'A Straight Shot Into ... Mexico'

'A Straight Shot Into ... Mexico' - Los Angeles Times: "Officials give media from both sides of the border a tour of a tunnel as they announce the arrest of a man with alleged ties to the cartel suspected of building it.

By Richard Marosi, Times Staff Writer


SAN DIEGO — Fifty feet underneath the warehouse, groundwater drips from the jagged sandstone walls of the longest illegal tunnel ever found under a U.S. border.

The tunnel makes a sharp turn south and, lit by a string of 60-watt bulbs, extends a third of a mile farther, all the way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

'You're looking at a … straight shot into the Republic of Mexico,' said Frank Marwood, acting deputy special agent in charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Federal officials gave U.S. and Mexican media a rare look at a smuggling tunnel Monday as they announced the arrest of a man with alleged ties to a Mexican drug cartel that authorities suspect built the 2,400-foot-long passage.

Carlos Eugenio Cardenas-Calvillo, who allegedly works for the warehouse operators in Otay Mesa, Calif., V & F Distributors LLC, was arraigned Monday on drug conspiracy charges."

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Obviously meant to aid those hoping to escape California, by any means possible.
-Rob "make it an e-ticket ride" D.

You Win Again Gravity...

Man what a skinny side bar space, I think I made the pic too big. Oh well. So I'm a big fan of this site for t-shirts called threadless.com, so what? They've really got some fantastic odd designs for shirts there. I got hooked before the holidays with a $10 sale they had. This is a new design they've recently done a run of, have a look at Threadless.com
-Rob "hope it ain't me" D.

Virus could mean obesity is contagious

Virus could mean obesity is contagious: "According to researchers in the U.S., a virus may be why some people are obese.
A study by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has found that the human adenovirus Ad-37 causes obesity in chickens.
The finding supports evidence from other studies that two related viruses, Ad-36 and Ad-5, also cause obesity in animals.
According to Leah D. Whigham, the lead researcher in the new study, human adenoviruses may cause human obesity, but more research is needed before a screening test and vaccine become reality.
She says there is mounting evidence that certain viruses may cause obesity, in essence making obesity contagious, but the viruses that cause human obesity need to be identified before a screening test and vaccine can be developed."

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Oh, that explains the extra 30-40 pounds,
I caught the fat bug. Can't wait for the vaccine.
-Rob (all grins here) D.

Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes

I sure wish Spanish was this easy...
-Rob "I like Chinese" D.
(Monty Python Contractual Obligations Album)
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Learn Chinese in 5 Minutes


(Must Read Out Loud)


1) That's not right………………………….Sum Ting Wong

2) Are you harbouring a fugitive…………..Hu Yu Hai Ding

3) See me ASAP…………………………Kum Hia

4) Stupid Man……………………………….Dum Gai

5) Small Horse………………………………Tai Ni Po Ni

6) Did you go to the beach…………………Wai Yu So Tan

7) I bumped the coffee table……………….Ai Bang Mai Ni

8) I think you need a face lift………………..Chin Tu Fat

9) It's very dark in here……………………Wai So Dim

10) I thought you were on a diet…………….Wai Yu Mun Ching

11) This is a tow away zone………………….No Pah King

12) Our meeting is scheduled for next week………WaiYu Kum Nao

13) Staying out of sight……………………..Lei Ying Lo

14) He's cleaning his automobile……………Wa Shing Ka

15) Your body odor is offensive…………….Yu Stin Ki Pu

This one's awesome...

80 or so chutes making the diamond, all the extra wings filming it, and the break-away... Gotta love it. Bravo.

Chinese Proverbs, ENJOY !!!

Making the rounds in email today:

CHINESE PROVERBS
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Man who run in front of car get tired.

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Man who run behind car gets exhausted.

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Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok

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Man with one chopstick goes hungry.

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Man who scratch ass should not bite fingernails.

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Man who eat many prunes get good run for money.

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Baseball is wrong: man with four balls cannot walk.

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Panties not best thing on earth! But next to best thing on earth.

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War does not determine who is right, war determine who is left.

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Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cat house.

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Man who fight with wife all day gets no piece at night.

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It takes many nails to build crib, but one screw to fill it.

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Man who drive like hell, bound to get there.

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Man who stand on toilet is high on pot.

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Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement.

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Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs.

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Man who fart in church sit in own pew.

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Crowded elevator smell different to midget.

