This week in God

Part twenty-three of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

FAITH IS NOT A LEAP INTO THE DARK BUT A STEP INTO THE LIGHT!

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ BBC NEWS ] Tattoo cover-up 'discriminates' [ FORSYTHNEWS ] Every registered sex offender in Forsyth County must move "We wanted to send the message to sex offenders that if you come to Georgia, you're coming to a state that has one of the toughest laws in the United States." [ DAILYMAIL ] Wearing 'purity rings' is banned at girls' school It wouldn't be as interesting or as grabbing of a headline if it read, "Idiot girls wear rings in defiance of strict no jewelry policy." [ ABCNEWS ] Metrosexual Is out, Macho Is In ...and Maddox is cashing in on the new trend. [ FOXNEWS ] Brooklyn Student Accused of Facebook.com Coed Nudie-Pic Scam Sounds like some stupid little girls made the wrong decision and can't take the personal responsibility for posing nude for a suspected "girlfriend." I'll have to ask my sister-in-law whose currently in college if she's ever posed nude for her girlfriends or ever made a video for them per online request. [ REVIEWJOURNAL ] District pulls plug on speech "There should be no controversy here," Lichtenstein said. "It's important for people to understand that a student was given a school-sponsored forum by a school and therefore, in essence, it was a school-sponsored speech." Exactly. I'm surprised a 4.7 GPA rebel couldn't understand that. (Not really.) [ CHRON ] Girl, 14, Sues MySpace.com Alleging Assault $30 million! Wow! I love America! Only in America can a stupid 14 year old girl sue for $30 million dollars because she's an idiot! The girl says a 19-year-old man lied in his profile about being a senior on a football team to gain her trust and phone number. While she was at school, did she think he was blowing her off to act all cool in front of his friends? [ HAMPTONROADS ] Odd sayings on billboards promote Cartoon Network shows When Cartoon Network first starting running promotions for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends my son, who had just turned two, was freaked out. We had to change the channel every time commercials for this show came on. He's okay with it now but it's taken a while. [ CNN ] Dobbs: Congress stiffs working Americans Thank Congress for keeping Mommy and Daddy poor, children. [ DENVERCHANNEL ] Police: Granddad Shoves Girl Close To Elk Herd Just a bunch of dumb asses in the news this week.

And I thought the Telemarketers hated me!

This week in God

Part twenty-two of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

DID IT EVER OCCUR TO YOU THAT NOTHING OCCURS TO GOD?

Once or twice, but lets drop the subject.

---

I was zooming around Greenfield and a car happened to cut out in front of me. In a fit of unchecked road rage, I followed the offending vehicle to a parking lot. As I bit my thumb at them and began to drive away giggling, I noticed a vehicle with a crude sign in it's rear window.

So, reporting from a random parking lot in Greenfield, I present to you:

This Week in God: Mobile Edition (I didn't really feel it warranted a separate post).

NO JESUS NO PEACE KNOW JESUS KNOW PEACE

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

The Swingset Project

Back in April of this year, Jillian's friend and co-worker had bought a home in Greenfield. In the back yard of her new home there was a wooden swingset and they did not want it. It was offered to us and we happily accepted it. With the help of Jillian's step-dad, we moved the structure from the co-worker's home to ours. I had the slide part up and ready for my son's third birthday but didn't finish putting the swing part up until Monday of this week. Worry not concerned citizens, I fully tested my setup and have deemed it safe. Sure, it whined and creaked when I swung on it but it held sold and if it could hold me it will surely be ok for a 30 pound child. Cross post from HGENCO Home Blog :: Read / Post Comments.

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ SUN-SENTINEL ] Hollywood man, 34, loses life after quarrel with tow truck driver over $2 Two bucks is two bucks, mane. [ YAHOO ] 'Streaker' selling bikini to pay for court costs I don't really believe that woman was 25, I'm guess more early to mid-thirties. I wouldn't pay $15 for that bikini. If you go to a Laundromat you can get yourself plenty of clothes for free! [ CBC ] Ontarians donate $1M to provincial government No, no, no, no, no, no! When the deficit accumulates to unmanageable rates you CUT the taxes to fix the situation you don't let citizens donate money! Next thing you know, they'll be pushing a universal healthcare system and leave their doors unlocked. [ WASHINGTON TIMES ] Homeland Security accepts fake ID Heh. 123 Fraud Blvd. Remember that episode of the Simpson's when Sideshow Bob gets out of jail and during the probation hearing they point out his tattoo. I wonder if the was the same situation. Security: Fraud Blvd, eh? Guy: Yeah, it's French. You pronounce it frod Security: Oh. Alright then. Carry on. (mutters) That could have been embarassing. [ NATIONALREVIEW ] No Indictment of Rove in CIA-Leak Case We believe that the Special Counsel’s decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove’s conduct. I love it! Baseless? Just google him and read through the results. If you listened to the Randi Rhodes show on Friday, like you're supposed to, you'd know. [ ROCKYMOUNTAINNEWS ] Peeping suspect flees, impales self on iron gate Doesn't really say where he was impaled. Oh well, have to use the ol' imagination. [ TECHWEB ] Porn-surfing Oregon Worker Exposes 2,200 Taxpayer IDs This is just another example of government incompetence. Its not everyone in the government, I know it's just a few bad seeds but you know when you're reseeding a lawn and toss out grass seed? If you get a hard rain right after the seeds laid, they get washed away and after they begin to sprout you'll notice a thick patch where all the seeds gathered. That’s the situation the country is facing, that thick patch of bad seeds is germinating. I can't say that I trust the Oregon Department of Revenue's claim that, no taxpayer financial data was lost to the key logger. The article states the Trojan was installed sometime in January and not detected until May. God bless America! [ SUN ] Gran in porn film invite I love this news outlet. They report the hard hitting stories the world wants to know!

[ CNN ] Spears considering next birth in Namibia I missed the Dateline interview but have seen some snippets and have heard about it. Who cares? Really, if she had such a problem with all the pavarotti she'd clean up her act and get a clue. I know I'm a good mom. Sure you are, Britney. We all know you're good at making youself a mother but the raising of the babies, not so much. Newsgrounds has a new game up, K-FED: Dancing with Fire. Brit and the future burden to society make an appearance. It's my new favorite game! [ REUTERS ] Web newsreaders spend more money online: study I'm broke.

