Ohhhhhhhh, the OUTRAGE!!!

I was doing some reading, and ran across the makings of a "Rest of.....the stoREEE" goody.
It's about a politico who said one thing, and did something else.


(Oh, say it ain't SO!!)


He had dark hair.
He had a predilection for occult secret societies, especially ones with ummmm, selective memberships. Very pale memberships.

He was also uncomfortable with adherents of a Certain Ancient Mid-Eastern Religion, and effectively removed them from the airwaves.

I love screamingly obvious things like this, because, of course, the answer to this barely-a-conundrum is...IS....








Alabama Governor Bob Riley.




Yessss, my brethren and sistren...
Brother Bob, of course, ran on a "taxes are EEEEE-vil" platform, and won, wherupon he immediately pushed for a two billion dollar tax increase. The Pee-pul roundly rejected it.
Brother Bob is a Mason. His Grand Masonic Lodge has a whites-only membership. Welcome to the Twenty-First Century; now where's my rocket pack?



The really FUN part, though, is that he- or his Dark Forces- pushed to have Russ and Dee Fine
fired from their morning talkshow on the Crawford Broadcasting 101.1 FM-The Source in Birmingham. In case you haven't sussed it out, "Fine" is NOT an Irish name. Russ and Dee have been gadflies (and I mean that in the best possible way!) of the power brokers, political elites, and mentally challenged in what passes for Public Service here in Alabammy. They have been relentless in exposing the hypocrisy and inaction of Our Servants as regards "the business interest backed illegal alien invasion" and "the threat of Islam and its Muslim followers who seek to destroy the United States and all "the infidels" (which is every Christian and Jew and remaining non-Islamic 'unbelievers' in the country)". Add a generous helping of criticism of the guv and his contrarian policies, and you have an informative, exciting, and hugely provoking program. Russ and Dee have also put their money where their mouths are, holding Alabama Tea-Party rallies, and personally helping those in need. They are not mere political shock-jock drive-timers. They encourage ACTION, and action is an abomination to the Entrenched Powers. So Billy-Bob Riley and his cronies have forced the only Jewish talk radio couple off the air in Ber...Birmingham.


And they have been silenced. For now. Bookmark and crawl their website which they are maintaining, and will continue to update. Pray good things for these guys, and that they will get a new voice. In the short run, I would encourage their doing true webcasts, just as though they were still doing the normal morning show. I'll kick in toward the bandwidth.



(Just to be clear, they are not in penury. Russ is a tenured med prof at UAB.) This ain't Queen for a Day.



There's an obscure reference for you whippersnappers.

Friday night, and I just had church!

Well, no revivals or gospel meetings in sight.

Lily-white, two of my ancestors signers of the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession, I ran across BET. Yeppers, Black Entertainment Television. I saw Steve Harvey.

"Don't Trip ... He Ain't Through with Me Yet"

Let me tell you, not a "blue note" in the show; a paean of faith and wisdom.
His show-stopper finale, "How he would introduce the Prince of Peace" had me jumping up and down in the kitchen with my hands in the air, shouting praises to the King.

There is real wisdom in much of the funny in the show. Brethren and sistren, if you have the chance, see it. You will laugh, you will be blessed, you will see Jesus' work in another imperfect believer.

Like you, and like me.

dragonCON redux


As promised....the REST of.......................the stoRY.

As to heroes, whilst I DID see Adrienne Barbeau (breathed several of the same molecules, I did!)
and brethren, I strongly suspect that she has a Special Oil Portrait hidden in an attic somewhere, so good does she still look, she does not qualify. I got an autograph from Don S. Davis (Gen. Hammond of Stargate) and as gentlemanly and folksy as he is, neither does he qualify. Ralph Malph, Potsie, and Joanie were all there, and lo, THEIR Special Oil Portraits perished hideously in a fire. No heroes there, nor Rip Taylor, nor yet Mickey Rooney (he is small, and infinitely old, and is likely kept in cryo-sleep between signings).

I speak of the Wolff. Michael. Comic writer, Starlog commentator and reviewer, maintainer of the Sacred Flame of Things Supercar, and even Tom Swift and crew. He is discipling me somewhat in my fiction writing, and ably. He and his sweet wife broke bread with Mr. McLeod and me, and had a glorious evening. I have known him online for several years, now, and it was just neat to meet him, and talk shop, plan conventions (maybe), and reminisce about fandom Back in the Day. I have met his partner in crime Kez Wilson, the artist of the duo. They both tried to resurrect the Supermarionation franchises through the graphic novel. The first Supercar comic was released, with a toy line, and there were plans for a Fireball XL5 and a UFO series of comics. Alas, the reception was less than what was expected, and let's say fortunes were lost. It was a case of the System not responding. The interest in the Gerry Anderson series was at a fever pitch, but advertising and distribution were disastrous. (The comic industry has been moribund since the mid-nineties.)

Michael continues to write, and well. When permitted, I shall provide links.
I met and it made the rest of dragonCON worth it.
I'm looking forward to next year!

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Oy. The Dobsonoids -I have been one in the recent past- are at it again. The poor unfortunate loser Kimveer Gill shot up Dawson College, and vidya games are taking the heat. Shoot, may as well say that being on an emo loser vampire web community made him try to cleanse the college- wait, they're saying that, too, most likely.

I didn't take logic, and I have regretted it, but even I can recognise the logical fallacy here.
"Ooooooh, he played that EEEEEEEEEE-vil shoot 'em up game about Columbine, and it TRAINED him to shoot up his school." There are evangelical lawyer-types here in the South making a career of appearing at churches, conferences, and conservative chat shows "proving" the link between violent games and real-world violence. The logic displayed is as disingenuous as that usually displayed by the doubtable Nancy Grace.

After a thing, therefore, because of a thing.

Here's the deal: This guy -and guys like him- have Predilections and Tendencies. These influence Interests and Appetites. He likes violent, disturbing things, therefore he does violent disturbing things. He liked the Columbine RPG because it was violent. He was not violent because of the game. I am tired of people on "my side" (believers) acting like asses' heads to promote a book or scheme, when their logic is so fallacious.

May as well toss the Bible out of the window, with free will. B.F.Skinner, anyone?

The Aardvark's Award for Extreme Thoughtlessness

A young friend, Aaron, relates that a couple of kids started crying in school today. With all of the 9-11 celebrations and scab-pickings today, the Local Powers chose to test the Alert Sirens ranged across the county.

Today.

No warning, no thought. Students and teachers caught bad cases of "the yitters" (Dr. Lao fans, take note).
So the Award goes to the local Emergency Management crowd. We've had the scab picked from the wound today, so let's make it BLEED....

dragonCON

First off, let me say that the rule of thumb at Chez Aardvark is: no more Sci-Fi cons.
We started doing SF conventions in 1980, selling The Dread Dormomoo's custom airbrushed t-shirts ("Airbrush by Lanie"...remember?), and my fantasy leather belts and buckles, along with whatever other fannish doodads we happened across. We added screenprinted shirts of her fantasy designs in the late '80s. It was never terribly profitable, but was an additional income stream. A trickle here, a trickle there...

We began our own screenprinting operation in 1991, and much of our own work was SF oriented, especially Trekkish stuff. We kept doing SF cons, again, not terribly profitably, but hey, it's what we did; part of our paradigm, as 'twere.

