Archive for March, 2007
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Tuesday, March 20th, 2007Read this article taken from wfaa.com:
Pet Killers
WASHINGTON – Seven animals died in tests of suspect dog and cat food by the manufacturer after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country, the government said Monday.
A federal investigation is focusing on wheat gluten as the likely source of contamination that sparked a recall last Friday of 60 million cans and pouches of the suspect food, said Stephen F. Sundlof, the Food and Drug Administration’s top veterinarian.
The ingredient, a protein source, is commonly used as filler.
Agency investigators are looking at other ingredients as well. The wet-style pet food was made by Menu Foods, an Ontario, Canada-based company.
Menu Foods told the FDA it received the first complaints of kidney failure and deaths among cats and dogs from pet owners on Feb. 20. It began new tests on Feb. 27.
During those tests, the company fed its product to 40 to 50 dogs and cats and some seven animals – the mix of species was not immediately known – died, Sundlof said. The contamination appeared more deadly to cats than to dogs, he said.
The recall now covers dog food sold throughout North America under 51 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands, including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was sold under both store and major brand labels at Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers
I can’t describe how reading something like this news article makes me feel. It makes me want to call up my old friend Frank Castle and send him on up to Canada. I’m not saying that to be witty or humorous, either. I’m serious.
We’ve all read about the danger certain kinds of pet food is posing to our animals. It’s scary, but I’m sure all of us have emptied out our cupboards of the stuff. I had some of it here that my roommate and I are pretty sure was causing Cecil the Cat’s stomach problems that he’s had in the past. We no longer give him this food, and he’s been fine…but looking at him sleeping over on the couch makes me wonder how a company like this can willingly kill a cat like him. What kind of people are these that are testing this food to see if it will kill these animals?
There’s got to be another way of testing it. I’m no scientist, but I’m sure one could easily come up with a way. We don’t need to be killing animals to prove something will kill an animal. I, personally, know that a bullet will kill a cat but don’t have to shoot one to prove it.
My old French teacher, Mr. Townsend, used to tell our class that we made his “blood boil.” Now, I know how he felt.
Four Years Ago Yesterday.
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007A war began.
The cost has been high. 3,213 U.S. deaths currently confirmed by the D.O.D. with another 24,042 officially listed as wounded. 5 more deaths await D.O.D. confirmation. Number of those deaths that came after Bush told us “Mission accomplished”: 3,079. The death toll for non-U.S. coalition troops is listed at 257. There have also been between 59,326 and 65,160 civilians killed by military action.
No link to the 9/11 attacks have ever been made to Iraq, no WMDs found and Bin Laden has been forgotten.
All this time wasted and all these lives lost and we still don’t have a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Democrats are pushing for a troop withdrawal. The Republican side argues back with their standard “the terrorists will win” bullshit to try to instill more fear into the nation and keep us behind them like a herd of scared sheep.
All this and what amuses me the most is, while less than one-third of Americans support the war, Bush threatens to veto any measures passed to push through a troop withdrawal.
The fuck?
Last I checked he was elected by the people of this country to work for the people of this country. Basically a civil servant with less requirements and more power.
Now, I’m not saying that Bush should just cave in and pull all the troops out now but I think he should at least be coming to the table. Problem is, he knows he is on the way out and the Republicans along with him. By not making any decisions about the war the Democrats will have a giant hole to dig out of when they take over the White House.
So that is what it takes? 4 years and a ton of deaths to give the other team a wedgie.
Attention Pedophiles!
Monday, March 19th, 2007I know you’re probably all scared and worried that you’re gonna be the next caught on Dateline’s “Predators” program. I’ve got a tip for you on how to ensure you’re not being set up:
STOP TRYING TO SLEEP WITH CHILDREN!
Nobody Likes Me
Tuesday, March 13th, 2007Nobody likes me
It’s all my fault
Nobody likes me
Nobody likes me
“Oh yes we all like you”
“We like you a lot”
“Yes we all like you”
“Yes we all like you”
I never get a letter
“We have no time”
Never ever get a call from you
“We have no dime”
Neeeever call, never write
“Yes we do always try”
Make me cry all the night
“Sorry we made you cry”
Make me mad, Make me sad
Tell me true, what can I do?