Calling All Wingnuts

During my lunch I like to listen to talk radio on the AM station WHMP, as I've probably said a hundred times by now. I can't stand the Thom Hartmann Show - I loath his message (labor this, labor that) and I loath him, he has a face for radio and the voice of a writer. Sometimes he covers for Randi Rhodes and he ruins her show, too. One day, I hope he'll be off and she can sit in for him but I know that won't happen; costume jewerly substitues for diamonds, not the other way around. [ Side note: WHMP has seemingly dropped most/all of Westwood One's syndicated programs and seems to be solely an Air America station. That means I've lost Bill O'Reilly, Lars Larson and one or two other shows I liked to listen to. In place of Bill O'Rielly's show they've had Al Franken's show. The big difference - during my car ride home with Bill I felt informed, during my ride home with Al I feel vaguely informed and mildly entertained. Now that baseball has started, the Al Franken show is cut off about 15 minutes in while is just shy of the time needed to make it home and it's not a smooth transistion. The show is just dropped. ] About the only thing Thom had going for him was his ability to use Google and fact check. But now, there is another - his callers. I'm not talking about the staged callers that every program has, you know the ones: "I'd just like to say, thank god for you!" I'm talking about the informed ones who just want to toss out a question, correct the misinformation and present the truth. A couple of weeks ago on his program, he was spouting off about Rush flipping out on a caller. Blah, blah. Rush had seemingly gone off the deep end about the questions the caller was asking, demanded the guys real name, threatening to expose him, and ultimately disconnecting the call. Thom made a crack about Rush's prescription drug problem and then pretty much left it at that. An informed caller got through to Thom and said that Rush was referring to the guy who runs a website called Calling All Wingnuts. Calling All Wingnuts is a site where Mike Stark, the author and caller, calls up "right-wing" talk show hosts and asks the questions that people want asked and questions the lies that are being shoveled down our throats, records the whole thing and posts the call. Another lovely thing featured on his site is the Wingnut Directory that lists the shows and their call in lines. One of the main reasons I listen to talk radio is for the callers and this site brings it all together. I've tried to call in but either can't wait because I'm on hold for too long or because since the show is syndicated I've missed the actual live broadcast. Thanks Mike for your service and thanks caller who brought it to light.

Rob Cockerham on 20/20 - YouTube Clip

I missed the 20/20 on Friday because of a family day-trip and the VCR failed to VCR. Thank Al Gore for the Internets children! Enjoy! (Also visit Cockeyed, if you haven't yet.) He's also featured in the companion story: Got Tape? You Can Steal an Identity.

This week in God

Part twenty-one, part duex, of the fifty-two forty-nine part series. I took the day off of work and brought the family out to eastern Massachusetts to bask in a few sightseeing opportunities. On the way over to Plymouth, I happened across the Temple Christ Messiah. I'm getting pretty good at spotting these babies and this one was a gem. The meaning of the message is truly awe-inspiring. Or, whatever. Check out the lettering - four periods to that ellipses, the V is odd and the question mark is... questionable! Nice. Now, that's the way to present a message of God. Thank you, Joel Botelho! Plymouth Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts Temple Christ Messiah

JESUS FOREVER LIVES.... WILL YOU LIVE FOREVER?

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

This week in God

Part twenty-one of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

A TON OF RELIGION DOESN'T EQUAL AN OUNCE OF SALVATION!!

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

2006 Greenfield Mayoral Election Results!

Announced just moments ago on both GCTV and WHAI, the incumbent Christine Forgey has been re-elected to another 3-year term as Greenfield's Mayor.

Christine Forgey received 2497 votes Dalton Athey received 1799 votes

Congratulations Christine Forgey!

Vote Forgey, again! Greenfield Mayor 2006

Main Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts Tomorrow is the big day in Greenfield! June 13th is the day when Greenfield either keeps the incumbent Christine Forgey or replaces her with Dalton Athey. As a previous 12+ year resident of Greenfield, I'd have to say I'd be at the polls tomorrow voting for Christine Forgey. Why? She's done a lot of good in her position but that matters little to me. The reason I think she deserves another term is for how she handled that whole flooding situation. I'll quote the handout I obtained from her campaign head quarters, "The Mayor took on big government when the Governor and FEMA took no action following the devastating floods of 2005." That may have been a little understated. I couldn't find the quote I wanted to use from her when she stated there was life west of Worchester or something to that effect but the Mayor was definately on the offensive with Oven Mitt, "'The governor did not drop the phone and do what I wanted him to do, but I'm certain I made an impression,' Forgey said." I couldn't find a quotable dollar amount or average amount of the funds she was able to negotiate but it was something. Oven Mitt was too busy to care right away; “the flooding was not severe enough to warrant his early return from North Carolina on Monday, where he was attending fundraisers for an organization there.” The hand out I received was pretty informative. In her closing (or opening, depends how you open it I suppose) letter she states, "we need to have safe and clean streets." The first and easiest step for the cleaning would be to close Cafe Koko. I've only seen the grungiest, dirtiest looking people sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of that place. I don't know how to make them safer but just close down Koko. I'm pretty sure that the drums the dudes in dreads play could easily be used as weapons.

Vote for Christine Forgey! Greenfield's once and future Mayor!

[ I took the above picture around 4pm. She's pretty nice and let a dunce like me snap a picture. I threw back a thumbs up and yelled, "Good luck! Keep up the good work!" I think she is a natural smiler. Around 6pm, when I happened to be heading home, the Athey people were out. Actually, I only noticed four but they each had a stick with two or three VOTE FOR ATHEY signs. Is that cheating? Nevertheless, now that I've reviewed his picture again, I think a person I figured was a homeless man who was asked to hold a sign might really have been Dalton himself. I can't say for sure and didn't take his picture but I think it might have been. If it was, cut your hair, mop top! ]

Your money, Moldavian balm

I love spam e-mails! I read through most of them, then mark as spam and delete. I got a kick out of this one because of the story it has at the end. I'm captivated and waiting for their next spam to finish the story!

Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 23:01:25 -0180 From: "Lynn Woodruff" To: editor@theendisnow.com Subject: Your money, Moldavian balm Even if you have no erectin problems SOFT CIAzLIS would help you to make BETTER SE X MORE OFTEN! and to bring unimagnable plesure to her.

Just disolve half a pil under your tongue and get ready for action in 15 minutes.

The tests showed that the majority of men after taking this medic ation were able to have PERFECT ER ECTI ON during 36 hours!

