Perpetual Thursday

Perpetual Thursday Ramblings, Rantings, Nonsense, and Bunk

Viva La Vida - First Impressions
Saturday, May 31, 2008

Emily started blogging again, so, not to be outdone, I'm going to do the same. After all, I got her blogging the first time, so it would look bad if she was still doing it and I wasn't, right? Besides, I miss it.

A short while ago, Coldplay released the song Violet Hill (from their upcoming album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends) as a free download via their website. I like some of their music, and I really like free stuff, so, of course, I downloaded it.

Now, while I liked Violet Hill, one thing about it stuck out to me: with its dark, slightly rough sound and emphasised guitars, it didn't sound like Coldplay's style. It has hints, sure - the piano work and Chris Martin's signature falsetto - but, for better or worse, it wasn't the Colplay I was used to.

Since then, however, I've managed to get my hands on three more tracks from the album: Life In Technicolor, Viva la Vida, and Lost? (acoustic version). Here is what I think...

Life in Technicolor: As first track on the album, Life in Technicolor makes a nice opening. Though there is a (very small) amount of vocal work, there are no lyrics on the track, and that works perfectly. There really isn't a whole lot to say about opening tracks, but I can honestly say that this one stands out as possibly the best opening track I've ever heard (note that I'm not counting albums that open with regular songs - I'm talking about tracks set up just to open the album). It builds up well and even manages to be pretty catchy.

Viva la Vida: This one struck me, because I wasn't expecting it at ALL. After listening to Violet Hill enough, I expected the whole album to have the same dark, rough sound. Not Viva la Vida. Featuring a string section, a piano, great vocals, and even bells, Viva la Vida sound like a victorious symphony. The lyrics, on the other hand, talk of times gone past from the eyes of a man who once had the world in the palm of his hand, and are delivered by Martin in way the fits the music to perfection (no falsetto here - sorry ladies).

Lost? (acoustic): To the extent of my knowledge, Lost? is a bonus track, and acoustic version of the similarly named track Lost!. However, don't like the word "acoustic" give you the wrong impression: Lost? doesn't have any of the coffee-house sound that today is too often associated with acoustic music. There's no guitar work here - nothing but Chris Martin and a lone piano. Very slightly dark, quiet, and calm, Lost? still holds a hint of the epic downfall vibe that perforates Viva la Vida. Again, Martin passes on the falsetto to retain a slightly more sombre sound to the song, which fits it very well.

Overall: Out of the four tracks I've heard, Viva la Vida itself if my favourite, and certainly the most Coldplay-like. While none of these three are as dark and rough as Violet Hill (which, despite not being Coldplay-like, is, again, a pretty good song), they all hold a flash, musically and lyrically, of the same dark vibe, and the same suggestion of an epic downfall.

From what I've heard so far, Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends is indeed a step in a new direction for Coldplay. Again, it's darker, and it's more epic. However, it is still Coldplay at heart. After hearing Violet Hill for the first time I was worried that it may not be a good change, but having heard these new three tracks, and getting a better idea of how Violet Hill fits in with them, I can honestly say that it's a change for the better. I'm looking forward to the albums release, as it could very well be the best Coldplay album yet.

All for now - until next time, may all your Thursdays be Perpetual.

Labels: Music

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"Energy" Drinks
Thursday, March 20, 2008

This can filled with drink
Which I have not yet tasted
Is still so sexy

Recently, whilst out shopping, I came across a couple of energy drinks. Now, generally, I'm not much for energy drinks, for two reasons: a) they don't seem to have any effect on me, and b) they all seem to taste like urine. Albeit, they sometimes taste like flavoured urine, but that's still urine. Regardless of those two reasons, however, these two cans stood out. Why? It wasn't because they sounded particularly tasty. Nor was it because they had eye-catching cans. No, it was because of their names: Aphrodite Love Drink, and Peep One Erotic Drink. I could make a witty comment, like "What do you get when you combine Red Bull with Viagra?" (done); I could talk about how perverted it is to see that stuff next to the root beer where any kid could read it's e-mail spam-like label (done); or I could even write a haiku about it (done). But I won't (because I just did) - instead, I'll take the high road, and post pictures I took of the cans, so you can think for yourself. Read the full post to see them.

