Pigeon-brained espionage

With the election over I turned my attention to other news to catch up on the important, the mundane, the inconsequential and the weird. The Israel News (ynetnews.com) had a report that in late October Iranian security forces had seized two “spy pigeons” near two nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran. Reportedly “metal rings and invisible strings” were attached to one of the birds. (Iranian sources did not clarify how the “invisible strings” could be seen.) Iranian sources say it is possible these birds were being used to spy on the nuclear facilities. They have been turned over to defense officials.

This in itself is not evidence of paranoia in Iran or of a breakdown in mental health or over indulgence in Columbian pharmaceuticals. Last year Iranian police commander Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam reportedly confirmed that 14 squirrels were arrested for espionage and found equipped with the spy gear of foreign agencies. They were stopped before they could act; another triumph for Iranian intelligence services.

I have no first-hand knowledge of spy pigeons, metal rings, invisible strings or squirrels equipped with spy gear. But, in a book* earlier this year, Robert Wallace and Keith Melton told of a CIA plan years ago to use a cat to eavesdrop on an Asian head of state during strategy sessions with his aides. Cats wandered in and out of the rooms and were so common in the region they were usually ignored. The Agency came up with a plan to put a microphone in the ear of the cat, run an antenna wire through his fur and down his back and implant the transmitter and power supply in the base of his skull. A veterinarian’s skillful hands made all this feasible, but after testing and recognizing that the cat handler in the area would have no control over the cat, the project was judged impractical and closed. Maybe the Iranians are reading this book. (*Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s spy techs from communism to Al-Qaeda, Dutton, The Penguin Group, New York.)

Mr. President: Another something to work on

As if we needed another reminder of the terribleness of Alzheimer's, The Wall Street Journal today published the story of a 45-year old man, father of three and former chief financial officer of a hedge fund, who was "diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, capping nearly five years of uncertainty and fear about his increasing forgetfulness and difficulty with language."

Yesterday, in a discussion with a Mt. Pleasant, SC, dermatologist, he told me years ago he suspected a connection between patients' reactions to injections and surgery and the likelihood of the onset of Alzheimer's. He suspected patients who openly expressed themselves in often vulgar language about the pain and discomfort were likely to eventually be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Years later his continuing experience in his practice supports this early assessment.

Earlier this year a retired minister at an Alzheimer's conference said when his wife came down with the disease she often uttered words which shocked him, their family and close friends. This was the release of inhibitions exhibited by some Alzheimer's patients.

After the Journal article appeared I looked at the WSJ web site for comments. I was not unduly surprised. Alzheimer's " is the worst disease to which I have ever been exposed, " wrote one daughter whose mother was stricken.

Another wrote, "It destroyed my father who fell into isolation, alcohol and depression at the loss of his life partner and died a year later believing he was being punished by God. What could he have possibly done to deserve this?" Alzheimer's is "a thief of the present and works backward taking your life one grain of sand at a time."

A third said "always keep your eye on the spouse because it takes a horrible toll. We focus on my dad and are helping him move to “Act II” of his life without mom."

After the onset of my wife's Alzheimer's, I spoke with a care giver's advocate. She told me the most important thing for me to do was "to take care of" myself. There is no cure for Alzheimer's - although the search goes on in limited ways. "If the caregiver goes down, everyone goes down," she said. "

So it is in the Journal story today. The wife's life has been turned upside down; she has had to return to the work place; her children's lives have been affected (no one can accurately know the short and long term effects); her husband takes cabs to the golf course and hitches rides home from strangers thereby threatening his own security.

(A friend of mine was found one day more than 100 miles from home and did not know how he got there or where he was. His Alzheimer's diagnosis came shortly thereafter.)

We need a national effort to unlock the secrets of Alzheimer's and discover a cure. The Journal estimates there are more than 500,000 people living with the disease and other forms of dementia "at an atypically young age." We ought not to dress it up with the language of war (e.g. war on poverty, drugs, crime, illegal immigration, etc.) but we need fresh eyes on the disease and potential preventatives or cures.

I hope this will become part of the new administration's efforts to restore America to humane greatness.

The Week That Was

UpDate: Click on either picture to see a larger image.

Today at Franke at Seaside the active lifestyle community held its weekly forum to discuss current events and comment on the past week. The election was a major feature today and the many Republicans in the forum were treated to a Democratic demonstration by myself.

Time to Saddle Up

Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States of America. Let us all saddle up and ride with him to make our country again the greatest in the world in all respects. Senator John McCain ran a decent and honorable race; he has pledged his support to the President-elect; who can do otherwise?

Anne's Kids - Oct. 2008

Anne's Kids met at The Haven by the Sea, Wells Beach, ME.

Pictured are (l to r): Walter, 3rd child, Barbara, 1st, Charlie, 5th,

Carol, 4th and Francis, 2nd. This is the second reunion of Anne

Archibald's kids in the last three years.

SC Delegation's Bailout Votes

Congressmen Henry Brown, James Clyburn, Bob Inglis, John Spratt and Joe Wilson voted for the $700 billion financial services bailout legislation and Congressman J. Gresham Barrett voted against it. The measure failed 205-228 and the future is uncertain.

Let's Hold "Em Accountable

It is time to pass along the word about how the majority of our Congressmen and Senators in South Carolina do not support active and retired federal employees with their votes. They give us lip service at home and go to Washington and forget us.

In the last Congress five issues were identified by NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees) of interest to these employees and the four Republican congressmen (Henry Brown, Joe Wilson, J. Gresham Barrett and Bob Inglis) voted against all except one (three of them voted to over ride President Bush’s veto of legislation that would prevent a cut in Medicare physician payments and increase payments to physicians). Mr. Barrett even voted against that one, so his NARFE rating is zero. The other three Republicans have a 20% rating having voted for the NARFE position once in five efforts.

The two Democratic congressmen (John Spratt and James Clyburn) voted favorably on all five issues identified by NARFE, 100 percent of the time.

In the U.S. Senate, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham voted against the NARFE position two out of three times and in the third instance did not vote. Republican Senator James DeMint voted against the NARFE position two out of three times and supported it once (a motion to invoke cloture and cut off debate on an amendment.)

All Congressmen and Senator Graham are up for re-election in November and it is time to hold them accountable for their votes…and at a minimum they ought to be asked to explain them when they are campaigning around the State.

More details are at www.narfe.org. Copies of the October NARFE magazine, that contains the details of these votes may be found in local libraries and at meetings of NARFE Chapters in your area.

