Week 4 – I have survived Christmas


Now I knew when going into this deal that the first 4 weeks would be all kinds of brutal.  Thanksgiving, Christmas (x3), and a total breakdown of my daily routine (lack of regular exercise).  That said, my goal was to more or less minimize the damage.  Aside from a minor setback in week 2, I’ve actually managed to gain a bit of ground.  Now that Santa’s big day has passed, I’m anticipating getting back into a normal routine which includes exercise and a normal diet.

As always, read after the jump if you are interested in details.

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News from the WTF File.


Xmas at Auschwitz

As if this isn’t wrong enough, now according to Fox News, thieves have stolen the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign from the entrance to Auschwitz.  For those of you not up to date on your “Nazi Death Camp History”, Arbeit Macht Frei is German for “Work makes Freedom” and the sign (seen above) was the first thing Jews saw when they arrived at the camp.  Of course, for many of them, the next thing they saw was a gas chamber, making Arbeit Macht Frei perhaps the most cynical Nazi slogan of all.

I could understand stealing priceless works of art or archaeological treasures from antiquity, but is there really some sort of black market for this?!?  Is some Nazi sympathizer or racist moron out there thinking “Ya know?  I’d pay me a couple million bucks for that sign from Auschwitz.”  I can’t imagine anyone remotely sympathetic to the plight of Jews (or gypsies, or homosexuals, or Communists) in WW II thinking “Gee, I’d sure love to have that sign.” or even wish to see it destroyed since it is such a visible and well-known reminder of what happens when intolerance and racism run amok.

This definitely belongs in the “WTF” file.

UPDATE:  According the BBC News, Polish police are questioning suspects and the sign has been recovered.  The thieves cut the sign into 3 pieces and just walked off with it.  No word on if they’ll be asked to screw in a lightbulb anytime soon. (Sorry, that’s just too easy.)

Week 3 – The next party has been cleared


Holiday parties, where enough sweets are present to cause the thinnest of waifish supermodels to become Type 2 Diabetics in no time.  I got my diet back on track for the most part, and managed to avoid the worst of the temptations I faced this week.  Instead of exercise, I wound up moving furniture.  With respect to “time-under-load”, I’d say my muscles got more than they bargained for. (Hey, YOU try moving a solid oak entertainment center by yourself!)  I’m still behind schedule, however, this week represents the worst of the dietary temptations.  If I can make it to New Years with at least 5 pounds gone, I will consider this a major victory.

As always, the gritty details are after the jump.

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New Solstice Display Goes Up in Raleigh, North CarolinaFriendly Atheist by @hemantsblog


The Triangle Freethought Society put up a display in Moore Square in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier today to counterbalance a Christian nativity scene in the same area.

“While we support the freedom of religion and the right to free speech, we feel strongly that if the city of Raleigh is going to allow an overtly Christian display to be erected in our public square, other points of view should be represented as well,” noted Mark Zumbach, President of TFS. “Not doing so would have given the appearance that our city government is endorsing Christianity.”

Their display is a explanation of why we celebrate this time of year:


WinterSolsticeSign[1]

I think it’s positive without being disparaging — kudos to the TFS for the nice wording.

Even more positive is the fact that during the unveiling celebration earlier today, attendees were told to bring non-perishable canned goods or to make a financial donation for the Food Bank of Central Carolina.

(Thanks to Todd for the link!)

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And Now, a Message for John McCain from Chez's Evil Twin, GarthDeus Ex Malcontent



Look, you doddering old douche, I get that Alzheimer's robs you of your ability to form a coherent thought, to say nothing of rendering you unable to remember what you said and did 20 minutes ago. But for fuck's sake, don't you at least pay a couple of "old guy handlers" to stop you when you're about to spout something shockingly stupid and completely detached from reality? If you do, you should fire their asses, because they didn't stick a tube sock in your mouth before your appearance on "Fux News Sunday" this morning.

Since you probably don't have the slightest idea what you said, seeing as how it's now several hours after the interview, let me refresh what little is left of your memory: You claimed that Barack Obama has fostered a "more partisan" environment than the one that existed during the Clinton administration. You said:

"At least under 'Hillarycare' they tried seriously to negotiate with Republicans. There's been -- there has been no effort that I know of that -- serious across-the-table negotiations, such as I have engaged in with Democrats and with other administrations. And that was the commitment that the president made."

Wow -- really? Really?

That's interesting there, John, because I could've sworn that just a few months ago I watched Obama give a health care address on national television and speak in nothing but the most conciliatory and respectful tones toward the opposing party -- that would be yours -- only to have some disrespectful asshole from that party shout "YOU LIE!" at him like a drunk at a fucking redneck bar.

