Hope in Winter

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:



In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

— Albert Camus

Camus came up Sunday: on the way to the Rite of Election at St Benedict in Hollister, I popped Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night in the CD player; Done Too Soon is the third track.

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Now playing: Robert Shaw Chamber Singers - O Come, Emmanuel
via FoxyTunes

And I Thought Santa Cruz and The People’s Republic…

…of Santa Monica were the West Coast looney tunes spots…

From the Merc this morning: Protesters off to early start outside Berkeley City Council chambers

Highlights:

“…The Berkeley City Council tonight is scheduled to revisit the council’s Jan. 29 approval of a resolution calling the U.S. Marines’ recruiting office on Shattuck Avenue “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” The vote was 6-3 in favor.…”

and

“…What’s more, pro-military supporters will have to sit through another item likely to make them seethe: urging Canada to provide sanctuary for U.S. military war resisters.…”

My, my, my! I’m awfully glad I’m not going to anywhere near Berzerkely tonight. Let’s hope wisdom prevails.




In case the article has fallen off the Merc’s Web site already:

“A pre-dawn confrontation broke out this morning in Berkeley between peace activists and pro military groups, more than 12 hours before the City Council considers to rescind its statement telling the U.S. Marines they’re unwelcome in this left-leaning town.

“Police were forced to form a line between the two groups to keep them apart shortly after 6 a.m. at the park across Martin Luther King Jr. Way from old City Hall, where the City Council meets.

“An hour and a half later, the shouting continued, but there had been no arrests, a police dispatcher said.

“The Berkeley City Council tonight is scheduled to revisit the council’s Jan. 29 approval of a resolution calling the U.S. Marines’ recruiting office on Shattuck Avenue “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” The vote was 6-3 in favor.

“The 6-3 vote on that item caused a nationwide backlash against the city, prompting Republicans in Washington and Sacramento to introduce legislation to take away money for things like school lunches and police communications equipment.

“Just about every City Council meeting in Berkeley includes protesters who show support or disdain for whatever is on the agenda.

“But tonight, the city is likely to host the mother of all meetings in its recent history. Councilman Gordon Wozniak, who opposed the council’s actions two weeks ago on the recruiting station, said he received 26,000 e-mails on the subject in the past 10 days (24,000 supporting the Marines, 2,000 against), and he is just one of nine council members.

““On a hot issue, we sometimes get a couple hundred e-mails,” Wozniak said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m getting one every five minutes. It’s huge.”

“Today’s protests could bring upwards of 500 people from both sides. And hundreds of union members also are expected at the meeting to protest a separate item seeking to regulate a local steel foundry. Sacramento-based Move America Forward and a handful of other pro-military organizations are set to have several hundred protesters in front of council chambers starting at 5 a.m. On the other side, Code Pink, a women’s peace organization, was planning to camp out for 24 hours to argue the U.S. Marines should get out of town.

“Meanwhile, union workers are protesting a move to put restrictions on Pacific Steel Casting, which many in Berkeley blame for a persistent odor and health problems in some neighborhoods.

“All that for a meeting space with a capacity of 123.

“To accommodate tonight’s expected crowd of protesters and reporters, the city will broadcast the meeting outside on speakers.

“Move America Forward is already unhappy with what council members are not planning to do - rescinding four other items the council passed that are seen as a swipe at the Marines. Those items asked the city attorney to investigate whether the Marines are violating city law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation; urged people to ‘impede’ the recruiting work of the Marines in Berkeley; and gave Code Pink a free parking space and sound permit to protest once a week in front of the recruiting station.

“The proposal by council members Betty Olds and Laurie Capitelli to rescind the item sending the Marines a letter asking them to leave is No. 25 of 28 items on tonight’s agenda, and could come up for debate near midnight. What’s more, pro-military supporters will have to sit through another item likely to make them seethe: urging Canada to provide sanctuary for U.S. military war resisters.

““Our organization has taken a stand that the council needs to apologize and rescind all the resolutions,” said Danny Gonzalez, communications director for Move America Forward. “We can only hope that one of the council members has the sense to make a change and re-evaluate their stance on all the issues.”

“By only rescinding the one item, the council, in effect, is still “attempting to get the Marines to leave,” Gonzalez said.

““They’re just trying to get the heat off, and that's not going to work,” Gonzalez said. “It’s empty; it’s not a genuine apology.”

“Code Pink is going to the meeting to thank the council for its actions against the recruiting station.

““We’re so pleased the council is taking a strong stand for peace, and we intend to be there in full force to let them know we support them,” said Zanne Joi, a Code Pink activist. “We trust the council will not be swayed by this vicious right-wing attack.”

“Joi said the reaction by people across the country angry the council asked the Marines to leave town shows the tide of public sentiment has long since turned against the war in Iraq.

