Leslie's Omnibus

Deer in the Headlights

Here's another blot on the copybook of both American big media and the White House's investigation into the party crashers at the recent state dinner -- a Canadian journalist has proof that Obama is not unfamiliar with the Salahis:
Hey Secret Agent Man, here’s Obama, the senator flashing his pearly whites with Randy Jackson, better known as a judge on American Idol. “Others pictured are Black Eyed Peas Rock Band; Tareq Salahi the President of the America’s Polo Cup; President Elect Obama, Fergie from Black eyed Peas and Michaele Salahi, posing this time as a former Miss USA and SuperModel.”
A Canadian journalist gets out the shovel to dig into the story, while American journos and White House investigators apparently dig with a teaspoon.

Fabulous.
_____

Updates here and, more eye-raisingly, here from WorldNetDaily.

(A tip of the cap to Barrie for the pointer!)
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Hmmmm.... I haven't done a Blogthing in a while, but Jay inspired me:




You Are a Knight



You are very unusual and even a bit eccentric. No one can really figure you out easily.

Because you're not predictable, people behave irrationally around you. They may feel threatened by your presence, or they may underestimate you completely.

You do best when you're close to the action. You don't move quickly, so you need to be near the center of things if you want to make a difference.

You tend to act quickly, and decisively. In fact, you are often the first person to make a move.


Yep.
_____

When did Technorati become so utterly useless as a tool to see who links to you and to which posts?
_____

Who knew Yoda spoke in both English and Chinese?

engrish funny heart disease
see more Engrish
_____

Still think universal healthcare is a good idea? See what Dr. Panda has to say about that:
Somewhere, sometime…I don’t know when…the public has dropped even the pretense that the Emergency Department is anything other than an all-hours urgent care or some kind of one-stop shopping for all of your real and imagined medical problems. It it this impatience, the medicalization of all aspects of life, represented by patients demanding instant treatment for things that thirty years ago would be shrugged off that ensures our health care system will bankrupt us, especially when it is free.
Too true.
______

Can I get an "Amen!"?
______

Have you ever received one single cocktail that was designed to erase every bit of constraint you showed for hours?

Just received the single most lethal "Old Fashioned," which is usually light and delicious, in my entire life. It must contain an entire bottle of Angostura Bitters, along with half a liter of Bourbon. My previously wavy hair just stood up straight in a halo around my head. Pray for me.
_____
Leslie

Road to Nowhere

Teresa has been posting rock wall pictures of her New England surrounds for a while now, so I thought I'd post one for her from my last trip to Ireland. This was taken in County Clare on our way to the Cliffs of Mohr, and is literally a road to nowhere, built during the Potato Famine:
Amid the bleak winter, hundreds of thousands of desperate Irish sought work on public works relief projects. By late December 1846, 500,000 men, women and children were at work building stone roads. Paid by piece-work, the men broke apart large stones with hammers then placed the fragments in baskets carried by the women to the road site where they were dumped and fit into place. They built roads that went from nowhere to nowhere in remote rural areas that had no need of such roads in the first place. Many of the workers, poorly clothed, malnourished and weakened by fever, fainted or even dropped dead on the spot.
It's a beautiful place, and a heartbreaking place.
Leslie

Pit Stop

This one's for you, fellas!
_____

And while I have you rabble-rousers' attention, here is the stupidest product with the funniest comments ever. Go read 'em all, then add your own -- the more creative, the better.

(A tip of the cap to the Grunt Doc.)
Leslie

Drive-Bys



No surprises here:

Your PERSONAL issues Score is 100%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 100%.

According to your answers, the political group that agrees with you most is... LIBERTARIAN

LIBERTARIANS support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

(A tip of the cap to Harper.)
_____

Given the above, it's no wonder I find this heart-warming:
The streets of downtown Batavia were going to be dimmer this year -- a $25,000 cut in the city's holiday decorating budget meant leaving lamp poles without lights and sparkly snowflakes in storage.

