Weather is still very much in flux here, though at least we are making progress towards warm. In the last 3 days we’ll have seen a  day time high of 76 and then a plummet to a rainy barely 60 with several nights well into the 30s.

On the bright side, at least its not as bad as Impish who saw 55 degree temps Tuesday followed by a 23 degree drop and the full Monte of winter precipitation with 25 to 35 mph winds on top of it today. I expect he’ll be taking yet another snow day off while claiming ‘telecommuting’ to DL/LL Enterprises. Telecommuting is actually Impish speak for being in his recliner with a lap top open and his eyes closed.

You guys get started on today’s issue Friday is giving me the sign my next interview for Impish’s replacement on call substitute is waiting for me I’ll catch up in time to relate something interesting that occurred while attempting to put the issue together in my Parting Shot.

Cute but impractical- you lose about 1/3 of the mugs capacity to the cookies & it doesn’t appear to hold nearly enough chocolate chip cookies.

Irish Railway

The following is an actual exchange of correspondence between a customer
and the Irish Railway Company – IarnrodEireann.

Gentlemen,
I have been riding your trains daily for the last two years,
and the service on your line seems to be getting worse every day.
I am tired of standing in the aisle all the time on a 14-mile trip.
I think the transportation system is worse than that enjoyed by people 2,000 years ago.

Yours truly,
Patrick Finnegan

 

Dear Mr. Finnegan,
We received your letter with reference to the shortcomings of our service
and believe you are somewhat confused in your history.

The only mode of transportation 2,000 years ago was by foot.

Sincerely,
IarnrodEireann

Gentlemen,
I am in receipt of your letter, and I think you are
the ones who are confused in your history. If you will refer to the
Bible and the Book of David, 9th Chapter,
you will find that Balaam rode to town on his ass.

That…. gentlemen, is something I have not been able to do on your train in the last two years!

Yours truly,
Patrick Finnegan.

 

Cat and Dog Diary – A Must Watch

If you’ve had a cat or dog you will likely find this hilarious if you can relate to your own. I could not stop laughing. Hope you enjoy and get your dose of laugh medicine, truly an amazing job and script. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151949219527499

I think he’s deluding himself by believing it would take 10 seconds!

In grocery stores soon….Two new Breakfast Cereals from General Mills

    General Mills is partnering with Michelle Obama to promote healthy eating.  Here are the first two products.

  

 

Sneaky Netflix tech support scam could let criminals take over your computer

f you encounter an error on your computer when trying to sign in to your Netflix account, make sure to double-check before you call the listed help line. This scam may be one of the most elaborate ones seen in a while.

Simply put, this is a phishing scam that’s gone above and beyond to access your personal information. Coupling “tech support” with a phishing scam is a devious ploy, but it can fool a lot of people if you don’t know what you’re looking at.

When you call the “help line,” you will be told that people from outside the country have tried to attack your computer and you will be instructed to download the “Netflix Support Software.”

This software is really remote control program that will allow the hackers to gain access to all of your personal files, including your banking information. The hackers will show you an imitation of the results of scans for attacks and run several programs on your computer.

They will give you a bogus Netflix coupon code for $50 and then try to extract a payment of $389.97 to complete the scam. They will ask you to hold up your credit card and ID to the webcam or send them a picture of your credit information.

Click here to learn more about the scam from Malwarebytes.

Chunky Salsa Cheesecake

What You’ll Need

1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
2 eggs
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Chunky Salsa

How to Make It

• 1 Combine the tortilla chips and the butter in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Place the springform pan in a shallow baking pan.
• 2 Beat the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the cheese, onion, garlic and black pepper. Pour the cheese mixture into the pan.
• 3 Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until set.  Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Cover the pan and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• 4 Remove the cheesecake from the pan.  Top with the salsa and cut into 12 wedges.

Be adventurous! Use flavored tortilla chips (Hint of Lime) or Doritos in the crust. Use a fruit salsa in place of the Pace. Like more zing and zip? Add chopped cilantro or green chilies to the cream cheese mix

Orange and Pineapple Muffins

 

Orange Pineapple Muffins taste of orange, pineapple, and pecans and the baked muffins, while still warm, are brushed with an orange glaze which keeps them wonderfully shiny and moist. These are lovely little gems that are baked in miniature

 

 

Orange Pineapple Muffins

1/2 cup pecans

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk, plain yogurt or sour cream

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Glaze:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Coarse decorator’s or demerara sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Spread pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then chop into small pieces.

Coat a muffin tin with vegetable oil spray, or fill cups with paper liners. Drain pineapple. Increase oven heat to 375 degrees.

Whisk flour with salt and baking soda. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until thoroughly blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the milk, orange extract and zest. Stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Fold in the toasted pecans and drained pineapple.

Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack. While muffins are still hot, brush tops with orange juice and sprinkle with the sugar. Makes 16 muffins.

Source: Linda Cicero for Cook’s Corner

Per muffin: 156 calories (51 percent from fat), 9 g fat, (4.1 g saturated, 3 g monounsaturated), 27.8 mg cholesterol, 2.8 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 0.8 g fiber, 177 mg sodium.

 

Orange Pineapple Muffin Cake (Giant Scone)

Called Orange Pineapple Muffin Cake, this easy, wholesome Pillsbury Bake-off contender from 1990 reminds me more of a scone than a muffin. Although the description claimed that “Whole wheat flour adds texture and wholesomeness to this muffin-like cake,” both Molly and I agree that this pineapple orange muffin cake has the consistency of a scone. More biscuit-like than muffin-like. And with just 200 calories and 6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, this is a whole lot lighter than your typical coffee shop coffeecake, muffin or scone.

Molly was a little concerned that the batter was too thick, but managed to get it spread out in the pan. The orange pineapple flavor really came through and the orange glaze added just enough sweetness. This delicious recipe full of fruit and flavor is definitely going into our “Make Again” file.

Orange Pineapple Muffin Cake

Prep time 20 mins |  Cook time 25 mins

Total time 45 mins  | Servings 12

A light and tasty coffee cake made with whole wheat flour, crushed pineapple and orange juice that reminds me more of a scone than a muffin Author: Simple Nourished Living Recipe type: Coffee Cake Serves: 12

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt
1 can (8-1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained ½ cup orange juice
1/3 cup butter, melted ½ to 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 egg, slightly beaten

For the Glaze

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon grated orange zest
1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a 9-inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing well. In a medium bowl stir together the drained crushed pineapple, orange juice, melted butter, orange zest and egg until well blended. Add the pineapple mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. (The dough will be very thick.) Spread the dough evenly into the greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 22 to 27 minutes or until a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate. To make the glaze, in a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Add the additional tablespoon of orange juice a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.

Notes Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1/12th): 200 calories, 6 g fat, 34 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein and 6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

Blueberry Bread and Rice Pudding with Orange Caramel Sauce

Recipe courtesy Food Network Kitchens

This pudding combo uses both rice and sweet Hawaiian bread (with a blast of blueberries, orange zest and juice) for texture and flavor, with evaporated milk for richness without the fat. You’d never know it was fewer than 300 calories per serving!

Total Time: 1 hr 50 min | Prep: 20 min | Inactive: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr | Yield: 8 servings | Level: Easy

Ingredients

12 ounces sweet Hawaiian bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
1 1/4 cups fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup 2-percent milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Large pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup blueberries
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon toasted, sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden, tossing halfway through, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk together 1 cup of the evaporated milk with the 2-percent milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and eggs in a large bowl. Add the cooled bread cubes and wild rice. Toss to combine and set aside until the bread soaks up most of the liquid, about 30 minutes.
Stir the blueberries into the mixture and transfer to a lightly oiled 2-quart baking dish. Top with the almonds and bake until the bread pudding is set and golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove and let rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar to a small saucepan. Swirl over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and turns amber, about 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the caramel sauce over bread pudding. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Man grabs ‘Zelda’ sword to battle girlfriend’s ex

A bizarre story overnight in Katy. One man says he had to grab his replica master sword from ‘The Legend of Zelda’ in a duel with his girlfriend’s estranged husband.

Two men hospitalized after ‘Legend of Zelda’ sword stabbing

Heated argument over woman turns violent after man pulls out replica sword

Author: Gianna Caserta, Reporter, gcaserta@click2houston.com
Lauren Scott, News Associate Producer Published On: Mar 02 2014 07:47:20 AM CST Updated  48 m

http://www.click2houston.com/news/two-men-hospitalized-after-legend-of-zelda-sword-stabbing/-/1735978/24762634/-/14sj6nvz/-/index.html

HOUSTON – We have a bizarre story that happened overnight in Katy. One man says he had to grab a sword in a duel with his girlfriend’s estranged husband.

