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March 30, 2006

Funny Stuff - Thursday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Thu 11:57 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: Moron Revealed #26
Blue Star Chronicles: April Fools Weekend Chat

 

Catblogging - Patience Works

by Ferdinand T Cat


Gremlin Scritching FerdyThis picture is proof that even in this permissive day and age, human children can still be trained. The Gremlin in this photo is engaging in skritching, a practice in which a human scratches a cat's head in order to give the cat pleasure. In such situations, I always purr loudly in order to encourage her. You will notice that in her left hand she's holding a video game controller. Yes, it's true: the Gremlin is so besotted with me that she's paused a video game in order to make me happy.


I'm very proud of this accomplishment.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Thu 10:54 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (3) | More Catblogging

Visit the commenters: Laurence Simon Becki Snow PlutosDad

Modulator: Friday Ark #80
Life~Florida~Whatever: Carnival of the Cats Number 106

 

EMAIL Hell - Stock Pick Spam Loses Credibility by Tilting to the Left

by Ferdinand T Cat Hot Stock Scrambled Spam

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Thu 10:06 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More EMAIL Hell

 

Laura Ingraham - Perhaps a Solution to the Border Problem

by Ferdinand T Cat

From the opending of Laura's show today, a note on new developments in the whole immigration reform saga.

President Bush is in Cancun, with his amigo Vicente Fox, who is demanding U.S. laws be changed, and now telling Canada "you'd better change your laws, too".

I admit, I was a little taken aback by this interpretation, since I wonder exactly what President Fox would do to back up such a demand: send more illegal aliens into Canada?

That's when it hit me: if these people want a better life, why are they coming here to America? America, as anyone will tell you, is a very backward country ruled by an sinister oligarchy of corporations and their Republican stooges. Why don't the Mexicans go to someplace more progressive and enlightened? We have such a place in this hemisphere, and the occupants speak the very same language as the people of Mexico. I am, of course, talking about Venezuela.

We know that Venezuela is a much better country than America, because Cindy Sheehan said so. We also know that Venezuela must have a fairly open immigration policy as well, because they let Cindy Sheehan visit. So why are the Mexicans coming to America instead of Venezuela? Only because Venezuela is too far away! So, here's a real solution to the immigration problem: charter a group of planes to take illegal immigrants from the Texas border and air-drop them into the great socialist paradise to the south. It would surely cost far less than building a fence. Conservatives would support this idea because it stops the flow of illegal aliens, and liberals would support it because we'd be doing the undocumented workers a big favor.

I'm amazed no one else has thought of this yet.

Respectfull submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to Third World Airlift, Diane's Reform Plan, Stuck on Socialism, Venezuelan Common Sense, TMH's Sheehan Bits, News, Immigration, Funny, Right Wing Parachute Drop, Cigar Intelligence Aliens, Jo's Venezuelan Restaurant, Wet and Early, and Basil's Corporate Empire That Refuses To Hire People Who Don't Have an I-9 Form.

# At Thu 5:05 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Laura Ingraham

Visit the commenters: Jo

Freedom Watch: Carnival of the Rant #4

 

March 29, 2006

Funny Stuff - Wednesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Wed 11:27 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: PERV Meet
The Median Sib: How to be a Good Democrat

 

Laura Ingraham - High School Kids Protesting Immigration Reform

by Ferdinand T Cat

Today on the Laura Ingraham Show, Laura expressed dismay at the fact that high school kids were being encouraged to join the recent immigration protests.

To a certain extent, I can understand the reasoning behind using high school students in this way. When you're a teenager, protesting makes you feel grown up and important, and this may outweigh any consideration of whether or not the protest makes sense. But even young adults are being sucked in by the romance of this new protest movement. Here's what one college student had to say about making illegal immigration a felony.

I think it’s just inhumane. ... Everybody deserves the right to a better life,”

Okay, but there are lots of countries where a better life is possible. In particular, if they would be agitating for a better standard of living in Mexico, this whole problem would go away.

If you think I'm being harsh, ask yourself what makes that statement harsh: a general perception that prosperity and reform in Mexico is impossible.

Vicente Fox was supposed to be the instrument by which Mexico would lift itself out of economic stagnation caused by the corrupt PRI government; however, after his election, the more liberal of the two parties supporting his coalition government switched sides, leaving reform efforts paralyzed. So, after six years of reform government, nothing's changed, people are still fleeing north, and the United States finds itself in a situation where citizens of a foreign country who aren't even supposed to be here are demanding special rights.

I wish I were making this up.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 10:43 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Laura Ingraham

Visit the commenters: Jazzy Cat

Peakah's Provocations...: In Defense of the Law

 

EMAIL Hell - More fun with Link Exchanging

by Ferdinand T Cat

The link exchange is a time-honored method of raising a web site's visibility. You find another site with a similar theme, and offer to link to them if they also link to you. In the past few years, spammers have gotten into the act, using automated software to seek out websites and record the success or failure of the link exchange. Some of these automated programs look for anything that might be a feedback form, and as a result we are constantly bombarded with link exchange requests couched as carnival submission to the ever-popular No Carnival Selected.

Today we got several of these things via EMAIL. This, of course, destroyed any credibility the link exchange request could have had: it was sent to every one of our EMAIL addresses except mine. What's interesting about this one, however, is the reason they think Conservative Cat is a good fit:

Hello, I have found your website conservativecat.com by searching Yahoo for "islam muslim powerpoint presentation template". I think our websites has a similar theme, so I have already added your link to my website.

If you will not approve your listing in 10 days, link will be automatically removed.

We are in fact in the low eighties on the Yahoo list for Islamic Powerpoint Presentation Templates; however, if people are going to come here looking for advice on the topic, it is incumbent on me as a superior life form to insure they don't leave empty-handed. So here is my advice for people creating Islamic Powerpoint Presentation Templates:

Do not use drawings of the Prophet Mohammed as a background watermark.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 1:10 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (4) | More EMAIL Hell

Visit the commenters: cat beds Lilo The Random Yak Harrison

 

March 28, 2006

Funny Stuff - Tuesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Tue 11:59 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: Mmmm... Beer, Gurgle

 

The Human Element - A Comment on a Comment About Hillary's Campaign for President

by Bruce the Human Pet

It's a complete myth that men dislike Hillary because they're afraid of powerful women. Condoleezza Rice, Michelle Malkin, and my wife are all powerful women, and except for my wife I'm not afraid of any of them.

