Thursday, April 27, 2006

New Job?

Might have a new job on the way, too.

That's nice, especially considering that I wasn't keen on finding out where the unemployment office is around here.

And It's Comcast By A Length!

Comcast has finally come through with our digital cable and broadband package. Not a peep from Verizon, so we may end up going with Comcast's VOIP, too. Not sure yet. (The next cell bill could help crystallize our thoughts...)

Monday, April 24, 2006

High Level Bill Clinton Staffer Fired for Leaking

Mary McCarthy, fired from the CIA for leaking sensitive information to the WashingPost, was part of Bill Clinton's National Security Council. (She succeeded Rand Beers, who went on to become John Kerry's advisor on foreign policy. Is that how John was able to skip out on the official intel briefings?) Ironically, McCarthy was part of the CIA's Inspector General's office. That's the office that investigates leaks. Who got her that gig? I'm sure we'll never find out.

As I posed earlier at Rantburg, every one of Clinton's former staffers who are presently in State, DOD, CIA or any other position that even sniffs foreign policy should be hauled in for questioning.

Harsh?

You've got former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger caught filching papers from the National Archives (slapped on the wrist with a $10k fine). Former Clinton Justice Department official Jamie Gorelick sat on the 9/11 Commission when she should absolutely been testifying BEFORE that Commission regarding "the wall" that stood in the way of any kind of "dot connecting". (You do remember the "failure to connect the dots" talking point, don't you?) The star of the Plame Name Blame Game, Joe Wilson, was also a member of Clinton's NSC. He got to go off to Niger for a few days, made an oral report only (WTF?) and then loudly claimed that Saddam absolutely didn't try to buy "yellow cake" uranium there. You've got Al Gore, Madeline Albright and even Bill Clinton himself spouting off before foreign audiences about the current administration.

It sure seems like there's more going on than the usual bureaucratic bailiwick protection racket. Rush calls it the Democrats' Culture of Treason. Hard not to think in those terms, I must admit.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

A Quick Post: This Day in History

On this day in 1979, President James Earl Carter was confronted by... a bunny. He fought bravely, unlike in Tehran.

(ht: Jeff Goldstein who takes a poetic turn on this occasion)

Ace tells the story here and invents a new word: "lepine", which makes sense in a Night of the Lepus kind of way. So maybe he didn't actually make it up.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

What's been going on?

Well, around this blog, I'm sorry to say "not much."

I had been informed by my employer that I've been downsized as of the first week in June. Since I've become rather accustomed to gainful employment, I've put my energy toward finding a new gig here in Washington.

There is an almost bewildering array of jobs to be had around here. The limiting factors are "fit" and "commute". The job I interviewed for this morning would be about 30 miles away. An interesting job, to be sure, but the pay better be really good for it to be worth that kind of daily commute! Time will tell.

Also, we still don't have internet service at the house, and we have a couple of gaping holes in the drywall (heh) to allow the water from our leaky pipe to dry out.

Did I mention that this isn't some antebellum farm house we're talking about, but brand new construction? (Actually, I guess I did.)

Until I've got full time internet--I'm sponging off the WiFi at present--posting will continue to be light.

If you are in the Washington, DC Metro area and have need for a software engineer with experience in embedded systems using vxWorks and C, hit the comments. I'd love to hear from you.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Another Brief Intermission

I'm taking the Verizon Wireless access card back tomorrow.

In the interim, if you are wondering about Good Friday, have a look at Tom Blumer's post at BizzyBlog today.

Have a Blessed Easter. I'll see you on Tuesday (or so).

"Like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation."

So said Iranian mullahs' sock-puppet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On his blog, Hugh Hewitt asks a question (which is probably rhetorical):
At what point will opponents of military action against Iran begin to deal with the regime's statements?
I'll answer anyway, in a manner that I hope is not too flippant: why would they? Most of the no-war-at-any-costs crowd has a certain disdain for Israel. "No war for Israel" is, in fact, one of their favorite slogans, right up there with "No war for oil."

Monday, April 10, 2006

White Sox Spoil Tiger Home Opener

The White Sox won their second in a row, beating the front-running Detroit Tigers in their home opener, 5-3.

They beat the Royals on Sunday to snap a 4-game losing streak.

EDIT: 4/12 - Make it 3 in a row. Should they win tomorrow they'll get back on the good side of .500.

