Ingemar Johansson, R.I.P.

Obit here. What an exciting fight his victory over Floyd Patterson was. I actually remember that fight & the two tough ones that followed, fights that Patterson won. Looking back, I believe that the heavyweight division of boxing opened my eyes in terms of race. For some reason, Patterson, Liston, & the great "Greatest!" Ali became heroes to a white kid in far north Wisco. I have mentioned the green AM radio that opened up the world to me, or, at least, WLS & that other station where Dick Biondi was a DJ. More here.

Winning!

Losing!

Michael Gableman, Stupider Than I Suspected

& I suspected he would make a moron appear to be Bertrand Russell.* Gableman just handed down his first, um, opinion. He attempts to be, what, Solomon? by sort of agreeing with the majority & sort of paying the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce back for the millions they threw his way in the worst election in the history of Wisco. Gableman is someone to be truly ashamed of, here in Wisco. He's right up there with Jeffrey Dahmer, Joe McCarthy, Ed Gein, &, of course, the Dairy Princess. There is still the controversy surrounding Gableman's relationship with certain goats that needs to be settled, but, hey, he's got to pay back the WMC first. K-Y jelly anyone? Y'all can go here to read more.

*"If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years."

--Bertrand Russell

Stinking It Up

Sorry for that. The Kid sends along this which concerns the important international diplomacy the Bu$hCo assministration was working on during the final days of his attempt to ruin America. Frankly, I am surprised by this action since it would seem that anything that would cover up the stink of the Bu$hCo years would be welcome by Bu$hCo himself. I suppose he wanted to give the French one last poke in the nose.

Big, White Polar Bears

Polar Bears. Cool animals. Big animals. Go here to help them out, just don't feed the bears, please, I can not be responsible for any Captain Hooks, OK?

& now the really cute, no walrus YouTube.

Just Excellent

Pres. Obama sure picked a great bill to be the first one he signed.

Mr. Obama was surrounded by a group of beaming lawmakers, most but not all of them Democrats, in the East Room of the White House as he affixed his signature to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law named for an Alabama woman who at the end of a 19-year career as a supervisor in a tire factory complained that she had been paid less than men.

After a Supreme Court ruling against her, Congress approved the legislation that expands workers’ rights to sue in this kind of case, relaxing the statute of limitations.

“It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness,” the president said.

He said was signing the bill not only in honor of Ms. Ledbetter — who stood behind him, shaking her head and clasping her hands in seeming disbelief — but in honor of his own grandmother, “who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up again” and for his daughters, “because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams.”

& this is also good news. The next step, of course, is to bring these war criminals to justice, Iraqi or American? It just doesn't matter, as long as the thugs who murdered 17 people are held accountable for their actions, as long as the consequences do not include the barbarous death-penalty.

US security contractor Blackwater was unprovoked when it opened fire on civilians in Baghdad three weeks ago, killing 17 people and wounding 22, an Iraqi probe into the shooting has found.

My emphasis.

NOTE: I know, loyal four readers, that there has been a dearth, in fact, a lot of dearth, in the blogging from coldH2Oville this week. Part of the problem is that I have been obsessing on firewood. We will not have enough for this winter, so I need to decide whether to dig the last of the oak out of the snow & bring it on down to the house, or, pay an exorbitant price for a face* cord or two of dry, split wood. & these, dear readers, are the only options we/I have.

*This link tells you all you about the measuring of wood, & how to not get ripped off.

You may also see wood advertised by a "face cord" with the length of the pieces. A 24 inch face cord is 24 inches wide by four feet high by eight feet long.

There have been other probs, to be sure, but the firewood thing is the best excuse, far better than, say, getting my blood pressure to go up!

Here's Some Legacy I Can Believe In

From one of my MySpace friends, Mem Shannon. Enjoy.

This Must Be The Result Of Bu$hCo's Freedom Agenda

Off to jail with you, you, you blogger.

Here's A cup Of Good News

Finally.

