I wasn't going to post anymore tonight, but in the way of the blogosphere I posted my Happy New Year and then continued to play catch-up with my blog reading. This is where I happened upon a post by 2Slick about the current meme of disaster in Iraq... What Went Wrong?

It is true that we were mislead by the "uberintellectual" Iraqis (Chalabi is the most often cited), but my experience tells me that these people (even Chalabi) were not lying. They actually believed that the Iraqi people would rise up, thank us, take charge, and live happily ever after. This was an elitist view. Most of these "elites" were exiles who could speak freely and give us their honest assessment- some were Iraqi citizens who were using the Internet and communicating their thoughts at great risk to their own lives. In any case, they were all well-educated, but they proved to be pretty out of touch with the less-educated masses.

The thing about the "the Iraq War is a disaster" continuing lament is that - those doing all the yelling never EVER say what that disaster IS - they just yell the word disaster like it's supposed to convey to all exactly what they mean... They don't tell us what is disastrous, they don't elaborate on how they came to this conclusion. Periodically they'll throw out the soldier death toll to get around this, but I've wondered how you can pronounce disaster with only a death toll. (I mean even with the tsunami they also talk about infrastructure damage, loss of houses, businesses, food, water, etc)

Even more annoying. They never present an alternative - we should have done "this" instead of "that"
OR
-if we do "this" now, it will make things better...

Oh no, they offer no alternative, they only criticize continually, over and over and over again. Disaster, Disaster, Disaster!!! Run away Run away! Without an alternative presented it's like yelling "You're Wrong" Nyah,Nyah,Nyah. Cause you know, if something is being done wrong, there must be a right way to do it. And if you accuse someone of being in the wrong, you better be able to tell them what you think is right!

What I really really want to know and no one ever says.... what is the f*&^ing disaster?
* Is it that there are still people from Saddam's side trying to get back into power?
* Is it that everyone in Iraq doesn't love us?
* Is it that we took Saddam out?
* Is it that they are heading towards elections?
* Is it that terrorists still blow things up?

Did they expect that we'd march in and all opposition would roll over and surrender without a fight? Was it only supposed to take a week or two and be done? Were we supposed to change the entire country with the wave of a magic M16? As far as I can tell - from the experience of the history of previous wars - it looks like things are lurching on about as expected. So... Really, I want to know what this "disaster" is... cause I'm just not getting it.

Could things be done better? Of course they could - there is always something that could be done better! Have mistakes been made... Of course they have - there is no such thing as "perfection" outside of Hollywood - or inside Hollywood for that matter even though they want us to think they are all perfect there. Should we have had the perfect plan in place for going into Iraq... what would be the "perfect plan"? How would we know it's perfect? What is entailed in this "perfect plan" and how can it ever stand up to reality?

No, what I see, is a huge undertaking to reform an area. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to do that kind of work. It's not going to spring fully formed onto the world - that's not how life works. No, I see a difficult, dangerous job ahead, but I'm just not seeing the disaster.

Posted by: Teresa in Military at 12:39 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Seriously, not trying to be a wet blanket, but I find specific fault with not enough troops to fully occupy the country of Iraq after the end of combat. I know Rumsfeld is trying to "transform" the military into a fast, responsive force, but regardless of what force is necessary to combat and defeat an organized national army, technology has not provided the means, methods, or any other way to replace boots on the ground to occupy ground and enforce order in a nation like Iraq.

Transformation of assault forces is one thing, but occupation is another, yet Rumsfeld has not seen the difference.

THAT is what I say is the disaster.

We are losing the souls of those currently engaged in occupying Iraq.

We take the same town (Falluja) over and over again. If we have truly won the war, why do we have to keep retaking the same town?

I have a close friend who was in the first Gulf War (1991), and he is still suffering from PTSD. Yet, we do not truly count that cost in our occupation of Iraq now.

No, I do not expect we'd march over ALL opposition, but I *did* expect we'd have sufficient troops to occupy the country, and we have YET to provide those numbers.

So...

Do the math.

