The opinionated fool declareth:

Ecumenism marches on: Methodist leaders sign the 1999 Catholic-Lutheran agreement on Justification . Cool.

We need Peeeerrrry Maaaaasoooooon!! ...I'm just sayin'... That's it for now. (Some here will get it.)

One of the overlooked benefits of drive-through Taco Cabana is that they'll throw in 4-5 little containers of pico de gallo and salsa in the bag as you drive off. When it gets to be 2am and you're still trying to catch up on work (because you're a dumb ox) these little containers become known as "delicious bites of rejuvenation." You pop the lid off, and throw the tomatoy-oniony-cilantroey-jalapenoey goodness down the esophagus... you feel the cool, juicy goodness sink down into your stomache. Mmmm.

Last night was spent at the range with Galindo and his old man. The plan originally was to snatch up the private side of the shooting range for some dynamic shooting drills, but some incapable (by the looks of it, a poor grey-haired 40-year-old) police officer was getting some kind of private instruction since she'd apparently failed her marksmanship exam with the force. Given how pathetic I've heard the shooting requirements are... yikes. Doesn't inspire much confidence in the local protectors, if you know what I mean. At any rate, we were shooting in the lanes for a while, but then we got a chance to set up some targets and cover spots for some timed drills over on the private side afterall. I have to say, it's a completely different (and really, really fun) way to do train. It's a completely different form of control. I surprised myself with how well I did on some of the set ups, and how, um, inadequate I did on some of the other shots. Galindo's got ...

Because this song is so righteously awesome, you must go listen to it. You can either grab it from the link below, or as always, from the link over on the right bar. Sometimes it's just good to fling names at society. Nihilistic mystics Apostolic alcoholics Messianic manics Cataclysmic and prolific In the age of super-boredom Hype and mediocrity Celebrate relentlessness Menace to society Refuse is our inspiration Terrorism our trade Sabotage and piracy Chaos our mental state Mesmerizing festering Intended for the faint of heart Cultish and anthemic Untill death us do part Like a fiendish tropic virus Spitting bile at all you whores Razor-sharp tongue-in-cheek Poking in your open sores A wolf in sheep's clothing The ultimate disgrace Wrapped up as a gift of god Exploding in your face This is counter culture from the underground Eternal revolution this is our sound. Megalomaniac - by KMFDM (Full link to a Google-cached lyrics' site: Kosher, virus-free link. )

From the guy's own blog : 'Yes, I know, I know: ESCR offers the "best hope" for new treatments. "The scientists" keep saying it again, and again. The only trouble is, the actual science reported to date seems to tell a different story.' Story. 'STEM cells taken from human fat can be transformed into smooth muscle cells, offering a way to treat many kinds of heart disease, gastrointestinal and bladder ills, US researchers reported today.'

UN post bombed by Israel was known to be used by Hezbollah for cover. "the Canadian peacekeeper killed there had previously emailed Mackenzie telling him that Hizballah was using their post as cover." The correct thing in that situation is try to abscond without getting blown to bits by either side that are blowing rockets towards each other. The incorrect thing to do would be to stay where you are, get killed, then have the UN grow angry with Israel for "deliberately" targeting your station.

I accidentally archived my ClustR map for this site, so in effect it kind of started over. You can click on the map picture and it will take you to the list of past maps if you want. Ah well.

Hmmm. ...the lead plaintiffs in the Massachusetts same-sex marriage case three years ago, Julie and Hillary Goodridge are splitting up...

Roughly one-third of the male fish in British rivers are developing female characteristics, in a frightening trend that could severely upset the ecological balance of the waterways. What's more, the trend could affect humans, with a devastating effect on fertility. The problem is apparently caused by certain chemicals used in pest-control treatment, which cannot be removed by existing methods of sewage treatment. Environmentalists are urgently calling for a ban on those pesticides. Oh, wait. That's not right. The first part of the story is true. Male fish are developing female traits , and the implications -- for fish and for humans -- are indeed frightening. And the problem is caused by chemicals that sewage-treatment plants cannot remove. But those chemicals aren't used by farmers as pesticides. The culprits are estrogens, used by millions of women in birth-control pills. Needless to say, environmentalists are not calling for a ban on the use of the Pill. Everyone knows t...

The brand-new 1998 Ford Taurus is road-worthy . Which is to say: awesome. I could get used to comfy seats, an unstained interior that doesn't smell, alarm system, power everything... and air-conditioning. The car doesn't even shake when you go over 65MPH... you know that's quality. Thanks Justin. I owe you.

Bombs launched by Hezbollah falling in/near residential parts of Israel (apparently Haifa) . Just can't imagine what that would be like if it started raining rockets here in Houston... Scary stuff. Prayers needed.

