Supersonic Cleanup

Here's another sped-up video-- this time one of family and friends cleaning up after a party celebrating my maternal grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary:


Supersonic Cleanup from Michael Johansson on Vimeo.

I don't know what it is about these sped-up videos, but I find them very entertaining-- both to make and to watch.

ALERT: You Might be a Rightwing Extremist!

While doing some "production line"-style claying, I tuned in to my regular talk radio station (WABB 1480 AM) to give my brain something to do while my hands made miniature pizza slices. Boortz was talking about an "assessment" (by the DHS-- Department of Homeland Security) of the threat to the country posed by "rightwing extremism". (He got it from Michelle Malkin's site. Here's a direct link to the relelvant story. Or, if you prefer, a link to a PDF of the actual report.)

Accoring to this report:

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

I'll let those of you interested in the subject read about it for yourselves, but I can't resist having a little fun with this.

In the great tradition ;o) of Jeff Foxworthy. . .

You might be a Rightwing Extremist. . .

If you oppose the use of abortion as birth control, you just might be a Rightwing Extremist! (That's right, you sickos! Who the *bleep* do you think you are to be making judgments about what is right or wrong, anyway? Besides, everyone knows there's no such thing as right or wrong. That is so last century!)

If you want our government to uphold its own laws regarding illegal aliens-- er, excuse me, undocumented immigrants or whatever the latest p.c. term is-- you might as well have "Rightwing Extremist" tatooed across your ignorant forehead.

If you support increased patroling of-- or, Heaven forbid, the sealing of our borders (to prevent even more illegals from coming in)-- well, you guessed it-- Rightwing Extremist!

If you dare to see the prudence of limiting the power of the federal government (like, for instance, the Founding Fathers did), I don't know how to break it to ya gently, brother, but chances are high that you are an Extremist of the Rightwing persuasion.

I could go on, but I've made my point.

One final quotation from the brilliant document itself:

DHS/I&A will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization.

So, take that for what it's worth.

Should I risk going to the Tax Day Tea Party in F------- (at the pier, for interested locals) and being labeled an extremist because I dare to be displeased with my government? I think this story has fired me up and made me more likely to go. And I might even make a sign or two. . .

Democratic Black Caucus Visits Cuba

This is absolutely ridiculous.

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In case you don't care to sit through those videos (and in the event they should be taken down), here are what some members of the Democratic Black Caucus had to say, following a meeting with Fidel Castro in Cuba. (Please excuse any mistakes in these transcriptions. I think they're mostly correct.)

Rep. Bobby Rush (D, Illinois):
"He was a down-to-earth, kind man who I thought resembled someone who I would say is as close as a neighbor. He had a very modest home, and we were met at the front door by his lovely wife, so it was almost like visiting an old friend... He wanted to know more about Dr. King... I told President Castro that in my household, he is known as the ultimate survivor... I think that what really surprised me, but also endeared me to him, was his keen sense of humor, his sense of history and his basic human qualities."

Rep. Laura Richardson (D, California):
"What really was amazing to me as he leaned in-- he looked directly into our eyes, quite aware of what was happening, and said-- and said to us-- 'How can we help? How can we help President Obama?' He talked about the fact that he had watched the campaign. You know, for people who seem to think that in Cuba people don't have shoes-- they don't have jobs-- they don't have ice cream-- I mean, these people are living, and working, and participating... In fact, some were even in a better situation than in some portions of my district!"

Rep. Barbara Lee (D, California):
"He seemed very energetic. He was engaging. We met at his house, which is a house of very modest means. His wife was there. His son was taking photographs of us, and it was a very moving meeting, in a sense, because he was taking notes. He was very inquisitive. He asked us to send more information about Dr. King because he reveres Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and we said we would try to get more books and tapes to send down...

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Maybe someday, if we're very lucky, we here in the U.S. will have it as good as the average Cuban does, courtesy of the gracious (and humorous!) Fidel Castro. (But don't get your hopes up too high. I mean, they have ice cream! Well... or so it appeared, while members of the American Congress were there to observe.)

Isn't it telling that Castro wants to help Obama? Since when is having Castro's approval and support a good thing? That would seem to indicate to me that we're headed in the wrong direction (as if we didn't already know it).

Also-- I guess these so-called leaders simply don't believe the people who lived under Castro's regime-- experienced it firsthand-- managed to escape it-- and continue to tell about the poverty and suffering inflicted by this "down-to-earth, kind man".

One more to add to my "positively sickening" pile...

"And now for something completely different!"

Please enjoy this cow video, with accompanying music (the"mmmm-mmmm" song that was so wildly popular however-many years ago):

Have I gone 'round the bend? Concentrate and ask again.