Trackposted to The Hillary Wrong Wing, Those Chauvinists!, Historymike's Campaign, Common Folk Using Feminine Intuition, Third World Fear, Right Wing Feminism, Jo's Campaign Speech, and Basil's Soliloquy Against Another Clinton Presidency.

# At Tue 8:09 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More The Human Element

Political Bloviation: Hillary on the GOP: “People who have never been acquainted with the truth.”

 

Carnivals - Mediocre Media Carnival.

by Ferdinand T Cat

Mediocre Media has been added to the Carnival Submit Form. It is hosted by Centrerion, and posts to this carnival can include topics such as media bias, poor reporting, ignorance, and all the "you goofed" type of stuff the editors of "letters to the editor" don't print. Other criticism of the media is welcome. The full political spectrum can submit their posts (Xenophobic material will be reported to authorities; don't waste your time). Related posts are accepted; use your judgement. Submissions are due alternate Saturdays, and guidelines can be found here.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 1:51 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Carnivals

Border Control: Habla usted espaol?

 

Funny Stuff - Monday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Tue 12:25 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

 

March 27, 2006

Notes from Ferdy - Sharon Stone Suffers Psychotic Episode In Newspaper Interview

by Ferdinand T Cat

In an interview with Liz Smith reported in today's Baltimore Sun, actress Sharon Stone went briefly insane.

I think Hillary Clinton is fantastic. But I think it is too soon for her to run. This may sound odd, but a woman should be past her sexuality when she runs. Hillary still has sexual power and I don't think people will accept that. It's too threatening.

Sharon Stone is most famous for her role in Basic Instinct, where she played a mystery writer who avoided committment using an icepick she kept under her bed. She also played a murdering socialite in Catwoman and was chosen to play Hillary herself in a 2004 biopic that was never actually filmed. Although I can't be sure without further research, it's possible that the stress of not being allowed to play Hillary, combined with Stone's disappointment at not being allowed to kiss Halle Berry on-screen in Catwoman could have pushed her over the edge.

If what I suspect is true, we should expect further erratic behavior from Stone. In fact, she could be so detached from reality that she might (just as an example) think it would be a good idea to make a sequel to Basic Instinct.

As always, we will continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to The Pirate's Instinct, Basic Correspondence, Forward Instinct, The Catwoman Wrong Wing, Hillary Watch, Hillary Clinton Nation, The Colbert Instinct, Imagine Hillary Magazine, Jo's Sequel, and Basil's Icepick Hidden Under the Bed.

# At Mon 11:59 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: WildThing doll

Conservative Cat: Update on the Sharon Stone Situation

 

March 26, 2006

Funny Stuff - Weekend

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Sun 10:24 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

 

Notes from Ferdy - More Evidence of Feline Superiority

by Ferdinand T Cat

Humans may be the dominant life form on the planet, but this does not mean they're the smartest. No cat in the world, no matter how ardently pro-life, would EVER consider creating this nightmare sculpture as a monument to anything.

There's such a thing as taste, people.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sun 8:21 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: The Random Yak

Don Surber: The Best Of Monday

 

Web Site News - Trackbacks Are Forever

by Bruce the Human Pet

The monthly archives for Conservative Cat now contain the month's trackback pings for Carnivals, Cat Posts, and the Ping Festival. This means that the trackbacks for a given list are not lost when they get old. The Ping Festival links appear on the sidebar below the research links. The Cat and Carnival links appear at the bottom of the page.

I think that this will increase the value of pinging one of our lists. We've had several instances where people were drawn to the main page or the Cat Lover Page because of the text in a trackback link and then followed the link to the site that sent the ping. Now that can happen on the archive pages as well.

I can't help feeling, though, that Ferdy had a nefarious purpose in forcing me to spend the weekend writing a Movable Type plugin, and that maybe it has something to do with the claw marks on the cheese drawer in the refrigerator.


# At Sun 8:14 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Web Site News

 

Notes from Ferdy - Cats at Home of Bournemouth

by Ferdinand T Cat

Bruce got an EMAIL today from an outfit called Cats at Home. Cats at Home is a start-up small business operating out of Bournemouth in the UK. Apparently, they are not very sophisticated about setting up on the Internet, because even though I run one of the most important cat-related web sites on the web, they decided instead that "a good fit" would be sharing links with our defunct Dice Battles site.

Cats at Home is run by Lucie Bright, who lives with 11 cats. I suspect that with so many superior life forms giving her advice it's difficult to know exactly what to do. Bruce lives with three cats, but he doesn't have that problem because the other two cats understand that I'm in charge, even if sometimes I have to be in charge from my hiding place between the two book cases behind the rocking chair.

Cats at Home is a pet-oriented house-sitting service. While you're gone, the Cats at Home people come into your house twice a day to feed your cats and perform any other cat-related maintenance. They'll also water your plants, which is critical if your cats want a change-of-pace vegetarian meal.

The idea here is extremely sound, because cats do not like spending time away from their homes. Humans seem perfectly fine with the idea of delegating responsibility, but cats prefer a hands-on management style that is simply not practical when you're locked in a cage 50 miles away.

So if you're owned by a cat and you live in the Poole Bay area, consider calling Cats at Home the next time you are going out of town. While you're at it, you can explain to them who I am and why I'm a lot more important than Bruce's other web sites.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sun 1:58 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Notes from Ferdy

 

Elijah and Mike - Elijah and Mike, Episode 2

by Ferdinand T Cat

Elijah and Mike episode 2Almost three months in the making, here is the second episode of the Elijah and Mike comic. Like its predecessor, it is written by J. D. and drawn by Barb Gigamaster. This means it is also copyright © 2006 by Jesse Derringer and Barb Parrello, with all rights reserved.

If you are not familiar with the bizarre language used by teenagers when they are in chat rooms or using instant message, you may want to read about l33t. Bruce has four electronically adept teenage daughters, so we practically swim in the stuff, but the rest of you may not be so lucky.

