Friday, September 4, 2009

Texting and driving

Basically anything that takes your mind and eyes off the road for a second is dangerous. Do it continually and there will be a nasty accident. As a volunteer policeman I routinely went to car crash sites, I even watched a few happen in front of my eyes, and they are never pretty. All parties involved are scared, shocked, hurt and basically feral. Things to be avoided if at all possible.

A school in the UK, as well as their local council, put together a rather graphic advertisement about why its best to stay alive also known as not texting whilst driving.

So think about it over the weekend....

kthanxbai!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is coming back to our screens shortly so I thought I'd tease you with a few scenes from the Tube of You.

I recommend no eating or drinking whilst watching these clips. Unless, of course, you enjoy having a very dirty screen....

kthanxbai!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Ballad of GI Joe - 2009

Watch.

Enjoy.

And count the famous people in it - I got to 8

kthanxbai!

How to Prevent Mosquito Bites

My previous post, I So Juicy, was so controversial and stimulating for the plethora of readers out there that I have been forced to research how to avoid mosquito bites altogether.

Here are a few ideas...

    * You pretty much have to stop breathing to not attract the attention of a mosquito, a big attractor for them is the carbon dioxide from your breathing.
    * It also seems mosquitoes are attracted by scents like perfumes, sweat, body odor as well as body heat. Unless you stop using shampoos, soaps, deodorants and detergents–it’s hard to be scent free.
    * From what I understand, DEET has proven to be the most effective mosquito repellent. DEET is pretty crazy stuff though, so if you’d like to try less harsh solutions, there are plenty of tips below for you to give a shot.

Something to keep in mind:

Since some people seem to be a mosquito magnet (c’est moi!) while others around them don’t get a single bite (Her Indoors), I have the suspicion that there could be a personal body chemistry factor involved. And that could explain why a remedy that works for one person, may not work for another.

I suspect that’s why some people swear by the Bounce sheet method, or the Avon Skin So Soft solution, while others have a different experience. Bounce nor the Avon SSS did a thing for me btw, but I did include them in the list below. I know a few people who SWEAR by them.

Basics for Mosquito Bite Prevention

    * Wear light colored clothing, mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothes
    * Keep your body covered as much as possible (including wearing a hat), although mosquitoes can find their way through the fabric–it does cut down on bites
    * Some things to rub on yourself to keep the buggers away

Rub these on yourself to smell good, and keep mossies away

    * Vanilla Extract: A few different recommendations for this one, each contradicting the other. Some say to dab Vanilla Extract on your pulse points, others say to rub it all over your skin & dab your clothes. Some say the cheap stuff is what you have to use, others say the real, pure Vanilla is the only thing that will work. Some say to apply it full strength, others say you can dilute it with water and spray it on. Play around with Vanilla to see what gives you best results–there are plenty of believers for this one as a mosquito deterrent so I think there’s something to it.

    * Garlic: This isn’t a favorite thing to do day-to-day, but if you’re going camping or hiking through heavily mosquito infested areas, try a garlic powder and water paste.

Apply to pulse points, behind knees, on shoes and ankles and a dab or two on your cheeks or somewhere on your face and neck. Remember–keep out of eyes. And maybe stay out of public places too
    * Essential Oils: Mix choice of essential oils with rubbing alcohol, or witch hazel, or distilled water and spritz on body or directly on cloth to rub on body (shake before each use). Or add a few drops in baby oil or olive oil then rub on skin. You can also apply drops along a strip of fabric (cotton) and tie around wrist.

*Make sure to avoid mouth and eye areas when using essential oils.

    * Citronella oil
    * Lavender oil
    * Catnip oil

    * Eucalyptus oil
    * Pennyroyal oil *Seems to be strongly recommended
    * Tansy oil *Seems to be strongly recommended
    * Basil oil
    * Thyme oil
    * Cedar oil
    * Tea Tree oil
    * Peppermint oil
    * Lemongrass oil

Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

Break off leaves and crush them roughly, rub them all over your clothes and skin. Toss the bruised leaves around the perimeter of your deck or patio. Also plant these in pots and arrange them around the patio. You could also infuse these in water and then use that as a spray.

