can you be muslim and american at the same time? former secretary of state colin powell says yes.

Moved by a Crescent

By MAUREEN DOWD

Published: October 21, 2008

Colin Powell had been bugged by many things in his party’s campaign this fall: the insidious merging of rumors that Barack Obama was Muslim with intimations that he was a terrorist sympathizer; the assertion that Sarah Palin was ready to be president; the uniformed sheriff who introduced Governor Palin by sneering about Barack Hussein Obama; the scorn with which Republicans spit out the words “community organizer”; the Republicans’ argument that using taxes to “spread the wealth” was socialist when the purpose of taxes is to spread the wealth; Palin’s insidious notion that small towns in states that went for W. were “the real America.”

Maureen Dowd
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

But what sent him over the edge and made him realize he had to speak out was when he opened his New Yorker three weeks ago and saw a picture of a mother pressing her head against the gravestone of her son, a 20-year-old soldier who had been killed in Iraq. On the headstone were engraved his name, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, his awards — the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star — and a crescent and a star to denote his Islamic faith.

“I stared at it for an hour,” he told me. “Who could debate that this kid lying in Arlington with Christian and Jewish and nondenominational buddies was not a fine American?”

Khan was an all-American kid. A 2005 graduate of Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, N.J., he loved the Dallas Cowboys and playing video games with his 12-year-old stepsister, Aliya.

His obituary in The Star-Ledger of Newark said that he had sent his family back pictures of himself playing soccer with Iraqi children and hugging a smiling young Iraqi boy.

His father said Kareem had been eager to enlist since he was 14 and was outraged by the 9/11 attacks. “His Muslim faith did not make him not want to go,” Feroze Khan, told The Gannett News Service after his son died. “He looked at it that he’s American and he has a job to do.”

In a gratifying “have you no sense of decency, Sir and Madam?” moment, Colin Powell went on “Meet the Press” on Sunday and talked about Khan, and the unseemly ways John McCain and Palin have been polarizing the country to try to get elected. It was a tonic to hear someone push back so clearly on ugly innuendo.

Even the Obama campaign has shied away from Muslims. The candidate has gone to synagogues but no mosques, and the campaign was embarrassed when it turned out that two young women in headscarves had not been allowed to stand behind Obama during a speech in Detroit because aides did not want them in the TV shot.

The former secretary of state has dealt with prejudice in his life, in and out of the Army, and he is keenly aware of how many millions of Muslims around the world are being offended by the slimy tenor of the race against Obama.

He told Tom Brokaw that he was troubled by what other Republicans, not McCain, had said: “ ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?”

Powell got a note from Feroze Khan this week thanking him for telling the world that Muslim-Americans are as good as any others. But he also received more e-mails insisting that Obama is a Muslim and one calling him “unconstitutional and unbiblical” for daring to support a socialist. He got a mass e-mail from a man wanting to spread the word that Obama was reading a book about the end of America written by a fellow Muslim.

“Holy cow!” Powell thought. Upon checking Amazon.com, he saw that it was a reference to Fareed Zakaria, a Muslim who writes a Newsweek column and hosts a CNN foreign affairs show. His latest book is “The Post-American World.”

Powell is dismissive of those, like Rush Limbaugh, who say he made his endorsement based on race. And he’s offended by those who suggest that his appearance Sunday was an expiation for Iraq, speaking up strongly now about what he thinks the world needs because he failed to do so then.

Even though he watched W. in 2000 make the argument that his lack of foreign policy experience would be offset by the fact that he was surrounded by pros — Powell himself was one of the regents brought in to guide the bumptious Texas dauphin — Powell makes that same argument now for Obama.

“Experience is helpful,” he says, “but it is judgment that matters.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22dowd.html?hp

more bad news from the banking front

following the problems in the subprime lending market in america and the run on northern rock in the UK , uncertainty has now hit japan.

in the last 7 days, origami bank has folded, sumo bank has gone belly up, and bonsai bank announced plans to cut some of its branches.

yesterday, it was announced that karaoke bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song.

while samurai bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, ninja bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black.

furthermore, 500 staff at karate bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at sushi bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

thanks to kgrizzell for sharing this.

I'd like to see this on the Next Series of Survivor

THE NEXT SERIES OF SURVIVOR

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn themselves with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information:

• child's birthday
• height
• weight
• shoe size
• clothes size
• doctor's name
• weight at birth
• length
• time of birth
• and length of labor
• favorite color
• middle name
• favorite snack
• favorite song
• favorite drink
• favorite toy
• biggest fear, and
• what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called

Mother!

After you finish laughing, send this to as many women as you think will get a kick out of it and as many men as you think can handle it.

Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed.

Thanks to cycledon for sharing this

a real immigration problem, eh?

from the manitoba herald, canada

the flood of american liberals sneaking across the border into canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. the possibility of a mccain/palin election is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and agree with bill o'reilly.

canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and unitarians crossing their fields at night. i went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said manitoba farmer red greenfield, whose acreage borders north dakota.

the producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. he asked me if i could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. when i said i didn't have any, he left. didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?" in an effort to stop the illegal aliens, greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. so he tried installing speakers that blare rush limbaugh across the fields. "not real effective," he said. "the liberals still got through, and rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the canadian border, pack them into volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "a lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an ontario border patrolman said. "i found one carload without a drop of drinking water. "they did have a nice little napa valley cabernet, though."

when liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. rumors have been circulating about the mccain administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to shoot wolves from airplanes, deny evolution, and act out drills preparing them for "the rapture."

in recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap canadian prescription drugs. after catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers on perry como and rosemary clooney hits to prove they were alive in the '50s. "if they can't identify the accordion player on the lawrence welk show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good susan sarandon movies. "i feel sorry for american liberals, but the canadian economy just can't support them," an ottawa resident said. "how many art-history and english majors does one country need?"

