Welcome back!

After a slight hiatus and some restructuring we are back and will be posting again more regularly! Sick -S

Going to WordCamp 2011 in Boston

Be there or be square kiddies, one of the perks of the job....

President Barack Obama running for reelection in 2012, oh my!

So apparently earlier this morning President Barack Obama announced that he would be formally running for reelection. I think that Obama running for a second term in and of itself is not really a surprise to anyone, since the past 5 presidents have all done the same thing and are usually reelected.

What I find interesting about this is his timing. Obama has basically relaid the ground rules for presidential campaigning, by starting his campaign for president so far ahead of any of his challengers. (Note: to date, no other challengers have actually filed their federal election commission paperwork and the closest we have are educated guesses of who some of Obama's challengers may be)

Why is this so interesting to me? Well, for starters he has formally started his campaign almost a full year before anyone else! This is significant because now he can begin formally collecting campaign funds starting now as well, and he is going to need them!

Since Obama has come into office, many people have criticized his tactics in federal office. Many on the left feel he hasn't lived up to his campaign rhetoric, while at the same time folks on the right feel that he is dropping the ball and enacting socialist legislation and laws that could only be leading to a communist state. (Oh no, socialism and communism are bad aren't they? Godless heathens?!)

The truth really adds up to this, in the United States we elect representatives that are supposed to be like minded individuals that have similar morality, wants, needs, and desires, that we do so that they are able to vote and represent us appropriately in the federal government. The problem with this idea however, is that you can't please everyone all the time!

That having been said, with a 8.8 percent unemployment rating (over 3 million unemployed for you lay people out there), the drama related to Obamacare, the looming government shutdown (spooky), and everyone's issues with formal US involvement in now 3 military theatres with the addition of the United Nations mission in Libya to the "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama has a slight uphill battle in front of him.

My prediction for 2012? Prepare to see Obama in the Whitehouse for another 4 years, (maybe with a change of vice president), other than that, I predict status quo from Washington, until people start realizing that their representation is supposed to work for them and as such, said representation should also be concerned about loosing their positions representing the nation in the event that they are doing a poor job (which the majority of Senators and Congressmen are at this point in time).

Southwest Airlines, Epic Fail....

Ok, so normally I wouldn't really care much about the drama with the airlines (or railroads) in this country because they are always crying poverty looking for state and federal bailout moneys, while spending on payrolls like a drunken sailor on hookers. That having been said, I believe that Southwest should be getting some sort of award for being the cheapest of the tightwads for having one of their airplanes fall apart recently.

Friday, on a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Sacramento, California a 4-6 foot section of flight 812's fuselage ripped open, causing a rapid depressurization of the aircraft and forcing flight 812 to land at a military base in Yuma, Arizona.

Now for many folks this would be enough, but today, more of Southwest Airlines' Boeing 737-300s have been grounded and found to be experiencing a similar issue with structural integrity. Certainly, Boeing's craftsmanship should be in question in this situation, however, I believe that more than anything Southwest needs to take the lion's share of the blame for having planes in the sky that are flying with standardized integrity tests (D-check).

It is truly scary to me that mechanics or other flight crews would be so busy with a standardized checklist to go over, that when inspecting an aircraft, they wouldn't consider examining all stress points, including the skin of the aircraft which does typically expand and contract throughout the course of a flight due to air pressure changes within the cabin of the aircraft and in this situation is where the weakness that lead to this accident and subsequent groundings occurred.

I guess bottom line is, we all end up getting what we pay for.. Cheap flights=cheap planes=cheap pay=standardized testing that leads to people who aren't even interested in thinking outside the box, let alone how seriously they are likely taking the tests that they are administering?!



*Images used with special thanks to AP and epicfail.com

Louis Vuitton Whores

Ok, now before you say that I Rick Rolled you, hear what I have to say....

The group Anonymous (think like wikileaks, only more serious) has declared war on Louis Vuitton after the clothing company’s victory in court against an artist who painted a portrayal of a starving African child clutching a handbag. I personally feel that their stance is correct for supporting the artist and I am frankly appalled that a judge or any court would side with the prosecution on this one. Screw Louis Vuitton, if you guys can't handle someone using an image of your product in a tasteful form of artistic expression, then you guys deserve anything that happens to your company as a result of winning such a ridiculous law suit if the majority are un happy with the decision....

The company argued that the portrayal was “offensive” to their brand, punishing the artist for simply expressing herself.

Anonymous proposes that participants engage in non-violent methods of protest against the company by buying replica LV handbags and cheap old ones to give them away to homeless people. They also encourage the the removal and/or defacement of LV advertisements, the handing out of flyers outside their stores, and other forms of artistic protest.

Kittens and Glitter Louis Vuitton, kittens and glitter!!

(NSFW below)

Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday... What does it all mean and a few things to do

So with Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday in French or Shrove Tuesday in English tradition) only a day away and the Mardi Gras season hours from starting, I decided it would be a great idea to write a little bit about the season and the events, where it all comes from and what the meaning of the whole thing is.

In a word, Mardi Gras or Carnival can both be summed up as... Oh I don't know, mind-blowing for those that like to really party hard? In all seriousness though, Mardi Gras and Carnival are really the last chance at decadence, debauchery, and disorderly conduct prior to the observance of fasting for lent in the catholic faith, that runs from on or after Epiphany and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday in most places.

So what does this all mean? Well, in a nut shell, it means that Mardi Gras is the last chance for people to cut loose partying and to eat and drink like gluttons before lent.

What's this?

If you happen to be from Louisiana, then the previous image is nothing new to you, however, for those reading this from the rest of the world, you are looking at a crawfish boil, which I can honestly say is a probably one of the best examples of cajun cuisine and a pretty good example of something that you would see devoured by lots of hungry Mardi Gras goers as well! Crawfish are incredibly delicious and are great with a few cold ones and your entire family to share and enjoy! Seriously, don't knock em till you have tried them... Putting aside the food for a moment, Louisiana is often the first place that comes to mind for most Americans at least when someone mentions Mardi Gras, however, Mardi Gras is celebrated in places all over the world quite differently.

This picture was taken at Carnival in Brazil! In Brazil, Mardi Gras is referred to as Carnival and the entire country parties like they mean it! A quick search of the web will turn up many racy and wild photos from the South American Mardi Gras, some of which I was on the fence about posting here because they were beautiful images, but the were NSFW. That having been said, use your imagination and think about what an entire country of people celebrating before a fasting period would be like... Now add alcohol, great food, and some of the hottest scantily clad women in the world and you are only scratching the surface of what Carnival is even like in Brazil. There are many other places across the planet where they celebrate Mardi Gras, such as Canada, Germany, Belgium and more, even Senegal!

In closing, consider this before you go down to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter to raise hell, throwing beads at women who show their breasts and drinking hurricanes, while dancing to "When the Saints Coming Marching In" for the 3000 time in a day; this celebration is in preparation for the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: MAKE IT COUNT!, especially if you are Christian or Catholic.

If you need some other things to do while you are celebrating in Louisiana, here are some great options to check out:

Audubon Zoo:

Bogue Chitto Tubing:

Haunted History Tours:

Those Darlins, Great rockabilly/indie/surf/hick rock

Short post...

These gals are so rad, they definitely deserve praise and props!

Those Darlins "Wild One" from Tugboat Productions on Vimeo.

Apparently, they have a new album that just dropped as well. Check them out!
Those Darlins, Click Here