Saturday,November 30,2002

Staying Warm

Keep your kitty warm by playing this game. More challenging than it first appears.

Source: b3ta

MR2 @   10:02:51 PM 

Dis(functional)claimer

I think Greeblie Blog has the world's longest disclaimer. Read at your own risk.

This web site does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, my cat, or my dog; don't quote me on that; don't quote me on anything; all rights reserved; you may distribute this web site freely but you may not make a profit from it; terms are subject to change without notice; images are slightly enlarged to show detail; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law; hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat; do not bend, fold, mutilate, or spindle; your mileage may vary; no substitutions allowed; for a limited time only; this web site is void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted; caveat emptor; web site is provided "as is" without any warranties; reader assumes full responsibility; an equal opportunity web site; no shoes, no shirt, no service; quantities are limited while supplies last; if any defects are discovered, do not attempt to read them yourself, but return to an authorized service center; read at your own risk; parental discretion advised, text may contain explicit materials some readers may find objectionable; keep away from sunlight; keep away from OJ; keep away from pets and small children; limit one-per-family please; no money down; no purchase necessary; you need not be present to win; some assembly required; batteries not included; instructions are included; action figures sold separately; no preservatives added; slippery when wet; safety goggles may be required during use; sealed for your protection, do not read if safety seal is broken; call before you dig; not liable for damages arising from use or misuse; for external use only; if rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, discontinue reading; read only with proper ventilation; avoid extreme temperatures and store in a cool dry place; keep away from open flames; avoid contact with eyes and skin and avoid inhaling fumes; do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit; do not place near a flammable or magnetic source; smoking this web site could be hazardous to your health; the best safeguard, second only to abstinence, is the use of a firewall; no salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added; if ingested, do not induce vomiting, if symptoms persist, consult a physician; web sites are ribbed for your pleasure; possible penalties for early withdrawal; offer valid only at participating sites; allow four to six weeks for delivery; must be 18 to read; disclaimer does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, earthquake, hurricanes, and other Acts of God, neglect, damage from improper reading, incorrect line voltage, improper or unauthorized reading, broken antenna or marred cabinet, missing or altered serial numbers, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom vibrations, customer adjustments that are not covered in this list, and incidents owing to an airplane crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, dropping the item, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, mud slides, forest fire, or projectile (which can include, but not be limited to, arrows, bullets, shot, BB's, shrapnel, lasers, napalm, photon torpedoes, or emissions of X-rays, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, etc.); other restrictions may apply. 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MR2 @   09:41:32 PM 

The Church Of Lego

Come visit the Aston Church of Christ, made entirely of Legos. The lady who built it lets her cats inside it. Give my cats five minutes, and it would be the Aston Pile of Legos.

Source: The Presurfer

MR2 @   07:35:31 PM 

Tuesday,November 26,2002

Turning 30 In Style

Movies are great, but real life is way more entertaining. A movie would never have a line like "loved ones and cat urine".

MR2 @   12:49:24 AM 

Sunday,November 24,2002

Important Safety Lesson

Here's a short little animation on the dangers of playing soccer.

Source: b3ta

MR2 @   04:18:12 AM 

Wednesday,November 20,2002

What Firearm Are You?

Which Firearm are you? brought to you byStan Ryker

MR2 @   05:41:30 PM 

So True

MR2 @   05:12:24 PM 

Something's Fishy

What do you do with old hubcaps? Turn them into fish scupltures, of course. What else would you do?

Source: b3ta

MR2 @   05:09:57 PM 

Dark Passages

There's something about abandoned places that is just cool. Another site that explores these forgotten buildings is Dark Passage.

Source: BonigBoing

MR2 @   04:29:38 PM 

Get Your War On

Today we have a 56% chance of invading Iraq, according to the Saddameter.

Source: LinkFilter

MR2 @   04:09:57 PM 

Tribute

Sandy, Utah Honors 911 Victims.

The September 11 victims are honored with 3031 American flags.

Source: The Presurfer

MR2 @   03:50:24 PM 

What's Your Movie Dream Car?

What's Your Movie Dream Car?

by Auto Glass America

Source: The Presurfer

MR2 @   01:47:33 PM 

Saturday,November 16,2002

Plugging

OK, shameless plug time here. If you like cars and motorcycles, you just might want to check out my other blog, Moto-Blog. It's been over a month since I posted anything there, but I'm back into the swing of doing some actual writing. Of course, if you could care less about cars and motorcycles, don't go. I won't feel hurt, promise.

