... and you want to tell the world that someone is a jerk.

This message appears on a telephone pole on Rt. 9 in Lanoka Harbor, NJ.

Who is Steve and what did he do (and to whom??)



iTunes is currently playing: Everybody Loves A Clown from the album Greatest Hits by Gary Lewis & The Playboys.

EU aims to criminalise Holocaust denial

Laws that make denying or trivialising the Holocaust a criminal offence punishable by jail sentences will be introduced across the European Union, according to a proposal expecting to win backing from ministers Thursday. Offenders will face up to three years in jail under the proposed legislation, which will also apply to inciting violence against ethnic, religious or national groups.

...

Diplomats stressed the provision had been carefully worded to include only denial of the Holocaust – the Nazi mass murder of Jews during the second world war – and the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

...

Holocaust denial is already a criminal offence in several European countries, including Germany and Austria. It is not a specific crime in Britain, though UK officials said it could already be tackled under existing legislation.

...

In an attempt to assuage Turkish fears, several EU diplomats said the provisions would not penalise the denial of mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman troops in the aftermath of the 1915 collapse of the Ottoman empire. Turkey strongly rejects claims that this episode amounted to genocide.

iTunes is currently playing: No Such Thing from the album Any Given Thursday by John Mayer.

I came across this video of the self-described "anarchists" in Portland who burned a U.S. soldier in effigy during the recent anti-war protest discussed below.  Note that the brave anarchists are all wearing masks.  (Maybe they are afraid if their parents see what they are doing, they will be cut off financially and have to get a job or something.)  Note, too, the OH SO CLEVER lyrics they are singing:

"Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the soldiers on the top. Put the fascists in the middle and we'll burn the fucking lot."

But don't forget. They support the troops. They just don't support the war.



iTunes is currently playing: You're Just A No Account from the album Billie Holiday - CD2 The Man I Love - Past Perfect, Disc 7 by Billie Holiday.

An AP story describes an anti-war protest that took place in Portland, Oregon, on March 19th. Interestingly, the article makes no mention of the fact that these protestors burned a U.S. soldier in effigy.

Yet we are to believe that the anti-war folks support the troops, they just don't support the war. (I'm sure that any member of our military who saw these pictures truly feels the love!!)

Oh, and the mainstream media is balanced and objective, of course.

(Click here for more pics.)





iTunes is currently playing: Life During Wartime from the album Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads.

From the [Hammond] Times Online:


Yes, I am embarrassed.

iTunes is currently playing: Cold, Cold Heart from the album 24 Greatest Hits by Hank Williams.

... and they all blame the Republican Party for the stupid anti-gambling legislation that was attached to the port security bill signed by Bush a few months ago.

Poker  players, unite!

iTunes is currently playing: History Repeating from the album Decksandrumsandrockandroll by Propellerheads & Miss Shirley Bassey.

... here is Jennifer Holiday singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the pre-Oscar festivities on E!



iTunes is currently playing: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight from the album Best Live by James Taylor.

... that there is nothing wrong with being mentally retarded (along the same lines as deaf "activists" who argue against cochlear implants for hearing-impaired children).

Down syndrome researchers see promise in PTZ, or pentylenetetrazole.
By Denise Gellene, L.A. Times Staff Writer

Lab mice with the mental retardation of Down syndrome got smarter after being fed a drug that strengthened brain circuits involved in learning and memory, researchers reported Sunday.

After receiving once-daily doses of pentylenetetrazole, or PTZ, for 17 days, the mice could recognize objects and navigate mazes as well as normal mice did, researchers said. The improvements lasted up to two months after the drug was discontinued, according to the report in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Scientists said the study opened a promising avenue for research in a field that had seen little success.

"These mice are essentially restored to normal, which I haven't seen before," said David Patterson, a Down syndrome researcher at the University of Denver, who was not involved in the study. "And the treatment seems to be long-lasting, which is a pretty surprising observation all by itself."

Senior study author Craig C. Garner, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, said his lab was preparing to conduct human trials of the drug, although he said it would take time to complete more preliminary studies and procure a supply of purified PTZ.

People with Down syndrome should not be given the drug until it has been studied further, he cautioned, because PTZ can induce seizures at high doses and might have other serious side effects.

More than 300,000 Americans have Down syndrome, making it the leading cause of mental retardation. There is no approved drug to improve cognition in people with Down syndrome.

iTunes is currently playing: Things We've Handed Down from the album The Rainy Season by Marc Cohn.

... but how about "expected to live to adulthood"?

Pope speaks out against "designer babies"

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Saturday condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects.

In a speech to the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Church body of experts, the Pope also attacked artificial insemination and the widespread use of medical tests that can detect diseases and inherited disorders in embryos.

"In developed countries, there is a growing interest for the most sophisticated biotechnological research to introduce subtle and extensive eugenics methods in the obsessive search for the 'perfect child'," the Pope said.

iTunes is currently playing: Lost Child (String Quartet Remix) from the album Moto.Tronic by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

... and should NOT be tampered with.

We're talking about something you can only buy once a year, after all!

BOO HISS!!!!!!!!

Girl Scouts Cut Trans Fats From Cookies

The Girl Scouts have marked their 90th year in the cookie business by getting most of the artificial fat out of all varieties of their iconic treats, which had been under attack by a few health-focused consumer groups.

[USA Vice President Denise] Pessich said she was confident fans would notice few differences. The recipe changes have also given troop leaders an opportunity to talk more about the importance of eating right, Pessich said.


iTunes is currently playing: Mind Your Own Business from the album 24 Greatest Hits by Hank Williams.