You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

{Hat Tip: Animal}

Posted by: Kathy at 08:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It Could Only Happen in Russia!

{...}Perhaps nothing symbolises quite so potently the gulf between Russia's uber classes and the rest of the country as the flashing blue siren, or migalka, affixed to the top of the elite's chauffeur-driven luxury cars.

A hangover from Soviet times, the migalka confers on its owner the right to roar down the wrong side of the road at high speed, often disregarding traffic lights and careering on to pavements.

{...}Protests were also held over the weekend in 17 other cities, one of the most co-ordinated exhibitions of public anger seen in Russia in recent years.

"The blue light should be the preserve of the emergency services, not a badge of immunity for the elite and their relatives and friends," said Katya Zhitkovskaya, a manager who took part in one of the Moscow demonstrations.

The Kremlin claims it has started to clamp down on the issue, awarding migalkas only to the emergency services, senior government officials, judges and members of the Russian parliament.

But Vyacheslav Lysakov, head of the Free Choice Motorist's Movement that organised the protests, said the migalka was still freely available to those prepared to pay a £30,000 bribe for one - or for those with political connections.

Migalka owners are blamed for adding to Russia's horrific death toll on the roads - 95 people are killed in road accidents every day in Russia and 700 more are injured.

Giving the campaign a political tinge the protesters highlighted two cases.

In the first, a Siberian railway worker, Oleg Shcherbinsky, was jailed for four years last week after a judge ruled he was to blame for the death of a regional governor in a car accident because he did not get out of the way quickly enough.

Shcherbinsky said he did not see the governor's migalka limousine, which was allegedly travelling down the wrong side of the road at over 100mph, as he attempted a left turn.

The second involved the eldest son of Sergei Ivanov, the defence minister, who was travelling in a car last year that killed a 68-year-old woman on a zebra crossing. Charges against Alexander Ivanov were quietly dropped.{...}

I'm surprised. Really. Not about the extent of the corruption in supposedly democratic Russia, but rather that the people actually protested about it. In the middle of February no less.

Way to get off your collective ass, people!

Posted by: Kathy at 04:42 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Check out this super coo-el touch screen demo.

{Hat tip: Boing Boing}

Posted by: Kathy at 04:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Whatever title floats your boat, baby.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:26 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So, last week at the Cake Eater Pad we got a survey from our state representative about the upcoming legislative session. Now, because I'm all about the power of the people, I wanted to fill it out and send it in.

Until I realized that my duly elected state representative, Ron Erhardt---whom I voted for---decided that if I wanted to have my say, I was going to have to shell out $0.39 for postage. As you might expect, my devoted Cake Eater readers, that irked me.

So, because I don't feel I should have to pay for postage to let my duly elected state representative know how I feel on issues he thinks should be raised this legislative session, I filled out the survey and posted it here.

Clicket for larger.

Don't you just love representative government? I do. Because I get blogging material out of it!

Posted by: Kathy at 10:59 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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{Insert Team America Voice Here} Take that islamofascists!

I, a non-burqua wearing woman, am going to defeat you bastards by drinking beer!

GOD BLESS WESTERN CIVILIZATION!

UPDATE: Mmmm. Victory tastes like Heineken. Only better---meaning it's smoother and more full bodied.

Posted by: Kathy at 03:26 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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This is code for doing that Bette Midler "Wind Beneath My Wings" thing, isn't it?

Oh, dear.

{Insert grimace here}

You really are twisted, aren't you? And, I might remind you, that you promised I'd never have to do that again. I know you liked it. The point here is that I didn't.

Seriously, darling, I do have my boundaries and I'm invoking them. I just don't think I could face another evening with that on the menu.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:00 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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If you consider multitasking to be important then, yes, gamers probably do have better brains:

{...}A body of research suggests that playing video games provides benefits similar to bilingualism in exercising the mind. Just as people fluent in two languages learn to suppress one language while speaking the other, so too are gamers adept at shutting out distractions to swiftly switch attention between different tasks.

