Boat Loads in Palau

Y'all may remember my best bud from my very first posts on AAW (OK 2 of you may remember).

works in Palau. Survivor has been filmed there and the islands are one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Incredibly beautiful.

Here's a picture of Shipper:

No, wait.... here's a picture of Shipper. He's the one giving a wet willy to my other buddy Rich:

Shipper previously blogged about his trip to China in which no reported national incidents occurred. (They like to keep things hush-hush in China)

Check out his previous post, Chinese Democracy.

sent me a new blog yesterday. Check it out and leave him a note in the comments.

Cool Ships in Palau

A blog by
David Shipper

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Lately we have been treated to a number of cool ships coming through Palau. Here are three that have just been here:

The USS John Paul Jones.

This rig cruised in a couple of days ago. We get some military ships here on R&R occasionally but rarely one with this firepower. It’s an Aegis Destroyer and it is BAD.

You know I thought these ships were supposed to destroy things and kill people. Boy was I wrong. On the tour we learned that they “prosecute submarines” with various torpedoes:

And at times they choose to employ a “harpoon solution.”

The crew of this ship was pretty cool too. I had a few beers with them and was talking to the guy in charge of all the armaments. Of course I asked the question on everyone’s mind

“If money were no object, how quickly could you ‘prosecute’ Koror?”

The answer? Pretty damn quick – a matter of hours. The interesting thing was that the guy said he would pull anchor and sail away from Palau a few miles and then launch tomahawks. Why sail away? As he said, “those puppies have a pretty serious blast radius.”

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The Octopus

This is Paul Allen’s ride. If you don’t know, he’s one of the founders of Microsoft, one of the richest people in the world, and a walking commercial for socialism. The Octopus is the 5^th biggest private yacht in the world. It has a basketball court, 3 helicopters, and a remote control submarine.

If I couldn’t be Paul Allen, I’d like to be on Paul Allen’s boat crew. He will just tell them: “Meet me in (insert name of a tropical paradise anywhere in the world).” They will sail there and hang out until he flies in for a few days, and then they are off again. But alas, I don’t have such a charmed life – I have to live full time in only one paradise.

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Earthrace Boat

Finally, I was surprised to see this cool rig the other day at one of the dive shop docks:

The Earthrace boat is trying to circumnavigate the globe faster than any other watercraft. Its design allows it to slice through the waves rather than going over them. But the coolest thing about this boat is that it is trying to break the record on Biodiesel fuel – proving that we can thrive without fossil fuels.

I say that I was surprised when the Earthrace boat showed up in Palau, because of the email we got from them. It went like this:

Earthrace Boat: We would like to stop by Palau on our trip around the world to promote alternative fuels. Please tell us how often container ships arrive in Palau from Singapore so that we can schedule our shipment of biodiesel to meet us there.

Palau: How about never. Does that work for you?

And then they showed up. Once it became clear that they could not get any biodiesel here, they had to go to Plan B: Instead of using Biodiesel, they would just fill ‘er up with . . . wait for it . . . Diesel! Hey, why not? Actually, diesel is more pure – it doesn’t have all that “bio” stuff in there.

Godspeed Little Doodle.

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Thanks,

Dave Shipper

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20 Dollars to make you Holler

I watched the first one with John Muir and it was excellent.

We've had a corporate asshole problem in the U.S. since its inception. If it weren't for Muir, we'd have a damn roller coaster coming off of the falls in Yosemite and McDonald adverts plastered on El Capitan.

Daily Kos: Burns' National Park series PERFECTLY timed (Updated x3 w/more photos)

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Yeah, well, Lee Atwater recanted on his death bed but where did that get us.

Its a little to little, its a little too late.

Greenspan Backs Key Obama Wall Street Reform Effort:

"Greenspan has acknowledged that the collapse has led to a crisis of faith. 'I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such as that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms,' Greenspan said at a House hearing last October under questioning from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

'In other words,' said Waxman, moving in for the kill, 'you found that your view of the world, your ideology, was not right, it was not working.'

'Absolutely, precisely,' said Greenspan. 'You know, that's precisely the reason I was shocked, because I have been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.'

