Mitt Romney from last night’s Republican debate in Florida when Tim Russert asked him “How would you run against Hillary and Bill Clinton in November?”
“I frankly can’t wait, because the idea of Bill Clinton back in the White House with nothing to do, is something I just can’t imagine. I can’t imagine, the American people can’t imagine.”
All the Mac ads in the world can’t stop Microsoft from posting a 79% rise in profits. This news makes me happy. The reason, I can’t stand those Mac ads. My problem with these ads begins with the casting. The Mac character is just the sort of unshaven, hoodie-wearing, hands-in-pockets Liberal we’ve always imagined when picturing a Mac user. He’s perfect, a little too perfect. It’s like Apple is parodying its own image. If the idea was to reach out to new types of consumers they ought to have used a different type of actor.
Meanwhile, the PC guy plays the chump in these Apple ads; his humor and likability are evident. The ads pose a seemingly obvious question; would you rather be the laid-back young dude or the portly old dweeb? But I find myself consistently giving the “wrong” answer: I’d much rather associate myself with the PC guy than with the Mac guy. Mr. PC gets all the laugh lines! And Mr. Mac comes off as a smug little twit.
Microsoft profit rises 79 pct, outlook bullish
Microsoft Corp
signaled confidence to a rattled stock market by raising its full-year profit outlook above Wall Street targets and reporting a 79 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday. Analysts took the results as a good sign for technology companies in the face of a slowing economy, and Microsoft shares rose 4.5 percent in after-hours trade. That followed a 4 percent gain in regular trade, representing a gain of more than $26 billion in its market value for the day.
The results and raised forecasts from the world’s largest software maker come on the heels of disappointing outlooks from tech bellwethers Intel Corp
and Apple Inc , which sent shivers through a U.S. stock market that shed about 10 percent to start the year, before bouncing. Microsoft reported bumper quarterly sales of its Windows Vista operating system and Office software and said anti-piracy efforts were improving results at an above-average rate.
Previously:
Windows Vista Has Fewer Flaws Than Mac OS X
Here is my take. A great quarterback would never let a woman distract him. Romo was obviously distracted when he had a career-low quarterback rating of 22.2 in the Cowboys loss to the Eagles. Tony Romo is a bum!
Look at Tom Brady. He is in top form every game all while dating supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Who is Tony Romo going to blame for next year’s playoff loss? Look in the mirror Tony!
Cowboys QB Tony Romo dumps Jessica Simpson
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has dumped Jessica Simpson, OK! magazine reported Thursday.
Dallas fans accused the entertainer of being a distraction to Romo and she was cast as a scapegoat after the Cowboys, who went 13-3 in the regular season, were sent packing in a surprise 21-17 playoff loss to the New York Giants.
“Tony is now starting to blame her himself,” an unidentified friend of Romo’s told OK! magazine. “Before dating Jessica, he was Texas’s golden boy. Now he’s become a joke.”
OK! magazine reported that shortly after the Cowboys’ Super Bowl hopes were dashed by the Giants, Romo phoned Simpson to end the affair. The source also said Romo wanted them to remain friends.
For Cowboys fans, the enmity dates back to a regular-season game Simpson attended as the star QB’s special guest. Romo gave one of the worst performances of his NFL career in that game.
The Dukes of Hazzard starlet wore a pink Dallas jersey with her sweetheart’s number on it, and looked on as he threw three interceptions in the 10-6 home loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Three days later, star Dallas receiver Terrell Owens said that Simpson is “not a fan favourite in this locker room or in Texas Stadium,” though he later apologized.
The rumours flew again when the pair took a week-long vacation in Mexico prior to the playoffs, which fans were quick to blame for the upset against New York.
The breakup came about after the couple couldn’t agree on living arrangements — Romo refused to move to Los Angeles, and Simpson refused to leave.
“It was the moment he realized it wasn’t going to work with Jessica in the long term,” the source told OK!.
Prior to the Simpson affair, Romo’s worst performance of his career came last season, also against the Eagles, with then-girlfriend Carrie Underwood cheering him on from the stands.
Previously:
Free Jessica Simpson Mask for Panthers Game Saturday
Muslims are offended by the idea of wolves trying to eat pigs? I guess if the wolf was a suicide bomber then they would accept it.
This is just another case of some Liberal idiots thinking they are taking the high road and showing their peaceful Muslim neighbors they care about them.
Three Little Pigs ‘too offensive’
A story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale has been turned by a government agency’s awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims.
The digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who warned that “the use of pigs raises cultural issues”.
Becta, the government’s educational technology agency, is a leading partner in the annual Bett Award for schools.
The judges also attacked Three Little Cowboy Builders for offending builders.
The book’s creative director, Anne Curtis, said the idea that including pigs in a story could be interpreted as racism was “like a slap in the face”.
