<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" version="2.0"><channel><title>Point Five</title><description>A half step ahead of the barbarians...&lt;BR&gt;
A half step short of the divine...</description><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</managingEditor><pubDate>Sun, 6 Oct 2024 22:20:38 -0700</pubDate><generator>Blogger http://www.blogger.com</generator><openSearch:totalResults xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">57</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/">25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/</link><language>en-us</language><item><title>LAPD: More Shootings of Innocents Until Dorner Surrenders</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2013/02/lapd-more-shootings-of-innocents-until.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:59:00 -0800</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-2884047155107851815</guid><description>The LAPD, in a&lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/10/us/lapd-attacks/index.html"&gt; statement released yesterday&lt;/a&gt;, promised Christopher Dorner, ex-cop gone on rogue killing spree, that no one else would be hurt if he surrendered himself peaceably &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
"You can do the right thing Mr. Dorner, w&lt;a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=newssearch&amp;amp;cd=1&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;ved=0CCoQqQIoADAA&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fgawker.com%2F5982476%2Flapd-shooting-innocents-in-incompetent-manhunt-for-killer-cop&amp;amp;ei=KYUZUayAAcasigLOmIFI&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNFsU2xTI398DQdwG6eLl3FyVNmLcA&amp;amp;sig2=hVxq-lPDmbELwtjfgPABWQ&amp;amp;bvm=bv.42261806,d.cGE"&gt;e have already harmed 3 innocent bystanders&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; You know we will not stop 'eliminating suspects' until we find you." LAPD chief of police Charlie Beck said, actually doing air-quotes with his hands, and winking to reporters.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The LAPD's unconventional manhunting tactics of 'eliminating suspects' has been widely reported on, as a massive manhunt is underway in the greater Los Angeles area and surrounding counties.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrGj078cpsX8h83qepZmJf2B3CkItPvgaIanC5h-1K7Enzme8DRyqHFfhw0W8BiJD42FzgoR_x1e8ZNxW8OqUVeWVsN3Z9KWaXfSMkmb4htl1h1ps1EeQmGHvr9VtIbBVP3EE/s1600/North-By-Northwest-Hitchcock-Cary-Grant-pic-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrGj078cpsX8h83qepZmJf2B3CkItPvgaIanC5h-1K7Enzme8DRyqHFfhw0W8BiJD42FzgoR_x1e8ZNxW8OqUVeWVsN3Z9KWaXfSMkmb4htl1h1ps1EeQmGHvr9VtIbBVP3EE/s200/North-By-Northwest-Hitchcock-Cary-Grant-pic-2.jpg" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"&gt;Artist's conception of Dorner with an airplane.&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
News reports of Dorner &lt;a href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/02/11/police-worry-dorner-may-be-capable-of-flying-a-plane-warning-issued-to-local-airports/"&gt;being trained as a pilot &lt;/a&gt;has also come to the attention of the LAPD.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
"The LAPD keeps a small stockpile of Surface-to-Air missiles for cases like this," Beck said. "We have police stations very near LAX and we are prepared to begin 'eliminating suspect aircraft'."&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Dorner is a former police officer who has gone on a murder spree, targeting LAPD officers and their families, after alleging widespread corruptions and incompetence in the LAPD.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C. </description><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" height="72" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrGj078cpsX8h83qepZmJf2B3CkItPvgaIanC5h-1K7Enzme8DRyqHFfhw0W8BiJD42FzgoR_x1e8ZNxW8OqUVeWVsN3Z9KWaXfSMkmb4htl1h1ps1EeQmGHvr9VtIbBVP3EE/s72-c/North-By-Northwest-Hitchcock-Cary-Grant-pic-2.jpg" width="72"/><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Reid Offers Support: Sen. Menendez, Cardinal Mahony, Darth Vader</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2013/02/reid-offers-support-sen-menendez.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Sat, 2 Feb 2013 00:32:00 -0800</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-3985418886580719153</guid><description>&lt;br /&gt;
In the wake of Senator Harry Reid's &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21289854"&gt;seeming support for Sen. Menendez&lt;/a&gt; amid allegations of relations with underaged prostitutes, the aging Sentor has come out in support of other close friends of his, including &lt;a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21289854"&gt;recently demoted LA Cardinal Mahony&lt;/a&gt;, and even the Sith Lord Darth Vader.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
“First of all, Anakin Skywalker is my friend. He’s an outstanding Jedi Knight. Any questions in this regard, direct to him. I don’t know anything about it,” Reid said in response to reporters concerns over Skywalker's links to the destruction of Alderaan. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Reid subsequently declined to answer further questions regarding his self described friends, John Edwards, John Wayne Gacy, &lt;a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-01/u-s-secret-service-director-to-retire-after-30-years.html"&gt;Secret Service Director Mike Sullivan&lt;/a&gt;, the evil wizard Gargamel, Jim Jones, 'those kids that are always trying to steal his lucky charms', John Hinckley Jr., and the dark lord Sauron.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Critics of Sen. Reid have called on the Nevada politician to public denounce his associates, but the centenarian Senator has rebuffed most criticism, pointing to inciting events such as the hording of smurf-berries, or the 'lack of love' from Jodie Foster.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Though generally refusing to answer most questions, Reid did observe that many of the crimes his friend Cardinal Mahony is accused of covering up were not as serious as they were made out to be. "As my friend OJ Simpson says, sometimes you need to 'get a little physical'" Reid commented before being taken by aides to have his diapers changed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sen. Reid is a Democratic senator from Nevada.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>China Drops UNOCAL Bid, Makes Offer on Supreme Court</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/07/china-drops-unocal-bid-makes-offer-on.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2005 19:43:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-112180996496702647</guid><description>Outraged over their failed plan to purchase UNOCAL, Chinese officials, determined to own a controlling interest in America's future, have announced their intent to engage in a hostile takeover of the Supreme Court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The purchase comes at an ideal time for China, as the general tenor of the court will tip precipitously pro-American with the confirmation of John G Roberts as the 109th justice of the court. It is believed that Beijing believes ownership of the court will allow it to fire whichever justices do not give it special favor in rulings on "open trade, gross polluters, and the rescinding of all worker safety and child labor laws."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In an heroic effort to stop communist infiltration, an American corporation has made a counter-bid on the court. Calvin Klein has tendered a $3.5 billion offer, and promised to move the Supreme Court to its "Live Billboard" located in New York City. The live billboard is currently home to about 40 models who are paid to simulate a 24-hour party, two stories above the city streets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Think about it", said Calvin Klein representative Joseph Gutenberg, "Instead of partying models, pedestrians will now be able to view live Supreme Court hearings, and experience the justices as they go about their daily lives.  And if you think models know how to party, wait until you meet Ginsburg!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The company has said that the new "Courtboard" will primarily be used to advertise new law-themed products, such as &lt;i&gt;Calvin Klein's Obsession v. Ralph Lauren Blue&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bystanders at street-level will also be treated to a special glimpse of what lies beneath the judges' robes. Wide-brim hat vendors are expected to experience exponential profit increases as their headwear comes into high demand due to its peripheral-vision-obscuring properties.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: left; width: 370px;"&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/003205.html"&gt;Mudville Gazette&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/11400"&gt;OTB&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Pope Condemns Harry Potter</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/07/pope-condemns-harry-potter.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2005 19:05:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-112130505350492645</guid><description>Pope Benedict XVI, in a just published letter that was written before he became the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, criticized the Harry Potter children's novels, calling the books "subtle seductions that... have a deep effect and corrupt the Christian faith in souls even before it could properly grow."