Dead Sexy Beasts
I’m looking at that Stompa and thinking how it would crossover great with battlewagons and other ork vehicles. I try to get out, but they just keep sucking me back in! AYERG!
Positive Thinking
I was en-heartened by this article. Any step in the direction of fiscal responsibility is healthy in my estimation. Here is an excerpt:
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WASHINGTON – In his first public acts in office, President Barack Obama on Wednesday placed new limits on lobbyists in his White House and, in a nod to the country’s economic turmoil, froze the salaries of senior aides.
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In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public — not to look for reasons to legally withhold it — an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.
Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.
“For a long time now, there’s been too much secrecy in this city,” Obama said.
He said the orders he was issuing Wednesday will not “make government as honest and transparent as it needs to be” nor go as far as he would like.
He said the orders he was issuing Wednesday will not “make government as honest and transparent as it needs to be” nor go as far as he would like.
“But these historic measures do mark the beginning of a new era of openness in our country,” Obama said. “And I will, I hope, do something to make government trustworthy in the eyes of the American people, in the days and weeks, months and years to come.”
PS- Here are some comments from my friend Eric Danley. A sort of counterpoint, presented for your consideration:
I haven’t posted in a while, as I am far from an expert in economics of this level. There are, however, a few points I would like to make: 1. The TARP program is mostly condemned by economists of every stripe. Not for the premise of the Bank Bailout, but for the lack of oversight. It is fundamentally wrong that we gave these banks money to lend to consumers and instead they made acquisitions. I trust that in TARP round 2, the Obama Administration will do a better job of mandating what the money is used for, setting guidelines for acceptance and most importantly do a better job of monitoring compliance. 2. The need for stimulus is universally accepted. Now look, I know a statement like that is not 100% true, but the fact is that an overwhelming majority of economists, both Liberal and Conservative, agree that some sort of stimulus is needed. They disagree on the size of stimulus ($700 Billion vs. $1.2 Trillion) needed and the tools of stimulus (Tax Cuts vs. Government Spending). Yes, I’m sure Ron Paul disagrees but more on that in point 4. 3. Obama. I think we have the right man, in the right place, at the right time. Even prior to taking the Oath of Office, even with a massive progressive electoral mandate, Obama has chosen to work with Conservatives and has worked to be cautious fiscally. When Democrats were asking for a $1.2 Trillion stimulus Obama instead listened to the Conservatives who wanted no more than $700 Billion, and asked for $775 Million. Obama recently had a meeting with a group of Conservative journalists about economic policy, and instead of talking about trivial things like earmarks (less than 2% of the federal budget) he actually had a serious policy discussion about reforming entitlement programs like Social Security, and Medicare. A serious conversation that few other politicians have the broad knowledge or drive to have. Last point of number 3. When we look at what is proposed for the stimulus, specifically the rebuilding of the country’s energy infrastructure I think we all can agree that Goverment is the only way to solve this problem. Our current electrical transmission system simply cannot work with anything other than a fossil fuel based system, wastes significant power in transmission, and cannot handle demand. Private Industry has shown no willingness to solve this problem as it is just too expensive with little incentive for them to do (monopoly, and as we run out of fossil fuels they get to charge more for less). This is parallel to the historical government incentives needed to bring electricity and phone service to the hills of Tennessee, along with the current need for a forced buildout of high-speed internet broadband. The private sector will not undergo these massive capital projects that the country so severely needs and thus the government must step in.
4. Ok, this might come across as a little offensive (I don’t intend to be) but lets take a brief moment on Dr. Ron Paul. He lost. The American People had their chance to elect him, and they didn’t feel he was the most qualified candidate. You can argue amount money in politics if you want, but I believe in the system and I think Obama proved that you don’t need corporate money when you have a movement of people underneath. Why is that important, well in losing Ron Paul built a following of extreme fiscal conservatives, libertarians, and anarchists. Now, secure in his home district where democrats don’t even bother to run against him he can continue to appeal to that group of followers regardless of the effect enacting any of his policies would actually have. Take a moment and think about what the world would be like next year if the following happened: Citibank, Bank of America, Chase, and all of the other major banks failed. GM, Chrysler, Ford, and Toyata (yes Toyata is hurting right now as well) all failed. The Federal Reserve was folded, EPA, Health and Human Services, and other government departments were closed. What would that world look like?