But many residents love the holidays a lot, so they pledged to pitch in and brighten the city's streets where officials could not.
This is the second town in the area that has responded this way. That's the spirit of America, right there.
_____

Guess what I just bought myself for a pre-Christmas giggle?



You know you want one, too.
_____

Giggle of the Day:

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
_____

JihadGene says, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!"

Alrighty then...

Leslie

Drive-Bys

Since we're spending millions of dollars on a handful of kids in a program just like this this year, I'll be interested to see the results of this study on the efficacy violence prevention programs.

Call me a cock-eyed optimist, but I really hope this particular program is measurably successful.

If not, I can think of a ton of other places where we could spend the money. But it would be really, really nice if this worked. Too many dead kids this year.
_____

Now THIS would be a hell of an excuse to miss a few extra days of work, and it would be quite comical to be a fly on the wall when the boss gets the news...
_____

What's My Reading Pet Peeve?

My number one biggie these days is that publishers are making paperbacks a little wider, a lot longer and way heavier than they used to, and charging a premium of at least $2 more per book for something that's unnecessarily weighty, difficult to read because the spine isn't as bendy, and provides no more real content than any other paperback by the same author.

Just saying...
_____

Well, DUH! But it won't happen...
_____

Thought for the Day:

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Leslie

Quick Stop

Quote of the Day:

Talking about changing the channel to a person who still hasn't taken the television home is denying reality.


Omnibus Driver
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day, compliments of It Made My Day:
My nephew is potty training, so the other day I went with him to the bathroom to do Number 2. I noticed he was grunting and pushing pretty hard so I told him, “If you keep doing that you’ll blow a gasket.” No sooner had I said this, he unleashed an incredible fart. He looked at me with panic in his eyes and said, “I just blew a gasket!” IMMD
Also this priceless gem:
I went through a McDonald’s drive thru and said “I can has cheeseburger?” There was a pause before I heard “Nom Nom Nom” on the other end. IMMD
Straight to the RSS feed!
_____

JihadGene says, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!"

Alrighty, then. Here's a new video I found of those wonderful kids from Killarney -- Rasher & The Trainwrecks:



That'll get your toes tapping!
_____

Oh, the humanity!
_____

Ya think???
_____

Quote of the Day:
Many Muslims desperately flee these countries for the West in order to pursue their more extreme brand of Islam. We give them the freedom to do so--in effect the freedom to hate us.
Wrap your head around that for a minute.
_____

I love me some etsy... but I adore Regretsy. It elevates fug to a whole new level of wrong.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

This photo gallery looks like the cause of the world's largest hangover... or possibly the best blogmeet ever.
_____

Ah, Illinois politicians -- you've got to love them:
The campaign of Chicago attorney and Democratic Senate candidate Jacob Meister said it began airing one-minute TV ads in central Illinois today in which he contends that helping the economy and creating jobs is more important than battling corruption.
You notice that he never made the connection that a corrupt system caused our economy problems in the first place.

At least he's honest about it.
_____

Speaking of the honesty of Illinois pols, here's a little zinger from our Chicken-In-Charge:
“What I think is appropriate is that in the same way that everybody has to get auto insurance and if you don't, you're subject to some penalty, that in this situation, if you have the ability to buy insurance, it's affordable and you choose not to do so, forcing you and me and everybody else to subsidize you, you know, there's a thousand dollar hidden tax that families all across America are -- are burdened by because of the fact that people don't have health insurance, you know, there's nothing wrong with a penalty.”
Thanks, Big Guy. You almost slipped that one right past us.
_____

