Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Blue State Master Race Seeks Expanded Eugenics Program
We all know that blue state people feel that they are better than their inferior, rather pathetic, using-more-than-one-square-of-toilet-paper counterparts in the red states. Until now, these attitudes have been played out on the plane of human existence. Sadly, that is no longer the case.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Dem) 40th district is sponsoring a bill that would require all dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are four months old. However, if your dog or cat is:
it will be allowed to retain the ability to reproduce.
First, they came for the little tiny dogs that girls like Paris Hilton would carry around in doggy purses, and I did not say anything because those dogs and those kinds of girls suck.
Then they came for the dogs that always hump your leg, and I did not say anything because why should dogs get a free pass on humping when I have to behave myself.
Then when they came for the red staters, there were no junkyard dogs to run our blue state overlords out of the trailer parks.
The rationale is that too many dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year, and a bill like this can greatly reduce that number, in at least one case by 64%. The pro bill press release is here.
The American Kennel Club opposes the bill. They have some information here.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Dem) 40th district is sponsoring a bill that would require all dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are four months old. However, if your dog or cat is:
registered as a valid breed recognized by an approved registry AND the pet
is used in shows or competitions, and has entered at least one such in the past
two years AND has earned any of a number of assorted working or service titles
from an approved purebred registry or association
it will be allowed to retain the ability to reproduce.
First, they came for the little tiny dogs that girls like Paris Hilton would carry around in doggy purses, and I did not say anything because those dogs and those kinds of girls suck.
Then they came for the dogs that always hump your leg, and I did not say anything because why should dogs get a free pass on humping when I have to behave myself.
Then when they came for the red staters, there were no junkyard dogs to run our blue state overlords out of the trailer parks.
The rationale is that too many dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year, and a bill like this can greatly reduce that number, in at least one case by 64%. The pro bill press release is here.
The American Kennel Club opposes the bill. They have some information here.
If You Haven't Heard About This Story . . .
. . . the fact that you haven't is almost as disturbing as the story itself.
And if you're not in Knoxville, you probably haven't heard this either.
Here's a bit more from a Knoxville television station.
All of this happened over a few days, beginning back on January 6th.
At least you're well informed about Imus and some words he said that might have hurt some feelings. That's the important stuff you need to know about, not brutal murders. Why do you think you heard about one and not the other?
You know who Matthew Shepard is, and that was years ago. The crime was "widely reported by international news media as a savage beating due to his homosexuality." Google hits: 1,420,000.
You know who James Byrd Jr. is, and that was years ago. It was "an act of vicious racism." Google hits: 1,330,000.
It hasn't even been four months, and yet you've probably never even heard of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. Google hits: at the current rate, in another nine years, they might hit 1,047,600.
Why do you think you heard about Shephard and Byrd Jr., but not about Christian and Newsom?
If you're still not sure, Jack Dunphy at NRO can fill you in. The news isn't pretty, and neither is this story.
And if you're not in Knoxville, you probably haven't heard this either.
Here's a bit more from a Knoxville television station.
All of this happened over a few days, beginning back on January 6th.
At least you're well informed about Imus and some words he said that might have hurt some feelings. That's the important stuff you need to know about, not brutal murders. Why do you think you heard about one and not the other?
You know who Matthew Shepard is, and that was years ago. The crime was "widely reported by international news media as a savage beating due to his homosexuality." Google hits: 1,420,000.
You know who James Byrd Jr. is, and that was years ago. It was "an act of vicious racism." Google hits: 1,330,000.
It hasn't even been four months, and yet you've probably never even heard of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. Google hits: at the current rate, in another nine years, they might hit 1,047,600.
Why do you think you heard about Shephard and Byrd Jr., but not about Christian and Newsom?
If you're still not sure, Jack Dunphy at NRO can fill you in. The news isn't pretty, and neither is this story.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
We Did Get Out . . . Part Two
Last time, we looked at the California coast north of Jenner, enjoying some rocks, sand, and waves. However, that wasn't all there was to see. Take a careful look at this pic and see if you can find the hidden surprise:
Come on, eagle eyes, you can do it. That's it, right there in the lower left corner. Here's a better look to give your peepers a rest. It's one of the charming facets of coastal life, the hobo camp:
Face it, you're jealous. It's got a great view. You can watch the sunset from your living room every night. You can smell the fresh ocean breezes. The sick thing about this is that with California real estate prices, even this shanty would probably run you 300 grand.
Come on, eagle eyes, you can do it. That's it, right there in the lower left corner. Here's a better look to give your peepers a rest. It's one of the charming facets of coastal life, the hobo camp:
Face it, you're jealous. It's got a great view. You can watch the sunset from your living room every night. You can smell the fresh ocean breezes. The sick thing about this is that with California real estate prices, even this shanty would probably run you 300 grand.