It's one thing to reject a failed ideology, but another altogether to embrace the kind of regulation represented by the CFPA. 'He has already said that he erred in assuming that the market would take care of things--the Ayn Rand point of view--but this seems to go farther than he's gone before in calling for a new agency to protect consumers from financial products,' said Miller"

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Letter to the editor, Southern Style.

Excellent Ass Whuppin.

Fair coverage | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL:

"In response to Perry Taylor's letter criticizing the limited space the TimesDaily devoted to the trek taken by himself and a few of the citizens to protest, whatever it was, and focus on 'Taking Back America,' I want to respond.

Mr. Taylor, you need to read the copies of the TimesDaily for Nov. 5 and Jan. 20. The TimesDaily gave fair and complete coverage of how our citizens already took back America. It was called the presidential election and the presidential inauguration."

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The world is watching... us make assholes of ourselves.

'World Leader' to Obama: Explain Why 'They're Putting a Hitler Moustache On You' - Political Punch:

"'I was up at the G20 -- just a little aside -- I was up at the G20, and some of you saw those big flags and all the world leaders come in and Michelle and I are shaking hands with them,' the president said. 'One of the leaders -- I won't mention who it was -- he comes up to me. We take the picture, we go behind.

'He says, 'Barack, explain to me this health care debate.'

'He says, 'We don't understand it. You're trying to make sure everybody has health care and they're putting a Hitler mustache on you -- I don't -- that doesn't make sense to me. Explain that to me.''"

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Huzzah, Palau! Now, if you can only survive the tropical storms pounding you at the moment.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Palau pioneers 'shark sanctuary'

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This was posted on Kos last week. Old article, but a damn fine read.

The $20 Theory of the Universe - Esquire

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Right Wing Politics

If only some government agency could have predicted the potential for violent right-wing extremism.....

Holocaust museum shooter reportedly white supremacist James von Brunn.:

"This afternoon, a gunman apparently shot at least one person at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. MSNBC is reporting that the suspected shooter, who also sustained gunshot wounds, is James Von Brunn, a white supremacist born in 1920. Brunn has been approvingly cited on Stormfront, a national white supremacist website. He is apparently the author of a tract called, “Kill the Best Gentiles,” which his website describes as “a new, hard-hitting expos�of the JEW CONSPIRACY to destroy the White gene-pool.” Brunn, a WWII veteran, also wrote a screed on President Obama’s citizenship that was re-posted to popular right-wing message board Free Republic:"

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...oh, wait, one actually did:

Will Republicans Admit That Their Partisan Outrage Over The DHS Report Was Misplaced? | Media Matters Action Network

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Almost the sanest thing ever stated on FAUX News.... until they tie it to the blogs and ignore the fact that the fuel for these fires is coming directly from their 'news' organization. From the Becks. From the Hannitys. From the Limbaughs.

The accountability rest squarely on FAUX News and its associated ilk.

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Really? You think? You mean the report that FAUX reflexively dismissed out of some partisan outrage?

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But what do they know anyway....

Health Professionals Tell Congress They Want Single-Payer:

"At a long-awaited House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, health-care professionals made it clear that they believe a single-payer system to be the best and perhaps only workable option for health care reform.

'Single-payer is the only reform that can control health care costs,' said Walter Tsou, a University of Pennsylvania professor and an adviser to Physicians for a National Health Program. The last 50 years of government policy have protected insurance industry profits at the expense of taxpayers, doctors and hospitals, he said.

'Our most famous radical document begins with the words, 'We the People.' Not 'We the Insurers,'' he said. 'It is time for our own generation's revolution."

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More like this, Democrats. Keep in mind that this is a Freshman Senator. We need more progressive Freshman Democratic Senators.

Senator Calls Out Frank Luntz From Senate Floor:

"Here we go. Frank Luntz's memo, that's his memo on how to kill health care, came out in April. It says - talking point number five - 'Health denial care horror stories in Canada and other countires do resonate, but you have to humanize them. You notice we recommend the phrase 'government takeover' rather than 'government run' or 'government control.'' Why? Because government takeover sounds even scarier.

So what did we hear in the chamber from our minority leader just recently? I quote - 'Americans are concerned about a government takeover of health care and for good reason.' And it goes on. So recognize that that is a point that's coming from a document about how to kill health care, not a responsible debate about the plan we have in front of us."

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WTF is he talking about? $10 for anyone that can decipher this tortured analogy.