And more honesty in Chicagoland today, this by a well-known radio host and opinion columnist (nope -- he's not a reporter), speaking about bloggers and blog commenters:
I've got news for you: The "town hall meeting" was invented by politicians to make you think that your opinion actually counts. It doesn't. A town hall meeting just gives people with too much time on their hands a chance to vent. Beyond that, it's an insult to broadcasters and journalists who have at least taken the time to form an opinion longer than a sentence and have actually done some research. What's the point of doing all of that, when any knucklehead has the same access to the people you brought to the party in the first place?
Nice to know the only opinion that counts is a journalist's. And that only a journalist knows how to do research. And the media wonders why many of us resent them?
_____

How to Win a Fight With a Liberal is the ultimate survival guide for political arguments

My Conservative Identity:

You are a Flag-Waving Everyman, also known as a patriot. You believe in freedom, apple pie, rooting for America at all times, and that God gave us a two-day weekend so we could enjoy football and NASCAR.

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com



(Gleefully snitched from Yabu.)
_____

Okay, I'm not to sure about these envelopes and I sure wouldn't get this custom nail art done, but I'm thinking the bacon popcorn and bacon ranch dressing mix sound pretty good.

I'm blaming Barb, who knows I think bacon is one of Nature's Perfect Foods.
_____

People are nuts. Really.
_____

Speaking of nuts: What's wrong with this headline?

That's about fourteen different levels of wrong.
_____

Quote of the Day:

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

You may be as surprised by this as we are ourselves, but from this day forward George W. and Laura Bush are now on the same list for us as the Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and the other political figures we keep in our hearts and never allow anyone to badmouth.

Criticize their policies academically and intelligently and discuss the Bush presidency in historical and political terms…but you mess with the Bushes personally and, from this day forward, you’ll answer to us.

We hope someday to be able to thank George W. and Laura in person for all they’ve done, and continue to do. They didn’t have to head to Ft. Hood. That was not their responsibility.

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

Go read the whole thing here.
_____

Giggle of the Day:

hugh jackman
see more Lol Celebs
_____

Ear Worm of the Day:

Leslie

Bus Fumes

Sooooo...
... but they all missed this, which made my head explode this morning:
President Obama invoked the Fort Hood shootings in an emotional appeal to Democrats to pass health care reform today, contrasting the sacrifices of soldiers with political positioning.

The impassioned pitch to the entire Democratic caucus came hours before the House vote tonight on the signature issue of Obama’s presidency, with Democratic leaders struggling to keep members from conservative districts on board.

“He was absolutely inspiring. In a very moving way, he reminded us what sacrifice really is,” said New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, estimating the persuader-in-chief turned several votes.

“Sacrifice is not casting a vote that might lose an election for you; it is the sacrifice that someone makes when they wear the uniform of this country and that unfortunately a number of people made this week,” said Andrews.

“It made a lot of people feel a little less sorry for themselves about their political problems,” he added. “This is an emotional time for a lot of our folks politically, but this is politics and I think he correctly pointed out what’s a heck of a lot more important.
The Chicken-in-Chief can't be bothered to get his ass down to Fort Hood to show one iota of compassion for the dead, the wounded or their families and fellow soldiers, but he can invoke them for his own political purposes???

I. Am. Outraged.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Driving in Illinois? Here's the latest idiocy they're ticketing for:
An increasing number of drivers are being cited for windshield and window obstructions, which can include anything an officer deems to "materially obstruct" a driver's vision. The only exceptions are government-issued items such as I-PASS boxes and parking stickers.
Yep. That pine-scented air freshener hanging from your rearview mirror can net you a ticket and a search. Whether you're coming for a visit or live in the state, take 'em down.
_____

Well, finally!
Yusuf Ishaq said he resented hearing Hasan called a "devout Muslim" because his actions contradict that. "The man is mentally sick," said Ishaq, of the Bridgeview mosque. "We condemn his actions. ... Islam does not permit what (he) did."

"....We have chosen to be a part of this community," Mustapha said. "We have first, second and third generations that grew up with no other homeland but the United States. We are a part of this country and serve it honorably. We are Americans; we are most concerned about this country."
In the Chicago community, anyway, this is a step in the right direction. More, please.
_____

Did you recently refinance your mortgage using Counselor's Title Company? If so, you may be in for a world of hurt. And if you're considering refinancing, read the article anyway. Make sure you are protected.
_____

Because I needed to hear something heart-warming today:
When Lake Park closes the competition with a near-perfect show, Marian's hopes sink.

