Gas Panic!!

We got a frantic call yesterday, warning us that the truckers were going on strike, and that people were lining up, laying siege to petrol stations in the fear that all of the fuel would be gone. We saw no evidence of this here in Nastyville, but it really happened back in North Alabama, even if the reason for the panic was a canard. In the defense of the panic-ees, there was some trucker protesting going on.

A lot of folks live in fear of another big trucker strike, like the one in 1974, which was held in protest of high fuel prices (though they were relatively MUCH higher than today's). Many of the folks in North Alabama remember the Shoals-area murder that was a centerpiece of the last big strike, when a trucker who had "crossed the picket lines" was shot to death on Highway 72.

Mine! Mine! Mine! (Whap!) Ours! Ours! Ours!

We closed on the house yesterday, and the world has not yet ended. The sellers were cordial enough to us in person, but apparently they weren't the easiest folks with which our agent has dealt. Patsey earned her commission (all of which is going to pay for her daughter's wedding) by handling pretty much everything for us, and I've gotta say that this wasn't nearly so traumatic as we had been expecting. Patsey also earned our gratitude by spending a great deal of time (and gas) with us, answering our questions, and giving us a lot of attention. I believe that she looked after our interests very well. If you are looking for a real estate agent in the Middle-Tennessee area (she's based out of Columbia) I think that you'd be well-served using her.

Anybody who wants to come help us lift (not all that) heavy stuff on Saturday morning (and help me do CPR on Hatch, who says he's going to help) will be treated to an amazing meal (as well as earning Paul-sweat-credits to be redeemed at a later date).

Greenpeace Weinies Hate Tucker Carlson...Mebbe I'll Start Watching

Everybody knows Tucker Carlson as the bow-tie wearing, conservative TV commentator who was called "a dick" by John Stewart. I'm not a particularly big fan of Carlson's, though I did see a debate segment featuring him and Max Kellerman, and that was quite amusing.

Apparently Greenpeace is irked that Carlson, like many non-leftists, praised the French for their 1985 sinking of Greenpeace's ship "The Rainbow Warrior". What I didn't realize, until my research this morning, is that the attack, which involved the placing and detonating of two bombs aboard the boat, was found to be the work of the French Secret Service (DGSE). Other bits here, here, and here.

Somehow, I had previously had the idea that the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior was the result of one of the multitude of "rammings", where government or commercial vessels rammed the pesky Greenpeace bastards out of their way, or the Greenpeace bastards ram another boat to damage it. (Another guy, Paul Watson, has made his life's goal terrorizing the whaling industry by ramming and sinking whalers, and his donation-begging/propaganda page is here. Unlike the Greenpeace weinies, I kinda like the guy, even if I'd shoot him, were I a whaler. I may not agree with him, but, like Worf, I admire gall.)

While I still support the notion of a government swatting down one of the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) for it's misbehavior, finding that the sinking was a covertly executed bombing sours me a bit on the whole thing. I guess it smacks of the "worminess/weasley-ness" that is so often associated with all things French, and the folks who want to call it a terrorist act may have a point.

DaVinci, SplaVinci

I've yet to read Dan Brown's books, but I've gotten a moderate amount of amusement from people who:

1) are convinced that the story is not fiction, despite Dan Brown's statements to the contrary
2) are awaiting God to smite Dan Brown for blasphemy
3) engage in pointless debates on the internet, spelling-be-damned.

Tom Hanks hasn't had one of his typical big money hits in quite a while, but I'm guessing he'll have one with the film adaptation of "The DaVininci Code". Not that I care, really, but I'm expecting Ron Howard and his team to "play nice" and sanitize the story to appease anyone who might be offended (Link found at the Hatchblog).

A Virtual Tour!

Here's the old real-estate ad page for our new house, complete with a virtual tour. It's sorta creepy to me, since we never saw the place until after it had been vacated and painted.

A Google Grudge

In a story about Google, it's CEO, and privacy, a reporter for CNet News.com included a great deal of personal information and links to information about Eric Schmidt (the CEO), including his home address. Google has responded by refusing to speak to any News.com reporters. Continuing story here.

A lot of folks have been bitching about this, but ya know....Google is a private (well, publicly traded, but you know what I mean) company, so they can do whatever they want, so long as it's legal. Of course, if you're pissed enough, you can always boycott Google.

A Sad Omen For Hatch

In a sad bit of news, the South Korean version of Hatch has died, after playing computer games for 50 hours straight. Perhaps we need to stage an intervention before it is too late.

Home, Sweet Home

Here's our new digs. We don't close until the 16th, but we've already come to think of it as home. We've been very happy with our real estate agent, Patsey Palmer, and while such transactions often result in bloodshed, it appears that all is going smoothly.

A Long Way From 'Bama

My good buddy Mike put up a link to the Amazing Randi's Encyclopedia of All Things That Stupid, Stinking Hippies Believe (not the actual title), and while reading through it and following links, I discovered this. Apparently this former Mrs Alabama (did I ever tell you how much I detest beauty pageants?) has led a convoluted and confusing life of self-deception, and has capped it off with her own ministry.

Ms Cati is an "Apostate of Islam" (apostasy is punishable by death, according to sharia, or Islamic Holy Law), meaning that she left the Islamic faith, and disavows it's teachings, preachings, screechings.

Is Hanoi Jane Becoming Jihadi Jane?

Here's an interesting article by Ollie North about "Hanoi Jane" Fonda's upcoming vegetable oil (I'm sure he really means bio-diesel) powered war protest tour. I can't wait to see where she gets shot at/spit upon/assaulted first.

Of course, I am very interested in bio-diesel, especially if it becomes more practical down in my neck of the woods.

My Old Boss Died

My old boss, a boozer, gambler, and whore-hopper extraordinaire, King Fahd (some spell it Fahad) ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has died. He was in poor health in recent years, and the administration of the country was handled by his brothers and half-brothers. I'm curious to see what happens next in Saudi Arabia, as Fahd's half-brother Abdullah, the crown prince, has always maintained close ties with the Mutawwa, who were the official enforcers of Wahabbism, and it seems that he's at odds with the remaining "Sudairi Seven".

Just in case you're interested, here's a pro-Fahd website, and an even more interesting article about the speculations of what happens next, and when Fahd really died (from a few days back).

And what the heck, let's throw in a positive Abdullah website as well....just remember it's propaganda.

Our country has been in too deep with these guys for too long.