VISIT US, AND GET OUR SPECIAL 70% DISC OUNT OFER! http://qkjppq.admityolk.com/?70295077 ========== To be centered for shame meant that he would be cast out of gull "That's better," I said. "That's the ticket. Keep plugging away, "What are you doing here? The cliff! Haven't I didn't I.., die?" months! What are you harassing an honest lab worker for? till past midnight. And for all his effort he moved not a feather width my empty was right there, two steps from the canisters. I should have stolen love. It's fun, when you get the knack of it. bitch, for a full one, but believe it or not, I didn't even think about it,

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ CNN ] Nevada blast put on hold indefinitely Whoops, I never posted the follow up to this story but the title to this article says it all. "The blast was supposed to be an experiment on how better to attack underground targets like the bunkers used by North Korea and Iran to protect their nuclear facilities." Hope they're not reading this. [ CBS2 ] 'Alien Head' X-Ray Nabs $9,600 In Online Auction If I was surfing 5x faster with Internets accelerator technology I would have been the winning bidder! [ YAHOO ] No sex please, we're butlers I think you need to have some sort of schoolin' for a job like that. All I can think of is that scene in that Tom Hanks' movie Bachelor Party where the bride to be and her chicas were at a male strip club. "Is that a foot long?" "And then some." Remember it? [ SUNTIMES ] How not to commit office faux pas "What about co-workers who keep bringing baked goods into the office. Can we beg them to stop?" If any co-workers are reading, you'll get why I used this quote. [ FREEP ] Shoppers line up two days before Ikea opens The article has a typo, it's not a Podng armchair it's a Poang armchair. I'm not sure I'd sit in line two days to pick up that ugly thing. Then again, the first person in line stated that "after getting in line that those gifts are not as large as she had heard." [ LIVESCIENCE ] Science of Road Rage Revealed I may have this. [ NEWYORKMETRO ] A Very Late Checkout I don't care so much for this story but I love the quote at the end - "But for now, Gothika’s on. 'Halle Berry,' Johnson says. 'Halle . . . Berry.' " Why the hell was this guy in New York anyway? I know he was there because that where they evacuated him to, but why New York? FEMA should have used Hotels.com. They're as competent as the Government when it comes to guarding sensitive data. All you hear about is how greedy these evacuee's are. That because the ones that aren't, are busy working and don't have time to spend interviewing. [ STLTODAY ] 6.6.6: Tuesday is June 6, 2006. Neat story. My wife's first baby appointment was on 6/06/06. I specifically impregnated her when I did so our first appointment would be for that date. Believe it. Good old Aljazeera has a story, Gloves off for Devil's Day. And the Sun brings us, Damien is born on 6.6.06. [ UPI ] Angry boss allegedly chains man to tree I wonder if that will happen when I get my second written warning for not using my please and thank you. For my first one, I received quite a spanking. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. I did feel a bit uncomfortable, though, I had to keep a smile on my face the whole time as they were recording the whole ordeal for a new employee orientation video. [ GUARDIAN ] Hi, it's Bollywood calling "An entire generation up all night, providing crutches for the white morons to run their lives." I happen to work with an Indian call center and know for a fact, at least the ones I work with, they're not very with it. Most of them are made to take "American" names like Victor or VJ or Tonya, it's great. It's even better when I have callers who were transferred from India to me and they complain to me that my company is ruining America for outsourcing jobs to "those people." Of course, I can't answer that we had call centers there before the term "outsource" was popular and I also can't point out that we wouldn't need an extra call center if not for idiotic people like them who can't read their insurance policies.

TheEndisNow is going through a bit of an identity crisis. Bear with me while we wait for the meds to kick in and regulate everything. Blogger has really been pissing me off with times that the service is unavailable. Over the next week, the site will be going through several updates, stay tune. MySpace! You just couldn't do it, could you?! You're in the news again! Photos On MySpace Get Family Evicted From Apartment! Stop ruining lives! And, finally, the Gay Marriage Ban Falls Short of Majority. I knew it would. The only reason Dubya was pushing for this was to incite a reaction from the jackasses out there that think gay marriage matters. It was to stir up bigotry and hate and to be ultimately used to ensure a high Republican voter turn out. There is no need to protect the marriage of a man and a woman, because it's not in danger. Where is the threat? Hollywood provides more of a threat to marriage than the loving union of two people who love each other be they man and woman, man and man or woman and woman. Remember, the beatings will continue until morale improves! Much love.

This week in God

Part twenty, part duex, of the fifty-two forty-nine part series. For your viewing pleasure, I bring you another visit from Lincoln Street in Greenfield. Even though Awesome God 2 was enough to make me smirk, I just had to take pictures of the sign when I saw the new quotes on it.

Lincoln Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts

FRONT YE DO ERR, NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES... - MATTHEW 22:29 GREAT PEACE HAVE THEY WHICH LOVE THY LAW PSALM 119:165 BACK SEEK YE OUT OF THE BOOK OF THE LORD, AND READ - ISAIAH 34:16 AND IN HELL HE LIFT UP HIS EYES, BEING IN TORMENTS LUKE 16:23

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

This week in God

Part twenty of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

AWESOME GOD 2 SAT JUNE 10 6 PM SUN JUNE 11 6 PM MUSIC TO INSPIRE!

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

The BIG news

Family members, friends, readers of this site, and my fellow Americans: Major procreation operations in Henry Manor have ended. In the Battle of the Bedroom, the Dude has prevailed. And now my wife is engaged in constructing my second and final offspring.

We had our first doctor's appointment today. At which time it was confirmed that we are nine weeks pregnant with an expected delivery date of January 07, 2007. Hooray!

With our first child, we decided to keep the name a secret and announce the sex. For this child we will announce the sex and their name. We are figuring the annoucement will be made around the end of September, but that's only written in pencil and may change.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah: "To the captives, 'Come out!' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!"' May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless America.