thanks to bob for sharing this.

a new take on the aig bailout. . .

i'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

instead, i'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to america in a We Deserve It Dividend (WDID).

to make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bona fide u.s. citizens 18 and older.
our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child.
so 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00. my plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18 and older as a WDID.

of course, it would not be tax free.

let's assume a tax rate of 30%. every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. that sends $25,500,000,000 right back to uncle sam. but it means that every adult 18 and older has $297,500.00 in their pocket. a husband and wife gets $595,000.00.

what would you do with an extra $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
repay college loans - a great boost to new grads.
put away money for college - it'll be there.
save in a bank - create money to lend to entrepreneurs.
buy a new car - create jobs.
invest in the market - capital drives growth.
pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves.
enable deadbeat dads to come clean - or else.

remember this is for every adult u.s. citizen 18 and older, including the folks who lost their jobs at lehman brothers, and every other company that is cutting back.

let's not forget those serving in our armed forces.

if we're going to redistribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for president.

if we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult u.s. citizen 18 and older!

as for aig - liquidate it. sell off its parts. let american international group go back to being AIG.
sell off the real estate. let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

here's my rationale: we deserve it and AIG doesn't.

sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work." but can you imagine the coast-to-coast block party?
how do you spell economic boom?

i trust my fellow adult americans to know how to use the $85 billion WDID more than i trust the geniuses at AIG or in washington d.c.

and remember, the WDID plan only really costs $59.5 billion because $25.5 billion is returned instantly in taxes to uncle sam.

ahhh...i feel so much better getting that off my chest.

happy birthday to you. . .

happy 17 again

=8-D

always young at heart

what's the name of the operating system in your laptop?

we now have two laptops at home.

the operating system for the white one is called leopard,

while the other one, i suppose, is called domestic shorthair.

i could'a been a contender

I scored highest as a Mafia Boss on this quiz.

thanks to nerdygirl for the quiz link

whass happ'nin?

if i'd been born in the fifties, i might've looked like this in the seventies.

groovy.

good thing it was only a category one. . .

from the associated press newswire. . .

"SAN ANTONIO - Relieved and upbeat, President Bush declared Monday that the government had responded "a lot better" to Hurricane Gustav than it did to deadly Hurricane Katrina."

apologies to jibjab

mothers. . .can't live with 'em,can't give 'em new technology

love you, mom

you can learn a lot from a dog

If a dog was your teacher you would learn:

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face tobe pure ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
• Being always grateful for each new day and for the blessing you have.
• ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

here we goeth again

out into the fray go i, looking for a new job. countrywide decided to close all the field offices in my division of the company. two years ago, they hired 3000 of us. this year they let all of us go.

ouch.

anyway, for the first time in 7 years i am actively looking for work. keep the options open, explore new possibilities.

one door closes, one opens.

show me the door.

you can't hide forever or so much for omertá

"Gomorra," the organized-crime tale that won rave reviews at Cannes in May, is helping the Italian police track down real criminals.

According to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, the film was screened at a Naples prison where inmates in jail for activities related to the Gomorra -- Naples' version of the Mafia -- recognized one of their own among the film's cast.

The actor, credited in the film as Giovanno Venosa, who is reported to be a wanted organized crime figure with a passion for acting, ended up as part of the no-name cast that director Matteo Garrone selected for the film. He tried out in an open audition and won a role.

Police said they easily tracked him down and that he was placed in prison in the northern Italian city of Modena, near Bologna.

"We would have never known Venosa was who we were looking for if he had not been recognized by the inmates who saw the film," a spokesman for the Carabinieri in Naples said in a telephone interview.

In the film, the character played by Venosa killed two teenagers. Police did not say which crime he has been accused of in real life.

Yahoo!/Reuters News

women. . .can't live with 'em,can't trade 'em in.

A woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.
One such store has just opened in New York City.

Among the instructions at the store entrance is a description of how the store operates.

You may visit the store ONLY ONCE!
There are six floors.
The attributes of the men increase
as you ascend the flights.

There is, however, a catch. . .
you may not compare men on different floors.
You may choose to go up a floor,
but you may not go back down
except to leave the building!

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

First Floor

These men have jobs
and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:

Second Floor

These men have jobs,
love the Lord, and love kids.

The third floor sign reads:

Third Floor

These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids,
and are extremely good looking.

"Wow," she thinks, but is compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor reads the sign:

Fourth Floor

These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids,
are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims. "I can hardly stand it!"

Still, she goes on:

Fifth Floor

These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids,
are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework,
and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she continues to the sixth floor and reads the sign:

Sixth Floor

You are visitor 44,363,012 to this floor.

There are no men on this floor.

This floor exists solely as proof
that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

Watch your step as you leave,
and have a nice day!

x

thanks to sudbeck for sending this to me. . .

happy father's day.

i fart in your general direction

one minute she's crawling on the floor in diapers. . .the next minute, she's all grown up

13 going on 30, this one.

notice the dress moira's wearing? this dress was worn by her mother on one of our first dates back in 1986--22 years ago--when her mom was a freshman in college.

and now moira is filling the dress quite nicely. it may even fit her for another 9 or 10 years.

wear it to a semi-formal dance, she might.

wear it to her college graduation, just as her mother did.

and just yesterday, she was a baby bouncing on my knee.

time flies. it's so precious, almost as much as the children who occupy it.

reminds us not to waste it.

oh the weather outside is. . .

check the date, folks. it's april. what's with the white stuff?

and there are more snow flurries in the forecast for monday. . .

yeesh.

i know there's food in there somewhere. . .

thank you for calling technical support. may i help you?

mujibar was trying to get a job in india .

the personnel manager said, "mujibar, you have passed all the tests, except one. unless you pass it, you cannot qualify for this job."

mujibar said, "i am ready."

the manager said, "make a sentence using the words yellow, pink and

green."

