Terrorists and Yappy Dogs

What do they have in common? Both come from the Middle East.

IGF1, this gene proves it.

Oh, and they are both damned annoying and quite useless.

Wisconsin Wooly Mammoth

Surprising discovery, especially during this winter.

Africans In 4th Century England

Ivory Bangle Lady

I Wonder What The Record Is For A Fifty Six Year Old Male

Kayak journey

Welcome To Egypt, No Photos Period

Now, who ever heard of a tourist destination that did not permit photography? The new rules at Egypt's monuments say no cameras. Very strange, until you see that it is a reaction to the abused rules that prohibited photography in the light sensitive interiors of the old buildings. The guards were taking bribes to allow pictures while the powers that be had put the prohibition in place to protect the treasures. So, now that we understand the why, can we explain the how; as in how is the news set of rules going to prevent photographers from getting what they want anyway? Cannot the guards still be bribed?

In an aside: it seems to me that there is another instance where photography is not allowed at a tourist attraction, but for the life of me I can not recall where that is. A little help?

Google Earth Adds Pompeii

Soon nowhere will be left off their list, nowhere in the free world that is.

I'vee seen my house from street level on their app, though I've changed the color annd some features since they took the pic.

BBC

Google has added Pompeii to its Street View application, allowing internet users to take a 360-degree virtual tour of the ancient Roman city.

Related: Live dig next month open to visitors.

Census 2010, 2011, 2012,2013.................?

Yoo, Bybee Cleared

Former White house lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee have been cleared in the, so called, "torture memos" investigation.

So, this Justice Department, which had prejudged these two before they came to office on the back of Obama's election victory, has had to eat crow! Which they are not swallowing without wallowing that they were still right. The report clears both attorneys and does not discipline them or disbar them; yet, still they feel the need to add that the pair used "poor" judgment. In other words, they are saying, 'well, they were within the law, but we still don't like them; nah, nah, nah!'.

I graduated high school in the same class with Mr. Bybee, Atherton '71, and so this case has been catching my attention from the beginning of the controversy. It is good to see him get justice, vindication. Now, if only those who believe the world is some kind of fairy tale would just stop torturing him (and Yoo) and the rest of us with their incessant and baseless accusations. If only.

Further, it is especially good to see that the terrorist, Zazi, whose case inspired the need for the legal opinions on interrogation methods given by Yoo and Bybee, has entered a guilty plea.

Additionally, so-called Senator, Pat Leahy wants to continue torturing Yoo and Bybee. Leahy can be counted among those who convicted the pair of lawyers before any evidence was seen. His status may allow him to act irresponsibly without consequences to himself, but you wouldn't want him in your foxhole, at best he'd just get in the way of your staying alive.

CBO Says Healthcare Costs Would Rise

Our President

On Retaining Meaning Within Language

How Corrupted Language Moved from Campus to the Real World

I saw the title and never expected the sinister prognosis it delivers.

Basically, the author exposes cases wherein the government has used obtuse language in writing laws, and thus make it nearly impossible for us to know when we are breaking the law? Did I just write that? Orwellian, no? Well, that seems to be his contention.

The respective cultures of the college campus and of the federal government have each thrived on the notion that language is meant not to express one's true thoughts, intentions and expectations, but, instead, to cover them up. As a result, the tyrannies that I began to encounter in the mid-1980s in both academia and the federal criminal courts shared this major characteristic: It was impossible to know when one was transgressing the rules, because the rules were suddenly being expressed in language that no one could understand.

Unbelieveable

Brown Rino Sighting?

I was glad that the Democrat running to fill Ted (The Swimmer) Kennedy's seat lost. And, while Scott Brown was saying the right things, I reserve my enthusiasm for him until he either makes a difference or he makes enough right choices, (even in defeat) to prove out his integrity. Stay the course Scott, be the man you represented yourself as during the campaign.

Of course, the real good news from the recent Massachusetts Senatorial election was that it was needed at all. And, it became necessary only with the death of Chappaquiddick Mick, he wasn't leaving until they carried him out; good riddance Ted.

Americans Support For Israel On Rise

This is good news, and yet another sign that the American people can make the right choice.

For the first time since 1991, more than 6 in 10 Americans -- 63% -- say their sympathies in the Middle East situation lie more with the Israelis than with the Palestinians.

The Nose On Your Face

"News So Fake You'll Swear It Came From The Mainstream Media"

Bronchitis Again

When I get sick it is usually the same ailment, infected sinus, that greenish goo. This time it also includes bronchitis with the coughing bring up the same goo.

I rested all day Sunday and things seemed so much better I had real hope that it would subside within a few days. But, after a full day's work Monday this morning it was back as strong as ever; I am going to the doctor later looking for an antibiotic.

I really need to get it cl;eared up in good order. My work has picked up for the first time since 2008; and my Dad is coming to town next week. I need to be in good shape for both.