A new study of 100 university undergraduates in Toronto has found that video gamers consistently outperform their non-playing peers in a series of tricky mental tests. If they also happened to be bilingual, they were unbeatable.{...}

Hmmmph.

Doesn't mean they have better social skills, though.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:48 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Yeah. I know. I'll let you in on a little secret. My head sometimes aches from the strain of holding all that throbbing gray matter in. Hey, I could be a rapper: "my cranium strains." Throw that down to a funky beat and you've got a Grammy winning single right there! Anyway...I find that a cold compress helps when the pain gets to be too much.

And if that doesn't work, well, a shot of whisky works even better!

Posted by: Kathy at 10:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The renowned French shower-of-chest-hair and intellectual, Bernard-Henri Levy, in today's Opinion Journal:

{...}And, faced with this triangulation in progress, faced with this formidable hate-and-death machine, faced with this "moral atomic bomb," we have no other solution than to counter with another triangle--a triangle of life and reason, which more than ever must unite the United States, Europe and Israel in a rejection of any clash of civilizations of the kind desired by the extremists of the Arab-Muslim world and by them alone.

The heart of this second triangle? First, the affirmation of principles. The affirmation of the press's right to the expression of idiocies of its choosing--rather than the acts of repentance that too many leaders have resorted to, and which merely encourages in the Arab street the false and counterproductive illusion that a democratic state may exert power over its press.

And second, in the same breath, the reaffirmation of our support for those enlightened moderate Muslims who know that the honor of Islam is far more insulted, and trampled under foot, when Iraqi terrorists bomb a mosque in Baghdad, when Pakistani jihadists decapitate Daniel Pearl in the name of God and film their crime, or when an Algerian fundamentalist emir disembowels, while reciting the Quran, an Algerian woman whose only crime was to have dared show her beautiful face. Moderate Muslims are alone these days, and in their solitude they more than ever need to be acknowledged and hailed.

If you subscribe to Christopher Hitchens' notion, as I do, that there is a civil war occuring in Islam between the moderates and the fascists, and that the jihad against Western interests, aka The United States of America, is only an offshoot of that battle, then it really becomes very important to know precisely where the moderate Muslims are, because they're not showing up to the battle. In fact, I have yet to see that they even realize they're at war with those in their religion who would have them brought over to their particular brand of orthodoxy by threat of dismemberment or death---whichever is easier. However, we do hear an awful lot from moderate Muslims when they're afraid they're going to be attacked by westerners. Then they're all about showing that they come in peace.

I am more than willing to support moderate Muslims, but here's the question that really needs answering: where are they right now? This is more their battle than it is mine, yet they are nowhere to be found---except on the internet, posting anonymous apologies.

We talk a good game about getting the Europeans to ante up and realize their civilization is about to collapse under the weight of Islamofascism, but we never hold the moderate Muslims to the same standard, do we?

{Hat Tip on the "We Are Sorry" thing to Pious Rob}

UPDATE: Dorkafork over at INDC sez "the silence is deafening." Make sure you read the comments section.

I'm not sure this does it for me, though.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:18 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Making soap, shaving cream, razor strop paste and any number of antidotes to household poisons after the jump.

{Part One, Part Two} more...

Posted by: Kathy at 11:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you click on this link, you will have officially reached the end of the internet.

There's nothing more to see. You can stop surfing now. You're done. It's time to find a new hobby.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Dude, that's like soooo 1995.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We here at the Cake Eater Pad have had some memorable customer service experiences in the past week or so, and because I'm generous that way, I thought I'd share. I shall try to be brief about it because, well, I want to go and read my book with a cup of cocoa.

First off, the sexy coffee pot with the dual water windows crapped out a week ago this past Sunday. There's nothing quite like waking up, expecting to spend leisurely morning in your jammies, and walking into the kitchen to see your husband, wrapped up in his plaid flannel bathrobe, longish hair pulled back into a ponytail, a screwdriver in his hand and the panicky expression of a junkie on his face as he told you the damn thing doesn't work! That's when you sigh deeply, go and---not fussing with underwear---pull on jeans and a polar fleece and walk up to the neigborhood Bou and score the much needed caffeine.