God, I love Michael Steele.

The gift that keeps on giving.

Minnesota Independent: News. Politics. Media. � ‘Big tent’ no more: RNC’s Steele says GOP is a hat:

"Here’s more evidence that the GOP is still struggling to find fitting metaphors to talk about itself. The party was likened to a miffed Eminem by Gov. Tim Pawlenty at the College Republicans’ national confab over the weekend, while at another of the convention’s sessions, RNC chair Michael Steele was coming up with imagery of his own. Steele told the audience that “no one knows what the hell it means” when the GOP refers to itself as a “big tent.”

So he offered another analogy: The GOP is a hat.

Some people wear a hat frontwards, others cocked to the left, he explained. Some wear it backwards, he added, echoing a past statement, “because that’s how they roll.” But “the strength of the party is in this: … the fact that you’re willing to put the damn thing on… The problem we’ve had as a party is: too many of our friends, neighbors, colleagues are taking the hat off, because we’ve decided we don’t like the way they wear it… The GOP is not about how you wear the hat, but the fact that you want to wear the hat.”"

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

HA!

GOP Leader Rep. Eric Cantor Predicts Republican Landslide in 2010 - ABC News:

"These may be dark days for the Republican Party, but a top GOP congressional leader predicted today that Republicans would trounce Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections and could take back control of the House of Representatives."

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Damn, those conservatives sure do love to hate on some America.

Ed Goes Ballistic over GM "Socialist" Boycott

Hewitt: I won't be visiting a GM or Chrysler lot, now matter the quality of the product. The only way to fight socialism, is to Boycott GM.

Ed: We are talking about hundreds of thousands of Americans. And this is what they have? They openly say, if you‘re angry. No, I think the word is "if you hate Obama." If you hate Obama. If you can‘t stand the fact that he‘s having success as a president. If you just hate the fact that this guy has got a 60-plus percent approval rating. He‘s trying to save American industry.

If you hate him that much, don‘t buy a GM and don‘t buy a Chrysler. Now the thing that bothers me, this is the crowd that was on the president because they didn‘t—he didn‘t wear a lapel pin. This is the crowd that wrap themselves in the flag and said that the liberals weren‘t American.

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Loves me some Lawrence O'Donnell.

Another Lawrence O'Donnell Teaching: This Time On Joey "Book Boy!" (Updated 2x: The Video):

"'Liberals ended slavery, liberals got woman the right to vote, liberals created Social Security, Medicaid and a minimum wage, they wrote the Civil Rights Act, , the Voting Rights Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, they have done all of those things in at every moment, for every one of those things in this country, what did conservatives do, they opposed every one of those things, including your right to vote (pointing at Mika).'"

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Heh. Palau.

Palau to take Guantanamo's Chinese detainees - Yahoo! News:

"WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Palau agreed to accept 17 Chinese Muslims who have languished in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay, indicating a resolution to one of the major obstacles to closing the U.S. prison camp."

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Ah, CL. I knew ye when you were but a nascent local posting board.

Craigslist expects record revenue: $100 million:

"Defying its anti-commercial reputation, Craigslist is expected to rake in $100 million in revenue this year, the most ever for the classified advertising site, according to a new report."

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Ladies, FYI, I'm available for 'end of world' sex. Better hurry. 3.5 billions years will be here before you know it. And you don't want to get crushed by Venus without first having experienced my... rhymes with 'Venus'.

Earth-Venus smash-up possible in 3.5 billion years: study

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When Reality TV and Reality Collide

AAW Fund Raiser.

Read all about it here.

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I'm a big fan of the TV series Survivor. Survivor finished its 16th season last night (actually Sunday, but I watched it on my computer the day after).

I've been a fan of the show since the very first episode in 2000. Survivor's 10th season was held in Palau in 2004/2005. I've been to Palau twice in 1997 and 2005. The 2005 trip ended up being the very first blog posts on AAW. Check 'em out here.

The current season was called Survivor: Micronesia but, again it was produced in Palau. CBS creates web only video of the folks who get voted off but are on the jury.

To keep them entertained they took them to an island called Peleliu where a fierce battle was fought in WWII. I've been to that island and took the same tour. Here's my post from that trip.

Below are some pictures I took and below that is the video from the recent Survivor filming.

That's Tangie our guide on the right.

