Jeff Harrell and Starting the Day With Awe

Jeff Harrell has a post about driving in and around DC. Sorta a love-hate thing, and one I totally understand now. I still have my car, but I rarely take it much beyond the edges of Northwest where the church is. For everything else, there's Metro.

Sports Roundup

Westby lost the Wisconsin state championship game.
Illinois lost to Washington after shooting maybe 2 free throws in the entire second half. I declared my interest in the NCAA Tournament over.

But then on Sunday, George Mason beat North Carolina. The school from Fairfax, VA, is coming to DC to play in the Sweet 16. I care again!

Norse Advance to Wisconsin Title Game

The Westby Norse withstood a ferocious 4th quarter comeback from the Glenwood City Hilltoppers at the Kohl Center in Madison this morning, winning 62-60 behind 32 points from Tyler Aspenson and 14 from Tim Larson (no relation).

On Saturday, Westby will play the winner of the Roncalli and Racine St. Catherine's game for the Wisconsin State Championship.

GO NORSE!

The Strange Tale of Claude Allen

It isn't all that strange, the thing of which Mr. Allen is accused. What is strange is that the Washington press is going to attach his alleged shoplifting-by-other-means to the President. If that's not advanced Bush Derangement Syndrome, I don't know what is.

I also learned that Michelle Malkin and I apparently shop in the same Target.

UPDATE: 3/15/2006 1500: Michelle Malkin is continuing to follow this case. It seems that Claude Allen has a twin brother named Floyd.

Most Livable States...

The 2006 rankings are out. (Thanks to Tom Blumer for the pointer.) I see my old state of Illinois has jumped 3 places from 31st to 28th. My new state has dropped 4 places since last year, 12th to 16th.

I moved here in December.

Oh man...

Wot? No chicken soup?!

Against the eventuality of a deadly strain of bird flu reaching the United States, HHS Secretary Leavitt has urged Americans to stock up on canned tuna and powdered milk. And we are to store them under the bed.

This brought to mind two thoughts in rapid succession:
1) Apparently our nation's pantries are already chock-full of plastic wrap and duct tape
2) That's just the way our two cats would LOVE the tuna to be stored, if only they could work the can opener.

Tammy Bruce's take here (fixed). I think if it were her scenario, the suggestion would have been for lasagna, though.

Chicago Ed

The legendary late night radio legend, Ed Schwartz is not in the best of health. The Score (AM 670 Chicago) will be doing a radiothon on March 13th, fittingly from 7pm to Midnight.

Details here.

Hotels.com Might Not Have This Place for Awhile

Already stayed at the world's ice hotels? Disappointed that we're at least 5 years late for a stay at an orbiting wheel to stay at on your way to Luna?

Over at the Jet Set Lounge, Kory's got something just for you: the world's first underwater luxury hotel.

(The Jules apparently doesn't qualify as luxury in the eyes of the Slate writer.)

Dubai Ports World Backs Off

DPW will transfer operations of the terminals it bought from British P&O to an "American entity".

Go Halliburton! (if for no reason than to really, REALLY set off the lefty conspiracy theorists)

Link to more links

A Very Brief Homage to Jeff Goldstein

Jeff: What the hell are you?
Big Ugly Mole: I can't tell you. But I could just be a malted milk ball that melted in place and stuck. Or cancer.
Jeff:
Mole:

Jeff's going to get it checked out, as well he should. All of us here at the Institution wish him well.

The Academy Awards

I vaguely remember Rachel Weisz from The Mummy, so it was interesting to see her win the award for Best Supporting Actress this year. The question on my mind last night was who was supporting her supporting actresses?

Go Norsemen!

The Westby HS (WI) Norsemen defeated Onalaska Acquinas 63-60 behind 20 points from Tim Larson (no relation). The Norsemen advance to play Markesan HS in Neillsville this Thursday.

Sammenhold in NYC

Pamela (Atlas Shrugs) has pics from Friday's NYC rally in support of Denmark. It looked like a pretty good turnout, though no one from the old media was there; strange for the media capital of the US. On the plus side, havarti was served.

High Point University

I see the name scroll by from time to time on ESPN. Are they the Fighting Furniture or something?

AubreyJ's Tribute to Freedom in Iraq

AubreyJ reminds us of what the Iraqi people themselves have done since the fall of Saddam.

The post links to a video which is best viewed over a high-speed connection. Well worth checking out.

UAE Ports to Take Over From British Company

in the management of 6 US ports.

At least that is what the President is saying should happen. Congress is saying "WHOA!"

Hugh Hewitt says that the unease we are feeling could be based on the increased likelihood of an 'inside job'. But won't all the same Union guys be working there the day after as the day before? Who else is suddenly allowed to be there to 'case the joint'?

On the radio Rush postulated that perhaps it was all just a means of drawing out simple recognition on the part of the Democrats that there is a REAL enemy out there, and that they are at war with us whether or not we want to be at war with them.

Me? I'm not sure what to think just now. I know that Bush isn't stupid, and that he tends to do things for a reason--albeit sometimes for reasons that aren't discussed. (See also: Harriet Miers). When Jimmy Carter comes out in favor of the move, I'm inclined to get on the other side. From weakness in the face of Islamic agression in Iran to giving away the Panama Canal to championing the electoral, er, successes of dictators, Jimmy has done little to strengthen the position of the US in the world and plenty to undermine it.

So, let's let Congress have a hearing about something interesting and useful for once. With the current bipartisan furor, they should be able to override a Presidential veto. (Note to myself: the President hasn't vetoed anything to date. Why is he going to the mat on THIS thing?)

I hope they answer these questions, especially:
1) Doesn't Denmark do this kind of thing, too?
2) Were they not interested in buying out the British company?

UPDATE: (Found at In From the Cold, via Vodkapundit) Perhaps basing rights in the UAE is playing a role here? That's certainly one reason why GWB would want to keep the deal alive.

UPDATE II: Kevin Drum is scratching his head, too.

UPDATE III: Heard on Laura Ingraham, a listener wrote words to the effect of "Sure Bush is digging in his heels on this, just like he did for Harriet Miers. Look what that got him..."

It got him Sam Alito, and at the same time it muted criticism over not replacing Sandra Day O'Connor with another woman. In the current case it has gotten him Chuck Schumer rooting for Halliburton to do the job (video at link).

UPDATE IV: Varifrank noticed something interesting about Emirates Air Cargo and JFK airport in New York. It has to do with ownership...

Bird Flu

...has reached Sweden.

Christopher Hitchens Wonders Why We Are Not Supporting Our Ally

Christopher Hitchens writes a piece asking for support of Denmark. At the bottom there is this:

Update, Feb. 22: Thank you all who've written. Please be outside the Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven Street (off Massachusetts Avenue) between noon and 1 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 24. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading "Stand By Denmark" and any variation on this theme (such as "Buy Carlsberg/ Havarti/ Lego") The response has been astonishing and I know that the Danes are appreciative. But they are an embassy and thus do not of course endorse or comment on any demonstration. Let us hope, however, to set a precedent for other cities and countries. Please pass on this message to friends and colleagues.