Posted by: Jack at December 31, 2004 08:57 PM (Yz80n)

2 Well, yes, as I said individual items in the taking of Iraq have been done badly enough to give them the term "disaster". Fallujah being the high point in that area. Politics played far too much of a role in how that city was treated. Yet, because somethings are done badly does not make the entire thing a disaster. And that's what the press is trying to say - the entire Iraq operation is a complete disaster.

As for the wounds to body and spirit that the soldiers have to contend with... the attitude during this war has certainly changed from the first Gulf War. With the internet, many soldiers are receiving attention and people are reaching out to help as never before. I am hoping this will continue. But your friend with PTSD is certainly not alone and it's only been in the last 20 years that this has been an acknowleged problem. Ask a WW2 vet how much the folks at home wanted to hear about his nightmares and mental turmoil upon returning home. I'm very glad it's at least a known problem that they try to help with now days.

I am not well enough versed in warfare to know if we have too few, just enough, or too many troops in the area. There is much arguing even among those who are experts. But in my opinion if we are losing the hearts and souls of the soldiers it's because of the concerted, persistent efforts of the press to constantly tell us how badly we're doing.

Even if a soldier sees good things around him, how can he help but feel that while he's winning his battle, the US is losing the war? After all, it's being shoved at him daily, all day, every day. There is no break - except for the press to denigrate the US about the paltry job they're doing in dispersing every penny in the treasury for tsunami relief.

Posted by: Teresa at January 02, 2005 02:01 PM (nAfYo)

3 Disaster? No.
Risky? Yes.

Lots of people stand by and 'tsk' when a risk is taken. Leading a nation into a risky situation will generate a lot of 'tsk'-ers.

I agree 100% with "If you don't like the situation, suggest something better." It's how I was raised. You can say you don't like it, but you must *at least* point out specifically what you don't like so that the person being criticized has a chance to respond.

And on that point - regarding troops - I have a few responses: One, If we have too few troops, it's because the previous administration reduced the military size, leaving the US short. We don't have enough troops to rotate out, let alone enough to maintain what we need. Two, through European funny-business, Turkey prevented the 4th ID from getting into Iraq from the North. That is a lot of troops missing from the initial assault. I can't remember who it was that said "You go to war with the army you have", but I think it was pretty accurate....

And no "plan" survives it's first encounter with reality. Try planning a wedding, vacation, weekend with family, a day at the park. All of these plans require lots of on-the-fly adjusting.

Posted by: _Jon at January 03, 2005 05:02 AM (grH7t)

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Well, 2004 was not too awfully auspicious. So, I am going to wish everyone a very much Happier, Better, more Enjoyable 2005!

Posted by: Teresa in FUN at 11:33 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Happy New Year, Teresa! I hope it's better for all of us...

Posted by: pam at December 31, 2004 11:49 AM (l6NIn)

2 .. same to you, Teresa... all the best to you and yours in 2005...

Posted by: Eric at January 01, 2005 02:38 AM (YlwMq)

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Yes, this week's Recipe Fest is ready for your perusal and Amy is having some real fun with it this week (holiday weeks being notoriously slow for this kind of thing). So, head on over and see what you can do to widen your eating horizons!

I missed last week's Carnival since I was out of town and didn't remember to link it once I got back... if you missed it too, then you have double the fun this week. Head over to Trudy's place and check out those recipes too.

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The Mudville Gazette will mark it's 1,000,000th visitor in January!!! Congratulations to Greyhawk - for having great things to say and saying them so very well. The number of visitors is a well deserved tribute to his excellent blogging (not to mention setting up Milblogs!).

I think we should throw a party. So keep your eyes on Mudville, when he turns the million mark, it's comment party time (Harvey, leave the Reddi Whip at home - it doesn't go well with sand - just grab that bottle of Champagne *grin*)

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The NYT has a most hysterically funny article today.

Internet Use Said to Cut Into TV Viewing and Socializing

One assumes that since it was in the NYT, they are serious about it. (whether or not it's true is another matter...).

