Random photo IX: I hate myself for this

Uh! I feel so dirty posting something so... cute.

I'm not going to caption this. I'll just say it's a shot I took of a pair or evil kittens that my daughter loved to play with at her great-grandparents' house in north-central Kansas.

You can add your own LOLcat caption in the comments.

The best caption wins a MAJOR AWARD at tonight's blogger meetup.

tagged: kitties, kitten, LOLcat, cute, picture, photo

SAM I am (or, "Is that a shoulder-mounted rocket in your pocket?")

I want to take a moment to recognize three American small businesses for stepping up to the plate in the daunting task of ensuring the further safety of the traveling public.

Fledgling small businesses BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and United Airlines have accepted a challenge by Charles McQueary, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for science and technology, to solve the pervasive threat of Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) fired at domestic passenger jets.

The companies, selected from a pool of 24 that sought the contracts, lead teams that will work on adapting defenses already used on military planes and Air Force One. All will test infrared jammers that redirect heat-seeking rockets away from aircraft engines.

The three companies face a difficult task. They have only six months and six million dollars between them to create a report for Congress on the feasibility of this kind of defense system. I'll repeat, only $6 million to do the study and create a report.

But I think we can all agree that this is something that must be done, no matter the cost, and sooner rather than later.

The threat of these weapons hangs like the Sword of Damocles on air travelers in this country, despite remarks made by Asa Hutchinson, Homeland Security's undersecretary for border and transportation security, who said there is "no credible threat information involving shoulder-fired rockets."

This head-in-the-sand attitude may seem like prudence, but Mr. Hutchinson obviously isn't aware of the easy availability of shoulder-fired rockets, especially in the Midwest where so many of us use them to hunt game birds like doves, pheasant and wild turkeys.

Thankfully, we as voters had the presence of mind to elect Democrats to congress last year.

Democrats like Barbara Boxer and Steve Israel who, despite what the know-nothings in Homeland Security say, had the testicular fortitude to sponsor a bill requiring anti-missile defense on all domestic passenger jets as soon as possible.

"The threat is simply too severe to allow bureaucrats to set their own timetables to make use of those protections," said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who sponsored the House version of a bill by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Boxer said under the Bush administration's timetable, no planes will have the systems before 2006. "That is not good enough," she said.

Sure, it will cost at least $10 billion for that equipment, but again we all know that no price is too high for safety.

My only concern in this plan is that even the infrared laser SAM missile jammers won't be enough protection.

In fact I would like to propose to the congressional Democrats that ALL U.S. passenger jets should be equipped with radar-seeking guided bombs. I know, you're thinking that might be a bit expensive, but as Boxer and Israel both know we are at war with terrorists and everyone must pitch in if we're going to win.

Commercial aircraft are no exception. If a passenger jet is targeted by terrorists with a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile, they must be given the weapons to fire back.

So write to Israel and Boxer and encourage them to expand their bill. It may cost another $40 billion, but freedom isn't free.

tagged: rocket, passenger jets, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, United Airlines, Charles McQueary, Barbara Boxer, Steve Israel, terrorists, surface-to-air missile

YouTube Tuesday: Post Nasal

I missed this when it originally aired on local TV (probably because I try to avoid the so-called local so-called news like it's a new Maroon 5 album), but I have to say there's a subtle comic genius in watching grown adults do with a straight face what we as 9-year-olds used to with milk in the lunchroom for laughs.



tagged: movie, YouTube, video, Kansas City, news, health, nasal rinse

Headlines: G.M.'s alternative fuel bet

General Motors is taking steps to make sure it maintains it's position on the cutting edge of automotive technology.

According to the New York Times, GM has invested heavily in a company that is developing a process to create alternative fuels out of waste products.

General Motors, eager to ensure a supply of fuel for the big fleet of flex-fuel ethanol-capable vehicles it is building, has joined the rush into alternative energy and invested in a company that intends to produce ethanol from crop wastes, wood chips, scrap plastic, rubber and even municipal garbage.

GM is investing in a company called Coskata, which is keeping it's fuel-generation process largely underwraps. But it has released an overview of it's technology.

Coskata is one of many companies ... in an emerging world of start-up firms that are making alternative fuels with a mix-and-match approach to existing technologies. In Coskata’s case it is a combination of gasification and bacterial action.

This overview is giving local economic development officials a lot of hope.

According to my many inside sources, officials with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce have already contacted Coskata and notified them that Kansas City sits right on top of the largest source of gasified waste and municipal garbage in the Midwest.