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;His comments have sparked an uproar among Harry Potter fans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"This attack against us cannot be tolerated. We are not a bunch of crazed Satan worshippers," said a woman who identified herself as Morning Autumn, as she proceeded through the intricate rituals necessary to place a curse on Pope Benedict.  She was part of a large crowd of dorks congregated around a downtown Seattle bookstore, awaiting the Friday release of the 6th book in the Harry Potter series, entitled &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;Harry Potter and the Late Onset Acne&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The furor has forced the Pope to clarify his statements to indicate that his main objection to the books is not "the charming witchcraft and wizardry," but that Harry Potter is "too racially impure".  The Pope, however has said that his opposition has nothing to do with the he time spent in the Hitler Youth, involvement that was entirely coerced, and "just one of those crazy things we German youth were doing at the time."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Zis Harry Potter. He is black hair and green eyes. Much better would be the blonde hair and blue eyes," the Pope said through his spokesman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 300px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/PotterSS1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/PotterSS1.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;The Vatican provided this photoshopped picture to Point Five, with a note from Benedict XVI saying, "I like the unique scar on Harry Potter's forehead, but I felt it was backwards, and there should be two of them."&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;--&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Computers Revolutionize Classrooms in Unexpected Ways</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/07/computers-revolutionize-classrooms-in.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:42:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-112113888942408562</guid><description>An Arizona high school has announced its intent to begin a move to an all electronic curriculum. Students will not have ordinary textbooks but will instead be given wireless laptop computers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The program's proponents stated that the new $2000-a-piece laptops will give students the edge in an increasingly digital world, allowing them unique opportunities to go head-to-head with friends in &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;Unreal Tournament 2004&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"How are students going to learn in the oppressive book and paper school environment that we have today? These students need the important skills that the 21st century workplace demands, like being able to instant message friends and participate in cyber sex without getting caught by the boss."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But opponents of the plan are skeptical. "We're concerned about our children spending all their school time playing Unreal Tournament. Half-Life 2 is much better," said Jason Holbrook, a concerned parent. Mr. Holbrook is widely regarded among his co-workers as the finest Half-Life 2 player at Roland &amp; Jacobs, a top Phoenix accounting firm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 400px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/futureschool.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/futureschool.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Students explore exciting new avenues of learning with their laptop computers. Extra credit is given for visits to blogs sounding like "Foint Pive".&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Parental concerns aside, students are strongly in the support of the plan, as George Peterson, a 11th grade student at Jefferson High, said as he hacked into the military simulation computer WOPR to play a game of Global Thermonuclear War from his sparkling new laptop.  "I call him Joshua," Peterson said of his computer opponent.  "And yes, I would like to play a game."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, the laptops are not toys, said Jeff Gumman, the principal at the high school. "We expect the students to not slack off. Only essential tasks, such as hacking CollegeBoard, or checking the current time in Iceland, are allowed".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Officials are reassuring the state government that the cost for the project will be manageable, and not "completely and totally economically crippling."  That reassurance was enough for the endorsement of the teacher's union, who didn't want their particular area of expertise infringed upon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/11290/"&gt;Outside The Beltway&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.basilsblog.net/2005/07/try_one_of_thes_1.html"&gt;Basil's&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">3</thr:total></item><item><title>MINDSTATION'S ELEVEN: Episode 1- Shrine of the Kuo-Toa</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/07/mindstations-eleven-episode-1-shrine_06.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Wed, 6 Jul 2005 22:39:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-112070590226372273</guid><description>&lt;a href='http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/a4gs-eleven.html'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/MindstationBannerFinalFinal.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No time to elaborate, but due to a certain amount of insolence in the comments of my last post, &lt;b&gt;a4g is out&lt;/b&gt; as leader of the team. I have assumed command.  a4g's spot will be filled by Subway spokesman Jared Fogle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/wine21.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/200/wine21.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Jared Fogle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Subway Spokesman&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Subs&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Always carries a &lt;a href="http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&amp;hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;c2coff=1&amp;q=jared+fogle+pants&amp;btnG=Search"&gt;spare pair of XXL pants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: All ideas involve the &lt;a href="http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/FeatureProduct/index.aspx"&gt;New Fresh Toasted Subs&lt;/a&gt; from Subway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many readers have e-mailed me asking when our &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/a4gs-eleven.html"&gt;great work of satire&lt;/a&gt; will be completed. But events far more important have pulled us from our task.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday, a &lt;a href="http://www.local6.com/news/4689859/detail.htm"&gt;sea lion attacked a lifeguard&lt;/a&gt; in Santa Barbara, CA.  Seen as an isolated event, no cause for concern.  But my subtle mental powers realized this was only one in a series of incidents where the benign creatures of the deep have turned against &lt;a href="http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050630/APN/506300627&amp;cachetime=3&amp;template=dateline"&gt;their&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/news/newsbrief.plx?id=2241185322&amp;fa=1"&gt;surface&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050703/NEWS01/507030475/1075"&gt;dwelling&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.imao.us/archives/003422.html"&gt;masters&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clearly, malevolent forces were at work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was Koko's wild and frantic hand motions that identified the only nefarious villain capable of perpetrating such a heinous act:  My arch-enemy, Dr. Oceanus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 207px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/kuo%20toa1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/200/kuo%20toa1.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;The dreaded Kuo-Toa, evil minions of Dr. Oceanus.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Professor Hawking was generous enough to supply us with the background data necessary to fight off Dr. Oceanus' hordes of Kuo-Toa minions. These horrid creatures would be fearsome enough even without their Armor Class of 4.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have emailed Tom Clancy to make the necessary plans for our attack on Dr. Oceanus' underwater fortress. I have confidence that, although he has not yet responded to any of my previous communications, he will provide us with a plan bordering on pure genius.