“Swords and flower pots; it sounds nuts, he is psycho,” said Eugene Thompson, the homeowner’s boyfriend.

According to deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Thompson lives at a home with his girlfriend and said Saturday night they got into an argument. That’s when his girlfriend called her estranged husband, who stopped by the house around 10 p.m.

“It’s late, I get up and look and he is here, and I am like go away, you don’t live here anymore,” said Thompson.

Thompson’s girlfriend let the man inside. Thompson said he ran to the back bedroom and told the man to leave the house, but he refused and started charging at him. That’s when Thompson says he grabbed his replica master sword from ‘The Legend of Zelda.’

“I heard him heading to the bedroom where I was, so I jumped in the closet and I grabbed one of my replica swords, and I pulled it out and stood at the doorway, and he was coming down the hallway at me while I was yelling, ‘Go away, you don’t live here’ and he just walked right into the point of the sword, I don’t know if he thought it was a toy,” said Thompson.

Thompson told Local 2 he managed to get the man out of the house and locked the door. But he said the man wouldn’t give up and broke through the front door and ran back into the house.

Deputies said the two men fought over the sword and in the scuffle, the estranged husband was stabbed — once in the chest and once in the leg. Thompson said the man grabbed a flower pot from outside and smashed it over his head.

“It dinged me on the head and all of a sudden I had blood pouring down my face,” said Thompson.

Deputies arrived and took the estranged husband to Memorial Hermann Hospital in serious condition.

Thompson was transported to another hospital to get the gash in his head stitched up. Thompson said now he’s trying to figure out what to do.

“I am just trying to figure out what to do from here. I have to find a new place to live,” said Thompson.

Thompson’s girlfriend was not injured in the fight.

Police report no new word on the location of the Ocarina of Time as a result of the incident as all parties clamed to have no knowledge of its location.

 

Viral Videos: The Piano Guys’ epic performance of ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’

It’s no secret that Impish is a fan of the fabulously talented Piano Guys. I know many of you are too, because you love it when I’ve posted their incredible videos! Here is the latest one from the duo: an amazing cover of the mega-hit “Let It Go” from “Frozen.”

Let It Go (Disney’s “Frozen”) Vivaldi’s Winter – ThePianoGuys

 

I had a Parting Shot for this week 90% completed and saved it just prior to shutting down Saturday. Sunday when I opened this issue to continue working I got a typically Microsoft cryptic message about how there had been a problem with the program shutting down and did I wish to recover the file. When ‘recovered’ the Parting Shot in its entirety was missing including the Banner which by the time I closed down had been saved 3 or 4 times being made several days earlier.

Subsequent scans for Virus, Malware, Hardware & Software issues all turned up negative. Now, I’m not making a claim either way mind you, but I do find it highly interesting that the lost Parting Shot was an update of recent court decisions on the issues of Personal privacy with regard to your electronic devices and your legal expectations.

Instead of attempting to recreate the significant amount of time that went into writing the Parting Shot to that point here is something that will make violating your password protected electronic devices  privacy a little more difficult. At the same time this will graphically demonstrate why I harp so much on using good passwords and all possible characters in creating one

A jazzy password-strength tester

Don’t leave all your data and sensitive information vulnerable with a weak password. There’s too much at stake!

Test the strength of your passwords at How Secure Is My Password? Just enter your password and the site will tell you how long it would take to crack it.

The site will tell you if you’ve picked a common password (such as “password” or “abc123″), along with a few tips on how to make it stronger, such as adding a number or symbol.

The site doesn’t store any information or require a login, so you don’t worry about compromising your security. If you want to be extra certain not to give your password away, just enter a password with a similar length and number of symbols.

https://howsecureismypassword.net/

Here’s an example of how this site can help you- I made one simple change in my test password, without significantly altering the password. The net effect of the change made the password 1 character longer and caused it to include several symbols and/or special characters. The result was my password went from being crackable in 3 days, to it requiring more than 5 years!

I should point out that the test password I used which is, for the purposes of this test, essentially identical to mine in all aspects. When one goes to a new site to sign up or when one needs to reset a password often there is a little ‘strength meter’ in the form of a bar next to the place you enter your password which is supposed to show you how strong your password is. My current password always maxed this meter out so to say this all came as a bit of a revelation to me would be more than accurate. I thought I was following all the rules and had a fairly strong password. Needless to say over the course of the next week I’ll be upgrading my password at all the sites I use to follow what I have just learned.

How strong is your password? In today’s environment of the Government and Law Enforcement taking liberties with your privacy are you to operating under a false sense of security?

Good morning campers!  Welcome to another edition of the best e-zine on the internet.  Is it finally spring time?  It’s getting closer.  We’ve had 3 days in a row now that the temperature has gotten over the freezing point at least for a little while during the day.  I’m almost afraid, waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I think we might be getting a taste of that other shoe tomorrow, though.  Our forecast calls for rain, freezing rain, sleet, thunderstorms and snow.  A more unholy combination of weather I don’t think I’ve ever heard of, unless you were to throw a tornado in there.  And in all honesty, in Indiana, with Thunderstorms, you ALWAYS have a shot at a tornado.  Should be good fun.  I can hardly wait to see what comes next!

So, I think at this point, it’s time to get set and ready to laugh, so, everyone set your coffee down and be prepared to properly time your swallows with NOT reading so as not to spew coffee onto your computer screens.  Because I would say that if you don’t find something to laugh at in today’s issue, you’re already dead.  You’re just waiting on the coroner.

 

The Russians sure have a strange idea of the proper way of towing a vehicle:

And why in the world would they not have someone behind the wheel to steer?

 

And I agree, this one definitely deserves the title of…

Why is it so damn cold??
Because almost every white person for 200+ years said,
“It will be a cold day in Hell, before a black man becomes President.”
Enjoy the weather.

 

Okay, how many of you are as sick and tired of winter as I am.

The Funeral

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played “Amazing Grace”, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothing like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Apparently I’m still lost…. it’s a guy thing.

Blow Frog…submitted by our own dear Ginny:

A woman went into a pet shop to buy her husband a pet.  After looking around, she realized that all the pets were very expensive.  She went to the counter and questioned the clerk.  “I wanted to buy my husband a pet, but all of yours are so expensive, ” she said.

“Well,” said the clerk, “I have a huge bullfrog in the back for $50.00.  Would you like to see it?”

“$50.00?!  For a frog?!!” asked the woman.

The clerk explained, “It’s a special frog.  It gives blow jobs.”

Well, the woman didn’t particularly enjoy giving head, so, she thought this was a heck of a deal.  She’d get her husband a gift he’d surely enjoy, and she’d never have to do that again!  The woman decided to buy the frog.

She took it home to her husband and explained the strange gift. Of course, the husband was skeptical, but said for sure he’d try it out that night. The woman went to bed that night, relieved knowing that she’d never have to give another blow job.

Around two in the morning, she woke to hear pots and pans banging around in the kitchen.  She got up to go see what was going on.  When she got to the kitchen, she saw her husband and the frog, sitting at the kitchen table like best buddies, looking through cookbooks.

“What are you two doing looking through cookbooks at this hour?” she asked.

The guy looks up at her and says, “Well, if I can teach this frog to cook, your ass is outta here!!”

I understand completely how that probably happened exactly as he explains.  Makes perfect sense to me.

 

Yup, I have one of those at home.  She doesn’t beg, we wouldn’t allow that, but whenever anyone has anything to eat, she moves from her little bed to lay closer to the person with the food.  She lays back down, but continues to watch you with her eyes.  It’s really quite funny.

This blonde decides one day that she is sick and tired of all these blonde jokes and how all blondes are perceived as stupid, so she decides to show her husband that blondes really are smart. While her husband is off at work, she decides that she is going to paint a couple of rooms in the house.

The next day, right after her husband leaves for work, she gets down to the task at hand. Her husband arrives home at 5:30 and smells the distinctive smell of paint. He walks into the living room and finds his wife lying on the floor in a pool of sweat. He notices that she is wearing a ski jacket and a fur coat at the same time.

He goes over and asks her if she is OK. She replies yes. He asks what she is doing. She replies that she wanted to prove to him that not all blonde women are dumb and she wanted to do it by painting the house. He then asks her why she has a ski jacket over her fur coat. She replies that she was reading the directions on the paint can and they said….

FOR BEST RESULTS, PUT ON TWO COATS.

Okay, so I know it’s probably strange to say and I’ll probably hear about it from you guys and from Lethal Leprechaun, but I like these videos, the blending is very well done and I like seeing how many scenes I recognize…

And watching the last video, I caught sight of one of my favorite all time dance numbers from any movie…I think you’ll agree that it doesn’t get much better than this!

