Independence Day Weekend Open Mic

It's another one of those 2-day holiday weekends.

Palin Announces Forthcoming Announcement

I'd like to announce that Sarah Palin announced that a Palin Announcement is Forthcoming.

The office of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin issued a press release today saying she will make an announcement from her home in Wasilla today at 11:00 a.m. local time (3:00 p.m. ET). There was no indication as to the topic of the announcement.

I think she'll announce that she's been having an affair with Joe The Plumber.

Pig Induced Riot

What century is this again? Thrown pig leads to religious riots in India.

Three people have been killed in religious rioting in southern India between Muslims and Hindus, police said Friday.

Widespread violence broke out in Mysore Thursday after somebody threw a dead pig into the compound of an under-construction mosque, city police commissioner Sunil Agarwal told CNN.

More than a dozen people were injured in the clashes, he said. Police fired tear gas and used bamboo sticks to break up the rioting, according to Agarwal.

Shown here is a dead pig being put to good use, instead of being wasted on a  religious riot.

(Thanks Blayne)

Glass Balcony

Photos of the Terrifying view from glass box balcony jutting out from skyscraper's 103rd floor.

Not content with having the tallest building in America, the owners of Sears Tower in Chicago have installed four glass box viewing platforms which stick out of the building 103 floors up.

The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's Skydeck. Designers say the platforms - collectively dubbed The Ledge - have been purposely designed to make visitors feel as they are floating above the city.

Gary Coleman’s Wife

This little former actor can't stay out of the news: Wife of actor Gary Coleman arrested in Utah.

Police say the wife of actor Gary Coleman was booked into jail after an argument at the couple's Utah County home.

Shannon Price was arrested Wednesday and held for about two hours before posting $1,205 bail. Utah County Jail records show the 23-year-old Price was booked for investigation of domestic violence, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. It's unclear whether Price has an attorney.

An arrest affidavit says police were called to the home after Price allegedly locked Coleman out during an argument and was yelling obscenities out the window, had thrown items around the home and upended furniture.

Here they are during happier times:

Banjo Dino

Thanks to the four people who shared this one with me: Was Banjo the most fearsome hunting dinosaur ever?

Researchers have revealed the discovery of its bones as well as two other new species of dinosaurs that roamed the huge continent, when it was joined to the rest of Asia, millions of years ago.

However, he might have been less impressed by the name 'Banjo' conferred on him by scientists who found his bones in the Outback.

Nicknamed Banjo, Matilda and Clancy the large dinosaurs are the first unearthed in Australia since 1981 and date back 98million years to the mid-Cretaceous period.

Nice claws.

Keeping Marilyn Away

Don't eat if your hungry in Hungary: Hungarians fast and pray to ward off Marilyn Manson.

What garlic and holy water did for vampires, fast and prayer may do to U.S. shock rocker Marilyn Manson in Hungary.

At least that is the hope of some Catholic churchgoers in Hungary, who have posted placards in and around the churches of Sopron, a town near the Austrian border in western Hungary, which is hosting a four-day music festival that lists Manson as one of the main acts.

The placards say: "Protest against the concert of American satanist band Marilyn Manson in Sopron" in red and black capitals.

Manson, the flamboyant rocker whose hits include "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" and "Antichrist Superstar," will descend on the festival on Saturday and is expected to draw several thousand people.

Church members took action after repeated calls to have the act canceled were left unheeded. They say the show can incite hatred against Christians and also provides a platform for abusing the Church and its sacraments.

Giant Fork

Found at Flickr. Fork in the lake in front of the Alimentarium food museum.

Tooth Becomes Eye

Kind of odd: Blind man sees wife for first time after having a TOOTH implanted into his eye.

A blind man is able to see his wife for the first time - after having a tooth implanted into his eye. Martin Jones had one of his front teeth removed and turned into a lens holder before it was inserted in his right eye.

The former builder, who married his spouse Gill four years ago, can now see for the first time since a tub of molten aluminium exploded in his face 12 years ago.

Upon seeing his wife for the first time, he said, "Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh, get me an eye patch, scalwag."

Henry Smells Nice

I don't understand this one:

Aussie Babies

This just in, the new top 10 baby names in Australia.

Boys: Jack, William, Lachlan, Joshua, Riley, Thomas, Cooper, Oliver, James and Ethan.

Girls: Mia, Chloe, Isabella, Charlotte, Emily, Ella, Olivia, Sienna, Ava and Sophie.

Who Wants Coffee?

Nice blood-splattered coffee set, but hardly worth $500.

(via Ektopia)

Buy Some Followers

If you have no Twitter followers, remember: Twitter followers can be bought.

Australian social media marketing company uSocial is offering a paid service that finds followers for users of the micro-blogging service.

Followers are available in blocks starting at $87 for 1,000. The biggest block uSocial is selling is 100,000 people. USocial said businesses and individuals were queuing up to use its follower finding service.