““This violent reaction of the pro-war forces shows how threatened they are by a small group of people working against recruitment,” Joi said. “They claim the Marines fought for our freedom of speech, and how dare we use our freedom of speech against them.””

A Near-Indy/Columbus Experience

As I was at the front gate this morning, getting ready to leave for St John’s, I happened to look up and saw what looked like a small flock of Canada geese flying north! The birds were basic black (the sun hadn’t come over the ridge yet), but they were flying in basically a V formation, they had long necks, and their wing flapping looked a bit awkward, like Canada geese...

Cobbler… Pondkeeper… Cobbler… Pondkeeper…

…what’s the connection?

We did a lot of work on the little pond this week, and snippets of this kept popping out; don’t know why…

True Love

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

The meaning of love is to sacrifice yourself.
-St. Therese of Lisieux

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Now playing: Al Stewart - Life In Dark Water
via FoxyTunes

Little Things

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

When I feel nothing, when I am incapable of praying or practicing virtue, then is the moment to look for small occasions, nothings that give Jesus pleasure… a smile or a friendly word, when I would much prefer to say nothing at all.

-St. Therese of Lisieux

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Now playing: Herbie Hancock - I Had a King
via FoxyTunes

I Saw Old Faithful Go Off!!

And from my very own living room!

Bob spotted a short piece in the Senile this afternoon about the National Park Service’s new streaming Webcam for the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

To get to the new camera, point your browser to the Yellowstone Web site and click on the Photos and Multimedia button on the left side. That takes you to the Photos and Multimedia page, but also drops down the Photos and Multimedia menu. From either the page or the menu, click Webcams, which takes you to the Yellowstone Webcams page.

From here, you can look at the original Yellowstone Webcam. This shows real-time still images of Old Faithful which update every 30 seconds. It also shows the predicted time for the next eruption. Just below the Webcam image is a little graphic from The Weather Underground that shows the time and the temperature in ° Farenheit and Centigrade.

Back on the Yellowstone Webcams page, clicking on the Old Faithful Geyser Live! link near the top takes you to the page for the new and improved streaming Webcam.

Before clicking on the Launch Old Faithful Geyser Live!—Video WebCam link, please note that Windows Media Player (or equivalent) is required. ::::rolling eyes::::

I’m using the VLC media player from VideoLAN; it’s available for Windows, Mac (OS X only), and a ton of UNIX and LINUX flavors. VLC just works. I clicked on the live Webcam link, and it took over from there. What more can you ask for?

If you’re running Mac OS 8.1 through 9.x, VLC isn’t available, and I’m not sure what options other than Windows Media Player there are… Any road, Windows Media Player 7.1 is still around.

Once you’ve got your video viewer set and ready to go, click the link and enjoy!




Did you know? There are more people hurt by bison than by bears each year in Yellowstone. Park regulations state that visitors must stay at least 25 yards away from bison or elk and 100 yards away from bears.

Fiat Lux!

Bob tells me that, according to the morning’s Snapple cap, the state of Maine has 62 lighthouses. Google comes up with about 20,400 Maine lighthouse hits.

A Different Perspective on Listening

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

Our listening creates a sanctuary for the homeless parts within another person.

-Rachel Naomi Remen

Falling, Falling, Falling in Love

On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

-Mignon McLaughlin

Joy

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

Joy isn’t found in the material objects surrounding us, but in the inner recesses of the soul. One can possess joy in a prison cell as well as in a palace.

-St. Therese of Lisieux

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Now playing: Keith Emerson - Yancey Special
via FoxyTunes

It’s Raining Again…

…to no one’s big surprise, but don’t ask how much: the weather station is down off the roof, apart, and getting ready to go back to Papa. Hopefully, it will be much happier upon its return.

Ouch! This One Hurts…

Today’s Daily Thought from Real Simple:




We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.

— Roderick Thorp

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Now playing: Chris Botti - Estate
via FoxyTunes

The Fire That Is Love

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.

-Teilhard de Chardin

Bing and Bowie in “HQ Audio”

More poking around on YouTube…

Yeah, the audio is improved over non-HQ versions of the video, but I wish something could have been done about the balance; Bing is still too far in the background. And ClassicXmas’s stupid little logo has got to go; it’s not like it’s his (her?) work is it?

Bailey, the Snow Pup

Thanks for the pointer, April! She’s a hit!!

Things In Perspective

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

To remain a child before God means to recognize our nothingness, to expect everything from God. It is not to become discouraged over our failings, for children fall often, but they are too little to hurt themselves very much.

-St. Therese of Lisieux

Silence Is as Much a Part of Life as Sound

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.