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In order to give the newest member of Mindstation's Eleven some much-needed field experience, I have sent Jared to procure our underwater transports to Dr. Oceanus' stronghold due to his specialty in submarines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We will be leaving shortly on this most dangerous mission. I hope that in the event that I do not return, Point Five will be able to continue without my masterful talents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;****************&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;UPDATE:&lt;/b&gt; I am posting from the high seas. I have emailed Tom Clancy with the rendezvous point. I am confident that he will arrive in time with the battle plans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 300px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/9020.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/9020.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;br&gt;In a few hours Mindstation's Eleven will be locked in mortal combat with these evil denizens of the deep&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;****************&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;UPDATE 2:&lt;/b&gt;  I'm back safely in the Palace of Ultimate Evil.  All the members of Mindstation's Eleven would like to extend our sincere gratitude to &lt;a href="http://rhog.blogspot.com"&gt;Patriot Xeno and Citizen Grim&lt;/a&gt; for rescuing us from prison block 13C of the nightmare fortress of Dr. Oceanus.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">3</thr:total></item><item><title>a4g's Eleven</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/a4gs-eleven.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2005 06:35:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-112006477234853641</guid><description>When, in the depths of primordial time, men crawled up from the mudpits of barbarity and painted the first satirical pictographs onto cave walls, man has searched for the perfect expression of the humorists' art.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To say things have been a little "sub-par" here lately at Point Five would be undeservedly generous.  In an effort to break the logjam, with great risk and even greater expense, I, The Evil Emperor Mindstation, am assembling a crack team for one purpose and one purpose only:  To create the greatest work of satire ever crafted by man.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My goal is a lofty one. My journey, hard. My actions, illegal. There will be many obstacles in my way. However, I am confident that I can accomplish my goal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In honor of the blogger who holds the administrative keys to this site, I have dubbed the eight man team, a4g's Eleven.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/cruelty.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/cruelty.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;a4g&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation:  Professional Dyspeptic&lt;br /&gt;Specialty:  Figurehead&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Knows HTML, PHP.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: Uses too much body spray.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/mindstation.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/mindstation.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;The Evil Emperor Mindstation&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Emperor&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Jack-booted justice&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Monarch, access to the wealth of the Empire, charming smile.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: Imperial coffers valued at only $27.66, grossly incompetent, easily duped.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Chimp080402_91C.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Chimp080402_91C.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Koko&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Zoo animal&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Computer hacking&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Able to gain access to nearly any electronic system.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: Easily distracted by bananas, lacks opposable thumbs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/hawking_11team.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/hawking_11team.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Prof. Stephen Hawking&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Professor&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Astrophysics&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Genius-level intelligence, able to gain university funding for almost any project as long as it sounds sciencey.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: Easily distracted by female coeds, famously incontinent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/lara_screen001.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/lara_screen001.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Lara Croft&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Star of the video game Tomb Raider&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Treasure Hunting&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Hot, has pinpoint accuracy with handguns, capable of incredible acrobatic feats, hot.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: As the only female on the team, it would be nice if she were real.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Mr.%20T%20CNN.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Mr.%20T%20CNN.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Mr. T&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Anti-drug activist&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Bad attitude&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Heartwarming capacity to show pity for fools.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: No matter how much firepower he's provided, he still couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/dame-edna.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/dame-edna.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Dame Edna&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Performer&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Master of disguise&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Expert skills allow him to blend in with almost any crowd.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: All disguises look pretty much like Dame Edna.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 157px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/tc_por.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/tc_por.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Tom Clancy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Occupation: Novelist&lt;br /&gt;Specialty: Strategy and tactics&lt;br /&gt;Pros: Immense knowledge of all things military.&lt;br /&gt;Cons: Never showed up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We're going deep into unknown comedy territory, and we hope that we will be prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead.  I'll update you on our progress when circumstances warrant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the meantime, won't you please enjoy the regular helping of crap that we dish out daily?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NEXT EPISODE:  &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/07/mindstations-eleven-episode-1-shrine_06.html"&gt;Mindstation's Eleven: Episode One - Shrine of the Kuo-Toa&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>NASA to Blow Up Comet "Just Because"</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/nasa-to-blow-up-comet-just-because_27.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2005 16:33:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111983444605904966</guid><description>NASA scientists &lt;a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050626/D8AVHLEO0.html"&gt;announced today&lt;/a&gt; plans to explode the comet Tempel 1.  After admitting that obliterating the comet would serve no scientific purpose, NASA scientist John Berry explained, "You have to understand, we scientists have been working tirelessly for the benefit of mankind for the last 400 years.  We all agreed it was time for a break.  So we've decided to take a year off from science, and use some of our equipment for some projects we've really been itching to try.  We thought it would be cool to see a comet blow up."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 307px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/artists-rendition.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/artists-rendition.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--Photo Here--&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;NASA artist rendition of Comet Tempel 1 being destroyed, as viewed from space.&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Although the plan currently calls for a conventional payload, scientists are discussing the feasibility of nuclear ordinance.  The main point of disagreement seems to center around which would make "the most bitchin' explosion".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dr. Berry also revealed that the recent failed launch of a solar sail spacecraft was purposely caused by scientists. "You know we thought, Hey, we're taking a year off anyway, why put an expensive spacecraft into orbit that no one is going to be around to operate or monitor?  So instead we filled the launch vehicle with high explosives and an old Pac-Man machine that Dr. Fenester had in his garage."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He noted that preliminary data indicates that the resulting explosion of the Russian-made rocket was 63.2% "awesome" and 36.8% "gnarly".