President Discusses Marriage Protection Amendment

As witnessed on my lunch break. I love America, just not the ones who stole it. THE PRESIDENT MISTER CURIOUS GEORGE: Tank y'all. Grab a stool and sit a spell. G'dafternoon, and welcome to the White House. It be a mighty pleasure to be with so many fine community leaders, scholars, family organizations, religious leaders, and Republicans. Howdy to ya Democrats, independents, too - didn't see ya back there. Thank y'all for coming. You come from many backgrounds and faith traditions - but yer all Christian, right? - yet united in this common belief: Marriage is fundamental like, and it should not be redefined by activist judges. (Whooting, hollaring and loud applause.) There is only one judge - God! (Whooting, whistleing and applause.) You are here because you strongly support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman, and I am proud to stand with you. (Applause.) For those of you who haven't yet, be sure to pass along the collection plate, thanks. This week, the Senate begins debating on the Marriage Protection Amendment, and I call on the Congress to pass this amendment, send it to the states for ratification so we can take this issue out of the hands of over-reaching judges and put it back where it belongs -- in the hands of the American people church. (Applause.) The union of a man and woman in marriage is the most enduring - except in Hollywood, heh heh - and important human institution. For ages, in every culture, human beings have understood that marriage is critical to the well-being of families. And because families pass along values and shape character, marriage is also critical to the health of society. Sure, there are homosexual "parents" out there but we all know they aren't real families. Our policies should aim - unlike Dick - to strengthen families, not undermine them. And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure. America is a free-ish society which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. In this country, people are free to choose how they live their lives within reason. In our free society, decisions about a fundamental social institution as marriage should be made by the people as long as its not the wrong decision. (Applause.) As long as two men and two women choose not to marry each other. (Applause.) Gays are gross. (Whooting, hollaring and louder applause.) The American people have spoken clearly, much like God speaks to me at night, on this issue through their elected representatives and at the ballot box. heh heh, ballot box. In 1996, Congress approved the Defense of Marriage Act by large bipartisan majorities in both the House and the Senate, and President Clinton signed it into law. And since then, 19 states have held referendums to amend their state constitutions to protect the traditional definition of marriage. In every case, the amendments were approved by decisive majorities with an average of 71 percent. (Applause.) Thats 35 states. (Scattered applause.) Today, 45 of the 50 states have either a state constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. That's 90 percent, for the mathy folks. (Scattered applause.) These amendments and laws express a broad consensus in our country for protecting the institution of marriage. The people have spoken. Unfortunately, this consensus is being undermined by activist judges and local officials who have struck down state laws protecting marriage and made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage. Since 2004, state courts in Washington and California and Maryland and New York have ruled against marriage laws. Last year, a federal judge in Nebraska overturned a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, an amendment that was approved by 70 percent of the population. And at this moment, nine states face lawsuits challenging the marriage laws they have on the books. Some argue that defining marriage should be left to the states. The fact is, state legislatures are trying to address this issue. (Applause.) But across the country, they are being thwarted by activist judges who are overturning the expressed will of their people. (Boos.) And these court decisions can have an impact on our whole nation. The Defense of Marriage Act declares that no state is required to accept another state's definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by the courts, then marriage recognized in one city or state may have to be recognized as marriages everywhere else. That would mean that every state would have to recognize marriage as redefined by judges in, say, Massachusetts or local officials in San Francisco, no matter what their own state laws or their state constitutions say. (Boos.) It would also mean that the drunken marriages of some congressmen to hookers would also be recognized. And we wouldn't want that, now would we? (Scattered applause.) This national question requires... a national solution. heh heh. And on an issue of such profound importancement, that solution should come not from the courts, but from the people of the United States. (Applause.) An amendment to the Constitution is necessary because activist courts have left our nation with no other choice. When judges insist on imposing their arbitrary will on the people, the only alternative left to the people is an amendment to the Constitution, the only law a court cannot overturn. The constitutional amendment that the Senate will consider this week would fully protect marriage from being redefined. It will leave state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage. A constitutional amendment is the most democratic process by which our country can resolve this issue. In their wisdom, our founders set a high bar for amending the Constitution. An amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the House and the Senate, and then ratified by three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures. This process guarantees that every state legislature and every community in our nation will have a voice and a say in deciding this issue. (Bewildered looks from audience, whispers "we want that?", scattered applause.) A constitutional amendment would not take this issue away from the states, as some have argued. It would take the issue away from them evil-doers in the courts (hisses) and put it directly before the American people. (Applause.) As this debate goes forward, every American deserves to be treated with tolerance and respect and dignity. (Applause.) But not for a man to marry a man. (Roars.) On an issue of this great significance, opinions are strong and emotions run deep. And all of us have a duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another. All people deserve to have their voices heard and a constitutional amendment will ensure that they are heard. (Applause.) Unless they're before a judge asking for a gay marriage. (Applause.) I appreciate you taking an interest in this fundamental issue. It's an important issue for our country to debate and to resolve. Let's not worry about Iraq for a while and focus on the home front. And the best way to resolve this issue is through a constitutional amendment, which I strongly support. God bless us, everyone.

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ NYDAILYNEWS ] A pain that impales in comparison Kind of reminds me on an incident with my brother unsuccessfully jumped a metal shed. [ THENEWSPAPER ] Chicago: Meter Maid Arrested for Ticketing Cop Interesting. I wrote something about meter maids last week, too. [ THESUN ] Don't want baby on 6.6.6 The picture to the article is awesome. People are dumb all over the world. Remember to tune in Tuesday for my announcement. [ BILLINGSGAZETTE ] Police probe bizarre goat head display Gross.. I hate coconut. [ MAINICHI DAILIY NEWS / MSN ] Soy Sauce flavor -- Putting the 'scream' into 'we all scream for ice cream' The picture makes the story. [ BBC ] Police investigate 'hate' website I found the website the article is referring to back on the 26th from a link on UniquePeek. (The site is hosted on BlogSpot, my firewall at work blocks that domain so just figured I'd give a head's up and UniquePeek may be NSFW.) It's pretty funny, and totally what that guy deserves for selling a defective laptop especially since they are all pictures that were left on the unit. I didn't see any hate, but then again, I'm pretty desensitized to it. [ LOCAL6 ] Police: Couple Offered Hit Man $100 To Kill Grandkids Ahh, with mug shots like that I can tell they're totally innocent. Now if you'll excuse me, I threw up a little in my mouth. [ MPAA ] Swedish Authorities Sink Pirate Bay I originally heard about this over on a blog I read off and on called AtomicTumor. Of course, I was at work at the time and clicked on their link to PirateBay.org and received a nice little notice about the site being blocked due to illegal activities/promoting copyright infringement. Neat. [ BILLINGSGAZETTE ] Mourners remember girl in mistaken ID case Tragic story. [ YAHOO ] Couple's Supposedly Destroyed Hard Drive Purchased In Chicago It's their fault for not wiping the HDD clean first. If they were that worried they would have wiped it themselves or took it with them. I don't understand why you'd have a working HDD replaced anyway, ripped off twice. Don't want to spoil the ending of the User's Manual, but - brace yourself - you can have more than one HDD! Why are people so ignorant when it comes to technology? I've heard, "I don't even know how to turn a computer on!" Ok, see this button marked ON? Start there. "Yeah, but I can't work it." Give me a break. Using a computer nowadays involves little more than the ability to read and follow onscreen instructions. Hell, I colored the links red, took away the underlines and I get a couple of emails a day complaining about it, like so: I'm a little surprised Rob didn't do this first.

Other news too grand to make the Top 10: As you should know, Maddox's book The Alphabet of Manliness shipped late last week. I finished my copy tonight. Great book. Review will be posted tomorrow. Did I mention how great it was? Damn. If I can make it to the 06/26 book signing I can cross his name off the "Who I'd like to meet" list. We'll see. In a story close to me heart, once more the jerks at the FCC rejected CBS' "Wardrobe Malfunction" appeal. The FCC has ruined my life. Also, is it too much to ask that for one week - just one - I'd like to not hear about MySpace in the news. Ok? Humor me. I don't want to hear anymore about students making fake profiles of their teachers, "terrorist" communications, sex offenders or criminals using the site! So, here's a big go screw yourself to both the mainstream media who cover the stories because they can't report real news and the stupid people of MySpace who post incriminating things. Finally, was the 2004 election stolen? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thinks so, and so do I. The first one was stolen too, but that story was buried because of 9/11. It's fact. Thats all, g'night and g'luck.

This week in God

Part nineteen of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

WE ARE OVERDRESSED IF WE ARE WRAPPED UP IN OURSELVES!