-Blessed Mother Teresa

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Listening to: Nordic Chamber Choir - O Magnum Mysterium (1994)
via FoxyTunes

One’s Own

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

“I do not concern myself about what God might be asking of others. Whatever God asks of me always makes me happy.”

-St. Therese of Lisieux

Practical Application of Arithmetic

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

-Willie Nelson

And So Is the Rain…

Oi!!

It's been raining steadily all day, and raining almost hard steadily, with gusts of pretty hard and pretty-darned-hard sneaking in. At this point, Boulder-Creek.com is calling the total 6.85", and their numbers are pretty much in line with what we get, more often than not.

Yesterday, we got about 1-1/2"; it'll be interesting to see what we get tomorrow.

The power went away about 5:50p; visions of the 5th (of January) swam through my head, let me tell you!! Fortunately, it came back around 6:30.

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Listening to: Jerry Douglas - Takarasaka
via FoxyTunes

The Snow Is Falling All Around

Bob just read a snippet in the Senile that an off-duty Pasadena policeman reported snow at the 210 and the 605…

Some Fans Oprah’s Got…

Some of her female fans are outraged because she didn’t (mindlessly) rush to back Hilary Clinton for president. I guess it’s a good thing, OTOH, she didn’t back Mrs Clinton…

How moronic can people get? “You’re a traitor to women because you didn’t back a woman!!” or “You’re a traitor to blacks because you didn’t back a black candidate!!”

Excuse me?? Oprah is supposed to shut off her brain and not think?

Brrrrrrrrrr!

The weather station is reporting a roasty-toasty 35.9° F.

OTOH, in Columbus, it’s 9.0°, -4.2° with the wind chill; Indy is even nicer: 3.0°, -12.5° with the wind chill. By comparison, Atlanta is 25.0°, 14.8° with the wind chill.

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Listening to: Peter, Paul and Mary - Blowin’ In the Wind
via FoxyTunes

There Is a (Food) God…

…and he loves me:

I was looking through the yogurt selections at Ben Lomond Market last week, and saw a cup of pomegranate yogurt. Lo and behold, not only was it of an unusual flavor, it was made from real (i.e., whole) milk and cream!!

The stuff tastes wonderful and has a marvelous texture. They also have a honey flavor, which is also quite good. Thank you, Greek Gods Yogurt, for such a thing!

Opa!!

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Listening to: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pier Francesco Poli, Piero de Palma, Tom Krause & Zubin Mehta - Turandot: Act II, Scene 1, "Ho una casa nell'Honan"
via FoxyTunes

Are Tim and Penni Really the Enemy?

From Quotes of the Day, today:

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.

-GK Chesterton

A Word (or two) to the Wise

Rules for Paramedics

What Else Is Family For?

Putting the Fun in Funeral

Randy is right: his wife, Kit, rocks!

So Much for the Rain Numbers…

:::sigh:::

As I suspected, the rain gauge wasn’t exactly with the program Thursday; the Boulder Creek weather page reported 1.22". The rain gauge registered something over 1" for Friday. Ha! It was more in the vicinity of 11"…

There’s a trip to Hayward in the weather station's near future…

Rain Numbers - 3 January 2008

.98", for today
.98", for the storm
.98", for the month
8.70", for the (rain) year

I don’t know whether I believe the numbers or not; given the intensity and duration of the rain, it seems they should be higher…

The barometer is reading 29.80 and dropping. Bob heard the low pressure that’s driving this is about 29.5 (which is lower than what he’d heard Tuesday {or Wednesday?}).

Bumper Snicker & Kitty Snicker

Spotted in an e-mail just now:

What if we kept tech support local and outsourced the CEOs?
--LJMac


Also spotted in the e-mail:


moar funny pictures

Rain Numbers - 30 December 2007

.01", for today
.38", for the storm
5.18", for the month
7.72", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 29 December 2007

.18", for today
.37", for the storm
5.17", for the month
7.71", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 28 December 2007

.11", for today
.19", for the storm
4.99", for the month
7.53", for the (rain) year

Rain Numbers - 27 December 2007

.08", for today
.08", for the storm
4.88", for the month
7.42", for the (rain) year

Gentle Instruction

Today’s Daily Reflection from the Society of the Little Flower:

“Jesus needs neither books nor Doctors of Divinity in order to instruct souls; He, the Doctor of Doctors, He teaches without noise of words.”

-St. Thèrése of Lisieux

Rain Numbers - 26 December 2007

.02", for today
.02", for the storm
4.80", for the month
7.34", for the (rain) year

A Different Path

Spotted on a genealogy page, whilst tracking down Hanrahans:

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the people of old; seek what they sought.”

- Matsuo Basho
Japanese poet, 1644-94

Bumper Snicker

Spotted just now on the wc9s (walking_cane-9s) list (thanks, Joanne and Phoenix):

--
Every morning is the dawn of a new error.