Then we discovered anime (an-u-MAY, for the uninitiated...). Our household began to enjoy the Japanese cartoons that we came across (readers of the Plumbline have doubtless recognised my fondness for Miyazaki's work like "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Nausicaa") and ultimately decided to try out an anime convention. We developed some general-interest designs, and lo, our business changed overnight. (One medium sized anime con grossed $750 in the first hour of business. Sci Fi cons would often not exceed that for a weekend.) Happily business coincided with our personal interests, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Well, this weekend past, we did DragonCON, a media convention boasting 25,000+ attendees.
We were placed in the Exhibition Hall, in the OTHER con hotel, and were the best-kept secret in Atlanta. We consistently heard "We didn't know this was here!".

Sigh.

I made three attempts to get the Powers That Be to announce the Exhibitors' mere existence at panels and suchlike, to no avail. They were DragonCON, and in their mouth was all wisdom, all power...and no help. Thankfully we broke even...maybe...but we only did 15% of what we reasonably expected based upon per capita sales ratios from other conventions.

Sigh. I rolled a critical failure, this time.

NEXT- How I Met My Hero, And Thus Did Not Sink In The Slough Of Despond.

This is really kind of weird. I guess that there is life after puppets

Wonder why Mary would choose a name like "Greta van Susteren"?
Maybe avoiding typecasting?

Transformation and hogwash.

While at dragonCON this weekend (more on that later) I met an interesting fellow, tallish, heavyset in the manner that brings gravitas, not slovenliness, clad in a navy pinstriped suit.
He inquired as to our shirt that proclaims "The Philosophers Stone is people". I explained the darker nuances of "Fullmetal Alchemist" the anime series, and how we waggishly allude to "Soylent Green" as well.



He seemed disappointed.



He hoped that it would convey a deeper message, because, said he, "Alchemy is about personal transformation, not transforming base elements into gold."



Ri-i-i-i-i-ght.



The primary historical understanding of alchemy has been that of proto-chemists who sought to transform lead and such into precious metals, as well as seeking the Elixir of Life. Philosophy and theology entered in as well, but come on, turning lead into gold was a bigtime goal. As with any occultish endeavors which seek tangible results and fail, the redactors are hard at work making it all spiritual. "Personal transformation" indeed.



I guess the TRUE Fullmetal Alchemist is Tony Robbins....

I wanted to share this most excellent news with you.
Go get this film. Really.


If you like cops and robbers, you will LOVE this.

If you enjoy great animation, well, this is a feast.

If conspiracy stuff is your bag, then put on your aluminium-foil hat and break out the Jiffy-Pop - which has its own tinfoil turban!

Romance? This is your movie.

Heroics and derring-do? This is it!

Adventure and hair-breadth escapes? Lupin (loo PAHN) is your man!

Martial artistry and gunplay? You can bet your NRA card that you will love this.

Egregious cinematic disregard of the laws of physics? Get ready to kvetch and whine...but you'll STILL enjoy the movie!


All this, and it's pretty, too!

Press Release

"...One of the Greatest Adventure Movies of All Time..."
-- Steven Spielberg

FROM THE OSCAR™-WINNING DIRECTOR OF “SPIRITED AWAY” --
IDT ENTERTAINMENT’S MANGA ENTERTAINMENT OPENS THE
“CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO” SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Chicago, IL -- Before he enthralled audiences all over the world with such magical animated features as Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and the 2001 Academy-Award™ winning Spirited Away, renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki held audiences spellbound in 1979 with his first feature-length animated film, The Castle of Cagliostro. Now, Manga Entertainment, an IDT Entertainment company, proudly presents The Castle of Cagliostro Special Edition DVD, digitally remastered with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, available August 29th at the enchanting SRP of $24.98. Pre-book is July 19th.

The Castle of Cagliostro (also known as Lupin III: Cagliostro No Shiro) spins the fantastic tale of master thief Lupin III, traveling to the European province of Cagliostro (pronounced “Cal-ee-os-tro”) to pull off a huge job. When a chance encounter with the Princess Clarice, engaged to the evil Count Cagliostro, distracts him from his original plans, he also stumbles upon a secret kept for over 500 years and now struggles to keep one step ahead of Cagliostro. Torn between his professional objectives and his increasing affections for Princess Clarice, Lupin is locked in a race to solve the mystery of a fabulous hidden treasure, dating back to the Renaissance...

Filled with Miyazaki's trademark rich animation and imaginative storytelling, The Castle of Cagliostro Special Edition DVD takes the experience even further with a treasure chest of bonus features including:

• Interview with Animation Director Yasuo Ohtsuka.
• Complete Animatic – Storyboards with Feature Soundtrack;
• Imagery from Original Storyboard
• Original Character and Set Drawings;
• Fans Gallery;
• Trailers

Hey, if you are a fan of Supermarionation series like Thunderbirds or Stingray, you will get a larf out of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxaGuVWcSo8

Enjoy!

NOPE!

They didn't.

 


















I dearly love the concept of "Zero Tolerance". It completely removes the need to use judgment, or to make case-by-case assessments. Like the poor tykes who get thrown out of school for having a 1 cm G.I.Joe solid plastic pistol in their pocket. I heard of one child removed for wearing a shirt with the image of a gun emblazoned thereon.
Yes, he endangered scores of lives with a t-shirt.

Wikipedia is a Good Idea held hostage by ZT. I signed on and did a one-word adjustment to an article on R.J. Rushdoony, correcting the entry based upon Rushdoony and company's own writing, (I substituted "Theonomy" for the incorrect and biased term "Theocracy") whereupon I was blocked indefinitely, not because of egregious inaccuracy, nor bloviating obnoxiousness, but because of my nomen. "The Aardvark" is a handle perilously close to a banned vandal yclept "Blu Aardvark". One of the admins took it upon herself to Play Mommy and remove the threat I posed by using my Somewhat Well-Known online and business persona. Being an apparent Good Leftist, she did not respond to my Reasonable Appeal, but rather used the excuse that she would be tarred with the same brush if I turned out to be Naughty, and she had not pre-empted it. A Nanny Statist for sure.

...I wonder if they have removed the 'pedia entry for anteaters?

IT'S TOO HOT!!!!!

My shop is an oven...literally.
Our new curing oven works VERY well.
We don't have the automatic press up and running yet. Some ancillary systems need setting up...air line, wiring...like that.

We are headed to MechaCon in Louisiana this weekend, Riatsila and I.

Soon I will be caught up, and able to deal with the truly important, here.
Thanks.

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

You are FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY. Although you are a lovable goofball, prankster, and slacker, you're no idiot. You are extremely intelligent; you just don't always show it. You like to be funny and goof off, but you also have strong convictionns and know when it's time to be serious. Dedicate yourself to something you love, and you will most likely become very successful.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Wow.

WOW!

Great anime convention. Riat and I are tired and happy. My middle son and I were in Orlando for five days at the excellent Wyndham resort. Anime Festival Orlando was the event, and we went beyond our expectations!

Wow!

(And Pretty Lady...we stayed an extra day. To do NUTTIN!) We took Monday off, slept til 10:30, got up, breakfasted, played tourist at Ripley's for a couple of hours, then walked back to the room, watched anime and dozed for three hours, then walked more in search for grazing material. We looked at a Japanese restaurant, but i did not wish to take out a second mortgage for sushi. Wound up at a Mexican place. The fajitas tasted like they used cuts like ribeye. Very nice.

We also ate in very low places over the weekend. We went to one of those notorious feedlots, Golden Corral, with fellow vendors. Originally a family steakhouse, it is now a restaurant that specialises in throughput; also one that does many things not very well. We saw, too, that it is not a fools errand to stock 5X t-shirts. One enters through a queue reminiscent of what cattle enjoy on the way to becoming T-bones. I swanee, I actually "mooed" in line.