MR2 @   04:52:50 AM 

Friday,November 15,2002

Interesting Way To Scuplt

While it would not be my favored medium, here's a story about a man who scuplts pencil graphite. He has even craved linked chains out of the lead, all without using a magnifying lens.

Source: b3ta

MR2 @   08:28:25 PM 

Thursday,November 14,2002

Take Me To The Opera

Opera 7 beta is out. New and improved actually means something here, and I like it a lot better than before. Does my sweet Mozilla have some real competition? I think so.

MR2 @   01:55:44 PM 

Let Me Make It Perfectly Clear

This is not about to become a warblog. If by some miracle 500 warbloggers link to my post about "An Open Letter to America From a New Zealander" and my traffic skyrockets, I still won't turn this into a warblog. This blog is done for fun. Writing that post was more like work, and if I was really serious I would have had a bunch of links in it to support my views. No thank you, I'm not a researcher. Besides, One Rainy Day is a terrible name for a warblog :)

MR2 @   01:47:06 PM 

Wednesday,November 13,2002

Check It Out

There's a new band in town called Litterbox. They've put out a video. Go watch it!

MR2 @   11:57:31 PM 

Really Long Post

I read this, and it has made me very angry. Stuff like this is what we keep hearing from out supposed allies in the war on terror. Whose side are they on anyways? This is not my usual type of post, and it's rather long, but I have to get this stuff off my chest. The original is in plain text, my thoughts in italics.

An Open Letter to America from a New Zealander

I read with interest your editorials and note the considerable reaction to the contributor who penned the “Open letter to the US from a Canadian."

The reaction from some Americans to that letter is one of pointing the finger back at Canada, claiming that things are not so squeaky clean there either, and some people are asking, "What gives a Canadian the right to give an opinion on America?"

Things may not be well in Canada, and the same goes for almost every nation on this planet. However, Canada and most other nations are not war-mongering or pursuing imperialism/global corporatizing like America is. There is the difference.

We did not start this. We were attacked first, and are now in a war.

Whatever happens in America and to America has an effect on Canada and that gives any Canadian the right to speak out. The same goes for my small country, New Zealand. America dips its toes in the water and my nation gets flooded by a tidal wave...such is the power and influence of a once-great nation.

Much of the rest of the world is abiding by the UN and the World Court and the Geneva convention. With every US breach (and the US has been found guilty by the World Court for atrocities over the Gulf War), the US is steadily falling out of favor with the citizens of friendly foreign nations. Even the governments of some of those countries are beginning to question their associations and ties. Not that long ago, this was unheard of.

So which one do we follow? The UN, who agreed to the Persian Gulf war, or the World Court who accused us of atrocities?

So people of America, if this is what your foreign friends are doing, what do you think is the effect on those neighbors who never liked you in the first place? Do you think they find it easy to begin to become compassionate when all they see is a bully nation bombing another in the name of finding one Bin Laden for a crime they are not convinced that he committed?

One, Bin Laden has admitted to the events of 9/11. How are we not convinced he did it? Please, make some sense here. Two, the entire network of terrorists and the governments that help and support them are the enemy in this war. Afghanistan was targeted for those reasons.

By the way, 9-11 did not change the world. There have been bigger atrocities than that and some of them committed by the US on other nations, though your heavily censored media would have many of you not know about them. One might like to wonder what another nation could be so angry about to inflict that sort of carnage. In other words, what previous action would create a reaction like that? The 9-11 bombing was a consequence of what? What did American foreign policy do to invite that sort of reaction?

The enemy wants us dead, not because of our foreign policy, but for what we are. They hate our freedom to do and say what we want. They hate that we treat women as the equals of anyone. To satisfy them, we can do two things. Either we all convert to radical Islam (not bloody damn likely), or we can all die. That includes New Zealand as well, you're a target too, just not high on the priority list. Foreign policy has nothing to do with why the attacks happened.

In New Zealand several years ago, we too had a bombing by the French on our soil. The New Zealand Greenpeace vessel "Rainbow Warrior" was blown up while docked. It was a boat used to peacefully protest the nuclear tests at the French Muraroa Atoll.