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;White House officials have assured that day-to-day life for most of the public will be unaffected by the absence of the scientists, as the "near-unanimous scientific consensus on global warming" is not scheduled to be overturned by "stunning new evidence" until late 2008.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Welcome readers from the &lt;a href="http://sophistpundit.blogspot.com/2005/06/carnival-of-vanities-week-145.html"&gt;Carnival of the Vanities&lt;/a&gt;.  If you were moderately amused by this post, we invite you to be &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com"&gt;moderately amused&lt;/a&gt; by other things we have to offer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/003061.html"&gt;Mudville Gazette&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/11103"&gt;Outside The Beltway&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.basilsblog.net/2005/06/supper_6272005.html"&gt;Basil's Blog&lt;/a&gt;.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">2</thr:total></item><item><title>This Week at the Multiplex</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/this-week-at-multiplex.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jun 2005 15:48:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111973987637368057</guid><description>It's been a rough year for Lindsay Lohan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 421px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/herpeslohan.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/herpeslohan.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked over at &lt;a href="http://bamapachyderm.com/archives/2005/06/25/open-trackbacks/"&gt;Beth's&lt;/a&gt; place.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">1</thr:total></item><item><title>Jesse Sullivan: Worlds First Bionic Man</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/jesse-sullivan-worlds-first-bionic-man.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2005 18:55:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111955432182789650</guid><description>Jesse Sullivan, 54, &lt;a href="http://www.local6.com/news/4643968/detail.html"&gt;became the world's first bionic man&lt;/a&gt; today when doctors attached artificial limbs to his body.  Sullivan lost his limbs in a experimental plane crash.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: left; width: 220px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/1118_arms_man1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/200/1118_arms_man1.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;doot-doot-doot-doot-doot&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;"When Mr. Sullivan came to us he was a man barely alive. We had the capability to make the world's first Bionic Man," said doctor Todd Kuiken, who worked on Sullivan. "Jesse Sullivan will be that man. Better than he was before. Better... stronger... faster".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Department of Defense is picking up the tab for the experimental surgery, in hopes that Jesse might become a military asset.  This was the subject of heated questioning for Donald Rumsfeld in front of the Senate Armed Services committee today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 220px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/010920-D-9880W-043_screen.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/200/010920-D-9880W-043_screen.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Rumsfeld to Kennedy: "Don't F*** with my bionic man".&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Senator Kennedy angrily doubted that it was appropriate to "requisition a human being" to be used against islamofascists in the War on Terror.  But Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was defiant, insisting that Sullivan would in no way be involved in the Terror War, because "we need him to fight America's real enemy: extra-terrestrial controlled Sasquatch."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/003046.html"&gt;Mudville Gazette&lt;/a&gt;.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Assassination Attempt Against Michael Moore Fails</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/assassination-attempt-against-michael.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2005 19:43:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111921520226454485</guid><description>Democrats are furious today, accusing Republicans of an assassination attempt on controversial filmmaker Michael Moore. They allege that silencing Moore is a critical component of a comprehensive strategy designed to ensure the continuing dominance of the Republican party.  Part of this strategy is to stop production of Moore's devastating new documentary &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0433561/"&gt;Fahrenheit 9/11?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: left; width: 327px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Pizza.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Pizza.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--Photo Here--&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Democrats allege that Republican '527' dollars funded this enormous pie&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="line-height:130%;"&gt;Republican spokesman Danny Baird loudly denied the charges.  "How were we supposed to know that a man of Michael Moore's stature would be irresistibly attracted to the world's largest pizza? How were we supposed to know that he would eat himself half to death? There was just no way we could have known."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Moore, whose controversial films have made him a frequent target of right wing attack dogs, was last seen stumbling away in a stupor from the Iowa Falls-Alden High School parking lot, where, on Saturday, the &lt;a href="http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050619/NEWS08/506190353/1010/news08"&gt;world's largest pizza&lt;/a&gt; was constructed. His whereabouts remain unknown.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 280px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/michael_sauce.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/michael_sauce.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;This image of Michael Moore is believed to be the last photo taken before his disappearance.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Baird continued: "I'm sure he will probably turn up sooner or later. This is probably no different than his three day rampage through the Little Debbie factory in Collegedale, Tennessee last May. He's probably sleeping it off in a dumpster somewhere."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Democrats are promising to hold a fake hearing in the congressional basement to investigate further.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/11030"&gt;Outside the Beltway&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/003027.html"&gt;Mudville Gazette&lt;/a&gt;.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">3</thr:total></item><item><title>New Popemobile For The 21st Century</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/new-popemobile-for-21st-century.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2005 06:17:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111896555554330352</guid><description>Vatican officials announced today plans to begin use of the new Popemobile designed "for the 21st century Pope".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 370px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/PopeMobile.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/PopeMobile.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Pope Benedict XVI in a surprise testrun of the PM 3000&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Featuring armor plating, grappling hooks and dual holy water autocannons, the new Popemobile is "built for the evangelization of tomorrow".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pope Benedict's life was changed forever when his millionaire parents were murdered before his eyes. Joining with the evil Nazi youth as a boy, he finally turned from his mentor Hitler's pointless hatred, and instead chose to fight inequity with his own brand of brutal justice as the Dark Knight of Columbus. Donning his hi-tech papal vestments, he acts as a benevolent shepherd to a billion faithful by day, and a ruthless avenger by night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;!--Article Links Here--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20709-1656171,00.html"&gt;TimesOnline&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--End Links--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">1</thr:total></item><item><title>Sensenbrenner Stops Meeting, Democrats Near Death</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/sensenbrenner-stops-meeting-democrats.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jun 2005 20:11:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111850703005781303</guid><description>Chairman of The House Judiciary Committee, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis) walked out of a committee meeting examining the Patriot Act on Friday, as Democrats veered debate into an angry discussion of Gitmo detainees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Democrats were irate at Sensenbrenner's decision to end the meeting early and called it "a Republican abuse of legitimately gained power".  Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) was reportedly "cut off in midsentence" by Sensenbrenner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the Democrats' attempt to  turn the meeting into political hay backfired. Sensenbrenner left without adjourning the meeting to a close, and, in fact, took the gavel with him, leaving Democrats powerless to end the meeting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, for the fourth straight day, Democrats have been unable to leave the conference room or stop talking.  Thirsty and hungry, a feeding tube was inserted into the quickly failing, yet still yammering, Rep. Nadler late Sunday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A candlelight vigil is currently being held outside the building by Democrat supporters, who are demanding that Sensenbrenner come back and end the meeting. Reports indicate, however, that the vigil has turned into a Woodstock-like orgy and much of the focus has been lost.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But in an ironic turn of irony, Nadler's only source of nutrients will be removed today, following a ruling by Florida Family Court Judge George Greer, who issued a writ of execution for Nadler, citing the perceived brain-dead condition of the national Democrats, and the undue pain and suffering caused by being a member of a dying party.  No case was pending before Judge Greer, but he generously offered his services &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;pro bono&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="realstory"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get The Real Story:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;!--Article Links Here--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200506/POL20050613b.shtml"&gt;Townhall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;!--End Links--&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Linked on &lt;a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/10966"&gt;Outside the Beltway&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/002984.html"&gt;Mudville Gazette&lt;/a&gt;.</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">3</thr:total></item><item><title>Best Dressed Legislator Awards Ceremony</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/best-dressed-legislator-awards.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 2005 15:17:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111842147615070579</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Friday Afternoon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The moment that this entire week has been building to is finally upon us. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Senators and Representatives in the audience quiet themselves and take their seats, as the grand chamber of legislation and debate anxiously awaits a speaker.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the man taking the podium is not there to filibuster.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, he is a man of a different sort; a man to whom rambling speeches and pontification are foreign.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ted Kennedy wipes mustard off his mouth and brushes the &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/sen-kennedy-invokes-extraordinary.html"&gt;crumbs off his shirt&lt;/a&gt;. A lone figure approaches the podium, radiating raw sexuality and pure evil.  The sounds of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries echoes through the chamber.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Senators, Representatives, I would like to welcome you all to the Point Five Blog's First Annual 'Best Dressed Legislator' Awards Ceremony." I rip open my shirt, and my bare-chested torso glints and sparkles, drawing gasps of amazement from the audience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/stateoftheunion.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/stateoftheunion.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;br&gt;A fresh chest shaving is important before any major speech.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the moment I have prepared for all week. I have endured many trials and suffered much heartache. I now have but one purpose, to fulfill my solemn duty to hand out awards.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note: I will not be giving awards to female Senators as I do not recognize the 19th amendment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Byrd.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Byrd.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;The Robert C. Byrd Picture of Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) comes in 6th place with his dazzling dark red tie and crisp suit.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Nathan%20Deal%20R%20GA.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Nathan%20Deal%20R%20GA.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) takes home the less-than-expected 5th place trophy.&lt;span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/don_young_color_300dpi.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/don_young_color_300dpi.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Underdog Rep. Don Young (R-AK) surprises critics and takes home the 4th place trophy with his snappy suit and charming smile.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Sen%20Ken%20Salazar%20D%20CO.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Sen%20Ken%20Salazar%20D%20CO.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Ken Salazar (D-CO), wowing judges with his daring blue tie, takes home the 3rd place trophy in a hotly contested race for 2nd&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Sen%20Sam%20Brownback%20R%20KS%20.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Sen%20Sam%20Brownback%20R%20KS%20.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Although in a fierce race with Sen. Salazar, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) dazzled judges with his mini-checkerboard tie, winning him 2nd place.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/bio_headshot1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/bio_headshot1.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Treacherous Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) wins the 1st place trophy in an absolute blowout, taking 1st on every judges scorecard, but it is believed he will compromise with Sen. Byrd later this evening to take 6th.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And so I triumphantly conclude my trip to Washington. I will soon board the G550, and leave this hellhole of a city.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/on-being-abandoned-in-las-vegas.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;The Final Post Just Ahead&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">1</thr:total></item><item><title>An Old Adversary Emerges From The Shadows</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/old-adversary-emerges-from-shadows.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 2005 08:05:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111835824653870640</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Friday Morning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, it is true I did not post last night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The many congratulatory emails I have received since then have made the understandable assumption that my date ended in a night of sweaty passion and screams of pleasure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I fear my reason for not posting was not the fault of carnal indulgence, but rather a tragedy that I find it difficult to capture with words.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It has been a harrowing fifteen hours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I arrived at the Target food court at 5:00 PM, just as Cindy and I had planned. I waited for several hours, munching on popcorn and all-beef hot dogs and microwave pizza in my nervous anticipation.  All the while worrying what had happened to my love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some moments I was indignant. Does she know who she is standing up?  My Elite Aryan Shock Troopers have destroyed civilizations!  I am The Evil Emperor Mindstation!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I contacted Wal-Mart and tried to ascertain her whereabouts. They said they didn't have an employee named Cindy Brady. I tried to describe her, but they hung up. I called the phone number she gave me, and all I got was a valve manufacturer in Ohio. I searched for her name in the phone book. Nothing! I tried the names of her family members: Marsha, Greg, Jan, Peter, Bobby -- nothing! In desperation, I called the operator and was told that no one by the name of Cindy Brady lived in the D.C. area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then it became clear.  No mere woman could have fooled me thus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This was the work of a much darker force. Yes, dear readers, my old enemy. Nemesis and tormentor. The name which cannot be spoken: Haley Joel Osment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It all became clear. The way the crowds in Wal-Mart had seemed to &lt;i&gt;force me&lt;/i&gt; to register seven.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her dyed black hair.