Consider it passed.

(Cross-posted: Rantburg, Potbelly Stove)

(Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)


UPDATE 1607 EST: Back at home now. Christopher Hitchens was there, was was William Kristol. The only TV reporter I saw was Fox News Channel's Molly Henneberg. There were print reporters working the throng, too. The badges I noticed stated "Washington Times".

Altogether I'd say about 100 people were present, which isn't too bad for the middle of a work day. The mood was calm and good-natured which is fitting for a demonstration in support of the Danes. There was an interesting mix of people there. I saw the classical Stringy-Haired Protest Girl there, as well as a number of instances of Skinny, Bearded Protest Guy. There were men in suits, mothers with small kids, military men. Not everyone had a sign (I didn't), but there were several good ones.

Mr. Hitchens addressed the throng about 1240, saying that it was good we could make it out to express our disgust with the "invertebrateness of our State Department" a reference to the State Department's tutting about the cartoons and relative silence while the embassies of our allies were being burned in the capitals of dictatorships.


UPDATE II 1646: The Political Pitbull has photos here. I saw the pitbull, asked if today he was a Great Dane (lame? yeah, I guess) but I didn't put 2+2 together.

UPDATE III 1730: Sissy Willis is in the Buy Danish swing of things.

Best Wishes to Kory and the Tsar

On their announcement that they are expecting a child.

Was Jimmy Carter Nearby?

From Norway's Aftenposten:

A large and unusually bold hare was apparently so irritated when a dogsled team entered its territory that it went on the attack, in an otherwise peaceful forested area of northern Norway.

So the seemingly timid Lagomorph is now known to attack canoes AND dogsleds. Good thing they don't use beagles to pull sleds; who knows where they'd be by now.

I Want to Thank the Wizbang Academy...

...for lifting my Bon Jovi cover to third place in the weekend caption contest.

There seems to be some controversy over how the line actually goes. Not having listened to it in the years since buying a "real" stereo, I plead guilty to not remembering. I certainly wasn't going to look it up.

But in the interest of accuracy:

Shot through the heart
and you're to blame

Of course as I mentioned in the comments, "Shot through the pericardium" would have been more accurate still, but it really would have killed the meter.

David Gregory on the White House Press Corps

(via Hugh Hewitt)

[T]he debate playing out in the blogosphere, cable airwaves and on talk radio pits the Vice President against an allegedly left-wing, overly cynical, prissy White House press corps in a tizzy because it wasn't the first to know and angry because it hates the President and Vice President anyway.

To which Hugh adds regarding Gregory:

"Gregory goes on to announce that this description is "nonsense," but of course Gregory has not allowed himself to be questioned outside of his network. He doesn't return calls and he won't make himself available for questions about what appears to be his deep seated hostility for the vice president and the Administration."

From which I infer that Gregory is too cynical to see an apt description and too prissy to answer questions.

Throw Mohammed From the Train

Beth is hosting a gigantonormous movie thread where each title has had one word replaced with the name of Islam's founder.

Check it

Blanco Threatens Energy Embargo?

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco seems to be threatening an energy embargo... against her own country:

Ms. Blanco, a Democrat, said Monday that she sought to split the leasing fees 50-50. "If no effort is made to guarantee our fair share of royalties," she said, "I have warned the federal government that we will be forced to block the August sale of offshore oil and gas leases."
(source: NYT)

From elsewhere in the article comes this from Andy Kopplin, executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority: "There's a very clear connection between our role providing one-quarter of the oil and gas produced in this country and our vulnerability to hurricanes."

Not to mention Louisiana's penchant for electing the corrupt and apparently, now, the crazy.

Meanwhile, another story at the Potbelly Stove suggests that the Governor of West Virginia is threatening an energy embargo of his own, this time coal. The AP's headline: "W.Va. Gov. Seeks Halt in Coal Production". Actually the article says that they are going to do safety inspections on the mines.

Frog-march Anyone?

From Hugh Hewitt (via Lorie Byrd at Polipundit):

The American Spectator's Jed Babbin was on John Batchelor's radio show yesterday, and stated that the intelligence community believes West Virignia Senator Jay Rockefeller is the leaker who illegally supplied the New York Times with the details of the NSA program.

Given that the CIA's Porter J. Goss stated emphatically that the leak had done very serious damage to the Uniterd States, if Rockefeller is a suspect, he should be hauled before a Grand Jury asap.

See the Polipundit post for Lorie Byrd's late-2005 prognostication in light of Rockefeller's infamous memo. Seems like the junior senator from West Virginia was just trying to spark some of the media interest he hoped for back in 2003.

Given the seriousness of the charge, shouldn't Rockefeller be asked to step down from the Intelligence Committee? I mean: passing classified information to someone not authorized to receive it (such as a NYT reporter) is pretty bad form, no?

They're also keeping an eye on this around the Potbelly Stove.

Just Another Day in the Kentlands...

...the sun is shining, the temperature is around 60F. Oh, and someone found a bomb under a park bench.

UPDATE: 1645 - They've been goofing around with it since 1230. I can hear helicopters hanging around now. Probably newsies.

UPDATE: 1745 - Now they're saying nevermind. It was nothing. Go about your business.

Vanilla Coke

I see I'm not the only lunatic that liked Vanilla Coke. Mary Katherine Ham has scored some, thanks to eBay.

Buy Danish

The Muslim world (or at least the loonier portion) is demanding a boycott of things Danish over some cartoons published in a Danish paper.

I know where I'm looking next time we need vodka.

(h/t Michelle Malkin. Thanks to Gaijin Biker at Riding Sun for the icon.)
Technorati Tags: Buy Danish

Alito Confirmed

Congratulations to Samuel Alito. His confirmation is not surprising.

Also not surprising, I think, is that the lone "Republican" voting against Alito was Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee. Not amused? Here's a link to the man launching a primary challenge against him, Steve Laffey. Send him a few bucks, eh?

The Leftoids are up in arms. Witness this selection from DUh, as excerpted by Emperor Darth Misha I at the Anti Idiotarian Rottweiler.

Tom Blumer has a nice post involving... Chapstick.

That's Okay, They Were Old Anyway

is, I believe, the "classical" sitcom/variety show response to an event such as this:

A museum visitor shattered three Qing dynasty Chinese vases when he tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor, officials said Monday.

The three vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948, and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting proudly on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

Oopsie!

(Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt)
(The story)

Show Me the Money: Google in China

So Google gets to have the Chinese market so long as they block out any of those pesky links that the ChiComs consider "no-go" for its citizenry.

Here's a link to a protest logo page. This image came from there:


Michelle is collecting more here.