The Banjokers

Found at LP Cover Lover:

The Banjokers consist of Helen, Marie, Lee, and Avnie. If the cover is accurate, this quartet plays banjo, bass, guitar, and violin. And I'll bet they tell some jokes in between the songs.

My Conversation With A Scientologist

Today I had an interesting conversation with Janet Deering, owner of Deering Banjos. She's a Scientologist, and I've mentioned the Deering/Scientology connection in a previous post.

The email exchanged started with an accident. On the Banjo Hangout, someone apparently complained about not being able to get Deering parts. Janet misread the author and sent me an email asking what I needed. And the conversation continued.

With her permission, I'm reproducing the email exchange. Text in red are my current responses, which were not part of the email exchange.

Janet: I read your comment on the hangout about trying to get replacement parts from Deering.  Please fill me in on what you needed and what response you got from our sales staff. I'd like to know more about it and see what we can do to give better customer service.

Me: It wasn't my comment. I wouldn't own a Deering banjo.

Janet: Why not? 

Me: I'm very much anti-Scientology.

Janet: I see. What have you heard about it?

Me: This is the part where I tell you that Scientology is a money-grubbing scam, founded by a nutjob. Then you write back and tell me I'm wrong. No thanks, Janet. There are plenty of good banjo makers out there, and I'd prefer to buy from someone who doesn't send their cult garbage to the customers.

Janet: I'm not interested in telling you that you are wrong. I was just curious as to what exactly you know about it.

Me: I know this. And this. And this. And I've read all about those ridiculous e-meters. And those phony "personality tests."

Janet:  I see. And do you know how much of that is actual truth and how much is contrived? I don't. But, what I do know is that documentaries can be produced to influence public opinion in any way the creator of the documentary wishes.

I didn't even mention documentaries, but I guess that's how she's been programmed to respond. I would guess that at least 85% of the negative press about Scientology is true. If even half of it is true, it's still pretty damning, and a person would have to be pretty naive to be willingly associated with Scientology. I'll give Janet some credit, though. She didn't deny that e-meters are ridiculous and the personality tests are phony.

I would not pretend that everyone who runs any church is free of making mistakes, only God holds that virtue. Look at the Catholic Priests who were raping young boys. Does that mean that you will now hold that against every Catholic that you know? If we judged every Christian by the conduct of the Crusaders we would abolish Christianity in our modern society, wouldn't we?

Obviously, she doesn't read this blog. Abolishing Christianity would be one of the best things that could happen. And yes, I do hold that against every Catholic. The Catholic church withheld evidence and covered up for their crimes. If someone remains a member of that organization after knowing that, they are part of the problem.

I am not saying that the Scientology organization is without flaws. But I have seen a great deal of good come from applying the principles Ron wrote to life. and I have experienced the help that this technology provides. Does that make me a bad person?

I'm sure you're a good person, but would you not also be a good person if you hadn't fallen for the load of crap spewed forth by L. Ron Hubbard? How much money have you and your husband spent on Scientology? Have you had any encounters with Xenu lately?

Most of my staff are of other religions, does the fact that they work for me make them bad people and their products bad? Should we judge each banjo company by the beliefs of the owners? How about the banjos produced by Communist China?

Irrelevant. My beef is with the cult of Scientology. I'd rather give my banjo money to makers who aren't members of an absurd cult.

Me: Interesting conversation. You make some good points. Do I have your permission to reproduce the conversation on my blog?

Janet: Yes, if you will include one more point. I only send out the "Way to Happiness" Booklet when it is requested. It is not Scientology propaganda and does not mention the religion.

Right. So, somebody buys a Deering banjo and then thinks, "Hey, I wonder if my banjo maker has any printed material they can send that would show me the way to happiness?"

Why does the booklet not mention Scientology? Are you ashamed to be associated with it because of it's terrible reputation?

People who have received it have written me thank you letters from all over the world. Only a few misunderstand and are not appreciative. When asked what they object to the only objection to the booklet is the fact that L. Ron Hubbard wrote it.

The "only a few" are those who took the time to get in touch. The vast majority just threw it in the trash, where it belongs. And why would they even bother complaining if they "requested" it in the first place?

Like it or not, Janet, you are a follower of the nutcase known as L. Ron Hubbard. You support a cult that recruits new members by luring naive people with a phony personality test in a mall, and then squeezing them for money. It's despicable, Janet, and as long as you remain a Scientologist, you're part of it.

The intention I have in sending it is to uplift and provide a wonderful resource to people who are looking for answers. These precepts do offer valuable guidelines toward finding happiness in life. I wish you all the best.

So that's it. I'm sure Janet Deering is a nice person. But she chooses to be associated with a dangerous cult. And because of that, I choose to mention the Deering/Scientology connection every chance I get (even though I can't do it on Banjo Hangout).

By the way, Janet, you need to update your service completion list.