According to an article in the week’s Nature, the way that tarantulas spin silk may be unique among arachnids. Most spiders produce silk from a specialized organ on the abdomen called a spinneret. Tarantulas, however, secrete the sticky substance from their feet, where it helps them climb surfaces by compensating for the large spider’s weight. The authors say it’s possible that all spiders once had this ability, and that the spinneret actually evolved from a leg, but it’s going to take genetic studies to say for sure. Cool, huh?

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When the Republicans come to town in 2008, something that we may hear resounding across the prairie is a rabid chant of, “Rooo-Dee! Rooo-Dee! ROOO-DEE!”

Do not be in the least bit surprised if former NYC mayor Rudy Giulani is the Republican nominee for President. If he runs, he could save the Republican party as they know it. He would shut down the neocon war machine and allow the rest of America to live normal lives instead of searching beneath our beds each night for Osama Bin Laden and calling the FBI on our neighbor’s who are “not from around here”.

Or he could solidify the neocon stranglehold on America and tighten the screws on all the non-believers.

But I don’t think so.

Here’s why: Rudy came out in support of President Clinton after the rest of RepublicanLand started bashing Bill and Hillary over his Fox Interview with Chris Wallace.

So my prediction is: If the beocons (note the emphasis on CON) manage to retain control of both the House AND the Senate…THEN Rudy Giulani will NOT run for President in 2008.

Rudy has too much self-respect to be willing to volunteer to be harassed, badgered and cajoled by a Republican Party that has been high-jacked. The neocon terror cell that has been running this country for the past six years would never give him a moment of rest.

And really, who can blame him for wanting to avoid that cluster-fuck?

NOBODY needs the headache of a well-financed smear campaign drummed up by a bunch of cowardly Republican neocon thugs in expensive suits with fake smiles.

Print this: Rudy will ONLY run in 2008 if the neocons LOSE in 2006!

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I’m going to really enjoy protesting this thing… we need to figure out a way to get in!

Republicans choose Minneapolis/St. Paul for convention.

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The Washington Monthly has a great cover story for its October 2006 issue. The article, entitled “Time For Us To Go,” features seven conservative writers making the argument to why the Democrats need to win this November.

It is an interesting dilemma for true conservatives isn’t it? The party of less government has suddenly become the party of more government. It is sad actually, a once-great political party has been corrupted by the sniveling neocons who took Regan’s policies and distorted them beyond recognition.

It may be simplistic, but Gingrich really was the start of this shift in the GOP. However, behind closed doors I am sure even he’d admit he doesn’t recognize the party anymore. More young people are buying into the selfish policies put forth by the neocon gatekeepers. But they’ll figure it out.

From the article:

With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, conservatives these days ought to be happy, but most aren’t. They see expanding government, runaway spending, Middle East entanglements, and government corruption, and they wonder why, exactly, the country should be grateful for Republican dominance. Some accuse Bush and the Republicans today of not being true conservatives. Others see a grab bag of stated policies and wonder how they cohere. Everyone thinks something’s got to change.

Now seven prominent conservatives dare to speak the unspeakable: They hope the Republicans lose in 2006. Well, let’s be diplomatic and say they’d prefer divided government—soon. (Perhaps that formulation will fool Dennis Hastert.) Of course, all of them wish for the long-term health of conservatism, and most are loyal to the GOP. What they also believe, however, is that even if a Speaker Pelosi looms in the wings, sometimes the best remedy for a party gone astray is to give it a session in the time-out chair.

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Lia woke up Sunday morning thinking the day would be like any other Sunday at the track. Little did she know how wrong she would be…

Track and field line judge Lia Mara Lourenco is helped after a javelin hit her in her foot during “Brazil Trophy,” a national track and field competition, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. (AP Photo/Jonne Roriz, Agencia Estado)

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Mel Gibson has a new movie coming out entitled “Apocalypto.” Go and watch the teaser trailer here and pause the trailer around 1:46 into it when you see the people in white paste for the second time. For a single frame, you can see Gibson looking all crazy with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Seriously.

Clearly this is supposed to get more people to watch the trailer due to blog entries like this one. Or it could be more evidence Gibson is crazy. So, yeah, it worked, Gibson. It still doesn’t mean I’ll go and watch your movie, though.

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There is much that could be written on this situation. Many positions could be taken. More gun control laws, more jail time, more parole officers, longer sentences, etc.

That still doesn’t change the fact that seven people lost parents due to a tragic turn of events.

What kind of a world do we live in when four young children have to learn an escape plan should their father show up to the house in a violent mood? The senseless nature of this is something I will never understand. Categorizing this tragedy as a “crime of passion” is a mistake. There is no passion involved; to have passion would indicate the gunman was somehow human.

If the four kids hadn’t of fled or hidden, would they be dead, too? Thankfully they had a contingency plan, but what kind of life will they live now?

The story is here.

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This weekend, Guild Wars, one of the only Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game without a monthly subscription fee, is giving a downloadable preview of the next version of their gaming application.

The cost will be: FREE.

You will be able to sample Guild Wars for September 22nd through September 24th.

I have never played Guild Wars but this is either a prime opportunity to sample the game…or it is a major server crash waiting to happen.

If you have never wanted to play an MMO because they are repetitive and you are rewarded for time logged on as opposed to any actual skill playing a game or solving a puzzle, then download Guild Wars and check it out. You have nothing to lose and you might see why people get hooked on MMOs.

Also, if the server can actually handle the player load on a FREE weekend promotion it might even cause some of you who play other MMOs to consider changing your game…

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I just thought I would write down another take on the recent story from WCCO and others about the Klobuchar campaign.  Apparently a local blogger found a yet unreleased ad from the Kennedy campaign and sent a link to his favorite campaign to ruminate over before it went live.  The Klobuchar campaign thanked him by turning him in to the FBI  and made false statements to the local media, about having circumvented passwords.  This kind of computer phobia makes me really upset, don’t put data out on a public network if you don’t want people to see it, copy it, and talk about it.  I think its time to consider alternatives for November.

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