) than roof rat droppings (1/2″). Determine if an area is currently infested by sweeping up old droppings, then reinspect after a week. Fresh droppings have a putty- like texture; old droppings crumble easily.

Burrows. Estimates of relative abundance in a limited area can be made by counting, mapping, and loosely plugging burrow entrances on a weekly basis. Burrows which are reopened the following week are active.

Nests. Roof rat nests are often visible in attics, or they may be found when vegetation is trimmed.

(more…)

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Google desktop toolbar still a mess.   Who on earth needs a third party search engine for their PC?  Just keep your files and folders organized and well maintained.  Is it possible for a third party “craplet” to do more damage than Weatherbug.   Why sure I’ll trust your content and install!!

Children and Dogs a bad combo.  Blah blah dangerous for the children.  Is this really a problem?  As many a wall calendar tacked up in my office prove:  Kids and dogs are just damn cute.  No study will stop little Dallas or Montana from frolicking around with the family’s golden retriever.

Every year 250,000 people attend minor injuries and emergency units in the United Kingdom following dig bites and half of all children are reportedly bitten by dogs at some time.

Men are lazy pigs, according to Clare Davidson of the BBC.  And somehow this connects to women deserving equal pay at work.  (Well no shit, who disagrees with that)?  Couldn’t that premise be found without the male bashing?

Man Yee Kan, a Sociologist at Oxford University’s Time Use Research says the reason men are doing a greater proportion than they did, is largely because women spend more time in paid work, therefore a smaller proportion of time doing housework.

“The quickest way to improve the situation at home would be for women to gain equality at work in terms of pay and opportunities,” she says.

It’s 10am, and I am really missing my peanut butter.  I have it daily with bananas and toast.  For how much will this national crisis continue?

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New Jersey begins gay marriage, and so far no reports on the wire of old ladies marrying their pet goat or cats running for city council.

New Jersey lawmakers hastily created civil unions in December, less than two months after a state Supreme Court decision held that gay couples had a right to the same benefits as married couples. Supporters of gay marriage say they may sue, contending that civil unions do not create the equality the court ordered. Some conservative groups, meanwhile, pledge to block same-sex marriage by pressing for an amendment to the state constitution. Forty-five states have laws or amendments banning same-sex marriage.

From the front page of CNN.com:  Teen “fun beatings” on the rise.  I have no idea what “society failed them” or “rehabilitation” defense you could possibly mount for people as fucked up as this.  If the need to kick and abuse the less fortunate it really a deep desire for bored suburban teenagers absent of attentive parents, let’s just make a video game of it.

“It’s disturbing to know that young people would literally kick someone when they’re already down on their luck,” said Michael Stoops, the executive director of the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. “We recognize that this isn’t every teenager, but for some this passes as amusement.”  Criminologists call these wilding sprees “sport killing,” — largely middle-class teens, with no criminal records, assaulting the homeless with bats, golf clubs, paintball guns.

Ted Haggard’s former church holds “Day of Hope”.  From ChristianPost.com.  Amid more revelations he’s been hitting on boys in his church.  Again, how can you write “he’s completely straight”, with a, um “straight” face…

And the church continues to PAY this joker?  What the fuck for?  If I get fired from my job due to innapropriate behavior they sure as hell would NOT continue to pay me.  130k a year would do some great things for social service programs in Colorado Springs.  Oh wait, most churches political organizations are completely deaf to their communities and solely focus on their wants, needs, and image.

“We have verified the reality of that struggle through numerous individuals who reported to us firsthand knowledge of everything from sordid conversation to overt suggestions to improper activities to improper relationships. These findings established a pattern of behavior that culminated in the final relationship in which Ted was, as a matter of grace, caught,” he said.

Another overseer, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, has said Haggard is convinced he is heterosexual and that the overseers’ investigation found Haggard was only involved with Jones.

The church will provide the Haggards with financial support over the next year, roughly equivalent to the $130,000 salary Haggard received as pastor, Brendle said.

The “Hiccup Girl” gets harassed by the media.  Well she opened the door by doing a few interviews, but an interesting look at how desperate they are, (or WE are), for these human interest stories.

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What a dilemma. I’ve almost finished this jar. I love PB. I go through a jar or two a week. And it’s great on bananas. Fortunately I’m not sick yet and opted to trash it.

Story

Check your Peter Pan for lid label “2111″. I saved mine, as the store will replace the jar when the salmonella laden PB has been incinerated, or whatever they do with bad peanut butter.