Get the story here. The French did not use airplanes filled with New Zealanders to sink that one ship, I don't see how this relates to 9/11.

New Zealand did not go to war with France, nor did we round up all the French citizens residing in our country and throw them in jail for later questioning or prosecution. We did not decide that it had to be the work of one foreign leader and invade that country to get him. The French bombers were treated in accordance with international law and a trial was held. (You see, many of us could not be convinced that, if caught, Bin Laden would be given a fair trial in the US. I know that sounds ironic in the land of the free, but that is how we have come to view America now.)

If you remember, we gave the Taliban time to hand over Bin Laden. They refused, and suffered accordingly. Another thing, since when has Bin Laden been the leader of a nation? He leads a terrorist organization, not a country.

Once convicted, the French bombers were jailed in New Zealand and released to France a couple of years later. This was all done without having to break any international law or humane code, and just because the offender broke international law, New Zealand saw no reason to do the same. We have not had a bombing since and we are reasonably civil towards France, even though we take added delight in beating them in sport. Ironically, France is now a nation which is speaking out and questioning American policy at present.

Just what is "humane code"? Where the terrorists worried about international law when they committed their atrocities? No, but still we go out of our way to not hurt civilians in war zones and treat prisoners of war better than any other nation.

Americans hopefully will come to realize that while we of other nations do not live in America, we are very much affected by what happens in America and what Bush decides to do. I have come to the conclusion that the American influence in and dominance of this world has grown quite beyond the comprehension of many U.S. citizens, as witnessed by some of the comments on this forum.

We're just a bunch of dumb hicks, is that what you're saying?

When more Americans are aware, they will be less prone to criticizing those who are now questioning America and they will realize that we all have a very real right to be concerned with and afraid of what is happening in America.

Yes, you have the right to be concerned, but when the US is attacked we'll do what we must to protect ourselves, just as New Zealand would do.

To fight evil, it helps to be good, and that means abiding by established written and moral codes. American policy does not seem to do that these days and that leads us of other nations to wonder why. It helps when fighting evil to not lower oneself to that level. It helps set an example for others to follow.

If war = evil then good = surrender. We are not the French. You can be as good as you want, but when someone starts to kill your people, you strike back with force. We tried being nice to Al Quaida, even after they blew up an embassy and bombed the USS Cole. It lead to 9/11. We won't be that stupid again.

If Bush admitted that Afghanistan and Iraq have been targeted primarily for plunder and control of natural resources, how many Americans would support that? How many Americans are not prepared to compromise their lifestyle and would support war if it meant that they could maintain their lifestyle?

It's all about the oil, isn't it? The loss of over three thousand American citizens, and preventing it from happening again, are what this is about. We don't give a damn about the oil, just stopping these nutcases before they really hurt us. Like with a nuclear bomb, for instance.

A question that we of other nations ask is, "what does America stand to gain by invading Iraq?" The answer appears to be control and wealth, the two spoils of war, and that raises considerable cynicism amongst us.

Turn that question around and look at what France has to lose if we invade Iraq. Many of their companies have large investments there, and stand to lose big time when war comes. Don't pretend the rest of the world is innocent when everyone is looking out for themselves.

What if Saddam has weapons of mass destruction? So do other countries. What makes Iraq any different or more of a threat to the U.S? Is it the possibility that Saddam might be insane? It could just as easily be argued that Bush and Blair are lunatics and they have more and bigger guns.

The US and Great Britain have a system of checks and balances in their governments to prevent one person from wielding too much power. Iraq does not.

We of other nations remember that Bush was not your truly elected president. To us it seemed as though the recounts just kept on happening until the desired result was achieved, and that sent huge alarm bells to us. We at once became afraid, and asked the question, Who wants Bush in power so badly that they will do whatever it takes to get him there? I am surprised that more Americans did not seem to share our worry.

Bush is not the first President to win an election but not take the majority of votes. This does not mean he is not "truly elected".

Within a few months of Bush arriving in office, the US has a war on Afghanistan under the guise of getting revenge on one man. I don't know how many people remember, but apart from killing untold numbers of other innocent families, Bin Laden is still at large. Americans can feel no better for the losses of their own in the US. The dead Americans are still dead, and now we have more Afghans dead, and America has just created some new enemies.

How is this about revenge? It's about prevention.