Here's a nice hobo fixer upper. Hey, at least it has garbage service, even if it is lacking on the walls and roof:
But enough of real estate. Let's turn our attention south. Here we are, north of the Russian river, looking at the coast south of the Russian river. That big lump in the ocean, connected to the coast by a small spit of land, is Goat Rock. I have no idea why they call it that; I sure didn't see any goats there. We'll get to that later:
What's that? You don't see it? Don't worry, we'll get to it next time. I must say, when I saw it, I could not believe what I was seeing. It was beyond my experience. Seeing something like that is just another benefit of travel.
So I'm north of the Russian river. Goat Rock is south of the Russian river. So where's the Russian river? It's right here:
What's that? You don't see it? Don't worry, we'll get to it next time. I must say, when I saw it, I could not believe what I was seeing. It was beyond my experience. Seeing something like that is just another benefit of travel.
As for camera technique, these were all taken sometime between 10AM and Noon, over a span of just a few minutes. You'll note quite a difference between the first four pictures and the last two, the difference being facing north or facing south. You can see I still have some work to do on shooting around the sun.
Update: Miss Tori informs me that I was really being unfair in my characterization of that little beachfront shanty, and the individual who built it. I shouldn't just go around calling people hobos. The person who lives in that structure would be more properly called homeless, or at least structurally challenged. A hobo would be more of a ride the rails sort of homeless person. My apologies to any vagabondy types who may have been offended.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
We Did Get Out Of This Place!
And we ended up in a cute little town called Guerneville. It's very near the California coast on the Russian River, maybe seventy miles or so north of San Francisco. The whole area is riddled with rinky-dink one horse towns, treacherous, one-lane, winding roads, and, if you look closely, just the hint of Deliverance in the air back in the darker hollows.
Having said all that, you still can't beat the scenery, and because it's north coast, you know there 's gotta be big trees, and plenty of them. This is an example of what we saw as we left the cottage where we stayed:
Ok. ok. So it's more impressive in person. Just don't blame the views for my shoddy camera work. Here's another view, almost straight up:
Here's a more modest tree. Sure, it's never going to be one of those goliath trees, but it has some pretty flowers, and Miss Tori likes purple:
If you head west from Guerneville, you'll eventually hit the coast at the town of Jenner, home of one of the deadliest beaches in California, but we'll get to those pics another day. Heading north from Jenner, you travel the Pacific Coast Highway. Unfortunately, going north means you're on the land side of the two-lane highway. For the best ocean view, you have to be heading south. Miss Tori was kind enough to take us up a ways, and then come back south. We stopped here just above Jenner to take a few ocean pics. First up, Pointy Rock:
Pointy Rock anchors the left side of the view, and Holy Rock stands watch on the right:
Get it? Holy Rock? Oh, where do I come up with these names? Anyway, in between, we have, you guessed it, Pyramid Rock:
Put it all together, and you have Panorama, North of Jenner:
Incidentally, I picked up a nice book about famed comic artist Jack Kirby at a little bookstore in Guerneville. I learned that he picked up the technique of placing something in the foreground of a panel to create a sense of depth in his drawings. Sort of like those little yellow flowers in this pic.
Having said all that, you still can't beat the scenery, and because it's north coast, you know there 's gotta be big trees, and plenty of them. This is an example of what we saw as we left the cottage where we stayed:
Ok. ok. So it's more impressive in person. Just don't blame the views for my shoddy camera work. Here's another view, almost straight up:
Here's a more modest tree. Sure, it's never going to be one of those goliath trees, but it has some pretty flowers, and Miss Tori likes purple:
If you head west from Guerneville, you'll eventually hit the coast at the town of Jenner, home of one of the deadliest beaches in California, but we'll get to those pics another day. Heading north from Jenner, you travel the Pacific Coast Highway. Unfortunately, going north means you're on the land side of the two-lane highway. For the best ocean view, you have to be heading south. Miss Tori was kind enough to take us up a ways, and then come back south. We stopped here just above Jenner to take a few ocean pics. First up, Pointy Rock:
Pointy Rock anchors the left side of the view, and Holy Rock stands watch on the right:
Get it? Holy Rock? Oh, where do I come up with these names? Anyway, in between, we have, you guessed it, Pyramid Rock:
Put it all together, and you have Panorama, North of Jenner:
Incidentally, I picked up a nice book about famed comic artist Jack Kirby at a little bookstore in Guerneville. I learned that he picked up the technique of placing something in the foreground of a panel to create a sense of depth in his drawings. Sort of like those little yellow flowers in this pic.
That's just a taste of what we saw; there's plenty more to go, maybe another eight or nine posts worth. Overall, I was pretty happy with how the camera performed, and its ability to overcome my flaws as a photographer.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place . . .
Miss Tori and I took a little mini vacation recently. We went north and west to the California coast in Sonoma county. Unlike the trip to the zoo, I actually charged the camera this time. Pics to come. Eventually.
Labels: vacation