After controlling for numerous socioeconomic and health factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the scientists found that the subjects who had reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less. People who drank more than five cups a day also were at reduced risk of dementia, the researchers said, but there were not enough people in this group to draw statistically significant conclusions.

This information does, of course, run a bit counter to my cardiologist's desires. I've come to limit myself to one double Americana in a medium to go cup per day. Once in a while I'll have a Depth Charge, instead of hot water to fill the cup up after the shots, I fill it up with caffeinated coffee.

B.J. Van Hollen, Er, J.B. Van Hollen Claims To Have Known Drunken Drivers Personally

Who knew? However, with legal thinking like this, wouldn't all crimes be considered a mistake & therefore a first offender would not be subject for jail or prison? J.B. Van Hollen, the best friend a drunk with a car ever had.

(NOTE:  I know I'm late on this, but....., forgive me, sue me, decide to undo me.)

An Excellent Punch In The Gonads Of Roberts, Alito, Kennedy, Thomas, & The Fat, Loudmouth In The Duck Blind

Lily win big one. As soon as President Obama signs this bill, it'll be a little bit easier to breathe, no thanks to Bu$hCo & his & his Yes-Sir Supreme Court.

Fat Loudmouth In The Duck Blind

For That Special Someone

Who keeps bringing this up at inappropriate times. I want spring for the fish, some apparently want spring for the balls.

"We'll know his salary for the next two years," Melvin said. "We'll still have him the following year, when he goes back into the arbitration pool."

& More

Remember, it's the beginning of the Bu$hCo legacy.

Harley-Davidson Inc. will close its Capitol Drive plant in 2010, eliminating several hundred jobs, as part of a restructuring that includes the loss of 1,100 jobs over the next two years.

OK, People, Back To Reality

I would like to imagine that one of my loyal four readers is from the Pacific Northwest, & if so, sorry about this.

The higher mortality rates held regardless of tree size or type or elevation at which it grew. The fact that birth rates remained unchanged among the nearly 60,000 pines, firs, hemlocks and other trees in the study indicates that forests are losing trees faster than they are replacing them, the authors noted.

Predictable From The ReThugs

Boo-fucking-hoo!

A Good Thing

The new President did this. I hope Bu$hCo feels his pain. If you read the story, however, there are a few caveats, so it's not quite the freedom story one could have hoped for. But, so I don't bring down any of my four loyal readers, I think it's a good start.

Saying that “our ideals give us the strength and moral high ground” to combat terrorism, President Obama signed executive orders Thursday ending the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret overseas prisons, banning coercive interrogation methods and closing the Guantánamo Bay detention camp within a year.

My emphasis. I also wish he would have closed Guantánamo yesterday.

Oh, Oh

Looks like the excitement was too much for Sens. Kennedy & Byrd. Sen. Kennedy is suffering from a brain tumor. Sen. Byrd, apparently became quite upset as they took Sen. Kennedy out on a gurny, so upset that he, too, had to be taken out of the room. It looks like both will be as fine as men in their condition can be. Via Crooks & Liars.

& I Want A Lot More Ice Behind The Net

There is no way this poor kid should have died. Hockey is, IMHO, the best of sports, but with this stupid cleaving to fighting as a fundamental aspect of hockey, it is diminished. Diminished to the point of irrelevancy. Taking your helmet off before fighting ought not be the reason for a suspension, the act of fighting itself should be the catalyst for the suspension. & if the player fights within a week of getting back on the ice, it's a 3 game suspension, & on & on. I want to watch hockey like I did back in the day at the Coliseum in Madison, WI, college hockey games that rarely had a fight, but had lots of great hockey.

Well, It's Done

Obama is President!

I Believe, Sincerely, That Dick "Dick" Cheney Is The Devil

Of course, I don't believe in the devil or his opposite, but I trust that my loyal four readers get my drift. Here's the Dick explaining how he doesn't give one tinker's damn about the 4,500 dead Americans & the hundreds of thousands dead Iraqis, he thinks all that death was OK, "I think so...." Via Think Progress.

& Bu$hCo Thinks He Helped Not Landing His Effing Plane?

