The Elephant's Child

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

I try to avoid posting lots of videos here, but this one is just to good to pass up. It had me doing my weird west African clapping-laugh, so I think it passes muster. Note Goliath's spandex pants. A nice touch, to be sure. Video runs a little over 5 minutes, but if you were living under a rock in 1992 when the movie Wayne's World was out, you don't need to bother watching.  Well, you can watch, but it won't be nearly as funny.

The Oval Office Computer.

Shortly after the new administration took office, White House staffers were forced to remove "Hearts" from the Oval Office computer, concerned that Fox News would catch wind of the President's untoward activities during Cabinet meetings.

Little did staffers know that the President had discovered a work-around. 

No one was the wiser until the President unwittingly revealed his mad fly-killin' skillz on national TV this past June.  Oops!

Hat tip to my friend Cheryl, who shared with me the link to the President's favorite time-waster.

Have Fun Putting In That New Fuel Pump.

What Part of "Easy Up" Is So Hard To Understand?

 

Missed Connexions in the "Free" Section.

I think these two people need to get together. Could be a mutually beneficial hook-up.

Ten Things Ablaze.

Groups.
Friends.
Some guy's pants.
Anglicans (someone better tell them to add the !)
Eighteen tractors.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia.
Gardens.
Kittens. (Don't worry; it's just an indie band name. No cute fuzzy baby felines were harmed in the making of this post.)
An Aussie bar and grill. Looks like a great place. Wonder if the Scallops Ablaze are any good?
Pentecostals in Africa.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  I'll be back in the game with some thicker posts next week.

Sneak Peek At Military Improvements by Our Dear Leader.

via  Picture Is Unrelated.   Fair warning: that blog is Not Safe For Work, nor for your teens; no outright swearing, but certainly a few adult references here and there, and some things that are gross.  A bit of inappropriateness, shall we say?  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Here are a few other selections from the site that ARE safe for work (and teens) Slumber Party! and Yeti Brigade- Special Ops. and Before there was iPhone and Facebook.

UPDATE!!  Irrefutable proof that all edible sea-dwelling crustaceans are nothing more than giant aquatic cockroaches.

Unicorns and Rainbows.

I got in a bit of trouble recently for spreading word of the Bacolicio.us website. Unwittingly, it looked like I was disrespecting the Office of the President, and that certainly wasn't my intent. My sense of humor doesn't appeal to everyone, this is most certainly true.  Sometimes, I miss the mark.  To redeem myself, I'll swallow my bile and let you put unicorns and rainbows all over The Elephant's Child.

Have at it.

Vent your anger. Click button until you feel a gentle sense of peace floating through your mind and soul. Embrace your inner kitsch.

Fun With Comments Policies.

This lady has quite a different view of blogging than I do:

I strictly censor the comments on this blog. Comments trying to engage me in 'discussing' what I blogged about will not be published, unless I specifically mentioned that I wanted to discuss the issue. Discussion comments that do occasionally get published will often go unanswered by me. [...] No dissenting views will be published, unless they are tastefully done, not anti-Christian or anti-Bible, and will not lead me to feel that I must respond. Remember, I personally do not wish to dialogue in my comments section. I write what I want to write on my blog itself.

A stern warning to trolls, most of whom may not be able to decipher such a gloriously constructed sentence in the first place:

You will be addressed in the style you choose. If you come in here slinging insults and acting disrespectfully, you will be treated with a contemptuous and derisive disdain that will, based on past experience, probably upset you. This is particularly true for visitors who are under the impression, mistaken or not, that they are far more intelligent than the average individual here.

Pulling no punches, these Anglicans say,

[T]his blog policy has been a constant now for six months. We also remind people of the policy -- with a link to this page -- at the bottom of each and every post, and include these words: "No over-the-top profanity, no racial or ethnic slurs, and no threats real or implied of physical violence."  Now that we have offered repeated reminders and warnings over a six month period, if there is sufficient offense, we will simply proceed to banning, based on the fact that now everybody knows in detail all the comment policies.

My own comment policy is pretty laid back. I won't turn on comment moderation unless I absolutely have to, and so far things have been pretty good.  A few spammers here and there, and a few drive-by commenters who have obviously landed here via a Google Alerts. Someday, I'm going to start seeding my posts just to pull in people who trawl the internet looking for ways to get themselves all bent out of shape. You know, just for fun.

I appreciate that all of you, my dear readers, seem to know where the shift key and punctuation keys are, and how to express yourselves creatively without using foul language.  Most of all, you all seem to know better than to disagree with me engage in that uniquely bloggish good-natured snarky bantering in the comments threads that makes blogging so much fun.  Thank you!

Because There Are Just Not Enough Disturbing Things In This World.

That would be a "Reborn" baby doll in the video. Here's a comment about these sorts of dolls:

I'm 41 years old, and I don't see anything wrong with [Reborn baby dolls]. There is nothing wrong with caring for and nurturing these dolls as if they were real, either. I wouldn't take them anywhere, though. They could get lost or stolen. Or, if you leave them in your car, the sun could damage them, or a police officer could mistake it for the real thing and try to "rescue" it. What I don't understand is why so many of these vinyl dolls aren't anatomically correct. I mean, if you're going to add all these realistic-looking newborn features to 100% vinyl or silicone-vinyl, you might as well create anatomically correct girls and boys, too, and make them 21" to 22" long.

-Written by "Guest" at Suite101. (Full article and comments here.)

As I read more about this particular trend in doll collecting, it seems that a lot of the reborn babies are in fact full size, and are weighted so that they feel real when you pick them up. And, apparently, there are anatomically correct per their gender dolls available.  (Doesn't say circ or no circ. I wonder if that's a custom option.)  Here's a reborn doll that breathes. Some are even heated so that they are warm to the touch.

I have friends and family who collect dolls, although I don't know of any who have one of this type.  While I'm not into dolls myself, I do understand the appeal of collecting beautiful and beautifully crafted things, and the charm of all those small accessories and clothing for the dolls. 

But I think these dolls are downright creepy!