EDIT: 4/13 - You can put it on the board... YES! Thome homers in his 4th straight game, and the White Sox win their 4th straight, sweeping Detroit in their opening homestand of the season. John Garland evened his record at 1-1.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Must Read Post of the Weekend

Fjordman writing at Gates of Vienna:
I have heard some people say that Western popular culture will destroy Islam. That is possible, but we need to remember that this is not a one-way street. What if the opposite happens? Sometimes the barbarians also influence the civilized people, and there is a disturbing amount of “understanding” for terrorists in Western movies and media these days.
Syriana, anyone? Spielberg's moral equivalence in Munich? Fjordman cites V for Vendetta as well.

There's more--much more--at the link.

(via Rantburg)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Now You See How Harry Reid Got the Job

This bit from Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) via Michelle:
The Democrats have once again used parliamentary tactics to obstruct the Senate from pursuing its priorities. The only difference this time is that Senator Frist let them.
Reid may have the camera presence of a 3-days-dead fish, but he is pure parliamentary genius compared with Bill Frist.

Another post later regarding what's needed. (Yeah, I'm solving this "immigration" thing right here.) (*snicker* -- Ed.)

UPDATE 04072006: Too late. Charles Krauthammer appears to have said everything I planned to say. I'm not so sure I'd be too hasty in ditching employer sanctions, but Dr. Krauthammer's proposal has the heart of what I was planning to post: a fence. Or more particularly, a double fence with a road between for patrols, surveillance cameras and seismic sensors. (Like this 14-mile stretch between Tijuana and California.) (HT: Hugh)

Alternatives? How about using the National Guard to reinforce the border patrol? That was proposed by Barbara Boxer and Jane Harman back in 1993. Feel free to ask them what changed. While you're at it, ask Harry Reid what changed his mind about the borders having been "overflowed with illegal immigrants placing tremendous burdens on our criminal justice system, schools and social programs," which concerned him terribly in 1993. It hasn't gotten any better since then.

Among all the undoubtedly hardworking Mexicans skipping the immigration line and walking right in, you have others, what ICE calls "OTM"--Other Than Mexican. Here's word from Robert Mueller of a Hezbollah smuggling ring at the border:
"This was an occasion in which Hezbollah operatives were assisting others with some association with Hezbollah in coming to the United States,” Mueller told a House Appropriations subcommittee during a Tuesday hearing on the FBI's budget.
(source: NewsMax)
But don't worry. They're only doing the work that Americans won't do.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Fear the Turtle!


Congratulations to the University of Maryland Lady Terps on topping Duke in OT for the Ladies' NCAA basketball title.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Sox Win!

World Series Championship banners raised?
Check.
Beat the Indians?
Check. (After a 3 hour rain delay the Sox got it done, 10-4.)

Jim Thome hit a homer and drew a couple of walks. Welcome to town, Jim.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

To put a face to the name


One sometimes wonders who is behind the nom de plume. Well, for those enquiring minds, here is eLarson at the wheel of a 1970 Buick Skylark...

Tag

Welcome, hbl

On the heels of a RCP-lanche at Potbelly Stove, Howard Larson has joined the Board of Regents here at the Larsonian Institution. He'll continue blogging over at Potbelly Stove, of course, and I'll contribute there, as well.

Be on the look out for hbl's photography in the near future.

Centex, Verizon and Comcast

Here I am in a new house that has no cable service--and thereby no cable modem service--and no landline.

Thanks Verizon. Thanks Comcast. Thanks to Verizon-landline for lying to me the other day just to get me off the phone. That was REAL nice. And to Comcast for not calling back as promised.

And thanks to Centex for selling us this joint without mentioning at the time of contract that "oh by the way... you won't be able to get a landline until July and no cable until who knows when."

Centex complains that the utilities (Verizon and Comcast, in this case) aren't living up to their original schedule. Verizon has no excuse, but they say they won't be here until AT LEAST June 30 (I assume that's June 30, 2006, but I didn't ask. I Want To Believe.) Comcast has been evasive. The guy whose number I was given by Centex has been largely useless to date. I spoke with his manager who at least gave the illusion of action. But after failing to call back that day and the day after, I'm leaning toward filing him under Useless, too.

So how is it that I'm back? No, I'm not sponging off of Starbuck's WiFi. I'm using Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess. It's not blindingly fast, but now I can haul my laptop down to the kitchen to browse the web. Or down to any place that has decent signal. Call that a silver-plated lining.

There will be a short intermission...

eLarson is currently setting up a new Intenet service provider. In the mean time, I shall attempt to keep things moving here.

I am Howard Larson, proprietor of Potbelly Stove. See you soon.