In Memoriam

During a visit to my local grocery store I learned to my extreme grief from the Assistant Manager that Capt. John Derst raisin bread is dead and gone. The AM said a decision had been made to stop production, no reason given by the Derst man who gave him the news. Me and the AM think this a sad moment, each of us having enjoyed eating the bread for many years. The Derst bakery was founded in Savannah in 1867. Many the nights I sat up late watching a John Wayne cowboy flick, and put a couple of slices of CJD raisin bread in the toaster, lathered each piece with peanut butter and enjoyed the Duke beating the hell out of some bad guy who threatened to kill a young cowboy, rape a maiden or steal a cow. Those were moments to savor. Now such moments have gone the way of five cent cigars and 19 cents gasoline. The Derst bakery business was taken over by Flowers Foods in 2006.

Caught by a bird

(Letter to the Editor, The Post & Courier, Chas. SC, published Sept. 4, 2008)
In his Aug. 28 column, Bryce Donovan said “The prize ornithological catch in the Francis Beidler Forest is what is known as a prothonotary warbler…”

The prothonotary warbler also helped catch a Communist agent in the State Department. In the late 1940s members of the House Committee on Un-American Activities quizzed Whittaker Chambers, a confessed Communist agent, in a closed session about his relationship with Alger Hiss.

Chambers said when Hiss worked at the U.S. State Department he gave classified government information to Chambers to pass on to Moscow.

Chambers told the congressmen several personal things about Hiss in order to convince them of Chambers association with Hiss back in the 1930s. Chambers related Hiss’ excitement one day at having seen a prothonotary warbler in the Washington, D.C. area. This was an extremely rare viewing.

Later when the committee questioned Hiss who steadfastly denied knowing Chambers, one of the congressmen was sitting quietly at the end of the table taking it all in. When it came his time to ask a question he seemed to be more interested in Hiss’ bird watching than associating with a communist agent.

He asked Hiss if he had even seen a prothonotary warbler. Hiss fell into the trap. He related how and when he had seen the bird and how thrilled he was, even to that day, since the warbler was hardly ever seen anywhere except in the Deep South.

What we got the last time

The last time a presumptive Republican president chose an unknown state governor for his running mate we got Spiro Agnew. Now we got the Governor of Alaska, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Too Ugly for Beijing

How would you like to go through life having been told by the highest authority in your country that you were too ugly to sing in public? This is what happened to sever-year old Yang Pelyl at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. She sang the "Ode to the Motherland" while a nine-year old girl lip-synced it on stage in front of 91,000 attendees and a world-wide TV audience. A member of the Chinese Politburo ordered the switch because Pelyl was said to be too chubby and had crooked baby teeth.

Contrast this with President Harry Truman's conduct more than 60 years ago. He told a young heckler to shut up and sit down in a public forum. Then worried that the young man would carry that chastisement through life, Truman had the Secret Service round up the man. The President talked with him, listened to the man, apologized for snapping at him and sent him on his way. The young man walked away with a smile on his face. The story was released to the media on Truman's orders.

Brett Favre - Green Bay Packers

My youngest child asked me recently for my take on the Brett Favre situation. She said her husband who knows of my great admiration for Favre is curious. The question forced me to pull my thoughts together on the great Green Bay Packers quarterback and his decision to “Un-retire” and play again.

Several years ago some players squawked about their contracts and wanted them enhanced. Favre was quoted as saying that men ought to keep their word and live up to the contracts as written. My reaction to his retirement is in the same vein: he made his decision and told everyone who needed to know. Based on this the Packers leadership made their decision to go with his backup, Aaron Rogers, and begin a new era. Now Favre wants to play again and be the number one QB at Green Bay. I love Brett Favre for all the thrills he gave us over the years and for leading the Packers back to the Super Bowl. But I also believe he should live up to his decision. He gave his word he was done. Let it be. The Packers owe him more than money can ever repay but they too have rights and other obligations. They should not backtrack at this late stage and tell Rogers he has to sit again for another year. It is not fair to that young man. His time has come. He deserves the chance to prove himself.

The Packers also ought not to have trade Favre to his team of choice if in doing so they will endanger their changes of winning the division title and going on to the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl. The whole thing may play out next week and be resolved in a matter of days. What ever Favre does, including playing elsewhere for someone else, I will continue to admire his accomplishments, but I will also continue to be a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

Save the mice?

"Dear Editor:
"Are we on the verge of losing our collective minds in America? First it was save the whales and then the bobtails. Now someone has come up with a plastic water bottle gizmo that humanely catches and holds "the live mouse until you release it." (Home and Garden Section, pg 1D, July 13 Post & Courier).

"What do we do with this probably disease-carrying live mouse? Take it to a neighbor's yard or to the waterfront and put it on a container ship headed for the South China Sea or the Adriatic?

"And what does this mean to the role of cats in our lives?"

(My Ltr to the Editor, The Post & Courer, Charleston SC, published July 22, 2008)

ANWR = 4 cents a gallon?

Harper's Magazine has an impressive track record for research so it comes as somewhat of a surprise when the editors say (August 2008, pg. 13, Harper's Index) research indicates that the "Estimated amount by which per-gallon gas prices would change if the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were drilled" is a minus four cents per gallon.

The green area in the photo is the area proposed for drilling.

Happy 4th of July

(Lyrics (originally a poem) by Katherine Lee Bates.)
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

Did he get a watch?

Yesterday the third richest man in the world, Bill Gates, (lower left in the photo) retired from his 33-year job at Microsoft and moved on to philanthrophy. Question: Did he get a gold watch?

Slicing your banana

This is the results of an unscientific study over a period of years and my final conclusion:

Based on my personal research involving the use of many knives and bananas and careful involvement in such activity, it is my contention that it is highly unlikely and practically impossible for a man to slice a banana into a bowl without putting at least one piece of the banana into his mouth during the slicing.

George Carlin dies

The media are reporting this morning that George Carlin the standup comedian who pushed the envelope for more than 50 years has died following health and heart problems. I enjoyed George's adult humor over the years and will miss seeing his occasional HBO specials. His case over the "seven words you can't say on television" went to the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled the words were indecent but not obscene. He delighted in doing a monologue on that subject and those words. One of his recent amusing, sarcastic comments was: "Doesn't it strike you as mildly ironic that most of the people who are against abortion are people you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place?"