The Survivor camera man gets a much better shot of this gun.

Watch the video to hear Tangie tell about the hole.

Same cave as in the video.

OK, so CBS's embeded player sucks much ass.

Here is the direct link to check out the vid:

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Didn't know that the younger Forrest Gump is attending Buttholeville's, UNA.

Child 'Forrest Gump' actor leaving Army | TimesDaily.com | Florence, AL:

"As a boy, Michael Conner Humphreys made a splash on the silver screen as 'Young Forrest Gump.' As an adult, he somewhat mirrored the life of his movie character: He joined the Army and fought in an unpopular war.

Humphreys' enlistment ends June 4 and Hollywood is already calling. He's landed a role in an independent film, playing, of course, a soldier"

.....
"It's a small start. I'm still going to go to school at the University of North Alabama, but if (acting) snowballs and it goes somewhere else, that'd be fine," he said.

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I'm digging Gnarles:

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Cold, Dead, Frisky, Hands

It's funny when your good buddy is involved in an international incident. Way to get profiled, DS!

Frisking standoff leaves Palau leader stuck in Manila | Reuters:

Earlier, Continental Airlines had insisted that Remengesau be patted down before boarding the commercial flight much to the dismay of the VIP party, including Philippine vice-president Noli de Castro, who were on hand to bid him farewell after a two-day state visit.

'We expected better treatment accorded to a head of state,' Ramon Rechebei, the Palau ambassador to the Philippines, told Reuters.

'The airline demanded that he be frisked before entering the plane otherwise he would not be allowed to enter.'

'So, we decided that he should not go through,' said Rechebei, adding that Palau may make a formal complaint about Continental through diplomatic channels."

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Long enough, my friends. Long enough.

Funny, they didn't count 'foreplay' in the timing. Wonder if they counted the crying afterwards.

How Long Does Good Sex Last? :

"NEW YORK — Maybe men had it right all along: It doesn't take long to satisfy a woman in bed. A survey of sex therapists concluded the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was 3 to 13 minutes. The findings, to be published in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, strike at the notion that endurance is the key to a great sex life.

If that sounds like good news to you, don't cheer too loudly. The time does not count foreplay, and the therapists did rate sexual intercourse that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes as 'too short."

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At least he got an 'A' in his shop class.

Teen turns camera into Taser-like device:

"A 14-year-old student has been accused of rigging a camera so that it could deliver an electrical shock similar to a Taser.

Police say the boy modified the camera using instructions from the Internet. He brought the device to school but a teacher intervened before he could use it."

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Something in somebody's cold-dead-hand needs some pryin'.

The Raw Story | Charlton Heston dead at 84

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The Candy Cane Massacre

They don't call it the wild, wild West for nothing.

Tiger kills San Francisco Zoo patron, injures two others:

"(12-25) 21:12 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- One zoo visitor was mauled to death and two others severely injured when a Siberian tiger escaped from its grotto at the San Francisco Zoo early Christmas evening and went on a bloody rampage in front of terrified zoo patrons.

The tiger - the same animal that chewed a keeper's arm during an attack last December - was shot to death outside a zoo cafe by four officers who managed to distract the animal as it mauled one of its victims."

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When 'protecting our freedoms' goes horribly wrong. Who could of predicted.... who could of predicted.

Norad/Google Santa Tracker goes Horribly Wrong:

"Washington, DC (Rotters) - Children worldwide breathed a collective sigh of relief as Santa reportedly dodged an errant anti-missile strike this evening. The Department of Defense insisted that the strike was an accident due in part to NORAD's participation with Google Earth in providing a Santa Claus tracking service this year. Santa and all of his reindeer suffered a close call but were unhurt according to North Pole sources."

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A REAL hero. An amazing human being.

GI saves Iraqi boy in long-shot adoption:

"MAUSTON, Wis. - Capt. Scott Southworth knew he'd face violence, political strife and blistering heat when he was deployed to one of Baghdad's most dangerous areas. But he didn't expect Ala'a Eddeen"

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Tommy is my best buddy Shipper's boss. You can check the trip I took to Palau a couple of years ago here:

Reverse Mars, bitches!

'Drilling up' into space for energy

Tommy Remengesau Jr. is interested, too. "We'd like to look at it," said the president of the tiny western Pacific nation of Palau.