UPDATE: 1/30/2006 - How well is it working? The first article that I found for "Falun Gong" is this one. There's this one, too. Of course I'm looking from outside of China. I wonder if the search results are still there if tried from within China. If they are, can they be reached by the Chinese searcher?

Eastbound and Down

See you on Monday.

"This Corner Under New Management"

...read a sign on the corner outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center that has been occupied by Code Pink protesters on Friday nights.

Up until last Friday, that is. It seems someone forgot to renew their permit...

The Gunn Nutt Has the story here, with pics.

Freepers Rock! (The things I miss when I go out of town...)

See also: Free Republic, elsewhere at the Larsonian

Maureen Down

See the pic over at Michelle Malkin's? Maureen Dowd really looks like she could use a hug.

Hugh Hewitt and Joel Stein Have a Tete a Tete

Joel Stein is a columnist for the LA Times. He wrote a column wherein he declared that he does not support the troops. That's a bold move, considering a lot anti-war types manage to claim that they 'support the troops, but not their mission.'

Stein supports neither one.

So last night I listened to Hugh Hewitt's taped interview with Mr. Stein, wherein Hugh tried to get a bit of background.

Ya know those scenes from the swashbuckling films where a couple of guys are going to duel with swords, and one of them takes his epee and makes about a dozen strokes with it, seemingly near his opponent... and the opponent just smirks as if to say "Ha! You didn't even touch me"... and then the guy's clothes all fall to the ground?

That's what Hugh did to Joel Stein. Straight up Errol Flynn'ed him.

See the transcript over at RadioBlogger.

Technorati Tags: Hugh Hewitt, Joel Stein, Radio Blogger

Kelo: If You Had Any Doubt...

...that Kelo was solely about the ability of a municipality to grab land for the purpose of increasing revenue, take a look at this story over at NRO: Unholy Land Grab:

Since the Supreme Court's controversial Kelo decision last summer, eminent domain has entered a new frontier. It’s not just grandma’s house we have to worry about. Now it’s God’s house, too. “I guess saving souls isn’t as important,” says Reverend Gildon, his voice wry, “as raking in money for politicians to spend.” The town of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, has plans to take Centennial Baptist — along with two other churches, several businesses, dozens of small homes, and a school — and replace them with a new “super center,” rumored to include a Home Depot. It’s the kind of stuff that makes tax collectors salivate.

When a church isn't safe in Oklahoma, it isn't safe anywhere.

Here's another graph from the story about which I will comment:

It makes sense on one level. Churches don’t generate any tax revenue for the government to spend. They don’t “stimulate” the economy. They often, much to their peril, occupy prime, envied real estate. With the supercharged powers granted by Kelo, be very, very afraid.

Once a church occupied a place on the city square, true enough. Churches were--and in some places I've been they still are--social centers of communities. As for their tax exempt status, the charitible works of a church were once considered a good in themselves. Not so much anymore, it would appear. (Note to self: How visible are the works of local congregations these days? Are inward-facing congregations going to be most at-risk?)

Thanks to Kelo, a municipality can take land from a private owner and give it to ANOTHER private owner solely for the purpose of increasing its own tax revenue stream. How sick is that?

If I take money from you, that's theft.
If the government takes money from you, then gives it to me, that's considered "general welfare".

If I take a hammer from Home Depot without paying them for it, that's shoplifting.
If Home Depot comes to my town, and the local government takes my home and those of my neighbors to give to Home Depot, that's... what, exactly?

(ht: BizzyBlog and the update at BizzyBlog)
(see also: The Anchoress who picked up on the note to myself, Volokh Conspiracy, Batesline, Molten Thought)
Technorati Tags: Vision+2025, eminent+domain

Congratulations, Stephen Harper

The Conservatives beat out the Liberal Party and won a plurality of the votes but not an outright majority. As I understand it, they get to form the next government coalition, though with whom, I am not knowlegable enough about things Canadian to say. These guys will know.

Michael Yon Has Moved

He's packed up from Blogger and moved over to a shiny new URL: Michael Yon Online.

900

The number of wins racked up by Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee. That's the most by any NCAA Division I basketball coach.

Congratulations to Pat Summitt and her Lady Vols.

Things Heard on Rush

While I was out over lunch, I heard Lorie Byrd ask a pretty inciteful question of guest Kenneth Timmerman: How is our present intelligence on Iran different from [better than?--Ed.] our intelligence on Iraq prior to the invasion?

I also caught a pretty funny commercial lampooning all of the "latest studies" that "They" put out. (In this case I don't think it is the same "They" that my lovely bride works for.) The commercial was put out by these guys, specifically their take on the "fish scam" over mercury in fish. (Their expert study says there is no particular health risk from the levels of mercury in fish, as it happens. Their "They" is better than the naysaying "They", apparently.)

Meanwhile, in Annapolis

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is quietly doing pretty well in initial polling for the Senate. He leads Rep. Benjamin Cardin by a margin of 45-40 and former Rep and NAACP head Kweisi Mfume, 45-38 in this Rasmussen poll.

(Tip of the hat to Power Line)

Power Line's Paul Mirengoff wrote about the race the other day, too. See "Divided They May Fall".

Sweep the House

I had mentioned (and it's hardly an Earth-shakingly original thought) that the Jack Abramoff affair could end up being better than "term limits"--provided that a simple to understand quid pro quo can be identified.

Now the GOP is setting up elections for caucus leadership. They have a golden opportunity for demonstrating good governance. I hope they will find people serious about reform. NZ Bear has an appeal up at The Truth Laid Bear asking for just this. I add my voice to that chorus.

Kory was going to be a police officer?

The Jet Set Chick has a few fun anecdotes from her time in Phoenix parking enforcement up. It sets up the context for her take on the "I'm in the HOV lane because I'm pregnant" woman.

Biden Admits J-Committee Defeat?

"Sen. Biden Suggests Scrapping Hearings" is the headline of this ABC piece. In it Joe Biden says that the Judiciary Committee testimony phase is "broken" and the nominees might as well go straight to the floor.

If this hadn't been the second straight Supreme Court nominee that committee Dems had failed to so much as scratch during the hearings, I doubt he'd be saying this. Effectively Joe Biden is admitting that the Dems actions the past couple of days have served to do nothing but make them the object of ridicule. (And in the New York Times no less.)

If anything is "broken" it is the Democrats' playbook. They "just know" that every political Conservative is some kind of racist/bigot/homophobe at heart. Their assumption has once again made an ass of them.

(Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt)

See also Irish Pennants for Jack Kelly's review.

Seriously. No... really...

...I am not making this up.

Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy (D-MA)--bad driver but apparent excellent swimmer--has a Portuguese Water Dog named... Splash.

(ht: Michelle Malkin)

UPDATE: I wonder if Ted the Swimmer will be annoyed. Gosh, I'll get to go to Federal prison thanks to this chunk of crap ostensibly authored by Arlen Specter. Thanks to "Gill Sawyer" for posting this at Vodkapundit.