Click on the thumbnail to see the whole thing.


Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sun 1:20 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Elijah and Mike

 

March 24, 2006

Catblogging - Trying to Keep It Together

by Ferdinand T Cat

Ferdy on a very old chair
Here you can see me sitting on one of Bruce's favorite chairs. Bruce doesn't like the chair because it's comfortable, he likes it because it's older than he is. I think that makes it a genuine antique, but its resale value is limited by the fact that the plastic seat cover rotted away several months ago. As a sort of desperate measure to keep the thing from looking too hideous, Bruce's wife got a seat cushion and tied it onto the chair. There is, however, still a problem, because the cushion keeps sliding around every time you move. For this reason, you can see me holding on to the cushion to keep it in place. Now, there are some cynical people who think what actually happened is that I was sharpening my claws and one of them got stuck. This is, of course, a completely ridiculous accusation because I know I would get in a lot of trouble if I were caught sharpening my claws on family furniture, and I'm too smart to take needless risks.

I just thought I should make that clear.


Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Fri 1:24 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More Catblogging

Visit the commenters: Gigolo Kitty cfomahm

Modulator: Friday Ark #79
Blue Star Chronicles: Living for the Weekend Linkage
Comedian Jenée: People are Idiots: Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Britney Squeezing One Out
Blue Star Chronicles: Carnival of Blue Stars #7

 

March 23, 2006

Confused Americans for Truth - Shocking New Study Shows Dimes More Likely to Roll Heads

by Ferdinand T Cat

Michelle Malkin managed to get her hands on the Block Study document which shows that whiny kids grow up to be conservative. (I discussed the newspaper coverage of the study here.) The study contains this paragraph about the sample set.

The LIB/CON score distribution in this sample leans toward liberalism, with relatively few participants tilting toward conservatism. However, the crucial composite score, on which all data analyses are based, displays a wide, albeit somewhat skewed, distribution. To the extent there is skew, it follows that individuals toward the Conservative end of the score distribution can be expected to be characterologically more homogeneous than individuals toward the Liberal end.

This is a peer-reviewed paper, which means the methodology must be scientifically valid. I therefore had Bruce conduct a similar study of coin flips. He threw nine pennies and a dime up into the air and counted which were heads and which were tails. The idea was to duplicate in this experiment the kind of sampling used in the Block study. The coins were mostly pennies just as the study subjects were mostly liberals. The dime and four of the pennies came up heads and the other five pennies came up tails. This yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.33 between being a dime and rolling heads, a value comparable to the correlation coefficients produced by the Block study. Since the Block study is valid, Bruce's experiment is valid, too. Therefore, the next time you flip a coin, use a dime if you want to roll heads and a penny if you want to roll tails.

Isn't science wonderful?

Coming soon: a study showing that liberals are much more likely to watch Oscar-nominated movies than conservatives.

Scientifically submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to News, Interesting, Psychological, Right Wing Study, The Colbert Correlation, Jo's University Cafe, bRight but Not Whiny, and Basil's Comprehensive Study of Moonbat Developmental Traits.

# At Thu 11:59 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Confused Americans for Truth

Visit the commenters: TrustOnlyMulder

 

Carnivals - Carnival of the Blue Stars

by Bruce the Human Pet

The Carnival of Blue Stars has been added to the Carnival Submit Form. The primary purpose of creating the Blue Star Carnival is to facilitate communication among bloggers who have a special and sincere interest in the well-being of soldiers serving as part of the United States Armed Forces. Allied forces are also welcome. Submissions are due every Saturday, 8pm ET, and guidelines can be found here.


# At Thu 8:11 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Carnivals

 

March 22, 2006

Confused Americans for Truth - An Important Question About the Block Study

by Ferdinand T Cat

When newspapers write about a study whose results seemed a bit off, I try to find a copy of the actual study online so I can review the methods used. Sadly, this is not possible with the Block Study of politics and personal growth. This means that analyzing the study is somewhat similar to analyzing a George Clooney film: you can't tell how much is a result of errors in the original material and how much was distorted to make a more dramatic presentation.

So you see my problem with analyzing the Block study. Maybe Block knew what he was doing and the newspapers screwed it up. I can't tell. But I can tell that a lot of important information is missing from the news account.

For example, how do they tell the difference between liberals and conservatives? As I pointed out in an earlier article, political alignment tests designed by liberals are frequently based on a total misrepresentation of conservative beliefs. There's no question that this total misrepresentation is at the heart and soul of the newspaper article, because it says this:

The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests.

The newspaper article makes a big point out of the fact that there could not possibly have been political bias when they were measuring the whininess, but it is completely silent on what kind of bias might have influenced the collection of data about who grew up into what. If that data is biased, the whole study is worthless.

There are no numbers, statistics, or other hard facts in the newspaper article, so we have no way of knowing how strong the correlation is between behavior at 3 years of age and political bias. Perhaps 52% of whiny kids are conservative and 48% of them are liberal. In addition, we don't know what the result would have been if the whininess value were computed at 6 years of age, or 9, or even 15.

It's also worth noting that the Block study sample set was only 100 individuals. While researching this post, Bruce and I came across this blog article about a study of talk radio listeners that is flawed because only 360 people were interviewed. After reading that article, I came up with this useful thought experiment.

100 opinion polls are conducted on small sample sets. Of these, 41 have results which match the expectations of the experimenters. The other 59 have results that don't make sense. How many of these polls will be written up in the science section of the local newspaper?

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 11:59 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More Confused Americans for Truth

Visit the commenters: Harrison Kari

Blue Star Chronicles: What’s Everybody Talking About - Thursday 3-23-2006
Conservative Cat: Shocking New Study Shows Dimes More Likely to Roll Heads
The Owner's Manual: #122 Best of Me Symphony

 

Laura Ingraham - Improvised Explosive Interview on the Today Show

by Ferdinand T Cat

Expose the Left has the video from Laura Ingraham's appearance yesterday on the Today show. The article contains excerpts of the exchange between Laura, Democratic strategist James Carville, and host David Gregory, but it does not adequately convey the general rancor and contentiousness. Gregory did not seem to be able to make a statement to Laura without including at least one put-down, while Carville was fed one softball question after another.