The survey found that use of the Internet has displaced television watching and a range of other activities. Internet users watch television for one hour and 42 minutes a day, compared with the national average of two hours, said Norman H. Nie, director of the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society, a research group that has been exploring the social consequences of the Internet.

I'm shocked - shocked I tell you! People would rather spend time online than watching such uplifting shows as "Who's Your Daddy"... what's the world coming to? We need to stop this internet thing, it's truly getting out of hand.

But lest you think that only television is involved, oh think again!

According to the study, an hour of time spent using the Internet reduces face-to-face contact with friends, co-workers and family by 23.5 minutes, lowers the amount of time spent watching television by 10 minutes and shortens sleep by 8.5 minutes.

Does this add up to an hour? 23.5 + 10 + 8 = 41.5 (wonder what happened to the other 18.5 minutes...) but I digress. No the truly shocking thing is that 10 minutes of time NOT spent watching TV. Ad revenues will fall, "actor's" salaries might have to be lowered... oops do they pay for those yahoos on reality shows? Producers will make less money - they may have to give up something big... like a car or one of their pool boys or something. This is a CRISIS!!!

The researchers acknowledged that the study data did not answer questions about whether Internet use itself strengthened or weakened social relations with one's friends and family.

Here we come to the crux of the matter... the "socialization" part they claim to be worried about in the title... well, they didn't really study that so it might not be a problem after all! Amazing how that works isn't it!

And it was only a few years ago that people were lamenting the tremendous amount of time being spent in front of the television... it was breaking up families, ruining lives... my how times changed. One has to wonder if a story like this is just the beginning and if it has anything at all to do with blogs fact checking the NYT out the wazoo.

Posted by: Teresa in Idiocies at 01:34 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Not too long ago... although it's ages ago in internet time... One of my favorite bloggers kinda fell off the face of the blogosphere. It was very sad. Just tonight I was spending a little bit of time glancing through blogs I thought she might comment at... yeah, I got to 1 whole blog and then had to stop and do a few other things. I was going to get back to it later tonight... but then SHE APPEARED!

Out of the blue and in the comments... If you read her before, you'll know her again. So, my newest addition to the blogroll is "Liv" at A Waste of Biomass! Welcome back Liv - I'm so glad to "see" you again.

Posted by: Teresa in Weblogs at 06:34 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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No - I am not going to blog about the tsunami - many other people are doing a great job on that and nothing I can say would contribute in the least to making anything better. There's even a dedicated blog just for tsunami help.

Since I've been back, I'm still playing catch-up on lots of things, so I for tonight, I'm going to wander about looking for fun things people are doing.

First stop is Jim at Parkway Rest Stop... Now here is a man who knows how to have a great time! He's been visiting... Naturally the Usual Suspects are included and the Traveling Bar. And don't miss the Christmas presents...

Knowing that the Usual Suspects are often easily amused, Stardust bestowed some Christmas gifties on us:

You'll have to click the link to find out about the cool toys bestowed.

OMG - go check out John's Christmas present! Talk about Gun Pr0n... Way to go Beth!!!

The most lovely Cheesemistress is waxing poetic about the fabulous thunderstorms taking place in San Diego. Your quiz question for the day... where does Her Cheesiness like to be when watching those thunderstorms?

Poor Susie has once again been inundated with children who are not claimed by their parents when the movie has ended. In a heroic effort to help Harvey is soliciting signs that she can post in the lobby... suggestions are welcome.

Last of all head over to Tammi's... her day started out in typical funny Tammi fashion, but didn't end up so well. Any prayers, good vibes, well wishes, candles, voo-doo dolls... you get the point - send some of the good stuff out to Momma Vi so she gets well quickly and to Tammi so she can cope with her Momma and her sister.

That's it for tonight - too late for more... and I still am only part way through my reading. Yeesh!

Posted by: Teresa in FUN at 06:37 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Thank you my friend. For everything!