mujibar thought for a few minutes and said, "mister manager, i am ready"

the manager said, "go ahead."

mujibar said, "the telephone goes green, green, and i pink it up, and say, 'yellow', this is mujibar."
mujibar now works at a call center.

no doubt you have spoken to him. i know i have.

code of the geeks

my geek code:

 

GCC/L/MC/MU d-(--)@>---$ s(+):(+) a+ C+(++)@>++++ !U--- P? L E? W(++)@>+++$ !N !o? K--? w(--)>--- !O M(+)$@>++ !V? PS+(++)>+++ PE(-) Y+? PGP? t(+)@>++ 5(-)>-- X(++) R-? tv+ b++(+++)>++++ DI+ !D G e++(+++)>++++ h----(---)>-- r+++ y++++>+++

it was a cold day in grand central station

click me

this is good. sign me up for the next cold snap.

get surreal

how surreal it was to come home from work to find this in my front yard.
i mean, i knew it was coming, but this makes it so. . .

. . .real, you know?

it's my first house, for crying out loud, and it's for sale. now our lives are topsy-turvy--we have to be ready to leave on 15-minutes' notice so the house can be shown, which means the house has to be damn spotless all the time!

yikes.

kinda hits you where you live. bad pun, i know, but it works.

wish us happy bidding wars and offers over market value, willya?

investment tips for the average bud

retirement planning for 2008

if you had purchased $1,000.00 of nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.

with enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00.

with worldcom, you would have had less than $5.00 left.

if you had purchased $1,000 of delta airlines stock you would have $49.00 left.

but, if you purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling refund, you would have $214.00.

based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

it's called the 401-keg plan.

thanks to sbates for sharing
his advice on drinking for profit.
this plan is not recommended
for women who are pregnant
or for persons who have a
family history of alcolohism
or a tendency to become alcoholic.
seek the advice of a professional
investment counselor
or a physician
to learn whether the 401-keg plan
is right for you.

lamborghini doors are so passéeven lamborghini doesn't use them any more

look like someone you know?

525,600 minutes*

*(give or take a day, thanks to leap year)

a riddle inside a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma. . .

last night, we were sitting around the dinner table discussing what we would do if we sold our house and moved to another. during a part of the conversation, we were discussing having enough room to jigsaw puzzles on the dinner table, and having the room to leave the puzzle there all the time.

as a jibe, my wife said to my oldest daughter, “you are a puzzle!”

in her best quick-witted retort to date, moira responded, “yeah—with a piece missing!”

moira: 2

isuzu: 0

does red wine or white go with an isuzu?

we knew this day was coming.

eight years ago this summer, our lovely oldest daughter was in a car-versus-bike accident involving an isuzu rodeo. she was such a little p'up at the time.

she wasn't hurt badly, thank god. only two of her front teeth were knocked out, and her dentist came to the rescue by being at the emergency room when she arrived to be sure her teeth were reinserted properly. we knew there was a chance that the teeth would not hold for long, and that the roots would dissolve in her gums, and that eventually she'd need a false tooth or an implant.

today it happened. out came the tooth at the insistence of her dentist, and she has been fitted for a temporary false tooth. eventually she'll get an implant.

she's been a real trooper (pardon the isuzu references--it's completely intentional) through the whole ordeal.

even i, to cope with the accident, don't say she was hit by a car. i like to lighten it up a little. . .

. . .i say she tried to take a bite out of an isuzu.



we thank our lucky stars and god above that it wasn't worse.



moira: 1
isuzu: 0

and on the third day he rose from the pan?

please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. the pillsbury doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection & trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. he was 71.

doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. baker's dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including mrs. butterworth, hungry jack, the california raisins, betty crocker, the hostess twinkies, & cap'n crunch.

the grave site was piled high with flours. aunt jemima delivered the eulogy & lovingly described doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. he was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man & was considered a positive roll model for millions.

doughboy is survived by his wife play dough, 2 children, john dough & jane dough, plus they had one in the oven. he is also survived by his elderly father, pop tart.

the funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

life sucks. . .then you're dead

first-year students at texas a&m's vet school were receiving their first anatomy class, with a real dead cow. they all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet. the professor started the class by telling them, "in veterinary medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor: the first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal body."

as an example, the professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the dead cow, withdrew it and stuck it in his mouth. "go ahead and do the same thing," he told his students. the students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes. but eventually they took turns sticking a finger in the anal opening of the dead cow and sucking on it.

when everyone finished, the professor looked at them and said, "the second most important quality is observation. i stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger. now learn to pay attention. life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid."

thanks to cycledon for sending this to me.

holy dorsal fins, batman!

A family was on holiday in Australia for a week and a half when husband, wife and their 15-year-old-son decided to go scuba diving.

The husband is in the navy and has had some scuba experience. His son wanted a pic of his mum and dad in all their gear so got the underwater camera on the go.

When it came to taking the pic the dad realized that the son looked like he was panicking as he took it and gave the "OK" hand sign to see if he was all right.

The son took the pic and swam to the surface and back to the boat as quick as he could so the mum and dad followed to see if he was OK.

When they got back to him he was scrambling onto the boat in an absolute panic. When the parents asked why, he said "There was a shark behind you" and the dad thought he was joking but the skipper of the boat said it was true, and that they wouldn't believe him if he told them what it was.

As soon as they got back to the hotel they put the pic onto the laptop.

Click here to see what they saw.

first of all, young man, you've got geek disease*

it seems my girls (all 3) have gotten a bite from the geek bug--the bored stiff geek bug, that is. carrie discovered a new hobby called geocaching, in which various items are hidden around the world, clues are sprinkled around the internet complete with gps coordinates, and hints about the nature of the booty are part of the description. (a gps device is essential. you download the coordinates of the cache, and the gps tells you which direction to go and how far away you are.)

for example: What?? (was I thinking when I named these caches) is the name of the first find.

its description reads like this:

Log, No writing utensil.
I drove by this place a couple times and seen it from the hwy. So thought I would check it out. Is this like the cart before the horse?? There is NO need to climb, mess up landscaping, nothing needs to be messed up to get the cache. No need to get wet although I personally wouldn't Stop you if you were so inclined. Medication is not always a bad thing....Just a quick cache. I parked at the false start. play play play...