The Defense Department this October quietly issued a 75-page study conducted for its National Security Space Office concluding that space power — collection of energy by vast arrays of solar panels aboard mammoth satellites — offers a potential energy source for global U.S. military operations.

It could be done with today's technology, experts say. But the prohibitive cost of lifting thousands of tons of equipment into space makes it uneconomical.

That's where Palau, a scattering of islands and 20,000 islanders, comes in.

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Yes, is it?

Is camouflage bacon really necessary? :

"While shopping at a local grocery store earlier this week, I was taken aback by something I found in the meat counter - bacon in a camouflage package."

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Scared of Horses

Check out my buddy Shipper. He made the New York Times. That's him on the left. Wet suits in Palau are for pussies.

Here's the article that goes with the pic. I've dove Blue Corner twice and Blue Hole to Blue Corner once.

Blue Heaven for Big Fish - New York Times

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Keep talking, Shrub. Every time you open your pie hole progressive causes reap a windfall.

Bush raises half a million for MoveOn - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

From Eli Pariser, the Executive Director of MoveOn. Dear MoveOn member, Yesterday, an amazing thing happened. After the Senate's shameful vote, and after President Bush called MoveOn 'disgusting,' our email started to fill up with messages like this one: I'm currently in Iraq. I do not agree with this war, and if I did support this war, it would not matter. You have the RIGHT to speak the truth. We KNOW that you support us. Thank you for speaking out for being our voice. We do not have a voice. We are overshooted by those who say that we soldiers do not support organizations like MoveOn. WE DO. YOU ARE OUR voice. And then came the donations. By midnight, over 12,000 people had donated $500,000—more than we've raised any day this year—for our new ad calling out the Republicans who blocked adequate rest for troops headed back to Iraq."

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He ain't the only one cryin'.

Supreme Court author: Justice Souter wept when he thought of Bush v. Gore:

"When Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, appeared on Thursday's Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert grilled him about the meaning of the book's title. 'Do they have secret handshakes? Is it like the Da Vinci Code? Are there bizarre sexual rites going on there?' Toobin had to admit he wasn't aware of any secrets of that kind, but did confide that 'Justice Souter was so upset about the result in Bush v. Gore that not only did he almost resign the Court because he was so upset, but there were times when he thought about the case and he wept.' 'You say the justices have tried to put the decision of Bush v. Gore behind them and move on,' Colbert said. 'That sounds like one of those movies where a bunch of frat brothers inadvertently kill a prostitute and then later she comes back and haunts them and kills them one by one. Is that it? Are they haunted by that decision?'"

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All hat and no cattle.... and scared of horses. Still wanna have a beer with this putz?

Bush should of heeded Cooley's advice:

And I ain’t gonna crawl upon no high horse
Cause I got thrown off of one
when I was young and I ain’t no cowboy
so I ain’t going where I don’t belong.
DBT - Pin Hits the Shell

George Bush the Texan is 'scared of horses' :

"President Bush may like to be seen as a swaggering tough guy with a penchant for manly outdoor pursuits, but in a new book one of his closest allies has said he is afraid of horses. George W Bush saddles up, but where is the horse? Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, derided his political friend as a 'windshield cowboy' – a cowboy who prefers to drive – and 'the cockiest guy I have ever met in my life'. He recalled a meeting in Mexico shortly after both men had been elected when Mr Fox offered Mr Bush a ride on a 'big palomino' horse. Mr Fox, who left office in December, recalled Mr Bush 'backing away' from the animal. ''A horse lover can always tell when others don't share our passion,' he said, according to the Washington Post."

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Telemarketers: they have your number

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The cherished dinner hour void of telemarketers could vanish next year for millions of people when phone numbers begin dropping off the national Do Not Call list.

The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees the list, says there is a simple fix. But some lawmakers think it is a hassle to expect people to re-register their phone numbers every five years.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

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That's got to hurt.

Redwood City man ID'd as acid-vat victim:

(09-23) 13:17 PDT REDWOOD CITY -- San Mateo County Coroner's officials have identified 18-year-old Fernando Jimenez Gonzalez of Redwood City as the man who drowned in a vat of sulfuric acid at a Redwood City factory early this morning. Gonzalez's body was discovered at Coastal Circuits Factory on Tacoma Way at around 1:45 a.m. by his father after Gonzalez didn't arrive home, according to a Redwood City police spokesman."

