I am OUT of HERE.

Yep. It is "D" day. "D" as in DEPARTUE. This may or may not be the last post for a few days or weeks. Time for me to board a series of flights and planes that will eventually land me in Bahrain. Via Boston, Houston and Amsterdam. Yeah I know a little off the normal flight path from Boston to get to Bahrain but when your desperate for a visit to Manama a guy will do what a guy has to do. It is 26 degrees here now. COLD. That is enough of a reason to want to leave!

Looking forward to seeing Mahmood aka The MahaMahmoodski aka THE BLOGFATHER at www.Mahmood.tv. Chan'ad at http://chanad.weblogs.us/ BahrainniRants at http://www.bahrainirants.blogspot.com/ THE JOKER at http://yalajaji.blogspot.com/ Ali from http://quixotiq-writings.blogspot.com/ and all my friends at AMH and other friends and family from around the GCC and the world who live in and around Bahrain.

Sadly I will miss Amira from http://sillybahrainigirl.blogspot.com/ due to her recent move to the Great White North and despite my best efforts I couldn't get DIB from http://desertislandboy.blogs.com/ to come with me. He needs a trip back home. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt John! Opps and how could I forget the Island's most famous cat. The one and only SHOUFY from http://shoufythecat.blogspot.com/ who for some reason isn't posting much as of late.... Hmmmm Have to see what I can do about that. I understand Shoufy has been busy working on another book... hmmmmmm

Also don't forget the best joke contest is still going so scroll down a bit and POST your favorite joke and enter the contest!

Time Catching Up to World War I Veterans

Please stop for a moment and remember the Veterans who served this country today. Veterans Day.

A report today says that there are no more than 50 surviving WW 1 Vets left alive in the US. To those who fought the "GREAT WAR" and to all of the service Men and Women who have defended this great nation in the past and now I say THANK YOU and GOD BLESS.

The sacrifice you and your families have made should not be forgotten by any of us.

So today if see a Veteran or Active Duty Member of the Armed Services give them your regards. They are doing and have done job that few can. Thank you all and GOD BLESS.

WMDs Found in Iraq
Contrary to ongoing reports by mainstream media outlets, WMDs have been found in Iraq, so reports New York Times best-selling author Richard Miniter in his new book, Disinformation.
Consider these shocking facts:
• Found: 1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium
• Found: 1,500 gallons of chemical weapons
• Found: Roadside bomb loaded with sarin gas
• Found: 1,000 radioactive materials--ideal for radioactive dirty bombs
• Found: 17 chemical warheads--some containing cyclosarin, a nerve agent five times more powerful than sarin.

via http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=10101&o=DIB004

When will the rest of the media report the truth? Never. Or as close to never as possible. The fact is and remains Iraq err Saddam had various forms of WMD's. in various quantities. This is just what has been found. What we haven't found or what was moved OUT of Iraq prior to the start of the war is another issue. Now with the tragic events in Jordan can you imagine how much worse it could have been if someone mixed in 50 pounds of radioactive materials per suicide bomber? Thank goodness this hasn't happend. YET. I believe sooner or later someone somewhere will use something more sinister that a C4 bomb belt or jacket and nails soaked in rat poison. Then and only then will people start to wake up to the real threat we, as in ALL of the world face.

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity.
1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.
3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with That.
4.Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It,"In Box."
5.Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch To Espresso.
6.In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks Write, "For Smuggling Diamonds"
7.Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."
8.Don't use any punctuation
9.As Often As Possible, Skip Rather ThanWalk.
10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.
11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."
12. Sing Along At The Opera.
13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme
14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.
15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.
16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By YourWrestling Name, Rock Bottom.
17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Runnig TowardsThe Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives,They're Loose!!"
19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One OfYou Go."
20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity....... Send This joke To Someone To Make Them Smile. It's Called therapy.

Special thanks to my friend JUDY (now that's a Toyota!) for submitting this one!!!

Bank robber felt bad and tried to return cash
By The Associated PressTuesday, November 8, 2005
A man who allegedly robbed a bank of $1,100 yesterday made it easy on police.
Authorities said that just minutes after Andre M. Ellis, 39, robbed an ESB Bank in Ambridge, Beaver County, they caught him standing in front of the bank trying to return the money.
"He felt bad about it, so he tried to do the right thing," said Ambridge police Chief David Sabol. "I've never seen anything like it."
The heist didn't appear to be the work of a hardened bank robber.
According to police, Ellis walked into the bank just before 10 a.m. and slipped a teller a note asking for money. It also asked for God's forgiveness and said he wouldn't be robbing a bank if he wasn't in trouble, police said.
After Ellis left, bank employees called authorities, who fanned out across the area to look for him. Within minutes, an assisting officer from Harmony Township called Ambridge police to say the suspect was standing outside the bank.
He had been knocking on the now-locked bank's windows, trying to get employees' attention.
Ellis, of Ambridge, was charged with robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. He was jailed after failing to post $100,000 bond.