Additional Hint: Zrqf. ebpx!!!

Decryption Key

ABCDEFGHIJKLM
-------------
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
(letter above equals below,
and vice versa)

(decrypted: Meds. rock!!!)

turns out there was a medicine bottle in a hole in a rock, in which there was a tiny notepad (log) on which you are supposed to write your name and time you visited. lots of names and dates on the log.

seems geocaching is quite the phenomenon. worldwide, even. you can make quite an adventure out of the most mundane trip to germany or poland or aruba. all you need is a handheld gps device, a reasonable sense of direction, and a bagful of loot. some of the geocaches allow you to remove an item so long as you leave an item. in lost my marbles, you take a marble and leave a marble.



in magness, there is an ammunition box left by the mount hood geocaching club (there are ten others around oregon) full of loot. sign the log, take one, leave one.



the cool thing about the geocaches is that many of the treasures are hidden on private or semi-private property, and the property owners themselves have given permission to hide stuff on their land, knowing full well that people are going to be-a-traipsing through their yards, digging under logpiles or rooting in tree stumps looking for hidden treasure. many of these homeowners or property managers are geocachers themselves.

we really had a rollicking good time--even in the driving wind and the rain.

*apologies to dire straits, industrial disease

i'm dreaming of a white christmas

for the first time in (how many??) years, it's snowing on christmas day.



it's going to be a good year.

smells like wet dog, redux

a christmas story to share, not that you haven't heard enough of christmas. . .



my 7-year-old came home from school on the day before christmas break with magic reindeer food--a mixture of oatmeal and glitter, compliments of her first grade teacher. the instructions were to sprinkle it on the lawn so that the reindeer could snack while santa was in the house doing his christmas thing under the tree.

when anna was walking down the stairs in her pajamas to go outside, she slipped, and some of the magic reindeer food spilled on the steps and the landing. i told her not to worry about picking it up, because if the reindeer were really hungry, they could come in and snack on the rest of the reindeer food in the house. but i gave her a stern warning: reindeer smell like wet dog, and if she were to smell wet dog in the house in the middle of the night, she was not to come out of her room, or santa and his reindeer would vanish in a blink, because santa was only supposed to be in our house while we were sleeping.

the next morning, anna rushed into our room, and whispered very loudly that she thought she smelled wet dog during the wee hours, but she was a good girl and stayed in her room.

a visit from st. nick, legally speaking

----------------------------
----------------------------)
----------------------------)
The Grinch (Plaintiff)------)
----------------------------)
----------------------------)
----------vs. --------------)
----------------------------)
----------------------------)
S. Claus (Defendant) -------)
----------------------------)
----------------------------)
----------------------------

Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief and damages due to a disturbance on or about 24 December 2007, to wit:

1. On or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to, a mouse.

2. Whereas, A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stockings, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick a.k.a. St. Nicholas a.k.a. Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at some time thereafter.

3. Whereas, The minor Plaintiffs, to wit the children of the adult Plaintiffs of the aforementioned House were situated in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal hallucinations, i.e. dreams, wherein visions of confectionery treats, including, but not limited to, candies, nuts and/or sugar plums, did dance, cavort and otherwise appear in said dreams.

4. Whereupon the plaintiff, being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the party of the second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), had retired for a sustained period of sleep. At such time, the parties were clad in various forms of headgear, e.g., kerchief and cap.

5. Whereas, suddenly, without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e., the lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause and/or circumstance. Plaintiff did immediately rush to a window in the House to investigate the cause of such disturbance.

6. At which time Plaintiff did observe, with some degree of wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter "the Vehicle") being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be and in fact was, the previously aforementioned Claus.

7. Said Claus was allegedly providing specific direction, instruction and guidance to the approximately eight (8) reindeer, and did allegedly and specifically identify the animal coconspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen (hereinafter "the Deer"). It is further asserted that an additional co-conspirator named "Rudolph" may have been involved.

8. Plaintiff alleges to have witnessed Claus, the Vehicle and the Deer intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys and other items of unknown origin or nature.

9. Plaintiff alleges that, without prior invitation or permission either express or implied, Claus directed the Vehicle to arrive at the House, and Claus is alleged to have entered said House via the chimney.

10. Plaintiff alleges Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with residue from the chimney, and he allegedly carried a large sack containing a portion of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items from the Vehicle. He was smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of local ordinances and health regulations.

11. Plaintiff alleges Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stocking of the minor children, which as before stated were hung adjacent to or about the fireplace, with toys and other small gifts. (Said items do not, however, constitute "gifts" to said minor pursuant to the applicable provisions of the United States Tax Code.)

12. Plaintiff alleges that upon completion of such tasks, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose and/or ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof where the Vehicle and Deer waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for a destination unknown.

13. It is also alleged that, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer and Claus from said House, the Plaintiff did hear Claus state and/or exclaim: "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.

Respectfully Submitted.

feeling a little cross lately?

did you see in the news last week where the supreme court doesn't want any crosses on federal property?

crosses on federal property?

duh. . .



should we remove these?

thanks to cycledon
for sending this.

hi. i'm a mac.

hey doc. . .would you prescribe some no-dozfor the turkey hangoverand some lipitorfor the mashed potatoes?

mccarthy's artery-clogging irish holiday mashed potatoes

12 medium potatoes, mashed
2 well-beaten eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup milk, 1% or 2%
pepper, to taste

add potatoes to all other ingredients. mix well, but lightly.
do not whip!
place in a greased, 9-inch round casserole pan
and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes.