Boy, do I understand that one!  If it wasn’t for modern pharmacological chemistry, I probably would have been dead years ago…and if it wasn’t for post-modern recreational chemistry, I probably would have been a better man than I am now.
But, that’s neither here nor there.
Wait…
What were we talking about?

Not sure if you’ve seen this or not yet, Lethal hasn’t told me all the different places he’s posted it.  I’m sure it’s probably hit Monster.com, Mythical and magical placements, Terrorizing Temps and several other places.  But, this is the ad that was run:

I found it posted on the employee advancement board, so I don’t feel bad at all about reprinting it here.  I’m sure there’s been several of our current mythical employees who’ve already applied (see the last underlined sentence).  Not sure if he was bragging, but Lethal let it be known that several mythical, magical, fictional (and several combinations thereof) have already made inquiries or actually sent in resumes.  Now, I’m not going to go name dropping or anything, but some of them were some pretty big names.  At least one Norse God and a very famous dragon or three. I’m very flattered and quite apprehensive about competing for my own job!

So, any interested magical/mythical creatures out there interested in taking my job away from me?

 

Hey, looks like I could get another gig fairly easily.  Any volunteers to be my librarian?

 

And I was absolutely sure they were perfect the way they were!  Just goes to show you.

 

Well, my little baby dragon would say that dragons make the best parents in the world, but I can see as how Ninjas have a horse in the race.

 

I repeat my earlier statement about perfection.  Is it any wonder that men have been infatuated since birth?

 

A farmer named Clyde had a car accident. In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning Clyde.

“Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine,’?” asked the lawyer.

Clyde responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule, Bessie…”

“I didn’t ask for any details”, the lawyer interrupted. “Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine!’?”

Clyde said, “Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road…..”

The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud.

Please tell him to simply answer the question.”

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Clyde’s answer and said to the lawyer, “I’d like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule, Bessie”.

Clyde thanked the Judge and proceeded.

“Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side.
I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting, real bad and didn’t want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning.
I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans. Shortly after the accident a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her, and saw her fatal condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.

Then the Patrolman came across the road, gun still in hand, looked at me and said, “How are you feeling?”

“Now what the hell would you say?”

It’s that time of year again my fellow campers!  That one special day that you despise above all others!  The one day a year that robs most of us of the one thing we cherish above all others.  The day that the universe conspires to take from us the most sought after, desired possession.  More prized than gold, silver or sex…okay, so maybe not THAT prized.
What is this mystical thing that you are losing?
SLEEP!!!  TIME!!!  It’s Daylight Savings time again and that means that tonight, before you go to bed you need to set your clocks ahead by one hour…or, you can stick to the official time and get up at 2 am and set your clock to 3 am.

This is such a touching and poignant video that proves that the youth of today still have some hope left in them.  If I could use this video to show in schools about the proper attitude and the right way to do things, I would in a heartbeat.  This young man is a credit to his family and the memory of his father.  Yes, I said the memory.  As you watch this video, you would be strongly advised to have a box of tissue available.
I felt this was important enough to be included as my Last Word for this week.

The whole idea of paying it forward is the kind of thing that I wish was more prevalent in our society.  Think of what could be accomplished.  We say, “What goes around, comes around” and “You reap what you sow”.  We’ve all heard these sayings over and over again.  Is that not the same as paying it forward? I know, I know, we normally associate those sayings with someone doing something wrong and it coming it back to bite him.  But, doesn’t it also mean that if you do something good, it will come back around to you? 

Have you ever had someone do something for you out of the blue and felt the need to do something for someone else?

When I was a young airman, I was driving from Indiana to New Mexico on a change of duty assignment.  Long story short, I was about as far into the middle of nowhere in the New Mexico desert as you could possibly get.  It was about 70 miles in any direction to the closest town.  I had lost one tire the day before and was driving on the spare, with just about enough money to pay for gas to get to Holloman AFB.  And wouldn’t you know it, I got another flat.  No spare, no money,  no cell phone and in the middle of the desert.  I had a family stop, his wife stayed with my wife and young daughter, he drove me the 70+ miles into town, paid for the tire to be fixed, drove me all the way back out and helped me change the tire, made sure we were on our way.

Who does that?  Took five hours out of their day, PAID for the tire, it was amazing!

So, it wasn’t a couple of months later when I was driving that I ran into a family with a flat tire, no spare and no money.  His tire had a gash in it and couldn’t be fixed.  So what did I do?  (I know, there’s a couple of you who are saying, “You drove on by!”  Ha, Ha!  No, I didn’t!) I drove him to town, bought him a tire, helped him change it and sent him on his way.  I felt obligated!  It’s not often that the universe slaps you in the face with Karma.  I had to do it.

So, why can’t we do it the other way?  Why can’t we do nice things for people, for no reason, with no expectation of payback and allow the universe to bless us in return?  Set it up so Karma can work in our favor instead of against us?  Do you realize that if enough people pay it forward, over and over again, that we HAVE to be paid to in return.  Over and Over!

What do you think?

I think it’s certainly worth a try.  We could even brag about it here.  What we did to pay it forward and how we were blessed by someone else.

Think about it.

<Lethal appears at podium looking like a green fleece mummy>

You’ll have to excuse my practical but less than usual dapper appearance. I’m afraid Mother Nature yet again has shown her dispisal of me and Texas. Let me show you what I awoke to yesterday:

The first is from my home, the other 2 are from within 3 miles of it. Thankfully we’ve received no direct damage and (as of time of writing this Tuesday afternoon) not lost power. Molly insanely insisted on going to work and made it sans difficulty but now has to make it back home again as the temps drop to or below freezing again to night (we’ve finally crawled up to a high of 35 out which doesn’t even make the reduced from 45 prediction of 38). Tomorrow they are alleging it should make 50 something but based on their track record of missing by 7 to 10 degrees most days in the last 5 I’m guessing I’ll still be swaddled up like a moldy mummy as you read this.

Moving on before my finger freeze_

You’ll have to excuse Impish’s absence this morning as we get rolling here as he’s undoubtedly still a bit under the weather. Nope wasn’t another attack of the manically mad bus driving stalker,  he’s apparently got and I hasten to add this isn’t the lingering effects of last weeks multiple incident attack either as he got a reprieve due to all the ice apparently .

The cause of Impish’s indisposal this morning is in fact yesterday (Fat Tuesday), March 4,  was also  Paczki Day which marks the appearance of a short time availability pastry indulgence Impish considers highly worth pursuing. First off, one must be aware that there are paczki (pronounced: “punch-key” or “poanch-key”) and that these so-called paczki that are  flat jelly-filled doughnut wannabes of Polish origin.

The primary difference between the two pastries is that Paczki are resilient. They’re denser; it’s a yeast dough that doesn’t collapse when you bite into it. While this allows you to fill them fuller, its also means they act like bread of biscuits in the stomach in the presence of liquid. Yup that resilient dough sucks up the liquid like a sponge and becomes a gut bomb. Insidiously, nothing goes so well with Paczki as our favorite beverage around here, coffee. Each just seems to make the other taste better.

The most common fillings here in the U.S. include strawberry, Bavarian cream, blueberry, custard (lemon & chocolate), raspberry, and apple. There in is where the problem arose. See traditional fillings are Powidła (stewed plum jam), wild rose hip jam and sweetened pureed stewed prunes. In order to fill Impish’s order Paczki were obtained from multiple bakeries, one of which caters to a fairly large Polish community and makes traditionally filled Paczki.

While unpacking the boxes someone in DL/LL Media Enterprises  Executive Commissary undoubtedly feeling pressured by Impish’s obsessional pacing and bellowing regarding progress in the acquisition of his Paczki (an already stressful time because he never thinks to preorder any of his obsessional short season/supply foods) apparently mistook the dark filling visible in several boxes for dark chocolate custard when in actuality it was prune.

Now one box in the grand scheme of Impish’s Private Paczki Party of One would not have been a big deal, in fact it might have been beneficial even. However his consuming 12 flat boxes containing two dozen prune filled each was the harbinger of a digestive disaster of epic proportions just waiting to happen.

You folks remember that photo from last week about ‘where-will-you-be-when-diarrhea-strikes?’? With the flood wall of it engulfing that poor woman and those cars?

Yeah.

Let’s just say downtown Peru Indiana is still currently digging out from a once in a 100 years storm of an entirely different kind from anything they’ve ever seen before.

We have the rest of Impish’s Paczki he generously donated on the Craft Services table to have along with your coffee while you read so help yourselves. I must insist however, that you avail yourself of the provided Depends prior to partaking in any of the clearly marked Prune filled variety for everyone’s sake

 

 

Introducing WikiBear, the Siri of stuffed animals

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, Mashable  Posted: 02/21/14, 12:51 PM EST

NEW YORK >> If Teddy Ruxpin and Siri had a stuffed animal baby, it would be the WikiBear.