I took a few others as well - among them shots of the backs of the cans (ingredients and company information) - and uploaded them to Facebook, so you can check them out at:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18360&l=ef3a7&id=658484513

As a closing note, let me answer the real question all this raises: how did they taste? The Aphrodite Love Drink was great. Essentially, it's Black Currant juice - yummy. The Peep One Erotic Drink was, sadly, a typical energy drink - urine flavoured.

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Branch Water
Friday, March 14, 2008

On Monday, Quezon, Mike (who was visiting), and I went to youth group together. Whilst there, a terrible thing happened - I told a story. Now, granted, everyone who knows me long enough hears at least one of my stories at least one time, but up until then, the wonderful folks at Youth Group had been spared. No longer - thanks to Mike saying just the right thing at just the wrong time, I began telling a story that I like to tell everyone I can - to pass it on to others, as it was passed to me. It went over pretty well, and some people wanted me to put the tale into writing so they could memorize it. Now, while technically this is against the rules of oral storytelling, I decided that this one time, I could make an exception. So, without further ado, allow me to present Branch Water - Unabridged. Read the full post for the story, ya' dig?

Branch Water
As Told by Patrick J. Simmons
Once upon a time, a young boy was given an school assignment to write an essay on a topic of his choice. He chose to write his essay on Branch Water. He worked very hard on his essay: researched every detail, wrote in his best handwriting, made no mistakes. So, when the time came to submit his essay to his teacher, he was confident that he would receive high marks on it. He handed his essay to his teacher, who got no further than the title when she snatched a pen, marked the essay with a bright red "F," thrust the essay back at the boy and sent him off to the principals office.

As the boy sat down in the office, the principal asked him, "so, why are you here today?"
"Honestly," responded the boy, "I'm not sure. I turned in an essay, and thought bit was pretty good, but the teacher gave me an F and sent me here."
"Well, that's terrible," said the principal, "what was your essay topic?"
"Branch water."
"Ack! Out! Out! You are hear by expelled! Get out of my office, and out of my school!"

So, the boy went home - expelled and confused. When he got home, his mother was in the kitchen.
"Well, you're home early. Is everything okay?"
"I got expelled, mom."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. I just turned in my essay and my teacher failed me and sent me to the principal, and then he expelled me as soon as he heard what my topic was."
"Well, that's terrible," said his mother, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"Get out of my house," yelled his mother, "get out now! You are no longer my son! OUT!"

So the boy, disowned, expelled, and confused, went to the home of his Aunt Ruth. He knocked on the door, and she opened:
"Well if it isn't my favourite nephew! What are you doing here?"
"Well Aunt Ruth," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I came here."
"Well, that's terrible," said Aunt Ruth, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"GADS! Go! Go away! Now! Begone," yelled Aunt Ruth, slamming the door in his face.

So the boy, shunned, disowned, expelled, and confused, went out to a local park to sleep on a bench. As he began to drift asleep, a hobo came up to him:
"Hey kid, this is my bench. What's a little boy like you doing sleeping on a park bench anyway?"
"Well hobo," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, so I came here."
"Well, that's terrible," said the hobo, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"ARRRGGH," screamed the hobo, running away and getting hit by a car and killed as he ran across the street.

So the boy, partially responsible for the death of a hobo, shunned, disowned, expelled, and confused, went to sleep on the bench. In the morning, he awoke to find a police officer standing over him.
"Well hello there my lad," said the police officer, "what are you doing out here sleeping on this park bench?"
"Well officer," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep here."
"Well, that's terrible," said the police officer, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
The police officer gasped and snapped a pair of handcuffs on the boy. "You're under arrest."

