IF YOU SEE FLOOD WATERS... REMEMBER TO TURN AROUND AND DO NOT DROWN.

Best weather warning ever.

-janelane

Local Weather Alert for Atlanta, GA - weather.com

Given this unexpected amount, I'm very excited to tell you that 800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales

Ariane Sherine: We did it! The atheist bus campaign is bigger and better then ever | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

From the economic point of view, this was the year video games overtook music and video, combined, in the UK. The industries’ respective share of the take is forecast to be £4.64 billion and £4.46 billion.

Excellent article. Superb. Articulates many of my own questions [and answers] about gaming. Doesn't delve into the MMO addiction phenomenon, but touches on everything else.

Also, confirms my own suspicions about why I like such "childish" games...it's because they are maximally escapism with minimal relation to real-life problems. And, of course, there's the sheepinator.

-janelane, wants to buy a PS3 just for R&C

Is it Art?

Just wanted to give Decius and Acidus a thumbs up on vastly improving the load time of Memestreams. I especially notice a difference with an embedded video; front pages with those used to take forever to load. Kudos!

-janelane

The Way We Process Makes the Difference

That's right...get your upright polyethylene tanks from Assmann.

-janelane

Assmann Manufactures Polyethylene / Plastic Storage Tanks and Containers up to 12,000 Gallon Capacities in One-Piece Construction

flynn23 wrote:
Jesus Fucking Christ. How many times do we have to go through this? They don't make crummy cars! For 2008, JD Power ranked Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge 2 out of 5 stars for OVERALL INITIAL QUALITY (that's quality off of the line, not durability or resale value). You know who else ranked the same? Saab (GM), Mini (BMW), and Scion (Toyota). Hardly "crummy" brands. You know who ranked higher by one? BMW, Mercury (dead), Hummer (dead), Jaguar (dead), and Volkswagon, the marque that every "kill Detroit!" mofo likes to cite as the type of cars we should build in the US. The only brand to get 5/5 was Porsche. The next closest were all luxury brands like MB, Lexus, and even Acura didn't make 4/5.

I hate to break it to you, but JD Power means absolutely jack. Getting paid by the companies you review is bullshit, and even Consumer Reports won't allow reference to them. Which means Detroit couldn't even buy their way into JD Power they're so bad. So, let's veer around bogus rating standards and get some objective information.

Speaking of CR, they do a lovely review of the ACTUAL quality of American cars.

"a quarter of GM models are still well below average in reliability"

"Chrysler trails the pack. Almost two-thirds of its products rate below average for reliability. The redesigned 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans earned low scores, as did the Chrysler Sebring V6 and Dodge Avenger sedans and the Jeep Liberty SUV. The Sebring Convertible has the worst score: 283 percent worse than average. The only above-average models are the Dodge Caliber hatchback and Jeep Patriot SUV.

But, suppose you said to hell with getting your money's worth, and saunter over to The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety to check out the safest cars. You'd find that your Sebring from just last year is a veritable death trap.

One thing those unreliable, unsafe American cars have going for them is their mileage. Almost all of their tiny cars get decent ratings, which is too bad since long before the wheels fall off at 50,000 miles you've probably died in a fiery wreck.

Finally, brand loyalty is strong with American cars, but instead of capitalizing on that to innovate and be market leaders, they resist any improvements in fuel economy for large cars and safety and emissions standards for all cars. Despite evidence to the contrary in Japan, Europe, and even the ... [ Read More (0.1k in body) ]

RE: Chrysler shuts down all production - Dec. 17, 2008

When Jenny Lawhorn and Weiman Seid moved into an apartment with three others at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 1990, they found a framed photo left behind by previous tenants. It showed a young man with a winged haircut. No one knew him. He was named Steve and put on display.

“After graduation one of the roommates took Steve home, and come Christmas he gave a nicely wrapped gift to Weiman,” Ms. Lawhorn recalled. “Weiman thought he was getting a real gift and was giggle-licious when he opened the gift to find Steve.”

The next Christmas, Mr. Seid gave the photo to another ex-roommate, who was stunned to see Steve when she tore off the wrapping.

It was never stated explicitly that the regifting of Steve would continue forever. It has just happened that nearly every year, one of the former roommates unwraps a present and finds Steve.

Ha! That's awesome.

-janelane

Gag Gifts Give More Than You Bargained For - NYTimes.com

ROD BLAGOJEVICH is the perfect holiday treat for a country fighting off depression. He gift-wraps the ugliness of corruption in the mirthful garb of farce. From a safe distance outside Illinois, it’s hard not to laugh at the “culture of Chicago,” where even the president-elect’s Senate seat is just another commodity to be bought and sold.

But the entertainment is escapist only up to a point. What went down in the Land of Lincoln is just the reductio ad absurdum of an American era where both entitlement and corruption have been the calling cards of power. Blagojevich’s alleged crimes pale next to the larger scandals of Washington and Wall Street. Yet those who promoted and condoned the twin national catastrophes of reckless war in Iraq and reckless gambling in our markets have largely escaped the accountability that now seems to await the Chicago punk nabbed by the United States attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald.

If you're not yet angry at everything the Administration has stood for over the last 8 years, GET A GRIP.

At this point, I've just about lost faith in Obama...one of his biggest promises was to eliminate conflicts of interest which he has utterly failed to accomplish yet with his cabinet. This is the same shit that's gotten us where we are now. And, no, I don't believe the bullshit that the only qualified people come from lobbying outfits or the industries they previously represented. There are plenty of smart people in the world. Plenty of talented people. And at least a decent share of those people are also ethical. I've included a handy diagram.

-janelane

Op-Ed Columnist - Two Cheers for Rod Blagojevich - Editorial - NYTimes.com

# 1 oz Vodka
# 1 oz Amaretto
# 1 oz Grand Marnier
# Fill highball with Pineapple juice

My no-drinking-on-a-school-night rule just got canned. This drink is awesome! One's all you need for the entire night as it turns out. :-)

-janelane

57 T-Bird with Hawaiian License Plates (The Webtender)

I don't know much
I don't know too much
But I know this
Shit is fucked up
La, La, La La, La
I guess it's all about the dream
La, La, La La, La
The ends justify the means
La, La, La La, La La La
I'm telling you
Shit is fucked up

La, La, La La, La
You know it's all about the dream
La, La, La La, La
The ends justify the means
La, La, La La, La La La

Now thank God for the media
For saving the day
Puting it all into perspective in a responsible way
With more celebrity news Typical bullshit views
I think we're losing this fight sponsored by Bud Light

I *heart* Offspring.

-janelane

THE OFFSPRING - STUFF IS MESSED UP LYRICS