Report: Osama bin Laden Died in Iran in mid-December

Michael Ledeen's sources within Iran told him that Osama bin Laden died of kidney failure while in Iran this past December. He is said to have spent most of his time there since the fall of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Cited as proof: for the first time, al-Q's happy hajj message was given not by Osama bin Laden, but by Ayman Zawahiri.

Source: Michael Ledeen writing at the National Review Online.
Hat tip: Rantburg

Saddam Hussein and Islamic Terrorism

Looking through unclassified documents, Weekly Standard writer Stephen Hayes has found evidence for Saddam's training of Islamic terrorists from across the Middle East:

The secret training took place primarily at three camps—in Samarra, Ramadi, and Salman Pak—and was directed by elite Iraqi military units. Interviews by U.S. government interrogators with Iraqi regime officials and military leaders corroborate the documentary evidence. Many of the fighters were drawn from terrorist groups in northern Africa with close ties to al Qaeda, chief among them Algeria’s GSPC and the Sudanese Islamic Army. Some 2,000 terrorists were trained at these Iraqi camps each year from 1999 to 2002, putting the total number at or above 8,000. Intelligence officials believe that some of these terrorists returned to Iraq and are responsible for attacks against Americans and Iraqis.

There's much more at Rick Moran's Right Wing Nut House.

Salman Pak was the location of the airliner fuselage. And some other gear, per GlobalSecurity.org.

Further comment on this story is available from Austin Bay. Further comment on Austin Bay's commentary at No End But Victory.

Dems Knew Jack Abramoff's Money Plenty Well Enough

Pamela from Atlas Shrugs shows 40 Dems who got $1000 or more of Jack's money. And those are just the ones in the Senate.

Senator Vegas got all huffy last Sunday, saying this was a Republican scandal? *heh* Sure, Harry: you got $68,941.

Both of my Senate-Dwelling Critters from Maryland got some of that lovin', too:
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Received At Least – $10,550
Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) Received At Least – $4,300

I think this has potential sink quite a few careers in both houses of Congress and on both sides of the aisle. Provided, that is, there is an easy to understand quid pro quo. Built-in term limits!

Muslim Only Banking?

Via Michelle Malkin:

A bank that has been offering special services for Muslims for two years has now formed a subsidiary to focus solely on the religious group.

The Ann Arbor-based University Bank has created University Islamic Financial Corp. to offer Muslims home financing, deposit accounts and Islamic mutual fund shares.

"The formation of the subsidiary allows us to have a financial institution which is 100 percent in compliance with the Muslim Shariah, the legal code of the Islamic religion," bank President and Chairman Stephen Lange Ranzini told The Ann Arbor News for a Saturday story.

You know what? Univerity Bank has been rated Outstanding by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for Community Service and Community Reinvestment. If FDIC insures a bank that has a program exclusively for Muslims, is there a Church-State issue? (Or a Mosque-State issue, as the case may be?) FannieMae buys the MALT product according to this from the bank itself. Is that going to get the ACLU's shorts in a knot?

UPDATE: There's further conversation at Right Voices (grazie for the link); Clarity & Resolve had this a couple days ago (sorry for the munged up trackback to the wrong article).

Washington Post to Take to the Airwaves

There was a bit of a switcheroo done on DC radio the other day. Aside from causing a slight re-arrangement of my presets here's what happened:

Z-104 is gone: No more Matchbox 20 on 103.9/104.1 FM. Now those frequencies get the classical warhorses that had been on 103.5 FM. WTOP now gets 103.5 FM (and they hope, Skins games starting next season).

So what goes where WTOP had been (107.7 FM/1500 AM)? Thanks to Bonneville Media, it will be the Washington Post. Now we can ignore them in print AND on the air!

By the way, the Washington Post had this on the front page of their Maryland edition, albeit below the fold. Toward the bottom of the story they managed to gratuitously mention

Bonneville, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...

I wonder, will we get to hear someone like Robin Givhan (right) chat about Secretary Rice's wardrobe during middays?

Brian Maloney seems equally baffled here.

UPDATE: Brian found the Help Wanted ad. Here's a thought: Make a splash and hire Michael Graham.

A Couple of Stories at The Potbelly Stove

I wrote up a couple of pieces at the Potbelly Stove. See here for a pointer to Michael Barone's blog and here for the NYT's shameless exploitation of the WV mining tragedy with a link to Tom Blumer's BizzyBlog.

Firefox 1.5...

...now has drag-n-drop reorderable tabbed browsing.

It reminds me of the good ol' yellow tabs of BeOS. Just without the actual yellow tabs.

Drink up, eh? or 15 a day for better health

Joe Walsh used to deadpan that the best hangover cure he knew of was to stay drunk. Proving that people can get grants to study anything, here's news out of Canada that shows how giving homeless alcoholics 1 drink an hour for every waking hour has made the study population "healthier".

15 a day for better health!

Unless you were one of the 3 of 17 participants that died, that is. From the Reuters article: "Three of the 17 participants died during the program, succumbing to alcohol-related illnesses that might have killed them anyway, the study said."

Also from the article:

The per capita cost of around C$771 ($660) a month was partially offset by monthly savings of C$96 a month in emergency services, C$150 in hospital care and C$201 in police services per person

It's all about the bucks when the government is in the healthcare business: all the caring warmth of an MVA teller.

I'll check in with Right Thinking People to see if there's more.

World's Worst Disease Identified

Tom Blumer found an interesting piece on the World's Worst Disease by Rich Karlgaard writing in the 1/9/2006 Forbes. Since registration is required, Bizzy Blog has an extensive excerpt. Here's the premise:

The sickest thinking–and the source of most of human misery throughout the ages–is based on the following beliefs:
• The Earth is running out of resources;
• People consume more than they contribute;
• Wealth is a zero-sum distribution game.

Go read the rest, especially the links under the Update. Certain economists got a little sniffy with Karlgaard's broad-stroke description of academia as dominated by zero-sum-game thinking.

Jokes My Father in Law Told Me

My Lovely Bride's father dropped this one on me while I was drinking a glass of juice one morning last week. I avoided the spit-take, but only just.

Man #1: Say, what's that ya got there?
Man #2: Load o' horse manure.
M#1: Oh yeah? What's it for?
M#2: Gonna put it on my raspberries.
M#1:
M#1: I've always been partial to cream and sugar myself.

My New Representative In the Blogging Ecosphere

The Capybara. A native of South America, it is the largest living rodent. I don't know about "Adorable" and it sure ain't "little", but it really is a rodent.

Sweet Home Chicago

Back in Chicagoland for Christmas Day and I got to see the Bears/Packers game yesterday. I was a little conflicted having grown up among all things Wisconsin all my life. (You know? I was a fan of the Badgers as a young child before it even dawned on me that Illinois had a similar school. It became abundantly clear with plenty of time for me to make my college choice back in high school. Funny thing, that.)