The WikiBear is a know-it-all toy that can crack jokes, tell you the weather, update you on which team won last night’s hockey game or remind you who the 15th President of the United States was. The bear is on display this week at the 2014 International American Toy Fair, and answers your questions by searching the web.

He has a personality, too. He’ll remember names, share his interests (and his favorite color) and develop a relationship with the owner. The more you play with it, the more it gets to know your personality too.

Just lock up your honey pot, don’t leave his charging cord where he can find it and don’t feed him after midnight!

 

 Golf photography hit by golf ball and falls in jumping cholla cactus

In the opening round of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship, Rory McIlroy struggles to punch out from the desert at the par-4 15th hole while a fan is attacked by a jumping cholla cactus.

 

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

 

“RETARDED” GRANDPARENTS”

Written by a third grader, on what his grandparents do.

After Christmas , a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following:

We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Florida. Now they live in a tin box that has wheels, but its strapped to the ground. They ride around on their bicycles, and wear name tags, because they don’t know who they are anymore. They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don’t do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they all just jump up and down in it with hats on.

At their gate, there is a dollhouse with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts. Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night – early birds. Some of the people can’t get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck. My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too.

When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.

7 sites – some you’ve never heard of – to watch TV and movies for free online

Gone are the days when you were hopelessly tied to high cable bills. Now there are plenty of options for watching your favorite movies or TV shows, one of which includes cutting the cord to cable.

But even non-cable options aren’t completely free. And if you’re not paying attention you could still rack up quite a bill.

So to cut out the hassle of finding places to watch your favorite movies and TV shows I’ve brought together some of the best sites that stream for free (legally). You’ll find hours of entertainment for the whole family!

YouTube – Believe it or not, YouTube has more uses than funny cat videos and crazy dash cam footage. YouTube hosts plenty of free movies, and not just user-created clips.

YouTube Movies offers full-length feature films from Hollywood and around the world and many are completely free! You can also find classic films, independent films and Disney movies. But remember, some of these movies are not suitable for all audiences, so be sure to surf for movies with your kids.

Internet Archive – When a film enters the public domain, it means that you and I own it! So where’s your copy of the original Little Shop of Horrors? It’s online at the Internet Archive.

This site collects public-domain works, so it’s mostly classic films. Features, shorts, silent films, talkies and even vintage newsreels and advertisements are available. You can get your fix of classic noir and Charlie Chaplin right here.

Big Five Glories – During the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema in the 1930s and ’40s, the five biggest production companies were Fox, RKO, Paramount, Warner Bros. and MGM. Four of them are still making movies, but Big Five has movies from all of them.

You’ll be able to find many of the most glorious pictures made between 1903 and 1976 on Big Five Glories. All these classic flicks stream without commercial interruption.

Crackle – If you’d rather browse from hundreds of more contemporary movies, Crackle has plenty of popular options for television shows and movies. Many of them are recent blockbusters, but there are also a number of classic, underground and independent choices.

There are hundreds of films and TV shows from every genre. Crackle is supported by advertising, so each video will have commercial breaks. Again, not all the content is appropriate for everyone.

Hulu – One of the most popular sources for brand-new TV shows and movies is Hulu. Hulu hosts hundreds of shows, many of them recently broadcast on major networks.

Hulu is also supported by commercials, and you will be required to create an account and sign in to view content intended for mature audiences. But there are also plenty of movies for kids and the whole family to watch.

Viewster – You’ll find plenty of popular and contemporary movies at Viewster. Here’s a site that collects tons of films from every genre that flew under the radar. Most of these films will be lesser known, but no less enjoyable.

Most of them are free, although some will give you a choice between watching advertisements or paying a $3 fee. Be careful when watching with kids: Many of these films are not rated and could include objectionable material.

Listen To A Movie – Audiobooks make a lot of sense for those times when you have your hands or your eyes full. The same is true when it comes to movies!

Listen To A Movie is a site that has hundreds of flicks – well, the audio from hundreds of flicks! There are also TV shows, radio programs and stand-up comedy. As with Viewster, there are no ratings attached to any media, so use your own discretion.

Links info courtesy of: http://www.komando.com/cool-sites/240941/7-sites-some-youve-never-heard-of-to-watch-tv-and-movies-for-free-online/all

Viral Videos: Be honest: Do YOU need one of these?

Where is your reality? On a screen – or right in front of you? Coke has a ridiculous solution you will not believe!

 

 

 

Many of you are still up to your navels (or higher depending on your height) in snow and some of you were even blessed with another storms worth of the past weekend. To me cold snowy weather calls out for 2 things, soup which I could probably happily eat everyday during cold weather and hot from the warm oven or crockpot casseroles.

Since we’ve already covered soups several times since the mercury in your thermometers started taking a dive late last fall I though it was time for a few new casseroles to add to your cookbooks and recipe databases

Lazy Man’s Stuffed Cabbage in Crockpot

(Don’t ask me why the photo shows sliced smoked sausage in it)

 

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 8 Hours

Ready In: 8 Hours 10 Minutes

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (80 – 85% lean works best)

1 onion, diced

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 small head cabbage, shredded

1 (28 ounce) can canned tomato sauce/puree

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper, garlic powder, hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine ground beef, onion, rice and cabbage. Pour in tomato sauce. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well, and cook on low, for 6 to 8 hours.

You want spicier substitute one 15 oz. can of tomato puree and one 14 oz jar of salsa/picante of the heat level of your choosing.

Easy Pierogi Casserole

Pierogies are heartwarming, rib-sticking dumplings filled with cheese, onions, bacon and potatoes. Typically taking all day to make, this time-saving version produces just-as-delicious results.”

They come conveniently frozen in a box in both regular and now mini also in several varieties now. For those of you who have never had them they are in a nutshell a potato and cheese filled Polish take on raviolis sans the red sauce. My problem is I either never have them when I want them (they don’t hang out in our freezer for long) or don’t have enough to feed everyone when I do have them. This recipe from Kraft solves that problem and tastes exactly like them. I also like it because it bakes well with others and I can get away with using Instant potatoes when I don’t

 

• PREP: 25 mins
• COOK: 35 mins
• READY IN: 1 hr

 

 

 

Ingredients

[Original recipe makes 12 servings ]

• 9 lasagna noodles, uncooked

• 4 cups hot mashed potatoes

• 1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

• 6 green onions, thinly sliced

• 1 (3 oz) package Real Bacon Recipe Pieces, divided

• 2 cups  Cheddar Shredded Cheese, divided

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cook noodles as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, combine mashed potatoes, cream cheese spread, onions, 1/2 cup bacon and 1 cup Cheddar.
3. Place 3 noodles in 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with 1/3 of the potato mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining bacon and Cheddar; cover.
4. Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Uncover; bake 3 to 5 min. or until Cheddar is lightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.

Notes:

You will need to cook about 2 lb. (900 g) baking potatoes (about 6) to get the 4 cups mashed potatoes needed to make this recipe.

Special Extra: Garnish with caramelized onions (&/or mushrooms), sour cream and additional  Real Bacon Recipe Pieces just before serving.

Personally I can never manage to use just one 3 ounce package of the bacon. I always wind up using more like one and a half to two packages. I also find the ‘Serves 12 to be heavily optimistic unless its at a potluck supper. Serves 8 generously is more accurate in my opinion .

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffing and corn kernels mix with ground beef and onion to make a deliciously different stuffing for bell peppers and it’s on the table in just 45 minutes.

Prep 15 min. | Total 45 min.

Bake: 30 min.

Serves 4 about 2 cups each|

What You’ll Need

2 1/2 cups  Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, cut up
1 can (about 8 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
2 medium green peppers, cut lengthwise into quarters

How to Make It

• 1 Stir 1/4 cup stuffing and butter in a medium bowl.
• 2 Cook the beef and onion in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.
• 3 Stir the tomatoes and corn in the skillet.  Add the remaining stuffing and mix lightly.
• 4 Arrange the peppers, cut-side up, in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.  Spoon the beef mixture over the peppers.  Cover the baking dish.
• 5 Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until the peppers are tender.  Sprinkle with the reserved stuffing mixture.  Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the topping is golden.

Tex-Mex it up-

Increase peppers to 3. (will serve 6 now)

Use Cornbread stuffing instead of herbed

Substitute a jar of picante or salsa for the tomatoes (heat level of your choice)

Add half of a can of black or pinto beans

When seasoning ground beef mix include taco seasoning, chili seasoning or chili powder.

Add Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese the last 5 minutes of oven time.