Posted by: Tammi at December 29, 2004 01:33 AM (QSZLe)

2 I say Tammi should leave the candles at the bottom of the pool. If she gets that blogmeet together, it would make for an interesting game :-)

Posted by: Harvey at December 29, 2004 03:54 AM (tJfh1)

3 Teresa: you're still doing a great job, as ever, keeping track of the fun in the 'sphere.

Me? I haven't; I've been "out." (You'll know who I am when you visit the new site. I think. If not, email me.)

Posted by: liv at December 29, 2004 05:01 PM (FaH5S)

4 A hint for your question: Where is the best place to look for reindeer poo?

Thanks for the linky love.

Posted by: LeeAnn at December 30, 2004 08:00 AM (vqSdN)

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He made the LIST!

He's been promoted to Sergeant First Class! That is very cool. And you can see how far behind I am in my reading - he posted this on the 17th! Anyhow, take a moment to give him a good word or two. He's been working very hard to turn recruits into soldiers (the hardest job there is I think). This is a well deserved honor.

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Has anyone else seen something similar to this? My Stat Counter has been listing a HUGE number of hits from a Comcast address (WinXP box) in DeKalb, IL. That's the only info I get, no referring link or even what page it loads or anything like that. So far this has been going on for the last 3 days with upwards of 300 hits a day. (makes the stats look good... but I'm hardly that popular!)

Over at Sitemeter - it's showing 56 hits for the day... hmmm. (Yeah this one is WAY more believable) I wonder what's going on. Anyone else run into this?

Posted by: Teresa in Weblogs at 02:08 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Well - yes I had a good reason... but still... While I was gone, SarahK announced she's on her way to Florida! She and FrankJ will soon be blogging from the same location. This is a good thing because they are just so cute and I hate to see such a happy couple living in 2 different states (and not even within reasonable driving distance at that).

So - Many Congratulations to them both.

Posted by: Teresa in FUN at 01:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 thanks. we're excited.

Posted by: sarahk at December 27, 2004 02:30 PM (HtWwm)

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Blackfive has a thought provoking post on the media and good news stories. He notes:

As for positive media stories, I've seen local Chicago TV stations try a "nice story" segment every night and then have to stop it because it doesn't sell ad space like a homicide or fire (which are important stories). So, I doubt that it would work for Iraq and Afghanistan.

So what would it take to get the Main Stream Media to change it's spots?

(And, ergo, what would it take to get the Main Stream Public to change their desire for car wrecks and disasters?)

Good news won't start selling until they report it as "news" not as some sort of sickeningly sweet, nearly distasteful type of candy. (the current style of reportage)

You will notice that "bad" news starts out with some semblance of fact where you can actually pick up the basic story, THEN they start adding all the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth by friends and neighbors. With good news you don't get that option to get the story then tune out... You have to listen from the beginning to dreck so cloyingly gooey it makes your stomach turn. They will even occassionally throw in the "moving music" to make your experience even more painful.

And therein lies the biggest problem of all. Not one single news person wants to do a "good" story. Those are the kind you get stuck with when you've ticked off your boss or you're the new guy on the block. I'm sure some people have tried to make the best of it and report it as you would the "real" news, only to be blown off by their superiors and have the story changed out of all meaning. After all - the culture in the news room is that only bad news sells, so only bad news is good. You can't possibly do a decent good news story or people might start to change their minds...

I am afraid that no matter what the news, until they want to change the way the good stuff is presented, then no one will tune in. And until THEY actually decide that good news is worth not only reporting, but reporting well, it will continue to languish with no one paying any attention.

Or you could do what I do and just not watch them at all... blogs are a much better way to find the news - all the news.

UPDATE: Just after I finished posting this I ran across Mudville Gazette's round-up of bloggers on the Mosul attack of Dec. 21, 2004. I rest my case!

Posted by: Teresa in Ho-Hum at 03:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well, I'm back. But I don't know where to start, so I thought I'd just throw out a few things. I've been away from the news for most of the time I was gone (because I don't consider television or newspaper news to be "real"). And it seems like the world has been trying to make sure I'll never be able to catch up.

