This page is dedicated to things I find just plain funny, off the wall , and that provide a break from the often overly serious nature of what goes on around us on a daily basis.
Friday, April 13, 2012
What makes a bush wild? Location, Nature, or simply enough Taxpayer TLC?
Here's your dilemma, your in the midst of construction on a $1 Billion California highway and right in your path lies a bush growing wild. It's a nice bush and you recognize it as a Franciscan Manzanita simply because all of your neighbours have them growing in their yards and you've seen them at the Home Depot garden center for around $16 on many an occasion. So what do you do?
a) Plow right over it with heavy equipment until it is no more than a smudge on the tread, then finish by laying down a layer of pavement on top. Problem solved!
c) Reroute the highway, after all this tale does takes place in San Francisco, land of the tree-hugger and Chevy Volt driver. (Nuff said).
d) Choose an entirely different option from any of the above.
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| The "wild" Money Tree, only found in it's natural state in Obama's USA |
Well if you are a bureaucrat or government agency you choose Option "D" and take immediate action. After botanist Dr. Daniel Gluesenkamp discovered the "wild" specimen growing in a concrete-bound median strip along Doyle Drive in the Presidio, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game developed a sixty one (61) page Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) outlining how the bush would be saved from the highway project that had uncovered it. No seriously, I did not make that up!
Soon work got underway to save this single "wild bush" from being destroyed by urban blight. After all how could any self respecting Californian or government bureaucrat ever look themselves in the mirror again if they let this precious gift of nature be destroyed.
Total cost to move this one bush? Only slightly over $200,000 USD!
Now before you jump to any conclusions about the cost bear in mind that this included the actual re-location and a trust fund for establishment, nurturing, and monitoring of the Mother Plant in its new location for a period not to exceed ten (10) years (including annual reporting).
Read the entire story here
And here’s the best part, once they removed the wild plant from certain death by highway construction, it was relocated to an undisclosed top secret location. Why? Because tree hugging nature lovers might trample it to death. “A single trampling event could result in damage or the death of the wild plant,” the Interior Department noted in the Federal Register.
So was it all worth it? Apparently (under federal guidelines) the plant is still considered "wild", not like those terrible $16.00 knockoffs available at Home Depot. Oh, by the ways this falls under the category of one of Obummer's "shovel ready" projects that received stimulus funding. To think, that I have actually suggested on occasion that the stimulus funding was a sham and a criminal waste of taxpayers funds at a time when the USA is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, shame on me.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Time to become a Vegan, if you don't want to insult the culturally sensitive
At times you just have to ask when political correctness will finally hit the wall. I mean surely sooner or later common sense will prevail and we will all stop being so sensitive and trying to ensure that every word or action meets whatever standards of political correctness are in force that day ( or, hour, minute, they change so fast who can keep track).
The latest bit of nonsense reaches new standards. Mary J. Blige (singer, songwriter, and rapper) was seen singing for Burger King's new Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap in a TV spot that aired earlier this week. However after receiving some backlash, the fast food chain decided to pull the ad. Here's the ad, see what you think.
So what was all the fuss about, well it appears that some enlightened individuals feel the ad plays to the stereotype that African Americans have a particular fondness for chicken. No, I am not making this up.
Naturally Burger King denied any such reason behind pulling the ad and stated it was a copyright and licensing issue that forced the decision. Mary J on the other hand cited what amounted to creative differences. Whatever the case the ironic part is that while neither party will admit that it has anything to do with perceived racial stereotyping it appears that the public isn't buying the lame excuses given. The internet is alive with articles about the role chicken plays in African American culture, some pro, some con, some just downright nasty. To most of us, chicken is just chicken, no hidden message or prejudices involved.
Naturally Burger King denied any such reason behind pulling the ad and stated it was a copyright and licensing issue that forced the decision. Mary J on the other hand cited what amounted to creative differences. Whatever the case the ironic part is that while neither party will admit that it has anything to do with perceived racial stereotyping it appears that the public isn't buying the lame excuses given. The internet is alive with articles about the role chicken plays in African American culture, some pro, some con, some just downright nasty. To most of us, chicken is just chicken, no hidden message or prejudices involved.
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| President Obummer having a sit down dinner with one of his close advisers, Al Sharpton. |
But if it will make Burger King and Mary J. feel better, here is a picture of President Obama and a close friend (of similar mind and political philosophy) sitting down to a chicken dinner. Hope you like it, because when OBummer hears that eating chicken has suddenly become politically incorrect he will shun the fowl like the Black Plaque (oops, no pun was intended, hope that's not politically incorrect, I would hate to be labeled racist)
Friday, March 22, 2012
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round.....
This one is too funny and shows that even the best laid plans can go astray. In the Province of Alberta we are expecting a provincial election to be announced sometime soon, and take place within the next two months or so. This means that all of our political parties are gearing up their political machines and getting ready to hit the ground running. From the Conservative's, our current party in government we have seen more announcements and action in the last two weeks that we have witnessed in the previous 6 months. They are particularly active this time around because polls are beginning to show they may have a serious contender to run the province in the form of the Wildrose Party.
So, maybe even more that most parties the Wildrose crew and their leader Danielle Smith are getting ready to take their message to the streets. However, it appears that the Wildrose party still needs to polish up their message and communications a bit, or at least when it comes to marketing material. I will let you be the judge.....some think its great, others thinks its a "bust". Regardless, it it had to be the brainchild and work of a couple of real "boobs".
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| The Wildrose Party - Campaign Bus(t) |
Friday, February 3, 2012
Roseanne Barr Runs For President
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| The "lady" herself |
Roseanne Barr released a statement Thursday announcing she is running for the Green Party's presidential nomination. She admits to being a longtime supporter of the party and looks forward to working with people who share her values. She said the two major parties are not serving the American people.
"The Democrats and Republicans have proven that they are servants -- bought and paid for by the 1 per cent who are not doing what's in the best interest of the American people," Barr said.
Barr has submitted paperwork to the Green Party for her candidacy, and the party's presidential nominee will be selected at a convention in Baltimore, Maryland, in July. On Twitter, Barr followed up her announcement by laying out some of her immediate policy priorities.
- Forgive all student loans, homeowner debt and credit card debt by "kicking out" the Federal Reserve.
- Institute single-payer healthcare within 100 days of her inauguration.
- Pursue those she calls "financial terrorists"
- Reconfigure American diets, shifting away from animal protein and toward protein from nuts (she owns a large macadamia nut farm in Hawaii)
- Fight for gay rights.