Laura contrasted her own experience in Iraq amongst the troops to NBC's reports phoned in from "hotel balconies", and it got me thinking. Rush Limbaugh has an article on his web site about the Democratic National Committee's campaign strategy for the fall elections. The Democrats want to get soldiers who served in Iraq to speak out against the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, but as Rush points out, there may be rules that prevent active-duty military from participating in staged political events of the sort proposed in the Democrat plan. Well, I have the answer: Laura Ingraham has been to Iraq and is willing to talk about it. Her appearance with James Carville proves she is capable of participating in dialogue with DNC operatives. In fact, I'll bet she'd jump at the chance to help the Democrats get the truth out.

As always, if you're a DNC strategist, you don't need to thank me for this advice. It's enough that I know how you must feel.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to Gribbit's Word, Diane's Stuff, Stuck on Stupid, This May ...Or Not, Rashbre Central, TMH's Bacon Bits, Quietly Making Noise, Jo's Cafe, and Basil's Blog.

# At Wed 10:46 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Laura Ingraham

Visit the commenters: Jazzy Cat

 

Funny Stuff - Tuesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Wed 1:30 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Pirate's Cove: WTW: Dubai Owns NYC
Stop The ACLU: Sunday Funnies

 

The Dimwit Zone - Finally, We Have the Democrat Plan for America

by Ferdinand T Cat

Today on his show Rush Limbaugh announced that the Democratic National Committee has finally unveiled its plan for winning the 2006 election.

We have a secret copy of this 2006 Election Plan that Bruce stole from a local DNC office while I was tormenting the night watchman's guard dog. The basic thrust of the plan is a bunch of town meetings with Iraq war veterans in attendance. The Democrats want to show that they have the support of the people over there who are doing all the fighting.

If you're a local Democratic politician, here's an important clarification that was left out of the document. The phrase Iraq war veterans who support the Democracts is intended to mean American troops ONLY! I know it's probably much easier to find terrorists who support the Democrat platform, but that's not the message the DNC wants to send.

Also, while it's true that Cindy Sheehan is no longer credible, Sajida Hussein is not going to be an effective replacement. While she did lose a son in the war, the idea of a "Camp Uday" vigil outside the Crawford Texas ranch generated a very negative response in all our focus group tests.

Don't thank me. It's enough that I know how you must feel.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to The Liberal Wrong Strategy, Freedom Meetings, Those Democrats!, Historymike's Plan for America, Common Folk Seeking Re-election, The Median Precinct, Third World County Clerk, Imagine Kitty Secret Report, Jo's Meeting Place, and Basil's Plan for a 2006 Election Victory.

# At Wed 12:46 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More The Dimwit Zone

Visit the commenters: David

 

March 21, 2006

EMAIL Hell - More Chase Bank Phishing Spam

by Ferdinand T Cat

I think what bothers me most about the new wave of phishing EMAILs is the utter gall of the people behind them. Here's how the most recent one introduces itself.

Dear Card Member,

Due to the recent phishing attacks and attempted identity theft associated with them, we have decided to verify identity of our members. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we feel that is a necessary precaution to protect our members personal identity information.

You are then given a link to a web site where they will ask you to type in all the information they need to steal your identity.

I understand that there will always be unscrupulous people who use technology to steal from others, but it seems to me they don't have to be quite so brazen about it.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 9:50 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More EMAIL Hell

 

EMAIL Hell - Beware of EMAILs Called Drinkme

by Ferdinand T Cat

Bruce has many different EMAIL addresses, and for this reason we often receive multiple copies of any particular spam EMAIL. The latest one is called drinkme, and it is apparently being sent to every EMAIL address on the Internet in alphabetical order.

drinkme appears to be a discourse of some sort on religion. I was initially tempted to critique it, but it is extremely difficult to figure out what point the guy is trying to make. There is a statement in there about how cows share 96.5% of their DNA with humans, so eating beef can be considered a form of cannibalism. This is utterly ridiculous, because beef tastes great, while human meat is almost unpalatable unless it's heavily seasoned.

Anyway, you can save yourself the trouble of dealing with this nuttiness by setting your spam filter to block the EMAIL address ee@mhpea.org. Also, if you happen to personally know the guy responsible for this EMAIL, tell him to invest in a spell-checker. I mean, YIPES!

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 9:30 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More EMAIL Hell

Visit the commenters: Bruce Parrello MrG

 

Notes from Ferdy - Modern Technology at the Cook County Clerk's Office

by Ferdinand T Cat

Today is the Illinois primary election. The Cook County Clerk's Office web site has this page set up to help you find your local polling place and print a sample ballot. If you put in Bruce's address, here is what you see.

ADODB.Field error '800a0bcd'

Either BOF or EOF is True, or the current record has been deleted. Requested operation requires a current record.

/sub/polling.asp, line 70

I do not for a single instant think that this has anything to do with the fact that the County Clerk is a Democrat and Bruce is a Republican.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 10:49 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (3) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: PlutosDad Mastiff Doll

 

March 19, 2006

Funny Stuff - Weekend

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Sun 9:52 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Funny Stuff

Visit the commenters: Mamacita

Comedian Jenée: People are Idiots: Full Moon Freaks

 

Adventures with Bruce - Final Score: Gremlin $11K, Bruce Bankrupt

by Ferdinand T Cat

Gremlin with an awful lot of Monopoly money
Playing Monopoly against the Gremlin is like spitting into a hurricane.


Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sun 9:16 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Adventures with Bruce

 

Adventures with Bruce - A Bit of a Scare at a Government Lab

by Ferdinand T Cat

Here's a useful tip: if you work at a government laboratory that does research in nuclear physics, don't arrive at noon. There is simply no way to feel safe when there's a long line of cars trying to get through the exit gate, especially if the goofball OSHA sign says 0 days without a major accident.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sun 11:02 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Adventures with Bruce

 

March 17, 2006

Funny Stuff - Friday

by Bruce the Human Pet
  • Basil's Blog: Headline News
  • Peace Moonbeam: Hollywood: A Fast Town
  • Avant News: Laryngeal Bleep Implant Improves Political Discourse
  • GigoloKitty: Hamlet #3
  • Therapist: ABC’s Woodruff Regains DNC Talking Points Recall
  • IMAO: News Flash: Huffington Post to Offer Wider Range of Services
  • Stingray: Flying Cow Leaves Two Police Cars in Flames
  • Point Five: Govt Faces Zero Shortage After Raising Debt Ceiling
  • Random Yak: Yak of the Week (03.17.2006)
  • The Skwib: The Big Guy Checks the Numbers [language warning]

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Fri 11:58 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Pirate's Cove: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup
Stop The ACLU: Sunday Funnies

 

EMAIL Hell - I Suppose I Should Have Seen This Coming

by Ferdinand T Cat

Just when you think the spammers couldn't possibly sink any lower: today I received a spam EMAIL promoting a law firm.