Oddity that occurred while we were down in St. Louis... Well as we all know, the midwest got a tad bit cold over the last few days. Yes, even down in Missouri. It seems that people were starting their cars and then going inside while the car warms up... (anyone who lives somewhere with a cold winter knows that this is the most comfortable - not to mention better for the car - way to do things) Now it seems that there were a number of cars being stolen under these circumstances (also not an unheard of thing in a city of any size). However, St. Louis decided on a unique solution to this - ahem - "problem".... Ticket the people starting their cars to warm them up - unless they stay in the car, out in the cold!

Oh yeah. You know - the police can't be bothered to do their job, so they'll punish the victims. Ya gotta love it. It's the quintessential government solution to a problem. Stick it to the person you can actually get hold of, instead of the perpetrator of the crime.

I suppose this is what I get for watching the local news... sheesh. I know, small potatoes next to the Ukraine election, the tsunami, and the hideously bad call by the refs in the Bears game... but an amusing story nonetheless. (that is until the cops start going door to door to make sure you've locked up tight for the night and then stomping up to your bedroom to give you a ticket if you forgot to throw the deadbolt...)

Posted by: Teresa in Life Stuff at 06:21 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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This morning my mother in-law passed away. It wasn't unexpected, she had Alzheimer's and has been in a nursing home for 3 years. It was just unexpected at this time as things had been pretty stable for quite a while.

So, posting will be light to non-existent for the coming week.

Posted by: Teresa in Life Stuff at 12:33 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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Do you run the firewall on Windows XP... the one that came with Service Pack 2? Then you will need to sneak over to Microsoft and get the latest patch for a Critical Vulnerability. Yeah, it was just released today. Bet ya didn't hear about it though, did ya?

Users who installed SP2 on their Windows XP machines and also have file and printer sharing enabled may have been sharing their files and printers with the entire Internet, according to Microsoft.

By default, file and printer sharing makes changes to the SP2 firewall to give computers on the "local network" access to shared resources. However, the definition of that local network depends on the Internet service provider (ISP). In some cases, especially with dial-up ISPs, it meant the entire Internet, according to Microsoft.

But hey, let's not tell anyone about it 'kay? Just keep it quiet and low key - no one will ever have to know...

Microsoft first discussed the firewall issue in an article on its Web site in September. A "critical" update for Windows XP SP2 was released on Tuesday. However, though issued on the same day, the update was not part of Microsoft's monthly security updates. That's because security updates are only for software vulnerabilities, according to Schare.

"A vulnerability is a software bug that needs to be repaired to avoid a security issue. This is a configuration setting that shipped with Windows XP that was not optimal, but that is not classified as a security vulnerability," he said.

You see... silly people this is a "configuration issue" it couldn't possibly be classified as a "security issue" even if everyone and their brother can see your files on the internet...

And Microsoft wonders why people don't take their security prattling seriously!

Posted by: Teresa in WebTech at 11:53 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Hosted this week by the lovely and talented SarahK! Head over to the latest Carnival see all the wondrous good food! There are a huge number of recipes this week. Lots of great things for winter eating! And if you're in the midwest, sounds like that comfort food will be needed soon - frigid air is headed our way for the weekend! So fire up the stove and start cooking!

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Well, to update you (if you are at all interested) in the struggle to get my son's ticket changed from one date of departure to another date 2 weeks later... See here for the beginning of the story through Tuesday.

Wednesday, I called the airline again, talked to yet another person and explained what was going on. In other words, I have been trying since Friday to find out the price of the ticket change. The seat is reserved, all I have to do is pay for it! She looks through whatever they have on the file and says - "Oh no, they put you in the wrong queue! I'll have to put you into the correct one. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a couple more days to find out!"

At about this time I was ready to scream (I was polite though). I said, can you mark it as important or urgent or something so they can get it done? I've already waited 6 days. Whereupon she told me she would put the request in and make a note that it is urgent. (In other words - she is putting the urgent request - inside the message, not marking the outside - so they won't even look at it until they are damned well ready). Then I'm supposed to call back tomorrow.

