Chuck Z. posts his account of the Sooper Bowl here.  Thanks indeed to the wonderful folks from Soldiers Angels who made it possible for Chuck to watch his beloved "Stillers" beat the Seahawks!

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The Weekly Standard updates on the progress of  Logan Clements, the dot-com-millionaire cum documentarist who seeks to expose the absurdity of the Kelo decision by "eminent domaining" Justice David Souter's family homestead in Weare, NH to turn the property into a bed and breakfast that will be known as the "Lost Liberty Hotel".  From the article:

"Clements likens himself to firefighters who, to combat a raging blaze in the forest, will sometimes set small fires in its path to starve the original fire of fuel before it can become an all-consuming wildfire, thus "fighting fire with fire." His numerous critics suggest that he's engaging in vigilantism, and that this is tantamount to protesting capital punishment by killing the guy who throws the switch on the electric chair. But that's a hard sell. Vigilantes operate outside the law, and it's illegal to kill the executioner. By contrast, Clements is operating inside the law, illustrating its absurdity by using the law against itself. "Why," he asks, "should the law be beyond its own reach?""

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John McCain lays the smackdown on Barack Obama:

Dear Senator Obama:

I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership's preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won't make the same mistake again."

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:38 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 IE my Senator is a two faced lying snake in the grass... Yep, that seems right for our politicians.

Posted by: Contagion at February 07, 2006 11:46 AM (Q5WxB)

2 You know what Senator McCain said to me and Carren after bringing Bob *spit* Schiffer along with him to visit me in Walter Reed? "Well, we all know why we're here... for the Photo-op."--in case you missed it, them are quotation marks. I don't know if it's about balls. If you wanna chew ass for someone pulling out of a deal, do so in private. What is his purpose in posting the letter on his website? Surely, he doesn't expect Obama to read his site for umbrage. You don't suppose it could be to garner publicity (even a little bit) if the media picks up on his scathing little memo? (No bad press, after all.) A bigger--wait, he's short, really short--and I only met him while I was lying down--no, a better man would've chastized him face to face, called him out to the steps for a fight, or, God Forbid, written a ground-breaking piece of legislature and then shunned Obama from having anything to do with it, other than vote for it. That's not to say that Obama didn't withdraw his support for other reasons... like maybe the lobbying reform bill that the pipsqueak was writing was way off base, or destined to fail, or just plain ineffective, and Obama decided that his "private assurances" were sort of like agreeing to whatever the older kid says just because you want them to like you. And, until you get your feet on the ground, it's best not to make enemies. John McCain is a nutjob, and is surely looking for another "Photo-op." And you can take that from a guy with only one ball. --Chuck

Posted by: Chuck at February 08, 2006 10:31 PM (5HrSC)

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I know I have been lax in linking them lately, but the current edition of the Carnival of the Recipes is up at Prochien Amy, including a recipe from yours truly.

Go Steelers!

Peanut had his first bath, complete with documentary photographs

And speaking of babies, no news is good news here and here.  Keep on baking Lindsey and Valerie!

And last, but certainly not least:
Best News I've heard in months:  Mikey's coming back. He pulled out the vent tube and he's trying to get his voice back!  Smash has the details right from the horse's mouth (although Mrs. Mikey is far too lovely to be called a horse)

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My goodness, I had no idea there were really THAT MANY words for "mass death" in the English Language... 

Just keep scrolling down, starting with the 4th photo.  Anyone else notice a pattern?

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It's been a looooooong time since I posted a recipe, so it's about time, and in honor of this weekend's Chocolate-Fest at Amy's, I give you a tried and true personal favorite:

Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Ready In: 9 Hours 20 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (Crushed Oreo or similar)
1/3 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, to be melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, same as above, you need it twice)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (love that Bailey's)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa powder. Add melted butter and stir until well mixed. Pat into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, white sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and flour. Beat at medium speed until well blended and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur; mixing on low speed. Pour filling over baked crust.

3. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), and continue baking for 60 minutes.

4. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill before serving. If your cake cracks, a helpful tip is to dampen a spatula and smooth the top, then sprinkle with some chocolate wafer crumbs.

TIPS:
If the top of your cheesecake cools too fast and cracks, you can also cover those unsightly blemishes with fruit (like strawberries or raspberries) or a chocolate whipped cream (use real whipped cream, you'll taste the difference)

This also makes a YUMMY cheesecake if you substitute Kahlua (or any coffee liqueur) or Grand Marnier (any good Triple Sec will do, I suppose) for the Irish Cream. Amaretto or Frangelico might also be nice, but I haven't tried them.

Enjoy!

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A quick perusal of the referrals to my site shows that I am #1 on Google for "my DH".

Which of course means that he is #1!

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I laughed, I cried, I wiped soda off the screen...

BrokeBack To the Future!

h/t Prof. Puppyblender

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Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

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1 You and I are practically twins

Posted by: Ith at February 03, 2006 11:05 AM (+T0G3)

2 Boy was my result boring - - medium across the board.

Posted by: Anita at February 03, 2006 11:58 AM (oCT3A)

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From recent bloggy find Aaron of Subject To Change:

"The state of our union could not be stronger. In the year 2001, this nation was brutally attacked by an organization bent on the destruction of our way of life. Yet, just a few short years later the average American is mostly concerned with what's on the TV, especially since it's Oscar season. This demonstrates the strength of the American people. Even the most tragic of events can't stop us from pursuing our dreams.

We have kept ourselves safe by fighting terrorism at its source: Walmart. Walmart's low-low prices are increasing individual's buying power and creating a critical mass of useless crap in every household. Unless this menace is stopped, all of our natural resources will be turned into excessive packaging and landfilled out of existence. So long as we remain focused on fighting the evil empire that is destroying our culture from the inside, we have nothing to fear."

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But any day is a good day for 24...

For Bou, Ben, Jen, and the rest of the 24 crew:  Top 60 Facts about Jack Bauer
(yeah, I know it should really be just 24, but I didn't make it up... Think of it as each minute in one hour.  That ought to work)

My personal favorites (hmmm.... there are 12, read 'em twice and you'll have that list of 24):

"If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice."

"Guns dont kill people, Jack Bauer kills people."

"Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland.  Jack Bauer gets played by no man."

"Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry."

"When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out."

"Jesus died and rose from the dead in 3 days. It took Jack Bauer less than an hour. And he's done it twice."

"What color is Jack Bauer's blood?  Trick question.  Jack Bauer does not bleed."

"Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Jack Bauer laughs at Superman for having a weakness."

"1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight."

"Lets get one thing straight, the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you."

"Your attraction to Jack Bauer in no way affects your sexual orientation."

And finally: "Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away."

And for more random facts about Jack Bauer, go here.  You can also rate the Jack Facts.

h/t robbo

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