Near midnight, a voice bellows the results on the PA system, counting down from 12th place. The announcer says that second place goes to Lake Park. Marian Catholic has won the state championship.

The kids try hard not to erupt. "Shhh, shhhh, shhh," they say to each other, having been instructed time and again that it's not about winning.

Then, a surprise: Lake Park band director Chiodo instructs his students to face the Marian students and play a chorale in their honor. Tears flow from both bands, and from Bimm as well.

The audience files out, and Bimm speaks to his kids.

"Being named the champions today is a huge honor," Bimm says. "But I want you to think about something. ...

"There were some pretty not-happy faces when we finished the performance, because some of you didn't perform as well as you wanted to."

The lesson of the night, adds Bimm, came from Lake Park's impromptu salute.

"With great dignity, they turned around and played for you," Bimm says. "We should try to be like them."
Yeah. It made me tear up a bit.
_____

Gotta head for the shower. I'm meeting Mr. Bill to go see "Mojo Mickybo" this afternoon.

Yes, I know. It's going to inspire me to keep a sharp eye out for another cheap flight to Ireland... which I miss already.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

This has to be some kind of record:


And how do you think the good folks who voted this stellar representative are going to feel about that?

And that healthcare bill he's so wild about now? Whether or not you like it, if you don't buy a $15,000 policy and cover your spouse and your children, you can be fined up to $250k and go to jail.

And if you still think that bill is a good idea, get a load of this:




(A tip of the cap to Mog for the video.)

Truly frightening, folks.
_____

Our former Commander in Chief, Chimpy McBushHitler Halliburton, shows far more grace and concern than the current one. But, since Totus is ill, perhaps he can't be trusted to go off-message and inappropriately jocular again.
_____

Let's remember what's really important here -- the people who lost their lives, the wounded and their families, friends and comrades.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

You know, maybe if we had a little more of punishment like this for petty offenses there might not be as many escalating offenses:


(Photo: Bedford County District Attorney/Associated Press)

It's a thought.
_____

Haaaaaaaaahahahaha! Little Levi cried "Unfair!" to Conan... and gets Shat Upon again:



Karma's a bitch, kiddo.
_____

Pelosi actually does as promised?

Congressional Hispanics agree that illegal aliens should not be covered under Obamacare?

The DEA makes it easy for old and dying people to get their pain meds?

To quote Balki Bartakamous, "Dun't be ree-dic-cue-los!"


_____

The new teaser is out for "Despicable Me". I can't wait for this to come out:


_____

Giggle of the Day:

epic fail pictures
see more Epic Fails
Leslie

At The Crossroad...

... of Rage and Heartbreak...

...I think I'm going to follow Michael Yon's advice when it comes to discussing the horrific events of yesterday at Fort Hood:

First reports are notoriously wrong. The shooter already has been killed then resurrected by the media. Some media are in a frenzy and so the reports are particularly untrustworthy at this time. Now is not a time to psychoanalyze the attacker by using a media-supplied telescope that already said he was dead, and that there were multiple attackers. Media: STOP, please. There will be time to pursue answers and justice after Christmas. We must remember that family members lost loved ones just before the holidays. Justice and answers will come with time.

Most important is to remember that we have just lost a dozen people. Others are wounded. Children and other family members will need care and thoughtful attention.

And pray. I can do that.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Given the current state of the economy, I figured this must be a joke. Nope. Luxury ice cubes at $8 a pop. Words fail...
_____
"Levi Says Tonight Show 'Shat' on Him"
Heh. It's called karma, Levi.
_____

This crazy story about bare bears got me to reminiscing about the Fuzzy Wuzzy bath soap I begged for as a kid. Vile stuff, actually. And lookie -- you can get new and improved Fuzzy Wuzzy soaps here and here.