Brain Age ™ is pretty awesome.

Perhaps you heard last week that researchers were able to create (in mice) sperm from embryonic stem cells. What this means is that they reall first created an embryo from an adult cell (via somatic cell nuclear transfer , or some derivative of that technique), thus cloning the first mouse, but then after dismembering the new cloned mouse embryo for its cells, they direct the cells, through some delicate treatments and culturing techniques, to mature into germ cells (the cells that eventually go on to form gametes - sperm and eggs) and then into sperm. You see, vertebrates specify their germ cells very, very early in development. In zebrafish, primordial germ cells containing high levels of RNA coding for a special gene called vasa are known to exist within the first 13 cycles of cell division, this is before even the three basic cell layers have been established (endo- meso- and ecto-derm), thus making it one of the first major cell specification events currently known. In mice, ...

It remains to be seen what effect this drug would have on human brain, but in rats, it seems to encourage the production of new neurons in the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's Disease. It's just another example of something else that might work in lieu of, say, cells from unborn children being injected into your face. [Edit: forgot the Link. ]

...sooner or later, God'll cut you down... I'm up early to get some stuff done before meeting with the boss man later this morning, but I just have to tell you guys a few things. First: the last Johnny Cash album, "American V: A Hundred Highways" is... great stuff! The man wrote it as he was dying - he and his son and a recording engineer did most of the voice recordings in his hospice bed. It's replete with broken and old Johnny Cash breaking his cackling voice, struggling to sing along with haunting melodies and some good gospel-ish and roots rock music. Man, it breaks your heart to listen to it, because he was basically singing out his last message: Lord, help me smile Another smile, just one more smile; You know I just can't make it on my own. I never thought I needed help before; I thought that I could get by - by myself. Now I know I just can't take it any more. With a humble heart, on bended knee, I'm beggin' You, please, help me. Come ...

Uploaded an MP3 to my server, now you should be able to grab it. :)

I have hosting again! Wootilicious! I can show pictures (like the logo above and the my picture off to the right). And load up another .mp3 for you guys to pirate... YARRRR!

I'm going to go to sleep early tonight, and wake up kicking ass tomorrow. Boo-yeah!

Look at what's buried in the last five paragraphs of this article: U.N. vote on N. Korea sanctions delayed (Such a non-exciting sounding heading...) That's Japan, saying that a preemptive strike may be within the bounds of self-defense... I've heard it said that the N/S Korea border is the most heavily armed place on the planet. Something like 2 million soldiers on each side, enough conventional artillary aimed at each other to destroy Seoul and every major city in both countries within a half an hour of the beginning of an all out attack - something like 15 million people dead almost instantaneously. Would that happen if Japan hopped in and started exploding N. Korea's missile sites?

I successfully executed yet another "Holterhoff Exit" from my bicycle on the way into work today. Layed the bike down, did two barrel rolls (well, half barrel rolls and half forward flips), landed on my feet, literally standing from the rolling momentum. I did a little hop, then pumped my hands in the air in a victorious gymnast's salute. It was yet another instance of wishing my life were videotaped, since I bet I looked pretty slick. I swear, being a goalkeeper for 14 years (longer?) will really teach you how to fall correctly and without harming your body. And really, all I have to show for it is gravel ground into the exposed flesh of my hands where they scored against the sidewalk. Beats a broken arm or leg, right? :)

I just made like four posts. Don't neglect to read the new ones way down there beyond the boring political, religious and snake-related posts. :P

That's "The Pen is Mightier, not 'Penis Mightier!'" And the answer (in question, form) is: What is a "hatchet job!" Right! What the heck am I talking about? A hatchet job is a journalism piece that does nothing but raise questions without attempting to answer them, or report on them. A perfectly infuriating example is this Wired.com Associated Press article. Read it now if you can. Done? What did it say? Let me try to paraphrase or something: "Uh... the Bush administration broke the law." Wait. It didn't say that. Let me try again: "Uh... the Bush administration didn't tell lawmakers what it was doing. And that's illegal." Wait. It didn't say that. Let me try again: "IT DIDN'T FUCKING SAY ONE GODDAMNED THING!" (Added a moment later, for emphasis: "AT ALL!" Really? Really, really? Really. A proper paraphrasing would be: "The Bush administration maybe did something wrong by not reporting...

The good news, one supposes, is that lots of fed up, beat up, and theologically exhausted Anglicans will probably convert en masse to Catholicism if this Mother Jesus bullshit continues. (Sorry Jesus, not for cursing, but for repeating the Episcopalian Church's Presiding "Bishopess"'s damned pathetic attempt to name you in a transgendered form. [Post edit: here's a link with some commentary on the "Mother Jesus" reference the Bishopess used. Raging liberal warning: NewsBusters is a pretty sickeningly conservative site. Don't blame me if you go blind from click on that link!]) At any rate, in an attempt to patch a flat tire on the plummeting airplane known as the "Anglican Communion" (comprised of many different national churches and sub-denominations - in America it's mainly the Episcopalian Church) apparently Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury (who oversees the Anglican Communion... well... kindof by influence - he h...