Good for health and pocketbook

Walking is good for my health and today it was good on my pocketbook. At a yard sale I bought an almost new walker and transporter chair for use by my wife Mary. The walker comes with a seat she can use if she tires and it has a basket beneath the seat to carry things. The chair is lightweight, has folding handles, removable food pads and will go in the trunk of a car quite easily. The seller started at $80, I came back at $60 and we settled on $70 for the two. Each of these aides for handicapped people easily go for somewhere around $200 each.

500

Hoist a glass for Manny. He hit #500 Saturday night in Baltimore and joined a short list of only 24 men who have hit that many home runs in their careers.

Suite Dreams?

I believe $30,000 for a night's stay in any hotel room is evidence of mental instability, and $47,000 a night - even in Cannes - ought to be grounds for immediate involuntary commitment to a rubber room. Yet there are such places, and people who pay to use them, according to The Wall Steet Journal today (May 28, 2008, pg D1).

One of these places, in the Waldorf Astoria in New York, is called the Presidential suite and has been temporary home to very president since Herbert Hoover. Our prez, however, negotiates a "government rate" for each stay. Does this mean he pays some eighty dollars a night, like a Army corporal on temporary duty somewhere?

What makes a hotel room, even for a President or a mogul from some oil-rich country, or some celebrity not known for trashing premises (known trashers are excluded), worth that kind of money?

Suppose you simple want to impress some chick, or some guy, do you take her/him to Cannes in the expectation that sex will be that much better at $47,000 a night than elsewhere for a grand or two, or even a toss in a nearby Ramada for two hundred bucks?

There are lesser accomodations, some in the $5 to $12 thousand range, all the way from Dubai to Washington but if once you stay at some $30,000 dig these might feel like Motel 6.

Yesterday I looked at some old family pictures. One showed our young daughter sleeping on a blanket on a carpeted floor in a motel more than 30 years ago when we were on vacation. She had been sharing a bed with her sister but went to the floor during the night. It was customary to have the girls and boys double up when we travelled to cut expenses. I wonder if for $5, $12, $30 or $47 thousand dollars a night, there would be separate beds for each family member. If you get to check it out, let me know.

Memory trigger for Alzheimer's patients

I was thrilled yesterday when the keynote speaker at the Alzheimer’s Association 7th annual Elks educational conference in North Charleston asked me to write up my son’s “great idea” to trigger memories for his mother, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Jolene Brackey, author of “Creating Moments of Joy,” and leader of her organization, Enhanced Memories, made the request after I described for her and the several hundred people at the conference my son’s accomplishments. “I want to remember this great idea and pass it along,” she said.
Last week Patrick came to my apartment and carried away nine medium sized boxes of family photos and 35mm slides going back almost sixty years. Some of the photos, packed in shoe boxes, were taken before Mary and I ever met. We joked this was a five-year project he was undertaking.
I underestimated Patrick’s interest and skills. By Sunday he had taken a sampling of the collection, digitized them with a scanner into his computer. From there he loaded them onto an Apple TV box which he bought as a Mother’s Day gift earlier in the month.
The box he hooked up to the TV in Mary’s room at Skilled Nursing at Franke at Seaside. We have shown the aides how to use the source button on the TV remote to trigger the show and bring on memories for Mary.
Some of our other children and a grandson have watched these images with their mother, as have I, and laughed at the memories and the times. It is amazing how clothes, hairdos, and appearances have changed. Birthday parties, summer trips, our wedding, Christmas celebrations, etc. are all in this collection and more will come in the future.
These converted photos and slides may be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/patrick.archibald Look for “FXA Batch, etc.” There are ten batches currently digitized.
The conference was held at Charleston Elks Lodge #242. Alzheimer’s has been the Elks major state project since 1997. Their slogan is, “Elks working for those who cannot remember.”

Bad news about a friend

The news about Senator Edward Kennedy's malignant brain tumor saddened me tremendously. It is as if it were an intimate and close friend about whom the sad news rolled over the world.

Jesus is Coming - Look busy

Today four adventurous souls living/working at Franke at Seaside walked to the high point on the Ravenel bridge between Mt. Pleasant and Charleston. This is a monthly event offered for residents. I took some digital photos along the way and you may see these the site listed below the picture. I am the man in the black shirt- - which I bought at a George Carlin performance. (If clicking on the URL does not take you to the web site, cut and paste it in your address box.)
http://picasaweb.google.com/archinsc/BridgeWalk05142008 .

Looking to the future

"A few years ago the National Science Foundation put out a scary and much- discussed statistic. In 2004, the group said, 950,000 engineers graduated from China and India, while only 70,000 graduated from the United States. But those numbers are wildly off the mark. If you exclude the car mechanics and repairmen - who are all counted as engineers in Chinese and Indian statistics - the numbers look quite different. Per capita, it turns out, the United States trains more engineers than either of the Asian giants."

"We are living through the third great power shift in modern history. The first was the rise of the Western world, around the 15th century....The second shift which took place in the closing years of the 19th century, was the rise of the United States....During this Pax Americana, the global economy has accelerated dramatically. And that expansion is the driver behind the third great power shift of the modern age - the rise of the rest."

The foregoing are from the upcoming book "The Post-American World," by Fareed Zakaria, a regular contributor to Newsweek magazine. His book is excerpted in the May 12, 2008, issue and the article is well worth reading. I am looking forward to the book itself, due soon in bookstores everywhere free men and women think for themselves.

Hoisting the banner

The banner hung on the Green Monster in Fenway Park at the opening of the season commemorating the 2007 World Series victory may be bigger than mine but mine was hung with the same pride and joy felt in Boston. My banner is on the wall outside my apartment door in the Trailside Building at Franke at Seaside, Mt. Pleasant, SC, where it has already received a couple of compliments. Two of my sons gave me this during last weekend. A friend suggested a cafe curtain rod (instead of a dowel) and I added a light gold chain to the rod.

Wachovia

I believe KEN THOMPSON,Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wachovia Corporation, who has been in his current position for the past eight years ought to take a 40 percent cut in his annual compensation - since that is the amount Wachovia cut stockholders' dividends today.

All in a row

On my exercise walk this morning I watched a band of ducks, approximately 20 of them, paddle two abreast across the lagoon in our subdivision. When they reached a certain point they switched to single file and made a looping turn and went down the length of the waterway. It was a classic manuever that would have made a drill sergeant at Parris Island proud. It was an enjoyable moment.