Be Careful What You Ask…

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.
- Flannery O’Connor

Bumper Snicker

Spotted this morning on the BBEdit-Talk list:

--
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on a mailing list?

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Listening to: Los Straitjackets - Here Comes Santa Claus
via FoxyTunes

Goofiest 404 Error Ever?

A friend of ours in Columbus is a member of The Potter’s House Church of God, and sings in the choir. Part of the church's ministry is broadcasting their Sunday services on TV, which they subsequently make available on the Web. Wanting to hear Stan and the choir last night, I clicked on the TV link and then on the Last Week Service video link, and got something looking more or less like this, except the number last night was 404 (I’m kicking myself for not grabbing a screen shot last night…):



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Listening to: Keith Emerson - I Saw Three Ships
via FoxyTunes

First Snowfall in the Corporation

It started before 1:30 this morning, and by 9:00, there was 4" of snow on top of the Rav4 (awfully good thing we got to Hertz Saturday and traded in the Honda for the Rav…). Stan did get Brett to the airport on time, however.

We debated driving up Hilliard-Rome Rd. vs continuing on Broad St. to 270, and turned onto H-R behind an Ashley Furniture delivery truck; hey, if a vehicle that size can make it, so can we, right?

Ha!! As soon as we got onto H-R, we slowed to less than 5 mph. As soon as we could, we turned around and got back on Broad St. Traffic on northbound 270 was going about as slowly as it had been on H-R, but what is a mother to do?

All the excitement seems to have been gawkers at a van and a Freeway Patrol vehicle parked on the left shoulder up near Cemetery Rd., sitting there doing nothing. Ho hum.

We passed a little field with spruce-looking trees at the back, and the bare-bush screen in front. The field was under snow, the trees had the perfect Christmas tree snow look, and the bushes in front had every branch topped with snow. Where’s the husband with camera when you need him???

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Listening to: Miles Davis - Blue Christmas
via FoxyTunes

The Art of Giving

On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:

Giving presents is a talent; to know what a person wants… to give it lovingly and well.”

-Pamela Glenconner

What Kind of Reader Are You?

Finest kind (of course)!

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

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Listening to: The Hollies - Long Dark Road
via FoxyTunes

Geography Lesson

Acampo is just up Hwy. 99 from Lodi, in Central California. In the general vicinity can be found:

• Always Enough Ranch
• Woodbridge Winery
• Jewel Winery
• Housley’s Century Oak Winery
• Jessie’s Grove Winery
• Cottage Bakery
• and, of course, Lodi Airport

And how did we get from Boulder Creek (via Indy) to Acampo?? One of the gals on the hummus-and-pesto-recipes list is the co-owner of the Always Enough Ranch in Acampo.

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Listening to: Stephen Petrunak - Jesus, The Lord
via FoxyTunes

Insights on Cold Storage

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

Today my prayer consisted in simply going to my heart and remembering all the folks I’ve stored there. It is not cold storage. It is a quite warm and tender place.

-Sr Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB, A Tree Full of Angels

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Listening to: Dan Fogelberg - Longer
via FoxyTunes

Already Loving You

From Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day (solecism), today:

Her English is good, apart from a few stubborn idiosyncrasies of preposition and tense, but these are music to me, sung solecisms -- how else to describe “I am already loving you,” her first declaration of feeling for me, now two years old?
-- Ronan Bennett, The Catastrophist

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Listening to: Apollo 100 - Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
via FoxyTunes

Flunking Geography?

From Quotes of the Day, today:

The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it’s unfamiliar territory.
- Paul Fix

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Listening to: Stephen Petrunak - With Hope And Healing
via FoxyTunes

Waxing Philosophical

From Quotes of the Day, today:

The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.
- Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Light, Darkness, and the Stars

Gratefulness.org’s Word For the Day today:

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.

-Og Mandino

Laws of Physics?

From Quotes of the Day, today:

We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
- Wernher von Braun

The Worst Your Mom Can Do Is Say No…

On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.

-Joseph Wood Krutch

I Can’t Believe It!!!!

Someone, particularly someone in the biz, actually isn’t worshiping the ground Michael Moore walks on. I’m not sure I can cope.

‘Sicko’: Heavily Doctored
By Kurt Loder

Is Michael Moore’s prescription worse than the disease?

“…Unfortunately, Moore is also a con man of a very brazen sort, and never more so than in this film. His cherry-picked facts, manipulative interviews (with lingering close-ups of distraught people breaking down in tears) and blithe assertions (how does he know 18 million people will die this year because they have no health insurance?) are so stacked that you can feel his whole argument sliding sideways as the picture unspools. The American health-care system is in urgent need of reform, no question. Some 47 million people are uninsured (although many are only temporarily so, being either in-between jobs or young enough not to feel a pressing need to buy health insurance). There are a number of proposals as to what might be done to correct this situation. Moore has no use for any of them, save one.