Remember now?
_____

Well, phooey. Another Chicago classic is going down the tubes.
_____

Planning on traveling by plane over the holidays? Then you might want to read this warning that flights may be cut. Overbooking is always a problem, but it sounds like it may be far worse than normal this year.
_____

If you're coming to Chicago, be sure and schedule a little time for a walk around the Aqua Building. This photo doesn't do it justice, as it seems to undulate like water as you walk around it. Truly spectacular!
_____

Quote of the Day:
I’m sorry, but I don’t care how if you can do pushups with your tongue. When you dress like Mr. Furley it kills it, man.
Too funny!
_____

Okay... the Dems' healthcare bill is now over 2,000 pages and includes even more governmental controls, which you know will just pile on the administrative costs. Their "uninsurables" plan requires a six month wait.

The proposed GOP plan would reduce premiums and cut the deficit. They're not saying "no." They're saying "Let's try this first."

The GOP plan makes one hell of a lot more sense to me. I just wish they'd pushed for this years ago.
_____

Giggle of the Day:

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Leslie

Stopping Traffic

My heart goes out to those who were wounded or lost their lives at Fort Hood today, those who live and/or work there, and their families. This is simply heart-wrenching.

Please send up a prayer for all of them.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Why do I love me some Mamacita? Because she tells it like it is:
Well-behaved children are the most wonderful, beautiful things in the universe. Children who are not, are the opposite of wonderful and beautiful. Parents who do not require proper behavior in public from themselves and from their children are ____________________ well, you fill in the blank yourselves, why dontcha. There are many synonyms for “assholes” in any Dollar Tree thesaurus.

Bring it on.
Bravo!
_____

Data on stimulus data doesn't add up?

Governor Quinn follows in the Blagoviator's footsteps and keeps free rides for seniors even though the RTA is financially strapped?

Unemployment numbers will continue to look like absolute crap for some time to come?

Pelosi once again displays disdain for the voting public?

To quote Gomer Pyle,


_____

Having more than 3 cats requires a kennel license? Why can't we apply this to people, as well?
_____

Becky made me spew my morning chai all over my monitor.
_____

I know what Eric should be for Halloween next year:

woody harrelson
see more Lol Celebs

And here's a little article on the history of zombies for you, too.
_____

Two little pieces of good news on the food front.
_____
Leslie

Is It Me...

Conversation with my No. 2 Boss a few moments ago:
No. 2: "Is it warm in here?"

Me: "Dude! I'm 51 years old and just beginning to know what a hot flash is. Do you really think I'm the right person to ask???"

No. 2: "I was afraid you were going to say that..."
So I admit it -- I'm going to start with the premise that, until and unless someone under the age of 40 tells me it's warm first, yes, it's me.

I'm so not mentally ready for this.
Leslie

Whoa, Nelly!

I awoke from a very strange dream this morning. There was a leak in my living room and my books were getting soaked. As I was frantically trying to rescue them, the Princess Mom came into the room and started giving me grief about the state of my underpants, paying no attention whatsoever to all the water flowing into the room.

(Not underWEAR -- underPANTS. She said it over and over again in the dream.)

And really, my underpants were just fine -- clean, unfrayed, no holes.

It must have been her x-ray vision* at work, because I was fully clothed in the dream, too.

