| Hilarious |
[May. 26th, 2006|12:47 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  lazy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | RUSH | ] |
Saw this on MSN this morning and could not stop laughing. I boxed it in red for all those whse minds are not polluted...
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| Change in Background |
[Feb. 9th, 2006|07:51 pm] |
Before all the conservatives in my Friends list get offended, I'm middle of the road politically. I also have an intelligent political opinion, not just what Hollywood says is cool. Here's a breakdown:
The "conservative" me:
-pro-life
-Religious Rights and tolerance (ACLU's idea of it is just wrong)
-pro-marriage
-pro-family
The "liberal" me:
-pro-life (as in against the death penalty)
-pro-immigration
-socialized health care and other social safety nets
-pro-Union
-Balanced budget (somehting Republicans claim, but only Clinton has done)
-environmentalist
-greater corporate responsibility
-protectionist measures to insure continued success of American industry
That out of the way...
I replaced my cool old Saturn Sky background [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/scarpacci/2007-Saturn-Sky-Roadster-F-Studio-1.jpg[/IMG]
with something a bit simpler...truer:
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| Complaint to Yahoo |
[Nov. 3rd, 2005|05:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  aggravated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Bach - Air on G-String | ] |
Today I saw a banner ad on Yahoo Mail telling women to "protect their reproductive rights" and "Save Roe." I was appalled that Yahoo would run such an ad, first they managed to instantly insult half the U.S. population, and while they're at it expose young girls who might be temted to click on the pretty pink ad to being indoctrinated by the filth that spews from Planned Parenthood.
Below is the nice ad complaint I left them:
My family and I have had Yahoo Mail since right after it came out. Since then we have always used and preferred their services, purchased items from ads and Yahoo Auctions, answered surveys and even purchased a domain and larger inbox (not on my account).
I understand there is a cost to Yahoo for all the services provided, and that a big part of it is paid for by advertisements. But I also understand that, just like an advertiser would not want his or her ad placed where it could create a bad image, so would Yahoo not want to create a bad image for itself by placing the wrong ads. Unfortunately Yahoo has not lived up to this.
The ad I am speaking of is one run by Planned Parenthood proclaiming “Save Roe!” I know there’s a canned response to this along the lines of “this ad is from a large legal organization with extensive membership” in which Yahoo will seek to wash its hands out of a poor choice in advertiser, but I have an answer to that. It is obvious to anyone of nominal wit that running such an ad is guaranteed to deeply insult half the U.S. population. The question then becomes why run it? By allowing such an ad Yahoo is taking an indirect stand in the matter of pro-life or pro-choice in the court of public opinion, whether it wants to or not.
I ask that said ad, and all other ads present and future regarding abortion issues be pulled from Yahoo. I find this to be more than fair. I also believe a written apology to me is in order..
***X-Posted to catholics4life*** |
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| Hurricane Devastation |
[Sep. 29th, 2005|12:01 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Heart - "Crazy on You" | ] |
With all the news about Hurricane Katrina, we shouldn't forget that Houston has had its share of damage, too.
The first attached photo illustrates the damage caused to a home when Hurricane Rita passed through the Houston area a few days ago. It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take life for granted!!!
The second photo helps remind us of the firepower needed to stop the lawlessness and looting that started even before (true story) any signs of the hurricane on the horizon.
Warning: The attached pictures are quite graphic and may not be suitable for younger/sensitive viewers.
( View Here ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 28th, 2005|05:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | "La Dousa Votz" - B. Ventadorn | ] |
Your Inner European is Italian! |
Passionate and colorful.
You show the world what culture really is. |
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| Rita |
[Sep. 24th, 2005|01:27 pm] |
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Looks like Houston weathered Rita okay. Apparently there were a few fires in some parts of towns, and my favorite, a looter caught last afternoon before there were even clouds. Right now we just lost water for a little while but it's back and there's no more power. Phone service is pretty spotty to, it took me a while to be able to (sighs) dial-up on my laptop. I'll try to keep ya'll updated, but now it's time to eat all the perishables and ice-cream before they go bad. |
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| Common Sense |
[Sep. 7th, 2005|05:01 pm] |
So let's say we have two presidents...
President #1: The economy reaches its highest point, the country progresses forward, people's quality of life is better, and the environment is better. He bases his presidency on creating a bright future full of opportunity for all.
President #2: The economy reaches its lowest point, then moves sideways while he attempts to create prosperity via methodsknown to not work, especially in the long run. Massive layoffs and unemployment is common, healthcare costs go up and with it all quality of life lowers. Pollution standards are lifted as is money for research, National Forests and Parks are mowed down or drilled for oil (which is a short-term solution for the massive energy crises overseen by this President). Also, gigantic intelligence fault (namely because a chimp/man hybrid was in charge) leads to attack on the US, and after a (sort-of) victory another, pointless, war is fought to the tune of billions. Spending at home is cut, including for upgrading levees to withstand category 4 and 5 hurricane in a historic/cultural city. The rest is history...