One can get many foods there, from steak (their grill reminded me of the chophouse scene in "The Road to Wellville") to turkey, shrimp, pizza, assorted overcooked vegetables, yeast rolls, and desserts, desserts, desserts.

I expected to see a Kanamit come out from the back with his "To Serve Man" book tucked under his arm.

But a good time was had by all, and over 200 more anime fans have Aardvark t-shirts with which to proclaim their passion.

I will be away for a week. "Where is away?"

Anime Festival Orlando

Riatsila and I will be in Epcotburg selling our 'varky wares.
Come see us at the Wyndham.

On Saturday, go to the FairTax Rally on the steps of the Orlando City Hall.
Neal Boortz will be there exhorting the faithful and converting the tax heathens as well.

Have a grand weekend!

IS The Difference Clear?

Many of my reader may have received an RNC email from our president entitled "The Difference Is Clear"
Now, Crystal Pepsi was clear...current political comparison tests are rather murky between "Brand R" and "Brand D"

Here is my response, emailed to them, and shared with you:


To the RNC, GOP, and President George W. Bush:
Our robust economy is in main due to coasting on the policies of President Ronald Reagan, the last truly Republican president to my knowledge. The current spending spree enjoyed by Congress, and UN-vetoed by President Bush, is unprecedented in its magnitude, and is driven by...Republicans. Spending-wise, there is not a pin's worth of difference between the Republican majority, and the current crop of Democrats slavering for control.
Tax-wise, current "reform" policy is to my mind too little, way too little, too late. It is like putting new floormats in a totaled car. It's an effort, but not much of one. Real tax reform, or perhaps "tax revolution", is the only thing that can keep the Ship of State from foundering on the shoals of a moribund economy. Allow me to encourage you to FULLY BACK the Fair Tax (www.fairtax.org), the national retail sales tax championed by Congressman John Linder. It is a program guaranteed to practically stop the Underground Economy, garner taxes from organized crime, illegals, and others who currently pay no taxes. It has safeguards for the poor, and provides instant incentive for foreign investment on our shores.
As to "immigration policy", if I am to believe the news, there isn't one. Border patrol officers and INS agents having their hands tied by bureaucracy or overt orders to do nothing, and the official demonization of citizens like the Minutemen who risk much to do what our taxes should be paying for, does little to assure me of the security of our borders. With willfully porous borders, we have no Homeland Security. For what it is worth, here is a digest of what would convince me to remain in the Republican fold:

• Fully backing the passage of the FairTax.
• Fully enforcing our immigration laws, including capture and deportation of illegal aliens who are breaking our laws by merely being here, and who are taking jobs from hard-working Americans. The Fence will be a good start as well.
  
• Even beginning to rein in spending, with a view toward returning our government to Constitutional limits. You know...the Constitution.

Failing this, I must admit, the Libertarian Party is starting to look quite reasonable.
Sincerely,

Weatherly Hardy

If you are a fan of science fiction, conspiracy theory, GREAT voice acting, animation, comics...or any combo of same,

go HERE

Paul Giamatti, David Hyde-Pierce, Molly Shannon, and Corey Burton voice REAL history in

The Amazing Screw-on Head.


....You may thank me at your leisure.

And PLEASE vote on the thing, if you will.

BOUNDARIES
---------------------

Where are the boundaries in our lives? I must admit to some curiosity, here.
I am a shirt vendor at many anime and SF conventions each year, and I find the...familiarity...that total strangers exhibit to be a discomfort. I went to the bathroom, f'rinstance, and lo, a man (compared with whom Adam's cat is a close confidante), a guy I had never before met, began to regale me with Tales of His Prostate.

OK...maintain eye-contact...back s-l-o-w-l-y toward the door...

What has changed in our culture to so remove boundaries? It used to be forever before one could claim to be a "best friend", but now, the second week of school and you find Ashleigh and Brittanee sporting badly airbrushed "BFF" t-shirts. Heck, make a call to Hannity's show, and the simple act of so doing earns you the assesment that "You're a Great American!".

Remember the era of "I don't kiss on the first date."? Now, a Big Mac dinner can earn you at least part of a baseball game.

I guess it all comes down to Issues of Virtue, or at least Perspicacity, and Behaving Circumspectly.
We all of us fall short of perfection, and you will find no stones lurking in my pockets, available for a convenient hurl. The setting of boundaries in behavior, and thinking, and speech will go a long way toward arming oneself against invaders, foreign, domestic or personal. If I set in stone "thus far, and no farther", then I establish a boundary, a hedge against intrusion, or worse.

Good walls make good neighbors.

I assume that no-one is interested in my Habits of Elimination -not even the doctor is...he's just paid to SEEM so. My finances are None of Your Concern, nor are the Dread Dormomoo's and my Practises of Connubial Bliss.

I do not care to hear of yours, either.

Were I to set a hedge as to Public Displays of 'Varky Wrath, and then, ooopsy, I blow my stack in a spectacular manner -and the Scripture says that I am not to be wrathful- I can go to my Father and ask forgiveness, and receive same. If someone else therefore blows HIS stack, I can commiserate, I can counsel if asked, but I cannot point the Bony Finger of Indignation in disdain and accusation. Religious and political leaders brought a woman "caught in the Very Act of adultery" to Jesus, to test and trick him, and see if he would abrogate the Law of Moses. She was worthy of stoning (as was the gent, who was Conveniently Not There- leading me to believe that it was a put-up job. Jesus did not disagree. He did set the parameters for the execution: "The one without sin may cast the first stone.".

They all slunk away.

Jesus did not soft-peddle what had happened, but said "I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.".

If we transgress boundaries, either those we make in good faith, or those God has made, we are told the same, and Jesus says to our repentant heart "Neither do I condemn you. Go and don't do it again."

My apologies...I have had to add word verification temporarily. I got hit by a comment bot, and I will NOT put up with it. Please bear with it for a few days.
Thank you.

Here is a disturbing thought. If the historic Christian understanding that AD 70 marked the fulfillment of Matthew 24, and the end of political Israel, what must the Lord think of the modern Israeli pretentions of nationhood? Could that be the problem? And how long is a piece of string?

John Bloom, aka Joe Bob Briggs of Monstervision fame, has a website. I just ran across his paean to southern Niceness: HERE

-------------------------------------------------

Ever had a pipe sent to you in the mail? It can give you great pause. I'll tell more with pictures next week.

-------------------------------------------------
Well, we received it! YAAAAAAY!

Oh...you have NO idea, do you?
On Thursdae, an Old Dominion -not to be confused with Rousas Rushdoony- 18-wheeler pulled up to the Aardvark Heavy Industrial Concern (Limestone Prefecture) offices, filled with multi-ton CHRISTMAS!
Our 8-color, 10-station press, 16-foot conveyor curing oven, and sundry Odd Bits to Make Our Lives Better arrove. A friend, Lynn, brought his fork lift, and lo, the unloading commenced. We got everything into the shop except the Monster Oven, which lay outside well tarped against the elements. No-one was gonna haul it off. It took 6 guys, 2 long metal poles, 2 pallet jacks, and infinite finesse to manoeuver it into the shop on its side. If there is a Nobel Prize for Moving Things Around, we should get it. We levered the pallet up, and slid the Hulking Thing on its side onto the pallet jacks, and had to negotiate a 90 degree turn to gain entry.We learned of Levers, Inertia, Mass, and the Cussedness of the Inanimate, but we got it in. When the restaurant opens next door on the 25th, these guys eat steak on me. (Ummmm....no, it is not one of those restaurants, nor am I one of those guys. I mean I'm paying the bill.)