&lt;br /&gt;Her death-mask face, studded with bearings and baubles.&lt;br /&gt;Her plump arms, tatooed with naked women being ravished by devils.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How could I have resisted such a vision?  How could I have been such a fool?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And he knew all along I would take the bait. He knows me better than I know myself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I spent last night wandering the streets of Washington, D.C., in a vain attempt to discover where he had locked her away.  Mostly I sobbed.  And even the sounds of Wagner's magnificient &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/wagnervalkyries.html"&gt;Ride of the Valkyries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt; did not bring me the usual pleasure.  I had Deiter and Franz stand back a bit, while I indulged in Imperial self-pity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The solemn duty of Empire calls me now.  I must complete the purpose that drew me to this bewitching city in the first place.  I will plan my next move against my nemesis at some other time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the meanwhile, I shall vent my anger on Lars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/best-dressed-legislator-awards.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>My Official State Visit</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/my-official-state-visit.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Thu, 9 Jun 2005 12:04:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111800511488291335</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Thursday Afternoon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;State visits are one of the dreadful necessities of my position.  The parade of humorless world leaders that have wandered through The Palace of Ultimate Evil is too dull to even contemplate.  Yet the official visit from which I have just returned is one of the few that I have actually looked forward to in my long, evil reign.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I first became intrigued by your George W Bush when he was the deliciously murderous Governor of Texas. His iron will in the dispensing of executions was so legendary that it even penetrated the high, razor-wired walls of the Palace.  My interest was further piqued when I learned of the mathematical formula that proved that "Bush = Hitler."  Fascinating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Surely, this George W Bush is an equal to myself in pure evil malice. From his Gulags in Gitmo, to the 100,000 ostensibly 'innocent' Iraqi civilians he massacred in cold blood, to his destruction of inconvenient 'personal liberties' with the wonderfully diabolical Patriot Act, this commoner has truly earned the Emperor's blessing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So during my tour of his White House home, I decided to leave the pleasantries of my itinerary, and abandoned the group with which I was touring.  I was impatient to meet this George W Bush to congratulate him personally.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A misunderstanding with White House security unfortunately cut short my visit, but I did manage to capture a few pictures while I was hiding out in a janitorial closet to escape their taser guns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Janitors_Closet.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/Janitors_Closet.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;My admiration for this George W Bush grows. Even his choice of cleaning products impresses! We clearly both share a love for dear Adolph.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/cascade2.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/cascade2.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Mr. Bush likes his dishes sparklingly White. Just like me!&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/4092.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/4092.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Delightful!&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/brawny.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/brawny.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;And this beautiful doomed lover reminded me of my own love for Cindy.&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was forced to leave the White House in order to ready myself for tonight's date with Cindy.  We can thank Lars for sneaking The Digital Camera of Ultimate Evil through the full body search that was performed on each of us before our release from custody.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is certainly a trooper and a quick thinker, and now the only member of my sycophants who knows what it feels like to be in a Turkish prison.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now I'm off to Target, to meet my raven haired love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/old-adversary-emerges-from-shadows.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">2</thr:total></item><item><title>Return To Wal-Mart</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/return-to-wal-mart_09.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Thu, 9 Jun 2005 07:38:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111841905310062367</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Thursday Morning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It may not surprise you that I decided this morning to detour while on my regular constitutional walk, to instead pay a surprise visit to my dearest Cindy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The morning air was brisk as we reached the entry doors of Wal-Mart. I had my entourage part, and I strode from their midst, bursting through the automatic entry and loudly announcing my presence with a declaration of affection for my love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So it was without my usual wall of protection that the Wal-Mart security guards were able to tackle me to the ground. Perhaps it was not wise to announce my presence, perhaps I should have instructed my faithful Deiter and Franz to turn down the volume on the high wattage sound system that they constantly carry on the Imperial flanks, braying Wagner's triumphant &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/wagnervalkyries.html"&gt;Ride of the Valkyries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; on endless loop to announce my presence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever my error, I found myself pressed hard against a linoleum floor.  My guards, bless their chivalry, did not act on my hasty cries to execute the impudent Wal-Mart guards. No, instead my retinue scattered, understanding well that it would not improve the Imperial reputation to have my guards beat senseless two geriatric Wal-Mart greeters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"She doesn't want to see you," said one of the greeters. I think it was the old lady, but both their voices were so wizened that it was hard to tell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Damn commerce! Damn reason!" I yelled.  "I must see Cindy!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the Imperial Will was not to be satisfied on this encounter.  The jackbooted goons at Wal-Mart would not allow me to pass.  Perhaps the Walton family will have to be added to the list of Imperial Enemies.  I will think on it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As it is, I eagerly await tonight, when Cindy and I will meet again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps some other time I will have the opportunity to recount the tale of how I escaped the security room, the countless cameras, the local authorities who had been summoned to deal with me.  But that time is not now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have a pressing engagement that I must attend to.  I'll give you the details later today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/my-official-state-visit.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>I'm In Love</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/im-in-love.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2005 20:04:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111828870116176903</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday Evening&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Readers, forgive me if this does not make sense, but it is all happening so fast.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The date with Cindy is over.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am in love with my beautiful Goth. I would destroy a thousand worlds for her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But No, Emperor! Not too much. Don't scare her off with your resplendent largesse and Byzantine grandeur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will merely have a few people executed here and there at first, to prove my devotion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From the moment our eyes met at the hostess's kiosk in the foyer of Denny's, nothing but unending affection passed between us. She was demure and coy-- did she even speak a word?-- as she greedily enjoyed her Chicken Fried Steak while I waxed poetic on my affections. I hardly noticed I had not touched my Shrimp Sampler until she robustly pulled it away from me and began devouring it with the wild abandon of a woman in love.  