An Irish Tale

I got the following from my sister who got it from a friend who passed if on from a friend, etc. etc. With St. Patrick's day around the corner it seems appropriate to be telling Irish tales. Hope you enjoy:

IRISH BIRTH CONTROL

Mrs. Donovan was walking down O'Connell Street in Dublin when she met up with Father Flaherty.
The Father said, 'Top o' the mornin' to ye! Aren't ye Mrs. Donovan and didn't I marry ye and yer hoosband 2 years ago?' She replied, 'Aye, that ye did, Father.'
The Father asked, 'And be there any wee little ones yet?'
She replied, 'No, not yet, Father.'
The Father said, 'Well now, I'm going to Rome next week and I'll light a candle for ye and yer hoosband.'
She replied, 'Oh, thank ye, Father.' They then parted ways.
Some years later they met again. The Father asked, 'Well now, Mrs. Donovan, how are ye these days?'
She replied, 'Oh, very well, Father!' The Father asked, 'And tell me, have ye any wee ones yet?'
She replied, 'Oh yes, Father! Three sets of twins and 4 singles, 10 in all!'
The Father said, 'That's wonderful! How is yer loving hoosband doing?'
She replied, 'E's gone to Rome to blow out yer fookin' candle.'

New Phone #

Some people cannot organize a two-car funeral. That's an old, worn thin bromide but it applies from time to time. Case in point, my new cable TV, Internet and telephone provider said they would capture from my old provider (who does not cover my current area) the phone number we had for over 40 years at our home in Hanahan. Today, they admitted they failed and shifted the fault to failure to follow procedures, although they never revealed the procedures when they connected the three services. Case of one hand not knowing what the other one is doing. Anyhow, they apologized, threw some dollars my way and the temporary phone # they gave me at hookup is now my permanent land line. So if you would like to chit chat you may reach me at 843 388 7576 (old girl friends, bill collectors, and those wishing to borrow money should continue to call me at the old #.)

Farewell to Hanahan

An 0pen Letter (The Hanahan, Goose Creek, and North Charleston News, February 27, 2008)
Farewell to Hanahan

Dear Editor:

Forty-eight years ago, fresh out of the Air Force, Mary and I and two sons came to live in Hanahan. Now we are leaving and could not just slide out of town without expressing what these 48-years in Hanahan have meant for us.

There could not have been a better place to live and raise a family; (three additional children were born during these years.) This is not an idle statement made by uninformed people. Mary and I were blessed to be curious. We traveled around the world and lived temporarily in Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa. Always we came back to Hanahan happier than before.

The Hanahan schools and our church prepared our children for life’s challenges, college work and exciting career opportunities. Religious education, local sports and activities, high school sports and band programs, each contributed to making our family’s lives richer in so many ways.

Mary’s involvement in community, school, church and social activities provided some of the most pleasurable moments in her life. Her contributions helped to make Hanahan the best of places for us. She was proud early on to be dubbed, “Frankie’s mother.” The title stuck forever.

I could not have asked for more than the friendships, love and trust given to me. I was privileged to lead the Exchange Club to its first Big “E” award, to be elected to city council, to serve as city judge and to win three terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Recently our son, James, told me he looks around his world and sees spouses and children passing each other like ships on the high seas. He said, “They all eat dinner at different times and spend hardly any time together. I recall how all those years at five-thirty every day we sat at the table, seven people, and ate the evening meal. The day was reviewed. We were congratulated and corrected. Advice, wisdom, humor and love were dispensed. Those were the greatest days of our lives. That is the reason nothing is more important to all of your children than the concept of family.” This concept of family was made possible by life in Hanahan.

Now we start another adventure. Mary lives in Assisted Living at Franke at Seaside and I am taking an apartment there so we can be on the same campus and together daily, as we have been in Hanahan. Physically, we leave – emotionally, we will always be a part of Hanahan, the best place to live and raise a family.

Francis X. Archibald

E-mail.address/phone update

Hello Friends and associates:
I have changed my e-mail to: arch@archibald99.com.
My address has also changed after 44 years. It is now: 1700 Franke Drive, Apr 105, Mt Pleasant SC 29464-3986
Phone: 843 553 1607 (May not connect for 10 days. Being "captured" from previous service provider.

Push polling against Hillary

Got a push polling telephone call this morning alleging that some former FBI agent said Hillary Clinton in 1993 yadda, yadda, yadda. I hung up before I could determine if the push polling favors Barack Obama or John Edwards. I would lean to Edwards' benefiting because African-Americans are unlikely to cite FBI agents as paragons of truth, justice and the American way. The push poller and who paid him are unknown but in the end the question is, "Who benefits?"

PsyOps in Green Bay

PsyOps, long thought as the domain of the CIA and military intelligence, are part of the Green Bay Packers bag of tricks. In the first quarter of Saturday's game against Seattle, temperature 31 degrees and snowing, the Green Bay employee who drove the cart used to take injured players off the field was wearing short pants as he drove an injured Seattle player to the clubhouse. Seattle players and sideline personnel stared at him as they stood shivering in the cold.

Reflections

As the new year dawns and the old one drops away, newspapers, magazines, talk shows, and, yes, even blogs are expanding the list of "ten's." My local paper had the ten top news stories of the year nationally, statewide and locally, which is really 30 in all. Then there are the ten best people and the ten worst, the ten best TV shows, and the ten we would like to forget quickly. The ten best movies and the ten that went straight to DVD in the middle of the night. Look long enough at little league, high school, colleges and even the pros and there is an endless list of tens just below the surface. My dentist, and probably yours as well, could come up with his/her ten best and ten worst mouths of the year. The possibilities are without limit. It is akin to staring into a black hole. I started to write my top ten list of the major personal events of the year but they turned out to be depressing or fleeting or fell into the "who the hell cares?" category. Just let me say my wife is doing fairly well in her Assisted Living facility; I have our house on the market and hope to join her on the same campus (in an Active Lifestyle apartment) in 2008. Our children and grand children are all doing well. We appreciate the many cards and well wishes received from so many good and long time friends throughout the year. We wish one and all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

By-pass Japan - save time!

If you are planning to visit Japan after November 20 be prepared for a long wait at the airport or seaport. The country will begin finger-printing and photographing all visitors from that date. This is somehow supposed to increase security in that country. Sounds to me like a real pain in the a**, especially if you have a visa you obtained from one of their embassies or consulates outside the country.

Champions, Again

Jonathan Papelbon jumped for joy after striking out the last batter in the last inning of the fourth and last game of the 2007 World Series. The Red Sox closer got the final five outs in the game played Sunday night in Denver and won by the Red Sox 4-3 for their second World Series championship in four years after waiting 86 years. The flag on the Green Monster honors the 2004 Championship team. Another flag is in order and will likely be unveiled soon.