The next day, the boy, with an arrest record, partially responsible for the death of a hobo, shunned, disowned, expelled, and confused, went to his court hearing.
"All rise for The Most Honourable High Lord Over-Seer The Long-Shanks," said the bailiff.
Everyone rose.
The Most Honourable High Lord Over-Seer The Long-Shanks entered and was seated.
Everyone sat.
"So my boy," said The Most Honourable High Lord Over-Seer The Long-Shanks, "what brings you to my courtroom?"
"Well your honor," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so here I am."
"Well, that's terrible," said The Most Honourable High Lord Over-Seer The Long-Shanks, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"Thirty years!"
The gavel smashed down, and the boy was taken away to server his thirty year prison sentence.

On his third day in prison, the boy, a convicted felon, with an arrest record, partially responsible for the death of a hobo, shunned, disowned, expelled, and confused, was talking with a fellow inmate.
"So," said the fellow inmate, whose name was Bubba, "what's a kid like you doing prison?"
"Well Bubba," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, so here I am."
"Well, that's terrible," said Bubba, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
Bubba screamed like a little girl, ran over to the nearest guard, grabbed a home-made machete the guard had confiscated, and shanked himself.

Thirty years later, the boy (well, actually, he's a man now, but to keep things simple, we'll keep calling him the boy) was released from prison. Since he was now old enough, had no where else to go, and had seen one to many "Cheers" re-runs, he went out to a bar. As he sat at the bar, the bartender looked at him:
"Wow," he said, "you look awful. What's your story?"
"Well," said the boy "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, then, in prison, I told an inmate named Bubba about it, and he shanked himself, then I got released, and here I am."
"Well, that's terrible," said the bartender, polishing a glass that didn't really need it, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
The bartender dropped the glass. "Oh," he stammered, "oh wow... Listen, here's what you need to do - go to the old lady who lives across the street, tell her I sent you. She'll help you out."

So the boy went across the street to the home of the old woman, and knocked on the door.
"Who are you," asked the old woman, opening the door.
"The bartender sent me."
"Oh, well then it most be important. What's your story?"
Well," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, then, in prison, I told an inmate named Bubba about it, and he shanked himself, then I got released and went to the bar, and when I told the bartender my story, he sent me here."
Well, that's terrible," said the old woman, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"Sweet honeyed yams," exclaimed the old woman. "Here, take this jar of cookies to the lumberjack who lives out in the woods, and he will help you."

So out into the woods the boy went, cookies in tow. Unfortunately, he didn't have directions, so it took him four days of walking to find the lumberjack's cabin, and he get rather hungry and ate most of the cookies.

In fact, he ate all of the cookies.

But he did arrive at the lumberjack's cabin, and was greeted by the jumberjack.
"Well now, who are you?"
"The old woman sent me. Errr... here," said the boy, handing the lumberjack the empty jar.
"Ate the cookies, huh?"
"Yeah. Sorry..."
That's okay. Everybody does. So," said the jumberjack, "what's your story?"
"Well," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, then, in prison, I told an inmate named Bubba about it, and he shanked himself, then I got released and went to the bar, and when I told the bartender my story, he sent me to the old woman, who sent me here."
"Well, that's terrible," said the lumberjack, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"By the power of Greyskull," exclaimed the lumberjack, "you need to leave, now!"
"But, where do I go?"
"Here, take this axe to the Old Indian Fort at the other end of the forest, and they will help you. Now, go!"

So the boy went, and, after a week and a half of wandering through the forest, reached the Fort, where he was greeted by Chief Falling Rocks.
"What brings you here, stranger," asked Chief Falling Rocks.
"The lumberjack sent me," said the boy, handing Chief Falling Rocks the axe.
"Ah, I see," said the Chief, accepting the axe, "so then, what's your story?"
"Well," said the boy, "I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, then, in prison, I told an inmate named Bubba about it, and he shanked himself, then I got released and went to the bar, and when I told the bartender my story, he sent me to the old woman, who sent me to the lumberjack, who sent me here."
"Well, that's terrible," said Chief Falling Rocks, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"Bullocks," exclaimed the chief, "go away and never come back!"
"But where do I go?"
"Take this special carved arrowhead back to the old woman, and she'll tell you - now begone!"