Now I have several days of intense Tinkertoying, and an indeterminate learning curve, and our production will increase eight-fold, at a minimum! All this, and it's paid-for, too.

This is why I have been quiet of late.

Have an excellent rest of it!

It is a RARE cigar that would make me resort to keyboarding.
I really HATE two things: driving, and typing.
I ENJOYED driving whilst enjoying The Cigar.
Now I am forced to keyboard about it.

Drew Estate .
For a flavored cigar, they are the best. Their Acid range is amazing.
But THESE, well, just defy rational description. Especially the White Sage.
I don't think that I have tasted anything better in my life, unless it's chocolate. I'll have to think about it.
It is like smoking Thanksgiving. Seriously.

Ian and I each had one going to Huntsville to purchase a huge compressor that will run the automatic press we are getting this week at the shop. He hates me, now. I guess that I can share 'em with him.We literally smoked them down to a half-inch or less. I have surely never before considered the old hobo trick of collecting the butts. Five will make a whole cigar.
CI are discontinuing their inventory, so good deals can be had, but not for long.
Think good thoughts of the 'vark that put you onto these.

Subject:  The Sky is Falling!!!!  

...actually no...but these people here at http://www.worldjumpday.org/
are apparently wanting US to go out and hit IT.  Do your part, join us here
http://www.welikethewayitis.com/ to help with countermeasures to this attack
on the world on which we live !

Happy Independence Day!

A happy one indeed, for me, because...

I learned from RICHARD K. LLOYD that....that...

I WON THE U.K. NATIONAL LOTTERY!
(they even sent me two emails about it, so I know it's true!)

O frabjous day! Calloo, callay, I chortle in my joy!!

So, rejoice with me, dear friends, and sometime readers, for I, your humble Aardvark, will now be Truly Independent. I can devote my full time to enlightening and entertaining you with my madcap antics.

And yes, I DID in fact fall off the turnip truck yesterday.

Last Friday I heard the most pellucid bit of stupidity ever to issue from a radio blatherskite.

Yes, the inimitable microphone stylings of...Sean Hannity. The Seanster was justifying our Fearless Leader's incursion into Iraq - this is news?- and uttered the following. This is a paraphrase, as I cannot properly Hannitisetm -his trademark use of the Rule of Three, wherein he uses a word, then uses two synonyms in succession to hammer home the point.

"We are a free country. Therefore, we should export that freedom to the rest of the world. That's why we are doing this."

Ummm, Sean. This is not the playground, where you are forced to share your Pop Tarts with some unfortunate child because it's fair. Freedom does NOT work like that. Freedom does not get shared around because it is NICE to do. Freedom is not a commodity to be parceled out like cans of beans on a shelf.

Freedom has a context.

In the US, our freedom has the context of Western Civilisation, rooted in Christian thought and mores. It is debatable that our nation was ever "Christian" in the Falwell/Robertson/Dobson/D.J. Kennedy sense.
It CERTAINLY grew from a "Christian Consensus", a culture rooted in Biblical understanding and ethics.
Francis Schaeffer ably defends this position in his works.

The politics of Europe, the art, the literature, for all their imperfections, still sprang from a Biblical understanding. Much of English common law sprang from the Scriptures, as Leda from the forehead of Zeus. (Sorry....I could not resist.) Given this context, which provided the basis for the concepts of Freedom, Dignity, and Rights Inherent, how can we expect to transplant "Freedom" alone into a culture that denies liberty to vast swaths of its citizenry, and denies human value to same?

It will not work. It CANNOT work.

Hannity is a sock puppet.

Here is your Aardvark Sampler for the weekend...
Better than a Whitman's Sampler: no calories, and I'm all creams, truffles and caramels. No nasty fruit gel centres!


Comments on Vox's blog

Actually, the church in China is thriving...underground. Persecution does that; it gets the fat out, makes for a lean, mean disciplin' machine.

From what I hear, the Persecuted Church prays that the same happens here in the US, not out of spite, but to see the church get fit.

What we have now is a carping indifference from the Other Side. The whining we experience from them is not true persecution. When it comes, though, expect major persecution from many pew-mates.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My comment at PL's blog

My business has been conned-at least an attempt was made- via a relay phone call scam. Very similar to the Nigerian email scam, but using TTY operators as go-betweens. The operator relays info between parties, and sets up email or other contact. (The operator is a tool in this, and is not one of the artistes.)
Turns out this Nigerian (!) company wanted to purchase 2000 unprinted white tee shirts from us, and would pay by credit card. Whilst awaiting their email, I checked with my shirt distributor rep, as my inwards were going uh-uh, uh-UH, UH-UH!! He told me that it was in fact a scam making the rounds. While I am not ordinarily an Obi-Wan "Trust your feelings" sort- often the feeling is from one too many cups of coffee- there is a particular sort that I have learned to heed. Call it the Holy Spirit, or the Gift of Suspicion, whatever, I have learnt to ignore it at my peril.
Here is the Snopes article detailing this iteration of the Nigerian scam:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another comment at the Voxster's re: white slavery

It is darkly suspected that this is / was the ultimate end of Natalee Hollaway, the wise and street-smart chick from Alabama who went off with stranger(s) in the middle of the night to the beach in Aruba.

Hmm...where's the best place to get someone out of your country quickly and quietly?

Here is Vox Day's WND article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50789
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Pretty Lady's blog:
danonymous said:
Hmmph....Now Shaespeare comes upon the scene, looks around with one raised eye brow and says the prophetic words that later become a hit play.....
"Pretty Lady....
I do observe, that after all, there is
Much Ado About Nothing.
(You see, even when he talked, there were ten beats to a line).

Aardvark said:
Had I a white horse, and no attachments...
but no, it is not to be, cherie.

Glad to see it got better.

You should try Down South when it's cooler.
We have this GREAT restaurant next door...and not a deep fat fryer in sight!
**************

danonymous is terribly amusing!
----------------------------------------------------

danonymous said...

ardvark said...
danonymous is terribly amusing!

But Am I terrible or..amusing?
For if I waiver, if I miss a beat,
these artful types will have me off my feet.
No restful pose will that be,as forced
am I to bended knee and thoughtful mood.
Aardvark chose his wording well ,line one
had ten beats, line two alas, shot to hell.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Aardvark said...

All critique the humble 'vark, betimes,
His metre, yes, but ne'er his worthy rhymes.
With cadence true my love for Lady Belle
I chaste proclaim despite thy carping knell.

But thanks I give thee for setting the bar.
Since senior English, I've not come so far!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More from Pretty Lady's blog

Woof...well done.
I am imagining "Mother J" at the Sermon on the mount, with such twaddle falling from his lips. It reminds me of Max von Sydow's portrayal of Jesus in 1965's The Greatest Story Ever Told . He did not seem to have a context for any of his lines...he would be walking along with his crew, when suddenly he would allow a Wise Aphorism to plop from his lips, like some animate vending machine.
Thanks for your input on this, from one who considered the Episcopal priesthood as a yout'.

Happy Sunday.

Johnny D Symon said...

Lest anyone missed his comment on yesterday's entry, here it is:

I couldn't help but notice the ad you placed to help people like myself learn English. It was a nice try, but you full well know that I gave up tryin' years ago. My lingo is also a mighty difficult thing to pick up and learn so I'm the only guy who understands myself.