Well, we can make a few predictions with certainty. Almost no one would be able to buy a house, car, or other major item. Without access to credit consumers simply could not purchase these items causing the companies to produce them to fail. Relatively healthy companies would fail adding to the hundreds of thousands if not millions already without work because of the closures listed above. Small and Medium business would be unable to get Bridge Loans (very short term loans, often 30 day) to buy inventory or to make payroll causing Restaurants, Retail stores, and other businesses to collapse. Those without work, and without new small business hiring, would be unable to make payments on the debts they already have, would be unable to pay for medical coverage causing either a. Hospitals to go Bankrupt, or b. the government to pick up the tab, and we can be 100% certain that businesses that rely entirely on disposable income such as Blue Table Painting, and tourism will also collapse. Ron Paul brushes this all off as “it would be painful” but we are talking about a “pain” that will take at a minimum decades to recover and at worst simply never will. The rich elite, well most of them will survive. Might I add, that Dr. Paul himself is in this category with about $3 Million in assets most of which are in precious metals. Now I have nothing against the rich, I do quite well, but the point here is that if Ron Paul did everything he says he wants to then the quality of life would collapse for most American’s. Well worse than the Great Depression, and many would never recover.
Groovy Lady
As most may know, I’m wending my way through all the seasons of Frasier. Ten seasons I think. I just put them on in the background. In fact, I think Mike D. was down painting an army through all of season two. What a kick. Anyone want to join in? Here’s the episode I’m on right now this instant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DInOswI74vw
And the episode list on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_frasier_episodes
Today, the studio was warm and crackling like a fire. We did take-out at a local sandwich shop, a mountain of meat-stacked hoagies. Josephus came in with a Red Scorpions army partway done. I could not even believe how well they turned out. I gave him the Project Anphelion book and he just blew the whole thing out of the water. He tried this thing where he mixed baking soda and elmers glue to make mud texture. Very slick. More to come about that.
What else? We’re working with www.battlefoam.com to see if that will work. I’m very hopeful.
At this moment I am in the boys’ room. I sit in here every night to monitor them and be sure they go to sleep rather than messing around. Every night it takes a little less time. I’m pleased with how it’s working out.
So, what’s going on in that little ant brain of mine? I have to pick a 40K army. Well, that’s not a problem because I’m getting a trade-in Tyranid army composed pretty much of all my favorite models. Really a dream army. That will be on the block in due time.
I might need to add a Trygon or two.
That means no Eldar. Tyranids it is. That’s my second-favorite army.
I’m instead looking forward to Lizardmen. The important kits are due to be released in early February. My plan is to get the book and starting models in by the 13th of February and get the whole thing completed by the end of February.
“That woman has reached into your chest, pulled out your heart and threw it to her Hell Hounds for a chew toy!”
Games Workshop First Quarter 2009 Release Schedule
STAR PLAYER GRIFF OBERWALD (BLOOD BOWL XXVII) 6-Dec-08
THE TAINTED 6-Dec-08
THE UNDYING 6-Dec-08
ANIMOSITY ORCS 20-Dec-08
VAMPIRE COUNTS SHIELDS 20-Dec-08
ORK NOBZ 3-Jan-09
ORK BATTLEWAGON 3-Jan-09
KAPTIN BADRUKK 3-Jan-09
BOSS SNIKROT 3-Jan-09
ORK STORMBOYZ 17-Jan-09
ORK GRETCHIN 17-Jan-09
BOSS ZAGSTRUK 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF WINGS OF DARKNESS SHIELDS 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF KRAKEN SHIELDS 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF IRON TALON SHIELDS 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF DREADLORD ON DARK STEED 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF DREADLORD WITH GREAT WEAPON 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF DREADLORD WITH ADDITIONAL HAND WEAPON 17-Jan-09
DARK ELF DREADLORD WITH HAND WEAPON 17-Jan-09
LIZARDMEN SCAR VETERAN WITH ARMY STANDARD 7-Feb-09
CHAKAX, ETERNITY WARDEN 7-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN ARMY BOOK (ENGLISH) 7-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN STEGADON 7-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN TEMPLE GUARD 7-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN KROXIGOR 7-Feb-09
TIKTAQ’TO, MASTER OF SKIES 21-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN TERRADON RIDER 21-Feb-09
SPACE MARINE CASUALTIES 21-Feb-09
CHAOS CHOSEN HEADS 21-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN BATTALION 21-Feb-09
LIZARDMEN RAZORDON HUNTING PACK 21-Feb-09
WAR OF THE RING INFANTRY MOVEMENT TRAYS 28-Feb-09
WAR OF THE RING CAVALRY MOVEMENT TRAYS 28-Feb-09
CHAOS SPACE MARINE HAVOCS 1-Mar-09
WOLF GUARD WITH LIGHTNING CLAWS 7-Mar-09
IMPERIAL GUARD SHADOWSWORD / STORMLORD 7-Mar-09
ORK STOMPA 7-Mar-09
ORC RAIDER WITH TORCH 21-Mar-09
EAGLE WARRIORS SHOULDER PADS 21-Mar-09
SILVER SKULLS SHOULDER PADS 21-Mar-09
Feelings of Futility
I’m not having them, but I thought you might.
