captainrat's blog: "The Winding Rodent"

Listen to Andrea Gibson recite her poem: For Eli. http://cosmicrat.multiply.com/video/item/11/Andrea_Gibson_-_For_Eli Or read it below, or both. http://www.andreagibson.org/poems/poems_foreli.html My way is to speak to the mind, but Andrea speaks to the heart. We both want the same thing: End the occupation. Bring the troops home, and take GOOD care of them. -- captain rat

Disregard the Linux Fubar problem- I found a patch update that lets it ignore bad flash. It works fine again. Good thing, since support is still silent. In case anyone wonders, when I rate pictures, it's because I like them-- I don't just pick a pic at random. I try to look at all you've posted, and choose the best one(s). I don't rate those who don't seem to be of you, and usually not 'morphed' ones. I find them irritating. People should move, but photos should hold still. Just thought you might like to know that if I rated your picture, it's a compliment. You're welcome. :) --captain rat

Since I joined Fubar, it always worked equally well on my Linux computer and on Windows XP, using Firefox on both of them. Suddenly about a week ago, as soon as I go to Fubar, Firefox crashes on Linux. No other website does that. I can access almost any kind of media with Linux, and java and flash work fine. So I must wonder, what changed in Fubar? Did the Fubar programmers, unfamiliar with Linux, erroneously add something incompatible? Or did Microsoft, desperately trying to maintain its monopolistically obtained market share, slip something into code they induced Fubar to use? Have any other Linux users experienced this problem? Have any of you avoided it? I'm running Fedora 6. For those who know little of Linux, it's a great operating system that is growing in popularity. There are several reasons for this. Many versions of it can be had for free. It is also open-source, meaning they don't keep the way it works secret. It is more stable and more secure. And thousands of developers, many working just for the love of programming, have now gotten it to the point where it is just as user-friendly as MS or Apple in most respects, despite the obstacles that Microsoft tries to throw in its way. I've messaged Fubar support, and I'm waiting to hear. I hope it's a meaningful and helpful response. Fortunately I also have an XP unit, or you would not be reading this, but many Linux users probably don't, and it's just plain wrong to exclude them from this social interaction just because of their OS. ~~captain rat

Wearing bras greatly increases the risk of breast cancer in women. An extensive survey has shown that the number of hours per day the bra is worn is the biggest factor in the degree of risk. Women who rarely or never wore bras had a 1 in 168 chance of developing breast cancer. Those who wore them more often, but less than 12 hours per day: 1 in 152. More than 12 hours per day, but less than 24: 1 in 7. Twenty-four hours a day: 3 in 4. This is a serious health factor that every woman should know about. It is not just a few percentage points like many risks. The survey did not absolutely establish the reason, but it is probable that it is restriction of lymph flow. The lymphatic system washes away the natural toxins and waste products of cells. Body movement is important in the flow. The combination of tightness and lack of movement of the breasts can slow or even stop the flow and allow toxins to build up in the area. As the public waits for further studies and the official announcement, the safest course seems clear. --captain rat

Having experienced this virtual bar for a while now, I find it has a unique appeal. My other blogs, on 360 and Multiply, and my website, www.cosmicrat.com, have been mostly dedicated to serious sociopolitical information and exposition, but this site seems to be reserved for fun, and an unusual form of social interaction. I am a little puzzled by the relevance of points and status levels, but I suppose some people need to compete, whether it means anything or not. I think the point system of ratings rather diminishes the ability to communicate via ratings. Sure, I'll give you a 10 because you gave me one, but if I think someone is especially cool, then what? I don't want to 'insult' someone else with only a 9, and I guess I have to be a paid member to use 11's. As for pictures, I think it's strange to use someone else's picture as your own, or fantasy art instead of a real photo. And the teasing-cleavage shot has been a bit overused, don't you think? There are many other ways to look cute and sexy. And those who succeed in looking good and then say they don't want to turn someone on are being a bit disingenuous, in my opinion. Just because I might want to see you naked doesn't mean I don't want to appreciate your mind too. Bodies and minds go together. This is directed at no one in particular, but anyone who would like to comment, I'd like to hear from you all. I'll continue to explore, and try to understand more about the sociology of Fu.

I frequently see people expressing the slogan 'Support Our Troops'. It isn't always clear what is meant by that. If you mean respecting them for doing their jobs well under difficult and often deadly conditions, and appreciating the extreme stress, the loneliness, the danger, and the sacrifice they undergo-- yes, by all means, they have my support. But if you mean supporting a wrongfully started, needless war that is doing harm to American interests, not good, then I say that is not supporting our troops at all, that is perpetuating poor policy and risking more needless deaths and injuries. I support our troops by calling for immediate withdrawal from the occupation of Iraq. And I support our troops by calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney, for violating the Constitution and international and US law. Traditionally, Americans have fought to preserve our freedom. No Americans should be ordered to fight to glorify a President who seeks to take our freedom away, who disdains the Constitution, cares nothing for the will of the people, and wants America to be an empire, not a republic. I hope the distinction is clear.

Every other day of the year we hear news of terror and terrorists, and how much our President thinks we should be afraid, but on Halloween we have fun with fear. It can be fun because the fear is real only to the extent that we are willing to suspend disbelief in whatever supernatural concept is contained in a movie, story, or costumed friend. Real terrorists try to instill fear of something real, something that could conceivably happen to anyone. How they do that depends on what result they hope to achieve, and what they have to work with. The small groups desperately trying to resist exploitation by powerful nations may kill a number of people, hoping to scare many more. It usually doesn't work very well, because it causes anger as well. Then, we have the opportunistic politician who uses someone else's terrorist acts to frighten his own people, who he promises to protect, if only the people will give him more power. This seems to work all too well, as we in America have seen over the last 6 years. Then there's the kind of terror a powerful nation with lots of advanced weapons can inflict on the people of a smaller one. That works sometimes, unless the bigger nation tries to move in and take over the smaller one. Once that happens, the defeated people will continue to fight the invaders with whatever they have, for as long as it takes. When someone uses fear against us, even if it is only to sell us antibiotic soap, the only answer is to refuse to be afraid. We can do that. Fear makes us vulnerable to unscrupulous leaders who endanger our freedom with their quest for power, and who endanger many more lives than the original threat ever could. Happy Halloween everyone. --captain rat

After all this time, Condi Rice has discovered she has a lacuna, and she wants it filled. You'd think she would have known about it sooner. In case you didn't already know, the lacuna of which she speaks is the gap, or hole, in the law that resulted in no clear way to prosecute the badly behaving Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq. Of course, before this war, America didn't use mercenaries much, so it wasn't a problem. Now Congress will have to define in a law what to do when our mercenaries get trigger-happy and start shooting civilians without provocation. While they're at it, outlawing the use of mercenaries altogether might be a good plan.