Since it was Sunday there was nothing we could do about the problem since Mr. Coffee's help line wasn't operating. Come Monday, however, the husband was on the phone with them, and when he finally connected with a REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING they just told him that there's a problem with a leak in the brewbasket that caused the chip to short out, hence it would turn on, but wouldn't brew. After confirming a serial number on the bottom of the old brewer, he told the husband to throw the thing out, and that in two to three weeks a new one would be arriving.

Well, my devoted Cake Eater readers, it only took two to three days for the new coffee maker to arrive. It's exactly like the old one, except for the fact that the brewbasket has supposedly been redesigned.

So, YAY FOR MR. COFFEE! We likes the Mr. Coffee people. Well done! A bouquet of lovely flowers to them.

As far as the brickbats are concerned, well, those go to Wells Fargo bank. They lied to the husband. It wasn't a case of they told him one thing, but corporate policy turned out to be another, and gee, we're really sorry about this, but... It was a case of, "If you want x, we need y. Oh, you brought us y? Well, that's fantastic, but that thing we told you we could do for you if you brought us y, well, we didn't mean it. We changed our minds for no real reason at all. Have a nice day."

Not only did they lie about y, there were also some serious whoppers told with the express purpose of getting the husband off the branch manager's back. She lied. And she told stupid lies---i.e lies that are easily verified for being lies. When confronted, she showed no remorse and refused to make things right.

We've had a wonderful working relationship with Wells Fargo for going on four years now and I've been nothing but impressed with them...until now. It's quite shocking, because they've done nothing but keep us happy over the years. I thought when they took over Norwest it would be the usual merger story and things would be goofed for forever, but I was wrong. The merger was a GOOD thing and Wells Fargo has been a wonderful addition to the local banking community. But now? Well, now they've pissed me off and, to put it bluntly WELLS FARGO SUCKS!

I thought you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, should know how I feel about the matter.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:33 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The Los Angeles Times on Coretta Scott King's funeral: "Bush Gets an Earful at Coretta King's Funeral"

LITHONIA, Ga. -- A day of eulogizing Coretta Scott King turned into a rare, in-person rebuke of President Bush, with a succession of civil rights and political leaders assailing White House policies as evidence that the dream of social and racial equality pursued by King and her slain husband is far from reality.

{...}But it also included pointed political commentary, much of it aimed at Bush. The president and his wife watched as the sanctuary at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta filled with raucous cheers for their White House predecessors, Bill and Hillary Clinton -- a reminder that five years into his term, Bush and the Republican Party he leads have not found the acceptance across black America that GOP strategists had hoped.

"This commemorative ceremony this morning and this afternoon is not only to acknowledge the great contributions of Coretta and Martin, but to remind us that the struggle for equal rights is not over," said former President Carter, a Democrat and former Georgia governor, to rising applause. "We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, those who were most devastated by Katrina, to know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans."

Carter, who has had a strained relationship with Bush, drew cheers when he used the Kings' struggle as a reminder of the recent debate over whether Bush violated civil liberties protections when he ordered warrantless surveillance of some domestic phone calls and e-mails.

Noting that the Kings' work was "not appreciated even at the highest level of the government," Carter said: "It was difficult for them personally -- with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretapping, other surveillance, and as you know, harassment from the FBI." Bush has said his own program of warrantless wiretapping is aimed at stopping terrorists.

The most overtly partisan remarks came from the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a King protege and longtime Bush critic, who noted Coretta King's opposition to the war in Iraq and criticized Bush's commitment to boosting the poor.

"She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar," he said. "We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."{...}

Compare this to the WaPo's "Coretta Scott King's Legacy Celebrated in Final Farewell."