Why Al Won't run

Al Gore is unlikely to run again (for the Presidency). His ideas are catching on, but people still don't want to pay for them.
"Besides Mr Gore, however, no plausible candidate of either party favours a carbon tax, the most efficient way to tackle emissions. (Chris Dodd, a Democrat, does, but he surely won't win.) Voters prefer solutions that are either cheap or that they think will be paid for by someone else. A poll for the New Scientist magazine in June tried to quantify this, with sobering results. Only half of Americans would favour rules to force power companies to emit less if that raised their monthly electricity bill from $85 (the average in 2005) to $155 (an estimate of the hike needed to lower American emissions by 5% by 2020). And only 37% could stomach a tax that raised petrol (gasoline) prices to $4 a gallon. That would be an unprecedented hardship for Americans but barely half what the stuff now costs in Britain.
"This is why Mr Gore talks more bluntly now than he ever did on the campaign trail, and why no serious presidential contender echoes him. You cannot win the White House by telling Americans that they must pay more to drive, or by telling Midwestern coalminers that their industry must clean up or die. But if candidates do not prepare America for the cost of tackling climate change, the next president will have no mandate to impose it. Now that's an inconvenient truth."
(The foregoing, excerpted from The Economist, October 20, 2007, pg. 48, sums up, in my opinion, why Al Gore won't run again.)

Sign says it all

Unbelievable

So help me Jesus, this is from The New York Times, Oct. 18, 2007: "The Portland (Maine) school board on Wednesday approved a measure allowing middle-school students to gain access to prescription birth control medications without notifying parents." About five of the school's 500 students reported themselves as being sexually active. What are we coming to?

South Carolina's Congressional Scrooges

One need not travel to Washington to learn how their congress person votes on critical issues. The results are announced immediately over the airwaves (and usually on the following Sunday The Post & Courier runs a graph reflecting the votes.) On Thursday next there will be one of these important votes when the House of Representatives considers President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The President says the current version of the bill is too expensive to continue. He doesn't remind us of his (and other Republican scrooges) philosophical opposition to all government-run health care. (Look up who voted against Medicare forty years ago.) SCHIP only happens to be their latest victim. When he was Governor of Texas, Mr. Bush unsuccessfully sought to limit access to the original SCHIP. In other words he has a track record against helping needy families with insurance coverage for children. By-the-by, during the period 2003-2005, Texas had the highest rate of uninsured children among the states. These numbers started growing long before 2003.

I will bet you right now, however, that the four Republican congressmen from South Carolina on Thursday will again buy into the President's nonsense and vote against needy children and families. They did so when the bill was originally passed in the House, and they voted 'Nay'. They will give a Scrooge-like kick in the pants to needy children, and hope for a photo-op at the next White House barbecue standing next to the 'compassionate conservative.'

It is difficult as hell to understand how Republicans claim they are for less spending and smaller government and yet have spent more money in the six years they were in charge of the White House and congress (2001-2006) than the Democrats did in any corresponding six years when they had control of the White House and the Congress. The Party of reduced spending and limited government has turned out to be afflicted with the same spending-like-a-drunken sailor mentality as any other political party. I believe this has to do with the idea that when you are in power your supporters (e.g. insurance companies, doctors, banks, etc. ) expect to be rewarded. Too bad needy children can't vote.

Waste not, want not

This morning when I sat down with my coffee and newspapers I decided to also have some toast and jam to enhance the start of a new day. A loaf of fresh raisin bread was waiting to be opened. I bought it yesterday with the anticipation of how good it would taste this morning. Right beside it, however, was a wrapper holding only the two crusts from a loaf of whole wheat bread that I have been eating on this past week. This loaf of bread had passed its sell-by date on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday (October 2). What to do? Give in to my hedonistic nature, or remember the words of my late mother: "Waste not, want not. Clean your plate. Children are starving in Ethiopia and China."

In conversations with friends and strangers over the past twenty years since I turned 50 I have been amazed to hear played back to me some of the same admonitions and bromides that were pounded into my head by my mother. (My father took French leave when I was a small child.) I wonder if my grandparents pounded these things into my mother's head? Worst, did me and my wife do the same thing to our children? The burden of it all. Some of these things hack at you more than the Ten Commandments. Everyone breaks one or two of those occasionally but you can tell God you're sorry, do a little penance and get back in His good graces. But the starving children in Ethiopia are always with us. When I was a youngster I could not understand how children could be starving in Ethiopia, a country that whipped Mussolini when he was at the height of his power. But here this morning in the early days of the 21st Century those starving children haunt me still. As a child I wouldn't dare tell my mother (unless I was already on a plane and it was airborne) "send them this food." But I'll be damned if today I wasn't still in the clutches of those anonymous starving urchins.

Into the shelters - not me

Perhaps you are old enough to remember newsreel pictures of Londoners (men, women and children) seeking shelter from German bombs by sleeping in subway stations (the tube in London-speak) night after night, huddled on thin mattresses, fully clothed, side by side, from one end of the platforms to the other, breathing each other’s air. Probably two to three hundred people in each station. Alternatively, you may have seen such scenes in movies.

All this comes to mind as I read (The Post and Courier, Sept. 28, 2007, pg 1AA) the story and view a picture of a 10 acre underground quarry being readied in Huntsville, Alabama, to shelter 20,000 people from the threat of nuclear terrorism by al-Qaida or some other terrorist group. Even if I move to Alabama (highly unlikely) I am not crawling into some hole with 20,000 other people, probably mostly strangers, not one-percent of whom are on my Christmas card list and sharing this cave with them and the colony of bats currently in residence. I only intend to be with 20,000 people in above ground, open venues such as Fenway Park or Lambeau Field. I stopped going to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center some time back because the place - in my opinion - is a fire trap. The 24 rows in the auditorium are too long (they progressively widen from 30 to 66 seats) and lack intervening front to rear aisles to facilitate orderly, expeditious entering or exiting.

Officials in Huntsville are using $70,000 they got from Homeland Security to kick-start this project; despite the fact that Congress cut off funding for shelters after the fall of the Soviet Union and the federal government hasn’t published its latest list of approved shelter in 15 years. What has gotten into these people, those who dreamt up this asinine project and those who funded it? Congress ought to put a stop to this right now before a couple of million dollars is requested and awarded to carry this project forward. Are you listening Representatives Henry Brown and James Clyburn, and Senators James DeMint and Lindsay Graham?