The Bears won the game yesterday afternoon, which I guess is for the best since they got the most out of it. With the win the Bears clinched the NFC North title and a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the Vikings eliminated last night after their loss to Bawlmer, the Bears' season finale in Minnesota will probably resemble the final pre-season game with the starters playing about 1 quarter and everyone else playing the rest of the game. Except, maybe for Rex Grossman: I expect he'll play the entire first half.

As for the Packers, Noah Herron the Ball-Carrier got his first NFL touchdown--he went to My Better Two-Thirds's alma mater, don'tcha know. Brett played okay, but he still gave up a handful of interceptions to a really good pass defense. It would be sad to see #4 go out after a season like this one. I expect he'll come back next year to play with the Real Packers rather than the conglomeration of NFL Europe players he has around him now.

Nothing Says Merry Christmas

Like a Wookiee.

A Wookiee singing Silent Night.

Nice!
For a brief while, anyway.

(found it at Ace's)

Patriot Act Extension Blocked in Senate

Sleeper Cells, Big Media Rejoice

From FoxNews.com:

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Friday blocked a vote to reauthorize 16 expiring provisions of the controversial USA Patriot Act.

So much for any kind dot connecting between agencies. So much for tearing down the wall between intel and law enforcement.

According to the FoxNews.com story, Senator Vegas wants the Senate to 'take their time now to make the law right.'

And while the rest of Big Media spins this as a defeat for Bush, I can't help wonder who they think would be most hurt by another terrorist attack on this country. Apparently the newsies think they'll get a pass.

From Reuters:

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, demanding increased protection of civil liberties, defied President George W. Bush on Friday and blocked legislation to renew the USA Patriot Act, a centerpiece of his war on terrorism.
(emphasis mine)

Apparently the rest of us aren't in a war. That's a relief because I was really sure the Islamists wanted us all dead.

VI Day!

(And no, I don't mean the text editor.)

Smash has a roundup of Big Media headlines contrasted with what it might have been had it been the newspapermen of 60 years ago writing them. The post also includes words attributed to Zarqawi in a letter to bin Laden. Read it here.

Should Zarqawi move to a new country to foment the violent overthrow of Western Civilization, we should follow him there. Give him no rest. Keep them on defense.

Failure in Iraq

Zarqawi's failure, that is.

Zarq's been called out in the town of Babil by one Jasim Hameed:

"I'm here at this early hour to challenge the terrorists who want to kill the democratic process in Iraq and I want to encourage the healthy people to vote”.

Pajamas Media has first hand accounts from all over Iraq. Take a look at the upperleft portion of the site for updates throughout the day.

The story didn't mention the nature of Mr. Hameed's disability. I haven't heard a word yet from international election watcher and miserable failure of a US President James Earl Carter. I suppose that if there is no chance for a dictatorial regime to win the day, he won't consider the election "fair".

UPDATE 1720 EST: Pajamas Media has a summary of coverage up now here. Sounds like it has been a good day.

UPDATE 2005-12-16 1533 EST: A photo of a couple of Iraqi hotties sportin' the purple finger look is up at MVRWC. Iraqi Hotties... there's a phrase I never thought I'd type. Yet there it is.

Memo to Dr. Dean

There were quite a few more American troops KIA in Viet Nam than the 25,000 he cited on a Texas radio show.

(Trying like mad to give him the benefit of the doubt)
Was he referring to a 'after some milestone' figure?

Or was it an attack of massive ignorance on his part?

Regarding his trotting out the "we support the troops" message after whining about his comments being taken "out of context", I have just one thing to say:

Nothing says "We support you!" like "You're doomed to fail."

Dean's going to complete the job of running the Democrat Party right off the rails.

Announcement

I will be posting from time to time over at The Potbelly Stove. The proprietor over there finds today's UN just as distasteful as I do... possibly even more!

Some of hbl's photography will begin to appear here as well.

More blogging next week... the moving truck is due to arrive at Stately Larson Manor shortly.

Merry Christmas, ACLU

This is the best thing ever! I missed Kevin McCollough when he left Chicago's WYLL, but can still read him at Crosswalk.

Here (via Michelle Malkin) is a great idea from Kevin:

We are excited to be launching the opportunity today...between now and Christmas we are asking you to send the ACLU direct "MerryChristmas" cards.

And we aren't talking about these generic "happy holiday" (meaning nothing) type of cards...

Go get as "Christmas" a Christmas card as you can find... something that says.. "Joy To The World", "For Unto Us A Child Is Born", but at least "Merry Christmas", put some of your own thoughts into it, sign it respectfully and zip it off in the mail...

Head on over to Kevin's blog to get the address for the card writing campaign.

And be nice! As it is written in the Bible, it will be like heaping ashes on their heads... far more than any snotty comment one could conceive.

UPDATE: Perhaps they will reciprocate with a "Blandly Inoffensive, Politically Correct, Generic Seasonal Greeting" card of their own. Or not. I won't hold my breath.
(Adapted from a comment I left at Myopic Zeal)

Hugh On Those Who Oppose a Fence

Hugh Hewitt:

It might be difficult to, say, build a border long fence and the roads to patrol it (not as difficult as the construction of the interstate highway system, though). And it might strain relations with Mexico.

As if the hoard of illegals marching into this country and sending cash back to Mexico doesn't strain the relationship already? What are the Mexicans going to do? Tell us we can't get Mexican vanilla anymore? Tell us we can't send our twentysomethings to Cancun to get puking sick anymore? A tequila embargo?

Okay. The tequila embargo would be very, very hard. I may start stocking up now.

To read what Hugh was reacting to, see his post here.

Soldiers' Question Blog

I found this in the comments over at Aubrey's place:
http://www.askthesoldiers.blogspot.com/

There were no questions yet as of this writing, so go ahead and ask them at askthesoldier@yahoo.com.

UPDATE: Here's my question answered. It is good to hear that our soldiers and Marines get what is sent.

Islamism in Denmark

Overheard on a playground at a school in Denmark:

I will kill my classmates, if Allah says so. I will also kill my dad, if Allah thinks, I have to do it. When she asked where such views stem from, the boys said that they had learnt it in koranic schools

The Viking Observer has the full report. I don't think the Danes are ready for this kind of thing.

A Shift in the Ecosystem

There was a movie entitled The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. I remember thinking "I guess I know what that one's about." (Same feeling I got when Saw came out, as I recall.) The movie was a testament to a Welsh town's determination to have a friggin' mountain and not just a hill.

The other night I went to bed a marsupial in TTLB's Ecosystem as I had for the last several nights. I had been thinking about adding a little picture of an oppossum--an American marsupial--above the TTLB script. Today I learn that I am now a Flappy Bird.

(GASP!)

What's weird is that N. Z. Bear's algorithm now counts more incoming links than before. Ah well. He's working on it, and as a lot of commenters here have pointed out, he does it for free.

Off to find a public domain pic of a quintessentially American bird. (But not a Bald Eagle, since I'm not bald, nor can I really say that I'm all that aquiline.)