So Bush shifts now towards Al Queda and Saddam Hussein as being the bad guys, and it appears to us that he's doing whatever it takes to gear up support for another war: an invasion of Iraq. Bush talks as though his whole country supports him, and we on the outside suspect and hope that can't be true.

It's not another war, it's another battlefield. And yes, the majority does support him.

Please do not get me wrong. I like America and like Americans.It is just that in recent years I have come to realize that America was once a great nation, but is no more, and unless the people stop taking this crap real soon, Americans will find themselves out of favor with most of the rest of the world.

Yeah, so we can get bombed again and again! That's what makes a great nation!

Please Americans, know that your government has in recent times arrogantly ignored the Geneva Convention, The United Nations, and the World Court. Your government refuses to accept the World Court ruling that Israel leave the West Bank to Palestine.

And instead of scolding the suicide bombers, look to the cause of that desperate action. What would drive a person to be so empty of hope and freedom that one would resort to suicide? Would you wish to live if you were that repressed? Can you imagine how bad it would have to be before you would kill yourself in despair?

When suicide bombers are made into heroes and you are taught that suicide bombing is a sure route to paradise, just how much despair does it take?

Demand that your government respect the rest of the world and instead of declaring war on your own bat, seek the approval of your neighbors first. That is what the United Nations is all about.

The UN is about accomplishing nothing. Saddam kicks out the weapon inspectors and all the UN does is glare menacingly in his direction. The UN is as useful as the League of Nations was, and is quickly headed down the same path.

The US has fallen out of step with its neighbors in recent years and is now looked upon by once friendly nations as being a bully and a tyrant, whittling away freedoms in the name of a war on terrorism and labelling every person who does not 100% support the US on every issue as a threat.

I would love to see citizens of the US form mass peace demonstrations so that the rest of the world has a chance to realize that the actions of the US government are not the express wishes of its people. Your president is your ambassador; we of other nations tend to see America exactly as we see Bush. I am heartened by a letter on this forum which points out that it took only 100,000 demonstrators to end America's participation in the Vietnam War. That is all it took to convince Lyndon Johnson that all was lost. Unfortunately, the voice of the people may not be heeded in the US today as it was then: in Washington, DC on October 26, 2002 there were 100,000 demonstrators against invading Iraq—but apparently few of your media reported the true magnitude of that event. And now we are grieved by the results of your recent election.

Get over it.

To us on the outside, there seems to be precious little difference between the state of play in the US and the state of play in Nazi Germany a few decades ago. Americans may disagree on that point, but that is what it looks like from the outside.

You need to take a closer look then. I don't recall Bush rounding up the Jews and shipping them off to concentration camps? I don't see us blaming the Jews for our economic woes. What I do see is Europe acting like it did before the start of World War II, when some action on their part could have stopped Hitler before he became a much larger menace. That time we waited to act. This time we aren't. We have learned the lessons from the past, and will not appease those who threaten us now. Now is the time for decisive action.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so you in the US might like to think about that before casting the first stone missile or army into another country. Things have a habit of bouncing back. Remember that to do nothing is to support your government, and that makes you just as responsible for its actions.

Hello, who attacked first? Not us.

People of America, celebrate the great things that your forefathers created. Claim back the freedom you had until recently, and make sure that your leader plays by the rules of fair play and peace for all.

We didn't ask for this war, it was forced upon us. Now you want us to play fair? We play to win.

Remember also that Hitler was revered as an international hero and a great hope for Germany before he got out of hand and wanted to rule the world. History shows that Hitler also created a situation to appear like an attack from enemies, in order to get his country to go to war. Don't let yourselves be fooled in this fashion. Make absolutely sure who and where the enemy is before throwing the spear.

Bush was actually the one behind the attacks? Keep living in your little fantasy world.

Things are not always as they first seem, and those leaders who continually speak of God and Evil are the ones I am most wary of. Like crooked evangelists, they often hide their true intentions.

Then you should really be worrying more about radical Islamists, shouldn't you.

Americans might also like to ask themselves if they are satisfied with the promised full investigation into 9-11, and ask what Cheney could have to hide in those energy reports (could they have anything to do with attacking Afghanistan and Iraq?).

Me thinks we have a conspiracy nut here.

I hope that all Americans at least get to see John Pilger's "Palestine IS Still The Issue" and Michael Moore's film "Bowling for Columbine" and then ask themselves, "What am I doing or supporting to create this?"