How did she know

Every since I hooked onto the internet eons ago my e-mail inbox has received SPAM messages touting alleged sex enhancement products. Lately they come with an opening line to wit: "My wife complained my Johnson was too small. Look at what I did." I don't do much looking but instead send back queries along the lines of, "How did she know? Who was she comparing you with?"

First sight - only 10 days after Labor Day

I went to Wally-Mart today and while shopping for toothpaste the sound of a child's laughter attracted my attention. When I turned my eyes blinked quickly at the first sight this year of Christmas decorations: Santa Claus, elves, snowmen, reindeer's; plastic and rubber, blown up, some twirling around, ready for your front or back yard and entertaining greatly a little boy riding in a shopping cart being pushed by a couple of women who were enjoying his excitement and peels of laughter. Christmas goods are coming out earlier each year. It is only ten days after Labor Day. Prediction: by 2010 merchants will start the Christmas season on the Fourth of July!

Integrity remains in fashion

Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, might have more Super Bowl rings than Vince Lombardi but he trails far behind the legendary NFL coach of an earlier time in integrity. I believe he also lacks the self-confidence Lombardi had in himself. When the unknown Lombardi was announced as the choice of the Packers screening committee, a member of the executive board asked , "Who the hell is Vince Lombardi?" When he showed up for work, Lombardi said, "I want it understood that I'm in complete command." And he never looked back, and he never covertly spied on the opposition.

Living with solutions is tough

It is 8:10 on Monday morning, the 10th of September. I have been up three hours, read two newspapers, had two cups of coffee, two slices of Rye toast with strawberry preserves and a lemon tart, put in a load of clothes to wash, taken my exercise walk of 2.9 miles, transferred the clothes to the dryer and am now writing this blog, drinking some water and contemplating the day ahead.
Less than three weeks ago Mary, my wife of 53 years, went to live in an Assisted Living facility where there are good people to give her the medical and physical attention she requires on a 24/7 basis. Since last November when she had her first stroke I have been her primary caregiver. The last ten months have taken a toll on her and me, despite the paid help who came into our home five days a week. Moving Mary into Assisted Living was not an easy decision but it was in her and my best interests and one based on medical recommendations.
A woman I have never met, Jo Horne, has written a nine-point "Caregiver's Bill of Rights" and number one is: "To take care of myself. This is not an act of selfishness. It will give me the capability to take better care of my relative." I never thought of this before my wife got sick. After all our life income was structured so she would be comfortable if anything happened to me. That is if she was up and about and could fend for herself and not have to live with the effects of two strokes and Alzheimer's problems.
The days, weeks, months, and years ahead, will be different from any of life's earlier experiences for Mary and I and our family. These are unchartered waters for us. Thousands of others have dealt with similar problems. We can learn from their experiences and the literature in the field - but these are no guarantee for successfully coping.
"There are no perfect solutions for Alzheimer's problems" and today's decision may look doubtful tomorrow. "Solving problems is easy. It is living with the solutions to those problems that are tough." (Duke Family Support Group, Duke University)

Off we go into the wild blue....

The Air Force is 60 years old this year. Congress and the President made it an independent service in 1947, co-equal with the Army and the Navy. I visited the Air Force memorial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Memorial last weekend and came away much impressed. The memorial is a delight to visit and the Air Force band performed in the cool of the evening before a crowd of several hundred. The band members were neat, trim, slender and sharp in their summer uniforms and the music was delightful. Even more impressive was the high enlisted rank held by the musicians. Two soloists were introduced and each had a masters degree in music and song. With this kind of background it is easy to understand why the Air Force has promoted these enlisted persons into the top ranks.

An old friend from my Air Force service days (1951-1959) accompanied my son (also former Air Force) and my daughter-in-law for the evening. It is a new and exciting Air Force today I am sure, but I am proud to have been a member in those early days that were also new and exciting for us. The Air Force is also where I found my wife of 53 years, and we treasure the memories that bought a Yankee from Lowell, MA, and a shy, Southern girl from Georgetown, SC, together.

Sin pays and viewers enjoy it

I was relaxing at the kitchen table yesterday with a cup of coffee and having already gone through the morning paper I idly re-turned the pages until my eyes focused on a rundown of nine well known "soaps". I started reading and soon I was going through all the summaries. I discovered that the continuing story lines are based on seven cardinal sins widely committed ever since Adam was a lad. Each of these fictional dramas has gone on and on for years, undoubtedly snagging a lot of money for a lot of people - and giving a wierd vicarious experience to what has to be a strange, insatiable audience. I recall my grandmother listening to Stella Dallas on the radio, and there was probably a lot of double entendre that didn't register with a young boy, but I don't believe lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride were as openly paraded as in today's TV offerings. And, of course, radio was a listening experience requiring imagination whereas TV is a visual medium leaving little to the imagination.

Hospitality is lacking in some

A small minority in Charleston has forgotten its manners and run attack ads against Hillary in this morning's paper. Tonight the Democratic debate will be held at The Citadel and feature the leading eight Democratic candidates. This will bring nationwide attention to Charleston, the military college and several hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local business community. This is the first time such a debate has been held in Charleston's long and varied history. It calls for all Charlestonians to be on their best behavior and gracious even when they disagree with a candidate.

Not so for something called the National Black Chamber of Commerce (probably made up of outsiders and a few local folks) which took out a full page ad, complete with spiteful, out of context use of photos, to critically allege and charge Hillary of playing politics with AIDS relief. A ridiculous charge on its face. Her and Bill's efforts to combat this disease are a helluva lot better than most other public personalities.
The other, and smaller, ad by a couple of local citizens asks if Hillary will give Obama a 20 point lead in the Democratic Primary since she supports the University of Michigan which gives a 20 point advantage to applicants whose ancestry is considered desirable for diversity.

I am not going to the Democratic debate tonight and tomorrow when President Bush comes to speak at the local Air Force Base I will also stay home and keep my mouth shut, even though I disagree with him on several matters. For some of us, displaying hospitality is not a major sacrifice.

The cat who ignored me

This morning as I was rounding the far turn on my exercise walk I spotted a cat, light brown and white in color, squatting on her haunches on the cement sidewalk ahead of me. She sat right at the line where the sidewalk joined the residential lawn still wet from the night's rain. She stared straight into the street. As I got closer she turned only her head 90 degrees to the right and looked briefly at my ankles. Satisfied that I was not a four-legged threat she turned back to the left and continued staring into the street. I passed and she did not move. After about ten feet I looked back; she had not moved nor turned her head again. I felt like a commoner passing the royal coach whose Queen would not acknowledge her subject with so much as a glance.