As an aside, I ran out of flouoxetine last week, and haven't refilled the script yet. Not sure the reason, the cold, or the absence of medicine; but I have had the most entertaining dreams lately. In them I have thought of people I had not had in mind in years, and I watched as if in a movie theater as I careened through a myriad of implausible or enlightening situations. Very interesting, I wish I could record them for playback again and again.

Update: Made doctor appt. for yesterday, and, naturally woke feeling much better. I transcended the temptation to cancel and got the antibiotic I need to break this thing off. Doxycycline was the script, and right now you can get it for free from Publix. ("We are giving it away, we are dispensing it without charge, there's a difference." the Pharmacist at my local Publix answering my query about why they are giving it away, she didn't really answer my question; did she?) Good thing I stayed the course, worse again today, ten days of med. to get it fixed.

Gollum Diagnosed

He is so precious.

Surprised It Took This Long

A California peak formerly known as Negrohead Mountain has been officially renamed in honour of the black pioneer who settled there in 1869.

Double Take

So, there I was following this camper on my home from work. I notice the walking stick at the ready and the leveling chocks; they my gaze rises. And, to my astonishment, there seems to be a black cat laying atop the spare tire!

Reaction to Obama Explaining The Too Obvious

Am I the only one who is more than tired of hearing President Obama explain things that I already know? Maybe its news to him, but I long ago came to understand how the world works.

I recall that old adage, (goes something like); 'It is better to say nothing than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt'.

Obscure Humor

Had it been that Fred Noonan was of American Indian descent, would the sick joke of those days been?:

Emelia Earhardt tells her navigator they are out of fuel and she must do a forced landing.

Noonan responds, "How, Land? Island?"

John Fahey- America

5:43 of your life you won't want back.

The late guitar great meets The Great Train Robbery.

Saturday Morning Sky

H. Res. 615 Update

In my inbox comes word that Congressman John Fleming is pushing ahead with his measure (HR 615)to force all members of Congress who vote for a "public plan" to themselves enroll in that plan for their health care.

You will be pleased to know that more than 100 Members of Congress joined in support of H. Res. 615, my common sense measure calling on Members who vote for an intrusive government-administered health care plan to enroll in that system. Since launching this effort, nearly 3 million Americans like you have contacted my office in support of H. Res. 615. In response I offered an amendment to the Democratic Leadership health care bill to automatically enroll all Members of Congress and all Senators in the public option. Predictably, my amendment was rejected out of hand by the Majority and was not given a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Keep up the good work Congressman!

Pronunciation, You Can't Get It From A Teleprompter

The "P" Is Silent

I heard this speech live, and was somewhere between shocked and depressed. How can the President of the United States not know the word "corp" has a silent P?

Messiahs are capable of many things, but to expect grammatical perfection is probably a bit much.

Still anyone who has watched the movie Patton has heard it pronounced correctly, "the Corp, the Corp, the Corp". The General issued that pledge at the end of his career, his loyalty to "the Corp" was unquestioned. And, for all of his flaws, he also had an understanding of the American spirit which Obama would do well to emulate. Yes, the mighty O could learn a lot from General Patton; not the least of which is that they are not called "corpsemen".

Cheetah

The title of this post is duplicated from the subject line of an email my friend Shirley sent me; as I told her, when I read it I thought it was another Tiger Woods joke. You the one I mean, he has forsaken the nickname Tiger in exchange for a new nickname, Cheetah. (insert laugh track here)

Okay, enough lame humor. The actual subject of the email was a Daily Mail story about an odd happening on the African plains. A group of cheetahs befriended a young antelope when they could have made him into a meal.

The end of the story suggests the youngster's escape may not be the end of the story. Why, those cats may have played a con!

They knocked it down, but then they lost interest,' said Michel. 'For more than 15 minutes, they remained with the young antelope without doing anything other than licking it or putting their paws on the impala's head.'

Even more extraordinarily, this story has a happy ending - after one tense moment when it looked as though one cheetah would bite the impala on the neck, the youngster ran away.

Let's hope it didn't tell all its friends how nice those big, scary looking cheetahs really are when you get to know them.

Patrick Henry Hughes- Inspirational

I remember a time when I had a lot to say, it seems now that some days I am content to let the piece speak for itself. This is one of those occasions, watch this inspiring video, nothing more need be said.

Tickling My Literal Nature

A carrot to: The Farm at Argghhh!!!

Salon.com Chronicles The Rehab of W's Image

What exactly did Bush and Cheney do wrong?

Beyond all those factual errors, look at what Cohen is saying: Bush "soiled America's image," but what he did was right, just and necessary, and Obama should follow that -- which is essentially what many Democratic Party and media elites are saying as well. Seriously: if you were a Bush follower, wouldn't you feel as though you were owed a major apology for all the accusations and the fuss that came from Democrats and media figures, accusing you of supporting radical and Constitution-shredding policies when, it turns out, they actually crave those policies in order to feel safe?

I always believed this day would come, common sense told me that reality would kick in and convince the left that W's choices were needed. It feels good to be right!