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

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I have moved the This week in God series to it's own companion website. Check it out. Do all your comments and linking there, comments are disabled for the cross posts. Let me know what you think. I can't believe I've been following this thing for 5 months already, only 7 to go! I wonder if there will be a cliff hanger for the finale? The previous post listings are being updated as we speak. Enjoy.

Above the law

Greenfield, Massachusetts I almost thought better of it and not post this story but the truth must be told and I'm sick of hypocrites in the government! Some smug little metermaids are out there handing out tickets to driver's whose meters have run out and all the while they're parked at an expired meter! I only have proof of this happening twice - today and yesterday - but I'm sure it had to have happened many times before.

The parking meters take quarters and run, I believe, twenty-five cents per hour. I first called the number on the car to inquire on the cost of a ticket and comment on how appalled I was but the number, 413-773-5411, is the police station's. Hey, I've seen Unlawful Entry - I know not to piss those people off. So, instead, I called the Town Hall (413-772-1568) to confirm the price of a parking ticket and the pleasant voice who answered the phone told me parking tickets were $5.00 a pop. I'll give the Parking Enforment Officer the benefit of the doubt and submit that they've only ripped the City of Greenfield off by $10.50 - $5.00 per ticket that could have be issued and 25-cents for both days the meter was expired!

These pictures are from yesterday in front of the Second Congregational Chruch on Court Square in Greenfield. Behind the church is a police parking lot which I should have driven to and checked if there were any open spots.

Now, if I lived in Greenfield, I'd either be at the coming mayoral debate or be submitting a question (letters@recorder.com) for the debate that would demand a resolution to this!

I'm sure some of you will disagree with me. You'll say police officers shouldn't have to pay for parking. I'll ask you why? And if they shouldn't, why should they park at a metered spot that is taking money from the town/city? Comments are open, have at it.

Memorial Day

Turners Falls, Massachusetts

This display has been up for a while now, but today is a day to understand and appreciate it's true meaning.

UPDATE: Also, visit Wuzzadem for a couple of links remembering some soldiers.

Have a good day.

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ WIRED ] Why We Published the AT&T Docs I've been keeping close tabs on this story. This is just another installment. Here is similar story, but with a techie diagram showing how they're doing it. If you ever call me, it isn't (only) the tourettes that makes me yell out those odd things. I'm just shouting out the "keywords" that were in Enemy of the State. If you haven't yet, you need to watch that movie. It's so absurd that it is believable, given the circumstances with which we now live. [ ARTICBEACON ] New World Order Senior Citizens RV Brigade Spying On Their Fellow Americans I don't know how true this is but it gives me shivers thinking about the Good Sam Club up to the Franklin Country Fairgrounds. I passed by there on Friday while on my way home. Old folks were sitting in front of their RVs in lawn chairs. Just sitting! To my knowledge, fires aren't allowed and there aren't any decent places to fish that are close by. Seriously, what the hell is the point?! [ NYPOST ] McGreevey's Gay Road Thrill No comment for the story, we should all be happy on the road. I just wanted an NJ story to Danzition to where I complain about the smell of that state! Man, I've drive the family though New Jersey probably four or five times now on various family trips, the smell just doesn't get any better. The Garden state should lay off the fertilizer, if you get my drift. They're also in debate over what the office dirt should be. [ CNN Money ] Big Oil cleared by FTC for price fixing ...because record profits are meaningless. It's funny, before the inquiry, gas in the Franklin Country area peaked out at $3.03 or 05 / gallon. After the probe, it dropped back to around $2.88. It's not yet time to replace the car with a bicycle but it's pretty darn close. Maybe I'll pick up one of those tandem bikes and have a child seat attached, we'll "bike pool" to work and school. [ YAHOO ] Ice cream, cakes banned for pope visit to Wadowice "Cakes and ice cream can easily go off in summer temperatures and can pose a danger to health." I assume they must mean spoil, unless the cakes and ice cream are really improvised explosive devices. I'll be traveling to Cape Cod in a few weeks, while there I will demand a ban on all Pepsi products. [ CNN Money ] Bringing baby to work: Disrupting or not Don't let me wife's employer see this. [ REUTERS ] U.S. man seeks $1.6 mln in dead dog suit When I panhandle, I tend not to wear suits. [ FOXNEWS ] 'Dr. 90210' and Passenger Restrain 80-Year-Old on Flight This guy is a major ass, good to know he can take of 80 year olds. I'll speed dial him if my Grandmother ever gets lippy! If you've ever watched, or were made to watch by your loving, beautiful, sex spouse, you'll know what I mean. The jackass does his little karate in the middle of the street in front of his house, lifts weights before surgery and is just an all around creep. Oh, and his wife is off in la-la land to boot. I haven't seen this yet, but the article says that Dr. Rey also appears as himself on a Carl's Jr. commercial in which he advises a chicken to undergo breast augmentation surgery. I'll never eat at a Carl's Jr. Ever! (There aren't any in Franklin County but that's not the point.) [ DECATURDAILY ] Couple caught with stolen sex toy, police say "a 'king size' rubber sex toy resembling a part of the male anatomy." Um, the foot? No, too obvious. The hand? Damn, what could they be talking about? Oh, I know. It’s the nose! As a connoisseur of adult entertainment, a 9-inch toy isn't "king size." I'm available for expert testimony, guys. Just send me the coach bus business-class plane tickets and I'm there. On a side note to this, I know druggies aren't that bright to begin with but, seriously, leave the paraphernalia at HOME when you're out joyriding. You don't need the scale, you're not going to have an epiphanic moment and shout out, "Dear God, how much does that [insert something witty here] weigh! I must know!" I love watching COPS when they pull over some jackass for speeding and they find a little baggy under the passenger's seat. Of course, the white powder turns out to be asscrack. BAM! Instant one-way pass to lockup! Just a little PSA, leave the paraphernalia at home. [ NYPOST ] Hill Drive of '55 There goes my vote for Billy's wife if she decided to run for President in 2008, not like it would have been counted anyhow.

So, here is a super biggy that is over and above this list. If you have any Bayer products, I recommend ditching them. I totally purged anything made by them and will not buy anything from them in the future. I didn't see this reported in my local paper, the Recorder, and I missed the television broadcast. Luckily, I stumbled on the copy Yikers.com had of the MSNBC report about Bayer Purposely Deployed Medicine With HIV In It. (Give it a second to open, the site takes a bandwidth beating from time to time and may be a tad bogged.) Elsewhere, did you hear about the FBI raid on the congressman? Everyone needs to repeat 6th grade civics. When I'm president, in 15 to 20 years, things will be different. Believe it. Movie news, two movies I've wanted to see opened this week: X-Men 3: The Last Stand and An inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's documentary. (I dig documentaries and can't wait to spend tomorrow in front of the tube watching the History Channel.) Once I see the movies, I'll post some reviews. MisterOrange did a review of X3; you can check it out while you're waiting on me. Finally, tomorrow is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a time to remember the U.S. men and woman who lost their lives serving their country. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was established in 1868 to commemorate the dead from the Civil War. Over the years it came to serve as a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action in all wars. Much love.