Now the list goes on, but I want to ask...
Why the hell did we sit idly by while President Clinton was almost removed from office for cheating on his wife (and not even all the way), and why the hell did we even bother re-electing Bush. That bastard is sinking the US in debt, deficits and short-sighted policies aimed at the rich and corporations. Seriously, how dumb can people be? Really? And why the hell are people tolerating all this BS?
Feel free to comment, no matter what your leanings. I'm actually fair and balanced, unlike that lying cheating anti-Catholic bastard O'Reilly. |
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| Will We See 2525? |
[Aug. 30th, 2005|08:49 pm] |
I've been meaning to post an environmental global warming rant for a while now. The oean warme up 1/2 a degree and look at what is happening. Meanwhile truck sales are higher than ever, while people complain about gas prices. I don't know how many times I've come up to the pump only to see that the person before me forked over $100 for the privilege of driving ~300 miles and their oversized behemoth. Maybe if the demand decreased a bit the supply would be abundant and I wouldn't be paying close to $30 to fill up (nad for the looks of it I'll break that barrier next time). Might I add when I first started driving I filled up on $10 with change left-over on what turned out to be an overpriced station.
Anyways, going back to my original topic, I've been meaning to but never got around to it. Then I got the latest report from Martin Weiss (financial guy I respect) and thoguth it was well written and politically/environmentally neutral (I blame it all on men, especially Americans and their giant SUVs and wasteful habits) while still getting the piint across, so without further ado:
In North America, Katrina is already the 11th storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. That's seven more than usual for this time of year. We know because we count them every year, one by one.
Right now, for example, in Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania and Switzerland, vast areas are under water and at least 43 are dead.
Portugal and Spain are a tinderbox, with 11 new fires flaring, despite weeks of desperate firefighting.
And we can see similar patterns in South America, Africa and Asia.
In southern Brazil, for example, my wife's family farm is so dry, tropical fruit trees -- which my father-in-law planted before we were married -- are now dying.
But that's nothing in comparison to what's happening in Niger, West Africa. Back in the 1970s, my brother, Joe, and his family lived in Niamey, the capital city.
The region was poor but prospering, and the Sahara desert was at a safe distance, miles to the north. Now, its sands have enveloped the entire region, Niger has been plunged into famine, and Joe's friends, once among the wealthy, have been impoverished.
Before our son Anthony was born, Elisabeth and I lived in Japan for two years. But in those days, all we and our host family worried about was the occasional tremor. Now, their primary concern is the same one we have here in South Florida: storms. They worry of them striking the archipelago with greater fury and greater frequency than anyone can remember.
Never before in my lifetime have I seen so many climactic climate distortions! And never before could I have dreamed that they'd leap from the impartial, distant nightly news to my personal, everyday life!
Swiss Re Warned Us About
This Over One Year Ago.
But No One Listened.
It was one year and five months ago — in March 2004.
That's when Swiss Re, the world's second-largest reinsurer, warned us this was going to happen.
Swiss Re is not run by radical environmentalists. Nor is it a company prone to doomsday forecasts. It's one of the most respected and well established financial institutions in the world. But their conclusions are shocking nonetheless.
Here are the main ones:
The cost of natural disasters, aggravated by global warming, threatens to spiral out of control, forcing the human race into a catastrophe of its own making.
Altered weather patterns are emerging as a security threat that could be far greater than the threat of terrorism.
The economic costs could double to $150 billion per year in ten years, hitting insurers with $30-$40 billion in claims.
The situation could careen out of control. Natural and man-made changes could accelerate to such a point that it will become impossible to adapt our socio-economic systems in time.
Global warming will trigger increasingly frequent and violent hurricanes, heat waves, flooding, tornadoes, and cyclones while other areas slip into cold or drought.
At the time, their words were ignored, even laughed at. Now, those same words are echoing loudly in the labyrinths of power.
For many, especially those with an ax to grind, it's often too easy to point to global warming as the root of all evils. I wish it were that simple. It isn't.
For others, it's also been too easy to dismiss global warming as something you and I need never worry about. Again, I wish it were that simple. It's anything but.
Indeed, for many years, scientists had hard data proving that the atmosphere in the tropics was not warming and might even be cooling down.
This data was pivotal. It was the single most important basis for debunking environmentalists who blamed hurricanes, droughts and other weather anomalies on global warming.
But just last month, some of the same scientists who previously were debunking global warming theories, were now recanting.
Reason: They discovered that the pivotal data they were relying on was flat wrong.
It seems that the satellite taking regular temperature readings of the atmosphere had drifted down from its planned orbit.