“As a proud socialist, the director appears to feel that there are few problems in life that can’t be solved by government regulation (that would be the same government that’s already given us the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Motor Vehicles). In the case of health care, though, Americans have never been keen on socialized medicine. In 1993, when one of Moore’s heroes, Hillary Clinton (he actually blurts out the word “sexy!” in describing her in the movie), tried to create a government-controlled health care system, her failed attempt to do so helped deliver the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives into Republican control for the next dozen years. Moore still looks upon Clinton’s plan as a grand idea, one that Americans, being not very bright, unwisely rejected. (He may be having second thoughts about Hillary herself, though: In the movie he heavily emphasizes the fact that, among politicians, she accepts the second-largest amount of political money from the health care industry.)…”

Let’s see - he’s a “socialist”; he wants more government regulation (isn’t that supposed to be a Republican failing?); he’s got the hots for Hillary Clinton; he’s so enamored of himself and his solutions for the world’s ills he prostitutes himself to, himself? Sure! Jump on his entitlement bandwagon!

Sounds like he’s the one who’s not too bright…

Not Only Is the Pope Catholic, but the Archbishop is not Episcopalian

:::smiting forehead with heel of palm::: Whodathunk!?!?!

This just in: Burke not Episcopalian:
Posted by Mollie

“Washington Post reporter Peter Slevin vented on St. Louis Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke in this diatribe news article published today.

“It’s a very curious read. Anyone wanting to know more about Burke or his theological approach to his office will be disappointed…”

Perfect Timing on an Apropo Quote

Today’s AWAD X-bonus:

Let your tears come. Let them water your soul.
-Eileen Mayhew

Last night, Jon mentioned that he was planning to do (Josh Groban’s) You Raise Me Up with the men and boys choir this summer…

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Now playing: Till Brönner - A Distant Episode
via FoxyTunes

How Many of Me (married name)?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 4 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are, according to HowManyOfMe, 9,511 Langdons in the US.

How Many of Me (maiden name)?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 3 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Additionally, there are 138,886 Maureens and 5,465 Hanrahans in the US, according to HowManyOfMe.

Public Humiliation in the Internet Era

Yes, another offering from Randy Cassingham!

Public Humiliation vs. Real Punishment:

“Well of course I have the photos of the bikini-clad fireman. But first things first — here’s the story:

“Visitors at a park in Mason, Ohio, called police after an apparently drunk man climbed into his pickup truck and started driving around, including near the children’s play area. When an officer arrived, ‘I observed [the suspect] to be wearing a very skimpy woman’s… bikini with two tan water balloons taped to the top to simulate two woman’s breasts and a pair of pink Speedo flip-flop sandals,’…”

This guy shouldn’t let himself be seen in public, sober and no wig, in a Speedo, much less a stuffed bikini. Oi!

Throw the book at him.

The Inaugural 2007 (Indy) Deck Sit

We went to Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner tonight. It was quite pleasant out, so we sat on the deck. Good choice!! And the food was good, of course.

They serve their strawberry daquiris in tall cylindrical glasses, with NO whipped cream! I’m gonna have to try one the next time we’re there.

Furry Fiends

On mercurynews.com today:

Bushy-tailed suspect attacks school, escapes:

“It was a warm morning Wednesday at Evergreen Elementary School and the door to the first grade classroom was open to let in the air. Inside, 20 first-graders twittered excitedly, waiting to leave on a field trip.

“Suddenly, a squirrel darted into the room, ran up the leg of one of the mothers chaperoning the trip and bit her, then bit another parent and an 11-year-old student passing by the room.

“After a call to police at 8:43 a.m., officers quickly arrived at the South San Jose school, followed later by animal control....”

The Pope Is Being Catholic. Again.

From time.com today:

Pope Rejects Pro-Choice Politicians:

“…On Wednesday, as he flew toward his much anticipated five-day trip in Brazil, the Pope addressed the question of the ‘good standing’ of Catholic politicians who support abortion rights — a delicate issue that has come up in the U.S., Europe and, most recently, Mexico. During an unprecedented 25-minute on-flight press conference, Benedict left little room for interpretation:…”

Chizen is Chizlin’?