So back to the old woman the boy went. Upon arriving at her home, he immediately gave her the arrowhead.
"Well I see they've sent you back to me. Oh dear."
"Well, what do I do," asked the boy.
"Take this quarter," replied the woman, producing a coin, "to my husband in the basement."

Down the stairs the boy went, and found the old woman's husband.
"Who in blue blazes are you?"
"Your wife sent me down here," the boy said, handing him the quarter.
"Oh, wow, this must be important - my wife hasn't given me a penny in over fifty years. So then, what's your story?"
The boy sighed, then began: "Well, I turned in an essay I wrote for school, and when my teacher read it, she failed me and sent me to the principals office, and when I told him my essay topic, he expelled me, so I went home, but when I told my mother my topic, she kicked me out, so I went to my Aunt Ruth, but when I told her my topic, she slammed the door in my face, then I met a hobo, and when I told him my topic, he ran away and was hit by a car, so I went to sleep on a park bench, and when I woke up, there was a police officer, but when I told him my topic, he arrested me, so I went to a hearing, but when I told the judge my topic, he gave me a thirty year prison sentence, then, in prison, I told an inmate named Bubba about it, and he shanked himself, then I got released and went to the bar, and when I told the bartender my story, he sent me to your wife, who sent me to the lumberjack, who sent me to Chief Falling Rocks, who sent me back to your wife, who sent me down here."
"Well, that's terrible," said the husband, "what was your topic?"
"Branch water."
"Oy vey! Get out! Out now! Out of my basement and my house! Never come back!"
"But, but, but," stammered the boy.
"But," replied the husband, "but, go across the street to the bartender, and he will explain everything to you at last. Your journey will be over."

Overjoyed, the boy ran up the stairs, out of the house, and - was hit by a truck.

The moral of this story is: look both ways before crossing the street.

The End

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Firefox Trick: Rhapsody Player Sidebar
Thursday, February 07, 2008

Firefox is an awesome browser. In addition, Rhapsody is an awesome music service. So, using the two together makes perfect sense, right? I certainly think so, but the thing is, I don't really like how the Rhapsody playlist appears in its own little window - I would much rather have it open in the sidebar, so that it stays right with me in an easy to access spot as I browser Rhapsody and the rest of the web. Fortunately, not only is it possible to get the Rhapsody player to open in the Firefox sidebar, it's easy to do and doesn't require more than a minute to set up. (Read the full post for the instructions.)

All you need to do is set up a bookmark for the Rhapsody Player (not, mind you, for Rhapsody.com, but for the player itself):
1. Open your Bookmarks menu (or go to the Bookmarks toolbar), right click where you want your bookmark to appear, and select "New Bookmark" from the right-click menu.
2. Name the Bookmark something like "Rhapsody Player," and past "http://www.rhapsody.com/player" into the Location box.
3. Check the Load this bookmark in the sidebar box.
Done!

Using the bookmark is easy:
1. Go to Rhapsody.com and log in.
2. Open in Bookmark.
3. Start adding music.

Nothing more to it than that. Once you've logged in and opened your bookmarked player you're free to browse around Rhapsody or any other website all you want - the player will run nicely in the sidebar and keep you logged in and your music playing.

Labels: Music, Tech/Internet

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"White Tree" Blogger Classic Template
Thursday, December 06, 2007

I've been planning on creating a few Blogger templates for public release since sometime early thing year, but it took me until last night to actually get it together enough to finish one.

"White Tree" is a simple, clean, and flexible three-column liquid-layout template designed for use with Blogger (under the 'Classic' templates system). You can see it in action at Perpetual Templates, a blog I set up for the purpose of testing and displaying the template, and possibly future ones.

White Tree is heavily based on the template I'm currently using here on Perpetual Thursday (also created by me). Actually, as you can probably tell by looking at it, White Tree is almost a duplicate of Perpetual Thursday's theme - it's just white instead of black, has a tree instead of lightning, and doesn't display abbreviated posts on the main page.

However, this is enough to make it look very different from the template here, and it really did come out very well, if I do say so myself. I was tempted to use it here, actually, but I've kept this place pretty dark since it started, and really don't want to change it.