He's on KMBZ each night at 6 and 10 p.m.

tagged: General Motors, ethanol, gasification, waste, Larry Moore, Kansas City, environmentalist

3A.M. Poll: Worst pickup lines for d00ds

These options came from one of those emails that keep getting forwarded around, so don't think I made these up because, honestly, I would never use a pick-up line in a bar... honestly... I'm tellin' you I would never do it!



tagged: poll, pick up lines, bar, dating, drink, armpit, screaming

Friday Blogthing: The Sounds of Sci-fi

Just to prove how much of a sci-fi nerd you are, I dare you to do better than me on this audio quiz.

	I received 71 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Guess the Sci-Fi Movie Sounds here

tagged: Friday, test, audio, scifi, knowledge, meme, blog, sound effects

Rule of Thumb

Since we returned home from our Christmas trips, life at the emawkc household has revolved around my Supermodel Wife's injured thumb.

A few days after the previous post on the topic, the general practitioner referred us to a plastic surgeon specializing in skin grafts due to a mild infection that had developed in what used to be the tip of my SMW's thumb.

The specialist cleaned out the wound with a scalpel, removing the cauterized tissue to encourage the new skin to grow more quickly. He took a culture to better diagnose the infection and prescribe an effective antibiotic (and, I presume, to make sure we're not at risk from the dreaded MRSA).

He also directed us to soak the healing thumb in the mornings and evenings in warm, soapy water and then redress. Unfortunately, the first night we did this, there was a lot of pain as the dressing had stuck to the wound. Pulling it off was excruciating.

Last night was much better. Much less pain. We scheduled to go back to the plastic surgeon's on Monday for a check up.

Oh, before I forget, here's the obligatory picture.

Have you had lunch yet?

tagged: thumb, cheese slicer, blood, bloody, cauterize, MRSA, skin

My next million dollar idea

Wonderfully witty Amy, author of Wandering Amylessly (srsly, you should check out her work, it's always excellent even though her politics are all messed up), has a post today recounting her efforts to get her husband to carry a purse.

Oh... er... excuse me, I meant a "man bag" (yeah right).

The problem is, there's only one kind of man bag, and it is for the conveyance of family jewels. Let's face it, you can call it a "man bag" or a "European male carry-all," but that doesn't change the fact that it's a purse. A rose by any other name, right?

Her husband and 4-year-old son thought the same thing, which makes me wonder why chicks always think dudes want to carry a purse? Especially when you've got a wife with a purse that can stow all the useless crap a guy might need to carry around.

The way I see it, there are only two acceptable solutions to the problem Amy describes.

First is the Indiana Jones-style shoulder bag. It's the same kind of bag I used when I recovered the ancient gold-plated, jewel-encrusted Mayan disemboweling dagger while foiling a Nazi plot to foment a Mexican invasion of the American southwest a few years ago (but that's an entirely different story).

This is actually a MkVII British Gas Mask Bag. How freakin' manly is that! Of course it may be a little too bulky for today's urban male, and it could be considered a little too casual for use in the office.

My other solution is the tried and true cargo pants. I love the summer time because I have several pairs of well-worn cargo shorts that can contain everything from iPods, cell phone, wallets, pocket knives, gangster roll, screwdrivers, wrenches, grocery lists, etc.

But here again, even the pleated Dockers khaki version of these fashion wonders are probably a little too casual for the corporate cube environment.

This is where my next million dollar idea comes in: cargo dress slacks. I'm tellin' you this is a guaranteed winner. Imagine the convenience of having additional thigh pockets in you Armani suit pants!

It will be all the rage in 2008, mark my words.

tagged: fashion, purse, Indiana Jones, man bag, European carry all, cargo pants, Armani

YouTube Tuesday: Fired Up and Ready to Bore

Are you as excited as I am about the presidential election cycle starting a full year before the election? If so, never fear, there's a cure for that exuberance...


tagged: movie, Washington Post, video, election, Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire, humor, primary

A salute to KU and Mark Mangino

3AM presents Real Men of Genius
(Real Men of Genius)
Today we salute you...
Mr. Grossly Overweight Football Coach
(Mr. Grossly Overweight Football Coach)

Some men follow the rules,
Some men follow their hearts,
But you follow your stomach
(Please pass me another gallon of gravy!)

Though some may doubt you,
And some may deride you,
You've stayed true to your quest through all of the heartache and heartburn
(I think I need some more Rolaids)

You know that winning is not just about brute force,
But also about scheduling weaker competition
And paying off bowl officials
(Have another bundle of cash)

And while some are content to stay on the sidelines following the rules,
You know that NCAA rules were meant to be broken
And that a slap on the wrist is worth a brazillion dollar bowl payout
(Find another coed to take my players' tests)

So knock back another pail of pancake batter, oh six-chinned coach of the year,
Because even though you have to ride in the freight section on the flight home, you're keeping cheating and corruption at the core of big-time college sports
(Don't spend your entire $50,000 bonus at Sizzler...)

tagged: KU, Kansas, football, Orange Bowl, Mark Mangino, Real Men of Genius, NCAA violations