I hadn’t run into the phrase “Pot-Kettle-Black Olympics” before, but it certainly seems to apply to Bruce Chizen’s (CEO of Adobe) chiding of Microsoft's less-than-stellar cross-platform “equality”:

Bruce Chizen and Selective Criticism

Why Programmers Should Never Become Ministers

Good joke: Programmer-Turned-Minister FAQ

I Don’t Think He Means a Sunburn

Good joke: You Know You Are In A Redneck Church If…

I Think Dubyah Has Forgotten About *Us*

No, I’m not surprised…

From the Chicago Tribune this morning:
"Prosecutors owe loyalty to the public:

“When Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, it is important to keep in mind that what is really at stake goes far beyond Gonzales’ own fate as the country’s top law official. At root, this inquiry poses a fundamental question, one that every attorney general in every presidential administration must squarely confront: To whom, or to what interests, does a U.S. attorney -- or, for that matter, any prosecutor -- owe professional loyalty?

“This is a question that needs to be discussed openly throughout the hearing process, for all parties to the justice system -- be they subjects of investigations, victims, prosecutors or defense lawyers, and whether they reside in Chicago, New Mexico or Durham, N.C. -- are entitled to know exactly how the Department of Justice leadership would answer the question.

“The “loyalty” question is not some abstract concept about politics and ideology. Rather, it is a question with important practical consequences that are tied to the central role of prosecutors in our justice system. Prosecutors alone have the power to present an indictment to a grand jury, an awesome power that, once executed, typically changes the course of lives forever.…”

Which Serenity Character Am I?

Your results:
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 80% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 50% Wash (Ship Pilot) 20% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 20% Alliance 10% Inara Serra (Companion) 10% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 10% River (Stowaway) 10% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 0% A Reaver (Cannibal) 0% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 0%

Dependable and trustworthy. You love your significant other and you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

Bumper Snicker

Spotted in a .sig on a techie list:

-
Maybe our soldiers would receive better medical care and benefits if they gave up their citizenship and declared themselves illegal aliens.
Jack Rodgers

Which Church Father?

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Subject: Interesting

July, 1947

Many will recall that on 8 July 1947 witnesses claim an unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed on a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up by the US Air Force and the Federal Government.

However, you may NOT know that in the month of March, 1948, roughly nine months after that historic day, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr; Hillary Rodham; John F Kerry; William Jefferson Clinton; Howard Dean; Nancy Pelosi; Dianne Feinstein; Charles E Schumer; and Barbara Boxer were born.

I hope that this information has cleared up a lot of things you may have been wondering about.

Hoist on My Own...

RenRen and I went to Atlanta Bread Company for breakfast this morning after Mass, like we usually do. After our usual agonizing over the menu, I ordered a California Avocado sandwich, no dill sauce, add mayo; and a tall hot chocolate, no sour cream.

Yep. You heard right: sour cream. I still have no idea where that came from… We did get it straight, and it arrived with no whipped cream. Whew!!

Never a Dull Moment at Steak ’n Shake…

…even though I went in to order this time…

I ordered my stuff, including a chocolate malt; Brett’s stuff; and RenRen’s stuff, her usual: a grilled cheese sandwich, with mustard and pickles cooked in (it’s just a bit unnatural having to spec them cooked in…), beef and veggie soup, and cottage cheese.

15 minutes later, my malt showed up, with the latest fad garbage (whipped cream and a cherry??!) on top; my bad: I know better, but forgot to call them off. It was a malt, however.

Another five or so minutes went by. As I was idling around the front of the store, one of boys ran out from the kitchen into the parking lot, and darned near got himself run over by the SUV motoring by. Shortly thereafter, two young teenyboppers and their swains wandered in, the girls laughing hysterically. They’d been through the drive-through and gotten mustard and pickles in the grilled cheese sandwich, which one of them proceeded to whip out onto the counter, in its black clamshell, complete with fries. It was the grossest, weirdest thing they’d ever seen. Of course, as one of them put it, “I’ve never seen one like that before!!”

While they were still giggling and snorting over that, the two bags with my order came up. I asked if my grilled cheese sandwich was in there, and was assured that it was. Upon checking anyway, I found the girls’ grilled cheese sandwich, wrapped up in paper with no fries. And no mustard or pickles.

I got someone’s attention and requested the sandwich I’d ordered. A couple of minutes later, a black clamshell was brought to the counter. Inside was a cheese sandwich with mustard and pickles on rather raw-looking bread, and no fries.

“Besides that the cheese isn’t melted, where are the fries?” says I.

“You got them…”, whilst looking at the bags suspiciously, was the reply.

“No. They were with the grilled cheese sandwich you gave them,” pointing over at the teenyboppers, who were still hanging around with the swains, chatting up the kid who had dashed out previously.

Back went the clamshell. It returned in another bag, complete with a cone of fries. “I melted the cheese, too,” I was told.

The poor assistant manager apologized and gave me a gift card for my troubles.

There were no complaints when I got home, except mine over the stuff on the malt, but that’s my own fault, so it doesn’t count.

Words of Wisdom? or a Warning?