What a lusty wench!  How I longed to die in the warm embrace of her ample bodice! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Such tragedy that her commitments at work tomorrow precluded us from visiting the theater for a screening of &lt;i&gt;Shark Boy and Lava Girl&lt;/i&gt;.  But no matter, for a single drink from her lipid pool could slake even the thirst of Tantalus. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ever elusive and coy, she parryed my attempts to escort her back to my hotel room. Her Gothic vows of chasity were too great to be broken. I beseeched her again and again for her phone number. Each time she checked my attempts, until on the sixth try she relented.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And so I hold close to my heart the ten magic numbers that are the key to my Elysian Fields.  There is much to do tomorrow, and I must be strong and keep to my agenda, but Cindy, you will be in my thoughts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until tomorrow night, my love. I ache and await our meeting at the food court at Target.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/return-to-wal-mart_09.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">1</thr:total></item><item><title>Wal-Mart Photoblogging</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/wal-mart-photoblogging.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2005 13:36:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111824112234182902</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday Afternoon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As loyal readers know, my trip to Washington will end Friday in a triumphant ceremony that Point Five will be sponsoring. While I'm still not prepared to spoil the surprise, observant readers may get some clue as to what is coming by reading on.  Feel free to speculate in the comments section.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In preparation for the special ceremony on Friday, it was necessary to purchase some major awards at the local Wal-Mart. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lars, my assistant, commented on how wondrous it was to be shopping in a strange Wal-Mart in a foreign land. After striking him repeatedly for his pitiful knowledge of geography, I had him run back to the hotel to bring The Digital Camera of Ultimate Evil for a little Wal-Mart photoblogging.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's amazing how you notice the little things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/No_Overnight1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/No_Overnight1.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;California on left, Washington on right. If travelocity had only listed &lt;i&gt;this&lt;/i&gt; in their available accommodations, I wouldn't be broke from the mini-bar, nor have to swallow back vomit every time I think of that devil-juice Zima!&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Reg-20.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Reg-20.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;The spigot of tax revenue fuels massive wealth in this town, on display even here at Wal-Mart. At my California store, the registers only go up to 18.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 570px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Wal-Mart.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/Wal-Mart.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" &gt;&lt;br&gt;Lively patrons eagerly walk Wal-Mart's aisles. Oh, how I long to rule over them with my icy brand of justice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, and there will be a slight change in the itinerary which could result in reduced posting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While I was making my purchase, the Imperial Visage impressed the comely lass who was tallying my items. I don't know if it was my open shirt, my entourage of personal guards, evil advisors and boot-licking lackeys, or the Imperial Secured Credit Card with the words "The Evil Emperor Mindstation" embossed confidently across its face.  Suffice to say, even in this town of Presidents, Senators, and EPA officials, she was intrigued by the raw power of Empire.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We talked for what seemed like minutes, the kind of smalltalk that seems deep and important, and the kind of deeptalk that seems even deeper and importanter.  Her name is Cindy and I can see in her eyes my future, and in her strong birthing hips the future of the Empire.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have cancelled my other plans: we shall be dating tonight.  I long to share with her the exquisite, attenuated ennui of being an Evil Emperor.  And I'm intrigued to hear all about her being what she calls "a Goth".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And if the evening goes as planned, I may not be able to post until tomorrow...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/im-in-love.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">2</thr:total></item><item><title>Secret Meeting</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/secret-meeting.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2005 07:37:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111820050710955230</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Wednesday Morning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't disclose where I'll be for the next few hours.  I have a meeting to attend with a gentleman very high up in the Administration, and secrecy is absolutely essential for the efficacy of our plans.  Trust that your Evil Emperor will be sufficiently evil to make you proud; your trust will be the measure of your fealty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm afraid I won't be able to disclose the minutes of my meeting even after returning-- our purpose is truly that important and devious.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, I'm off to meet with Karl.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/wal-mart-photoblogging.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Blogger Ball</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/blogger-ball.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 7 Jun 2005 18:44:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111803113198149684</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tuesday Evening&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have reconsidered my decision to photoblog the Blogger Ball.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some moments are just too personal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/secret-meeting.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Blogger Conference</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/blogger-conference.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 7 Jun 2005 11:38:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111810829739557486</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tuesday Afternoon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Despite its numerous inconveniences and wretched employees, the advantage of staying at the Embassy Suites is that the International Conference of Bloggers at the D.C. Convention Center is just a short walk away. I am unfortunately unable to afford to hire a Town Car of Ultimate Evil, due to the wild abandon with which I attacked the courtesy bar Doritos in my drunken stupor last night.  I believe I have accurately tallied the total charges for two bags of chips, the mini-Zima, and use of a bottle opener at $135.50.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am currently blogging from a wireless connection here at the Conference. I'm very excited because I finally have the chance to use The Digital Camera of Ultimate Evil for a purpose other than photoblogging expanses of empty wasteland.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My personal assistant, Lars, has managed to snap a few pictures with some famous bloggers who asked for an audience with me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 525px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/kevin_wizbang_and_lashawn.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/kevin_wizbang_and_lashawn.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;That's me in the middle.  I enjoy Wizbang and LaShawn Barber's Corner. They shall be spared.&lt;!--Caption Here--&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 525px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/glenn_reynolds_on_right.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/glenn_reynolds_on_right.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;Glenn Reynolds is always pushing the Imperial Buttons.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 525px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/powerline_guys.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/powerline_guys.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;We had a serious discussion about 'disappearing' a certain blogger from Powerline, but ultimately, I decided against entering the Byzantine power struggle and Machiavellian machinations that characterize the inner workings of Powerline.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style=" width: 525px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/cspan_hinderaker.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/cspan_hinderaker.