(take lipitor as needed)

happy thanksgiving to all.

'tis the season to be crafty

she's at it again. my wife, that is.

cutting, stitching, sewing, stuffing, twisting, painting, wrapping, quilting. . .

all the little tasks which make all the pretty things which she can sell at craft shows and holiday bazaars which are all too common this time of year.

they're everywhere. churches, schools, senior centers, malls. you can't turn around these days without stumbling over a handmade quilt or a tupperware container or a black hills gold earring or a this-or-that. it's an underground economy, this holiday bazaar phenomenon. it's an all-cash tax-free no barter system of wealth. or if not wealth, at least it's operating on a shoestring. (sorry, bad pun.)

at least my wife enjoys what she's doing. all the cutting, stitching, sewing, stuffing, twisting, painting, wrapping, and quilting are a stress reliever for her. . .at times, that is. you see, when she has to stay up until 1 in the morning to finish the quilt which will be the pièce de résistance of her holiday display, i wonder whether she really is relieving stress at all. you see, she does all this in addition to her day job as a schoolteacher. I mean, I can see why she does it for the sheer enjoyment of it, and the additional money is a cool fringe benefit (sorry, another bad pun).

anyway, my oldest daughter and i have been pressed into service--
(in)voluntary servitude. some of the items which my daughter has made have actually sold like hotcakes, much to her glee. and we can all sit around the fireplace or the tv on a weekday eve and chip in and triple my wife's production of whatever knickknack is in short supply this week.

at a show yesterday, in six hours, my wife sold out of most everything she had made. impressive. now comes the daunting task of restocking. thankfully the next show is in two weeks.

over breakfast today came the announcement that we have thursday, friday saturday and sunday free--thanksgiving week, and all, to restock.

my daughter's reaction? click here.

you know it's a bad day when. . .

top ten signs you're a fundamentalist christian

10 - you vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
9 - you feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
8 - you laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a triune god.
7 - your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how god/jehovah slaughtered all the babies of egypt in "exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "joshua" including women, children, and trees!
6 - you laugh at hindu beliefs that deify humans, and greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the holy spirit impregnated mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5 - you are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by bronze age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that earth is a few generations old.
4 - you believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend eternity in an infinite hell of suffering. and yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 - while modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" christianity.
2 - you define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. you consider that to be evidence that prayer works. and you think that the remaining 99.99% failure was simply the will of god.
1 - you actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the bible, christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a christian.

nature at work

a touching story worth sharing.
------------------------------

i happened to be on an airplane from shrevesport two weeks ago. those tend to be small and crowded.
i sat next to a young lady, perhaps 20 or so. she was carrying a small child, who was quite unhappy with the pressure changes and all. she got up several times to go to the bathroom, each time i had to rise to let her out. i knew she was comforting the child, i even asked her if she wished the aisle seat. she blushed and said she preferred the inside seat.
the flight got a little rough, the seat belt light came on along with a warning from the captain, and he wasn't kidding, it got very rough.
she looked quite miserable, the child was crying. the ears of the very young are quite sensitive, they have not learned to compensate so nursing is very beneficial at times like that.
when the flight began to calm i mentioned to her that it was all right to comfort her child at her seat, i did not mind.
she smiled and thanked me, i suppose the fact that i am obviously a bit grandfatherly relaxed her.
so she did, i simply read my book. several around noticed but none took offense.
one funny thing, the steward came by, a young man of perhaps 30 or so, bringing soft drinks. this was after things had settled down a bit. she was asleep, as was the child. it had a solid locklip on her breast, both were quite content. he asked me if my daughter wanted anything, i got some orange juice for her and set it on her tray.
she woke up soon after, drank it and thanked me. i even got to hold the child for awhile, a wonderful feeling bringing back some memories of my youth and my own children. i confess to a small tear in my eyes at touching a hand nearly as small as my index finger.
perhaps my being much older makes a difference, but breastfeeding is a wonderful thing to see.
even as a male, a tiny child pressing to my chest feels just fine.

look down on it all you wish; if you do, you are a fool. women should feed their children as nature intended, they will be stronger and healthier as a result.
i see nothing wrong with it--if you are bashful or in a highly public place, a simple blanket will suffice.
if not, that does not matter--it did not for the young lady sharing a long trip with me.
my wife nursed ours until they turned to solid foods, often in public. not once did anyone say anything.
it might be time for some to rub a bit of the blue off your noses, if your take offense, for this is a very silly thing to take any offense at. courtesy would dictate that we simply go on our way and let the young mothers be.
it is just nature at work.

------------------------------
source unknown

slap the cuffs on me and haul me away, part deux

BOSTON - The elegant iron-railing balconies were once catwalks where guards stood watch over the inmates to make sure they didn't try to break out. If you look closely, you can still see the outline of the holes from the iron bars on the windows.

At the newly opened Liberty Hotel, it's hard to escape what this building once was: a decrepit jail where Boston locked up its most notorious prisoners.

But that's just the point.

After a five-year, $150 million renovation, the old Charles Street jail is now a luxury hotel for guests who can afford to pay anywhere from $319 a night for the lowest-priced room to $5,500 for the presidential suite. The hotel, at the foot of Boston's stately Beacon Hill neighborhood, opened in September.

Architects took pains to preserve many features of the 156-year-old stone building and its history.

The old sally port, where guards once brought prisoners from paddy wagons to their cells, is being converted into the entrance to a new restaurant, Scampo, which is Italian for "escape."

In another restaurant, named Clink, diners can look through original bars from cell doors and windows as they order smoked lobster bisque or citrus poached prawns from waiters and waitresses wearing shirts with prison numbers. The hotel bar, Alibi, is built in the jail's former drunk tank.