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything.
- Frank Dane

One Record I Didn’t Want To Be Part Of

The weather moose is reporting this morning that last month was one of the coldest on record in Indianapolis…

OTOH, many of the most significant floods to hit Indiana have occurred during March.

Shark in the Knapsack?

Getting ready for work this morning, pulled my badge out of its pocket in RedBook’s house, as usual, and went about my business. At the badge reader, I grabbed the badge, only to discover it was very neatly cut almost all the way along the long side, not too far away from the mag strip. Fortunately, the badge reader didn't fuss, and neither did the guy at security when I wandered down for a replacement.

Fortune

Today’s fortune cookie had this to say:

“A day is a span of time no one is wealthy enough to waste.”

Philosophers… :::shaking head:::

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Nihilism is best done by professionals.
- Iggy Pop

Fortune

In a fortune cookie from lunch last week, the fortune was:

A great man never ignores the simplicity of a child.

The Bears Do Right By Lovie Smith

On (Chicago)Sun-Times.com today:

Phillips had no choice but to show Lovie the money

BY JAY MARIOTTI
Sun-Times Columnist

“It’s a peaceful place of business, Halas Hall, surrounded by trees and chirping birds and only occasionally disrupted by a train whistle. But as a bunker, it doesn’t work, not when angry fans and disgusted media turn a post-Super Bowl mourning period into a protest march. The Bears didn’t have a chance in the public arena when it came to Lovie Smith’s contract impasse, which overwhelmed them like the Indianapolis offense.

“They were battered in the papers, skewered on the radio, ripped on national TV shows. They were called cheap, petty, unfair, inhumane, even racist. You could say team boss Ted Phillips at least had family and friends on his side, but it might not have been true. Unless Tightwad Ted and various McCaskeys wanted to walk around town in camouflage for the rest of their lives, they had no choice but to reward Smith with a market-value contract.

“Wednesday night, after too many tense days and contentious negotiating sessions, they finally buckled. A deal that should have been cut weeks before the Super Bowl finally got done on the last day of February, with Smith agreeing to a four-year, $22 million extension that must have had Phillips cringing, cussing and crying for a straitjacket. They can talk all they want today about how the media overblew the story, but this can’t be disputed: The Bears tried to lowball Lovie, originally offering $2 million a year less than the agreed-upon $5.5 million average, and Smith and agent Frank (Jack) Bauer told them to stick their offer where the Vince Lombardi Trophy doesn’t shine. The Lovester didn’t blink.

“Teddy Bear did.…”

The Weather Moose

NOAA’s (am I the only one bothered by NOAA’s being under the Dept. of Commerce??) National Weather Radio broadcasts weather information in the VHF spectrum. The NWS lists the stations nationwide and where weather radios can be had.

And, yes, the voice is very reminiscent of the Talking Moose…

Interesting Take on Human Relations…

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Men are not against you; they are merely for themselves.
- Gene Fowler

Midwest Weather

A short-lived thunderstorm cell blew through the south side of Indy this morning about 3:00? 3:30?

It was spectacular! The sound was huge; not just loud, but huge!!! I saw mostly sheet lightening; there was just one strike, to the north. The thunder was quite interesting: when the bolt struck, the thunder clap was a big, loud bang; when the sheets struck, the sound was loud, but quite a bit more difuse…

We (in Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, and Tipton counties) are currently under tornado watch 45, in effect until 7:00 (EST) / 6:00 (CST) this evening. Check USGenWeb’s map of Indiana; the counties are labeled.

Until recently, Marion County were also under flood watch; in addition to up to an inch of rain today, snow melt is still happening. The flood watch area has moved to north of Rockville Rd.

We also have a wind advisory in effect tomorrow from 9:00a to 6:00p (EST). Sustained winds of 35 mph and gusts up to 45 mph are expected.

Ever Wonder Where…

…Montréal got its name?

“The largest city in the Canadian province of Québec and the largest inland port in the world, Montréal takes its name from a distinctive landscape feature at the center of the city. Mont-Royal (“royal mountain” in French) rises to an elevation of 233 meters (about 764 feet) at Colline de la Croix peak. The mountain is sometimes identified in guidebooks as an extinct volcano, but the types of igneous rock found at Mont-Royal suggest the mountain is more likely to be the remnants of magma chambers that once fed surface volcanoes than a surface volcano itself.…”

Fire Alarms from Orbit

NASA’s doing some pretty interesting things with their satellites these days; caught this in the Earth Observatory e-mail today:

““There’s a fire season somewhere in South Africa all the time,” says researcher Philip Frost of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). During the dry summer, fires sweep over the landscape on the southwest coast, and the warm, dry winters in the northeast spur grass fires that consume the savanna. South Africa also has a subculture that views fire as a tool for everything from hunting and land management to encouraging rain. Fire is a daily problem in South Africa.…”

Is This Guy Following Me Around???