And you know something? Obama continues to reach out to Republicans. He continues to try to compromise with them and appease them -- to his own detriment, if we're being honest. This guy is still trying to make nice with the people who, since before he even won the election, have called him a dangerous, terrorist-sympathizing, socialist who wants to kill our grandmothers and who wasn't even born in this country. You fucking lunatics literally paint him as some kind of illegitimate pretender to the office -- you're so beavershit terrified that your precious country is slipping away from the control of white, Christian oligarchs and oligarch-enablers like yourselves. Your True Believers organize hilariously bombastic celebrations of willful ignorance and provincial know-nothingness -- you call them "tea parties" -- where they hold up signs declaring "Obama is a Nazi!" They bring guns to places where the President of the Fucking United States is speaking, tacitly threatening him and his supporters with "violent revolution," irresponsible nonsense that's consistently stoked by Republican lawmakers both on Fox News and, occasionally, in person. All this -- all this -- and you have the fucking gall to say that Obama's the one creating a toxic political climate?

Have you been mixing your anti-depressants with Cindy's Demerol?

Look, I get that after being stomped like a kid at a Cincinnati Who concert last year, you decided that it was time to get on your knees, open wide and start swallowing load after load of the GOP Kool-Aid again -- otherwise you'd have no friends -- but you can't really believe the horseshit you're shoveling. Obama's gone so far out of his way to make a group of people who are never going to like him happy that he's actually losing the support of a lot of people who thought they could like him no matter what he did. Even the spineless twerps across the aisle from you in Congress cede both the floor and their testicles to you every chance they get.

Oh, and by the way, I've got two words for you: Sarah Goddamned Palin.

Yeah -- this morning's little pearl of wisdom comes from the guy who unleashed the Retard Kraken onto the world. Sorry, but I'm not giving credence to one fucking thing you say until you apologize for taking a cynical political gamble that would've put a petty, feckless ex-beauty queen -- Idealogue Barbie; someone with more shameless, naked ambition than brains -- just one of your steadily faltering heartbeats away from the highest office in the free world. You wanna talk about somebody who's really fostered partisan enmity -- even in her current role as, well, a fucking reality TV star? Sarah Palin.

And you shot her into the American political system's veins like so much bad smack.

Thanks for that, John. Oh, and fuck you very much for emphatically embracing your party's current ethic of shitloads of hypocritical psycho-projection. You guys are right: It's everyone else's fault. Do yourself a favor, pal. The next time you think that, instead of announcing it on Fox, just go take a look in the mirror and address that person.

But first eat your oatmeal, then it's good-night for you. 5 o'clock. Way past your bed time.


Because you're old.

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No More Personal Websites Allowed In ChinaDerren Brown Blog


pcs

In a drastic move to tighten regulations of the Internet, individuals can no longer register domain names in China, and those who already have personal websites could lose them.

According to a statement on The China Internet Network Information Centre, as of this week, the only people who can register new domains will be businessmen or organizations, and all those new registrants will need to have both written application materials as well as copies of their enterprise’s business license or organization code certificate.

The China Internet Network Information Centre, which supervises domain name registration, says that the measure stemmed from concern over widespread pornographic content on personal websites.

Existing individual domains could also be in trouble. Website owners in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Henan, Zhejiang and Jiangxi said their sites were no longer accessible.

The Next Web

Week 2 – One Holiday Party Down…


This week could best be described as “Spectacular Fail”.  Not only did I fail to get in a single workout, but I had the second of several Holiday parties to contend with.  At least I have the satisfaction of being back where I started and not in any worse shape.

Two more parties this week, and of course, the big week next week with at least 3 Christmas dinners.  Workouts are key, so I’m going to cut this short and hit the weights right now.

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Week 1 – New Beginnings


So I decided to wait a week to start my next weight loss challenge so that I’d have 12 weeks, just like last time.

Most folks don’t have the stones to do something like this during the holidays since most of Western Civilization has made an institution of overeating during the holiday season.  In my case, I plan on “More turkey, lesss mashed potatoes and other carbs” and hoping for the best.  Between that and all the travel, I hope to minimize the damage done.

Aside from that, my workout plans involve Kettlebells 3 days/week, and strict adherence to a diet plan for folks like me who have “insulin issues”. (According to my doc, I’m a “managed” diabetic, which would technically be true no matter what I weighed.  I just don’t have to deal with the constant blood sugar monitoring and strict diet.  It is, more or less, a “Sword of Damocles” that I’ll have to live with, courtesy of genetics.)

For my week 1 numbers… Well, you know what to do.  Suffice to say that I do not expect to maintain this kind of weight loss over 13 weeks.

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