Anywho - you can download the code for White Tree as a text file at:
http://alternative-internet.com/webmasterstuff/sectionc/whitetreebloggerclassic.txt

The terms for using it can be found on deviantART:
http://hobbramble.deviantart.com/art/quot-White-Tree-quot-for-Blogger-71402052

I hope that somebody finds a use for it, as I'm very pleased with it and would hate to see it go to waste. I'm working on a version to use with the updated Blogger template system (as opposed to classic templates), and might try and get a Wordpress port together in the future - not sure yet.

Coming later this week: Why Harry Forbes Should Get Sacked. Stay tuned, and may all your Thursdays be Perpetual - esp. tomorrow, happy Saint Nicholas' Day!

Labels: Tech/Internet

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How about "The Orange Oaf?"
Sunday, December 02, 2007

Well, once again I've managed to go for while without posting anything, and then suddenly come back with a complete overhaul of Perpetual Thursday's template. This time, however, I've finally got it to where I am truly, completely happy with it. It's big, it's flexible, it's clean, it's awesome. I'm very happy with it.

Now, I promised in my last post that I would have some witty commentary lined up for this post, and, as much as possible, I do not disappoint. So, without further ado, I want to talk about the Orange Order. More specifically, I want to talk about their new superhero: ORANGE MAN!

From the BBC:
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's... well he doesn't have a name yet, but the Orange Order hopes to win a new generation of fans with their own superhero.

The origins of the Orange Order may date from the 17th century battle for supremacy between Protestantism and Catholicism, but they have high hopes for this 21st century makeover.

King William has been an Orange icon for more than 300 years, but it seems the curly wig and pointed hat combo were not doing it for the kids any more.

While the unnamed character still sports a sash, the traditional bowler hat has been replaced by a trendy purple cape."

Read the full article...

Now, originally I had simply intended to give some kind of witty commentary on the order (probably with some little jab like, "silly protestants, tricks are for kids"), but after giving it some thought, I realized that this pretty much speaks for itself. So, rather than come up with as many silly names for him as I could (the Orange Oaf was the only really good one I could come up with), I've decided to create a couple of helpers for Capitan Citrus: the Anglican Avengers!

The Rump Ranger

I was originally going to call this fellow "Gay Man," but that's a bit overdone, so I went with the Rump Ranger Instead. He's the teams fashion expert - designing the costumes and fixing the hairstyles.

He might also be the Tangerine Tomfool's domestic parter, but no one is sure. After all, we're not supposed to know their secret identities.

His theme song is a show tune. His special power is the "gay ray." Or perhaps the "gay-zer," whichever sounds more idiotic.

The Heritic

I went over a lot of different names for this fellow, and I'll admit that this wasn't my first choice. However, "Super Satan" sounded really, really bad. So I went with this one.

He's the reluctant, bad-guy helper. He seldom agrees with Power Pumpkin up there, and they often get into it with each other. However, in the end, the share the same common goal: leading souls away from the Catholic Church. So, when they need to, they can put aside their differences and work together.

His theme music is "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. His super power is his "magikal" bow, which which he shoots "atheist arrows."

Well, that's as far as I'm willing to take this joke - however, if you can come up with your own additions to the team (pictures not necessary if you don't want to do em'), please comment and let me know!

Labels: Religion

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Hillary Clinton Hostage Situation
Friday, November 30, 2007

I was in the middle of posting something else just a second ago, but I've got something far more interesting to post about right now, so I'll get back to it.

Right now, as I am writing this, there is a hostage situation at the Hillary Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire. According to WCB TV/DT Boston:

"A man claiming to have a bomb took two workers hostage Friday at a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign office in New Hampshire, police said.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. Friday at 28 Main St. in Rochester. The man had what appeared to be a bomb strapped to himself inside the Democrat's office, according to Bill Shaheen, a top state campaign official."