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?
- Henry Ward Beecher

Governmental Nonsense, er,

From Quotes of the Day, today:

There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action.
- Bertrand Russell

Fish Fry!

The Men’s Club at St Mark’s threw their 5th annual fish fry this evening. The fish was quite tasty, and there were tenors and basses to be abused by.

God and Makeup

From Quotes of the Day, today:

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God’s final word on where your lips end.
- Jerry Seinfeld

Amen, brother!!

Always Check Your Order At the Drive-Through

RenRen and I stopped at the Steak ’n Shake at Southport and 37 to pick up dinner tonight after choir rehearsal. We hit the drive-through, and she ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, mustard and pickles cooked in.

When we got to the window, the fellow asked, to double-check, whether she had asked for mustard or ketchup; he thought he remembered hearing mustard, but he’d pushed the ketchup button. Near-pandemonium reigned in the Vue for a minute (we came this close to needing a medic…        ;-), but we did get him straightened out in the end.

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Now playing: Dan Schutte - Glory to God
via FoxyTunes

Bermuda Acoustic Trio

One of my nieces got a myspace.com account a while back, and invited me to look at something, which required me to get my own account. Every now and again, I get a “I want to be your friend/I want you to be my friend” request from someone at myspace.

Some of them are from people who seem to be on the up-and-up, some of them are obvious sex come-ons, most of them I can’t figure out what conection there might be between us.

I got one yesterday from the Bermuda Acoustic Trio, from Modena, Italy. Their name sounded, and looked, close enough to the Boulder Acoustic Society (who have played at Don Quixote’s in Felton) that I went ahead and clicked through to their page. As every other band at myspace does, they have a few of their songs set up to play, in rotation, when your first arrive at the page. When I arrived, the page started playing A Casa; OMG, it’s one of those grab-you-by-the-lapels (and doesn’t let go) and thump-you-upside-the-head moments. Gawd, it’s gorgeous!!

They also have a very interesting version of Sultans of Swing. Check them out!

Ash Wednesday Strikes

We went to lunch at the Airport Deli, planning to get either their Wisconsin Cheddar soup or a tuna melt (or maybe a tortellini salad), in honor of the day; they close at 4:00p, we arrived at 2:00p.

The specials board was off the wall, the salads were pulled from the display case, and it got worse: they’d prepared two trays of egg salad and two and a half trays of tuna salad (about 25 sandwiches worth), and had none left!! Fortunately, RenRen noticed grilled cheese on the menu…

Good thing we weren’t planning for lunch to be the meal of the day!

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Now playing: Trammell Starks - Creature Regions
via FoxyTunes

The Passing of a Noble Soul

MacCormac crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon… His beans’ hearts are lying on the floor, shredded.

RIP

Boots Through the Snow

Got up this morning (late; it’s a snow day, and yes, it’s snowing…) and puttered around the doghouse for a while. About 1:30p, I wandered over to the cathouse, leaving a trail of boot prints behind. About 6:00p, I went back to the doghouse to get something to drink with dinner, and… no footprints. Back to the cathouse for dinner and sociability until about 11:00p. Back to the doghouse, and… no footprints! (Next morning, still no trace of having wandered back the night before).

You Know It’s Bad…

…when your boss comes in about 2:30 in the afternoon, and says, “You people are NOT coming in tomorrow, are you??”

OK, so we have a snow day tomorrow…

Get Out!!!

Ed came by about 3:00p and threw us out: the snow storm was a little too serious…

Bing and Bowie

I love this song! I’m not sure how I found it on YouTube initially, but here it is…

Further News from DC

Also on Thistle and Shamrock today was Oor Hamlet… by Adam McNaughton.

This was a “poetry” version of Hamlet, and OMG, it was hysterical!!! It went on about Hamlet’s (mis)adventures, including a refrain, and ended something along these lines:

That’s all the Hamlet
You’re getting today
If you thought that was boring
Read the play!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere.

Live From DC - Introducing Dougie MacLean

(On today’s Thistle and Shamrock on WFYI, Indy’s NPR station (I was driving around Greenwood, IN, catching up with laundry and such)).

Well, introducing him to me, at any rate. Of course I’d heard of him; just never got around to listening to him.

His contribution today was a live, acoustic version of All Together, from Live from the Ends of the Earth.

What a darned shame I hadn’t gotten my round tuit in order before…

It took me a while to find the CD, and in the meantime, I ran across another version of All Together, on The Best of the Thistle & Shamrock, Vol. 1. I can’t decide which version I like better.

Good Eats

On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:

I don’t like gourmet cooking or “this” cooking or “that” cooking. I like good cooking.

-James Beard

Comfort (and Joy)

On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

-Jane Austen