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The Problem With MSN Watches

Hello Everyone,
Well the Suunto showed up, and I love it. It's one nice piece of work. But there is a catch. It's not Suunto's fault really, but it could be in an assessory kind of way. Seems there's a lack of info out there letting the consumer know a dark little secret of the MSN Direct system. It's not everywhere. No, it's not like a cellphone coverage issue, where you find areas of no coverage ocassionally. It's a case right now of you'll only find COVERAGE ocassionally. My case: I live in Georgia, on the coast. Bad news for me from MSN direct, I'm not in the only coverage area they have in the entire state, the ATLANTA area. It's the old two Georgia's axiom, Atlanta, Georgia and Not-Atlanta, Georgia. I'm in Not-Atlanta Ga. Seems like MSN is on the case though, by the end of the year they're hoping to have 98% of the country covered. Sure hope I'm in it when they do. In the meantime I'm injoying my news watch minus news.
Try the MSN Direct site and they're all positive...
1. Buy the MSN Direct watch (from mfg of your choice)
2. Sign up for the MSN Direct Service.
3. Live your new informed life.
The catch: I only found out that my 80% of the state doesn't have coverage after cancelling out of the activation process when a "coverage areas" link appeared.

If I hadn't saved $150 buying this watch I'd be really pissed off. As it stands, I have a nice watch, but with no service. Suunto did return my call today though, they're sorry I don't have coverage, but happy my issue isn't really with them.
Guess that's good for them, bad for me...lol.

Gadget Day

So, need a gadget to celebrate having arrived? Need something that'll say "I'm a smart person and up to date on the world sitrep"? Well gang here's the toy for you. The Suunto N3, a really nice piece of work that uses FM transmitions to do all sorts of things and Microsoft MSN web service to glitter it up even more. Now be warned, Suunto isn't the only brand offering these watches, there are several using the MSN SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) system. It just so happens I'm a very big Suunto fan. Three of my altimeters are Suunto, and two of those are wristwatches. Also being a very big fan of bargains, I shopped this new $199 retail item online for a quarter of it's retail shipping included. I'll let ya'll know Thursday or so how it pans out, it'll be arriving UPS 3rd day. In the meantime, google MSN watch and explore it a bit.
-Rob "technology is my fiend" D.

(Yes, Fiend...lol)

First Day, The New Position

Well Gang it was fun, but it was early. I started the new position today, at 6AM. After getting off last night at 10:15PM I got at least three hours of sleep and went back in to the new day. It was good. Starting off I was put to paperwork and getting settled in. I have office supplies now! I have a desk, stapler, post-it notes, and by mid-day a computer! Remember gang this is a first for me, I've never had a computer or office space before, not as a job item. I even have my own phone line and number. I took a few minutes after the machine was set-up and made my first PowerPoint presentation.
Also got in a forklift class. I'm now legal with the company to drive our truck when the need arises. I spiffied up. (Have the before pics, but not after yet.)

I feel like a different work person now. I think this is going to be a good thing.
Smiles all around.

The Kids Set Him Up...

NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 1 01/06/06

THE KIDS SET HIM UP--
Marion Barry Inadvertently Exposes the Fallacy of D.C.'s Gun Ban

Washington, D.C. has a gun ban, and gun bans stop crime. That's the ruse the gun ban lobby and their cronies would have you believe. That's what Washington, D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry (D) would have you believe. But, in an ironic twist of fate, Barry's anti-gun premise has been challenged by circumstances involving none other than Barry himself.

This week, the ex-mayor was the victim of a violent crime in "gun-free" Washington, D.C. He was robbed at gunpoint by two young men who entered his apartment, held a gun to his head, and robbed him of his wallet, cash, and credit cards. The nearly three-decades-old ban did nothing to protect Barry. Despite the ban, Barry admitted that "guns are everywhere." What he didn't say is that those guns are in the hands of criminals, while the District's law-abiding citizens are prohibited from possessing them. Clearly, the ban has done nothing to stem the tide of armed criminals carrying out violent crimes.

While not suffering any physical injuries during the ordeal, Barry did indicate that his feelings were hurt. "There is a sort of an unwritten code in Washington, among the underworld and the hustlers and these other guys, that I am their friend....I was a little hurt that this betrayal did happen."

Councilman Barry, himself a convicted felon, says he does not want to prosecute the perpetrators (if they are ever caught), but also says that he will push the city council to pass a bill he introduced that would increase penalties for carrying a gun in the District! Such is the contradictory logic of the ex-mayor. Pass more gun laws, and don't enforce existing ones.