Please welcome Mr. Ellis as CerebralWaste's winner of the BRAIN FART du jour!!!!!!!! It was a toss up between this asswipe and Chirac in France. Since this jackass is going to be a guest in Club Fed for a while I figure his chances of getting the honor again are slim and none. Chirac on the other hand continues to.. well you know!

AHHH.... Now we are getting a little bit more of the story. Seems the ship had some "weapons" of its own. Non Lethal ones. Sound Waves VS RPG's. At prima facia I don't like the "sound" of that. But it seems to have had solid effect against these terrorist of the seas , and YES it is TERRORISM. Depsite what the PC Press calls them. The flip side is where is the international outrage about this ongoing probem? At what point will the world wake up and in a collective voice do a Dee Snyder/Twisted Sister and shout "WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT"? Perhpas the French could use this device as well???


Ship Blasted Pirates With Sonic Weapon
By JOHN PAINAP Business Writer
The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday.
The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.
The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.
Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.
Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.
American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.
The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

BEST JOKE CONTEST presented by CerebralWaste redux!

Starting November 1st to November 30th CEREBRALWASTE will run a contest giving away for FREE, both SHOUFY THE CAT childrens books from SHOUFY.Com. Postage paid to ANYWHERE in the WORLD. Winner won't pay a dime!You can email me your submission or post it here on the blog!!!For those who aren't familiar with Shoufy and her adventures around Bahrain you should check out her website at www.shoufy.com. Great books for kids as well as the website. Check it out! All I ask is to please keep the jokes quasi clean. Block out any over the top strong language by replacing questionable letters of words with numbers or symbols. Younger eyes sometimes view this site and the Shoufy series of books are for Children though I enjoyed reading them myself. Then I never claimed to be a "real" adult anyway!

You can post your joke here on this post or HERE at the original one. Of course you can email the joke as well at SKUNKCRAZY@AOL.COM

Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith DVD

Whatever you do, do yourself a favor and BUY this DVD. Well worth the $15.00 at Best Buy or Target or order it from Amazon.

I saw this movie twice at the theater over the summer with my good friend "The Colonel" and it is even better on DVD. Now I just need a BIG PLASMA TV to watch it on.... AGAIN...... Hint hint..... Speaking of Plasma TV's anyone have any suggestions on which one to buy? I am getting close to taking the plunge and the DELL 42 inch Plasma seems to be the way I am leaning. BUT, (always a "but" isn't there?) I am leaning towards the DELL based solely on what I have read. The reviews look good and Dell has a good reputation. Sadly there is NO DELL OUTLET store near or around Boston so I can see one first hand. Anyone have one or have seen one??? Or any other suggestions on other Plasma models in the $3000.00 price range? The way my house is set up I need a 42 inch. Yep that is correct.. I NEED one of these!

Pirates Open Fire on Cruise Ship Off Somalia
MIAMI (Nov. 5) - Pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade and machine guns Saturday in an attack on a luxury cruise liner off the east African coast, the vessel's owners said. Two armed boats approached the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia and fired as the boats' occupants attempted to get onboard, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp.
The crew initiated a trained response and avoided being boarded, Good said. The ship outran them and changed its course. "Our suspicion at this time is that the motive was theft," Good said. One member of the 161-person crew was slightly injured before the attackers were repelled, according to a London-based Seabourn Cruises spokesman.
Press Association, the British news agency, said passengers awoke to the sound of gunfire as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner. The injured crew member was reportedly hit by flying debris.
Edith Laird of Seattle, who was traveling on the ship with her daughter and a friend, told British Broadcasting Corp. TV in an e-mail that her daughter saw the pirates out of their window."There were at least three rocket propelled grenades that hit the ship, one in a state room," Laird wrote. "We had no idea that this ship could move as fast as it did and (the captain) did his best to run down the pirates."
The vessel's 151 passengers, mostly Americans with some Australians and Europeans, were gathered in a lounge for their safety, Good said. None were injured. The Spirit had been bound for Mombasa, Kenya, at the end of a 16-day voyage from Alexandria, Egypt. It was expected to reach the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean on Monday, and then continue on its previous schedule to Singapore, company officials said.
The 10,000-ton cruise ship, registered in the Bahamas, sustained minor damage, Good said. "They took some fire, but it's safe to sail," he said.Piracy off Somalia threatens shipping and has sabotaged the delivery of food aid to more than half a million hungry people in the region, the United Nations said on Thursday. Hijackers have commandeered two vessels used by the United Nations World Food Program this year and ship owners now demand armed escorts to travel in the waters, the agency said. This week, the London-based International Maritime Bureau said it knew of 27 pirate attacks off Somalia since March.
The attacks have highlighted insecurity in Somalia. The country's 1,880-mile coastline is Africa's longest, and the country has had no effective central government since opposition leaders ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. They then turned on each other, transforming this nation of 7 million into a patchwork of battling fiefdoms ruled by heavily armed militias via AOL news

On October 22nd, 2005 I posted this http://cerebralwaste.blogspot.com/2005/10/pirates-hijack-ship-off-somalia-via.html#links concerning terrorist attacks on MERCHANT ships. Well it seems the issue has now been ramped up a notch or two to say the least. I am concerned over the the mainstreem press failing to call a spade a spade here. This is TERRORISM plain and simple until someone can PROVE to me otherwise. How long until these terrorist manage to gain control over a passenger ship and re enact the Achille Lauro terror attack of October 1985. Or worse.... Hummmmm... Anyone see a connection here... 20 years later?