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It's never too early, right? Always noon somewhere....

The Manhattan project: A bartender spills his secrets on the king of cocktails:

"The dry gin martini is often heralded as the king of cocktails, but it's the Manhattan that's the true sovereign of the V-shaped glass. The martini, a mere pretender to the throne, was far more interesting prior to Prohibition - when vermouth made up a full third of the drink and it just wasn't a martini without orange bitters. The Manhattan, on the other hand, is a drink to be reckoned with."

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Now do your f**king jobs!

Its been foggy and blahhy in San Francisco the past few days... can bring a brother down, fo' sho'. Feeling kinda icky this morning until I checked my email and you'll never guess what I found in my in box. Some dude named Lopez emailed me and said he was a pro at getting people laid and could have me all sexed up in a matter of days.

'Nother fella wrote me and said he could increase the size of my penis by 4 inches. 4 INCHES!

Now I'm thinkin' today's not looking so bad after all. The future's lookin' bright!

Check out my buddy Shipper who lives in Palau:

He was tuna fishing off his boat the other day and caught something that was a non tuna.... a shark. Dave looks all manly in this picture like he's king of the jungle.... ocean.... ocean jungle.... whatever... but, per Dave: "When it started thrashing around in the boat, I screamed like a little girl".

The shark was safely returned to the water after a few pictures. Getting the hook out must of been a bitch, though.

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Senator Russ Feingold posted a diary on DailyKos yesterday regarding his view on impeachment. I dig Russ' progressive stances on most issues. He's one of the good guys.

But he's dead wrong on the impeachment issue and several other DailyKos diarist let him know it.

His view is the same as Pelosi's and I let her know weekly via email or phone message how wrong she is.

If we do not hold these people accountable then the precedent set has the great possibility of eventually destroying this country. I, never again, want a Republican or a Democrat to have the power or ability to do what this administration has done.

This is a great example of the type of constructive dialog that occurs on DK.

Daily Kos: The Question of Impeachment - UPDATED

Sen Russ Fiengold

It is clear that there are many people in this country, including myself, who demand accountability from this Administration for the terrible mess it made in Iraq and its egregious and even illegal power grabs throughout its six-plus years in power. I believe that the President and Vice President may well have committed impeachable offenses. But with so many important issues facing this country and so much work to be done, I am concerned about the great deal of time multiple impeachment trials would take away from the Congress working on the problems of the country. The time it would take for the House to consider articles of impeachment, and for the Senate to conduct multiple trials, would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Congress to do what it was elected to do – end the war and address some of the other terrible mistakes this Administration has made over the past six and a half years.

.......

While some have pointed to Republicans’ decision to impeach President Clinton, I am also concerned about the over-use of impeachment. And I am conscious of the fact that I would have a specific role to play as a sworn, impartial juror should an impeachment be tried in the Senate. If charges come to the Senate, I will approach them and the trial with the same seriousness that I had when I participated in the Clinton impeachment trial. I would not prejudge the case one way or the other should it come to this.

.......

I fully respect the anger and frustration many Americans feel with this Administration. I share much of it. But on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.

Responses:

Daily Kos: The Answer Of Impeachment:

"This is an important point of agreement. The question is why anyone would allow any Administration to get away with such crimes. It's disrespectful of the Constitution and the rule of law, and it also sets an extremely dangerous precedent."

Daily Kos: A Waste of Time Senator?:

"I would argue that there is no more egregious and illegal act than deliberately going before the American people and knowingly providing false information with the intent to take us to war."

Here's the more angry response to Russ.

Daily Kos: A Word to Senators and Congressfolk:

"We’re sick to death of all your lame excuses! We want action – and we’re not saying pretty please anymore. We’re not even asking. We’re telling you! We are demanding that you do the only conscionable thing in the present circumstances – bring those criminals to justice! And don’t you dare insult my intelligence by saying they ‘may have’ committed impeachable offenses. What planet have you been living on?

The only question is do you have the spine to deliver. Let me remind you, we are the rightful owners of this country, and the owners have spoken! Now do your fucking jobs!"

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I'm not so naive as to believe that the South will quickly swing to the good guys side, but this is encouraging none the less.