So instead of measuring the atmospheric temperature during the day, the timing of the readings was shifting gradually toward the night. That made it seem like the atmosphere was cooling, when it was actually heating up.
Hard to believe, isn't it? But one, small, technical error in outer space has had a dramatic, devastating impact on our life, lulling us into believing that global warming was either too close to a fantasy or too far away in time.
Now, suddenly, even some of the most skeptical of scientists, previously lined up against some of the alarmist of environmentalists, are beginning to acknowledge that:
Global warming is a reality. The earth is heating up.
No one can prove conclusively whether it's a naturally occurring phenomenon, man made, or some combination of both.
Regardless of what's causing it, global warming could at least partially be responsible for changes in weather patterns, which, in turn, are related to far more severe droughts and storms.
Much more evidence is needed to connect all the dots. But by the time we have that evidence in hand, it could be too late to head off greater disasters.
All this means damage to crops, disruptions to shipping, and reductions to supplies of nearly every commodity imaginable.
Some of these disruptions are man made. Some are not. In either case, the net effect is the same: New surges coming in the price of oil and energy ... industrial metals and precious metals ... meats and grains ... coffee and sugar ... lumber and paper. |
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| Photos of my Departed Beloved |
[Jun. 26th, 2005|02:08 am] |
Here's a few select photos from the accident. Just a suggestion to all
out there, carry a disposable camera in your glovebox just in case. In
all but the first my car had the front right jacked up clear off the
ground so as to take the weight off the tire, since it was miraculously
not damaged.
<lj-cut text="Accident/Damage Photos">
At the scene of the accident... Notice how close I was to getting out
of the turn, if grandma in her old Cadillac had worn heel I would've
been on the freeway instead of crashed. The African-American gentleman
is the person who hit my car. I got 85% fault since it was a Yield left
turn (though I'd been on the intersection for quite a while) and he got
15% for not watching the road.
This shows the damage better, since the polymer panels conceal it. The
door was struck as well (notice how the panel is bent), but still opens
and closes, albeit a tad bit stiffly. Then again, the door always
closed so smoothly I have been a bit spoiled.
I'm no mechanic, but I have figured out that suspension = dead
Engine compartment, I don't know how easy it is to see (I know what to
look for), but notice the strut is bent and the coolant reservoir and
Compressor got "moved"
Notice minimal wheel well intrusion, you have to pretty much look at the carpet to see it.
Airbags post-deployment. The inside still reeks of them, next time I think I'll order it w/ pine scent powder.
</lj-cut>
My car was well taken care of, and always kept clean. The engine starts
up fine and the transmission goes into gear okay, though I obviously
don't know how it drives. If anyone needs any parts, from glass to
radiator to trim pieces let me know, I'm parting it out. Also, tires
are Sumitomo HTR-200's H-speed-rated, with less than 10K on them if
anyone is interested. The V-thread is no good for snow, but boy they
are quiet and handle great. I had Michelins on beforehand and these are
better.
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 25th, 2005|12:38 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
What Your Dreams Mean... |
Your dreams seem to show that you're a very well adjusted and happy person.
Overall, you are very content in your life.
You tend to be a very productive thinker.
Your dreams indicate that you have very conflicted feelings.
You have a very vivid imagination and a rich creative mind.
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| Dangnabbit |
[Jun. 23rd, 2005|11:49 pm] |
So anyways on Tuesday I was at a red light waiting to take a left turn, stuck behind a short old lady in a 70's Cadillac that smelled like gasoline.
So the light turns solid green (left turn is Yield) and the old lady starts slowly going through it. She probably didn't even have power steering on that old junker.
I check and nobody is coming from the other way so I follow her into it, ever so slooooowly, as does the guy behind me, etc...
So about 5-10 secs later, right when I'm coming out of the turn and letting my steering wheel return to center, I hear tires squealing to my right and look just in time to see a car about to hit me (literally a few feet away). This all happens in very slow motion. I see the dash buckle then a big white thing blocks my view (the passenger airbag) .Then I hear a loud explosion (airbags) and twisting metal noise as my face hits my airbag full speed.
Next thing I know is I'm back in the seat, airbag still finishing off in fron of me, a terrible smell (from the airbag) and the car is full of airbag smoke and powder.
Needless to say the whole thing, especially the airbags were pretty intense
I'm mostly allright, my arms and hands are bruised from the airbag hitting them, my thumbs are weak from having my hand yanked off the wheel at 200-something MPH and my thumb muscle on the top of my arm is really sore, but other than that I'm perfectly fine. My right shin did hurt like the dickens from hitting the bottom of the dash, but it is fine now. The shin pain is pretty bad, considering my soccer days have left my shins impervious to most pain.