How long until the world decides ENOUGH is ENOUGH and takes a stand against this? I don't see it happening UNTIL the worst case scenario happens. Sadly, to be honest I don't want to think about that.. but WE MUST.

Is it going to take a terrorist takeover of a ship and the destruction of the ship and the murdering of the passengers and crew to create the international will to tackle this problem? These terrorists must be tracked down and killed. There is no other way. They pose a threat to all of us. Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Druids etc etc etc etc etc.

Jamaica says "No" to Bahrain???????

The Jamaica Football Federation has backed off of their plan to host Bahrain in a world cup warm-up camp, ahead of the clash with Trinidad and Tobago.
Bahrain has reportedly been asking other Concacaf territories to host them, as they try to acclimatize to the Caribbean conditions. An official of the Barbados Football Association says that they haven't received any queries from Bahrain, but even if they got one, the answer would be "no".
Meanwhile, Barbados has been placed in group One in the Caribbean Football Union's CAC qualifiers.

Can someone please explain to me why it seems no one in the Caribbean wants to play Bahrain?? via http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/2724/83/

Don't Forget to VOTE!!!!!


Don't forget the Best Joke Contest is running till the end of the month. You can submit your joke HERE or you can email it to me at SKUNKCRAZY@AOL.com.


Happy Eid Everyone!

Good Luck!
CerebralWaste

Bahrain or BUST!!!!!

For those who know me you understand my love for Bahrain. Well you may not understand it but you understand that I love the place. That tiny little Island nation in the Persian err Arabian Gulf. I don't know what it is EXACTLY about Bahrain that burns in my blood. I don't honestly think there is one single thing I can put my finger on. Rather it is a collective string of items and events that make it so special me. Politics aside here is a partial list of what makes Bahrain special to me.

1) The People. I have been all over the world and I can honestly say the people in Bahrain are to the word nice as to what the French are to the word rude. Warm honest and open and I haven't noticed any change in this over the years.

2) The Climate. Toss aside half of June, July, August and September when you might think you are in the upper half of the Nine layers of hell on the Hot Scale the remaining 8 and half months are PERFECT with little chance of rain to dampen your outdoor plans.

3) Can you say GOLF? How about lazy horseback rides along the beach? Scuba anyone? Need something with some speed? Try the F1 track on for size. A plethora of activities awaits you. There IS ALWAYS something to do.

4)History. Some of the oldest ruins in the world are in Bahrain and I could spend days looking at them. Some call Bahrain the original site the Garden of Eden. I can see why.

5) THE FOOD.. Yep. Whatever you want. From Burger King to the wonderful and affordable food at Zyara aka Grill Land and of course BurgerLand.. My first stops for SHAWARMAS.. mmmmm Shawarmas..

This isn't a complete list, not by a long shot. The real beauty of Bahrain is that special something I can't put a finger on. Talk with other "expat" types and most agree there is just something special about the place. A certain magic that defies any definition. Regardless I can't wait to go back and in less than 10 days I will be there. Looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends and meeting the new ones that the world of BLOGS has introduced. See you soon!

Chavez warns of spooky US Halloween 'terrorism'

President Hugo Chavez cautioned Venezuelan parents to protect their children from Halloween with a spooky warning that the US tradition is rooted in "terrorism."
"What they have implanted here, which is really a 'gringo' custom, is terrorism," Chavez said, quoted in the local press. "They disguise children as witches and wizards, that is contrary to our culture
Chavez often lashes out at the US government, which he has described as "terrorist" and accused of plotting his assassination. But this time his warnings were directed at the American celebration that combines costumes and candy.
He issued "an appeal for reflection by parents" not to encourage their children to dress up for the holiday.
His comments came after authorities in Caracas recently seized pumpkins, cardboard skeleton costumes and other traditional Halloween items inscribed with anti-Chavez messages.
US families were celebrating Halloween, during which disguised children go door to door saying "trick or treat," on Monday.
via AFP Breitbart.com

I guess someone forget to tell Chavez that in at least one city in the US (Newton, MA) Halloween was canceled by a Pro-Chavez supporter. See the post or two below for more info!!
Congrats HUGO CHAVEZ for having the BRAIN FART du jour!

You worth more to us alive than dead my passionate dictator. The sad part is sooner or later you will be gone. Either by natural causes or something more sinister. No it won't be us. Like I said your worth more alive than dead. Comedic value you know! These days we all need a good laugh now and then.Your time will come. Sadly as a wise old mobster in Revere once told me "These kinds of things are best looked at close to home."

Also please don't forget to post a joke in the contest!