    * Citronella
    * Lavender
    * Basil
    * Catnip
    * Pennyroyal
    * Tansy
    * Marigolds

Commercial Products That Repel Mosquitoes

*(other than DEET items)

    * Avon’s Skin So Soft (straight or mix 50/50 with rubbing alcohol)
    * Bounce Sheets (hanging out of a pocket or waistband)
    * Listerine (mixed 50/50 with household vinegar then sprayed all over body)
    * Vicks VapoRub
    * You can purchase citronella torches to stand in the ground or set on table tops

Household Hack

    * Spray garlic powder and water all over the yard and bushes. Use a fertilizer hose attachment. Will need to be done bi-weekly (approx) or after a heavy rain.

Items to Eat

*Daily

Apparently the smell that comes out of your pores from a steady diet of the below deters mosquitoes. The items aren’t meant to be combined, they’re just different suggestions.

    * Garlic
    * B1 Vitamins - like in Marmite

* Brewers Yeast
* Lemons

Good luck out there guys. Keep safe

kthanxbai!

I so juicy

And this time I've got proof.

The other evening I was sorting some of the boxes from The Move, in the 2 * 2 strip of grass we call a front garden. And I was bitten 4 times on the feet.

I decided that if I am to work at all in the garden I need to go out midday - seem sensible? I thought so too. So yesterday I went to organise some the detritus in the garden at around 1 pm. And got bitten on the crotch (YOWZERS!), the thigh and the neck.

Fine, these things happen.

Image via Wikipedia

A bit of Le Target's anti-itch creme and all is right with the world.

This morning I met with a friend at a small, local, cafe to go over a few aspects of my CV / resume. We had a cup of unpleasant, watered down coffee and chatted for nearly an hour.

We walked to my car and stopped in the shade to go over something - and I was bitten on my arm and hand.

I SO JUICY!!

I got home and asked Her Indoors where the anti-itch creme was and showed her the bite on my hand. It had swollen to scary proportions, but praise be to Le Target, their creme returned the finger to near normal size.

Image via Wikipedia

So next time someone asks how I am I am very tempted to say - 'Juicy - and I've got proof'.

kthanxbai!

World War 2 and all that jazz

Yesterday I wanted to blog about the 70th Anniversary of the invasion of Poland by Germany which was the wake-up call that started World War 2. I was worried that it might be a bit too serious, even morose, so deferred it for a day whilst I thought about it.

The Times newspaper of London gave me the push I needed to start the blog when I saw today that they were offering free ring tones of Winston Churchill's famous speech 'We shall fight them on the beaches'.

Bad taste? Modernity gone mad? I think its a sign of the times (no pun intended) when no news source that I read (Fox, Sky, Times, Telegraph, YNet, CNN*) even mention the anniversary of the beginning of World War 2.

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Peter over at Bayou Renaissance Man, has a couple of interesting posts about World War II;

1. September 1st, 1939

German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.

The attack comes without any warning or declaration of war.

Britain and France have mobilised their forces and are preparing to wage war on Germany for the second time this century.

2. Dame Vera Lynn - an icon of the struggle and fortitude of the British public through the blitz, rationing, the blackout and the sending off of the menfolk.

So go forth and read about the beginning of the war and spare a thought for the fact that the War changed the world in so many ways, for good and for bad.

kthanxbai!

* EDIT: some news agencies mention the marking of the anniversary but do not contain articles about the start of the war itself

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

First thing every day I check out which torrents have come in so that we can get pure un-commercialised TV piped into our veins.

There are a few sites I use such as Mininova, The Box and Isohunt. Today Isohunt had a '503 Error'. Nothing unusual there. Except that they put up this lovely little notice:

Someone has clogged the tubes!

Unexpected Maintenance in progress

We're not quite sure why we're down this time, but I'm sure we know about it and are working to resolve it :)

In the mean time, check out LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay) - Piano Cello - by Jon Schmidt. Finest example of the power of Remix!