Aim and Fire for $50 mil

A newspaper story this morning reports German people lifting a beer or lingering over a strudel at dessert are likely debating the question if a German soldier sees Osama bin Laden should he arrest him, call an American or aim and fire? Germans remain sensitive to the callous disregard for human life during the Hitler years and don't want to be seen as instant life-takers. In this scenario, however, let's give the whole German nation absolution in advance and urge option three: aim and fire. In fact, if Osama is with some of his buddies throw a grenade and take out the whole bunch. I believe the $50 million reward the American congress has offered for Osama would be payable to a German. As a public service a picture of the $50 mil target is shown here.

For two dollars

"A young man walking up the stairs to a bordello encounters his father coming down the stairs, "Dad" he says, "What're you doing here?" "For two dollars," his father replies, "why bother your mother?" (Joseph Epstein, reveiwing Sin in the Second City, The Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2007, pgP8.)

Mail delivery could be cut, curtailed

The federal government's three primary duties are: defend the shores, deliver the mail and get the hell off our back. Now if they are going to stop delivering the mail (AP story, The Post & Courier, Sat. July 7, 2007) then we ought to see a major reduction in our taxes, not that paltry average $34 we got the last time we were supposedly unburdened.

Happy Holiday

Happy Independence Day to one and all. No matter what comes or goes, America is the greatest place of all!

Oceans 13

It is Sunday morning. I have taken my exercise walk. It is humid this morning and the real feel temperature will be 105 around noontime. On my walk I thought about last night and I am embarrassed that a man of my age would fall for the latest hype, glitz and glamour of Hollywood. I went to see "Oceans 13," the Clooney, Pitt, Damon, etc. sequel to the sequel. What a farce. What a waste. Better I stayed home and washed my socks. (That's a question the CIA asks applicants: would you rather go to a party or stay home and wash your socks?) No one in the film ever breaks a sweat. Geppetto, of Pinochhio fame, could have made wooden dummies for this film. Al Pacino is the bad guy, Willie Bank. He screwed a friend of the Danny Oceans' (Clooney) gang. There is something about men who "shook Sinatra's hand" are not supposed to screw each other. What passes for action is a bunch of guys sitting and standing around talking about taking "revenge" on Pacino (who in any other crime scenario would have shot the lot of them.) Julia Roberts (congratulations on the new baby) is to be admired for having the good sense to stay out of this "Oceans" film. She was in the two earlier films. Ellen Barkin, a one-time sex pot in films and on TV, sadly comes across as a post menopausal broad with large mammilla and she gets turned on because Matt Damon has some scent around his neck. It is hard to believe Barkin and Damon (think mother and son) in a sex scene. The music is good, "Lara's Theme" is part of it. The best, however, is the ending when we hear Sinatra sing "This Town."

Patriotism and getting the message across

Two lawyers for the ACLU, Steven Watt and Ben Wizner, write in a letter in The Wall Street Journal (June 19, 2007, pg A15) that "defending human rights...is not an act of disloyalty in a nation committed to the rule of law" and that recent Supreme Court decisions squarely repudiate the government's position in three 'war on terror' cases. These are not cases involving mere legal technicalities but violations of American core values, according to the writers.

Americans are pre-occupied with salesmanship. Case in point. Gen. David Petraeus, the Army's top man in Iraq, says that sending military officers to civilian universities for Ph.D study opens their mind to four or five sides of an argument. A retired Lt. Colonel says anything beyond a Masters degree risks hurting an officer's battlefield judgement. He says such training led another Lt. Colonel to leave out of a counterinsurgency manual what he felt was an effective tactic: strapping dead insurgents to the front of tanks for locals to see.

# of book readers declining?

Has anyone but me noticed that Time and Newsweek do not regularly have a "Books" section any longer? Both mags review movies and have something called "Culture." I am not sure exactly when "Books" officially disapppeared but after searching several back issues of the two magazines its disappearance is obvious. Perhaps my not missing "Books" earlier exemplifies why it is missing. According to a recent article I read, many daily newspapers have also cut back on the space they devote to book reviews, especially in their Sunday editions. Does this mean the number of book readers is declining? Are TV, CDs and DVDs eclipsing the printed word? I hope not.

Al is on the job

The Paris Hilton saga gets more bizarre. This week, the Rev. Al Sharpton will meet with the sheriff, (who released Paris to home confinement for some unexplained medical reason before she was ordered back to jail by the sentencing judge,) to insure that all prisoners - not just the rich, but the poor, the wretched refuse and the tempest-tost - will get the same consideration if they suffer from unexplained medical problems. Only in America! Ain't this a great country?

Back in the slammer again

Remember Gene Autry's theme song, "Back in the saddle again"? The judge who sentenced Paris Hilton to jail originally must have been humming that as he ordered her back to jail - overturning a decision by the sheriff's office to let her serve her sentence at home. Following my blog item on her release from jail, I heard from four readers to wit:

Money talks in America

I for one am so relieved that poor Paris will do the rest of her time from home. I understand that shecould not even use a face moisturizer during her confinement. Perish the thought.

PLUS--they gave her a whole day off her time for Sunday, when she arrived just before midnight, and yesterday, when she left just after midnight!! So after spending 3 days in the slammer, she gets credit for having served 5. Yikes! Preferential treatment, who would have thought?!

It’s been standard knowledge for many years with working people that the law is made for the poor. Very few rich serve time and if they do, it’s in a luxury prison such as one at Elgin AFB and another one I know of in Louisville, Ky. They have them all over where the VIP's go. I hope the Judge tomorrow makes her serve her time. Otherwise, if I am ever sentenced I will tell them I may not be as rich but I'm a much better person than the tramp called Paris and want the same sentence she got.

California - A Soft Touch

So Paris Hilton, celebrity prisoner of the week, has been released to home confinement after only a couple of days in the lockup in Southern California. Reports are she cried her heart out all the time she was in her 8 x 10 cell, (with commode and sink.) I worked for six years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections and crying never got an inmate a release nor anything else.

Gone with the wind

The storm during the night of June 2, 2007 took this branch off a neighbor's tree (Bradford Pear) and brought it down on mail and paper boxes on the roadside. The good neighbors, Randy and Judy Burbage, have already cleared the road.