Now if you'd offered me to learn angling instead, you'd still be wasting your time. I've been gone fishin' for years and still I'm hopin' for the big one. For me a course on cooking would do the job. I'm a keen viewer of TV cooking shows and I watch 'em all over the world. The ones in Morocco have one main ingredient between them all, and that thing is butter! You know, in England they have apple festivals, in Georgia it's watermelon, and Holland it's tulips. They actually have a tulip festival ... interested? No, neither am I. I'd rather eat glass.

But in Morocco in the spring, it's the national festival of butter! They love that stuff so much they preserve some of it in stoneware jars full of salt, and covered with water ... I've eaten vintage butter that's over 6 years old, and you know what? It most likely tastes exactly like John Kerry's boxer shorts. I once found a pair of his underwear in a place called the Land of Nam. In actual fact I found quite a few pairs of Calvin Kerry's lying around in that country, but this pair was different; They smelt like vintage butter, but were full of little holes, with about 2 ounce worth of Uncle Bens stuck in there. Now what do you think caused that?

But still on the thoughts of cookery; I heard a Spanish chef, called Karlos Arguinano, tell the following story a few months back. He said, “A while back I set about doin' some cooking and the recipe required a few fresh apples. Out in the garden I happen to have a big apple tree and I knew there were some good ones ready for pickin'. But as I arrived, one big ripe red apple came loose and fell with a thud to the ground, then the strangest thing happened. I heard all the other apples, still hanging up on the tree, burst into loud laughter. And if that wasn't strange enough, the fall guy on the ground shouted up, 'What are you all laughing at. You're all immature!'”

He told me this as well; In his house he keeps a pet parrot, and one day when he opened his window the old bird figured it time to escape, so out it flew and settled in that self-same apple tree ... right at the top. Now it just happened to be walkabout time for the mentally infirm people who stayed in the asylum across from his house. So he called three of them over and offered them ten euros apiece if they could fetch old Anton the parrot down off the tree. So they headed out to his garden, and he set to work in the kitchen. The time was about 10 a m ...

By 4:30 he suddenly remembered about the round-haircuts, and wondered what was happening. So he headed on out, and there they still were, sitting down under that big old tree, staring at the parrot above. He asked them what was taking them so long to go get the bird, and here's what they said, “We can't bring it down just yet, 'cos it's still green!”

Now I bet you're thinking to yourself, “Man, that was a poor idea of mine, to write Johnny D and ask him to communicate something.” And I fully admit my writing ability is not quite the quality and standard of Al Gores “Earth In The Balance” fairy tale, but the fact is, I like people to laugh at my writing, whereas Al is plainly unaware that he's a high falutin' humorless crud-boy, and besides he and John Kerry, I'm told, share each others underwear.

In fact I've been told even further, that they go as far as wearing the same pair at the same time. Now who told me this? You may be asking yourself. Why, it was a big old parrot in a tree, called Anton. And how would he know this? You may further be asking yourself? And the answer is ... He don't. He's too green and immature to know anything of any worth! But I figure that when two monumental figures get together, like Kerrygore, even the wildest things may be possible ... perhaps they'll occur soon ... 2008 perhaps?

Have fun, Johnny D

With CleverClasses, you can join topic-based discussions and talk to native-speaking teachers online. You can also interact with fellow students from around the globe, in real time, in a virtual classroom setting. Learning English is fun and effective with these cutting-edge, easy-to-use features: · Media-Rich Interactive Lessons · Voice and Text Chat Capabilities · Personal Vocabulary and Translation Tool · Downloadable Lessons · Advanced Booking of Classes · Synchronized Web Browsing Start taking fun and interactive English lessons online with CleverClasses.

Why is this ad in English?
Inquiring 'varks want to know.

OK...when did TRIO buy out the SciFi channel?

There is the most amazingly, disturbingly just-this-side-of soft-core gay movie on.
"Leeches"

Common-type aquatic leeches grow to large size after feeding on steroid-laced blood of a number of college endurance swimmers, and then the nasty creatures lay siege to the entire campus for more.

HAH! I just read the comments on IMDB, and I am NOT hallucinating.
Hunky guys in swim suits or briefs, posing cheesecake-style. Just bizarre.
I guess there must be a market. Nature abhors a vacuum.
It was just...jarring to see the long, lingering camera shots. I'm used to seeing such with gals.

I think I'll check out Cartoon Network.

Here is something I want to try...sharing the odd bits I post here and there, with links to provide context.
I am sufficiently enamored with my own writing that I assume others are as well, so here is a sampling:

I believe that the "love" in question is the kittens, puppies, unicorns and rainbows feel-good-ism prevalent today, a sloppy agape that is all about feeling rather than belief, emotion rather than rational thought. The love Jesus displayed, from raising a dead child to driving the hucksters out of the Temple with whips, is far removed from the treacly oozing that passes for love in the minds of those who own- at best- a caricature of Christian faith.
---------------------------
Those who believe in such, please pray for me. I speak tomorrow night, and my heart is heavy for "the whole state of Christ's church. I am desparate to say precisely what I should.
A comment of mine at Vox's

*************************************************
Also from Vox's

Is there a single Christian here that will say their conception of Christian morality is a persistant burden to them personally? Somehow I doubt it. --Mike WC
-------------------------

I'll stand up to that one! I love pretty. I adore beautiful women. I enjoy seeing them. (One thing is seeing to it that when I See Pretty, it does not move on to thoughts of lust, or in the vulgar tongue- "I'd hit that!".) I am not the best looking, but my humor and charm overcome that, and were I of the sort to do so, I would have no trouble being well-supplied with...the willing.
In my darker moments, I think that on my deathbed, should my vision darken, and I see on the Other Side...nothing, no Light, no tunnel, not even an "Other Side", my last coherent thought as my neurons disconnect will be- "Man, I sure missed a lot of fun...". But this is in my darker moments, which I think that most harbor from time to time. When I am walking in the Light (read John's first letter) I am confident of Jesus' promise, and that His commands to me are for my good. So I control my thoughts, do not gawk at overt displays of pulchritude, and make a covenant with my eyes, as it were. My wife is precious to me, and the covenant I made with her is not a light thing.

So yes, I am burdened by the command. It restrains me from What I Would Like. Compared to the burden Jesus took from me....

I find it a fair trade
**************************************

Just some odd bits. Enjoy!

The Dread Dormomoo Speaks:

Vox is having another pudding-stirring fest at his blog. Seems there are those who reject the idea of absolutes.

The D.D. had this to say:

The only way to say that there are no absolutes is to be absolutely sure that there aren't any.

Oscar Wilde, proceed to tremble...
-----------------------------------------------------

I recently bought the first season of The Wild, Wild West on DVD, and now I am forced to make an absolute statement: The character of Dr. Miguelito Loveless as portrayed by Michael Dunn (see picture above) is the most finely-drawn villain in TV history. I will brook no debate on this (awwww c'mon, be obstreperous, DEBATE!). The combination of genius, malice, and the childlike innocence he often displayed was a potent dramatic mix. There were ten Dr. Loveless episodes in all, and they are surely the best of the series. His duets with "Antoinette" (Phoebe Dorin, his stage partner off TWWW) were always a delight, and memorable. "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate" from season two, with the lovely Leslie Parrish as a space chick was also memorable. Quite.

WOW! What beastly weather. Our visit to Florida was akin to breathing soup, and I believed that it followed us home. I had to leave the shop today and crash in our very cool bedroom for an hour or so. We had a new central unit installed recently, and am minded to rent my home out as a meat locker. Very efficient cooling.
.....................................

Just so it is clear, despite my ramblings of late, I do understand that
A is not equal to not A.

Where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no-one comes to the Father except by me.", is not a statement equivalent to: "It doesn't matter what you believe...it's all just different roads to the Same Destination".