That would be today. I called them - TWICE! First time I think I got the same guy I talked to on Tuesday, who told me I wasn't important enough to get any sort of service in the foreseeable future. He said - sorry no information - call back later. I said , Is there anything I can do to expedite this? He said "Huh? Expedite?" I said, Never mind.

I called back a couple hours later. When yet another person tells me... I'm very sorry, but there's no word yet. I said, It's been 7 DAYS - what would YOU do? She said, well, you can go to the airport and they can do it for you there immediately. I said - gee thanks - so to get this settled, I have to drive 25 miles to O'Hare (not just your average local airport) pay to park, pay tollway fees - because YOU can't give me a simple price!

So, that's what I did - I drove to O'Hare, got the F%&^ing thing changed. It took 15 minutes. Including the drive there and back - it took me 2 and a half hours to get the new ticket! I kindly thanked the woman, paid the extra and came home.

I am just FURIOUS! There is no excuse for customer service to be this bad - ever. Especially when you are talking about airline tickets that cost hundreds of dollars. Amazing. I WANTED to give them more money... and they simply DIDN'T CARE. How do they manage to stay in business???

Posted by: Teresa in Idiocies at 04:50 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Now that is a crock! I can understand a little delay, but to take over a week, and still be left in the dark, when a trip to O'Hare gets it done in a matter of minutes? Inexcusable. Was this the airline that you had mentioned to me, or did you end up having to change?

Oh, and glad it's worked out, and you can now try to restore your sanity.

Posted by: That 1 Guy at December 16, 2004 10:18 PM (YOWBQ)

2 Which airline is this? (I know you probably didn't mention it to avoid being sued)

I've never had this kind of problem, and I've changed international and domestic tickets several times. I have always been able to do it over the phone, and on occasion using the airline website.

Have to wait days to give a price change? What, do they not have computers there?

Have you written your tale down and sent it to the customer service department of that airline (and possibly to your Senator and Representative in Congress)? Given the subsidies (not that we call them that) we pay, I think you should be able to get some kind of refund.

Posted by: Jack at December 16, 2004 11:29 PM (7GUn3)

3 Which Airline is it, because with customer service like that I don't want to deal with them.

And they can not do anything to you for telling your story, your true story, to friends.

Posted by: Machelle at December 17, 2004 01:24 AM (ZAyoW)

4 You poor thing... I loathe O'Hare. Just the thought of having to drive there to change something that should have taken them 5 minutes... Ugh.

But I really want to know which airline it was as well...

Posted by: pam at December 17, 2004 03:56 AM (l6NIn)

5 Rhymes with...? :-)

And if you ever get the run-around from customer service again, try this:

Ask the roadblocker "who would I need to talk to in order to get this done?" They'll either say "Me" and then help you, or pass you to someone with more decision-making authority.

Repeat until satisfied.

Posted by: Harvey at December 17, 2004 04:27 AM (tJfh1)

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I heard about this on Rush's show today while driving about. Lucky for me, I found the link to the article over at Tim Blair's new digs. (which are very nice - and change your URL for him if you still have his old site bookmarked)

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, there has been a gross betrayal of women everywhere! NOW should be shouting about this from the front pages of every paper. Dan Rather should be attempting to make the connection between the Bush White House and this slur on womankind! What... you haven't heard?

Women more at risk from climate change: Canadian at UN conference

And what does this have to do with women's lib you ask?

Severe weather caused by global warming can pose greater physical danger to women than men, a Canadian attending a UN conference on climate change said Friday.

"For instance, often women don't know how to swim, so in a flood situation that can lead to a higher instance of death or injury," Angie Daze, a program manager with a Canadian group called Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change, said.

Now, call me dense, but I have been told from about the late 60's onward, that women and men are essentially the same. I have been told that women can do the same things men do. I have been told that women should not be excluded from jobs, etc... because they are just as good as men. So now this Canadian (and a woman) is telling me that women can't learn to swim so they can save themselves from the onslaught of floods (due to global warming).

****** interlude for hysterical laughter *********

Okay, are we back now? Have we picked ourselves up off the floor? dried our eyes? stopped shaking enough to continue reading??? Quit giggling or you'll never be able to finish reading!