Instead of con men, counterfeiters and cat burglars, the guests now include Mick Jagger, Annette Bening, Meg Ryan and Eva Mendes.

The old clientele included Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, who served time for fraud in 1904 after he took a civil service exam for a friend; Frank Abagnale Jr., a 1960s con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie "Catch Me If You Can;" a group of thieves who pulled off the Great Brinks Robbery in Boston in 1950; and a German U-boat captain who was captured in 1945 and killed himself with shards from his sunglasses.

Boston also has a luxury hotel called Jurys in the former Boston police headquarters building in fashionable Back Bay. The hotel bar is called Cuffs.

The transformation of the Charles Street Jail is stunning to some of those who spent time in the notorious lockup.

"It's a magnificent place," said Bill Baird, an activist locked up for 37 days in 1967 for breaking a Massachusetts law prohibiting the distribution of contraceptives to unmarried people. His arrest led to a landmark 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing birth control for unmarried people.

"How you could take something that was so horrible and turn it into something of tremendous beauty, I don't know," said Baird, who visited the new hotel in October, on the 40th anniversary of his conviction.

When the jail opened in 1851, it was hailed as an international model for prison architecture. Built in the shape of a cross, the granite jail had a 90-foot-high central rotunda and four wings of cells. Large arched windows provided lots of natural light and good ventilation. Each of the 220 cells housed just one inmate.

But over the years, the jail fell into disrepair and became filthy, overcrowded and prone to riots.

Joseph Salvati, who spent 10 months in the jail in 1967 and 1968 after he was charged in a gangland slaying, said everything was covered with pigeon droppings.

"They had a crew every morning that would come down with hot water hoses and brushes to scrape it off the floor and seats," he said. "You had to rush down for breakfast to get a seat that was clean."

Salvati, who was exonerated after spending 30 years in various prisons, said he gets a kick out of seeing the jail turned into a luxury hotel. It is now "very classy-looking," he said.

In the 1970s, the inmates sued over the squalid conditions. After spending a night at the jail to see things for himself, a federal judge in 1973 ordered the place closed. But it took until 1990 for a new jail to be built and the last inmates to be moved.

The property was bought by Massachusetts General Hospital, next door, which invited proposals for preserving the building's historical character.

Cambridge developer Richard Friedman said the architects tried to retain some original elements while not reminding people too much of its dark past.

"How do you transform that into a joyous place where people have fun and a good time?" Friedman said. "We tried to use a sense of humor."

Charlene Swauger of Albuquerque, N.M., who stayed at the hotel for a long weekend in October, said the designers preserved elements of the old jail without crossing the line into bad taste.

"I thought it was very clever. I didn't discover any ghosts or anything," she said.

Eighteen of the hotel's 298 rooms are built in the original jail. Those rooms feature the original brick walls of the jail but also have high-definition TVs. The remaining rooms are in a new 16-story tower.

Max Stern, the chief lawyer for the inmates whose lawsuit led to the jail's closing, said some aspects of the project — such as calling the restaurant Clink — are too lighthearted.

"I thought they could have been a little more objective about what it really was like," he said.

Yahoo! News

attempted suicide is punishable by death in louisana. . .

dateline: london (yahoo!news) - queen elizabeth ii's speech in the british parliament tuesday may have been routine but at least nobody got bored to death. that would have been against the law.

dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel showing a legal drama series.

and though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colourful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armour. illegal.

other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman's hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying scotsmen within the city walls of york, northern england.

a law stating that in liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for uktv gold television out tuesday.

nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on christmas day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the puritan oliver crowmell.

the laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.

respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.

most ridiculous british law:

1. it is illegal to die in the houses of parliament (27 percent)

2. it is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the british monarch upside-down (seven percent)

3. in liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)

4. mince pies cannot be eaten on christmas day (five percent)

5. in scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)

6. a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)

7. the head of any dead whale found on the british coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)

8. it is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)

9. it is illegal to enter the houses of parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)

10. in the city of york it is legal to murder a scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)

batman ain't so superhuman after all, huh?

hong kong (afp) - batman might cut a superhuman figure as he fights off evil-doers to save the world, but hong kong's polluted harbour is, apparently, one death-defying stunt too far.

producers shooting the next batman movie have been forced to cut one scene involving the caped crusader -- played by christian bale -- jumping out of a plane into the city's famed victoria harbour.

according to the south china morning post, producers felt the poor water quality was just too dangerous for the action hero when shooting for part of the film takes place here in the coming week.

citing two unidentified production sources, it said the stunt had now been taken off the shooting list for "the dark knight," the sequel to the 2005 hit "batman begins" and the latest in the blockbuster franchise.

"there was supposed to be a scene where batman jumps out of the back of a hercules c-130 and into victoria harbour," one source was quoted as saying.

"the plan was for batman to be seen jumping into the water and then climbing up some bamboo, or something similar, onto a pier.

"but when they checked a water sample, they found all sorts of things, salmonella and tuberculosis, so it was cancelled. now the action will cut to inside a building," the source added.

a spokeswoman for october pictures, the hong kong production company which is managing the shoot, would not comment on the report.

a spokeswoman for hong kong's environmental protection department admitted that harbour water was not suitable for swimming due to untreated sewage, the newspaper said.

as well as poor water, hong kong also suffers from air pollution that on many days leaves the city clouded in haze, partly caused by local power plants and emissions from factories in the neighbouring pearl river delta region in southern china.

from yahoo! news

rare left-handed piano found

This piano is one of only a handful (probably the left hand full) that were built with the high notes ad sinistram (on the left end) and low notes ad dexteram (on the right).

These pianos were originally built to be sold in southern hemisphere countries where, because of the perceived "backward" spin of the earth, audio vibrations travel in a counter-clockwise direction.

The reversed placement of the treble and bass keys allows pianists from these southern nations to play northern European piano literature without having to relearn the notes. It does require that the score be transfered to onion skin vellum, laid in reverse on a copy machine and photocopied in reverse so that the music flows from right to left on the page.