I'll try ang get photos of the scene of the accident up tomorrow, and of my beloved Saturn that gave it's life up to keep me from serious harm. The right wheel was pushed into the well, but the floorpan of my car barely budged. I looked closely and only noticed because the carpet had come loose a tiny bit.
Unfortunately, since it's a yield turn, the accident is 85% my fault, which is BS considering nobody waits until the person in front of them is through the turn to do it themselves. The other guy did get 15% for not watching the road. I don't have collision, so I'm out of luck on that, but no hard feelings considering he was corteous and considerate after calming down, unlike those Safe Clear tow truck bastards, stupid $#&*!0~@$ but that's another story.
So...anyone know of a good, cheap used car for sale? |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 23rd, 2005|11:15 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sore | ] |
| [ | music |
| | "Kompressor Does Not Dance" | ] |
The Keys to Your Heart
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You are attracted to obedience and warmth. |
In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored. |
You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. |
You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. |
Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. |
Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. |
You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. |
In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted. |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 12th, 2005|12:34 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Led Zeppelin - "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" | ] |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 15th, 2005|04:18 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Jet Engine Roaring | ] |
DAMN THAT WITCH!!! (If you take it you'll know what I mean)
English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 88% Expert! |
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!
Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!
For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/. |
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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You scored higher than 77% on Beginner |
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You scored higher than 77% on Intermediate |
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You scored higher than 92% on Advanced |
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You scored higher than 97% on Expert |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 1st, 2005|06:03 pm] |
93.7 The Arrow (Houston Friends) is having two contests.
The first is for you to get on their "payroll" at $93.70/hour just for listening.
The second is is an all expense paid trip for two to go see "Cream" live when they perform for the first and only time since 1968 in London.
Obviously those who aren't big Classic Rock fans needn't apply. But if you are, their website is http://www.kkrw.com |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 1st, 2005|05:11 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pensive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | 93.7 The Arrow | ] |
I just thought I'd update since I haven't really for a while...
For those that don't know yet I'm now at Kingwood College and loving it (not to mention it's 1/10 the price). I have also seen a bunch of former Questicles that I hadn't seen in a while. So far I have run across Stroker, Greg, David Henderson, and I did spot Sarah P and Lindsey P (I think that's her name) from a distance. I also have history with Vince.
Other than that it's been pretty much the same old. The only big news is my car rolled over 120,000 miles. I was going to photograph the historical moment but I was driving and didn't expect it to get there so soon. I'l just wait for 123456 instead. I also got a CD/MP3/WMA player w/LCD remote for my car for about $15 (If you ever need a good deal, I'm the man). I was going to set it up but I realized an oversight I made. I have a 4.5V cigarette lighter adapter and the CD player dealie needs 6V. So if anyone has a 6V one laying around I'd appreciate it, or, if appreciation is not enough I'll give you a few bucks for it. Any Audiophase adapter should be 6V and a lot of other brands too (Damn you Sony and your 4.5V)
I have been archiving all my old school stuff, and last night I was going through my Senior Junk and decided to trash (well, recycle) it all, save for (as I recall):
-My Essay
-Solmonson's Essay (after she took out the parts she didn't agree with and added what she did) which was what my final grade was based on
-My binder with everyone's speeches and a folder dealio with out Social Action Plan stuff.
-My class schedule and locker combo card
Pathetic how my Senior year can be summed up in so few things (assuming you exclude the PowerPoint and Portfolio which were digital). The rest was junk, pointless assignments, a big block of handouts from Klepcyk on how to make PowerPoints and whatnot (which I thought was bull, if you didn't know by then you should learn on your own time) and all those SAP things and dumb waste-of-time journals, although I did read Solmonsons replies for the first time. She called me rude and arrogant for saying Renny's group shouldn't have gotten in trouble since they did nothing wrong (which they didn't, they just had the balls to say shit that had to be said).
Might I also mention I still have my fingerpaintings? I figured it was better to keep those and my "Learn Letters" workbook than my figurative "fingerpaintings" from my Senior year. I began to type a huge thing about Quest going to hell after graduating but a page into it I decided I didn't care.
In other news I'm still trying hard to get my business going. I finally have enough money and credit (thanks to Chase automatically giving me a $1000 credit card when I went to open a checking account) to get moving on the retail side of things. Wednesday I'm buying a sample order of two Acer Ferrari notebooks from a guy who's an actual legitimate wholesaler (I checked it out myself, it's all clear. I'm also going to buy purchase insurance just in case). If anyone is interested in a nice new unique laptop with all the bells and whistles (Including DVD Burner) let me know. I am also going to buy a domain and put together a website, as well as hand out flyers and business cards for my computer repair part of my business. Hopefully I'll be out of my current job and making more on my own by the time my birthday rolls around (April 21).
I shall bore you no more (assuming somebody actually read this)
--Marcus |
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