Now that is not only great music but a great way to keep your customers happy whilst they're not getting what they came for.

Well done Isohunt!!

kthanxbai!

Wanna see my six pack?

The Nascar shirt really ties everything together nicely.

kthanxbai!

Three things you need if you want more customers

I don't remember who turned me to Seth Godin but I am grateful.

Seth gives sound advice, stuff you may not want to hear, but understand and agree with anyway. And always with a twist of humour to it too.

I really had my eyes opened by a simple blog he sent out a few months ago entitled 'Three things you need if you want more customers'

If you want to grow, you need new customers. And if you want new customers, you need three things:
1. A group of possible customers you can identify and reach.
2. A group with a problem they want to solve using your solution.
3. A group with the desire and ability to spend money to solve that problem.
You'd be amazed at how often new businesses or new ventures have none of these.
Image via Wikipedia
The first one is critical, because if you don't have permission, or knowledge, or word of mouth, you're invisible.
The Zune didn't have #2.
A service aimed at creating videos for bestselling authors doesn't have #1.
And a counseling service helping people cut back on Big Mac consumption doesn't have #3.

More of Seth Godin's blog.

kthanxbai!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Politically Incorrect Joke...

Copied from Ambulances, Boomsticks, Coffee who stole it from Warthog, over at Warthog's Wrants.

Three strangers strike up a conversation in an airport lounge while waiting for their respective flights ...

One is an American Indian passing through from Lame Deer, another is a Cowboy on his way to Billings for a livestock show and the third passenger is a fundamentalist Arab student, newly arrived at Montana State University from the Middle East ..

Their discussion drifts to their diverse cultures. Soon the two Westerners learn that the Arab is a devout, radical Muslim and the conversation falls into an uneasy lull.

The cowboy leans back in his chair, crosses his boots on a magazine table, tips his big sweat-stained hat forward over his face, and lights a cigarette. The wind outside is blowing tumbleweeds around, and the old windsock is flapping; but still no plane has arrived.

Finally, the American Indian clears his throat saying softly, 'At one time my people were many, but sadly, now we are few."

The Muslim student raises an eyebrow and leans forward,'Once my people were few,' he sneers, 'and now we are many. Why do you suppose that is?'

The cowboy removes his cigarette from his mouth and from the darkness beneath his Stetson says in a smooth drawl . .

'I reckon that's 'cause we ain't played Cowboys and Muslims yet, But I do believe it's a-comin'.'

kthanxbai!

Don't show the wife

The story of Four Horse

A man asked an American Indian what was his wife’s name.

He replied, “She called Four Horse”.

The man said, “That’s an unusual name for your wife.

What does it mean?”

The Old Indian answered, “It old Indian Name.

It mean….

NAG, NAG, NAG, NAG!”

from Bits & Pieces

kthanxbai!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Blogger ain't so bad

I read a few blogs on a daily basis, you can see my blogroll to the right to see exactly whom.

Through these expert, witty and informational Bloggers I have felt that there are a few out there who are not so enamored with Google's Blogger.

Image via Wikipedia

I have had some issues with it myself, namely that I want to change the preview in a feed to all of the blog, and not just the first 250ish digits. And I can't. And their Help Section is rubbish.

On the other hand the main moan I've heard form others is that the timing option - to send out a blog at a specific time and date - doesn't work.
But this weekend it did it for me. Twice.

So I guess I won't be ranting about them this blog.

kthanxbai!

Flutter - the new Twitter

Now that Oprah has named herself the Queen of Twitter, and that nonce from That 70's Show who is going out with Demi Moore was the first to get 1,000,000 followers on Twitter, we are now looking ahead to what the next technology is.

Flutter: The New Twitter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeLZCy-_m3s

Image via CrunchBase

Why the url adn not a fancy YouTube video? Because the buggers wouldn't let me upload the video!! Despite / to spite them go there and have look.