Submitted with Bewildered Amazement

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Fri 10:37 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More EMAIL Hell

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Catblogging - Master of All I Survey

by Ferdinand T Cat

Ferdy in the bunk bedHere you can see me sitting in the corner of the Gremlin's bunk bed. This is the highest point in the room, and since it's on the top floor, it means it's the highest useful position in the house. It's a well-known fact that a cat officially rules everything below him, which means that as long as I sit here, I'm in charge of the whole house. The problem is that the people who are supposed to be doing my bidding are all downstairs where they can't hear me. I could go downstairs to explain the importance of feeding me another cheese snack, but then the Other Cat will steal my place here and she'll be in charge. The obvious solution: put the refridgerator in the top floor bedroom instead of the kitchen. That's not likely to happen for me, but if you're in the market for a new home, make sure it includes this new design innovation. There's nothing worse than having complete control of an entire family and still being unable to order up a cheese snack.


Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Fri 3:19 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (4) | More Catblogging

Visit the commenters: Online Paid Survey Laurence Simon sbellusa Gigolokitty

Modulator: Friday Ark #78
Mensa Barbie Welcomes You: Ferdy, Happy St. Patricat's Day!! (VIDEO)
Music and Cats: Carnival of the Cats #104: Anniversary Edition

 

March 16, 2006

Funny Stuff - Thursday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Thu 11:58 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: Moron Revealed #24
The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: OTA Weekend Time
reverse_vampyr: Back to the old drawing board, literally
Blue Star Chronicles: Erin Go Braugh

 

Notes from Ferdy - A Christian Perspective on Separation of Church and State

by Ferdinand T Cat

As a superior life form, I look at the Christian God as more of a competitor than an object of worship. Even so, I have respect for Christianity because it is so much a part of the fabric of Western Culture, and it was Western Culture that invented mozzarella cheese.

In any case, I'm not above reading the Bible every now and then, and for quite a few weeks now I've been pondering Mark 15:3-5.

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Jesus was on the verge of being executed and he didn't even fight back. He was so committed to his non-confrontational ideals that he let himself be killed. At the very root of our civilization we have someone who is the very antithesis of a warrior. And that means propagating Christianity by force is a contradiction of its most basic tenets, a crystal clear case of taking the Lord's name in vain. Given how many times this blasphemy was condoned by the various Christian Churches in the past 2000 years, it gives me the shivers to think of what our the Middle Ages would have been like if Jesus hadn't died on the cross.

I was reminded of all this again last week, while perusing the comments of Hans Mast's article on capitalism from a Christian perspective.

See, when we think of forcing Christianity on people, we have this image of Crusaders descending upon Jerusalem and slaughtering all the Arab women and children. But that's not the only way you can force Christianity on people. What I realized while reading Hans' article is that you can also force Christianity by codifying the religion into law.

Continue reading "A Christian Perspective on Separation of Church and State"


# At Thu 11:53 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (8) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: rohall59 Ferdy nikki Amanda Ferdy Kim C

basil's blog: Picnic 2006-03-20

 

EMAIL Hell - Evil Spammers Catch a Domain Name Break

by Ferdinand T Cat

We got a new phishing EMAIL today from an evil spammer pretending to be Chase Manhattan Bank. The EMAIL starts with the following warning

We recently have determined that different computers have logged in to your Chase account, and multiple password failures were present before the logons. We strongly advice CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD.

The EMAIL continues with the usual threats of dire consequences and offers a button to click that will send you on your way to fixing your compromised password.

Chase Manhattan is a ripe target because they actually send legitimate EMAILs to their customers; however, as Chase itself states on its fraud prevention page, the legitimate ones never contain threats.

What makes this new scam dangerous is that the address to which you are sent looks almost legitimate:

http://www.updatechaseonline.com/colappmgr/colportal/prospect.php?_nfpb=change_form

The domain name updatechaseonline.com is perfectly reasonable, and it is not disguised with any of the usual fancy tricks involving subdomains. It is, however, still a bogus domain.

Chase has no need to create any alternate domains. If they wanted to create a special URL for updating passwords, it would be a subdomain like updateonline.chase.com, because subdomains are cheaper and easier to manage.

The point is, there is one and only one domain name you can trust-- chase.com. If Chase Manhattan Bank feels the need to create a new domain for password updates, then they are too stupid to be allowed to use the Internet and you should move your money at once.

So don't be fooled! The techniques for disguising domain names keep changing, but it's still the same old trick.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Thu 1:18 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More EMAIL Hell

 

March 15, 2006

Funny Stuff - Wednesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Wed 11:56 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

 

March 14, 2006

Funny Stuff - Tuesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Tue 10:08 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Blue Star Chronicles: It’s Wednesday - What’s Everybody Talking About?

 

Carnivals - No More Bonfire, but Kid Comedy, Banned Blogs, and Maritime Monday are On Their Way

by Ferdinand T Cat

The Bonfire of the Vanities is no more. This was one of the most popular carnivals, but an inability to get volunteer hosts made it prohibitive to continue. It will be missed.

On the plus side of the ledger, however, we have three new carnivals on our Carnival Submit Form.

The Kid Comedy Carnival is looking for submissions that are kid related. They need not be your own kids, but the submissions must be funny, family friendly, g-rated, and compatible with a Christian lifestyle. (Don't worry, Christians have TV and caffeine too.) Submissions are due every Friday, 11:59PM CST , and guidelines can be found here.