Are we clear?

However, Truth is Truth, whether stated in Aramaic, Sanskrit, or Serbo-Croatian. I do not fear being taught at the feet of Sun-Tzu, say. I must measure what is said against the Plumbline of the word of God.

Eat the meat, spit out the bones.

Why is NOTHING good enough?

Got back from Florida last night. Drove almost all the way, and now I suffer from car lag.

Yuk.

Thus I was away from home on Pater's Day. Got home and the Dread Dormomoo and Loen had schemed about a Present. Certainly one is Not Required, but it sure is nice to get one. They had thought about something that I had not EVEN considered, but is practically de rigeur for at least one Fathers Day remembrance.

A grill. A propane grill. A shiny stainless and black grill.

I may not know art, but I know what I like!

We had steaks grilled tonight, with mine own hand, on mine own grill.

Beauty!
--------------------------------------------------

HoukoCon was astounding. It was held at the Port St. Lucie Community Center...also known as Geezerville. This tiny little first-year con was VERY well done, Tiffany and crew worked their hearts out, sweat, blood, angst, and all. Well played! As far as our shirt sales, well, we started doing Sci-Fi cons in 1980. I NEVER did as well at one of those as I did at this little Florida anime convention. Amazing.
Met Brian Clevinger, the master-mind of 8-bit Theater. An exceedingly entertaining guy. Go buy his book, Nuklear Age.

Trust the Aardvark. Buy the book, then some Ace bandages to wrap your ribs, 'cos if you don't, you will hurt yourself laughing. Out loud. In public. And people will look at you. Oh such looks you will get.

And it will all be worth it.
--------------------------------------------

Why is nothing good enough, then?
I habitually drive the speed limit. Precisely. You know, the posted speed limit, with signs and everything?
Consequently, 'most everyone passes me.
Why isn't the speed limit good enough? It puzzles me.
If they raised the limit from 70 to 80, these people would drive 90 mph.

Riatsila and I are headed to HoukoCon in Port St. Lucie, FL this weekend. (We leave earlye in the mornynge). Pray a safe and successful trip, please. We are in our "Christmas season" business-wise, so I am not able to blog as often, or in the depth which I would wish to. Bear with me, and there shall be more 'varky goodness coming to you.

Thanks!

HAPPY HORN DAY!

Wow! That was both barrels yesterday. It's REALLY not a need for meds...really. It just frustrates me when someting simple gets turned into a Broadway production...you know, like watching Martha Stewart make iced tea.
------------------------------------------
Hi, Johnny! Keep us all posted as to the news in Europe, your actually being there and all! I hope that you and yours are well.
------------------------------------------
Hi, I'm Weatherly, and I'm a fanboy. "Hi, Weatherly"
I need a cheap light grey or beige suit to do a costume. I shan't say whom it shall be, but I will scour the thrift shops (oooooh, that sounds hygienic!) in search.

There is more to come, but the day is brighter than the night, and I have much to do.
Have a grand week!

Happy New Week!
Those of us who do not keel over, or breathe our last in the night, will enjoy it, I'm sure! This is good.
----------------------------------------
"There is much anger in this one."
----------------------------------------

OK, I give the churches in our neck of the woods twenty years, tops.
There is a move toward apostasy that boggles the mind, and issues like The Da Vinci Code serve only to obfuscate the true problems. "Look at the monkey!!"
God's Word provides a clear pattern for the church to follow. How may I be saved? There is
NO,
ZERO,
NADA,
Scriptural teaching to even hint that you "pray this prayer and ask Jeeee-zus into your heart".
To labor the point:
NONE.

The Apostle Peter gave the steps in Acts 2:
Repent (this pre-supposes belief in Jesus as God's son, and thus obeying him as Lord),
Be baptised for the remission of your sins,
You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

That's it. Peter delivered the Keys to the Kingdom. If people can't even go through the door correctly, well, are they even in?

Um, another thing is a propensity to Preach the Problem.
"Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage" f'rinstance.
Jesus spoke VERY BRIEFLY on adultery, and divorce, and as to the big "A", said
DON'T!

Most of ALL the rest of his teaching is applicable to having a very happy marriage and family.
Why then do we spend reams of paper to write books on "Marriage-Divorce-and Remarriage", that damned triad. This makes an appearance of equivalence. Divorce is an aberration, and should be taught as such. This "method" of teaching has gone on for at least two generations, and the fruit we reap? More divorces in the church.

My head wants to explode. I am SO angry.
So VERY angry at the cretinous issues-oriented teaching that has brought us on par with the World.

Thank God I get to preach in two weeks. And I am NOT a brimstone kinda guy.
If I can figger it out, I'll post an MP3.

OK. On Tuesdae, the People of Alabama spoke. If you listened closely, you could hear the drooling.
"Buffalo" Bob Riley ('cos he is so full of Bravo-Sierra) is the Repub. gubernatorial candidate. The proven and obvious liar and tax-lover is back for Round Two. "I Love Lucy" Baxley is the Dem goober.

I am SO voting for the Libertarian gal, Loretta Nall.
Alas, it will be a write-in, as she failed to get enough sigs to get on the ballot. Spent too much time stumping for Cannabis Culture, and being droll about her superstructure. For my money, though, better a well-built hophead than a liar. Or maybe I just don't care anymore. Every putatively "Christian" candidate has let me down. Every one. The system Does Not Work. Whilst I cannot in good conscience NOT vote, I waver perilously close to Ian McLeod's non-voting stance. At least my vote buys me the right to kvetch, though.

Seriously, Mr. Moral Majority, Ms. Christian Coalition, what has been accomplished to further your Godly aganda? Hmmmmmmm? I love how Roe was overturned. And remember when Congress passed the Protection of Marriage Act? That was AWESOME! A Christmas Tree in every school cafetorium? Sweet!
Figure it out. It's not working. Do something else, like pray, maybe, or teach the Gospel to these guys, so they will actually have an objective base for their actions, other than "Will this get me re-electd?".

This is NOT gonna be a fun political season. Heaven knows what the Repubs will field for '08.
It makes me a sa-a-a-a-d panda.
Or an angsty Aardvark.

The Tao of the Happy Hunters


Some years back, Charles and Frances Hunter took the hinterlands of Charismania by storm with the Method.
A learnable, duplicatable method...of healing. The Method was arrived at with the help of a Christian chiropractor. In practise it was a Holy Ghost spinal adjustment in Jesus' name. Now, I am a recipient of blessing from this practise. My back was verifiably healed by this, and I have prayed for people thusly and seen amazing improvement in them (I say this to God's glory, and not to do a Pharisee dance.) I shall not discuss the "leg-lengthening" hobby indulged in by some.

The positive aspect of this, and some of Kenneth Copeland's teaching, is that it teaches one to pray proactively, as Jesus did. Not "Please, God, please maybe make Johnny better, and return him to a reasonable portion of health" weenie whining, but rather taking authority by Jesus' authority ("in Jesus' name" is not a kabbalistic formula. Rather it is proclaiming that as a child of God, you have the Very Authority of God's Son Jesus. Only if you aren't, you don't. Ask the sons of Sceva.) In Jesus' name, BE HEALED! Spine, line up. Glands, work right. Storm, be muzzled. Demon, come out.

Like that.

On the flip side, despite the popular opinions about, Jesus is not our Lord and Personal Butler. We cannot grasp the bell-pull and proclaim "Parker, get out the Rolls Royce.". Ultimately it is the will of God that prevails, but He is gracious in that we have the opportunity to let Abba (Daddy) know our druthers.
Good King Hezekiah complained of his impending death, and God heard him, and granted him more years. The bad news is that he lived to father ....