‘Cultural issues’
The CD-Rom digital version of the traditional story of the three little pigs, called Three Little Cowboy Builders, is aimed at primary school children.
But judges at this year’s Bett Award said that they had “concerns about the Asian community and the use of pigs raises cultural issues”.
The Three Little Cowboy Builders has already been a prize winner at the recent Education Resource Award – but its Newcastle-based publishers, Shoo-fly, were turned down by the Bett Award panel.
The feedback from the judges explaining why they had rejected the CD-Rom highlighted that they “could not recommend this product to the Muslim community”.
They also warned that the story might “alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)”.
The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate pigs: “Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?”
Animal Farm?
Ms Curtis said that rather than preventing the spread of racism, such an attitude was likely to inflame ill-feeling. As another example, she says would that mean that secondary schools could not teach Animal Farm because it features pigs?
Her company is committed to an ethical approach to business and its products promote a message of mutual respect, she says – and banning such traditional stories will “close minds rather than open them”.
Becta, the government funded agency responsible for technology in schools and colleges, says that it is standing by the judges’ verdict.
“Becta with its partners is responsible for the judging criteria against which the 70 independent judges, mostly practising teachers, comment. All the partners stick by the judging criteria,” said a Becta spokesman.
The reason that this product was not shortlisted was because “it failed to reach the required standard across a number of criteria”, said the spokesman.
Becta runs the awards with the Besa trade association and show organisers, Emap Education.
Merlin John, author of an educational technology website which highlighted the story, warns that such rulings can undermine the credibility of the awards.
“When benchmarks are undermined by pedestrian and pedantic tick lists, and by inflexible, unhelpful processes, it can tarnish the achievements of even the most worthy winners.
“It’s time for a rethink, and for Becta to listen to the criticisms that have been ignored for a number of years,” said Mr John.
This is a true story. You can check the link at the bottom for more background from snopes.com.
Mr. DeVries was not the actual owner of the land. Stephen L. Tvedten, the actual owner of the lands’ response is hilarious, but read the State’s letter before you get to the response letter.
Here is the letter that was sent out by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ):
STATE OF MICHIGAN
Reply to: GRAND RAPIDS DISTRICT OFFICE STATE OFFICE BUILDING 6TH FLOOR
350 OTTAWA NW GRAND RAPIDS MI 49503-2341
JOHN ENGLER, Governor
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
HOLLISTER BUILDING, PO BOX 30473, LANSING MI 48909-7973
INTERNET: http://www.deq.state.mi
RUSSELL J. HARDING, DirectorDecember 17, 1997
CERTIFIED
Mr. Ryan DeVries 2088 Dagget Pierson, MI 49339
Dear Mr. DeVries:
SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023-1 T11N, R10W, Sec. 20, Montcalm County
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond. A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department’s files show that no permits have been issued.
Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated. The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris dams and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all unauthorized activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the strewn channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 1998. Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request, or any further unauthorized activity on the site, may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter.
Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative Land and Water Management Division
Here is the response sent back by the owner of the land.
Dear Mr. Price:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N, R10W, Sec 20; Montcalm County
Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed to me to respond to. You sent out a great deal of carbon copies to a lot of people, but you neglected to include their addresses. You will, therefore, have to send them a copy of my response.
First of all, Mr. Ryan DeVries is not the legal landowner and/or contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan – I am the legal owner and a couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood “debris” dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, nor authorize, their dam project, I think they would be highly offended you call their skillful use of natural building materials “debris.” I would like to challenge you to attempt to emulate their dam project any dam time and/or any dam place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no dam way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.
As to your dam request the beavers first must fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity, my first dam question to you is: are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers or do you require all dam beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request? If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, please send me completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits. Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated.
My first concern is – aren’t the dam beavers entitled to dam legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said dam representation – so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department’s dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing dam flooding is proof we should leave the dam Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. If you want the dam stream “restored” to a dam free-flow condition – contact the dam beavers – but if you are going to arrest them (they obviously did not pay any dam attention to your dam letter-being unable to read English) – be sure you read them their dam Miranda rights first.
As for me, I am not going to cause more dam flooding or dam debris jams by interfering with these dam builders. If you want to hurt these dam beavers – be aware I am sending a copy of your dam letter and this response to PETA. If your dam Department seriously finds all dams of this nature inherently hazardous and truly will not permit their existence in this dam State – I seriously hope you are not selectively enforcing this dam policy, or once again both I and the Spring Pond Beavers will scream prejudice!
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their dam unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green, and water flows downstream. They have more dam right than I to live and enjoy Spring Pond. So, as far as I and the beavers are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more dam elevated enforcement action now. Why wait until 1/31/98? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then, and there will be no dam way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then. In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality (health) problem: bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the dam beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears are not careful where they dump!) Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
Sincerely,
Stephen L. Tvedten