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BBC: How to keep your passwords safe, if you want to.

In fact, with the average number of passwords estimated to be around 20 per person, and that number growing at 20% each year, it is no wonder that many of us cannot keep track of the one we might need. So if we are not to lapse into using the same password for all our accounts - we need a safe place to store them - somewhere we can access wherever we are.

Ray Wells and Jason Hopfer won’t leave eastern Colorado alone.

The SuperSlab is back under the name “Prairie Falcon Parkway”.  Even though it’s not in the works, it’s already hurting property owners.  Thank God we’ve tweaked the eminent domain laws to prevent assholes like Ray from literally steamrolling over their property rights.

The project notices that were sent out to property owners this summer, that are now being blamed for holding up sales or depressing values, were required by a new list of regulations passed by state lawmakers last year with the support of area residents. Also under that new law, private toll road companies are required to start work on their project within three years or spend $500,000.

See my other article about how eastern Colorado came together to fight him and more details of this potential heinous scar.

Paris to roll out free bikes.  From the happiest news web site, HappyNews.com

Here’s an asskissing blog about environmental friendly celebrities. 

Now you all know that we love celebrities who do some good for the world, but it’s easy to understand why some people would scoff at the idea of stars fighting for human rights, animal welfare, or the environment. Celebrities have been associated with living the good life, buying the best, most expensive things, and just generally being able to do whatever they want.

Correct.  I’ve seen “Cribs” many a late night.  Although Ed Begley Jr. truly does “walk the walk”.  His crib, environmental footprint, and manner of living is an excellent and real “green” example.

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Grand Rapids, Michigan isn’t fancy, exotic, or considered cultured by many, and I can’t ever recall anyone on my Lonely Planet forum ever soliciting information. But it is my home and Michigan’s second largest city, so worth of some acknowledgement from a former local. Perhaps I’ll convince someone to visit Michigan’s “West Coast”, or reassure them to stay the hell away. Either way, some observations from my recent weekend back home for the armchair traveler.
(more…)

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I use Microsoft’s “Picture Manager” to edit and compress photos and “Paint” when I need to quickly print a screenshot or graphic. It’s rare that I print through these two programs, but when I do I’m astonished at how complicated it is to simply, um, PRINT!

I’m sure I’m not the first person who has blog-bitched about this, but follow along anyway: Here’s a simple one page map of the Prague subway system I wanted to print. Just hit “print”, and a few seconds later it spits out to your printer right? Wrong.

Step 1: Here’s me hitting “print”. This should be the END of my printing process. Oh no, there is much more.

(more…)

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Czech Republic President Vaclas Klaus calls global warming a myth.  Maybe he’ll take me out for some Czech beer and explain in further during my planned visit in May. Oh, and not surprisingly he  has support from Oklahoma senator James Inhofe, who agrees with him. 

Having a sense of humor is healthy.  Who knew?  Mary Schreiner tells you what’s funny in this KUSA Article:  Perhaps I’m a misanthrope but I find none of the below funny in the least, maybe with the exception of comedy clubs.  Actually most are annoying and obnoxious.  I do find hilarity in KUSA reporting as “news” that Mary Schreiner is a “certified laughter leader”.  No doubt the same certification 5th graders receive to become “Female Body Inspectors”.   Precisely why I listen to the BBC over local media fluff.

Mary Schreiner, a certified laughter leader, says they are already there, we just have to start paying attention. Here are some things you can do:

1. Watching our favorite sitcoms, bloopers, and funniest home videos are great ways to add laughter to our lives - and laugh tracks have been added for those of us who have no sense of humor!

2. Comedy Clubs have proliferated in all major cities. We pay good money to have people make us laugh, and laughing with others enhances the pleasure - laughter is contagious!

3. Paying attention to our own “real life” sitcoms - haven’t we all stated at some time that some of our relatives and coworkers are “jokers” or “clowns?”

4. Great sources of humor: babies, animals; babies with animals. Just turn them loose.

5. We are our own “candid camera,” check out locations like airports, malls, sporting events, and even church. But be careful with this last location because it has been known to cause uncontrollable giggles.

6. Those Internet jokes are ubiquitous and annoying, but we all have to admit that we have forwarded some of the really funny ones.