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;I allowed C-Span to televise my speech on "Toenail Blogging: The New Catblogging."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was unfortunately necessary to order the execution of several bloggers for insolence while here at the convention (most notably Glenn Reynolds, who shall be replaced with a spambot that randomly posts Instapundit with links and the words 'Heh' and 'Indeed'). I sincerely apologize if any of your favorite bloggers have stopped posting, but the solemn duties that go along with Empire supersede any human emotions such as compassion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will be photoblogging the upcoming Bloggers Ball tonight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/blogger-ball.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">3</thr:total></item><item><title>Light Blogging</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/light-blogging.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Tue, 7 Jun 2005 06:30:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111803017427206197</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tuesday Morning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently, the stress of the long tedious trip was a little too much for your beloved Evil Emperor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I went a little crazy last night.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was a miniature bottle of Zima in the mini-bar here in the Imperial Suite.  Loyal readers know well my weakness for the hypnotic power of this intoxicating nectar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't remember much after that, but I awoke in one of my own Imperial Guard uniforms. I have a terrible hangover and I think it's best if I sleep for a few extra hours. I won't be posting until this afternoon's Blog Conference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/blogger-conference.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item><item><title>Arrived In Washington D.C.</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/arrived-in-washington-dc.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Mon, 6 Jun 2005 18:09:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111802416468742418</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Monday Evening&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This will be a short post due to my exhaustion after having lived through the ordeal of a non-aerial crossing of the United States.  It is a error in judgment that I will not be repeating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Despite the numerous inconveniences that troubled me during my roadtrip to D.C. we have finally arrived unharmed and intact (with the notable exception of Prof. Hawking, and the seventeen passengers who had to be dealt with along the way.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 350px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/hotel%20suite1.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/320/hotel%20suite.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;&lt;br&gt;The "Imperial Suite" was a bit less impressive than advertised.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;My relief was soon turned to anger when I realized I had only booked one hotel room. How could I be expected to know that a single room would not be large enough to accommodate my personal staff? The single rooms at my palace are big enough to hold 25 people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, we will make due.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have posted my personal guard outside my door to repel any intruders.  If you are in the D.C. area, and wish to bring a gift to my room, please note that my guards will &lt;b&gt;not&lt;/b&gt; be wearing the uniforms I specially made for them, as they, in their usual insolence, have refused to wear them. One even having the gall to comment that his specially designed new uniform made him look like "a dick." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do they realize how long I spent in night classes? How many hours I spent furtively sneaking into their quarters to measure their exact sizes while they slept?  Or how many days and nights without sleep I spent at the sewing machine assembling their uniforms?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will be hiring new guards once I get back to The Palace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;UPDATE:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Several impudent readers have commented that it is impossible to travel from California to Washington D.C. in less than twelve hours, on a bus, making stops every fifteen minutes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They fail to appreciate the force of the Imperial Will when commanding the impudent driver to take a short-cut.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/light-blogging.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">6</thr:total></item><item><title>Rest Stop Blogging</title><link>http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/rest-stop-blogging.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (The Evil Emperor Mindstation)</author><pubDate>Mon, 6 Jun 2005 11:00:00 -0700</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11076483.post-111801719783631788</guid><description>&lt;i&gt;(To follow the Emperor's trip from the beginning, &lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/big-week-approaches.html"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Monday Afternoon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So far the journey has been rather difficult.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There has been some kind of catastrophic failure in The Global Communications Satellite of Ultimate Evil, so I will have to blog from whatever WiFi connections I can find along the way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Luckily, it looks like there will be quite a few stops, as the Greyhound's toilet is hopelessly clogged. I was amusing myself, by flushing a few Korans to break the joyless trip, but evidently the travel-sized toilet on a Greyhound is not quite up to the capacity of those I have installed at The Palace of Ultimate Evil. Suffice to say, we have since been stopping every fifteen minutes, as the Imperial Bladder is rather delicate and finely tuned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many have remarked on the vast spaces and awe-inspiring beauty of this great nation, its vistas and majestic open lands peerless in the world. Many songs and paintings have immortalized its subtle artistry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 410px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/DSCN02501.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/400/DSCN0250.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Desert&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 410px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/DSCN02521.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/400/DSCN0252.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;More desert&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="width: 410px;"&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/DSCN02352.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/400/DSCN0235.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Even more desert&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each of these paeans fail to appreciate the mindnumbing boredom of staring out a Greyhound window at this dreadful, dull country, with no one to entertain my ear but the horrible droning blather of that blasted Stephen Hawking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Luckily I haven't heard from him lately. I believe he may have wandered away from the bus when we were refueling somewhere in Nevada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Good riddance, as I have always found him an insolent and tiresome bore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="photo-container" style="float: right; width: 210px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/1024/zzyzx2.jpg'&gt;&lt;img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/254/3790/200/zzyzx.jpg'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="padding-right: 10px; top: -35px;" class="photo-cap"&gt;Zzyzx road, which we found quite amusing. The only highlight of an otherwise miserable trip.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As can be expected, there have been some grumblings from the other passengers, most related to the toilet situation and the frequent stops.  I have taken it upon myself to impose martial law aboard the bus.  So far, there have been only two executions necessary, and we were forced to leave three people to the desert and the mercy and judgement of Almighty God (five, if you count the babies).  But they have provided an excellent example to the others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will not tolerate back talk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-The Evil Emperor Mindstation, P.Z.I.C.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://pointfivestep.blogspot.com/2005/06/arrived-in-washington-dc.html"&gt;&gt;&gt;There's More! Read the rest&gt;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;</description><thr:total xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0">0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>