Apparently Ms. Daze (is this a REAL name?) considers herself some sort of authority on global warming (I would question this but is it worth it?), however, she is a complete moron when it comes to floods! ***stopping to giggle some more*** Well, I guess they don't have too many floods in Canada, so possibly she has never really understood how they work.

Um - Ms. Daze, people who die in floods rarely die because they can't swim! They die because the undertow of the water drags them under, and unless they are very very very lucky, they won't have the strength to get back up to the surface - not to mention getting smacked about by all the debris in the water with you! Flood areas are not swimming pools with nice clean calm water.

Now, do tell, will your swimming ability matter if you are dragged under, tossed about, and smacked in the head with a portion of a house or car or tree limb? I don't think so, but feel free to elaborate... really, I want to know!

Needless to say, if you still feel swimming ability matters, shouldn't you be calling for world wide swimming lessons for all women, sponsored by the UN and financed by the USA??? After all we're the nasty people causing all this global warming - right? right. (something to do with that Kyoto treaty or protocol or whatever it is)

So, what other "scientific data" is brought forward to defend this claim?

"Women are highly dependent on the environment for their family responsibilities" in developing countries, said one environmental worker based in Bangladesh.

"Any type of environmental degradation impacts them more severely than men."

Mhmmm... what exactly does that mean? There may be some specific meaning that eludes me at the moment and I am too stupid to see it. How is it that only one sex is affected by the environment and not the other? Does this mean men don't live in developing countries? I thought I had seen representatives of the male of the species in news clips... but Dan Rather may be lying to us again and there are no men in third world countries... only women. Children aren't mentioned at all, so I have no idea how they fit into the picture. Are they more or less at risk? Do they even exist?

**** sorry giggling madly again ****

I still maintain, as I said in the comments over at Tim's place, that this is a parody story and the Canadian Press has been taken in by their zeal to show how "bad" global warming is... it's the only thing that makes any sense at all, since nothing in this "news" story has the least claim to sensibility.

Posted by: Teresa in Idiocies at 06:14 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Over at our Fearless Leader's blog we have the best reasons in the world why you should

We are currently at $6110 - John would like to see that figure go to $9000 to finish things off! It's the last day!!! So hit the link, give a little!

Posted by: Teresa in Military at 05:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I HATE international airlines even more! I have been trying since FRIDAY!!! Yes, FRIDAY to get a ticket changed from one departure date to another. I am still waiting for the F*&^ing rate to be recalculated. Yeah, they have business office that does this - which is apparently only open Monday to Friday which apparently can NOT calculate my rate in any sort of timely fashion because they are taking care of other people... not me... other more important people.

I should learn to be patient... sure whatever... On Friday I was told to call back Saturday. On Saturday I was told that the person on Friday never reserved the seat! WTF??? So, the seat was reserved, I was told to call back on Monday. I call back Monday - sorry no go - call back Tuesday. I call today (twice because I didn't believe the first person) and am told - oh no it's 3 business days - call back tomorrow. They haven't had time to calculate your rate because they are taking care of people who need their tickets today....

Well, what about tomorrow? Are they going to tell me to call back on Thursday because they have to take care of Wednesday's people? I am really pissed off! Yes, it's difficult to make me angry, but they have succeeded in doing just that.

I will finish out this reservation - because canceling and getting a one way ticket at this time would be far too expensive. But I will never again deal with this airline. I hate being told - as a paying customer (one they are going to get even more money from...) that I'm not important enough to get an answer to a simple question within a reasonable period of time. Yep - I will be taking my business elsewhere, even if I have to pay more. Because in the end it looks like I'm paying the same amount anyway...

Excuse me while I go find something to hit - HARD!!!

Posted by: Teresa in Idiocies at 11:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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That I see Sgt Major Hook leaving the blogosphere. There are good reasons... but he will be sorely missed. Keep him, as well as all the soldiers in your prayers.

Posted by: Teresa in Military at 09:59 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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