I'm too tired to work around the problem. And too lazy i guess.

kthanxbai!

Wrong. Just plain doggone wrong

Sadly there are extremists in this world. And here are photos of their 'handywork'.

And may The Lord have mercy on their souls.

Camel? You've got a bloody poodle. If you wanted a camel go back to the pet store and ask the googly eyed bloke behind the counter for a camel.

Snail and flowers? What do you think people are going to say to you when you walk down the street - "Nice Garden"?

More likely they'll ask if you've taken your medication today.

See 'Camel' above, but replace the word 'camel' with 'panda'.

You sick bastard.

Wrong.

Oh so very, very wrong.

I'm going to find you and sedate you. Then I'll take your placid body and spray paint ALL of the hairy parts purple, red, yellow and pink.

And then I'll laugh.

More at the link.

kthanxbai!

Friday, August 28, 2009

My Father, The Inglourious Basterd

No Dad, I don't mean you!!

Kim Masters writes about her father and his role in the forefront of the liberation of Europe in the Second World War

Quentin Tarantino's ultra-violent Nazi revenge movie may have plenty of drama but the real story is even better. Kim Masters on the heroic band of Jewish commandos known as X Troop.
My father was an Inglourious Basterd. Actually, he was the opposite of that. But he was a Jewish commando in the British Army during World War II.

And for my father, this fight was very personal. A native of Vienna, he belonged to a secret unit made up of refugees from the Nazis. They went on reconnaissance missions in enemy territory; they stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day; they shot at, blew up, captured, and interrogated German soldiers.

They didn’t take scalps or carve swastikas into anybody’s forehead.

Those fanciful elements are present in Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s cartoonish tale of an American death squad made up of Jewish soldiers. Their commander (Brad Pitt) exhorts them to bring him the scalps at least 100 Nazis each. Soon after, the Tarantino violence-porn begins.
There's more at the link.

kthanxbai!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Left hanging

I've seen some bad driving in my time, but this lady takes the biscuit!

Door County authorities are trying to figure out how a motorist ended up near the top of the east arm of the Maple-Oregon Bridge across Sturgeon Bay after the arms of the drawbridge were lifted to a 45-degree angle.

The incident happened about 6 p.m. Thursday, but police didn't learn about it until after news reporters began calling to confirm the authenticity of the photos, Porter said.

"At first we thought someone was just playing around with Photoshop," Porter said. "It really is amazing."

"It appears to be human error," Porter said.

Police said they were hoping that the motorist will contact them.

"She's not in any trouble," Porter said. "We just want to talk to her and find out how this happened so we can make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"I want to ask her what was going through her mind and how hard she had that brake pushed down."

kthanxbai!

I received this in an email today. I've seen it before but wanted to share it here for the few who stop by to read. (And I thank you for doing so). I'm not posting this because of how I feel about the current wars we are in. That's a discussion for another time. I'm posting this because I am more than weary of today's American citizens who don't seem to have the courage or time or desire to stand up for those who have (and who are) served our nation. It's just pitiful. Plain pitiful.

At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country`s prior actions, here`s a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.

Image via Wikipedia

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here?

DeGuale did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop

When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."

You could have heard a pin drop

hat tip to Tankerbabelc

kthanxbai!

Monday, August 24, 2009

More about The Move

Amazingly we have survived the move and I am back to 'normal' bloggage.

I just wanted to share with you an exceptionally random event that happened to us before we moved.

Firstly, let me warn you, it was an act of violence.

Mrs Jumblerant, Baby Jumblerant and I were walking to the car to go to the new house to clean it when we saw a man walking his dog. Nothing unusual there.

The dog was wearing a bandanna and I mentioned to Mrs J that I assumed that the owner slept with the dog in the same room. Anyway, he looked like a pleasant guy, picking up his dog's doings after it.

Another chap walked out of the building next to where our car was parked. I recognized the man as a 'non-local'. He looked wary and was not dressed or walking like the locals.