{...}The six-hour service, held in a lavish black church in the wealthy, majority-black Atlanta suburb of DeKalb County, seemed to strive mightily to project a theme of inclusion and the setting aside of political differences. Among the speakers were four of the five living U.S. presidents; several lawmakers; the Georgia governor, who is locked in a pitched battle with black lawmakers over voting rights; and a television evangelist.

Several high-profile -- and politically charged -- black figures, such at the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton, were not accorded a place onstage.

Still, political tensions occasionally burst through the veneer of reconciliation. At one point, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the group Martin Luther King Jr. helped found, made a reference to not finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The well-heeled, mostly black crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

In his speech, former president George H.W. Bush noted that Lowery's address was all in rhyme. "Maya Angelou has nothing to worry about," he said, looking at Lowery. "Don't quit your day job."

Former president Bill Clinton, whose popularity among black people has not waned, was greeted like a returning hero, his remarks peppered with wild ovations and his one-liners greeted by raucous laughter. He dedicated his speech to the King children: Yolanda, Martin Luther III, Dexter and Bernice.

"Her children, we know they have to bear the burden of their mother and father's legacy," Clinton told the crowd. "We clap for that, but they have to go home and live it." He challenged the mourners. "You want to treat our friend Coretta like a role model? Then model her behavior."{...}

I'm assuming that each of these stories will be their respective newspaper's front page story for this morning's editions.

Now, do tell, my devoted Cake Eater Readers, which one actually reports on the funeral?

No matter how many times you see it, the bias can---and will---take your breath away.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:35 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well, do you really?

Ummm. Well, see...here's the thing. You may miss moi, but I don't miss you.

At all.

I think more about which shade of polish I painted my toenails than I think about you.

Sorry about that. But I figured you'd rather have the truth than some half-assed lie to make you feel better about yourself, like that I was becoming a nun and heading off to a mission in Guatemala. That doesn't help anyone---you or me---so it's just best to tell the truth, that way you can go and start the healing process by getting shitfaced. There's a bar just down the street. Tell Jimmy, the bartender, that you know me and he'll spot you the first one.

Have a nice life. I know I will.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:12 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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A fancy, mainstream media follow-up on this post can be found here.

Go read the whole thing.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I shot off to the movies tonight and saw The Worlds' Fastest Indian which is postively delightful. It's well worth the eight bucks.

A more complete---and not quite so quickie---pontification after the jump. more...

Posted by: Kathy at 10:43 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Wasn't it so wonderful??? LOVED this movie.

Posted by: red at February 08, 2006 11:14 AM (rNgdr)

2 DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! This movie hasn't opened in Des Moines yet. I can't wait to see it. Sir Anthony, 1920's Indian bikes, and the Bonneville Salt Flats, all in one movie? All they had to do was figure out a way to let some of the Vivid Girls do cameo appearances and this flick would earn the title of BEST. MOVIE. EVER. IN. RUSS'. OPINION.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at February 08, 2006 04:53 PM (Ffvoi)

3 See, that's one of the reasons we moved out of Central Iowa---the movie selection sucks.Also, I didn't even have to drive to get there: It was at the theater next door to where we had breakfast. Heheheheheheh.

Posted by: Kathy at February 08, 2006 04:59 PM (JeBdM)

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Forget all this hubbub about cartoons depicting Mohammed in a blasphemous way.

I've got something much, MUCH worse than all of that. You see, I found an Arabic version of one of the most famous and beloved songs in the American Songbook.

Ahem.

My devoted (and undoubtedly shocked) Cake Eater readers, I present to you the Arabic version of {insert sexy baseline here} Shaft.

Blasphemy against Isaac Hayes aside, I think we're safe in saying, however, that the dude whose work this is could not be considered a sex machine to all the chicks.

Posted by: Kathy at 03:27 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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More fascinating early 20th century hair and skin care after the jump, including a recipe for freckle removal.

{Part One}

more...

Posted by: Kathy at 11:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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