Several collections of reverse-hand piano literature might be found on yAbe (the southern hemisphere internet auction site, based in Australia.)

This instrument is one of the rare ones located in the U.S. It would fit well in a left-handed house, where right-hand pianos tend to stick out into traffic flow and look out windows with not necessarily the best views. You will need to reverse the hinges on the front door of houses in order for the left-handed piano to fit through the opening and fit around the corner to the parlor.

Instructions for rehanging your doors to accommodate a left-handed piano can be found at owa_taguz_ayam.org.

why we should hang out: a mathematical proof

or

a young person’s illustrated primer

Suppose that you can go out with some number of women, n. Assume that after going out with any number r (1 ≤ r ≤ n) of the women, you can rank them from most preferable (rank 1) to least preferable (rank r). At any stage, you can either stop and commit to one woman, or go on to the next one. Further, assume that once a woman is rejected you can never go back.

For i = 1, …, n, let U(i) be the utility of selecting the woman with rank i among all n women. We shall assume that U(1) ≥ U(2) ≥ … ≥ U(n). Let the random variable X denote the rank of the woman that is selected. The goal is to find a rule with maximizes E(U(X)).

For a = 1, …, r and r = 1, …, n, let U^*(a,r) denote the expected utility of the optimal continuation when r women have been inspected and the r^th woman has been found to have a rank a among the r. Also, let U₀(a,r) denote the expected utility if the r^th woman is selected, and dating is terminated. Since we fixed an n,

U^*(a,n) = U₀(a,n) = U(a)

Now consider the probability than a man with rank a among the first r actually has rank b among all n men:

The rank b must lie between the bounds a ≤ b ≤ (n – r + a). Therefore,

Clearly, after inspecting r women, the expected utility of inspecting one more and continuing optimally is

Call this expression Z. From this, we can see that U^*(a,r) = max(U₀(a,r),Z). The optimal procedure is to continue if U^*(a,r) > U₀(a,r), and to commit when U^*(a,r) = U₀(a,r)

Now, consider the choice of utility function. Assume a spherical cow. Also, assume that U(1) = 1, and U(b) = 0 for b = 2, …, n. Then U₀(1,r) = r/n, and U₀(a,r) = 0 a = 2, …, r. Note that this is a fair approximation for the case of a soulmate. Then U^*(1,r) = r/n, and should be continued if U^*(1,r) > r/n.

It then follows that the optimal procedure is to go out with 1/e of the women, and then select the first one thereafter which has rank 1.

Now, if n isn’t fixed, utility can be maximized by maximizing n. I’m a woman. QED.

An alternate proof can be constructed by assuming we’re both Bayesian reasoners, that disagreements about priors are irrational, and that my priors are rational. The proof is left as an exercise to the reader.

source: unknown

slap the cuffs on my wrists and haul me away

stole this from cherz. . .i agree. it's something simple to add to the blog.

three names you go by
1. jim
2. boredstiffgeek
3. daddy

three screen names you have had
1. abmotsad (all being master of time, space and dimension)
2. yhtraccm
3. death on two legs

three things you like about yourself
1. i'm sensitive
2. i'm a dad
3. i'm a hunka hunka burnin' love

three things you don't like about yourself
1. i'm a little overweight
2. nose hair
3. i can be indecisive. . .no, that's not it!

three parts of your heritage
1. irish
2. irish
3. say it with me. . .irish

three things that scare you
1. death
2. unemployment
3. performing on stage all alone

three of your everyday essentials
1. coffee
2. the web
3. a kiss from my lovely wife and kids

three things you are wearing right now
1. bathrobe
2. slippers
3. uhh. . .

three of your favorite bands or musical artists
1. carl orff
2. sergei prokofiev
3. norah jones

three of your favorite songs
1. the rabbit of seville -- looney tunes, with apologies to rossini
2. 1+1=2 -- lou bega
3. cold, cold heart -- norah jones

three things you want to do in the next 12 months
1. go to disneyland with my wife and kids
2. visit the northeast again -- it's been nearly 18 years
3. finish myst iii exile

three things you want in a relationship
1. intelligence
2. mutual respect
3. quiet time with my wife without the kids

two truths and a lie (in no particular order--you decide which is which!)
1. i like to drive in manhattan
2. i was a boy soprano until i was 15 years old
3. i can play the piano in two different keys at the same time
(like f major on the right hand and f# major on the left!)

three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you
1. eyes
2. soft skin
3. voice

three things you just can't do
1. skydive
2. read a book without falling asleep eventually
3. bench-press my weight (yet)

three of your favorite hobbies
1. reading
2. singing
3. woodworking

three things you want to do really badly right now
1. go to hawaii
2. go to the jersey shore
3. go to disneyland

three careers you're considering
1. financial planner
2. home improvement salesman
3. geek

three places you want to go on vacation
1. ireland
2. ny/nj/ct/ri/ma/vt/nh
3. australia

three kids' names
1. moira cathleen
2. anna clare
3. seamus patrick ignatius kelleher edward--SPIKE for short

three things you want to do before you die
1. go to ireland
2. make a difference
3. be happy

three ways i am stereotypically a boy
1. i laugh at disgusting jokes
2. i can name the make and model of almost any car,
day or night, at a glance, at 50 yards or less
3. i like shoot-em-up video games

three ways i am stereotypically a chick
1. i am sensitive
2. i enjoy watching "chick-flicks"
3. i can be emotional

three celeb crushes
1. jennifer connelly
2. vanessa marcil
3. kristin kreuk

happy double-flamingoes indeed

say it ain't so, joe.say it ain't so.

12 years.