What a tool. Here's what is happening in Slidell. It's been over for three years & there are still damaged homes that are going to be razed. What alternate universe does this idiot live in? He's giving the word detached a bad name. Kanye West was right. Of course. It's only a few more days & this ass will be gone. Let's party.

A project to demolish at least 36 homes in Slidell is moving forward, though officials are unable to pinpoint just how many more structures still need to be razed more than three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated south Slidell.

They also can't say how many homes have already met the wrecking ball, with City Attorney Tim Mathison saying that FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have yet to provide such a list to the city.

My emphasis.

Patrick McGoohan, R.I.P.

Info here.

Obit here.

Gableman & Goats

We may never know the truth, but the Judicial Commission can now go ahead with their investigation of the worthless & disgusting Gableman. Yay, another good thing in this new year.

Another Example

Of the ReThug Party's hatred of working people. I hope the residents of Milwaukee County are happy with the nitwit they have elected. It's inconceivable to me that any politician who claims their constituents are priority one, would turn down federal stimulus money. Walker apparently believes that ideology is more important than creating jobs.

Legacy, Baby, Legacy

As if we didn't already know. But this sort of after-the-fact truth-telling makes the notion of not prosecuting Bu#hCo & his fellow criminals all the more frustrating.

Want To Know What Happened To The Packers?

Read this. Then...

Ted Thompson must have taken some course work in how to be like Bu$hCo, the worst president ever. Don't be fooled loyal four readers, he may say he's taking responsibility, but if you read his responses carefully, you will see this arrogant dork for what he is.

Ubuntu

Interesting piece in today's New York Times. I must ask if any of my loyal four readers has any experience with Ubuntu or Linux?

Created just over four years ago, Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) has emerged as the fastest-growing and most celebrated version of the Linux operating system, which competes with Windows primarily through its low, low price: $0.

Emphasis mine.

"I have done my duty to the country. I have given it my all."

Notice how the worst president ever is always doing things to the country, rather than for the country. He can dream & be lied to be his aides & friends, but Bu$hCo is going to recognized as the worst president in American history.

Come On, Norman

It's past time that you listen to your constituents & concede the MN Senate race to My Friend Al (Franken, that is). By not conceding, you are damaging all of MN's citizens, but that is, of course, what the Coleman's ReThug party sees as its main activity - making the lives of Americans more unliveable by the hour. Concede Coleman before all of you is finally flushed down the toilet of history.

Apparently A Complete Asshole

What a piece of crap this man continued to be until he died. It's interesting none-the-less. Here is my hero singing about the murderer.

This is a bit out of sync, but that's bit like saying a brook trout is kinda pretty.

7.2 Percent

Bad numbers keep going up.

Why, Of Course

Atrios posts on a real pet peeve of mine, namely, that everybody needs to intelligently invest their own money for retirement. The ReThugs constantly pushed this lousy public policy for years. I have no idea on how to invest money, & the only time we had enough money to actually invest, we gave to "our" financial people & let them manage it since they are actually educated on how to do this. I really don't need choices. As I've said about my dead mother, she didn't need more phone companies to choose from, she just needed a phone that worked. & there no problem with the Social Security Administration, so leave it alone, except, of course, to raise the benefits & lower the age when a person can enjoy the benefits. I simply don't want to become a stock market investor, at least one who does it from my house, there are too many ducks to kill or trout to release or good meals to eat.

Too Bad Bu$hCo Can't Be Like

...the evil Hugo Chavez. That Chavez must be some sort of axis of evil all by himself for doing things like providing free heating oil to poor Americans. I wonder if The Kingdom will ever get there heads out of the sand on issues like this. & on a personal note, I'd like to give a shout out to Hugo Chavez, the wonderful & cute dog. His owners left town a while back. I do miss them & really miss their dog. BTW, they named their dog to honor Hugo Chavez, not to rendition him.  Here's the wonderful headline for the story about the free heating oil -

Bush Alaskans to get Venezuela subsidy after all

It's too bad that Sarah Palin didn't have the brains of this headline writer. If she had, she'd be a Democrat & probably not a grandmother.