I'm sure good old Sigmund Freud would have a field day with this...
_____

*I don't know about your mom, but MY mom sure had it.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Soooooo... how's that stimulus plan working out for you? Big government continues to scare big business out of heavily-taxed states, that's for sure. Even The L.A. Times is finally getting the picture:
In what respects, then, does California "excel"? California's state and local government employees were the best compensated in America, according to the Census Bureau data for 2006. And the latest posting on the website of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility shows 9,223 former civil servants and educators receiving pensions worth more than $100,000 a year from California's public retirement funds. The "dues" paid by taxpayers in order to belong to Club California purchase benefits that, increasingly, are enjoyed by the staff instead of the members.
Not on the government's payroll? There's hope for you yet. After all, the Dem's healthcare bill will create 111 new government bureaucracies that'll need staffing. That's the ticket!
_____

Saw this, and thought that maybe it's something "The Bride" might be wanting to order ahead for my BlogDaddy for Christmas. It's right up his alley.
_____

I saw this, and thought it was a common sense aproach to a real problem. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one of those Global-Warming-Sky-Is-Falling-We're-All-Gonna-Die nutjobs. I do, however, really hate to see the amount of waste we produce willy-nilly every day. So this is teaching responsibility and good stewardship, without going overboard on the dogma.

Good show.
_____

It's incidents like this that illustrate why it's a crying shame that CTA took conductors off the El trains:
Screaming "the train took my baby,'' a mother watched in horror as a CTA train pulled away from a North Side station with her baby and stroller stuck in the doors.

The train dragged the stroller until it hit a barrier at the end of the Morse station and the 22-month-old girl flew onto the tracks, missing the third rail, police said. The mother jumped onto the tracks, scooped up her child and handed her up to someone on the platform, he said.
Thank all that is holy that the baby is okay. But this is just not good.
_____
Police are accusing a 22-year-old upstate New York man of hanging his girlfriend's four-month-old kitten with a belt and making a video of the animal struggling.
You know my philosophy -- the punishment should equal the crime. Literally.
_____

I wondered about this. Didn't you? (Ugh!)
_____

If you heard loud weeping and gnashing of teeth from the eastern shores, it's not that he's upset about potential voter fraud; oh, no! Jimbo just got this news:


_____

Just a quick note that the boots that I ordered from Endless.com yesterday arrived today. They clearly run a size small, so I'm sending them back. Start to finish, my dealings with this e-tailer have been wonderful -- free overnight shipping; free return shipping; easy-to-use and liberal return policy.

As soon as my refund hits the debit card, I'll be ordering another pair in a larger size.

No, they didn't pay me to say this. Yes, I'll order from them again. This is how you succeed in business.
_____
Leslie

On the Radio...

... in my head:




... and...

Leslie

Signs

Once again The Lipstick Mystic (via the RedEye) believes yours truly has a much more interesting love life than reality:
Leo
July 23-Aug. 22


You're pushing ahead with a romance. [Lies! I'm behaving myself and waiting patiently.] Mars is turning you into a dominatrix. You want your lover to obey you and satisfy your every demand, but your honey could be preoccupied with an ex. Give him or her time to end that old relationship.
Sure thing. In the meantime, I just ordered some new winter boots illustrative of my demure and girly nature. Behold.
_____

Want your weekly horror-scope? Drop me a note in the comments and I'll post your sign's for you.
Leslie

Quick Stop

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

(Smile!)
Leslie

Drive-Bys

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum? Sounds like something a certain pirate I know would love! (Not that I'd want to be a bad influence or anything...
_____

I'm guessing these educators sprung as fully-formed 40 year old prigs from their parents' loins. Clearly they were never children, who are more bloody-minded than most adults when it comes to costumes.
_____

It's no secret that I consider bacon one of nature's perfect foods. Which is why I regret like hell missing this bacony blowout.

It's also why I'm adding this Bacon and Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe and this recipe for Maple-Bacon and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Templeton Rye Bacon Walnut Glaze to to my list of must-tries.
_____

This is the stupidest bit of jurisprudence I've seen in a long, long time. She knowingly legally waived those rights long ago. Why in the world the judge gave her a do-over after 20 years is beyond me.
_____

McDonald's blew it here. They should have hired those kids for their next ad campaign instead of having them arresting for a harmless and creative bit of fun. Sheesh. Some people have no sense of humor.
_____

Why do my friends and I call it Therapy Night?

Leslie