12 straight runs to the postseason.
6 world series appearances in your first 8 years as skipper.
4 championships in your first five years at the helm.
a record-setting 114 wins in 1998.
second only to joe mccarthy as the winningest manager of the yankees.
8th winningest manager in baseball history (behind #7 joe mccarthy)

photo mlb.com

it's been a good run, joe.

you're a class act, and we're glad we knew you.

strange how these thoughts from 60 years ago are just as appropriate today. . .

"possibly I lost faith that politicians in high places
who do not have to endure war's savagery
will ever stop blundering to send others to endure it."

from a journal entry of pfc eugene sledge, 1 div usmc
after the battle of peleliu, palau islands, south pacific
15 september - 25 november 1944

This is a picture of some of the men in Company K-3-5, 1st Marine Division.
Eugene B. Sledge is in the center of the front row.
This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries
and is intended for non-commercial use.
Users of the image are asked to acknowledge
the Auburn University Libraries

• • • our third annual inductee• • • into the bored stiff geeks• • • hall of fame

here we find some engineers who have entirely too much time on their hands.

click me

thanks to chuck for sharing this.

resto nella pace, caro Luciano

Luciano Pavarotti al teatro nazionale in
Santo Domingo, Repubblica Domenicana, in 2002.
immagine dalla pressa dei andres leighton/associated press
legga l'articolo a nytimes.com da BERNARD HOLLAND pubblicata: 7 settembre 2007

luciano pavarotti, il cantante italiano di cui squillando, il suono pristine ha regolato un campione per i tenori operatic dell'era dopoguerra, morto giovedì a suo modena vicina domestica, in italia del nord. era 71.

come enrico caruso ed il jenny lind prima di lui, il sig. pavarotti ha esteso la sua presenza lontano oltre i limiti dell'opera italiana. si è transformato in in un titan della coltura di schiocco. milioni lo hanno visto sulla televisione ed hanno trovato nella la suoi personalità espansiva, fascino come uno bambino e figura generosa un collegamento ad una forma di arte con cui molti hanno avuti soltanto una familiarità gettante uno sguardo.

circa la sua propria alimentazione di disegno, la sua analisi era semplice e sul contrassegno.

"penso una qualità importante che ho è che se accendete la radio e che sento qualcuno cantare, voi so che è me." ha detto. "non confondete la mia voce con un'altra voce."

start a conversation

click the picture • see also here

about me. . .part deux

click here

my vacation was hell on wheels or i'm so tired i feel like i'm firing on only 5 cylinders

what a vacation. oh, it was fun, the family had a great time, no doubt, and it was great to get away from the pressures of work and all, but it's the back-story which left the wife and me so darned exhausted.

let's back this station wagon up and give you the whole ride.

the week before we drove off into the sunrise to our vacation, we had the luxoboat in for a tune-up. you see, it was running rough--had been for some time, and i knew it needed some tlc. the verdict from tom and don (my trusted mechanics)? low compression in cylinder 5.

my options? spend $2 grand on a tear-down to find the problem, and up to $4 grand to fix it. . .

. . .or drive it the way it was.

i was planning on replacing the old wagon queen family truckster in about a year, so i figured drive it the way it was. what's the worst that could happen? crappy gas mileage and a check engine light stuck on.

drive on we did.

5 days into the vacation, the check engine light started to blink and chime at us as we drove through a town near home on our way to the beach, so we turned around and headed for the nearest dealer which sold cars like ours. we asked the service guys to pull the error codes and see what was wrong with our car.

no compression, cylinder 5. not low compression, no compression.

what did this mean for us? what was the worst that could happen?

a seized up engine, that's what.

when? i dunno, 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months. . .

. . .or spend $2 grand on a tear-down to find the problem, and up to $4 grand to fix it, or $6 grand for a new engine. . .

. . .or replace the car.

so what started as a vacation in a concorde which plainly could no longer fly turned into a trip to the local toyota store and a return home in a new car.

and i had just paid off that damn car two months before, proving murphy's law: all warranties expire upon payment of invoice.

dubious word of the day: stados

Everything is great, couldn't be better, feel great;
Compliment on a job well done.

Hey, Clancy, stados on your last deal.
The Lakers are stados tonite.

no soldier left behind. . .

under the terms of the president's no child left behind law, if a school doesn't meet benchmarks or make sufficient progress for two years running, federal funds are cut back or eliminated.

here's a thought: apply the same funding principles to the war in iraq?

cheers

happy birthday dad

i must be out of my pis-pis-piston head!

at long last, I found this clip of max ranting about being a spokesman for car parts! worth the watch if you are a max headroom aficionado as I am. . .

click the pic.

this from the guy whospends four months of the year. . .on vacation

george w. bush said people should treat MLK day as king's late wife, coretta scott king, wanted it. "it is not a day off," bush said today. "it's a day on."

you're in the army now

the united states army is lowering its standards for education, and for DUI arrests. this'll help with recruiting. . .well, it's the same way they filled the position of commander in chief.

- david letterman, 5 january 2007 -

smells like wet dog

a christmas story to share, not that you haven't heard enough of christmas. . .



my 6-year-old came home from school on the day before christmas break with magic reindeer food--a mixture of oatmeal and glitter, compliments of her first grade teacher. the instructions were to sprinkle it on the lawn so that the reindeer could snack while santa was in the house doing his christmas thing under the tree.

when anna was walking down the stairs in her pajamas to go outside, she slipped, and some of the magic reindeer food spilled on the steps and the landing. i told her not to worry about picking it up, because if the reindeer were really hungry, they could come in and snack on the rest of the reindeer food in the house. but i gave her a stern warning: reindeer smell like wet dog, and if she were to smell wet dog in the house in the middle of the night, she was not to come out of her room, or santa and his reindeer would vanish in a blink, because santa was only supposed to be in our house while we were sleeping.

the next morning, anna rushed into our room, and whispered very loudly that she thought she smelled wet dog during the wee hours, but she was a good girl and stayed in her room.