The Carnival of the Banned Blogs will be held on April 15, 2006. The Carnival seeks any post on censorship, blogger's rights, or freedom of the press. In addition, anyone who blogs from a service banned in any country is eligible to submit a post. If you blog on blogger.com, wordpress.com, blogspot.com, egoweblog.com, blogspirit.com, blogeasy.com, blogzor.com, mazeme.com, yesblogger.com, tblog.com, or joeuser.com, then you're banned in most parts of China and probably elsewhere. The carnival will be held quarterly, and guidelines can be found here.

The Maritime Monday Carnival is a weekly Carnival covering the Commercial Maritime world and related. Looking at the Dubai Port hysteria, there is a severe lack of understanding about the Maritime Industry. So this is your chance to spread the word about what it's all about. Submissions are due every Sunday, 10PM ET, and guidelines can be found here.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 9:06 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More Carnivals

Visit the commenters: Chris FIAR

Radioactive Liberty: The Fire is Out but the Ashes Remain

 

Confused Americans for Truth - 123 Help an Idiot

by Ferdinand T Cat

Peg-Eye Nate recently informed us of a web site called 123 Help Me. The site offers essays on a wide variety of topics that can be copied and pasted into a word processor for eventual use as a homework assignment. In the cynical manner of cigarette cartons that come with medical warnings, the website includes a page on plagiarism.

Nate was asked by his Rhetoric teacher to critique this paper on Environmental Pollution. Bruce read the thing to me and I was quite frankly appalled. Amongst the many crimes against clear thinking committed by the paper is the declaration that since the legal standard for banning a chemical is "indication of harm" rather than proof, it's not necessary for the paper to back up any of its wild assertions with actual facts.

This is beyond criminal, people. If the papers at 123 Help Me are being used by students to get good grades, then the teachers who are accepting this worthless drivel need to be found and punished. It's one thing for students to get away with cheating, but it's ten times worse if the bogus plagiarized papers are total crap!

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to Is it Just My Homework?, Third World Research Paper, Mark My Term Paper, and Pursuing Good Grades.

# At Tue 7:58 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (5) | More Confused Americans for Truth | Tags:

Visit the commenters: Harrison Bill Ramey PlutosDad Mark David

 

Notes from Ferdy - A Modest Proposal for the Supreme Court

by Ferdinand T Cat

While reading the latest news about the censure-Bush effort and Clooney's article in the Huffington Post, it occurred to me there may be a way out of our current political mess.

All we need is a law against being a complete chucklehead.

Now I'm sure Congress would be against that such a law, because at some level most of them would understand the law would force them to give up grandstanding during judicial confirmation hearings. I think, however, that we can do this via the Supreme Court. Although there's nothing in the Constitution that specifically prohibits being a chucklehead, I seem to remember there are foreign laws against public idiocy, and there is already a precedent for using foreign law in Supreme Court decisions.

So, all I need to start the ball rolling is for somebody to sue Howard Dean for being a total chucklehead.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Tue 3:24 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: The Random Yak

 

Web Site News - A Bit of a Mess Involving a Truck Full of Cheese

by Bruce the Human Pet

I'd like to apologize for Ferdy's paucity of posting over the last several days. He's been having trouble trying to find something interesting to say about what's going on in politics, since it all seems to be just more of the same.

Anyway, we were about to start listening to today's Laura Ingraham Show in hopes of finding some inspiration when this story about a major traffic accident in Dayton, Ohio came across the wires.

At this time, we don't know how much cheese was destroyed, but it has to be a fairly large amount if it covered one side of the highway and part of an overpass. The bottom line, however is that Ferdy is currently curled up in the middle of the floor quivering uncontrollably and he refuses to talk to me. I've tried to calm him down by telling him that Al Gore has caught laryngitis but he isn't buying it.

Does anybody have any ideas on what I should try next?

Trackposted to Gouda Out Loud, Committees of Velveeta, Pirates! Man Your Parmesan!, The Liberal Brie Wing, Cheddar Watch, Those Limburgers!, HistoryMike's Swiss, Common Folk Using Cottage Cheese, Right Wing Deli Cheese, Jo's Cheese Shop, and Basil's All-Cheese Christmas Gift Pack.

# At Tue 1:18 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Web Site News

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March 13, 2006

Funny Stuff - Monday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Mon 9:55 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Funny Stuff

Visit the commenters: PlutosDad

The Median Sib: Conquering the World in 4 Simple Steps
Public Figures... Beware: George Clooney Just Can't Get Enough of... Himself

 

March 12, 2006

Funny Stuff - Weekend

by Bruce the Human Pet

Aside: I'd like thank everybody for their kind words during my bout with the flu. It really does help.

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Sun 7:35 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Funny Stuff

Visit the commenters: Gigolo Kitty

 

March 11, 2006

Funny Stuff - Saturday

by Bruce the Human Pet
  • Avant News: Study Proves Universe Created By Committee
  • The Skwib: Ask General Kang: What do you think about Margaret Atwood's 'Long Pen'?
  • Funny: It's ME!
  • AbbaGav: Hamas Peace Jihad: Day 1--Fundraising
  • Life in a Shoe: I'm sorry...are you being funny?
  • Centrerion: Canada Will Beat the Taliban - Quip of the Day

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Sat 8:36 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Funny Stuff

Visit the commenters: lecentre

Stop The ACLU: Sunday Funnies

 

Carnivals - Carnival of Rants, NFL

by Ferdinand T Cat

The Carnival of the NFL has been added to the Carnival Submit Form. It seeks anything NFL-related, although NCAA and high-school football are okay, too. Submissions are due every Tuesday, 8pm ET, and guidelines can be found here.

The Carnival of the Rant is for all those who love to rant! The rants can be about politics, social ethics, culture wars, or most ridiculous item of the week. Bloviate a lot; you do not have to keep it piffy! NO offensive language. Submissions are due every Friday 9pm ET, and guidelines can be found here.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Sat 8:20 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Carnivals

Visit the commenters: trouble

Dubious Wonder: Carnival of the Recipes - #82

 

Web Site News - Comments from Another Planet

by Ferdinand T Cat

Boy, you take a week off and all hell breaks loose: we have over 2000 spam comments built up, plus a genuine Prophecy of Doom.