Upgrade is truly an upgrade

Lowcountry blogroll, a daily compilation of the offerings of bloggers in and around Charleston (aka: The Holy City) and the South Carolina "Lowcountry", has undergone a simple, sharp, clear, open-faced, easy to read upgrade. The sidebar listing of linked Lowcountry blogs has been doublespaced and moved to the left side of the frame; this permits American's natural reading practices to kick in. Bloggers in other parts of the country and the world can get fresh insights into Charleston and Southern ways via Lowcountry blogroll.

Ted Kennedy - A Little Republican Respect

In a recent speech to a Mississippi civic group, Sen. Trent Lott brought up Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's role on important domestic legislation, including Kennedy's latest push to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
When Lott was finished, a man in the audience came up to him and said: "You did real good. But that part about Kennedy -- don't say that no more."
"He is the number one boogeyman for conservative Republicans," Lott said later of the longtime Democratic senator from Massachusetts. But, Lott added, "he is a good legislator, and you can't take that away from him." Elizabeth Williamson, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, May 30, 2007; A11.

Catch 22, Texas Style

Down in Austin, Texas, a majority of the State House of Representatives is highly dissatisfied with the speaker and would like to replace him. To oust the speaker before his term is up, a lawmaker must make a parliamentary maneuver known as a motion to vacate, and a majority of the House must vote in favor of it. It's called a privileged motion, and a lawmaker must be recognized by the speaker before he or she may speak to the House to make such a motion. The speaker won't do this and claims there is nothing anyone can do about his refusal. The House members were yelling and screaming and fighting with the speaker Friday night until about 1:30am Saturday morning. The parliamentarian and his deputy reportedly resigned.

Who puts these lists together

Some people have the knack for getting right to the bone. Consider Mr. Benjamin Woods of Menlo Park, California. Time published a list of who it considers the 100 most influential people in the world. In Letters to the Editor some agreed, others disagreed and a teacher, understandably, bemoaned the absence of any educators on the list. But Mr. Woods had the last say: "These are supposedly the 100 most influential people in the world, but not a single professional bowler? Who puts these lists together?"

Is it worth it?

A news report tonight said scientists have proven mice can re-grow hair and this offers hope to men losing (or who've lost) their hair. It may not be worth pursuing, however, if you have to grow a tail, crawl around on all fours and rummage around garbage dumps.

The evil ones

David Letterman: "They had another Republican candidate presidential debate last night. Did you see those guys? Did you see the Republican candidates? I mean, they looked like the evil law firm in a John Grisham movie."

Faced with defeat GOPers will desert

A group of 11 moderate Republican congressmen went to the White House yesterday and told President Bush and some of his closest advisors the war in Iraq is hurting GOP chances at the polls in November 2008. Unless the situation improves by late summer or early fall he will begin to lose big support in the House of Representatives, they said. The one cardinal rule all politicians follow is "survival." You can bet your best underwear that any Republican congressman being challenged in November will jump off the ship in a heartbeat when faced with voter disfavor over continued support for a civil war. If the Iraqi assembly takes two months off this summer it is a foregone conclusion the situation in the fall will be no better than it is now: miserable. Our SC 1st district congressman, Rep. Henry E. Brown, was not among the moderates at the meeting. He has been issuing press releases accusing Democrats of undermining the troops in Iraqi by refusing to give President Bush another $100 million without strings. He ignores the fact that the Pentagon has enough money to keep things going well into July and a bi-partisan deal is in the works to provide funding through September when the next appraisal of the war will be made.

The three Cs.....

Something smells. Is it coincidence, collusion or conspiracy that the three strips on the front page of the Sunday comics (The Post & Courier, May 6, 2007) were each about dogs. I have nothing against dogs so long as they stay at home and off my lawn when nature calls. Charles Schultz is dead and the paper is running Classic Peanuts so we can't drag him before the court of public opinion. The other two need close watching. Jim Davis is the creator of Garfield and Lynn Johnston does For Better or For Worse. This is not the first time the leading three strips have had similiar themes on the same day. I don't believe in coincidence any more than I do the Easter Bunny (no Jelly beans arrived at my house this year until after Easter when I bought some on sale at Wal-Mart.) Collusion is a concept better associated with Exxon executives than cartoonists and conspiracy is a Washington beltway trait. Nevertheless this is a matter for serious attention among comics readers and if it happens again soon it might warrant a call to Homeland Security or Al Sharpton, which ever number is in your rolodex.

How success is measured

I thought David Letterman had the best line: the government hasn't caught Osama yet but they caught the madam who was allegedly running a network of hookers. And, one might add, they also have not caught James "Whitey" Bulger.

Death by gunfire

"Since the killing of John Kennedy in 1963, more Americans have died by American gunfire than perished on foreign battlefields in the whole of the 20th century. In 2005 more than 400 children were murdered with guns."
If these two sentences from The Economist, April 21, 2007, (pg 11), don't surprise, shock, enlighten, and make you wonder if we will ever come to our senses about guns in America, then you must be brain dead or callous to the extreme.

Disappointed at dinner

Last night I took a party of seven to the Outback in North Charleston and came away disappointed with the food. This was my favorite restaurant in the North Area for years. For openers the bloomin' onion was overcooked or fried in grease long past its shelf life. It was dark brown and hard, almost brittle, more so than I ever recall.

I ordered my usual - the New York Strip Steak, which is usually rectangular and anywhere from 7/8s to and inch and a half thick (depending on the quality of the restaurant) with a thin strip of fat along one side. (See picture from www.lacensebeef.com/shop/steaks/new-york-strip).

The steak I received was flat like a small pancake and about one-half inch thick, more like a sirloin or rump steak. I sent it back and several minutes later a woman supervisor brought me another identical steak. When I complained this was not a NYSS she told me it was and it looked as it did because of the way I ordered it: "medium well, with just a slight touch of pink in the middle". In 50 or so years of eating New York Strip Steak, I never heard this idiotic comment before.

Food probably lousy, but bombing?

A bomb exploded in the Iraqi Parliament's cafeteria in a stunning assault in the heart of the heavily fortified, U.S.-protected Green Zone Thursday, killing eight people including three lawmakers.
The attack came hours after a suicide truck bomb blew up a major bridge in Baghdad, collapsing the steel structure and sending cars tumbling into the Tigris River, police and witnesses said. At least 10 people were killed.

The little engine who could

In France the railroad set a record of 357.2 mph for a train zipping through the countryside from Paris to Strasbourg as Frenchmen cheered along the route. In Hanahan, SC, where I live, the total speed for the three to six trains a day plodding through the countryside doesn't reach 357 mph, as drivers wait at the crossing and file their nails. (The Japanese hold the record for train speed having reached 361 mph some time ago.)