From NOWHERE the chap with the dog walloped the interloper in the face and shouted 'who the hell do you think you are?'. And then he smacked him again 'Get out of here' he screamed and lifted the guy up by the collar and literally kicked him in the pants all the way down the street.

We can only guess what the story was about but having lived in Jerusalem for a total of 17 years neither Mrs J nor I had ever seen something like that on the street in the middle of the day.

I guess we're just happy to be out of there.

kthanxbai!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Cute Kea

Whilst you were having your first cup of coffee this morning I was busy volunteering at my local zoo, in the Australasian House.

The cutest animals are the infant Kea (and yes, that's the plural and singular!). And whats cuter than a baby Kea nibbling at your shoelace?

2 baby Kea nibbling at your shoelace!!

kthanxbai!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Bike dancing - its crazy!

Kunstrad EM 2009 Carla und Henriette Hochdorfer

I can understand break dancing, jive dancing slow dancing even line dancing but bike dancing? Watch and enjoy.

If the video doesn't show in here go to the link: http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2009/08/bike-dancing.html

Hat tip to Damn Cool Pics

kthanxbai!

British sniper shot Taliban commander

So a British sniper shot a Taliban commander. Big deal eh? Nothing to it. Lay in wait under a camouflage net for a few hours near the guy's haunts and the enemy will just walk by. Shoot the nasty man and be home in time for tea.

He calculated the range, wind and trajectory before pulling the trigger -
Image via Wikipedia
and the bullet flew 1,853 metres before hitting the target in the chest.

'I have to admit the first round landed next to him. We were so far away that he didn't even realise he was being shot at.
'We changed our aim and when I took into account different factors like the trajectory of the bullet, my gun scope was actually aiming at the top of a doorway.
'I fired and the bullet went off, coming down and hitting him in the chest.
'He dropped straight away into the arms of a fighter behind him. The guy just panicked and dropped the leader and ran away.

Now thats taking the fight to the enemy!

kthanxbai!

Does August have an 'R' in it?

Image via Wikipedia

Bad oyster costs man his legs

No, it wasn't some weird Nemo-esque robbery cum hit, it was just a serious case of eating oysters at the wrong time of the year and sadly getting infected with the virus Vibrio vulnificus.

PANAMA CITY, Fla., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- An Ohio man lost both his legs after contracting an infection from eating oysters while on a wedding trip to Florida.

Poor bugger. Maybe he wasn't supposed to get married in the first place? More of his sad story at the link.

kthanxbai!

Rat for lunch

The Drawn Cutlass drew my attention to this latest find. A Venus-flytrap cousin that is capable of eating anything up to the size fo a rat.
I need to be getting me one of these...

kthanxbai!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Okay, so I lied

Okay, so I lied - does it surprise you?

The last post was titled 'Busy day - oh yeah'. But it turns out that I am in fact doing sweet Fanny Adams! Mrs Jumblerant has taken the noise maker (aka Master Jumblerant) to a cafe round the corner so that he doesn't get in the way. The lads are packing and shlapping boxes full of our stuff down to the lorry.

And I'm just sitting here waiting to move.

$Graphic representation of a minute fraction of...$ Image via Wikipedia

And blogging. Because that's what I do. So to prove my ability at bringing you knew and interesting internet things (and I use that term loosely) here is a picture of the internet.

Actually its a graphic representation of a minute fraction of the World Wide Web, demonstrating hyperlinks.

Who said that Jumblerant wasn't edumacashional??

kthanxbai!

Busy day - oh yeah

Image via Wikipedia

We're moving today. From Jerusalem to Modiin. Its a big move as we've both been living in Jtown for nearly 10 years.

But we have to go. We're living in a 4th floor walk up with 2 bedrooms and quite simply we can't find anything bigger in our price range. So off to Modiin we go to a 3 bedroom, air conditioned, 2 gardened ground floor apartment.

We have friends in both cities so we're not going into the unknown, its just that its new. And as my sister explained to me yesterday, new can be scary.

So blogging might be very light for the next few days until we get the internet sorted in our new pad.

kthanxbai!