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.
But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. (2 Kings 21:1-9)

So be careful what you pray for.

The thing is, as far as the practise goes, Julian did much the same as the Method, without the spiritual element, and it worked. He did it with grace, and out of concern for my well-being. May he have returned a hundred-fold the blessing he was to me. In my understanding, healing and blessing come from God. I can recall of NO healing coming from Satan, or Baal, or the Asherah, or from Molech's outstretched arms.
Thank God, and his Son, for every good and perfect gift.

Thanks Julian!

For years, in Flandersville, I resisted with gusto the predations of The East on the pristine purity of Western Culture. (P.L., you may get up off of the floor, now. Such rolling is Not Dignified.)
OK, Julian is...eclectic. Out of the blue, he started showing me a few self-defence moves, like Snake Climbs Branch. Then he took an appraising look at me, and proceeded to induce pain.

I had almost a week of not being able to print because of a thumb injury. Had NO idea what happened, it just started hurting. A lot. He applied pressure in the meat between thumb and index finger. A LOT of pressure. It caused pain. A LOT of pain. Then he grabbed my thumb and SNAPped it into place. There you go.
As to the pain from his probing, he looked at me and asked "What would be putting stress on your lungs?".
Aha. Reflexology. And I DO have aerosol stressors with my work.

He snapped my other thumb, too.

And my neck.
It was driving him nuts: the crookedness. It was drivin' me nuts, too: the pain, but I did not tell HIM that.
He lay me down on a bench, cradled my neck, and did the thing. SNAP, CRACKLE, POP!
My neck was STRAIGHT.
I was, in fact, taller.
And I did not hurt.

Thanks so much.

And yes, I can still walk.

Next: the Tao of the Happy Hunters

Just spent Memorial Day weekend in Durham, NC at Animazement. (Hi, Bex!)
AWESOME!
Fantastic.
Well-run.
And they love us!

We print the con shirts for them each year (this is our third annum), and the con -goers are enthusiastic about OUR designs, aussi. Animazement is, if not my all-time favorite anime convention, it is tied with PersaCon, a tiny little family con near Huntsville, AL.

OK, Animazement was in Durham, NC. I'll bet G. Gordon Liddy is NOT the most popular personage in The Triangle. NC is NOT a hotbed of conservatism, and Raleigh-Durham is a major centre of academe. Hence my own amazement (pauses a beat...) at going to Ragazzi's Casual Italian Restaurant, and being asked by the Sweet Young Thang at the door....
"Smoking or non-smoking?".
The anti-smoking fascisti have NOT taken over the Triangle.
Wish I could say the same about North Alabamastan.
I am of two minds on this, because I was raised by a Smoker, one who was sure that my childish complaints were just showing out, who smoked whilst driving. With the windows shut. Thus I have a genuine antipathy toward cigarettes. Filthy, stinky, NASTY cigarettes.
Unlike cigars and pipes, which smell and taste lovely, which I enjoy, and self-medicate with.

The lesson here: Your dirt's dirty. Mine's not.

I REALLY despise cigarettes, as they stink, and are worthy of nothing more than burial. In the Sun.
Yet I LOVE liberty, and equally despise the Tyranny of the Whiners. Technology is such that ionising filters are affordable, even for small restaurants, and thus the problem can be solved with ease. But no, we must bring the Armed Might of the Givemint into the mix. The Smoker can no longer dine in comfort in many locales. Who does this hurt? Mr. Businessman. Ms. Restauranteur. So Huzzah to Durham, NC, for though the City Planners, et al, have banned all billboards, and require approved tapioca facades, they have allowed "smoker sections" in restaurants to remain.

Well, back from Mobicon!

I had an EXCELLENT weekend in Mobile. Great business, saw some friends, great business, good food.

Did I say great business? It was great!
Such is always relative to context. Mobicon is a small science fiction convention, and even so, it was a record-breaking sales weekend for Mobi. Next weekend Riatsila and I will be at Animazement in Raleigh / Durham, NC. We will do in two hours what it took all weekend for me to do at Mobicon. Yet I am highly pleased with the weekend in Mobile. As I am overly fond of saying, I did far better than had I stayed home watching TV.


Schmoozing with media folks, I met Billy West, the voice of Fry and many others on Futurama. He's an affable and articulate guy, screamingly liberal in outlook, yet not a mere kneejerk moonbat. There is an essential decency and sense of caring in many of the Left persuasion, but most I find are as surely mind-numbed robots as they accuse the devotees of Limbaugh. As I said, West has a life-experience and ethical base for his opinions, and the only real issue I would have with him is the apparent assumption that the Government should be the Source of all Care and Action. At any rate, he is a neat guy who has had a rough life, and has overcome to make good! He has a current 'toon project he's pitchin' to FOX, and we are talking with him about our doing his t-shirts. Here's hoping!

We are all thankful for the faboo weekend, and look forward to the next one!
-----------------------------------------------

Well, Da Vinci did summat like $232 million world wide this weekend. Big fat hairy deal. People will ALWAYS pay for a lie, rather than listen to the Truth for nothing. This stuff has been around since the third century. The Enemy just trots out the Same Old Lies. The NEW AGE was just the same old song "You shall be as GOD!"

Sigh.
-----------------------------------------------
Heyyyyyyy, Athena. Ex-Navy, now a Jedi.
She had the BEST costume at the contest this weekend. All made herself, but in a GOOD way, with imported fabric and such. Very detailed and accurate. I thought her light saber was an off-the-rack prop, but NO! She made it, too, out of hardware and machine parts. Again, very detailed, and very solid. She should have taken first, but, ahhh, well. The Dark Faerie won...and all that entails.
During the interim, whilst the judges did their judgie thing, a pair of very sweet people known as "Those Damn Pixies" put on the seven-minute costume contest. You get a three swatches of fabric, duct tape, and a pair of scissors. Then they tell you what you will be. Athena talked me into going up with two others. Our foursome was assigned Cerberus the three-headed Hound of Hell. Athena, a guy with a pony-tail and I were the dog, and the other gal was Hades, our handler. Athena took charge and got us working as a team. When pics are posted on the con site, I'll put one up here. We got second place. The Sweet Young Thing who was Hades plied the whip on me especially. (I kept snarling at the Dalek, and Tinkerbell. I'm a baaaaad boy...) Maybe she has Issues. (I kid, I KID!) But it was a good time, and it's neat how four strangers can work together toward a Task.
So, it was a great time, New friends, and good memories! Sometimes, it's not just work at these conventions. AND I saw TEX! Yo, bro! A fellow Gerry Anderson fan, and all that entails. He and his Mom survived Katrina, and are fine. She's going through dialysis, so remember her in your prayers, should you be the praying sort!

Lest anyone think that I take pot-shots from the cheap seats, here is Will Anderson's reply:

(Aardvark),

Thanks for the note!  I hope you get a chance to hear senator Sessions
today...

Will

______________________

I sent him a link to my blog, so he would know what was being said. Perhaps a dialogue can ensue/

------------------------------------------------


It's MOBICON time again! I'll be selling our Aardvarky goodness in Mobile, seeing friends, and all. Hence, I will not be HERE with you. I'll let you know how it all goes!
Even though it's only Wednesday, have a great weekend!

Oh, the pain, the pai-i-i-n.

I have a question for my esteemed reader.
What do you guys do about PAIN?

