R.I.P Lucy O’Donnell

Lucy Vodden (nee' O'Donnell) has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46.

Some time in 1966 little Lucy and her friend Julian were painting pictures in their nursery school. Julian's dad came and picked him up from school that day, and the picture he had painted went home with him. This is the picture:

His dad asked him what the picture was, and Julian explained, "That's Lucy in the sky with diamonds." Please also note the tangerine trees and marmalade sky.

Rest in Peace, the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Before e.Harmony . . . Before Match . . . Before Catholic Singles . . . .

. . . there was Video Mate! This is how Daddy met Mommy, kiddies.

That was 25 years ago. Now, thanks to the miracle of the Intertubes and high band width, we have Second Life, World of Warcraft, and other MMOs:

Be careful though, O My Children, just as in real life, latency can be a bitch.

Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro has been gone for more than 10 years.  Which seems impossible.

Caturday Morning

It's Long Since Time to Pick Sides

Once Upon a Time in America

Once upon a time, in a New Jersey public elementary school, your humble and obedient servant began each school day pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States, and reciting the Lord's Prayer.  Even then I was a tad ill at ease regarding the latter, as I had many Jewish friends.  Since then both practices have been eliminated from public schools, and certainly we can all agree that, in the last 50 years, every day, in every way, things have gotten better and better.

So it's interesting to me to see a resurgence of piety and patriotism in the elementary school classroom, such as this performance last week at the B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J.

Now that the White House has enlisted America's artists in its campaign for Hope and Change, we're sure to see inspirational art in the public square.

Bra Burning

“Our opinion is that the Swedish Armed Forces should have ordered good, flame-proof underwear.”

Anonymous Assclowns v. Scientology: NEVER Feed the Trolls

More on "The Assclown Offensive," at Wired.

O. J. Simpson, Satanic Ritual Abuse, and ACORN

I think maybe we're not being fair to O.J. After all, his present incarceration probably interferes with his oft-repeated quest to find the real killer. ACORN, on the other hand, is led by not-yet-jailed folk, who are similarly committed to rooting out a few bad apples. So as an independent investigator, who have they chosen? Ken Starr? Rudy Giuliani? Why no, they've not.

Emily Yoffe, at XXfactor, observes:

Scott Harshbarger, the former Massachusetts attorney general and head of Common Cause, has been appointed by ACORN to investigate lapses in the organization that lead to its recent scandals. Harshbarger was responsible for one of the most outrageous "Satanic ritual abuse" prosecutions when he was AG, sending three innocent members of the Amirault family to jail. He has never repudiated the prosecution. It's sickening that someone who so abused his power would be appointed to investigate or reform anything. (I also see that Harshbarger was a big John Edwards' supporter, so his ability as a judge of character remains atrocious.)

First, they came for the lawnmowers . . . .

. . . and I didn't speak out, because I lived in an apartment, and had no lawn. Then they came for the chainsaws, and I did not speak out, because I am no lumberjack. But now, I must speak out:

This month the California Air Resources Board fined Orange County-based On the Edge Marketing and Phoenix-based CSK Auto Inc. (Kragen Auto Parts) $240,000 for selling Chinese-made gas-powered blenders -- gaze in wide wonder at the picture here -- with two-stroke off-road engines. Two-strokers are all but prohibited in California.

"Gasoline-powered blenders may be this year's tailgate sensation, but drinkers should not be polluting our air while having a good time," said board chairwoman and buzz-kill-in-chief Mary D. Nichols.

How is a free man to produce large-batch Mojitos, frozen Daiquirís for the adoring ladies, and Margaritas (when you've run out of Patron)? The line must be drawn somewhere.

From the L.A. Times.

Credit Where Credit is Due

Whatever else may be said about The One, he's really very good at this sort of thing:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Racist Post

African-American Boycott of L.L. Bean Enters 80th Year

Maybe THIS Guy Should Be President

Hope & Change Turns Out to Be . . . .

Extreme Shepherding

Of course, the real stars of the the production don't get the credit they deserve.

Caturday II - Singing Kittehs

Caturday: When Cats Attack

All is For the Best . . . .

. . . in the best of all possible worlds.

An editorial in the British medical journal Lancet has

. . . cited a British report which says family planning is five times cheaper than usual technologies used to fight climate change. According to the report, each $7 spent on basic family planning would slash global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1 ton.