At the moment, according to Fox News (yeah, I know), the police is talking to someone inside. If the reports are correct, "the assailant said he wanted to speak with Senator Clinton" (FoxNews.com). However, if the television report is to be believed, there is "zero chance" that the negotiator(s) will allow the 'assailant' (described by witnesses as a "man as in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair" - WCB TV/DT) to speak with Hillary.

"Nearby businesses have been evacuated, and the St. Elizabeth Seaton School has been locked down. Several elementary and middle schools in the area also locked their doors in what officials called a 'soft lockdown.' Children at the McLelland School, Maple Street School and William Allen School were only being released directly to their parents... Clinton... is not in New Hampshire, was attending a National Democratic Committee meeting in Virginia, where she canceled her address because of the hostage situation." (Again from WCB TV/DT)

Now, Fox has said that their report that there were negotiations taking place are NOT confirmed, and that they are awaiting for more information.

The swat truck is currently moving, and Fox is saying that earlier five swat team members were seen, but police would not say whether or not they entered the building.

I'm obviously not the only guy blogging about this - Jenn of the Jungle is commenting on it over at Screw Liberals. And as I watch, more blogs and news agencies continue to pick up, with articles showing up at The Guardian, The Baltimore Swamp, The Huffington Post, Slacker at Work, WMUR 9 New Hampshire, MSNBC, Time, the BBC, the Palmetto Scoop, CNN, and the Mindful Mission, Crazy News, Losing the War on Humor, WGAL 8, The Age, globeandmall.com, KOCO 5 Oklahoma City, ABC News, the New York Times, A Rake's Progress (warning: moronic liberal), Sword at the Ready, Las Policitas, Daily Kos (nothing much yet, but expect liberal nonsence), Newsvine, Reuters, and Support Your Local Gunfighter. (List last updated at 5:45 p.m. GMT-5)

In addition, Fox now says that there is a possibility that there may only be one hostage or even no hostages left inside.

It's worth checking out WMUR 9, as in addition to their article, they have a live video feed. On their feed they are currently saying that the hostages are indeed out of the building, and Fox is now reporting the same.

According to the video feed from WMUR 9, the suspect is locally known in Rochester, and earlies told his son to "watch the news." And they are now saying there there IS still a possibility that there is one, or possibly more, hostage(s) inside.

WGAL 8 as recently uploaded a video of an interview with a witness, which you can see at: http://www.wgal.com/video/14739208/index.html

WMUR 9 has said they they saw a person they were told is a negotiator on a cell phone talking to someone. They say there were previously told that police were going to attempt to get a phone inside, but do not know whether or not it is inside.

In addition, they say that the suspect possibly has a mental illness, and is most likely in his 40s. There is also a rumour circling saying that he is possibly known to the Rochester police department. However, none of this has been confirmed.

In addition, someone on Craigslist is offering cash (supposedly 1000 U.S. Dollars) for video of the incident or interviews with witnesses.

Fox news now says that they have eyewitness reports claiming the suspect is a man named Troy Stanley. In addition, they are reporting the possiblity that the suspect does NOT have a bomb, but rather, road flares taped to his chest. None of this has yet been confirmed by authorities.

It's worth noting that several of the Fox News reporters have stopped saying "the suspect" or "the man," and rather referring to him as "Stanley," despite the fact that the suspect's identity had not yet been confirmed.

A recent comment on the post over at Screw Liberals describes Stanley as "a government conspiracy nut who claims the government has planted a bug in his head." This isn't confirmed yet either. *wink*

ABC News reports on their website that the suspect is "...a man described as a well-known local resident with a history of emotional problems who told his son to "watch the news today." He is said to be in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair." This fits with what everyone else is reporting.

WMUR 9 reports police ARE indeed communicating with the suspect, who is still inside.

Both WMUR 9 and Fox News is currently awaiting a press conference from law enforcement officials, which they expect to happen soon. WMUR also says that they are no longer sure that the two hostages previously reported as released were, indeed, released. They do say that they are certain ONE hostage has been released, but they are unsure about the other two. Both Fox News and WCVB TV/DT still report that the two additional hostages were released.