This week in God

Part eighteen of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

GOD WANTS FULL CUSTODY NOT JUST WEEKEND VISITS!!

Then he best be payin' his back childs suppo't! He ain't even come 'round to see his childrens, says he off runnin' da world. Baah. Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

How have we come to this pass?

Today was a parent appreciation day at my son’s preschool. Well, the actual party was at the main building across town not at the actual school building. My wife took my son and after I got ready for work, I’d head out after them; I pulled into the parking lot around ten past nine. Admittedly, I did pull into the parking spot a little crooked and my rear tire was an inch or two over the line but the following events were totally uncalled for! As I exited Big Red, that’s my car, a man in the pickup truck behind me also got out. “Hey!” he shouted at me. “Can you see that your car is crooked?! You parked on the line!” I turned back, looked at the car then at the old man. I was in no mood to deal with him. “And? It’s no big deal. I’m only going to be here for a minute.” I turn from him and started walking again. “You’ll be lucky if your car isn’t smashed up when you get back!” I assumed he said that because the old man needed to get the last word in. My wife can attest to the fact that I, too, like to get the last word in but I had not time to dispense any geriatric justice at the moment so I shrugged him off and set off to find my son. After the brief visit – I walked in, looked around, hugged my son and wished him a good day – I started back to my car. To my surprise, the old man was still out there in his truck. Who the hell was this guy?! I still don’t know for sure, the old man never identified himself as anything other then an asshole. (A couple of co-workers believe he may be a security guard but like I said he never identified himself.) He hopped up and out of the truck like one of his many fleas decided it would be a good time to take a bite out of him. He was out of the truck, walking near the dumpster and stood in front of a pool cue-type pole. He was only an arms length from the possible weapon and obviously unstable. I had a sinking feeling at any moment this situation could head to the crapper. Honestly, this unprovoked aggression was pretty threatening. I’m glad my son was inside and didn’t have to witness this. “You know, old folks come in and out of here all the time and would have a problem parking in spots like that.” He was still close to the pole but starting walking to me. “Are you serious?” I said as I fumbled with my keys to unlock the door. Before I got in, I added, “If they can’t park in a space they can park next to you and the dumpster!” Damn, did my voice just crack? I hopped in, started the engine and attempted to put it in reverse. In the rear view I can see the old man right at my bumper! What the hell is with this guy?! He wanted me to hit him; he wanted the drama! I threw it in drive and cranked the wheel, there was just enough room to make the turn. Before I left the lot, I pulled out my handy, dandy camera once more and took a picture of the man as well as his truck. Unfortunately, the truck lacked a front plate and the guy looked like a bank robber - big black sunglasses and a truckers cap pulled down. As I pulled out the camera and aimed it at him, he started flailing his arms and yelling, “Yeah! Yeah! Go ahead! Take your picture! Take it! I have your plate numbers! I have your plate numbers! I have ‘em!” I took the photo so I could have something to identify this (kind of photogenic) old man in the event he sabotaged Big Red. Once I made it to work, I gave her a good once over and, thankfully, couldn’t find anything wrong with her. I don’t think I’ll be going back there for a long while. I could just imagine what could have happened… Sure, the old man looked pot-bellied and out of shape but given my luck, he’d remove his shirt to reveal a chiseled body, rippled with muscles upon muscles. I can see the headlines now, “Elderly man slays area super genius.” It would be subtitled with “Experts warn against Viagra use as psychotic episodes on the rise.” Can’t we all just get a long?

How have we come to this pass? How can I get to my car? Climb in, turn the ignition Pull onto the highway Where I am free Some crazy bastard wants to hit me He's waving me over so he can hit me And who the hell is he? I can't believe this is happening That crazy bastard wants to hit me ~ They Might Be Giants

Taylor Hicks did it!

So, I was right! I called it America! Taylor Hicks is the American Idol! I'll be waiting for his album to drop. Hopefully it will be as good as Kelly's. Most disturbing things from tonight’s two-hour finale: #1 it was two friggin’ hours; #2 Prince; and #3 more people voted on American Idol than in any Presidency! Diebold doesn’t certify the votes, so I’m confident mostly all of them are legit and screw the ones that aren’t! I think both contestants have a place in the music industry. Katherine is… damn, she has a nice smile! But in my opinion the right person won! Congrats! UPDATE: (I know, I know. I didn't do a post for the winners of Survivor or the Amazing race, the results were included in the weekend news wrap up instead. The reason for that most likely you'll never hear of the Hippies or of Aras again... until they show up on the Surreal Life, that is. American Idol is different, soon you'll hear their singles on the radio. That's all.)

Leo Laporte is going to be the next American Idol!!

Did everyone catch the final performances tonight on American Idol? Leo Laporte rocked my socks! That dude has some pipes to him, don't you think?! So first off, he sang Down in the City. Ok, ok, dawg. Not bad, it was 'ight. Next he belted out Leave on. Maybe you pushed a little too hard with your first song, your voice man not quite there. But hot damn, did you ever pull it all together with Do I make you proud! Welcome to America baby! You are the next American Idol!!

...

...

What do you mean?

...

...

No way.

Leo! That's not you?! I feel betrayed, disillusioned and heart broken! Apparently that was some dude by the name of Taylor Hicks and you were all ready to take the credit! Oh, the shame!

Good luck, Taylor and may the force be with you. (Katherine is damn hot, though.)

In memory of Erma B. Wright

It was one year ago today that my Great Grandmother passed away. I drove out to Leyden after work today and paid my respects. Her service was held on the 26th last year, the skies were gray and there was a misty rain falling. I was a pallbearer at her funeral. I had never been a pallbearer before and haven't since, luckily no one close to me has passed away. It was a surreal experience, I was there yet oddly removed. The fond stories told at her funeral revealed to me how little I knew of her. She led a full life and passed away at 88 years of age. Mrs. Wright taught and also drove school bus at the Roberts School in Shelburne for many years. Early in life, she worked at the family paint store, the James Black Paint Store on Bank Row in Greenfield. She was also a model at the former Rosen’s Store in Greenfield. But I didn't know her as anything other than my Great Grandmother and I loved her. I remember in the winter when my mother would bring my brother and I to her house to slide in the cow pasture behind her house, in the summer watching humming birds fly near her flowers, putting horse chestnuts in the vice in her garage, and playing with all the magnets on her refridgerator. One of my fondest memories, though, is when she first held my son, her great great grandson, in her arms. As I lead her to her final resting place, the downpour of rain came and hid the tears. Today in the Recorder was a poem written by my Grandmother, her daughter, in rememberance of the one year anniversary of her passing. Here is that poem.