Experts believe that while normal population growth is unlikely to significantly increase global warming that overpopulation in developing countries could lead to increased demand for food and shelter, which could jeopardize the environment as it struggles with global warming.

Clone Wars

"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

We're not particular fans of Glenn Beck, but it's fun to see Time Magazine, flagship of the legacy media, lash out from its cave lair in the Manhattan canyons trying to explain what is, to them, inexplicable:

His fears are many — which is lucky for him, because Beck is responsible for filling multiple hours each day on radio and TV and webcast, plus hundreds of pages each year in his books, his online magazine and his newsletter. What's this rich and talented man afraid of? He is afraid of one-world government, which will turn once proud America into another France. He is afraid that Obama "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" — which doesn't mean, he hastens to add, that he actually thinks "Obama doesn't like white people." He is afraid that both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are deeply corrupt and that their corruption is spreading like a plague. He used to be afraid that hypocritical Republicans in the Bush Administration were killing capitalism and gutting liberty, but now he is afraid that all-too-sincere leftists in the Obama Administration are plotting the same. On a slow news day, Beck fears that the Rockefeller family installed communist and fascist symbols in the public artwork of Rockefeller Center. One of his Fox News Channel colleagues, Shepard Smith, has jokingly called Beck's studio the "fear chamber." Beck countered that he preferred "doom room."

You've Gotta Enjoy the Little Things

Rut Roh!

Jon Stewart: "Where was the New York Times? I'm a FAKE journalist, and I'M embarrassed!"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Audacity of Hos
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

This is Getting Out of Hand

Kanye just has to stop THIS CRAP.

Mixing Religion With . . . , Well, Religion

The word "bacon" appears nowhere in the Bible.

There is, on the other hand, a Holy Church of Bacon.

Your Mom's on Facebook - Sort Of

Click to enlarge.

From College Humor.

It's Not a Crime, it's a Lifestyle!

"Perhaps in leftist circles the involuntary prostitution of minor illegal aliens is not considered a big deal."

Noodle-Man Steve

People with nothing to do will do anything. "You want your water to be good and hot for the noodles . . . to cook."

True, True

H/T to Uncle Michael. It wasn't my favorite, but this is a family blog.

Win/Win

The Sunday Times (the real one, you twit) reports on a new plastic surgery technique that's eco-friendly.

Protest Babes

You know you're in trouble when the Protest Babes make fun of you.

Caturday Morning

Because No American Should Have To Choose Between Health Insurance . . . .

. . . and getting drunk.

Federal Tax Advice -- ACORN Style

More HERE.

We Just REPORT the News

And don't you DARE miss the video:

"Great tits have been discovered killing and eating bats by pecking their heads open."

Reducing Health Care Costs

This is how the Brits do it: "If gestational age is certain and less than 23+0 (i.e at 22 weeks) it would be considered in the best interests of the baby, and standard practice, for resuscitation not to be carried out."

More HERE.

"O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beautious mankind is!
O brave new world,
That has such people in't!"

Speaking of Israel

"Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice"

From a photo essay by Rachel Papo.

Dog Bites Man

The always reliable Elliott Abrams feels compelled to once again point out that Jimmy Carter is wrong about Israel. Of course, all thinking beings are aware that our tedious ex-President is always wrong about Israel. But how's this for an ambitious title:

What Carter Missed in the Middle East

Ecumenism on Parade

Who says the Presbyterians have nothing to teach us? To wit:

We Know WE'RE Relieved

The couple ". . . denied any sexual activity happened while driving."

What in Hell Does THIS mean?

29 more "Error Messages You Never Want to See."

Where the F*%# Have We Been?

This might help explain. Just sayin'.

[bumped]

It's Caturday

Catholic Distinctives: Go to Hell

Shamelessly stolen from The Crescat.

Clear Field of Fire

Evolution on Parade

From our Department of the Obvious:

Females Use Sex to Manipulate Males

Bro!

Michael Kinahan used to coach girls' soccer in Massachusetts (hint!). Then he sent this email to his team:

We are all cognizant of the soft bigotry that expects women, and especially little girls, to be dainty and submissive; I wholeheartedly reject such drivel. My overarching goal is to develop ladies who are confident and fearless, who will stand up for their beliefs and challenge the status quo. Girls who will kick ass and take names on the field, off the field, and throughout their lives. I want these girls to be winners in the game of life. Who’s with me?

Having myself coached girls (real girls, not snowflakes), I suspect they were with him. Their parents? Not so much.

The Government Can