7. What part of the paper we read first usually indicates if we are already looking at the world as a source of humor. Read the funnies first. That shows that you see the world as a source of laughter - or at least you want to start the day off with a sense of humor.

8. At work we can post jokes and cartoons. If we are holding a meeting, begin it with a funny story, or pass around ice cream cones, or have everyone wear Hawaiian shirts. Work is serious, but life is not.

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“Is Anna Nicole Smith still dead”? What a brilliant quip. The YouTube comments boohoo this quip as a cruel joke. But it’s not. This deliciously crass jab is at the coverage of Anna’s death, not her death itself. Like most networks CNN filled the afternoon with wall to wall coverage when no new information is available. Proving again it’s necessary to constantly “cover” nothing for fear of viewers tuning out. Jack is dry enough to frisbee right over an average person’s head, but the astute mind sees the irony.

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Porno films on Sofia late night bus stops

Hey, if it reduces crime…

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 8 (UPI) — A city-run bus company is showing dirty movies on monitors at bus stops to help commuters in the Bulgarian capital while away the wait after midnight.  During the day, a bus timetable is on the monitors, the Serbian news agency FoNet reported Thursday.

An official at the transportation company in Sofia said the company wanted to entertain passengers as they wait for buses. Erotic movies are being shown only late at night when there is little chance children are on the streets, he said.  Some Sofia residents praised the new service while others said it brings shame on the city. 

Some Bulgarians complained security in Sofia has been reduced as police officers prefer to watch pornographic films instead of chasing criminals, the report said.

Personal Savings at 74 Year Low

Well, the “consumer confidence” meters are dependent on the individual sacrifices our credit cards and home equity.  It would benefit us all to live more simpler, consume less, drive an used car, etc.  But then they say the economy is shit because we’re not out racking up massive amounts of debt.

During the Great Depression when one-fourth of the labor force was without a job, people dipped into savings in an effort to meet the basic necessities of shelter and clothing.

Economists have put forward various reasons to explain the current lack of savings. These range from a feeling on the part of some people that they do not need to save because of the run-up in their investments such as homes and stock portfolios to an effort by many middle-class wage earners to maintain their current lifestyles even though their wage gains have been depressed by the effects of global competition.

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I remember clearly. I was in 5th grade math class. We were going to gather in the gym later to watch the launch, when the all the teachers were called to the– Oh wait wrong life changing event.

OK. I was sitting exactly where I am now surfing Craigslist for deals while scraping the last cracker particles out of my empty bowl of Chunky Soup. Still hungry I walked to the lunch room for an apple, and saw my grief stricken co-workers crying and hugging and wondering if our country could handle such a loss…

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Post stickied, scroll down for newer entries.

Soliciting tips and advice please! I’m headed to Munich and Prague in May for 15 days. After 3-4 days in Munich and Prague we’ll meander through the countryside of the Czech Republic - perhaps see the university town Brno. Perhaps end up in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. If time permits we’ll visit Budapest or Vienna, but we plan on taking our time, so seeing a third large city isn’t a must.

My interests? In addition to seeing museums and architecture I like basing myself in regular neighborhoods away from the city center. I can usually find cheaper restaurants, (coffee by day, beer by night). I love trains, transit, and infrastructure. I’d also LOVE to any suggestions for an English speaking walking tour in Munich or Prague. Any nightlife ideas for small clubs or dive bars, gay or straight, is welcome. Also simple logistical tips, i.e. subway cards, bus routes, train travel, etc.

Anyway done a similar route? Know a restaurant or a coffee shop in a great neighborhood you really liked? A bar or club that made your trip? Please leave me a comment below, I’d really appreciate it! In addition to stocking up on maps and books from the library, I’ve also been perusing and researching these sites. Oh and yes I’ve seen “Hostel”.

www.czechtourism.com www.prague.cz wikitravel.org/en/Munich

wikitravel.org/en/Bavaria  RickSteves

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With the maladies of global warming and psycho killer astronauts it’s nice to recognize a true hero: Hulk Hogan

The intro to Hulk Hogan’s “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” shows Hulk pumped up for a match in all his glory, then suddenly makes a break for the Hulkmobile while tailed by some bad dudes. To be more specific an Arab and Russian as seen at :27, each wearing their respective stereotype garb.

I’m not clear exactly what goes down when the cars all stop together, but soon Hulk is storming downtown L.A. with a swarm of kids running to him faster than a truckload of Wiis overturned on the highway. I sure do miss the 80s.

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