Serve with/on Yellow, Spanish or Dirty rice.

Viral Videos: This amazing man’s invention changed everything – but few know his name

 

New Hyundai Vehicle Fueled By Poo

Alyssa Danigelis, Discovery News   |   February 24, 2014 12:03pm ET

Poo power is ready to hit the streets. Hyundai recently announced plans to begin leasing a new vehicle this spring, and the fuel in the tank will come from processed sewage.

Last fall, Tesla’s Elon Musk was calling hydrogen fuel cell technology for vehicles “bullsh*t.” He meant that as an insult, saying it’s a dangerous gas more suitable for rockets than for cars. But it’s almost literally true. In several weeks Hyundai will begin leasing a new Tucson Fuel Cell crossover vehicle that runs on hydrogen gas derived from excrement.

The complex process to convert waste from toilets and sinks in Southern California into hydrogen comes from scientists at UC Irvine’s National Fuel Cell Research Center, Bloomberg’s Alan Ohnsman reported. Essentially the solids are separated from water and fed to microbes that turn it into methane and CO2. Some methane gets filtered and piped into a special device, and then voilà: hydrogen gas.

That hydrogen then goes directly into a public pump for refueling vehicles. Hyundai says the Tucson’s three-year lease — about $3,000 down and then nearly $500 a month – will include maintenance and unlimited hydrogen refueling at a dozen pumps around California. Its tank takes about three minutes to fill and is good for about 300 miles, Ohnsman explained.

See the rest of the article here

OK I’ll apologize in advance but I can’t help it I have to let the obligatory groaners about this out of my head. Ready? Here they come:

1.) Only 300 miles/tankful seems like shitty mileage, but I guess you have to consider the source (of the fuel).

2.) Does this mean that scientists have successfully developed the Poo Cell?

and if you’re saying poo on the story or groaners how about this poo related story-

Woman Accused of Trying to Kill Her Husband the Grossest Way

By Sasha Goldstein / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, January 31, 2014, 9:41 PM

Of all the disgusting ways to try to kill someone, this take the cake. Police and witnesses say Rosemary Vogel injected feces into her husband’s IV bag in an attempt to murder him. Vogel’s husband was in the hospital recovering from heart surgery. Nurses answering to an alarm caught her holding the IV bag, now filled with brownish liquid. They say she’d used a poo-filled syringe to contaminate it.

Investigators confirm that the bag’s contents tested positive for fecal matter, though they aren’t sure whose it is. Vogel’s handbag held three syringes, one filled with feces and two with some other liquid. They also don’t have a motive for the alleged attempted murder.

Meanwhile, Vogel’s husband is still alive, now recovering from both heart surgery and the contamination. Thank goodness the hospital had an alarm and the nurses responded right away, or the man may not have survived the attack. Vogel also faces vulnerable adult abuse charges.

What a shitty way to die!

 

Since both items are fairly short we’re doing a twofer today as I’m starting to get snowed under by the pile of Parting Shot subjects.

Fraud must be dropped from phone program

By Loveland (Colo.) Reporter-Herald, Digital First Media Posted: 02/21/14, 12:36 PM EST

http://www.registercitizen.com/general-news/20140221/editorial-fraud-must-be-dropped-from-phone-program

Anyone who pays a cellphone bill knows it’s a costly monthly expense.

People at or below the poverty line have a hard time affording service, but it’s such a necessary part of everyday life that the Universal Service Fund fee — one of those pesky fees tacked onto all our bills — was designed to help subsidize phones for low-income Americans.

Known as the Lifeline program (sometimes but erroneously referred to as the Obama phones), it allows for subsidized phone service to people at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or to those who qualify for various forms of federal assistance programs.

Small carriers sign up these customers and get the collected fees to help pay for the service.

But recent reports have found problems with the system.

A recent CBS News report said investigators have found some carriers are signing people up multiple times, signing up people who don’t qualify or people who don’t exist.

One carrier in Oklahoma is accused of 32,000 cases of fraud.

The FCC said it has eliminated 2.2 million duplicate accounts, saving $260 million and fined 13 carriers $90 million, and the General Accountability Office said it is investigating the program.

The Federal Communications Commission website says that one of the purposes of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that set up the Lifeline program is to “promote the availability of quality services at just, reasonable and affordable rates for all consumers.”

Allowing the Universal Service fees those consumers pay to be wasted does nothing to promote just, reasonable and affordable rates.

It’s a noble goal to make sure all people have phones to communicate, but the government must make sure that our money isn’t being wasted and stolen.

So my point is pretty short, aside from irritating the hell out of most of you over this Lifeline Cellphone fraud situation and  Service Provider corruption I have just one other comments on this.

Since 1985, the Lifeline program has provided a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers to ensure that all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services. In 2005, Lifeline discounts were made available to qualifying low-income consumers on pre-paid wireless service plans in addition to traditional landline service.

http://www.fcc.gov/lifeline

Now from what I can find/see in the admittedly brief amount of time I researched this subject for the 20 years from 1985 to 2005 (based on my recollection I’m inclined to believe the FCC’s 1985 date and not the articles 1996 date which I think updated the already existing program and possibly renamed it) where the program was limited to landlines only there were basically no cases of fraud or service provider corruption. It wasn’t until they started handing out the highly desirable everybody got to have one cellphone that cases of abuse & misuse of the system started happening. This leads me to ask 2 questions:

1.) If it wasn’t broke why did they have to fix it? Who was behind the drive to give these people most expensive (both to equip and operate) cellphones?

2.) Since the program is obviously as full of holes allowing for fraud and corruption to occur so as to resemble a worm eaten Swiss cheese, why continue it? Why not revert back to the basic landline telephone. While insuring these people have a way to communicate is good thing where is it written that all charity handouts paid for out of our pockets have top be state of the expensive art?

Needed something to separate the two mini Parting Shots. This seemed spot on because the next one really has me hacked off and I’ve fired off a few very Marine like comments (via proper channels) regarding it from both the stand point of a combat vet and as a former Final Honors team leader.

Prepare to be made incredulous and furiously mad if you ever served in or support our military past & present.

2 Guard soldiers suspended over photos

Funeral pictures posted to Instagram spark outrage

Author: By Matthew Stucker and Dana Ford CNN  Feb 19 2014 04:14:45 PM CST

(CNN) – In one image, soldiers — including one from the Wisconsin Army National Guard — pose around a flag-draped casket.

The caption reads: “We put the FUN in funeral — your fearless honor guard from various states.”

In another, a soldier poses alone in a car.

That caption reads: “It’s so damn cold out … WHY have a funeral outside!? Somebody’s getting a jacked up flag.”

Both photographs sparked outrage after they were posted on an Instagram account belonging to Spc. Terry Harrison — a member of the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment based in Madison, Wisconsin.

She has been suspended indefinitely from the funeral honors detail, pending an investigation.

Harrison remains working full time, performing other duties, said Maj. Paul Rickert, spokesman for the Wisconsin National Guard.

On Wednesday, a second Wisconsin National Guard member was also suspended with pay from the funeral honor team, Rickert said.

During the suspension, Sgt. Luis Jimenez has been assigned to other duties pending the outcome of the investigation, Rickert said.

“He had made comments on social media supporting Spc. Terry Harrison. He’s not featured in any of the photos,” Rickert said.

Jimenez couldn’t be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

“A military funeral is the final show of respect for our veterans and their families, and we take that solemn duty very seriously,” Rickert said.

“The very name ‘military funeral honors’ underscores the importance we ascribe — both as the military and society at large — to such solemn occasions. These photos and comments do not appear to align with those values.”

Harrison is the only member of the Wisconsin National Guard in the photos, the spokesman added.

The other people are members of other military units, but Rickert didn’t know to which branches or units they might belong. As a result, he didn’t know whether there were other investigations involving those members.

“We expect all of our Soldiers and Airmen to live by a core set of values, in word and deed,” said Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general. “I was appalled by the offensive photos and comments that appeared on this Soldier’s social media site regarding her duties as a funeral honor guard member.”

Now being a Devil Dog and not a Dog Face I’ll freely admit I’m a bit out of my depth talking about the rules and regs of the Army. I did some research for this editorial rant to check some facts prior to writing it and found something interesting. The Army has something call ‘The Soldier’s Creed’. They explain it thusly:

The Soldier’s Creed is a standard by which all United States Army personnel are encouraged to live. All U.S. Army enlisted personnel are taught the Soldier’s Creed during basic training, and recite the creed in public ceremonies at the conclusion of training. Both the Soldier’s Creed and the Noncommissioned Officer’s Creed are required knowledge at enlisted promotion boards to compete for the rank of sergeant and above, as well as ‘Soldier of the Month’ boards. It is also common practice to recite the Soldier’s Creed at the graduation ceremony from Army ROTC. Unlike the United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office or the Oath of Enlistment, the Soldier’s Creed can be affirmed by both Army officers and soldiers.

