Gustav has already been a thorn in the ass of McCain and the GOP, landing right at the start of their convention. Hmm, is Gustav a sign of some sort? I think it was Pat Robertson who said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment on America for being too nice to the gays. So what is God saying with Gustav?

Perhaps God is trying to tell us that America is swirling in the right direction, and thus John McCain can be the only logical choice for freedom loving Americans who hate Nazi’s and Arabs named Guztav. Though republicans have to be relieved that there is a legitimate excuse for George Bush and Dick Cheney to not show up at this week’s RNC. Republicans were kinda scratching their heads about what to do with America’s two biggest war criminals at their convention…thanks Gustav.

And on a side note, I am also declaring war on the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team who won the Stanley Cup 3 seasons ago when they beat my beloved Buffalo Sabres in 7 games in the Eastern conference finals. So to recap, we have declared war on hurricanes, people named Gustav, Sweden and the Carolina Hurricanes.

photo credit: flickr 

Post from: Sirened

In my last post I promised something bigger and better with this site, and as promised we have two new great writers. They’ve already introduced themselves so there’s no point in repeating anything.  But welcome guys, glad to have you on board! I was getting a little tired of the same old voice on this site-my own.

Post from: Sirened

When Sirened does return, it will be bigger and better than ever. In the meantime, If you’re in need of a political snark fix, head over to Wonkette.com. It’s my personal favorite; just be careful as it’s seriously addictive to political snark junkies.

But since it’s summer, perhaps it’s good to take a break from politics. When Sirened returns, I’m sure everything will be the same, Obama will still be romanticizing the media and wooing crowds, as McCain tries not to scratch his ass on camera.

Thanks for reading and hope to *see* you back soon.

photo credit: me

Post from: Sirened

The District of Columbia is represented by Eleanor Holmes Norton (as seen on The Colbert Report) in the House of Representatives, but she’s prohibited from actually voting. Thereby giving the people of D.C. no voice in Congress.

There is a website called DCVote.org that is working to lobby Congress and educate Americans on this issue. America’s separation from Britain was fueled by “no taxation without representation,” a slogan that is also being echoed by DCVote.org. No word yet on whether they will dump oil into the Potomac River.

Residents of D.C. can’t even write to a senator to complain about their lack of representation because they have no senator to write to. The kicker for me here is that since World War I, 1,686 residents of D.C. have died in combat, sent to war without proper representation in their government.

I suppose this is appropriate for a government filled with hypocrisies though, we shout mightily for democracy and deny it to those who live within our nations capital.

photo credit: flickr

Post from: Sirened

Oil Companies? Oil Speculators? Irresponsible consumers? Irresponsible governments? Nope, according to this new John McCain ad, there is only one person to blame for $4 a gallon gas and that is Barack Obama.

Post from: Sirened

One of the things that I’ve always wanted to see in life is a day with no real night. And if you’re in Stockholm close to the summer solstice like I was, you’ll see just that. Stockholm is in the eastern part of the Central European Time zone so it’s official sunset isn’t insanely late (around 10:20pm at summer solstice), but if you’re looking to the north this is the light you’ll see from around 11:30pm-2:30am. At around 2:30am it starts getting lighter because sunrise was around 3:30am when we were there (July 2nd-4th).

Stockholm is around the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska so if you’re bothered by light at night, make sure there are good drapes where you are staying! On the boat we stayed on there was only one small window but for god knows what reason, the curtain was just a white flimsy thing. So I took a black t-shirt of mine and hung it over the worthless curtain, which helped immensely.

Seeing light around the clock is a pretty surreal experience and if you get the chance, I highly recommend checking it out, somewhere in the world. Like most cool things, the pictures don’t it justice, but here are some shots from around 1am in Stockholm.

photo credit: me

Post from: Sirened

Not only that, but the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is also planning on scoring them 500 movie tickets as well as tickets for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. That’s fantastic because if there’s one thing that homeless people are deprived of, it’s being in touch with nature.

Now the naysayers out there are suggesting that this is just a cheap ploy to get rid of the homeless who would otherwise be in close proximity to the Pepsi Center, site of the democratic convention from August 25th-28th. But Colorado Coalition for the Homeless President, John Parvensky said that “A person who typically sits under a tree in a park that is now occupied by 1,000 protesters won’t have the peace and quiet they’re desiring.” He went on to say “Particularly those with mental illness can’t cope with crowds.”

Anyways, I think this is a great idea, as long as no mentally ill homeless people fall into the rhino habitat. Also, if you are at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and someone asks you for change at the dinosaur exhibit, you’ll know why.

photo credit: flickr

Post from: Sirened

The Danes have it all…does life really get any better than boobs, beer and burritos??

photo credit: me

Post from: Sirened

This is something you probably won’t see at your local 7-Eleven in say, Valdosta, Georgia. But have no fear, if you’re in Sweden and you’re craving a Big Bite, you can still get one! Despite all this fruit crap posted on the front window, they still have big bites rolling around all day, just like in the US and A.

Another thing you can nab at Swedish 7-Eleven’s is stale loose candy. Swedes love candy and their 7-Eleven’s have many germ filled bins with candy that was delicious days ago.

In Denmark, you can actually buy liquor at 7-Eleven, which is extremely convenient for drinking on the street which is perfectly legal there. Unfortunately here in the Netherlands we have no 7-Elevens and must settle for eating food out of vending machines. The upside is that we can still drink on the streets, which is illegal in Sweden, haha Magnus ver Magnusson!

photo credit: me

Post from: Sirened

Those aren’t my words, nor is it technically truth, but it’s the claim you’ll find immediately upon arrival in Sweden’s capital. Stockholm boasts itself as the capital of Scandinavia because of it’s elegant beauty, cleanliness, fine cuisine (and we did have 2 fantastic meals in the city) and the fact that the Nobel Prizes are awarded in this grandiose city built on several islands.

Swedes are obviously proud of their culture and heritage and once you pass a totally pointless customs at Arlanda airport, you’ll find pictures commemorating famous Swedes. People such as golf great Annika Sorrenstam and tennis relic Bjorn Borg (who retired like 20 years ago) are featured. The tribute is in a fitting spot since it’s in a tiny hallway with lots of traffic heading out to Arlanda’s main concourse. It’s a great place for tourists to stop and admire while they get in the way of annoyed locals who just want to go the hell home.

From Arlanda to Stockholm’s central station, the way to go is the Arlanda Express. A spiffy high speed train that goes non-stop from the distant airport to the heart of the city in just 20 minutes (don’t worry, you’ll be reminded of the time a lot, which is why my wife wanted to whack me upside the head when I kept asking her how long the train will take). You can also take the bus, but that takes about 40 minutes and only costs a few dollars less. The train is really nice, has 4-6 departures per hour and is very convenient. It’s not cheap but neither is the bus, Stockholm is one of the most expensive cities in Europe in getting from the airport to the city. Even the bus will run you about $16 ($20 on the train), whereas in Amsterdam the train from Schipol airport to central station only costs about $5 (which also runs very frequently and because the airport is closer, can take as little as 15 minutes).

So immediately upon arrival in Sweden, you are whacked upside the head with a hefty cost! But it’s nice that they let you know what to expect in their very pricey city. Anything less and you might be led to believe that you could get a good deal on accommodation, dinner or drinks. There are some good values, by Stockholm standards, but the term value is much more applicable when discussing euros, not dollars.

photo credit: me

Post from: Sirened