Before I get to the Doom thing, I would like to point out that the phrase 100,000 satisfied customers can't be wrong does make a certain amount of sense, but the evidence behind that claim just as easily supports the assertion that 100,000 customers were too embarassed to ask for their money back.

And now, the Prohpecy of Doom.

One of the more interesting variants of comment spam is the Search and Paste Rant. It basically works as follows.

  1. The ranter has written something he thinks is brilliant and places it in his electronic clipboard.
  2. The ranter goes to a search engine and looks for blogs and forums containing words relevant to the rant.
  3. When possible, he pastes his rant into a blog or forum as a comment.

Anyway, one of these Search and Paste Ranters was apparently looking for articles about the flu and we got hit by a rant based on the teachings of Vince Diehl.

Continue reading "Comments from Another Planet"


# At Sat 3:43 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Web Site News

 

March 8, 2006

Adventures with Bruce - The Flu Gets a Swift Kick in the Head

by Ferdinand T Cat

Bruce is fuzzy-brained at the best of times, but sometimes he out-does himself. He found that an arrangement of pillows on the couch in the music room would enable him to sit completely upright, which minimizes the chance of a cough. When the muscles in your head and neck are already inflamed, coughing is so painful that you will do anything to avoid it.

Anyway, sometime last night he drifted off to sleep, at which point the flaw in the pillow arrangement manifested itself and he fell over to one side, skillfully banging his head against the wooden table next to the couch and knocking himself unconscious. It was the first real sleep he's had since Sunday, and today he's actually feeling better.

In any case, I'm trying to convince him that another blow to the head will knock him out long enough for a complete cure, but apparently, when the muscles in your head and neck are inflamed, a swift strike with a basball bat is even scarier than a cough.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 11:59 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (5) | More Adventures with Bruce

Visit the commenters: PlutosDad SALVATIONISYAHSHUAH Sam Pet Campbell Lan Whu

The Median Sib: Friday Forum - It's All About Books
Blue Star Chronicles: Jay Bennish: Flower Child or Neo-Nazi?
The Right Nation: Betrayal Open Trackback

 

March 6, 2006

Web Site News - In Which We Pause Due to a Design Flaw in Homo Sapiens

by Ferdinand T Cat

Conservative Cat practices legitimate journalism, which means that every article we publish is verified and fact-checked by our editor (and my pet) Bruce. Unfortunately, Bruce is in the third day of an attack of the flu. Unfortunately, Bruce is one of those people who gets delirious when he has a high fever. It was so bad last night that he kept screaming terrible stuff like "No! Please! Not Again!" over and over. We think he had a nightmare about Al Gore running for President again, but he doesn't remember anything clearly.

Anyway, he's had a couple of lucid moments tonight, but by and large he's too weak to do anything, so it may be a few days before I can get back to blogging. In the meantime, please try not to let anything important happen.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Mon 7:16 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (5) | More Web Site News

Visit the commenters: N. I. Annakindt The Random Yak Rahel Gigolo Kitty Jazzy Cat

Starboard!!!: Interview with U.S. Coast Guard Director of Port
Blue Star Chronicles: What's Everybody Talking About?

 

March 3, 2006

Funny Stuff - Friday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Fri 9:12 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Adam's Blog: Screwtape: The Liberal Authorized Version
WebKittyn Warbles... and Warbles: Something New for Me

 

March 2, 2006

Funny Stuff - Thursday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Thu 10:09 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Oblogatory Anecdotes: Brokeback Box Office
The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns: Moron Revealed #22
Stray Dog Found: OTA Round-Up A-Go-Go
Blue Star Chronicles: Whats Everybody Talkin About
Stop The ACLU: Sunday Funnies

 

Catblogging - The Problem of the Refrigerator Door

by Ferdinand T Cat

FridgeDoor.jpgHere we have a picture of a true modern tragedy. The refrigerator door is open, and I'm on the wrong side. By the time I get around it, the door will be closed and the cheese drawer once again beyond my reach.

I find this whole thing very annoying. With my sensitive hearing, I can hear that the refrigerator door is opening as soon as it happens, but because of the slippery floor in the kitchen and dining area, by the time I arrive it's usually too late. I've asked that they put in plastic mats, but Bruce keeps complaining that it's a non-essential item. What could possibly be non-essential about something that enables me to eat more cheese?

Anyway, I thought it important to point out that my life is not all sunshine and roses.


Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Thu 7:09 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (4) | More Catblogging

Visit the commenters: srp yaffa Gigolo Kitty Steve

 

EMAIL Hell - Psychiatrist Diagnoses Reagan as an Idiot, then Falls for Nigerian EMAIL Scam

by Ferdinand T Cat

Okay, so maybe there are still people stupid enough to fall for EMAIL scams. According to court papers filed by his son, psychiatrist Louis Gottschalk has lost as much as $3 million over a 10-year period to a Nigerian EMAIL scam.

Gottschalk gained international acclaim in 1987 with a study purporting to prove that Ronald Reagan showed signs of diminished mental capacity in the 1980 and 1984 Presidential debates. This coincidence suggests that there is indeed a God and he has a cat-like sense of humor.

In 1995, when Gottschalk first began to correspond with the scammers, most people thought the term spam referred to a pork product, and Internet access was sold by the minute, so email advertising was much more costly than it is now. Bruce was trying to build a popular web site without the help of a cat, and in one of his articles he discussed a letter he had received from someone in Nigeria asking for help. Bruce pointed out that the letter was obviously a fraud, since somebody legitimately looking to launder money looted from a Third World Country would be going straight to the Clinton Administration. Like most people in those days, Gottschalk did not know about Bruce's web site, and as a result he was unprepared.

Once you're hooked by a scam, it is psychologically very difficult to pull out. If you do, you're saying the money you've spent so far will never come back. So, Gottschalk's behaviour is not as stupid as it sounds. When he was first hooked, it is perfectly reasonable to believe he was unaware of the scam. Once he was in, he couldn't allow himself to admit he'd been scammed because of the damage it would do to his self-image.

Still, Gottschalk is now facing a serious problem, because the money he invested in the scam belonged to a family trust. Last October, Gottschalk's son tried to have the man removed from the management of the trust, but a court refused to find Gottschalk incompetent, and the bleeding continues. The son is not going to relent.