Here’s a talk that has special meaning for me:
“Joseph,” [my mother] said, “come what may, and love it.”
I have often reflected on that counsel.
I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.
… The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.
Here are my personal feelings on it.
Men don’t deal well with futility. We can handle a Mountain if we can see how to climb it. But we don’t deal well with a Steel Wall. That’s why we freak out when the baby is crying. If the baby needed a rare herb only to be found in piranha-infested waters we could figure that one out. But not when the baby is crying for no apparent reason and nothing seems to work.
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I remember one time I was sitting alone in the back of church and the pulpit seemed a million miles away. My life was out of sync. I had completely failed, at the religion that meant so much to me. I ran out into the parking lot and locked myself in my car and shed bitter, bitter tears.
I studied hard but still got an “F”.
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I planned on quitting.
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That night I had a dream. I went into the Bishop’s office to have my name removed from the Records, as I planned in real life. And to give up. As I turned to leave I heard a soft voice. “Please don’t leave.” I turned and saw the Savior, arms outstretched, kneeling. “Please don’t leave”.
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I say without reservation that there is an Almighty God. And that he indeed is mindful when a Sparrow falls to the ground. And how much more valuable are you than a Sparrow.
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I judge myself ever so harshly. Perhaps the injunction to not judge applies to one’s self as well. I don’t even know myself well enough to give a proper analysis.
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It reminds me of John 3:
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
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Read that again. Who does the condemning?
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To meet God face to face will be very natural and comfortable. Your soul has His DNA imprinted on it. This is what it means to be in the image of God. You are a child of the Almighty, who cradled you in His arms.
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What is presented to us in this life through common media is a distorted caricature, and who would even believe in that?
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I don’t think that Heaven is a gated community. The gate is in the human heart.
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The human eye is a waxy orb. It is crude and barely useful to get food into the mouth. Crude by comparison. Same for the brain. It’s a marvel, but leaden by comparison. Using these organs is like looking through a straw. The spirit body also has sensory organs. They can become connected to a universal skien (web?).
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Hmmm… I think I’d have to be up all night writing about this. What I really wanted is to give a word of encouragement and light.
Garbage Pizza
Picture: one of several converted “Noise Marines” for the studio Dragons of Moloch army. I will be pulling this army soon unless someone buys it. It’s 2300 pts, legal and competitive for $650. Surely I don’t need to spell it out.
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These two units (of five each with Blastmaster and Sonic Blasters and champion-types) will make the army a lot more challenging to play against and a lot more fun and flexible.
I didn’t go to sleep until 2am last night. In fact, let’s go all the way back to Friday night. We had a “dark convocation” down at the studio, which means we just get together really late at night to play games. Magic in this case. Again, a complete waste of time, but a lot of fun. I brought my seven-year-old son down and we got some good bonding time in. He fell asleep on the way home.
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The heater in my van is not working very well. It’s cold. But I own it; no debt!
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But somehow I got up at 7am this morning, and couldn’t get back to sleep, and indeed the kids were up and ready to horse around on a Saturday morning. So, I just started pounding that Inbox, which is nearly clear now. That’s nice.
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I made a rare trip to the scales recently and found to my horror that I’ve ballooned up to 212 pounds. Blarg. I’ve got to cut out the soda. I’ve started also exercising every morning for 20 minutes. Without fail. I’ve got to start moving. My wife is feeding me Dee’s cereal, which I swear has gritty chunks of dirt in it. I hate that crap. But supposedly it’s good for you, so away we go.
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I’ve got to find some new favorite foods. Eating a half pound of bacon in one sitting isn’t going to do it anymore. Same with waffles and whipped cream. Tear… I’ve got four little kids to think about, all looking up to me to raise them and provide for them.
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My wife and I have a pact: if she provides a lunch I will eat that and nothing else. But there was no lunch waiting when I took off this morning so that cleared the way for a “garbage” pizza. I asked them if they had some non-carbonated drinks, but they sent Sunkist. I guess that sounds like fruit juice to a teenaged pizza salon worker.
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I made some conversions to the studio Dragons of Moloch army, converting ten Khorne Berserkers into Noise Marines. I am extremely pleased with how that turned out, and I think it will make the army more fun to play. So, who wants to play me a game of 40K!!!???
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I also plan on adding a vindicator with a brass dragon head for the cannon. That’s going to be made from a McFarlane dragon head. Sweet. That will complete the army and replace the Defiler (which I sold, good riddance!). Theoretically good.
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The Corsairs of Iyanden army has sold. I still have the Imperial Guard and the OTHER Iyanden army up on the block.