We of other nations look to you to restore peace and get rid of the enemy within, and the rest will take care of itself. Draw upon the ideals of your constitution and your founding fathers, and once again, the US can be the leading light instead of Darth Vader.

Remember when a bully is picking on you, just ignore him and he will go away. Ask what it is about you that makes him pick on you, and work on that instead of fighting back. Yeah, that'll work!

MR2 @   06:05:08 AM 

Monday,November 11,2002

Testing, 1, 2, 3

you have an ominosity quotient of five. you are somewhat more ominous than average. > find out your ominosity quotient.

Gotta love that word, ominosity!

Source: All Blogged Up

MR2 @   09:46:16 PM 

Rainbows

Poor WebGirlie :( She saw a rainbow that freaked her out the same day the doctor told her to come in for a retest because something was not right (I hate doctors, he (I think) would not tell her what was wrong over the phone. Yeah, that's makes you really comfortable and secure!). The rainbow was freaky because it disappeared into the trees, kinda like this...

Hooray for the lab, they screwed up the first test, causing her a lot of grief over nothing.

While looking for pics of rainbows disappearing into trees (gotta love Google!) I came across a pic that is a somber reminder of what veterans day is really about.

Let's hope our soldiers are safe tonight, and never forget the sacrifices our veterans have made for us. They deserve our respect and gratitude.

MR2 @   06:59:45 PM 

Scary Picture

I agree with his presurfness, this is a very scary pic.

MR2 @   03:47:12 PM 

What The Hell?

Dammit, it seems like everyone is shooting guns. Tim just blogged about it too.

MR2 @   03:44:08 PM 

No Fair

If I only owned a farm, I could accomplish my dream of firing gun, just like Drew did this morning! Lucky bastard, the fates are against me. Of course, in lovely Tennessee we didn't wake up to snow, like Drew did. But I'll take the snow if I can fire (or is that discharge?) a gun.

MR2 @   03:32:27 PM 

How Do You Go About This?

Hmmm, Jason says "it rocks!" to fire a gun. Sounds cool, but how would I go about this? I don't own one, don't have the money to buy one, and none of my friends have one either. Even if I did buy a gun, where do you target practice? I don't think my landlord would appreciate some bullet holes in the trailer. Hmm, there's got to be a way.

MR2 @   03:27:00 PM 

Don't Leave Your Desk Unattended In The Seedy Part Of Town

How to have fun with co-workers, lesson 7...

If someone always complains about something, really give them something to complain about.

Source: Madville

MR2 @   01:03:45 AM 

Buy More, Buy More Often

If you've been needing to buy some bullets for your gun, November 19th is National Ammo Day. I don't own a gun, and have never shot one, I wonder what it's like.

Source: Tim Blair

MR2 @   12:50:18 AM 

Thursday,November 07,2002

Satire At It's Finest

Steven Den Beste had this to say today....

Reuters reports that an "Iceberg blockade threatens Penguin Colony". It certain makes you wonder: did the icebergs ask for UNSC approval before their attack? And are the penguins asking themselves why the icebergs hate them?

MR2 @   11:46:35 PM 

Politicians Are Still The Same

Looks like it's more important for the city aldermen to get a pay raise than it is for the city firefighters in Chicago.

MR2 @   02:20:00 AM 

You Learn Something New Every Day

Intentionally or not, Krell and others were capitalizing on an association between blue and high-end audio that dates back to 1923. In that year, product inspectors at German radiomaker Ideal began to daub a blue dot on earphones that met their standards. The mark became so identified with quality that in 1938 the company changed its name to Blaupunkt -- literally, blue dot.

Source: 3Bruces

MR2 @   12:51:36 AM 

Tuesday,November 05,2002

I Feel Presidential Now

Which Founding Father Are You?

MR2 @   02:48:31 AM 

Sunday,November 03,2002

Gotta Feed The Addiction (Quackwhore)

MR2 @   05:03:58 PM 

Who Says Microsoft Is Good For Nothing

MR2 @   04:59:54 PM 

Use The Force

MR2 @   04:42:11 PM 

New Month, New design

Came up with something simple, don't know if I like it, but it works for now.

MR2 @   05:11:44 AM 

Getting Ready For Winter

The cold days of winter are just around the corner. Get ready with this Toboggan Game.

MR2 @   03:09:45 AM 

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