SCO on the Hunter/Haworth Resolution

Only 3 Dems voted in favor of immediate withdrawal from Iraq--a la Murtha's statement.
Six voted the most cowardly way of all: Present.

Over at SCO, Doug has a very good wrap-up of the resolution.

Whoever Said It Had to Be One or the Other?

From Michelle Malkin, on the Padilla indictment:

I missed the press conference and would like to know more about the decision to indict. I thought this administration was supposed to be fighting the old Clinton/Kerry law enforcement approach to fighting terror.

Relax, Michelle. I think the Bush Administration really can walk and chew gum at the same time, despite the Big Media stereotype of the President.

Beth Takes Us All to the Internet Woodshed

Beth writes a tour de force on the use and misuse of the apostrophe. I think E. B. White would approve.

Highly Recommended.

Bill Frist: Worst. Leader. Ever.

Hugh Hewitt shows that the disgust of the base against the GOP Senate, er, "leadership" (for lack of a better word) is taking its toll on RNSC fundraising efforts. The Democrat equivalent (chaired by Chuck Schumer) has more than a 2:1 advantage in cash on hand.

Given that the Democrats haven't done well in fundraising across the board, it is as sure a sign as any that Bill Frist's tenure as "Majority Leader" is teh suck.

No End But Victory

No End But Victory is the name of a new blog by Josh Treviño. It takes a look at the present war in terms of these timely categories:

America
Defeatists
Iraq
Terrorism
War

To the camp of the Defeatists you can add every Senator that voted in favor of quarterly progress reports as a steppingstone to a timetable for withdrawal. That Bill Frist would vote in favor is somewhat surprising only in that he isn't running for re-election. I would hope he doesn't have any delusions of Presidential grandeur, since it is very clear that he lacks both moral courage and the fortitude to wage the present war.

Here are the Nay votes on the Warner bill:
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Conrad (D-ND)
DeMint (R-SC)
Graham (R-SC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Leahy (D-VT)
McCain (R-AZ)
Sessions (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)

Presumably the D's voted No because they wanted the even MORE defeatist version that spelled out for al-Qaeda precisely when they could launch their attack on the nascent Iraqi Democracy. As for the Republicans who voted YES, let's just say that I can't wait for the next NSRC fundraising letter to come...

(Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt for the heads-up)

"Århus teens on the warpath again"

Is the headline of a story in the Copenhagen Post today. More windows smashed and a group of teens attempted to set a store on fire. A nineten year old was arrested.

I fear the Danes may not be concerned enough:

"City officials reacted to the original disturbances by entering into a dialogue involving the young people and their parents, social workers, the police, teachers, and housing association members."

Smells like an invitation to future violence. Worse, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the series of events "pranks". Attempted arson?

It doesn't bode well.

The Lies That Led to the Antiwar Movement

Max Boot in the LA Times:

So much for the lies that led to war. What we're left with is the lies that led to the antiwar movement. Good thing for Wilson and his pals that deceiving the press and the public isn't a crime.

Yes, really, the LA Times. Read the whole thing wherein they detail the real liar in the Plame Name Blame Game: Joe Wilson himself.

(Hat tip: Rantburg)

UPDATE: Norman Podhoretz weighs in at Commentary Magazine. Some good quotes here.
(Another tip of the hat to Rantburg)

Orson Scott Card on Realism in Foreign Policy

Orson Scott Card has some great points in this article. This one, in particular, caught my eye:

"I know from experience that what passes for political thought in America today is largely at the level of first-year high school debaters. Instead of listening to ideas and measuring them, most people seem to be looking for anything that resembles a contradiction, whereupon they pounce."

As I've pointed out in a number of comment threads, pointing one's finger and stating "hypocrite!" is not an argument. (And you always have to look at the three fingers pointing back at yourself.) I haven't stumbled across anyone hopping up and down about any perceived self-contradiction in OSC's article, but he apparently fully expects it.

The bulk of the article rips Brent Scowcroft a new orifice for his carping about the War on Terrorism. Here's my other favorite quote: "[I]t is not 'peace' to postpone a war, or 'statesmanship' to end a war under such terms as to generate the next one."

Check it out.

"Granny Brigade" on the Border

Heard about this on Laura Ingraham this morning. (Hat tip to Rantburg for the link.) It's good to see people participating in the defense of the country on a grassroots level.

Can we get the National Guard down there to help? And if we can't afford that, every state should give back some pork (*cough*Alaska*cough*) to Get Er Done.

Warriorsvoice?

I clicked on Warriorsvoice and Blogger says "Beats me." Did I miss something in the last couple of days? Or was it unceremoniously yanked?

Here We Are

A photo of My Honey and me behind our wedding cake.

The cake is a spicecake from Custom Cake Design, Gaithersburg, MD.
Flowers by Kentlands Flowers and Bows.
Dress by Casablanca, from P. Lawrence.
Tuxedo by After Hours Formalwear.
Photo courtesy of our friend Bruce.

A Different Perspective

Was watching a show yesterday on Discovery Channel that had robotic recreations of dinosaurs duke it out. After the ankylosaur tail simulator smashed into a side of pork, My Honey declared "You just like to watch machines smash meat, don't you?"

I never thought of it that way before, but I guess I do.

The tail also smashed through a pretty sturdy timber. The scientists took that as an indication that the ankylosaurus could have smashed the lower leg bone of a large predator. For the predator's part, they showed the robotic jaws chew up a Mini Cooper, indicating that the actual dinosaur could have eaten through the ankylosaurus's bony armor... but only if it could get close enough.

I missed out on the tail vs. the (thawed) turkey simulation (apparently velociraptors were a little smaller than shown in Jurassic Park). Anyone know how that one came out? I'm betting on "turkey went flying".

Riots in Denmark

No, it is not a joke. The town of Århus has been the site of rioting the likes of which Denmark hasn't seen in years. Check out the Viking Observer for the details. Here's something to get you started:

Rosenhøj Mall has several nights in a row been the scene of the worst riots in Århus for years. "This area belongs to us", the youths proclaim.

(Hat Tip: Rantburg)

Do the Danes have it in them to crack some skulls? Deport the troublemakers? Here's a Copenhagen Post story that suggests they are working on it. "A government committee is preparing a report on how to improve Denmark's response to terror, which is to be presented on Thursday. The study comes after seven people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror act."

Here's a story from another paper: Zero Tolerance for Århus rioters. "The Mayor of Århus Louise Gade dismissed the concerns of experts and said that a hard-line must be taken with these troublemakers so ordinary law-abiding citizens could feel safe in their homes." She seems to get it. (Hat tip: Fjordman)

Here's a Copenhagen Post story on youths arrested last week for fomenting terrorist activity in Denmark: All went to the same mosque. And at least one mom maintained the kind of denial that only a parent can:

'The mother said her son had lately become more and more frustrated and angry towards Danish society, which he criticised harshly. Even if he sometimes sounded like he could go to extremes, his mother is certain that he would never had carried any of it out - and mothers can usually tell the difference between their children's words and deeds,' - Abu Laban, leader of the mosque in question.