The current version of the Soldier’s Creed is a product of the ‘Warrior Ethos’ program authorized by the then Army Chief of Staff Eric K. Shinseki in May 2003. It was written by members of Task Force Soldier’s Warrior Ethos Team, and was first approved in its current format by the next Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker on the 13 November 2003. The introduction of the Soldier’s Creed kicked off a campaign known as ‘Task Force Soldier’. This is a leadership commitment to soldiers ensuring they are prepared for combat and embody the Warrior Ethos contained in the Soldier’s Creed. It seems to have been discussed in Congress in a ‘Hearing on Army Issues’ held by Senator John W. Warner on or about November 19, 2003. It was first published in the magazine Infantry on 22 December 2003.

Note: the yellow highlighter emphasis in the first paragraph is mine.

Apparently there are now two versions- the original (pre 2003) and the current version. It currently reads like this:

U.S. Soldier’s Creed

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

This is the original creed notice the absence in the current version of the highlighted portions:

Pre-2003 Version of U.S. Soldier’s Creed

    I am an American Soldier.
    I am a member of the United States Army – a protector of the greatest nation on earth.
    Because I am proud of the uniform I wear, I will always act in ways creditable to the  military service and the nation it is sworn to guard.
    I am proud of my own organization. I will do all I can to make it the finest unit in the Army.
    I will be loyal to those under whom I serve. I will do my full part to carry out orders and instructions given to me or my unit.
    As a soldier, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored profession—that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom for which my country stands.
    No matter what the situation I am in, I will never do anything, for pleasure, profit, or personal safety, which will disgrace my uniform, my unit, or my country.
    I will use every means I have, even beyond the line of duty, to restrain my Army comrades from actions disgraceful to themselves and to the uniform.
    I am proud of my country and its flag.
    I will try to make the people of this nation proud of the service I represent, for I am an American Soldier.

Now I can’t speak for the rest of you but from where I sit the Army’s’ Warrior Ethos’ Program took their Soldier Creed a giant step backwards and in entirely the wrong direction! Those highlighted lines they discarded are pretty damned important if you want your military service to be viewed as anything other than a bunch of renegades rebels rouges misfits high school drop outs and gang bangers seeking to avoid jail time- in other words disreputable Mercenaries.

While the photos in no way show any disrespect during the execution of their duties It is quite obvious to me that everyone in that group photo has in addition to showing gross disrespect for the Final Honors Detail and those veterans & their families whom they are providing full military honors for. They have also violated Standards of Conduct for Army Personnel. Specifically Section 2-6-2 and (arguably) Sections 2-6-1 & 2-6-3. To wit:

2-6. Outside employment and other activities of DA personnel a. DA personnel will not engage in outside employment, affiliations, or other outside activity, with or without compensation, that-
(1) Interferes, or is not compatible, with the performance of their Government duties.
(2) May reasonably be expected to bring discredit.upon the Government or DA.
(3) Is otherwise inconsistent with the requirements of this regulation. This includes the requirement to avoid actions that reasonably can be expected to create a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Underlining is mine for attention emphasis of key points

http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/pdf/AR_600-50_01-28-1988.pdf

and at least 2 sections of  the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Specifically:

10 U.S. Code § 917 – Art. 117. Provoking speeches or gestures

Any person subject to this chapter who uses provoking or reproachful words or gestures towards any other person subject to this chapter shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

10 U.S. Code § 934 – Art. 134. General article

Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.

Once again, the underlining is mine for attention emphasis of key points.

Frankly, given the number of violations of Standards of Conduct for Army Personnel as well as the two  Articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by these  Guardsman, I am first of all appalled that only 2 of them are being singled out and not all of them.  That those 2 are sill on duty and finally that only one of them had their pay suspended over this! They SHOUID be in confinement in a stockade awaiting an Article 32 hearing to determine if a General Court Marshal is in order which IMHO it is extremely obvious it is!

I don’t see where those in charge are assigning the seriousness and gravity this offense is due to it!

All you nonmilitary supporters of our Men & Women in uniform go find your poison pens and fill them. You Veterans, time to take up those flame throwers top off the tanks and become the home grown terrorists Janet Napolitano purports us to me and put some flame to asses on this issue!

Here is a list of people who apparently require motivation to see this thing gets the kind or attention and level of punishment it deserves for those involved.

General Frank J. Grass
Chief, National Guard Bureau
111 S. George Mason Dr.
Arlington VA 22204
Phone:(703) 607-9350

This e-mail address will get you the on call Public Affairs Officer
ng.ncr.arng.mbx.oncall-pao@mail.mil<ng.ncr.arng.mbx.oncall-pao@mail.mil>;
sorry you’ll need to cut and paste it to the To: line of your email.

Here are a few more high-ranking muckity-mucks in the Army National Guard:

Major General Judd H. Lyons  
Special Assistant to the Director of the Army National Guard

Colonel Paul C. Thorn
Chief of Staff of the Army National Guard

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Ensminger
Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army National Guard 

They can also be reached at:
111 S. George Mason Dr.
Arlington VA 22204
Phone:(703) 607-2584

or emailed at:
ARNG-Public-Website@mail.mil

In Wisconsin contact:

Governor Scott Walker
Office of Governor Scott Walker
115 East Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
(608) 266-1212
email: govgeneral@wisconsin.gov

Brigadier General Mark E. Anderson
Wisconsin’s Assistant Adjutant General for Army
Wisconsin Army National Guard
Department of Military Affairs
2400 Wright St.
Madison, WI 53708
(800) 335-5147 or (608) 242-3000
https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinGuard?v=wall&viewas=0

Paul Rickert
Director of Communications at Wisconsin National Guard
Wisconsin Army National Guard
2400 Wright St.
Madison, WI 53708
(800) 335-5147 or (608) 242-3000
https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinGuard?v=wall&viewas=0

Good Morning Campers!
I hope everyone is doing great today.
I had a monstrously busy day today.  Tis now about midnight and I’m still trying to put this issue to bed, as well as myself. So, the opening monologue is going to be cut short and I’m going to go right into the wonderfulness that is this issue of Dragon Laffs!
Enjoy!

I know the tech tips are usually Lethal’s gig, but this one is so simple-easy that I thought I wouldn’t be stepping on any toes to pass this one on.  How to take a screen shot of your cell phone.  I know it’s easy, but I didn’t know how to do it!  LOL!

Now we all know how to do it!  Now maybe some of those crazy conversations that go on between us mythical creatures can soon come to you in picture form.

You know how at hockey games and basketball games they do that Kiss Cam on the Jumbotron? The camera swoops around the arena and whichever couple it lands on have to kiss. Well, one guy at a Minnesota Gophers hockey game came prepared with an epic response. You have to see it!

Can you see the dragon?  Pretty girls are always wanting to pet us on the snout.  It’s a burden this dragon bears with a smile!

 

A RETIREE’S LAST TRIP TO KROGER’S..
Yesterday I was at my local Kroger’s grocery buying a large bag of Purina Dog Chow for my loyal pet, Jake, the Wonder Dog, and was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think…I had an elephant?
So because I’m retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn’t have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn’t, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I’d lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is, to load your pants pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stopped to pee on a fire hydrant and a car hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Kroger’s won’t let me shop there anymore.

 

I tried looking for this one on youtube so you guys wouldn’t have to go anywhere to watch this video, but I just couldn’t find it.  But trust me when I tell you it is WELL WORTH clicking this link if you want to see some young men perform a juggling act like you have NEVER seen before!!! http://videos.komando.com/watch/5059/viral-videos-youve-never-seen-juggling-like-this-before?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=tvkim&utm_content=2014-02-09-article-screen-shot-b

This is supposed to be Canada’s list of the Top 10 Stupid Things Wrong with America.  I’m not sure if the Canada part is true, but I surely think this is a pretty good top 10 of our own stupidity.  Makes me sad…

Sigh!