Just for the "wow" factor, here are some of the coolest snakes I've seen breeders advertise: Purple/orange reticulated python Orange-eyed python Black Eyed Leucistic (totally white body, awesome looking eyes) Piebald ball pythons have localized patterned spots and whitely-pigmented spots. The genetic engineering that breeders employ is actually really quite awesome... I do a lot of fish husbandry, so I can appreciate a good animal breeding strategy. Hahaha!

Had myself a rubusto-sized madura AVO cigar tonight, along with a Rolling Rock. Sometimes it's just good to take an easy Sunday evening chatting it up with friends. Eric and Katie's backyard is really, really nice - they've put a lot of effort changing a square of grass into a sweet backyard. And if you douse yourself in bug repellant, you don't get eaten! I think what helped make it really enjoyable was the neighbor that was playing some Johnny Cash in his garage. Good stuff. I did some cleaning and maintenance stuff around the apartment, so this weekend I kind of made a point to enjoy my clean apartment, clean clothes, clean dishes, clean car... it's good being clean. :) Oh, and on a trip to Sam's club, I picked up a giant pack of Terriyaki beef jerky, 2 giants multi-packs of chewing gum, two bed pillows (had to throw out my old saliva-stained pillows from college a while ago), and a Yamaha keyboard. Something I've wanted for a long time, but never ...

...to my earlier post postulating that children are forced to follow militant Palestinian Arab around as they fight Israel and act as human shields: Link. So it appears they are brainwashed into willingly seeking out these clashes and being present for them.

The Man on the Brink™ is currently looking for a new (used) car. If you or a friend, or mother or uncle or neighbor is currently looking to get rid of their car, please let me know. I'm not picky, but it would absolutely great if it had air conditioning. It's hard to be Mr. Classy Man on the Brink™ when you show up places sweaty as a mug. Unfortunately I think the brake system in the Volvo, which I've known for about a year is on it's way completely out on the front left axle, is audibly starting to wear through, and the estimation was $600-plus for all the componenture. Doesn't seem like it would make sense to repair it. So there you have it.

(Click picture for link.) "Militants from Palestinian Popular Resistant Committee hold a news conference in Gaza city, Gaza Strip, July 4, 2006." Note the kids over there. I think if you pay attention whenever these terrorists move about in public, they always do so with a bunch of human shields kept in close with them. They're not stupid. Imagine Bush or Kerry holding their press conferences with Kalishnikov riflemen mongering around. Oh wait, legitimate governing forces don't need to appear in press conferences armed to the teeth in body armor and automatic rifles with identity-masking face covers.

Our kids watch Cliffard or Arthur, or even Sesame Street. Their kids are shown state-broadcast propaganda instructing them to blow themselves up and go fly kites in Heaven for the Cause . I shall go with no fear, no tears, How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs! I shall go to my place in heaven, How sweet is the fragrance of the martyrs! (And who caught the irony of the propaganda's insinuation that Heaven would be a Western ideal - kite-flying in a park and ferris-wheels in an amusement park...) That is messed up ...

Oh, I just read that a NY state court ruled that same-sex marriage should be decided by elected officials. Shocking... what is this novel form of government?!

I told my boss that I was considering the priesthood. He didn't freak out.

Oh god, that ignoramus asshole is blowing rockets by the hour over there in Korea...

Can you imagine the outrage, the mind-numbing fear and loathing that the media and other secular organizations would reel with, if George Bush said the same things as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? Washington and Lincoln make Bush look like some kind of back-bench casual church-goer who's just there for something to do. And Washington in his letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Savannah, after he became president, reminded the nation that “the same wonder-working Deity” whose name “is Jehovah” who had rescued the Israelites from Egypt was active in 1776 in “establishing these United States as an independent nation.” Happy July 4th (a few hours late, yes!) and let us pray that God continues to watch over our country.

I added a counter over there to remind people that it's not a trivial matter, that each day carries some consequence....

Alright. I think I said this already, but my internet hosting ran out. I'm currently trying to find a place to upload and store my portrait and alos the website's logo, which were lost at sea when the host sunk. Also, I can't remember the other thing I was going to say. Alright.

In honor of the 4th of July, and the birthday (more or less) of America, here are a couple videos to show you how to do it up right this Tuesday: With firecrackers, or Bottle rockers. O_o Oh yeah, happy birthday to my sister also, who once agains gains the 2 years advantage over me. :)