Actually, I just wanted to prove to myself that the editing program still knows how to render a video, because it's been giving me headaches, lately. Yep, it works just fine-- but apparently it prefers footage of our friendly neighborhood bovines to the video of fallen trees that I wanted to render...

And while I wait for that to load...
This week's "Bookin'" questions are the familiar type that most meme-ers have come across more than once, but that's ok:

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
Yes, I am.

2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
Currently actively reading? That would be... about three, I think: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes, the new LMM biography, and one of those "bathroom reader" books. There's also a book on photography that I'm very slowly making my way through, when the mood strikes me, and I have bookmarks in a few other books, too, but those have been on hold for months.

3. Is this normal for you?
Yes, this is normal for the current-day me. I used to be more of a "one book at a time" girl, but I've changed. I do generally favor one book over the others, though. That favortism may shift from book to book depending on mood and other circumstances, but there's usually one book that I'm most interested in picking back up.

4. Where do you keep your current reads?
I move them around depending on where I want to read, but "home base" for books I'm actively reading is the nightstand by my side of the bed.

The Somali Pirate Situation

Admittedly, I haven't been following this very closely, but it seems to be getting out of control. Eventually, someone's going to have to take care of this pernicious little problem.

Here's an "interesting" snippet from a story I found in the L.A. Times:

She [Candyce Kelshall, a specialist at maritime security firm Blue Water Defence and Security, based in Trinidad] said that as few as four armed pirates have been able to seize control of massive commercial vessels because seafarers, who are often low-paid and undertrained, have been told by ship owners to offer no resistance to avoid loss of life.

"We don't want to have a crew of Rambos," Kelshall said, noting that she disagrees with American military recommendations that commercial vessels carry arms for protection. "But if this crew was able to retake the ship without using arms by outnumbering the pirates or because of their training, this is something that should be encouraged."

No, by all means, we don't want these innocent "seafarers" to be armed. Heavens, no! Why, then they might actually defend themselves, prevent the pirates from getting their million-dollar ransoms-- maybe injuring or killing a few of them in the process-- and discourage other pirates from making future attacks. And that would be bad.

Well, yes, it depends on the situation. If the only way you can save your life or the lives of your crew-mates is by not offering opposition, then of course you'll follow that course of (in)action. But there are also times when you have to defend yourself and your property from those who mean to do you harm. Or at least some of us still think so.

Going back to the story for a minute, please note that there is no middle ground. Either it's a ship full of untrained and underpaid Rambos armed to the teeth or it's nothing. Oh, and if you find a way to fight the pirates off without guns, that's fine-- just so long as there are no icky-poo weapons involved. Except for whatever "arms" the pirates might bring on board, of course.

Oh, and here's a snippet from another story, this time from CNN. Anderson Cooper interviews Kaj Larsen, a former Navy SEAL:

Cooper: And this is a different situation, because now the USS Bainbridge is on scene. This is the first time an American has been held hostage.

But, normally, a whole crew gets taken hostage, and it's basically a negotiation between the company that owns the vessel or the cargo and the pirates.

Larsen: Right. Obviously, this is a very unique situation and it's developing right now as we speak. So, this is setting new standards and new precedents. My concern during this situation is that the pirates, seeing their first batch of resistance, in the future might be using more aggressive tactics now that they see that some ships are willing to fight back.

Ok. . . So. . . in order to avoid them using "more aggressive tactics" in the future (because-- horrors!-- some ships might dare defend themselves), we should just roll over and play dead whenever the pirates attack? I suppose that, rather than protect themselves, they should just hope for the best-- pray that the pirates will generously allow them to live? Oh, those goofy pirates! Well, I hope the Boss-Man has deep pockets, 'cause here comes another $3 million in ransom dues. Do you really think that's going to solve the problem?

What would have been the "new standards and new precedents" set if this first U.S. ship they've attacked in two hundred (or whatever number of) years turned out to be exceptionally "easy pickin's"?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but this isn't the kind of talk I'd generally expect from a former U.S. Navy SEAL. . .

Cooper: How do you think this thing is going to end? Do you have any idea?

Larsen: I don't really have any idea.

In the past, what we have seen is a classic kidnap-for-ransom hostage negotiation system, where the insurance companies end up paying sometimes millions of dollars for these pirates.

In this case, I think the very close presence of a U.S. Navy vessel might ... provide some discomfort to the pirates in the area.

Poor widdle baby piwates! Did da mean old U.S. Navy wessel scare you, wee widdle bumpkins? I so, so sowwy!

Or, excuse me-- provide you with some discomfort? My most sincere apologies, gentlemen.

Also: "Classic kidnap-for-ransom hostage negotiation system". Ah, yes. What a great system it is, too. :o/