One fine day in Ireland, a guy is out golfing and gets up to the 16th hole. He tees up and cranks one. Unfortunately, it goes into the woods on the side of the fairway.
He goes looking for his ball and comes across this little guy with this huge knot on his head and the golf ball lying right beside him. “Goodness,” says the golfer then proceeds to revive the poor little guy.
Upon awakening, the little guy says, “Well, you caught me fair and square. I am a leprechaun. I will grant you three wishes.”
The man says “I can’t take anything from you, I’m just glad I didn’t hurt you too badly,” and walks away.
Watching the golfer depart, the leprechaun says, “Well, he was a nice enough guy, and he did catch me, so I have to do something for him. I’ll give him the three things that I would want. I’ll give him unlimited money, a great golf game, and a great sex life.”
Well, a year goes past (as they often do in jokes like this) and the same golfer is out golfing on the same course at the 16th hole. He gets up and hits one into the same woods and goes off looking for his ball. When he finds the ball he sees the same little guy and asks how he is doing.
The leprechaun says, “I’m fine, and might I ask how your golf game is?”
The golfer says, “It’s great! I hit under par every time.”
“I did that for you,” responds the leprechaun, “And might I ask how your money is holding out?”
“Well, now that you mention it, every time I put my hand in my pocket, I pull out a hundred dollar bill” he replied.
The leprechaun smiles and says, “I did that for you. And might I ask how your sex life is?”
Now the golfer looks at him a little shyly and says, “Well, maybe once or twice a week.”
Floored, the leprechaun stammers, “Once or twice a week?!?”
The golfer looks at him sheepishly and says, “Well, that’s not too bad for a Catholic priest in a small parish.

Yes!  This is EXACTLY how I feel!!

It may already be snowing here, with what could possibly be the biggest snow event this year as you are reading this.  Are you having a bad snow day?  Well, this man of honor is working during the recent snow event in Washington, D.C., while the rest of the federal employees took a snow day off from work.  And even better, Congress will be back in session soon to work on cutting his pay and benefits.

Car sex through a long lens.  This photographer must have used a very long, powerful lens to capture this explicit scene.  Check out the pictures, one by one.

What did you expect to see??!!
Yup, you’re as sick and twisted as I am.  I tried and tried and strained my eyeballs to try and peer into that back window, too!!  Welcome to the club.

 

Although we might have done a lot of moronic things when I was a kid…remind me sometime to tell you the story of the shark fishing or the exploding balloons…but there was a limit, and even then, we KNEW when we were doing something dumb-assed stupid.

Just when you thought that all kids were rotten brats (okay, so a lot of them are!) here’s a sweet Valentine’s video to show you something a little out of the ordinary.

Revenge is a meal best served cold.  Well, that’s what they say, but I say that revenge is best in a four wheel drift at ridiculous speeds while the butt end of the revenge is sitting in the back seat screaming like a little girl!  Curious?  Watch this next video and all will be revealed.

Well, at least he didn’t wet his pants.
Curious about the first video that this one refers to?  Were you locked in a closet for the last year and haven’t seen it?  Okay, so here’s the original one:

I want to shake the guy’s hand that wrote this…

Have you ever seen a Muslim hospital? Have you ever heard a Muslim orchestra?  Have you seen a Muslim band march in a parade?  Have you witnessed a Muslim charity?  Bought cookies from a Muslim Girl Scout?  Have you ever seen a Muslim Candy Striper?

Most probably the answer is no, you have not.  Just ask yourself WHY??

Barack Obama, during his Cairo speech, said, “I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America’s history.”

It has?  Really?

Ut oh! There’s a weird bus in the Opening Banner! That can only mean one thing, that insane Dragon running over mysterious bus driver dude must be back and with a vengeance. Poor Impish gonna be sore in the morning I’m betting! At least the phantom maniac behind that wheel is a sportsman and gave Impish a chance to heal up form his surgery before declaring open season again. He even fired a warning shot last week to get Impish’s attention.

 

And now for an opposing view point…

And now the cute view point

Why my issues take so long to compose

Good thing Impish doesn’t have one of these keyboards- we’d never get any work out of him at all!

These are the movie quotes everyone gets wrong

You might be surprised by how many popular movie quotes you’re remembering just a bit wrong.

‘The Wizard of Oz’
Though most people say ‘Looks like we’re not in Kansas anymore,’ or ‘Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,’ those quotes aren’t quite right.
Dorothy actually says ‘Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.’

‘The Silence of the Lambs’
If you’ve always thought Hannibal Lecter greets Clarice by saying ‘Hello, Clarice,’ we’ve got news for you. It’s actually ‘Good evening, Clarice.’ How polite!

‘Field of Dreams’
That whispering voice? It’s not quietly murmuring ‘If you build it, they will come.’ The correct quote is ‘If you build it, he will come.’

‘Wall Street’
Though Gordon Gekko definitely thinks greed is good, his quote is actually ‘Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.’

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’
The Queen says ‘Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?’ Most people think it’s ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall’ … and most people are incorrect.

‘The Empire Strikes Back’
This might blow your mind, but when Vader reveals his true identity to Luke, he does not say ‘Luke, I am your father.’ He actually says ‘No, I am your father.’

How many of these quotes have you been saying wrong? Don’t worry, we won’t judge.

Anyone else notice how much alike they look?
You don’t think Miley Cyrus is Justin Beiber in reverse drag do you?

I’m just sayin…Really makes you think don’t it?

Viral Videos: What these brothers did for their dad will restore your faith in humanity

If you’re a parent, you’ll definitely experience times when you feel like your kids don’t recognize all the things you do for them. I know I didn’t when I was a teenager! But don’t give up hope. These sons spent five years working on a way to let their dad know they love him. What it is will floor you.

 

Finally, a Wedding RSVP That Really ‘Gets’ Me

But where’s the “Will Skip the Ceremony but Show Up to Get Drunk at the Reception” option?

Just one of the many concerns when traveling with a Dragon.

A Muslim immigrant goes to the doctor and says “I feel terrible.”

The doctor examines him and then says,
“You need to poop in a bucket for a week, throw in a dead fish and a rotting cabbage. Put a towel over your head and inhale the vapors for three days.”

The Muslim does this and goes back to the doctor and says,
“I feel wonderful! What was wrong with me?”
The doctor replied, “You were homesick.”

NASA is building a robotic spacecraft refueling system, to prevent a Gravity-like orbital debris cascade

By Sebastian Anthony on February 13, 2014 at 9:30 am | Extreme Tech

 

NASA is preparing to take the next logical step after in-flight refueling between two aircraft — robotic refueling of orbiting satellites. This could extend the lifetime of many satellites indefinitely, and could play a very important role in preventing a Gravity-like scenario, where fragments of a single satellite cause a cascade of debris that destroys almost every satellite in Earth orbit.

The program, which has the delightful acronym of RROxiTT (Remote Robotic Oxidizer Transfer Test), essentially consists of a special robotic arm and a canister of nitrogen tetroxide. Nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) is a very strong oxidizer, and it combusts automatically when combined with fuel. Because no ignition source is required, NTO is often used in spacecraft rocket engines (Space Shuttle, most geostationary satellites), and in their launch vehicles (Russia’s Proton, China’s Long March). Basically, spacecraft can only carry a limited amount of NTO — and when they run out, they lose the ability to maneuver. In the case of satellites, which have to constantly jiggle around and boost themselves back into a higher orbit, running out of fuel is usually the end of its mission. These dead satellites then become part of the growing problem of orbital debris.

 

With RROxiTT, however, NASA wants to give those old spacecraft a new lease of life — saving money, and reducing the amount of debris (i.e. dead satellites) stuck in orbit. There are two key problems that RROxiTT needs to be overcome: Safely transporting and transferring highly volatile oxidizer, and then unscrewing the spacecraft’s fuel cap (which was never designed to be removed). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which has experience in robotics, is handling the second problem, and the Kennedy Space Center was drafted in to help with the first bit.

A further layer of complexity is that the refueling craft will be unmanned and controlled from Earth. Remotely controlling a spacecraft and complex robot arm is an innately complex task — but once you add in some latency, it becomes even harder. Presumably the spacecraft and refueling nozzle will have some level of autonomy — but the final task of actually unscrewing the satellite’s fuel cap and inserting the nozzle will most likely be done by hand. As you can see in the video embedded above, extensive testing will be carried out here on Earth before NASA actually goes ahead with a launch. It’s worth noting that this same tech might also be used to fill up spacecraft here on Earth — a hazardous task that is currently performed by humans.

If NASA can successfully perform in-space refueling of spacecraft, it would be a pretty huge boost for commercial satellites, which currently have a fairly short lifetime — but also potentially for space exploration. We still don’t quite know how we’re going to power long-distance space journeys. There are pretty strict limitations on just how much fuel we can easily lift off the surface of the Earth. It’s not too crazy to suggest that, in the future, manned trips to Mars or Europa might involve a few refueling stops along the way.

A rich Texan walked into the offices of the president of a small Texas college and said.
“I’d like to donate a million dollars tax free to this institution. But there’s a condition – I would like to have an honorary degree.”

The president nodded agreeably, “That’s not a problem. We can certainly arrange that!”

The rich man then added, “An honorary degree for my horse.”

“For your horse???”