Our lives go on without you

But nothing is the same

We have to hide our heartache

When someone speaks your name

Sad are the hearts that love you

Silent the tears that fall

Living our lives without you

Is the hardest part of all

The special years will not return

When we were all together

But with the love within our hearts

You will walk with us forever

Forever loved

We love you and miss you,

Your loving family

Peg

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ YAHOO ] Report: 48 Million Refuse to Buckle Up I'm #26,899,012 on that list. [ WCVB ] Residents Continue Bailing Out Another record rain. Last year in Greenfield, the Wedgewood Gardens trailer park was washed away. At least with this situation Oven Mitt isn't off campaigning. [ BLOTTER/ABCNEWS ] Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling Will the real Deep Throat please stand up? In a related turn of events, did USA today lie about BellSouth's involvement with the NSA database? 5 days after the original story broke, Bellsouth is claiming foul. Oh dear, dear, dear. [ DAILYMAIL ] Wife 'didn't realise husband was a woman' This brings up all sorts of questions in my own life. Hmmm... Oh, honey! On the other hand, 17 years isn’t too shabby for a marriage these days. [ PRESSDEMOCRAT ] Suspension brews a bitter taste Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale... hmm. I might rent me up some of that tonight! [ UPI ] 'Bush speak' a sophisticated 'deception' Basically, they're saying that the Bush administration is a bunch of liars. [ WESTPRESS ] Bin Fan Mark takes the Mickey When my digital obsession reaches this point, I here by give my wife the authority to have me committed. [ 1010WINS ] Seat Belt, Bra Save Woman From Gunshot No mention on type of bra. I search several sources but could not find any pictures. Use your imaginations, perverts. [ NEWSCOURIER ] White fired after porn found on computer Apparently this teacher has a rap sheet a mile long. [ TENNESSEAN ] Stolen identity was sex offender, agent says For all I know this story could be a plant to give the Bushies just that much more leverage in the whole Illegal Immigration situation.

In other news, the winners of this seasons's Amazing Race were revealed this week and it was the Hippies! Way to go, guys! Much love.

The Da Vinci Code Review

My wife and I just got back from the 7:30pm showing of The Da Vinci Code. We went to the Cinemark theater at the Hampshire mall to watch the movie, I'm glad we got there when we did because the admission line was already to the doors and steadily grew as we picked up the tickets bought online. I enjoyed the movie; I think it might actually be worth watching again [once it's released on DVD]. There were a few times the movie seemed the drag and then there were times it seemed a little forced but it was very entertaining for me, as someone who has not read the book. The movie stars Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon; a scholar of religious symbols) and Audrey Tautou (Sophie Neveu; a cryptologist and museum curator's granddaughter). While promoting his latest book, Robert is asked to help with a murder of a friend - the museum curator. Before he died, he was left clues for Robert and Sophie to unravel who killed him and why. The puzzles are pieced together, clues found through Da Vinci's worked are put together and eventually they seek out histories greatest treasure, the Holy Grail itself. In a nutshell, the premise of the story is that the Grail is not a chalice but the child fathered by Jesus with Mary Magdalene. They have a scene that goes in-depth on that theory; I found that to be pretty interesting. Over the ages there has been a secret society protecting the identity of the descendants of Jesus because if the Christ were deemed to be mortal and not the son of God, the church would be ruined. To prevent the secret from surfacing the Christian Church, or at least a secret council of it, would kill and has killed. I don't want to give much away, watch the movie. When the movie finished, I heard many of my fellow movie go-ers announce that the book was better. Of course the book was better, jackass. Most books are. With a book, it's your vision or interpretation of the words; with a movie, it's the director's. If the two don't match, you'll be in the situation I was in tonight and have to listen to a bunch of 15 year old girls complain that the movie was not as good as the book. Bottom line: I liked the movie. I laughed a few times and was on the edge of my seat a few times, also. I left the theater satisfied and that's all you can really ask from a movie.

This week in God

Part seventeen, part trois, of the fifty-two forty-nine part series. There can be no question, that I love you guys! For your viewing pleasure, another entry to this week in God! During a trip to Greenfield to exchange my hefty pouch of gold dubloons for a few liters of petrol, I passed by a house on Lincoln Street with an odd sign. Having an inquiring mind, I slowed and read the block lettering. I should have stomach problems in the morning and call out of work more often! There is a lot of world out there and a lot of weirdos doing weird things.

Lincoln Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts

FRONT YE DO ERR, NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES... - MATTHEW 22:29 OF A TRUTH... GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS ACTS 10:34 BACK SEEK YE OUT OF THE BOOK OF THE LORD, AND READ - ISAIAH 34:16 ...OBTAIN THE SALVATION WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS 2 TIMOTHY 2:10

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

Tericka Dye/Rikki Andersin madness!

I've now received over 300 visitors from the keyword of Tericka Dye or Rikki Andersin, you know that teacher who was once an adult film star! Oh, boy. Apparently people are coming here and looking for pictures of Tericka Dye or pictures of Rikki Andersin. When I search google, TEiN shows up pretty early on the search results. I feel bad that visitors are wasting time coming here only to find that I have no pictures of this lady. I tell ya what: if you promise not to tell my web host (or my wife), I'll post a naughty picture of the adult film star. Ok? Great! Ok, here is the picture. Enjoy yourself, perverts!

This week in God

Part seventeen, part deux, of the fifty-two forty-nine part series. A special treat for you, my readers. Since the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield used their sign to annouce an event, I was on the look out for something hold you over until the next week. Lucky for me, I found the North Congregation Church in North Amherst. Check out the Top 10 list they have on their website, it's a hoot. North Pleasant Street, North Amherst, Massachusetts

PEACE TAKES MORE THAN ENDING WAR!

Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

Here I come to save the day!

Beacon St, Greenfield, Massachusetts As I normally do, I was out on my lunch break looking for moments to capture with my camera. My Mikey senses started tingling as I approached the Greenfield Middle School. I peer out the passenger side window and just happened to notice a helicopter. Quickly, I made my way down to the parking lot behind the church which was next to the helipad at the school; I made it just in time to watch as a patient was loaded into the 'copter and then whisked away. The whole thing was done and over with in less than 5 minutes! Wow!

This week in God

Part seventeen of the fifty-two forty-nine part series of my continued coverage of the Faith Baptist Church in Greenfield. They update their sign weekly, usually by Thursday. Enjoy! Silver Street, Greenfield, Ma. Faith Baptist Church

SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE MAY 20 630PM RELEVANT TO TODAY'S YOUTH!

Nothing funny today, sorry. They used their announcment board for an actual announcement. They just had one of these back on March 25th. With the first, "all were welcome". This one proclaims to be "relevant to today's youth". I'm not sure how or in what respect. I'd check it out and have an actual report from one of these things but I get the creeps when I walk into churches. Cross post from This week in God :: Read / Post Comments.

Knock, Knock..

Fairview Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts Apparently, dogs now want privacy to do their business.