So don't let this happen to you. Before you invest in a scheme transmitted via EMAIL, talk to your cat. If your cat is not familiar with the scam, talk to me. The last thing you want to do is look as dumb as the guy who proved that Reagan didn't know what he was doing.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to Liberal Common Psychiatry, TMH's Mental Bits, CustomerAnalyst.com, Quietly Making Diagnoses, Mental Rhinorrhea, Doctor Don Surber, News, Insane, Funny, Right Wing Therapy, Jo's Sanitarium, and Basil's Appeal for Help in Getting Money Out of an African Bank.

# At Thu 6:07 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (2) | More EMAIL Hell

Visit the commenters: cfomahm The MaryHunter

Jo's Cafe: TGIF Specials
The Sheep's Crib: IRONY: It's rare when we're allowed to

 

March 1, 2006

Funny Stuff - Wednesday

by Bruce the Human Pet

Semi-Open Trackbacks: If you have something funny to share, link to this post and send a trackback, or submit it here and it will be considered for inclusion in the next roundup.


# At Wed 10:28 PM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (0) | More Funny Stuff

Is It Just Me?: Brush Fires Rage So Let's Blame Bush
Dr. Phat Tony's: Save Jill

 

Adventures with Bruce - Bruce Learns How to Be a Good Employee

by Ferdinand T Cat

Bruce has been spending the day taking training courses required by the lab at which he works. The lab makes the courses available over the Internet, which is convenient because it means I can read over his shoulder and make snide remarks.

what nonelectricians can doThis is one of my favorite slides. It lists the things that you're allowed to do if you have no electrical training. I of course immediately noticed that "operate electrical equipment" was missing from the list, and therefore Bruce needed a qualified electrician to type all his papers for him. He was not grateful at all for this unsolicited advice.

One of the courses is about counter-terrorism, and there's a whole section devoted to making sure laboratory secrets don't get into the wrong hands. Bruce's group works with people all over the world and publishes its results on the Internet, so he figured this wasn't a very important concern. That's before we saw a slide with this quote on it.

Espionage activity is an essential way for France to keep abreast of international commerce and technology. Of course, it was directed against the United States as well as others. You must remember that while we are allies in defense matters, we are also economic competitors in the world.

One of the applications of Bruce's project is to help tailor industrial bacteria-- genetically engineered organisms that produce useful chemicals as waste products. The highest-priority task is developing a pathogen to create ethanol for use as a motor fuel. It's no big deal if Al-Qaeda gets hold of this technology, but espionage is not just about Arab terrorists, it's also about French manufacturers! If the French get their hands on ethanol-producing bacteria, there would be nothing to stop them from using it to make cheaper wines!

It gets worse. We all know about the tendency of certain elements of French society to engage in automotive arson. If people can get roaring drunk on just pennies a day, it would not be a major stretch for disgruntled youths to reach a state where they could set a car on fire with nothing more than a lit match and a hefty sneeze. That puts a whole new light on that poster outside Bruce's office that says It takes only a small spark to ignite your adversary's interest.

So don't be like Bruce and assume that you don't need to worry about international espionage. In the modern world, even a little knowledge can be dangerous.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 11:56 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Adventures with Bruce

Visit the commenters: PlutosDad

 

Notes from Ferdy - I Am NOT Panicking

by Ferdinand T Cat

I just saw the World Times article "Pet owners are told not to panic after German cat dies of bird flu" thanks to a link from Plains Feeder.

I am a pet owner, and I have not panicked. Duct taping all the windows and throwing out all the sausages with German names is not panic: it's a sensible precaution.

I just wanted to make that clear.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


# At Wed 9:49 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Notes from Ferdy

Visit the commenters: Gigolo Kitty

 

Laura Ingraham - Why the Left Supports a Fascist

by Ferdinand T Cat

That title is a little bit misleading. I don't think liberals go around saying "Cool! This guy is a total fascist! Let's support him!" It's just one of those things that happens by accident. As a country moves from dictatorship to democracy, bad things happen. That leads to articles like this and this about the failure of the Iraq war.

Laura Ingraham devoted a large portion of her radio show's first hour to this syndrome, and it got me thinking about how the debate over Iraq got to the point where liberals are able to assert that a country was better off with a murdering fascist in charge. I believe the problem is that you're not cats.

When cats hunt, we look around for a good pouncing spot and then sit there waiting for the prey to come to us. Humans are different: you go out looking for the prey, and then drag it back home after it's killed. This means you need less hunting territory than we do, but it also means you think you can beat your opponents on their own ground.

Because of this, conservatives have allowed the Left to choose the battleground in the debate over Iraq. It's not about delivering democracy, it's about preventing violence. From that perspective, the fascist government of Saddam Hussein is an obvious improvement on the coalition forces currently in charge. We never saw news stories about Saddam murdering people en masse, so all the violence we see now must be a result of taking him out of play. It even makes sense that a strong dictator keeps the people in line. Saddam always had the option of killing a hundred people for the criminal actions of a few or gassing whole villages to keep them docile.

It would be wrong to think that the staff of the Huffington Post is in favor of mass murder. The problem is that conservatives are allowing the Huffers to measure the success of the war in terms of the level of sectarian violence. What evidence do we have that the presence of American troops increases sectarian violence? Only that it didn't happen under Saddam. Well, folks, there are a lot of dead Shiites and Kurds who would disagree on that point.

Don't let them get away with it. If liberals cannot convincingly prove that they're as smart as cats, then it's your turn to choose the hunting ground.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat

Trackposted to History Mike's Pouncings, Common Folk Hunting Common Sense, Hunting Watch, Third World Predator, Diane's Prey, Stuck on Freedom, Right Wing Occupation Force, Jo's Cafe of Extremely Fresh Meats, and Basil's Attempt to Look Like a Trick of the Light Under a Mulberry Bush.

# At Wed 9:47 AM | Permalink | Trackback URI | Comments (1) | More Laura Ingraham

Visit the commenters: Doll

The Liberal Wrong Wing: Carnival of Liberal's Wrongs #6
Mensa Barbie Welcomes You: What Are They Saying?

 

 

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