I am 49, still young by many measures. (By inside-my-head measure, I'm 11.)
I'm portly, looking more like a Grocer than a Burglar, but not in the "bury him in a piano box" league.
When I print a job, I generally need a day to recover, 'cos I hurt so much the next day.
It makes no sense. Muscle aches, joint aches, but to a degree which to me seems unusual, given the nature of my work. (T-shirt screenprinting) Beyond popping APCs (Excedrin) there's not a lot that works.

Any ideas?
Oh...going to the DOCTOR?
"Take two Excedrin and call me in the morning..."

Amerika Uber Alles

There. Maybe I'll be as notorious as the Voxster.

VD's WND column has stirred the pudding yet again, and has shown that most reactors in the Blog-O-Versetm have ZERO reading comrehension. Mention the Holocaust, and if you are perceived to be conservative, well, Katie bar the door, you must be an anti-Jewish, pro-Nazi slug whose Family Money was probably made in I.G. Farben and Bayer investments. Again the shirt with the Big Red Button: OFFEND ME.
-----------------------------------------
Our local Talk Radio wunderkind Will Anderson (Oooh, I used another German word. "Mein Fuehrer, I CAN VALK!".) has recently begun to refer to AM 770 WVNN as the only relevant talk station in Alabama, or suchlike. Ummmmmm, Will, you yourself cited an article where Russ and Dee Fine of 101.1 FM in Birmingham, had brokered a deal with Roy Moore to have a public debate with Gov. Bob Riley (if Riley agrees). Sounds like the Esteemed Competition is Actually Doing Something- other than having people just call in and whine and kvetch about how bad it all is. They have put on a number of rallies, (The Alabama Tea Party, f'rinstance), and are at the forefront of raising awareness and action about the illegal immigrant problem here in Alabama. I love ya, Will, but build a fire under someone and DO something.
Shucks, even Darla Jay got folks moving over that phony foster family hijacking a Central American girl's baby.

More to come....

The Dread Dormomoo speaks (by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, to the praise of the eternal Vishanti!)

Herself commented on plans to send The Guard (which, I am told, Belongs) to the Border.
Sez she:

"They need to send Dick Cheney down with his rifle, and tell him that the illegals are quail."

...and you thought the Dormomoo thing was just a joke...

Dormammu Art by "Smilin'" Steve Ditko, (c) Marvel
The Dread Dormomoo.

There is an arch-fiend from the good old Lee/Kirby days of Dr.Strange named the Dread Dormammu.
From the halcyon days of watching "Animaniacs" with the kinder, as well as the same days of comic books and cards, the kids began to call me "Dadoo" (from Wacko Warner asking Death "may we call you Dadoo...?"). So it was only natural that they started "Momoo" as well. Since she is... firm in her convictions, and fierce in her loyalties, the persona of "The Dread Dormomoo" came to be.
Enjoy the pic. She's much prettier in Real Life, but I won't be putting a real pic, she being shy and retiring and all.

Happy Mother's Day!

Blam and DAST!
I hate bots.
(See the "comment" on Thursday's entry.)
But hey, my degree is only two weeks away...100% verifiable, this is a real deal!
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O happy day. O joy, oh rapture!
Pretty Lady has linked to my blog.
I just think that is neat. I shall reciprocate.
That's the way Things Are Done.
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As much as I appreciate [adult swim] for the excellent anime they have brought to our shores, well,
I believe that there is a bet going on at the Williams St. offices as to when the Great Unwashed will rebel and proclaim "This stuff is CRAP, and we won't watch it any more.".

...about the same time The Disillusioned Right will realise that the Republicans are interested in in ONE thing: Staying In at Any Cost.

HELLO! There are two extant Other parties. The Constitution Party, with heavy Christian influence. Being one meself, I do not see this as the Great Threat to Freedom, but the Media have itchy trigger fingers where the phony "Church/State" separation is concerned. Thus, the Libertarian Party is, to me, the only viable third party
around. The basic call to return to a no-frills government sized to Constitutional limits is a potent one.
I'm taking my name off of the "R" rolls, and joining the Libertarians.
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These guys do talk radio that is more than just talk.
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I REALLY need for you to go to:
http://www.fairtax.org/
and do what it says.

You need it, too.

Happy Sunday to you all.

What a bigly, hugely, busy week!
WOW! But I am back, however briefly.
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"Horn Day".
I shall reward your complete lack of interest with an explanation. We live in North Alabamastan, and are thus near the end of Tornado Alley. Thunderstorms tend to take out their frustration about missing that Exceptionally Fine Trailer Park in Texarkana on us. We have an Exceptionally Fine Siren System in our area, and it is tested on the second Monday of the month. A thin warbling wail dopplers up to a piercing blast, then back again as the "sy-REENS" rotate on their mounts. Horn Day, an Alabama tradition. Parades, children laughing in the sun, yet with an undertone of dread, knowing that the klaxon presages the glowering gloom of Doom. But they put on a brave front. Hey, they could be having to duck and cover! (Note: this is the FULL Civil Defence film.)
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I have heard no figures on the economic impact of the illegal alien boycott. I would welcome any. (I did hear summat on Boortz, but it seemed a joke.)
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When I was a kid, I do recall grim B&W animated public service ads for "alien registration". I always wondered if Superman had to register.

HAPPY HORN DAY!

(You figure it out.)

Have you any idea how tough it is to maintain a third-person style?
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Happy Sunday. The predations of the week's workload have taken their toll, and I am HURTING! We did the shirts for a local Christian music festival (Soulstock). It took 3 days of solid 2-shift work to get them done. Loen, Riatsila, IM and I all took turns at the job, with The Dread Dormomoo folding, counting and boxing. We will be able to do the same job in a half-day once our new automatic press arrives. At 49, I begin to see the folly of wishing away huge blocks of time ("I can hardly wait for the next episode of House...I'll be glad when two months are gone so the new press will be here"...like that.), but BOY, I can hardly wait for the new press! 8-color, 10 station; all we do is put the shirts on, and take the shirts off to run 'em through the dryer. We could max out at around 40 dozen an hour. 480 shirts printed an hour. Wow! We have grown from a little one-color poke-it-with-a-stick garage endeavor in the Spring of '91 to where we are today. Between God's faithfulness, and a lot of hard work, here we are. Yaaaaaay!
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It has been neat to have the comments picking up of late. It is an encouragement to continue this act of Intense Hubris, since, after all, everyone is entitled to my opinions, and would surely benefit therefrom! Hi, David. Welcome!
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I hope you all have a great week!

And now for something completely different...

When the Aardvark was a callow yout', and entertained thoughts of Becoming a Minister-in Western Protestant Mode- he also entertained thoughts of going to (then) Montreat-Anderson College for an associates degree in Recreation. Being unskilled at the Volleyball and such went far toward discouraging him, and besides, he would not have then gone to St. Andrews and met the Dread Dormomoo (y'know, no-one has tumbled to that name yet). The prospect of tossing dodgeballs at velocity at dozing parishioners still brings a teeny smile to the tip of his snout, however.

This Aardvark was also a Summer Camp Junkie. Camp Pee Dee, a Presbyterian Church camp, was mightily used to bring him into the fold, as 'twere, and they used him as a counselor, an Aardvark unaware.

It was there that The Aardvark collided with Bob Fakkema, a Recreation Leader par excellance, who was still going strong even after a massive stroke. Bob was a master of Group Dynamics, and could really get a crowd humming and working together. He supplied tons of recreation materials to help this one along the path to Rec. Leader.

Well, this is one of the gems he shared. It is all found here.
Anguish Languish by H.L.Chase.
Here is one of the best.

These must be read aloud with as little thought as possible . It is the SOUND that makes it work.

Enjoy...This one must go practise his "trust" exercises...