Here’s to you, Mister Six Flag’s man!

Greenfield, Massachusetts Yesterday, as some might have known, was Mother's day. I took my wife and son out to lunch at Friendly's on the Mohawk Trail. The place was packed but service wasn't bad, no worse than usual anyway. It took about ten minutes before we were seated; I was getting antsy just standing there in line.

"Hey, lets go to Reggie's. I bet they're slow!" I inquired. If you're a Seinfield fan, you'd understand that Reggie's is the bizarro coffee shop to Monk's. It also has very little business. I now refer to the Bickford's Family Restaurant in Greenfield as Reggie's. The only real reason is because it makes me smile.

So we've finally been seated and the first round of drinks arrive. Many local restaurants cringe when they see me coming as I demand a minimum of three refills per dinner - any less and the tip suffers! The appetizers quickly followed suit.

"Oh no honey, you have the last mozzarella stick," my wife said as she pushed the little plate to me. While I was chomping away on the last stick, the little red devil that sits on my shoulder whispered in my ear and told me to look behind me. Nonchalantly, I turned and witnessed the Six flags guy drinking a coffee! I was able to snap off a quick pic then the battery promptly died.

I have the sound effects enabled on my camera, so when the picture snapped it made a noise. This roused the old man up out of his seat and he began to do that weird dance but soon the fun time was over and he boarded his magical six flags bus. He left Friendly's that day to parts unknown. Farewell, Six flags man! Farewell!

Let this be a lesson to you, always bring your camera and fresh batteries!

Weekend News Wrap-up

[ REUTERS ] Blaine fails to break underwater record in New York What will happen to the school of Blainetology now?! Check out this guy's song, too. It's great. [ PHYSORG ] Flying robot attack 'unstoppable': experts In a future time Children will work together To build a giant cyborg Robot Parade Wave the flags that the robots made Robot Parade Robots obey what the children say ~They Might Be Giants [ CNN ] Bush nominates Hayden as CIA chief Again, I was over looked on this position. I hope the government is like most employers I've applied to and keep the application on file for 30 days; I expect a high turn over in the position. [ CNN ] Report: Whirlwind lifts girl 25 feet Yikes! [ LOCAL6 ] Teacher With Porn Past Hopes For Bible-Belt Forgiveness Schoolteacher Tericka Dye was recently fired because of her work in adult films several years ago. Her porn name was Rikki Andersin. Rumor has it that Dye's past came to light because she is currently divorcing and fighting with her ex over child custody. She claims it was a one time thing, but with my awe inspiring research ability I've found at least nine video releases with scenes from her. I'm not sure all the scenes could be filmed in one day. But who knows.. Maybe she should move to West Boca Raton, Florida. [ KSDK ] Store Owner Survives Being Shot In Head During Robbery As he was being wheeled out on the stretcher, he could be heard muttering, "I wasn't even supposed to be here today!" And in a Tony Danza style transition, Clerks 2 is due to be released July 21st. Mark your calendars. [ NCBUY ] Teacher Says She Was Fired Over in Vitro This is why the Da Vinci Code seems so believable - they're all a bunch of nuts! In the real world we know it, like the bible and other "religious" books, is indeed a work of fiction. Speaking of the insanity of Christianity, in Anacoco, Louisiana, a couple of boys were kicked out of the boy scouts for claiming to be Wiccan. Then there was the old man who used the bible to convince a minor to have sex. Crazy shit seems to spew from that nonsensical book. [ SKY ] Fish Drags Man To Death I could envision either one of my brothers or my grandmother's husband going out like this. Eerie. Again, in a Tony Danza style transition, I took my son fishing on Saturday and he caught two pretty nice sized bluegills at Highland Pond in Greenfield. A couple of weeks back, I took him down to the Connecticut river to practice casting his pole he received for his 3rd birthday. [ MSNBC ] Bush: Brother Jeb would be ‘great president’ HELL TO THE NO. [ USATODAY ] NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls And we've made it to the number ten story and it's a biggie. The article has a nice little time line if you scroll down. I don't understand. I suppose the problem is that, I believe, the Bush administration never had 9th grade civics because when they were younger schools stopped teaching at grade 8. They just missed out. They also must have been sleeping through the Nixon era.

In other news, TERRY LOST! I haven't been this disappointed in Survivor since the whole Rupert debacle! Oh well, at least Aras won over Danielle. But still, TERRY WAS THE FRIGGIN' MAN! That was just wrong Danielle! WRONG! Also, Bush received a letter from his pen pal Ahmadinejad. I hear it was like 18 pages or something. I expect Bush's reply didn't quite make a full page, even though it was double-spaced and in really large font. On Tuesday of last week, I read somewhere that banks now offer a 50-year mortgage. They've apparently also been offering 40-year mortgages. As if home ownership isn't daunting enough, now some people really will be paying for the rest of their lives. Much love.

Even Uncle Sam is a dirty old Uncle!

[ NYTIMES ] Army Acts to Curb Abuses of Injured Recruits (I prefer Michael Moore's layout of the story better.)

Read the story and know that it is true. Although I'm not proud to admit it, I was once in the Physical Training and Rehabilitation Program at Fort Jackson, S.C during my brief stint in the Army. I've seen this; I've experienced this. I have "weak knees". If I turn too quickly, run too hard or sometimes even just walk, my right knee buckles and I go down in a pile of writhing agony. The first time it happened was when I was working at Big Y in 1996. Looking back, I should have told a manager about it and had it looked at on their dime but I never did. During my couple of days of reception at Fort Jackson, my knee gave me problems again. We were practicing for some ceremony and, of course, some of the kids were screwing around. Since we had already done the initial physical testing, the drill corporals (as we called them) we allowed to "smoke" us. The entire auditorium was smoked. They told us to stand then sit quickly. It was too much stress and I went down hard. I was sentenced to FTC, the Fitness Training Company. (If you check out the link, let it be known that -I- didn't have an arcade while I was there.) When I was put into the program, the sol that slept on the lower bunk had been in there for six, working on seven, months. Sol? Yeah, that's what our bitchy drill sergeant, Staff Sergeant Huff, referred to us as because we weren't considered real soldiers in her book. He was there for an injury he received during blue phase of basic. He was there for the entire duration of my enlistment, also. Hell, for all I know, he could still be the inhabitant of that bottom bunk! I was there for a little over two months then I was discharged with a one-way bus ticket home. My knee problem never allowed me to meet the running requirement, I'm sure if I pushed I could have made it but I knew better. Being in the Army or the armed forces in general are life long dreams for some people. A few of my buddies tried to push themselves too far and they received some pretty harsh injuries. I could tell a few stories but I don't feel this site would be an appropriate venue. My experience in the army gave me what I was looking for, even though I didn't get to experience it more. I grew on the inside. I'm not sorry that I enlisted, but I'm sure as hell glad that I made it out.