Political Woes Dog Republicans Across the South - WSJ.com

The indictment is just one of the political headaches across the South that are making Republicans look more vulnerable than they have in years to losing ground in the region's legislatures and statehouses. Though there isn't any sign of them losing their dominance in the region, the once-formidable "Solid South" coalitions they forged in the 1980s and 1990s to end a century of Democratic dominion have given way to messy schisms and infighting. Today, they look a lot like the bitterly divided Democrats of three decades ago.

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This is way weird.

I was coming back to SF across the GG bridge the other day and I spotted a sign in the Presidio that was for a Coyote crossing.

I thought, WTF? This is in the middle of the city. We've got coyotes?!

Apparently so... in our freaking parks.

Coyotes attack dogs in Golden Gate Park:

"San Francisco officials posted warnings in Golden Gate Park on Sunday after the first known coyote attack in the city in decades, when a pair of the wild canines charged two leashed dogs on a small path in the park.

'We're taking this very seriously,' said Deb Campbell, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Animal Care and Control Department. 'We have officers looking for the coyotes, and we are letting the public know about these coyotes.'"

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Nekkid Diving

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These people have huge balls.

I've done two cave dives, both in Chandelier Cave in Palau. (click throught the pictures to see the inside.

Chandelier cave is pussy as far as cave dives go. Large underwater opening. 3 chambers. But, trust me, it is still scary as fuck. Turn off your light and it is the blackest of black.

So, I can't imagine doing something like this.. especially to retrieve a dead body. *shudder*

Drowning in the Desert: Cave Divers Face Death

Bushman's Hole, on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, is one of the strangest places on Earth. It's a prehistoric crater on an otherwise endless track of desert, and for an elite but extreme fraternity of explorers, what happened there is the stuff of myth and legend.

The terrible beauty of the place can't be seen from the air, or even the ground. But if you trace the walls down, you reach a tiny pool covered in algae. Keep going, through a narrow shaft running for another 150 feet, and finally it all opens into a vast freshwater cavern tall enough to hold the Eiffel Tower, and deep enough -- nearly 1,000 feet -- to mesmerize the most experienced, technical cave divers in the world.

Don Shirley is one of only a handful of divers who has "gone deep" at Bushman's Hole.

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Remember this from last Wednesday's post?

What kind of world do we live in?

What's next, an NBA star moonlighting as a Florida State Trooper?.... wait...

Miss America Helps Catch Sex Predators:

"Miss America can add crime fighter to her resume. Lauren Nelson recently went undercover with police in New York for a sting targeting sexual predators.

Well guess what....

Sex Stings Imperiled by Miss America:

"An undercover sex sting that used Miss America as bait may be in trouble after the beauty queen told prosecutors that she does not plan to testify against the men she helped arrest.

Lauren Nelson, 20, of Lawton, Okla., worked with police in Suffolk County to target would-be Internet sexual predators, taped for an episode of the TV show 'America's Most Wanted.'"

Law enforcers should be law enforcers... journalist should be journalist... it all doesn't have to be like fucking American Idol.

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Speaking of 'journalist being journalist'...

Good! In a vibrant democracy journalist and politicians should not be bosom buddies. You can't hold somebody accountable if you just spent a weekend duck hunting with them.

Hopefully this will start a trend so we don't end up with another goddamn MC Rove.

Frank Rich: 'NY Times' Will No Longer Participate in WHCA Dinner:

"NEW YORK Tucked inside Frank Rich's Sunday column in the New York Times is indication that the newspaper will no longer play ball with the annual White House Correspondents Association dinners in Washington, which he calls 'a crystallization of the press's failures in the post-9/11 era.' He writes that the event 'illustrates how easily a propaganda-driven White House can enlist the Washington news media in its shows....

'After last weekend's correspondents' dinner, The Times decided to end its participation in such events,' wrote Rich. 'But even were the dinner to vanish altogether, it remains but a yearly televised snapshot of the overall syndrome. The current White House, weakened as it is, can still establish story lines as fake as 'Mission Accomplished' and get a free pass.'"

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Yay college kids!

About 200 Grads Caught Skinny Dipping:

"As many as 200 students decided to celebrate

graduation at Concordia College by skinny dipping in a murky campus pond early Monday, authorities said.