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On another note: I am already behind in my goals for the year. I found four hours to play Magic but zero hours to go to the temple. I’m shooting for an early, early Monday morning session. Also, last Sunday I decided to quit moaning and griping about whipping the details of my spiritual life into shape and just do it. I set a goal to be perfect for a day. And by perfect I mean just keep it together in certain areas which I view as weaknesses, as well as do some daily good habits. Just for one day. And I did it. Well, I did say “bitch” once. So, pretty close.
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The rest of the week was my regular plateau, no improvement unfortunately.
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So, this Sunday I’m going to go for another 24 hour stint of perfection. Can it be done?
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My predominat sense today is one of gratitude. The grace and kindness of Heavenly Father. A kind being with whom you would feel naturally, and normally at rest and peace. To meet the Almighty God face to face is as comfortable as a a baby being cradled in the arms of a loving parent.
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“While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men, causes ‘His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’” (“Chapter 2: God the Eternal Father,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),36–44)
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I would like to offer a word of encouragement to you, yes you, person reading this. Keep your chin up. Things will get better. Life has purpose. Just under this shell, just under the surface of the water is a deeper world; a world of light in which you are beloved. You are cosmic royalty. The molecules of the universe know you and bow before you. You are an inheritor of this Earth.
Into the Maelstrom
Got this email from a client about a shop on the web. Looks nifty, but I haven’t really checked it out. Can anyone give me input here?
How´s things in the Gately world?
Anyway,i found this site http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.php?act=pur&cur=usd
It has some really low prices…its incredible…me and a couple of frinds orderes like 300€ in Flames of War stuff and with the discount,a box with 5 StugsIII tanks that normally would cost like 50€,only costed 20€ and something,and they have free postage…at least to Europe.
Take a look at it,may you or the BTP crew find something interesting.
Have a great day Paulo
My Sentiments Exactly
[Letter from BJ Lawson who ran for congress in 2008 in North Carolina]
Dear Friend,
Just this morning, you’ll be pleased to know that our corporate welfare system has given Bank of America $138 billion in capital injections and guarantees as it pulls an Enron following its purchase of Merrill Lynch. Keep in mind that Bank of America’s total market capitalization is about $40 billion — therefore, you’d expect that such a dramatic rescue would completely wipe out existing stockholders, bondholders, and present management to prevent moral hazard and demonstrate the consequences of corporate irresponsibility.
Thanks again for your support and efforts last November. Since the election, I’ve taken some needed time with the family — but as the new year rolls around, it’s time to once again get active.
While we weren’t victorious, it is critical that the voice of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and principled government remain strong during these trying times. We continue to head down the wrong path, and The Establishment in Washington (and Raleigh, for that matter)
perpetuates its interests as power brokers, bureaucrats, and politicians look out for one another while Americans on the outside suffer the consequences.Just this morning, you’ll be pleased to know that our corporate welfare system has given Bank of America $138 billion in capital injections and guarantees as it pulls an Enron following its purchase of Merrill Lynch. Keep in mind that Bank of America’s total market capitalization is about $40 billion — therefore, you’d expect that such a dramatic rescue would completely wipe out existing stockholders, bondholders, and present management to prevent moral hazard and demonstrate the consequences of corporate irresponsibility.
But that’s not the way the world works. Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, and other recipients of government largesse will continue to profit from the illusion that their existence makes the world a better place. Did you know that we gave Goldman Sachs $10 billion in taxpayer money in 2008, while Goldman Sachs gave out $11 billion in bonuses? Our national debt and budget deficits are going vertical as we borrow money from the banksters to give it back to the banksters… while we shoulder the endlessly compounding burden of interest. Folks, this math doesn’t work.
As the assault on our country, its economy, and our future becomes increasingly brazen, it is important that we stay involved. I will continue to blog at www.unitedliberty.com, but the most important involvement is in the real world. As I mentioned in this blog post:
http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/save-the-date-save-the-country
It starts at the precinct meeting, then the county convention, then the district convention, and finally the state convention. Bring a few friends along with you to each of these events, volunteer, elect principled people into leadership positions, appoint principled people to committees, and with some effort we’ll end up with a party organization that is willing to be honest with itself, and the American people.
If you’re in North Carolina’s 4th District, start by saving these dates:
Chatham County: Precinct meetings at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, March 10 at the District Courtroom in Pittsboro. County convention to follow at 7:00 PM.
Orange County: Precinct meetings at 9:00 AM on Saturday, March 7 at the Big Barn Convention Center. County convention to follow.
Durham County: Pending, but will be on a Saturday in March.
Wake County: Precinct meetings at 8:00 AM on Thursday, February 19. Locations depend on State House district. County convention on Thursday, March 12.
Ready to get in touch with others? Sign up at Campaign for Liberty, join organizations like the Republican Liberty Caucus, an let’s be the change we want to see in the world.
Sincerely,
BJ
As usual I am very open to input and insight, which I will post in this same entry. Relevant and polite is all I ask. I am always happy to hear a different view.