Hugh is in the Blog Polling Game Now

Now that Patrick Ruffini has stepped away from his blog, the blog polling masta is now Hugh Hewitt.

His first poll, on the Alito nomination, is here.

And some folks from Democrat Underground actually showed up to vote. Shocker: they skew mostly negative. Go figure.

Speaking for the Great State of Maryland...

I support the Fiscal Watch Team Offset Package.

Unfortunately, I don't see our mediocre Senators doing the same. But I'll ring 'em up anyway.

(See also: Porkbusters)

Plame Name Blame Game... part 341,504

And the winner is...!

Some guy named Scooter? (photo, right, is the best I can do since I wouldn't know I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby if he stepped on my foot on the Metro.)

He's affiliated with Cheney, and it is said that CIA lifers have a bug up their tail about the VP going back 20 years or maybe more.

This isn't the end. With the blood of the VP's chief of staff in the water, the Dems are only going to want to get their hooks into Cheney that much more. And then the President. (And that's what this has been about every since the Clinton was impeached. Bank on it.)

So who did noted paleocon Novak get the name from? Was it Scooter? Someone else?
Was Joe Wilson [pictured above with his lovely wife] questioned before the Grand Jury? I'll bet that would make for some interesting times.

The take away message here is: never agree to talk to the grand jury. If they want to take you, they'll find a way to take you... even if it had nothing to do with the original theory of the investigation.

(And if only poor Scooter had been talking about sex... ah well... lawyer up.)
(Wilson photo source: Vanity Fair via Michelle Malkin, if memory serves)
(The Muppet photo I found here; I disagree that the Swedish Chef was among the worst Muppets ever, however.)

UPDATE: Power Line's Paul Mirengoff predicts no further indictments. That would really tick off the Rove haters... but it wouldn't end anything.

UPDATE II: I did find the Vanity Fair pic at Michelle Malkin. Here's the link to her story.

UPDATE III: Monday, 31 October: "I feel sorry for Libby, whose life is ruined even if he beats the wrap. But after him, the Libs are the big losers. They sent Patrick Fitzgerald out to hunt for bear, but all he bagged was a squirrel." -- Jack Kelly. Read the whole thing.

UPDATE IV: The base is fired up about Samuel Alito for SCOTUS. Bush is The Grinch That Stole Fitzmas.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks's body will reportedly lie in state in either the Lincoln Memorial or the Capitol. Det News shows both to be the case.

I wonder if she could have imagined while refusing to give up her seat on the bus that decades later she would be honored in the same manner as deceased government officials.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Parks.

Live from Southern Command in Melbourne, FL

Kory's back in the Lounge.

Perhaps her nom de Rantburg will become Beach Blondie rather than Desert Blondie?

Sweep!

Congratulations to the White Sox, particularly to Chairman Reinsdorf who had said while the Bulls were winning that he'd be willing to trade some of those basketball rings for a World Series ring. Now he's got one.

Congratulations to Jermaine Dye, World Series MVP. He had the highest World Series batting average at .438 in White Sox history.

Congratulations to Kenny Williams for assembling the team and to Ozzie Guillen for managing it. Wire to wire in first place doesn't happen by accident.

Congratulations to the Astros for making it. Watching them in this series I was reminded of the Sox, the last time they made it to the playoffs against the Mariners: otherwise reliable hitters popped the ball up or grounded out. Something tells me Houston won't have to wait 46 years to go back, especially if they maintain that pitching staff.

Now I need to find a new hat. Maybe a T-shirt. Or two.

(See also: "Mold Remediation...")

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Fails Again: Constitution Ratified

Twelve members of the Kurdish peshmurga in Sulaimaniyah were killed by a car bomb.

Nonetheless, the Constitution of Iraq passed muster with 78% voting in favor. A few predominantly Sunni provinces voted against it. (Not a twitch from the Suprise-o-meter.)

"It's a landmark day in the history of Iraq," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We congratulate the Iraqi people. ... The political process is continuing to move forward in Iraq, and it is an encouraging sign to see more and more people participating in the process."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Iraqis "have shown again their determination to defy the terrorists and take part in the democratic process." Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini also welcomed the results, saying Italy would keep supporting the political process in the country.
(Source: Fox News)

Zarq's organization fails again.

Common Cause With Terrorists

Warriorjason has this pic up at warriorsvoice. It is crystal clear to our soldiers in the field that to lobby for withdrawal from (e.g. defeat in) Iraq is to make common cause with the terrorist enemy. It bolsters the resolve of the enemy while eroding the will of the people in this country, bit by bit.

The little cardboard sign now reads "Liberals & news media, THANKS for your support! Together we can defeat the American infidels."

Note to the hard Left: you are counted among the infidels, too, lest you should forget. They would like you every bit as dead as anyone else in America.

Click the image for Jason's take.

Meanwhile the hard Left in the United States is awaiting the 2000th serviceman to be killed in action with all the solemnity usual reserved for a supermarket's 1 Millionth Customer. Here's a site where you can find a gathering of Leftwing ghouls near you. (via Rantburg and Little Green Footballs)

It is a sad thing to lose your young men and women in combat, but it is a thoroughly disgusting thing to rally behind the bodies of the fallen as evidence that the war should end immediately. Should that occur, every one of the fallen would have died in vain.

Mold Remediation...

...on my jacket and my trusty White Sox hat. They had been in the trunk of my car since I didn't really need the jacket at this point, and the hat was somewhat hidden. With all the rain we got starting the day of our wedding, the conditions in the trunk must have become wonderful for mold growth. After a week away I opened the trunk and there was both WTF? and OMG!

Sadly the hat was a loss, but then it didn't quite fit anymore. (I was a 7-1/4 when I bought it back in the early Nineties as they switched to the current logo.) [You're a crawly amphibian... your head couldn't have swollen from that -- Ed.] It will give me an excuse to get a new one. (Hopefully no one will think of me here in Maryland as a Johnny-Come-Lately front runner!)

The jacket, however, was a rather pricey item from The North Face. I've heard borax works, so I'm trying Clorox II right now.

Any other thoughts?

New Milblog Added to Blogroll

I found warriorsvoice linked at Beth's place and thought I'd add it to the blogroll here, too.

Whenever Big Media reports on something going on in Ramadi, I'm going to crosscheck it at warriorsvoice, since he is there.

The first story regards Big Media's usual report that one of our airstrikes has killed "civilians". Sure, if you count a civilian as anyone who doesn't wear a uniform but still sets up IEDs to blow up our troops... that would cover them. Read Warriorjason's account here.

Air America Radio in DC...

...has no measurable listenership.

Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around.