WMUR just played some footage of a woman who works at a restaurant called "The Governor's Inn," who says the the suspect takes stepson came in for coffee and described the suspect as unemployed, possibly getting a divorce, and a heavy drinker. She said he did not give his name, but said he and his mother had been interviewed by police. None of what she said has been confirmed.

A U.S. News blog at ABC News currently reports that 3 hostages have been released - this is not confirmed (I am getting sick of saying that).

As I wait for the press conference to start, I'd like to post a little commentary on this issue. More specifically, on Rake Morgan's take: "a man described as 'mentally ill' has strapped on a bomb, walked into a Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, taken hostages, and is threatening to harm himself and everyone around him.

Earlier today we received the email copied below from one of Hillary’s foremost character assassins, a man who could also be called 'mentally ill,' Robert Morrow. Using the anti-abortion rant to incite others to commit violence is not unheard of. In this case, Morrow is claiming that Hillary wants to 'kill babies' because 'it’s God’s law.'

Put those thoughts into the head of another, armed mentally ill person and it would not surprise me if that’s what it took to cause today’s crisis in Rochester."

Ah yes, of course - Hillary's pals come out to say that this is all the pro-lifers' fault. What an absolute dumbass. I'll get into to that more later - the press conference has started.

The police conference is taking place right now (WMUR 9 and Fox News bothy have coverage). Rochester Police Capitan Paul Callahan will not confirm any names, the number of hostages, anything about the suspect, or the "road flare/bomb" rumour. In other words, he's saying pretty much nothing.

I don't have a problem with that at all. It's their choice. Still, not a very informative conference.

WMUR is reporting that area residents are not in danger.

Sorry about my sporadic updates and de-connected writing, but I'm trying to keep up as much as I can.

The Hillary campaign site as a little message up, which you can view at by clicking here.

I didn't mention it earlier, but both the nearby Barack Obama and John Edwards campaign offices have been evacuated as part of the "hostage crisis."

Good lord, have I really been blogging about Hillary Clinton for over an hour? Yikes.

According to Fox News the suspects ex-wife says that he is a "paranoid schizophrenic" and that he was not taking his medication. This has as of yet not been confirmed.

The suspect is NOT, as was previously said, Stanley. Though the suspect's identity has not yet been unconfirmed, Foster's Daily Democrat identifies him one Leeland Eisenburg - a 40 something man with a history of mental illness, and ex-wife who says he's a paranoid schizophrenic, and a step son who says his been drinking. In other words, nothing new, just a different name.
How to make yourself look like a complete dumbass part 2: Rake Morgan gave us one lesson, now it's time for another, courtesy from a comment on the ABC news article, posted by one eddix64: "Two words come to mind when I read stories like this: Gun Ban"

No one ever said the guy has a gun. In fact, a man interviewed by WMUR who says he has talked to one of the hostages inside via cell phone (he is a co-volunteer) claims that the girl he talked to said the suspect does NOT have a gun. Obviously, there is no way of confirming this, but there still isn't a reason to believe that the fellow inside has a gun.

Hillary's location has finally been released - she's at her home in Washington.
WMUR is not playing video of what seems to be images of the arrest of Leeland Eisenberg. He is handcuffed, has been searched, and is being loaded into a vehicle. Fox News is now also reporting that the suspect is most likely Leeland Eisenberg. According to WMUR, News Center 5 has reported to them that Mr. Eisenberg was scheduled to attend a court hearing for domestic violence at one o'clock today.

Before the suspect left the building, a young man believed to be a third hostage left the building and was escorted away by police.

UPDATE: In reference to the Leeland Eisenberg/Tony Stanley suspect bit earlier, Fox News now has this note: "A woman earlier told FOX News that the man's name was Troy Stanley and he was a paranoid schizophrenic who wasn't taking his medication. It was unclear whether Stanley and Eisenberg were one and the same, and police wouldn't confirm whether Stanley was the assailant, or an alias used by him."

WMUR, WCVB TV/DT, and Fox News now all refer to the suspect (now apprehended) as Eisenberg.

I'll have more to say later - for now, I'm going to go eat.

Labels: Politics

Full Post: Hillary Clinton Hostage Situation
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