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Talk about politics being a dead issue...a small village in Romania decided that the dead candidate was preferred to the living.

The late incumbent Neculai Ivascu who was mayor for over 20 years died from liver disease shortly after the polls opened. Yet he still won re-election by 23 votes.

"I know he died, but I don't want change," a pro-Ivascu villager told Romanian television.

I feel sorry for his opponent though knowing that the citizens of your fair village thought the dead guy was a better bet. But he who still breathes gets the last laugh as his opponent Gheorghe Dobrescu will assume office as the runner up. Ivascu's Social Democrat Party has called for a new vote in the wake of the event.

You know you have a true masterpiece when even nature imitates your work. Check out this log that looks very similar to Edvard Munch's awesome piece "The Scream".  The wood itself hasn't been tampered with  aside from  chopping it it half as they were about to toss it into a fire. Apparently, that chop was all that was needed to reveal the masterpiece within. Check out the pix below and see for yourself!

And for a limited time, it looks like you can also purchase this unique one-of-a-kind natural masterpiece on eBay! I think this is better then the Mary toast or the state cornflake. Here's an excerpt from the listing:

On a chilly Friday evening two figures gathered wood and kindling for a fire on the banks of the Suwannee River. After clearing the thick brush that surrounded a small cabin the two made their way back to an open stone pit and began preparing the wood for it's incineration and provision of warmth.

 

Carefully each selection of gathered wood was laid in order in the pit and the kindling lit. Suddenly the still night air was broken with a loud cry, "That log on the flames! It has a face!"

 

Quickly reaching into the searing flames they pulled out this mysterious log and gazed upon the face they had rescued from the scorching heat. Yes, they had seen this face before, but the last time it appeared was on a canvas backlit by a blood red sky. Now looking at the face and the glowing hot flames behind it, everything came together. The Scream had returned."

Link to eBay auction.

According to Wikipedia "by 1968 all forms of segregation had declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court". That's great, now everyone can go to the same schools, stores, drinking fountains and restaurants to name a few. The "coloreds" and the "whites" are finally united as one big happy family and the color of your skin doesn't determine who you will become and what you can do with your life.

Prior to those times the United States Constitution openly declared "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

So, as equals, why does the US Census Bureau divide us? What purpose does this have? Thanks to who my ancestors decided to hook up with I'm lumped into the White Non-Hispanic category, also know sometimes as Caucasian Non-Hispanic. Why aren't we listed as just US Citizens? If it's purely ascetics, why don't they track my hair and eye color? Maybe they learned from Hitler that that was going too far.

I have no answers here, just something that's been rolling around in my head. The color of your skin, or eyes, or even who your parents were don't decide who you are and what you're capable of or where you get to eat. I know racism still exists on both sides but I think as long as we still have sides, it will forever exist.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm far from racist, I'm not even white, I'm kind of pinkish and after being in the sun for a few hours I'm more lobster than human. But I don't think that has any relevance to who I am or where I live. Don't try to classify who we are in small buckets because without each of us the world would be a useless place.

So, the bottom line, we get rid of the "sides" and just have people. What a concept, a world filled with people. In another 10,000 years we'll be so blended that world governments will have to create new stereotypes to fit us in anyways so until then respect people for who they are not what they are.

I guess I could be referred to as a Tetris addict. As soon as I get a new cell phone the first game, if not the only game, loaded is Tetris. It makes for a great time filler as well as offers a challenge if I have the spare time to play for more then 10 minutes. Boring meetings, waiting for the wife, or waiting for my ship to arrive in Ouray Base while playing Freelancer – Tetris is there for me.

My time has not been wasted in vain as I've learned some extremely valuable life lessons that indeed make me a better person today.

   

• Much as you would love your life to be neat and orderly, sometimes it's just not possible.

• Sometimes things go your way and all the pieces of your life come together. Other times you're left with gaping holes that you'll need to fill before moving on in life or they'll haunt you forever.

• It feels like there's always someone above you dropping bricks on your head to slow you down.

• You won't always get want you want. Often you're left with a square block when you really need a right L.

• Sometimes you don't get want you want, but in reality it turns out to be better then what you wanted.

• Sometimes you don't get want you want and it's far worse then what you could have ever imagined.

• Life doesn't get any easier, it keeps coming at you faster and faster.

• Sometimes you can't move fast enough and you'll lose out on a once in a life time chance, other times, you'll luck out and things will fall in place.

• You will eventually die, and all that's going to be left is the high score you leave behind for others to lookup to.

Well I'm off to play another game!

Best Buy, the most customer friendly *coughs* retail chain in the world, has really done it this time. Raelyn Campbell is suing them for $54 million US dollars. Even if she won the big yellow price tag company would end up trying to pay her in worthless "gift cards" no doubt.

So, what could possibly be worth $54 million? Try a lost notebook computer. Campbell was suckered into the in-store extended warranty program and decided to use it's coverage to repair a broken power switch on her laptop.

Apparently Best Buy had no quarrels accepting the computer and telling her it would be ready within 6 weeks. After 6 weeks past there was still no laptop for Raelyn. Three months later they ended up offering her $900 in gift cards for her laptop she had purchased for $1,100 because they could not locate the computer. She countered demanding $2,100 which the company ignored completely. Big surprise here...

Aside from the fact that I would never want to give my computer along with any of my precious data to a Best Buy representative, I would most assuredly NOT want it lost by them with no explanation of how or why. Obviously Campbell feels the same way as she's filing suit in an attempt to make Best Buy explain their actions and how it happened in the first place. I'm going to say it's definitely a long shot, but some good could come of it.

It is a strange world though...a laptop can just grow legs and walk away, however if you attempt to walk out of the store with a $20 CD in an official bag they're going to need to see some papers. Or remember the time a fellow bought a hard drive that just turned out to be a bunch of bathroom tiles in a hard drive box? Kinda crooked dontcha think? I think it's time for Best Buy to pay the piper.

If you ever ever are "detained" by the goons there be sure you've already read this HOWTO I found posted by the great folks over at BoingBoing.net. It may not stop the jack booted thugs from breaking down your door to check your receipt, but it will send a message that will help protect your rights and the rights of millions for generations to come!