A security officer tried to shoo the students out of the pond but they wouldn't cooperate, Concordia security chief Sherri Arnold said."

Arnold said 10 people were identified because they left their clothes and wallets behind.

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A New Year

Yeah I'm amazed at the way the days just keep on slipping by
And I got plans and dreams and hopeful schemes, enough to make you cry
I'm just waiting for that single perfect point in time to give 'em all a try
-Slobberbone's 'Lazy Guy'

Yes, folks, we've survived the bloody holiday season. Time for me to put all bitterness aside and to look forward to what 2007 has to offer. Whatta we got....

A Democratic Congress coming into session on Thursday. Big 'Hooray' for that.

"San Francisco Values" spreading across this fair land.

Here is a great example of those values and what they have in store for you. Mmmmm beer tasting!

Another trip to Palau, perhaps?

An excellent opportunity to dump my boss and all bosses for that matter. Total self sufficiency is the goal for 2007. To hell with health care.

More music and concerts from the Drive-by Truckers, The Drams, Centro-matic and other musical masters.

Mucho possibilities to look forward to in '07. I'm still clearing the cobwebs of '06 from the skull making blogging anything worth while a difficult task at the moment.

What are you folks looking forward to?

Maybe this is the year that I'll find "that single perfect point in time to give 'em all a try"......

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Palau - Big ol' Jet Airliner

The trip home was an adventure in and of itself. We left Palau at 1:30am on a Saturday morning after packing in darkness as the power went off in all of Palau. (Thankfully, the airport has its own generators). Next stop was Guam for a 3 hour lay over. We slept on the floor until we found out we had access to Continential's Executive Lounge. After Guam came the "Island Hopper". Four stops on specks of land in the Pacific with the duration of each flight being approximately 2 hours. We stopped in Chuuk (or Truk), Pohnpei, Kosrae (all in the Federated States of Micronesia) and finally Yokwe-Majuro, Capitol of the Marshall Islands.

We left Yokwe-Majuro and flew to Hawaii where we spent the next 48 hours. Left Hawaii for L.A. then home to San Francisco. 9 airports in nearly 72 hours.

Rich on the Chuuk Airport runway.

Capitol of Micronesia


The Rock of Pohnpei


This picture was taken as we were sitting on a wall watching them refuel. Luckily we were moved to a much safer place by airport personnel.


Here is where they moved us

Rich dubbed these folks, "Our fan club". Similar group of people waiting at each of the island hop airports. We thought they were following us around.

"Our Fan Club"

Capitol of the Marshall Islands


Honolulu view from the hotel


The ocean view. Waikiki beach starts to the left


View of Diamond Head and Waikiki

Palau - Waterworld

Palau is a aquatic wonderland: Diving, snorkeling, fishing, spear fishing, skiing, tubing.... If you are a water baby then this is your paradise.

Rich posing on Dave's unnamed boat that took us everywhere. I still think it should be named "Sweet Lips"


Rich kneeboarding


Me skiing. Camera switched to sepia for some reason



Rich fishing


Me catching


Great snorkel spot. Dave gashed his heel pretty good on the arch during an attempted dive.


Beautiful Coral








A cave we drove the boat into


Tying her up at sunset

Palau - Our Host, DS

DS is the best host one could ask for. He opened up his home to Rich and I for 2 weeks and had us on the go our entire stay. We left the island feeling we'd done just about everything you could do. So here is a tribute to DS, aka The Mushroom.

DS at "work"

DS's apartment is on the top floor and....

...has views like this:

"The Mushroom" in his natural habitat playing...:

... a little Rachett and Clank:

You da man, Sir DS. Thanks for the awesome trip! 2 more years!

Palau - Sam's

Sam's Dive Tours are the folks we did all of our dives with. Talk about a perfect day: Head to the dive shop around 8:30am. Grab a cup of coffee and get your dive gear sorted. Load the boat and out to the dive sites you go. After the first dive we would lunch on an island. After the second dive we'd head back in and grab a cold mug full of beer and wait for Dave to pick us up. I could live every day of my life in this manner.

From the Bar:

Flags from all over:

Arrrrgggghh:

Next to Sam's was a Taiwanese fishing fleet. You could watch them off load the fish they're raping from Palau's waters.

View of the dock:

No words necessary: