NOT DEAD

I am not dead. I just feel that way. Thanks for your notes of concern. I have been fighting a nasty bug AND lots of issues at work.  I will get back to blogging as soon as I have the strength.

Thursday Thirteen #41

13 things about Dane Bramage

13 Demotivational Posters
Have you ever been sitting at work and the weight of the world suddenly became a very real, very tangible thing? Then you looked up and on the wall was a poster that said "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade". And after reading it you felt better and stronger, and you knew you could take on the world again? No? Me neither. I did want to find the sap who came up with that poster and drown him in my lemonade. What I have found is that the truth shall make you free so why not post the truth? Well the truth can be found at Despair Inc. Here are 13 Demotivational posters available there. Click on the poster and go straight to their site where you can order mugs, posters, and desk plaques. This will open in a new window so don't hesitate to check it out.
***NOTE: For some reason some of the images don't load each time, especially "Idiocy". Fear not. Simply hover the cursor over the "Big Empty" space and the Snap image should appear. Isn't technology wonderful?***

More Demovitaors are below the fold. Go to the end of the post and click "We want to read more!"

Despair Inc. has dozens more demotivational items at their site. Stop in and look around. But don't expect any help. They have a Customer Disservice department. Their motto: "We're not satisfied until you're not satisfied"

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

I Voted

Yesterday was election day. Kinda. You couldn't tell by looking and I think it was deliberate. There was only one issue on the ballot in my precinct. It was a city income tax increase. Nearly 15%. The Democrats who have run this city's deficit from 100 million to 480 million over the past eight years think that the way to solve all of our ills is with more taxes. They justify it by pointing out that the federal government and the state have both cut income tax so logically Akron taxpayers have more money available to be taken by local tax.

To further sugarcoat the measure, they have hit upon the slogan, "Keep Akron Safe" and promise to hire new police officers. But my God we are in the hole 480 million dollars and they want to raise our taxes and spend it on new police and services. I have suddenly developed a pain in my backside. Right about where my wallet is. I have never been mugged in Akron except by the City Council.

Fortunately the voters of the Rubber capitol of the World were not taken in the Democrats ploy. The measure went down nearly 2 to 1.

***UPDATE***
OOPS. I have made a factual error as Pho has pointed out. The actual deficit is only 27 million. The total debt is over 700 million. My fault for not verifying my source. Still its no reason to raise my taxes 15%. Why don't we try some sound fiscal management?

The Times They Are A-Changin

At least in France they seem to be. A pro-American conservative won the Presidential election Sunday. The moonbats became unhinged. Sarkozy Win Sets Off France Riots was an interesting read. See if you can spot any bias in the reporting...

Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative who beat Socialist Segolene Royal in a runoff Sunday, is a divisive figure whose tough language and crackdowns on crime and immigration have angered many on the left and in the immigrant-heavy suburban housing projects that erupted in riots in 2005.

So if you are tough on immigration and crime you are divisive. And who was it that got angry again? Hmmm, the left and the rioters who destroyed millions of euros of property in 2005.

But just like in 2005 the moonbats have decided to display their displeasure in the same manner.

Some 730 cars were burned nationwide Sunday night and 592 people arrested, police said.
Late Monday night, several hundred people massed again at the Place de la Bastille in Paris, breaking windows in nearby shops and starting street fires. Riot police dispersed them, and about 100 people were arrested, police said Tuesday. A handful of cars were ignited in the area.

The French handed Sarkozy a mandate. They are tired of the economic and social chaos that plagues their nation. But the left didn't go down without a fight. No. The socialists stood firm on their platform planks and fully expected the better man to win... well no they didn't Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal threatened the French people.

Royal had warned of renewed violence in case of a Sarkozy victory, and had sought to make the campaign a referendum on Sarkozy's polarizing persona.

Way to take the high road and sell your agenda Sego.

Sarkozy is not out of the woods yet. His conservative vision for France can only succeed if the conservatives win the upcoming general election. If not then France will be like America with a conservative president and a liberal congress.

Read Me and Think

qtpies7 over at Our Seven Qtpies has given me a Thinking Blogger Award! Woot! Woot!



Hmmm. Is it me or does the image resemble an alien grey with a recycle symbol on its forehead? That makes me think. Anyway it is a meme so I have to come up with 5 blogs that make me think. That will be difficult, not because I don't read blogs that make me think, but because most of the blogs I read have already been tagged. So let me try to come up with 5 and if they have already been tagged then so be it.

• Well there's Lyn over at Bloggin Outloud He always make me think and he has started updating his blog again.


• Then there's chrys at Pettifogs Jots and Tittles Her site is impressive so when you go plan to stay awhile.


• Strap on your thinking caps when you visit Dani at Generation X-pose Always a dose of Truth with no apologies. Not for the spiritually faint.


• Then there are the yaks over at The Random Yak Don't let the title fool you. They are very deliberate in their thought provoking observations.


• and last but not least is Eddie over at EddieButtler.com He always has a unique perspective on events.

So now the official meme stuff to all the tagged bloggers:

Congratulations, you won a Thinking Blogger Award

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.
The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think;


2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme;


3. (Optional:) Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.(You have a choice of silver or gold!)

Thanks qtpies7 and Congrats to all the winners! Woot! Woot!

Headlines for Friday 5/04/2007

Gunman Prompts Space Center Evacuation
Also prompted bowel evacuation in some employees

McDonald's 1Q Profit Climbs 22 Percent
Waistlines see similar growth

'The Producers' Brings Down the Curtain
I really liked "She Sheila"

Sheryl Crow Ends Global-Warming Tour
Songstress is no one sheet wonder

Democrats Not Backing Down on Iraq
Democrats Determined to cut and run no matter what

Baldwin-Basinger custody dispute resumes
Each struggles to get sole custody of failing careers

Prosecutor: Lock up Paris Hilton for 45 days
Public: Lock her up for 45 years

Clinton Seeks New Iraq War Vote
Kerry announces that he will vote against it before voting for it

Teen Gets Mich. Gov.'s Old Cell Number
"I like winked at this old babe and she like wrote her number on a matchbook and like told me to call her an stuff. Dude! I'm like totally doin the governor!"

3,500 Lbs. of Bat Guano Found in Attic
Bruce Wayne realizes the Bat Attic was a bad idea


That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness"!
basil at basil's blog
Technorati tag: Humor   Headlines

We Win They Lose

Thursday Thirteen #40

13 things about Dane Bramage

13 Insults with Class
I get many things from friends in email. Karl sent me this list of insults, but they aren't your typical "Your Momma wears boxers" type insult. These are a thinking man's insult. Now just let me say that I have no way of knowing whether the people these quotes are attributed to actually said them. So if you know something and I don't then leave a comment and just take these in the spirit they are given, a mean vicious snide spirit!

1. "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -- Clarence Darrow


2. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -- Groucho Marx


3. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." -- Mark Twain


4. "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play. Bring a friend...if you have one." -- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill


5. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there is one." -- Winston Churchill, in response


6. "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." -- Stephen Bishop


7. "He is a self-made man and worships his creator." -- John Bright


8. "He has Van Gogh's ear for music." -- Billy Wilder


9. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." -- Oscar Wilde


10. "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." -- Irvin S. Cobb


11. "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." -- Samuel Johnson


12. "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts...for support rather than illumination." -- Andrew Lang


13. "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E. Leonard

People don't insult each other like they used to. The email had another 15 insults so I will save them for another T13.

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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

An Historic Occasion

Well today was a milestone of sorts. the 23,000th visitor viewed Dane Bramage. I know it is a weird number but it happens that I caught it at site meter when it occurred. And here is the evidence.


I like round numbers. I tried to catch it at 10,000 and 20,000 but they slipped past me. Not 23,000! Of course 22,657 of those are me checking to see if anybody left a comment.

Bored. Quizzes. You Get the Picture.

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Black Comedy

In your life, things are so twisted that you just have to laugh. You may end up insane, but you'll have fun on the way to the asylum. Your best movie matches: Being John Malkovich, The Royal Tenenbaums, American Psycho

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Well if I were going to be a comedy I guess I should be a black one. But is that PC?

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

Me logical? Well Duh! I write computer programs for a living. If you don't think logically in my field you spend a lot of time debugging code. (Even that is hard if you don't think logically).