“Way too late can’t make up”
“All the hate has built up”
“Alllright we all hate you”
“We hate you a lot”
“We hate all your family”
“We hate your dog Spot”
Even Spot?
“Yes”
Those words were sung by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame non-Inductee Alice Cooper, and they ring true now not only for him but for a number of deserving bands who have been overlooked by Hall of Fame induction committee.
Reading Chuck’s last post regarding Grandmaster Flash got me thinking about this. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding their induction, when the real controversy should be surrounding those overlooked bands who are worthy of induction. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five is the first hip-hop band to be inducted into the Hall, and they are very deserving of this honor. But Van Halen? Eddie can play guitar, but good as he is he’s not the great innovator everyone makes him out to be. Van Halen’s songwriting skills were mediocre at best. David Lee Roth didn’t even show up to the ceremony. The Ronettes? Talented as they were, they were merely a vehicle for Phil Spector. Seriously, I can think of many other bands that should have been inducted first.
1.) Alice Cooper. You could say that I’m biased toward him being inducted into the Hall because I’m a huge fan. That’s very well true, but the reason I’m a huge fan is because he’s good. His goth-glam style paved the way for much of the music that came after him. Without him there would be no KISS, Marilyn Manson (although I could live with that), Judas Priest, or any of the 70’s-present hard rock bands as we know them. The face of rock and roll would have been much different, probably much more boring. He was one of the innovators of the theatrical rock & roll stage show, frightening and enthralling concert goers since the early 70’s.
Aside form the image and theatrics, Alice Cooper along with the various incarnations of his band were accomplished songwriters. Bob Dylan himself has said that Alice is a very underrated songwriter. It’s easy to figure out why, too. People are too afraid to look below the surface. All they see is a long-haired, make-up wearing rocker who occasionally dresses in drag. And that’s what the Hall sees, too.
2.) KISS. I’ve never been a huge fan of the KISS phenomena. In recent years they seem to be a product of a great marketing firm rather than the hard rock band they started out to be. Nowadays you can buy just about anything with the KISS endorsement. I’ve seen KISS cologne, KISS wall clocks, KISS bedding and even a KISS coffin. Yeah, it might have gotten a bit out of hand.
Say what you will about them, though. Call them sell-out. Call them poseurs. Call them whatever you want to call them, but nobody can deny the impact KISS has had on the hard rock scene since their inception in the 1970’s. Not only did they have a stage show that people hadn’t experienced before, they had phenomenal guitar driven rock that was just awesome. Between the gravelly vocals of Gene Simmons and the range of Paul Stanley, KISS became an overnight sensation – and they’ve been rocking strong ever since. Their hard rock sound opened the gates for bands like Van Halen to get into the scene. But, again, overlooked by the Hall of Fame because they can’t see past the make-up.
3.) Rush. When I was first exposed to Rush, I hated them. I hated them for no reason whatsoever. I hated them because some guys I couldn’t stand in college loved them.
But, then I listened to them. I always called them nerd-rock because their sound is very technical, very precise. And that’s what’s great about them. They write and perform these technically-charged rock tunes which are at the same time good rock & roll. Rush paved the way for bands like INXS, Radiohead and Coldplay who will all make it into the Hall before them, if history keeps repeating itself.
Those are merely three of a number of bands being overlooked by the HOF committee. Some others who should have made it in long before Van Halen and ZZ Top (Yeah, they made it in somehow) are: Styx, Cheap Trick, Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, Jethro Tull, Peter Frampton, The Hollies – the more I list the angrier I get, and I don’t want to turn this into a rant.
As I said, I’m not trying to downplay the talent that’s already been inducted. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five deserves it. Hopefully their induction will pave the way for other deserving hip hop artists (Public Enemy, Run D.M.C.) to earn their rightful places in the hall. I just want to see those who are the most deserving get in.
Flash is in the Hall!
Monday, March 12th, 2007Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are being inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight.
To all those who think that putting a hip hop act into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “violates the sanctity” of the Hall obviously haven’t been there. If they had been they would have seen the New Kids on the Block exhibit.
As the innovators and inventors of hip-hop Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five deserve to be in there.