Of course, violent crime in D.C. is nothing new. Homicide had been declining in D.C. before the 1976 ban, but increased after the ban was imposed. By 1991, D.C.'s homicide rate had risen more than 200%. By comparison, the U.S. homicide rate rose only 12% during the same period. Since then, the District has ranked at, or near, the top of the list for highest per capita murder rate of major cities in the nation. If gun bans work, how can this tragic and shameful distinction possibly be?

In the wake of his most recent ordeal, Barry called for a summit of the city's leaders to address the "pandemic" of gun violence in the District. Clearly, he and the law-abiding citizens of the District of Columbia would be better served by a summit convened to call for the enactment of S. 1082 and H.R. 1288--the Senate and House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act."

As we continually note, this legislation seeks to restore the constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of the law-abiding residents of the District of Columbia. It would allow these citizens to lawfully defend themselves and their families from violent crime. It is time to pass this critically important and obviously necessary law.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288.

Sesame Street

"Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?"
I can, come to work with me. Was talking with Eddie (a great Porsche loving co-worker) a few days ago about having applied for the Tech position. He came up with a gem on the spot. "You know with Ernie being safety director what they'll call you if you get it Robert?"
"No," I replied, "what?"

"Ernie & Bert"

OMG, it was a good one, I told him so, he's a frickin genius like that sometimes. Like Rain Man. So the department'll be Sesame Street. I told it to Ernie yesterday when he was telling me I'd gotten the position, he laughed and gave an honest ear to ear grin. Guess I'll have to practice my straight man routine, I always thought of myself as more the "Ernie" type, and besides, Bert is Evil.
-Bert "not evil" D.

Another Day, Another Dollar...

Picked up the DVD "The Ladykillers" with Tom Hanks, recently. Highly recommend it, funny. I'd never seen Hanks as a villian before, refreshing. It's available at the ValkingDVDLoanOutPlan, just let me know...lol. Well a few days back kiddo and I are at Media Play (which is going out of business) and looking at soundtrack cds. Kiddo finds "the Ladykillers" and points it out to me (I asked her to keep an eye open for any CD's of the DVD's we have and she did. So we get it, lots of great gospel music as well as some mix/rap... another day, another dollar is one of the songs in there, seems appropriate today. Had a good day at work, word's getting around that I'm short in the MFG area. Folks are coming around curious about it. I'm feeling complimented by everyone's reactions. No word yet on if my line opposite Chris is really quitting or not. Oh remember a long time back I posted about the push-ups blog? Okay, I did five push ups today.
-Out.

A New Year, A New Deal.

Well Gang, News on all fronts.
Firstly, the holidays went well except for one tree mishap. The ladywife and I had a great Christmas Eve and Kiddo made the Christmas afternoon session. A 26th of December Low Country Boil (at Jim's place, MacbeauLand ) was great fun as I had a chance to meet his Father, Step-mom and Sister. And the food was fantastic! The New Year rang in at the bowling center and with the exception of an alarm call for a breakin X-Mas eve, all was generally peaceful and pleasant(unless you count all the new years eve gunfire, WWIII I tell ya). Had a chance to wish Officer Joe (Savannah/Chatham Police Department) a joyous season as he and 5 others answered the center's alarm.

Ah, but to the new deal. Time to move on at the old job. Brasseler USA has been good to me over the years. A two year stint fifteen years ago recently replayed (the past two years), four years combined with the company now has just gotten better. I've been a line machinist this time around, (after being a surface grinder operator last time) and now I'm moving up. Facilitiy Maintenance Tech I is the name of the new position.
Basically maintenance guy/Jack of all Trades (been there,done that before at the Bed & Breakfast Inn) . The Safety Director came around yesterday and gave me the good news. The perks: a reasonably numbered raise, company cellphone (to be on call), company computer (to make reports and send up the line) and email address (to receive work orders and communications) , and the chance to go salary in a reasonable time. I'm going to have to change uniform dress from blue collar worker shirt and jeans to business casual which will be slacks and golf shirt looking set-up. There's the need to be able to fit in anywhere in the company now so I'll have to spiff up a smigen. Long hair goes (pics when it's done). I'll answer directly to the Safety Director. Looks like a dept of two now, with me being the workforce...lol. There are five areas of coverage that the SD handled previously that are now dept areas: Maintenance, Security, Transportation, EPA, and OSHA. But don't hold me to that, it's been a whirlwind experience so far.
Position starts in a week so we'll see how it really pans out then...
I'm really looking forward to the change of pace. Will keep you all updated.
-Rob "worth a little more today" D.