Friday, 17 July 2009

Two Pallete Cleaners For the Weekend.

Police Chief Denounce 'Cowardly' iPhone Users

An amusing story from last week.

Area drivers looking to outwit police speed traps and traffic
cameras are using an iPhone application and other global positioning
system devices that pinpoint the location of the cameras.

That has irked D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who promised her
officers would pick up their game to   counteract the devices, which
can also help drivers dodge sobriety checkpoints. 

"I think that's the whole point of this program," she told The Examiner. "It's designed to circumvent law enforcement -- law enforcement that is designed specifically to save lives."...

....Lanier said the technology is a "cowardly tactic" and "people who
overly rely on those and break the law anyway are going to get caught"
in one way or another.

So let me get this straight. Speed traps are meant to "save lives". I am glad I know that now. All along, I thought cops hidding behind stuff to trap speeders was just another way to fatten the purse of law enforcement. I am glad that is cleared up now.

But I like the fact that Lanier calls these people cowards. Mr Lanier, I do not think it means what you think it means. Nothing says "I am a coward" more than deliberately attempting to avoid law enforcement. Maybe he meant to use the word brazen. Or maybe the word he meant to use was frugal. Because this phone app is being used to save citizens the ridiculous sum of money that a speeding tickets costs.

Remember, speed doesn't kill. If it did we wouldn't be able to fly in airplanes. What kills is  speed diferentials.

Couple Acutions Wedding Sponsorship on EBay

Nothing says I love you more than free market capitalism at your wedding.
Stacey Libby said marrying the love of her life is like a fairy tale. But then, the Keene, N.H., woman saw the price tag — so she's decided to try to get a sponsor, asking for businesses to use eBay to bid on the rights to her day.

A business can bid to pay for all or part of the wedding, and the couple will let them advertise, WMUR reported. However, Libby will pick the colors. And she's not giving up control over the dress.
I joked about having sponsors at our wedding when my wife and I got married. At the time I thought and still do that weddings offer a number of opportunities for sponsorship. The wedding ceremony itself is not a place for sponsorship since it is a sacred ceremony. But why can't advertisements be sold on the back of programs? Heck most churches provide advertising in their weekly bulletins. Why not on the back of a wedding program? But for me the reception is jackpot for advertising opportunities.

Why not have Budweiser banners above the bar areas? Why not provide advertisement on the tables? Why not have the DJ announce advertisements during the reception? I am sure I could come up with even more places for advertising. With the cost of weddings now a days, I don't blame people for finding ways to lower the costs. Besides, nothing screams I am a capitalist more than having advertisements at your wedding.

Posted by brians at 12:04 PM in Cultural Events
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Thursday, 14 May 2009

Eco-Friendly Burials

I guess the new hotness in the eco-movement is the offering of "eco-friendly" or green burials.
The first plot has been sold in a city-owned cemetery that offers the dearly departed a chance to be buried without being embalmed, in a biodegradable casket, with no concrete grave liner or a traditional cut or polished headstone.

When the Lawrence City Commission decided to set aside about a third of an acre in Oak Hill Cemetery for "green" funerals, the college town with an environmentally friendly reputation joined a growing national trend.

In Lawrence, the green burial area of Oak Hill Cemetery is on a wooded hillside, where plots were laid out around the trees. The city installed some natural log benches for visitors.

In the natural burial section, visitors will not see artificial flowers, ornaments or other grave decorations. Headstones can be only natural rocks. Wildflowers and grasses will grow over the graves, eventually returning the area to its natural habitat.

Am I the only one who doesn't get this? They are still using resources to make a coffin. They are still using rock for a headstone. They are just using different materials. The land is still only being used for a grave. I can't imagine the land will look much different from the rest of the cemetery. I am at a loss for what environmental gain is really being made here? Other than to make people feel good about themselves?

If someone wanted to be truly eco-friendly when they died wouldn't they just have their body dumped into the forest. That way your body could be used to feed vultures, coyotes, worms, and other scavengers. I mean what could be more environmentally friendly than giving yourself over to nature? That way you wouldn't have to worry about the carbon footprint of your funeral.

Posted by brians at 9:12 AM in Cultural Events
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Saturday, 29 November 2008

Gift Ideas For The Holidays

The weekend after Thanksgiving is the first big shopping weekend of the holiday season. It is the time where everyone begins their own personal shopping odyssey in preparation for Christmas. Being the kind soul that I am, I have decided to help out and give you two excellent gift ideas for the season.

The first is a gift certificate for McDonalds. Nothing says I love you like the gift of obesity. If you don't like McDonalds, then I am sure your favorite fast food restaurant would be more than happy to provide you with their own special gift cards.

If that isn't enough, Planned Parenthood in Indiana is offering gift cards for their services.  Nothing says I love you like telling someone they shouldn't have kids. And oh by the way, here is some money to make sure you don't have any kids. How special is it to be able to give the gift of an abortion for Christmas! I can't think of gift more in tune to the holiday season where we celebrate the birth of Christ than a gift certificate from Planned Parenthood.

I hope those two suggestions were helpful! As always, I wish everyone the best of luck in getting their shopping done this Christmas season.

Posted by brians at 12:04 PM in Cultural Events
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Thursday, 27 November 2008

Happy Thanksgiving Story

Last week we posted on the tragic story about the loss of the Barton family home in Nicholas county. Well it turns out that story has a happy ending! Hope you enjoy it on this festive turkey day.
Posted by brians at 12:53 PM in Cultural Events
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Some Stories Just Have To Be Read To Be Believed

The most unbelievable story of the day comes from Nicholas County. Words just couldn't describe my thoughts after reading it. Hat tip to my friend Rob for pointing this story out to me.
Posted by brians at 4:43 PM in Cultural Events
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Monday, 11 August 2008

Great Taste Of The Midwest: A Report

What a interesting day. It began with a trip to downtown Madison where my wife, some friends, and I went to catch a bus to the site of the Great Taste. We arrived a couple of hours early for the shuttle and decided to use the time to walk around the capital of Wisconsin. We were treated with a farmer's market in the square. Normally, there wouldn't be anything special about a farmer's market except for the fact that Madison is a strong hold of left wing socialism.

That means we were amused by various table set up by the wacky left. The first of these tables I saw was the "Impeach Bush" table. I almost went up to ask them why they still wanted to impeach Bush. He will be out of office in a few months. Instead of playing with liberals in the wild, I just thought I would observe them in their natural habitats.

We saw all kinds of fun stuff. We saw the 9/11 truthers. We saw animal right activists. We saw pro-Palestinians. We saw a number of people distributing Obama literature. But the most amusing were the pro-UN people. I didn't know we had pro-UN people in this country.

After getting a taste of the local culture, we headed to the Great Dane Pub for lunch. Not wanting to pre-game before the main event, we ate a beerless lunch which was very good. Once lunch was consumed, we headed out to catch the shuttle. I was amused to see school buses show up to take people to the event.

We arrived at the park about 45 minutes before the event, and was greeted with a huge line snaking from the entrance into the field below. Event workers came around and traded our tickets for arm bands to provide entry. At 1:00 PM CDT, the gates opened and people rushed through the gates. For us way back in the line, it took about 25 minutes to advance to the front gate where we picked up our 4 oz glass and a program.

Some of our friends were in line before us and they found a place to set up our chairs. We met them inside and set up a "mini-camp" that would be our staging area. The event itself consisted of 6 large tents that held hundreds of different breweries. Each brewery brought a hand full of their beers for sampling. All one had to do was go up to any of the brewer's table and they would pour four ounces of whichever micro-brew you asked for.

In addition to the beer, they provided water jugs, a place to wash out glasses, porta-potties, and a food tent where one could buy food.

I spent the first 30 minutes going through the program and mapping out beers I wanted to taste with locations in each of the 6 tents. I don't really like hoppy beers, creamy beers, Belgians, or meades. But I do like dry stout's, dunkles, browns, and marziens (Octoberfests). Thus I decided to stick to beers I liked. Unfortunately, there weren't any dunkles at the fest. While disappointing, it wasn't that big of a deal. There was still plenty of others to try.

After mapping things out, I worked my way through each tent one at a time. I tasted over 20 different brewers over the five hours we were there. Most of the beers were good or very good. Only a few were so retched that they had to be poured out. For me, the best of show was Viking Brewery's Dark Marzien. It stood out well above all the rest.

The only down side to trying that many beers is the fact that many of them begin to taste the same over time.

What was most amazing about the event was how well behaved everyone was. Most people were drunk, but everyone seemed to be getting along. I imagine that had to do with the fact that the average age of those attending was in the mid 30's and mostly middle class. I was a bit surprised by how many women were in attendance. I would say 30 percent of those attending were women.

I had a most enjoyable time and would recommend it for anyone who likes beer.

If I were going to attend the event again, I would do some things differently. I would go early in the morning and try to pick up a program. Take it to lunch and pour over it while eating.

Instead of showing up 45 minutes early and standing in line, I would probably show up about an hour after the event started. Why so late? To avoid the crowds. In the first two hours the tents are packed. As the day goes forward, the lines become short and it is easy to get beers. I also wouldn't take chairs. One can always sit on the hillside to rest. The only thing I would take to the event was a fanny pack with water and a couple of snacks.

Posted by brians at 11:34 PM in Cultural Events
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Friday, 8 August 2008

Great Taste Of The Midwest

This weekend is the "Great Taste of the Midwest" in Madison Wisconsin. For those who don't know, it is one of the largest beer festivals in the United States. There are going to be over 100 breweries serving a selection of their wares for about 6 hours Saturday.

We were fortunate to get tickets for the annual event. They only sell 5000. 3000 of them are sold locally while 2000 are sold through a mail in lottery. Two of my friends mailed in applications to enter the drawing and they both won 4 tickets.

My wife and I were among those invited to attend so we are road tripping to Wisconsin today. Having never been to a large beer fest before, I'll be reporting on what should be an interesting experience.

(I would live blog the event, but I am not sure I'll be sober enough to write coherently. I have a hard enough time writing when I am sober)

Posted by brians at 5:11 PM in Cultural Events
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Thursday, 22 February 2007

Funny News Story

This might be the funniest news story I have ever read. The article was in the Frankfor paper in March of last year. I had forgotten about the story until it was recently brought to my attention by my wife. I just had to share it. Don't blame me if you read the story and end up spitting Coke out your nose. You have been warned!

Posted by elendil at 2:58 PM in Cultural Events
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Saturday, 30 September 2006

Blogging Live

Today, conservative bloggers in Kentucky are gathering for the second annual bloggers conference in Lexington. I will be blogging it live. So stay tuned today to learn what happened.

Posted by elendil at 10:52 AM in Cultural Events
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Tuesday, 26 September 2006

Treo Test

This is a simple test to see if I can blog from my cell phone. Not that I would use it a lot.But it is nice to know it is an option.
Posted by elendil at 12:20 PM in Cultural Events
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