Amur Tiger Time

It's been quite awhile since we had an Amur Tiger Time here in coldH2Owiville, so here goes.

Michael Gableman, A Wisco Embarrassment

& what an embarrassment. The man bought to the Supreme Court by the WMC has decided to withdraw his counter suit claiming his right to free speech allows him to lie in a political campaign. Just like a ReThug, bitch about people speaking their minds, but demand that they deserve free speech when caught lying. As I seriously asked before, I wonder if Michael Gableman is still fucking goats?

Ron Asheton, R.I.P.

Obit here.

Yup, It's A Recession

693,000 people saw their lives recede into a number, without compensation.

It Is What It Is

Sigh.

Thank You

Jeb! disappoints the world-wide coalition of wingnuts. I know, however, that as I sit here with my left shoulder defying the pain killer, that I am as happy as an almost 60 year old can be.

Good Roman Catholic Priest?

He says he is concerned about this -

Poor or irregular Mass attendance, lack of knowledge about the pillars of Catholicism, predictable services and the ultra-casual dress (WTF?-ed.) and attitudes of some of those who attend all weaken the faith community, says the pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Temple Terrace.

but he acts like this -

A Temple Terrace pastor is in jail this morning after deputies arrested him on a charge of driving under the influence.

Father Joseph Waters, 47, was stopped about 2:30 a.m. today on U.S. Highway 301 south of Riverview, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Waters refused a breathalyzer test and was booked at the Orient Road Jail about two hours later.

I realize that Roman Catholic priests are an easy target, but hey, I was raised until I was 13 years old as an Episcopalian. My emphasis.

More of Bu$hCo's Legacy

Israel has every right to defend itself, but by doing this, one may legitimately question whether or not this is a defensive action or a wildly disproportional response to a bombing campaign that, frankly, wasn't all that successful, if the death of many Israelis was the pint. While this report is from the end of December 2008, it is a good representation of the historic numbers.

John Ging, an Irishman who directs operations in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, entered Gaza on Monday as journalists were kept out. He told Palestinian reporters in Gaza that the policy was a problem.

“For the truth to get out, journalists have to get in,” he said.

My emphasis.

Dancing In The Street

Well, not me, it's too cold & there is no street, just my driveway, but somewhere, someone is dancing for My Friend Al has been certified as the winner in the MN Senate race. Asshat Norm Coleman, predictably, is to continue whining & filing lawsuits, instead of doing the right thing & conceding.

NOLA News 2

Lots of rain.

News From NOLA

More murders than days.

...it pushed the city's homicide tally to five in the first four days of 2009.

My Friend Al

This is excellent news. Sen. John Cornyn (ReThug-Texas), is trying to spoil the celebration. If he gets his way, Cornyn will join a long list of ReThugs who don't much like democracy & leave MN with only one senator, possibly for months. Coleman, the Asshat, ought to do the right thing & concede, if for no other reason, to allow MN is full slate of elected representation.

Ernie Schnook, R.I.P.

A true patriot. Obit here.

Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel obit here.

My Friend Al

Is up by 225 votes.

Boy, Oh, Boy

It took Bu$hCo & Company a long, long time to declare the current economic disaster a recession. With what is happening today, a person would think that the assmintration would have had some inkling of what was obvious to any thinking person, even a non-economist thinking person. Of course, Bu$hCo has a long history of denying the obvious, or, worse yet, making shit up, especially all those WMD that were not lying around Saddam's feet.

From Australia, to Asia and Europe and the United States on Wednesday, the message in the latest economic reports was clear: manufacturing continued to slump amid the worst slowdown since the Great Depression.

I Didn't Forget You

Loyal four readers. I've just been busy with having the kid, her husband, & The Twins up here visiting. It's been fun, that's for sure. I appear to have just made it, 15 minutes until Jan. 2, 2009, so I'm OK. I worked really hard to produce the following, so I hope you enjoy my artistic work, or at least the hot air it took to do it. Have a great new year, & we've only got 20 days left. Later.