“Yep, you betcha. She carried me for many years and I owe her a lot.  I’d like to receive a Tr.D., a Doctor of Transportation.”

“But, we can’t give a degree to a horse!”

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to take my million dollars to another institution.”

“Well, wait a minute,” said the president, seeing the million slip through his fingers,
“let me consult with the school’s trustees.”

A hurried trustee meeting was brought to order and the president related the deal and the condition. All of the board reacted with shock and disbelief, except the oldest trustee. He appeared to be almost asleep.

One trustee snorted, “We can’t give a horse an honorary degree, no matter HOW much money is involved.”

The oldest trustee opened his eyes and said, “Take the money and give the horse the degree.”

The president asked, “Don’t you think that would be a disgrace to us?”

“Of course not,” the wise old trustee said. “It would be an honor.
It’d be the first time we ever gave a degree to an ENTIRE horse.”

‘Ghostbusters’ star Harold Ramis dies

Ramis was 69

“Ghostbusters” star Harold Ramis has died, according to the Chicago Tribune and ABC News.

Ramis, 69, was surrounded by his family when he died from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, his wife Erica Mann Ramis told the Chicago Tribune. Autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis is a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels.

Ramis was best known for his roles in the comedies “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes.” According to IMDB.com, he also directed “Caddyshack,” “Groundhog Day,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” and had writing on a number of classic comedies, including “Animal House” and “Meatballs.”

We’ll miss you Egon and when that final ghost trap opens don’t look into the light!

 

 

and generally that enemy turns out to be your government!

mo·nop·o·ly (mə-nŏp′ə-lē)

n. pl. mo·nop·o·lies

1. Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service: “Monopoly frequently … arises from government support or from collusive agreements among individuals” (Milton Friedman).

2. a. Exclusive possession or control: arrogantly claims to have a monopoly on the truth.

2.b. Something that is exclusively possessed or controlled: showed that scientific achievement is not a male monopoly.

to·tal·i·tar·i·an·ism

[toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm] noun

1. absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution.

2. the character or quality of an autocratic or authoritarian individual, group, or government: the totalitarianism of the father.

It’s time to break up the NSA

By Bruce Schneier | February 20, 2014 — Updated 1228 GMT (2028 HKT)

Editor’s note: Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and author of “Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust Society Needs to Thrive.”

(CNN) — The NSA has become too big and too powerful. What was supposed to be a single agency with a dual mission — protecting the security of U.S. communications and eavesdropping on the communications of our enemies — has become unbalanced in the post-Cold War, all-terrorism-all-the-time era.

Putting the U.S. Cyber Command, the military’s cyberwar wing, in the same location and under the same commander, expanded the NSA’s power. The result is an agency that prioritizes intelligence gathering over security, and that’s increasingly putting us all at risk. It’s time we thought about breaking up the National Security Agency.

Broadly speaking, three types of NSA surveillance programs were exposed by the documents released by Edward Snowden. And while the media tends to lump them together, understanding their differences is critical to understanding how to divide up the NSA’s missions.

The first is targeted surveillance.

This is best illustrated by the work of the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations (TAO) group, including its catalog of hardware and software “implants” designed to be surreptitiously installed onto the enemy’s computers. This sort of thing represents the best of the NSA and is exactly what we want it to do. That the United States has these capabilities, as scary as they might be, is cause for gratification.

The second is bulk surveillance, the NSA’s collection of everything it can obtain on every communications channel to which it can get access. This includes things such as the NSA’s bulk collection of call records, location data, e-mail messages and text messages.

This is where the NSA overreaches: collecting data on innocent Americans either incidentally or deliberately, and data on foreign citizens indiscriminately. It doesn’t make us any safer, and it is liable to be abused. Even the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, acknowledged that the collection and storage of data was kept a secret for too long.

The third is the deliberate sabotaging of security. The primary example we have of this is the NSA’s BULLRUN program, which tries to “insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems, IT systems, networks and endpoint communication devices.” This is the worst of the NSA’s excesses, because it destroys our trust in the Internet, weakens the security all of us rely on and makes us more vulnerable to attackers worldwide.

That’s the three: good, bad, very bad. Reorganizing the U.S. intelligence apparatus so it concentrates on our enemies requires breaking up the NSA along those functions.

First, TAO and its targeted surveillance mission should be moved under the control of U.S. Cyber Command, and Cyber Command should be completely separated from the NSA. Actively attacking enemy networks is an offensive military operation, and should be part of an offensive military unit.

Whatever rules of engagement Cyber Command operates under should apply equally to active operations such as sabotaging the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Iran and hacking a Belgian telephone company. If we’re going to attack the infrastructure of a foreign nation, let it be a clear military operation.

Second, all bulk surveillance of Americans should be moved to the FBI.

The FBI is charged with counterterrorism in the United States, and it needs to play that role. Any operations focused against U.S. citizens need to be subject to U.S. law, and the FBI is the best place to apply that law. That the NSA can, in the view of many, do an end-run around congressional oversight, legal due process and domestic laws is an affront to our Constitution and a danger to our society. The NSA’s mission should be focused outside the United States — for real, not just for show.

And third, the remainder of the NSA needs to be rebalanced so COMSEC (communications security) has priority over SIGINT (signals intelligence). Instead of working to deliberately weaken security for everyone, the NSA should work to improve security for everyone.

Computer and network security is hard, and we need the NSA’s expertise to secure our social networks, business systems, computers, phones and critical infrastructure. Just recall the recent incidents of hacked accounts — from Target to Kickstarter. What once seemed occasional now seems routine. Any NSA work to secure our networks and infrastructure can be done openly — no secrecy required.

This is a radical solution, but the NSA’s many harms require radical thinking. It’s not far off from what the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, charged with evaluating the NSA’s current programs, recommended. Its 24th recommendation was to put the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command under different generals, and the 29th recommendation was to put encryption ahead of exploitation.

I have no illusions that anything like this will happen anytime soon, but it might be the only way to tame the enormous beast that the NSA has become before it becomes the power behind the throne.

If the government (or some portion thereof) has complete and absolute power over the people, (sans meaningful oversight and/or constraint of laws made by the people) that’s totalitarianism. This is a repressive, unfree type of society a.k.a an Orwellian or Big Brother Society.

We (allegedly) live in a Republic which follows the tenants of democracy, ( hope that statement appeases certain anal technical fault finders) where the people have both a say and elect officials. The opposite is totalitarianism: a society where there is very little or no freedom/privacy. In totalitarianism, the government controls almost every aspect of life. There is no free speech,  freedom of the press or right to privacy from the government: certain religions and ideas (like the right to personal privacy, protection from unreasonable searches & seizures and the right to possess arm which can be used as a threat against an attempt of totalitarianism by the state or a department of it) may be banned.

Thanks to the bravery and patriotism of Eric Snowden there is a growing outrage over the unchecked liberties taken by the NSA, how far it has strayed from its mission by redefining that mission as it alone sees fit and the usurpation of other government agencies/capabilities.

Organizers of The Day We Fight Back, a protest Tuesday (Feb 14th) against U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, called the effort a “tremendous success,” with nearly 100,000 phone calls made to U.S. lawmakers and 185,000 people signing up to send email blasts to their congressional representatives.

Participants in the protest made 96,000 calls to Congress, although 7,000 of those calls weren’t delivered because lawmakers turned voice mail services off, organizers said. Organizers will deliver 555,000 email messages protesting the NSA surveillance to lawmakers, with emails going to the two U.S. senators and one representative who represent each of the 185,000 people who signed up for the email blasts.

That highlighted yellow line with red text shows you right there just how much your Congressional representation gives a damn about your opinion and direction for the laws which you live under. Switching from have his/her staff field the calls to voice mail is one thing blocking your ability to contact them and express you opinion/dissatisfaction is another. Were you to receive that sort of treatment from a business or corporation you would not stand for it so why stand for it from your elected officials? UNELECT THEM!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2098280/nsa-protest-results-in-tens-of-thousands-of-phone-calls-emails.html#tk.nl_pcwbest

More than 4,000 groups and websites have signed on to support a day of protest against U.S. National Security Agency surveillance programs, scheduled for Tuesday.

In addition, tens of thousands of people have pledged to make calls and post messages on the Web in support of surveillance reform, said organizers of The Day We Fight Back.

Among the groups supporting the day of Web protest are the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, BoingBoing, Demand Progress, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, Free Press, Mozilla, Reddit and Tumblr.

“Together we will push back against powers that seek to observe, collect, and analyze our every digital action,” organizers wrote on TheDayWeFightBack.org. “Together, we will make it clear that such behavior is not compatible with democratic governance. Together, if we persist, we will win this fight.”

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2095300/more-than-4000-groups-sign-up-to-protest-nsa.html