The signal had trouble dribbling across the Potomac into Northern Virginia, so no one there could hear it if they wanted to. And no one in the District apparently wants to.

(From the bottom of this article in the WashingPost. Via Hugh.)

Today Show Infobabe Attempts to Stage Stunt

It didn't work out so well for Michelle Kosinski on the scene in flooded New Jersey. There she was talking about the horrors of getting around by canoe when a couple of fellows in hip-waders walk right in front of her.

As Laura Ingraham says "Oopsie!"

New Busters has the pic and the video. Go check it out.

If you are going to get all huffy about someone staging an event, it is best not to get caught doing the same, yeah?

(via Darleen, and also Rush Limbaugh)

A Compilation of Quotes From Our Trip to Aruba

Wildlife
"Look! A pelican!"

"Crabs!" (a couple times... once for some sand crabs at night on the beach, the other for some other kind skittering around the rocks on De Palm Island.)

"Where did the iguanas go?"

Her: "Mourning doves? Here?"
Me: "They must smell the impatiens on you."
(An inside joke)


Hardship, Palm Beach, Aruba style
Her: "What time is it?"
Me: "I can't see... the palm tree is in the way."

"I banged it [my forehead] on the hut." (Did the hut survive the impact -- Ed.)

"Must be rush hour"
After 4 cars in a row passed on Irausquin Blvd as we were trying to cross the street


Other Fond Memories
[parrot at the Wyndham] "Cracker!"
Me: "I'm not a cracker. You're a cracker!"
[parrot] "Cracker!"
etc.

The iguana that seemed to have adopted a strict diet of maraschino cherries from the Tambu Bar.

Declaring our hut #15 to be our own private Umpapa Mau-Mau. Then coming back from a dip in the surf to find that I hadn't extended the boundary line far enough, I created the newly annexed land of West Umpapa Mau-Mau.

Me: "Good morning, Honey."
Her: "Good morning, Mooner."
After the T-Shirts we were awarded at the General Manager's cocktail party last Tuesday night. Oddly enough, we didn't see anyone wearing them.

Her: "She rubbed my hair. All the way to the ends!"
In reference to our dual hour-long massage at the Intermezzo Spa on De Palm Island. Should you find yourself in need of relaxation, seek out Adriana and Adriana from Intermezzo. They do good work.

Her: "Whoo... this [pina colada]'s strong."
Me: "I could get a cup and you could dump a little of the rum out, if you want."
Her: "It's the Caribbean... I want the rum."

The Aruba Aloe Guy
He would come around a couple times a day hawking sun care products from Aruba Aloe. One of his pitches ended with "And fellas, it is better than Viagra."

Wow.

Other than during 'Rain Delay Theater', I've never gotten to hear the "White Sox are the champions!" in my lifetime. After beating LAA 4 out of 5, and 4 in a row... with 4 complete games by the starters, at that, now I can.

Here's the Sox official site which shows the end of Fox TV's coverage of the game.

Considering they lost their last World Series appearance 46 years ago to LA (the Dodgers), maybe beating LA (Angels, in this case) is a sign that it really can be their year.

At any rate, what a great season. I'm glad all the talk of a late season collapse was premature.

ObWhiteSoxFanPessimism: It figures that it happens the year I move from Chicago. :) Did they sound the air raid sirens like in '59?

White Sox Solidarity: Bama Pachyderm has this quote as her thought for the day over at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, 10/17:

"The Magic Number is none!"
Bill Veeck, September, 1959

(Go White Sox!)

You can put it on the board... YES!

We're Back

After a week in Aruba, I think I can best summarize my feelings by paraphrasing a cruise line's commercial: "I think of this as a temporary exile."

I'll post more about our stay at the Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino later, but I'll summarize that by calling it "Adventures in Housekeeping." Note to the Wyndham: teach your staff the names of the various towels and the exact number that should go in each room every day. Don't get me wrong, we did enjoy the dozen or so washcloths we ended up with by week's end, but multiple washcloths don't readily equate to a handtowel.

Oh... and putting a honeymoon couple in a room with two beds was NOT amusing. Not even slightly. Thanks to them for moving us to the king room we had initially requested based solely on a phone call.

We'll definitely go back to Aruba again, but next time we'll probably try one of the Marriott properties.

D-2 Day

With our wedding 2 days away, my folks are on their way to Maryland by road. My soon-to-be inlaws will be arriving at DCA some time this afternoon, and at the hotel in the early evening.

LOML was a cleaning tornado last night, adding a bit of extra sparkle to a place that is always vastly tidier than my old joint in Chicago. She's at work now, keeping her mind off all the preparations and the myriad of things that could go wrong. (Delegation is a hard thing for her.)

Me? I'm entering this last blog entry for awhile.

Pray for us, if you would. I'll see y'all again October 17.

Two New Blogs in the Blogroll

I've linked to BizzyBlog and Stones Cry Out this morning. BizzyBlog can be thought of as the business section of the blogosphere. Stones Cry Out features news and commentary from a Christian point of view, and I occasionally comment there, as well has link back to them (and sometimes vice versa).

Harriet Miers for SCOTUS

I can't say as I've ever heard of her. Paul over at Power Line says that she never would have been picked if a) she wasn't a woman, and b) a Bush associate. John is cautiously optimistic that she is a Conservative. Time will tell.

Confirm Them has some posts already about Miers's judicial philosophy. She sounds like a person who will read the text of the Constitution without trying to find anything eminating from the penumbra.

Bench Memos has a great deal up already, including several from K-Lo. A reader of theirs posited this:

Don't worry, it's all just a Rovian strategy to pick someone who has little apparent qualifications so the Dems can spend all their capital attacking her. Eventually, Bush will give up and she won't be confirmed. Then, he announces his TRUE pick, and the public runs out of patience for the dems trying to defeat two in a row. Eh? Eh?

I doubt it. Bush is loyal to a fault. He wouldn't gratuitously hang someone out to dry.

How about this, which goes toward the Bush cronyism angle: "She was National Co-Chairman of Lawyers for Bush-Cheney in 2000 and helped manage the Bush v. Gore litigation effort." Confirm Them's Krempasky sounds underwhelmed, but it could become a rallying point for the loony left nonetheless. "Who's next?" they will cry out "Ken Starr?!" (Sounds good to me. Or Bork. -- Ed.)

I was hoping for McConnell, if for no other reason than to stick it to everyone who said it just had to be a woman replacing O'Connor. He's also supposed to be a good First Amendment guy, who would be just the kind of guy to help straighten out the previous Court's hash of church/state decisions.

Hugh's Bummed

Hugh is bummed. The White Sox swept the Indians at the Jake to eliminate them from the playoffs.

I'm a little bummed, too. After the great first half that the White Sox had, and the great second half of the season that the Tribe had, I really wanted both to make it to the playoffs.

I don't know if the Indians ran out of gas, or if the pressure got to them. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Whatever it was, the playoffs will be a little less fun without CWS's division rivals.