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#46
Friday, March 15
The bounty
We are six months into the war in Afghanistan. We don’t know where bin Laden is, if he is dead (as a result of the bombing), on the move (dodging the bombers) or in hiding. America has put a bounty on his head. It is up to about $30 million US dollars. You would think this would bring some informant out of his hole to betray bin Laden. It certainly would in the United States if he was hiding here and someone knew where. But in Afghanistan, few people have any conception of what $30 million US dollars is. We are talking about a country where the gross domestic product is $800 per capita. It is also possible that no one (Taliban, Al Qaeda or Afghan) has any idea of where to go to strike the deal to get the money. What are the possibilities? Seek out the nearest American troops and try to cut a deal? Slink around the local bazaar and try to find someone from the CIA? Try to find an American consul somewhere who could pony up the dough and throw in a free ride to a place of your choice on an American plane? The bounty sounds good but it is unlikely ever to be paid.
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#45
We are six months into the war in Afghanistan. We don’t know where bin Laden is, if he is dead (as a result of the bombing), on the move (dodging the bombers) or in hiding. America has put a bounty on his head. It is up to about $30 million US dollars. You would think this would bring some informant out of his hole to betray bin Laden. It certainly would in the United States if he was hiding here and someone knew where. But in Afghanistan, few people have any conception of what $30 million US dollars is. We are talking about a country where the gross domestic product is $800 per capita. It is also possible that no one (Taliban, Al Qaeda or Afghan) has any idea of where to go to strike the deal to get the money. What are the possibilities? Seek out the nearest American troops and try to cut a deal? Slink around the local bazaar and try to find someone from the CIA? Try to find an American consul somewhere who could pony up the dough and throw in a free ride to a place of your choice on an American plane? The bounty sounds good but it is unlikely ever to be paid.
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#45
Contrasting colors
What is it with bloggers who use a dark background and a black type? I have seen a couple of these combinations lately and the resulting site is so hard to read. Somewhere there is a color wheel that suggests the best combinations of contrasting colors. Maybe someone knows where on the web it may be found and bloggers could use it.
Send comments to archinsc@comcast.net
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#44
What is it with bloggers who use a dark background and a black type? I have seen a couple of these combinations lately and the resulting site is so hard to read. Somewhere there is a color wheel that suggests the best combinations of contrasting colors. Maybe someone knows where on the web it may be found and bloggers could use it.
Send comments to archinsc@comcast.net
If not already there, visit my website.
#44
Thursday, March 14
Double knockout, hopefully
Tonight at nine on Fox, Tanya Harding and Paula Jones will don boxing gloves and fight each other. Is it too much to hope that they would knock each other out in some stupid combination of lefts and rights?
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#42
Tonight at nine on Fox, Tanya Harding and Paula Jones will don boxing gloves and fight each other. Is it too much to hope that they would knock each other out in some stupid combination of lefts and rights?
If not already there, visit my website
#42
Wednesday, March 13
Bumper publishing
A bumper sticker seen recently: Buck fin Laden
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#41
A bumper sticker seen recently: Buck fin Laden
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#41
Tuesday, March 12
Grand time at the reunion
Mary and I returned yesterday (March 11, 2002) from four days in Naples, Florida, where we attended an "all classes" reunion of my high school (Keith Academy, Lowell, MA). We had a grand time. No outside speakers nor entertainers. Classmates took care of all that, and the "entertainment" was one continuous roll of good, clean humor for almost 25 minutes. The man was in the class of '48, one year ahead of me, and he has been working his act for over 50 years, according to those who know him. For those who were hearing him for the first time he was priceless. One of the attendees was driving a car with a Massachusetts license plate "Chosin" and I told Mary "who ever he is, he's a Marine," and he fought his way out of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. "That's a big part of Marine Corps history," I told her. At dinner Mary was seated next to the man himself. She was thrilled to get to know him. He also was in the class of '48.
Naples is a fascinating community. All the beaches are "public" beaches, although there are hotels and condos up and down the beach. We watched a sunset (at 6:32 p.m., March 8, 2002, Friday evening) from the end of the pier (1000 feet out in the Gulf) and it was beautiful. The man who founded Collier magazine, Trailways, and numerous other successful ventures founded the area. It is called Collier County and is 26 square miles.
One of the places we ate on our own was Mike Ditka's. The food was delicious. We had lunch there and went back for dinner in the evening. Met and talked briefly with Mike. He was very gracious and looked like he could get into the MLB position today.
If not already there, visit my website.
#40
Mary and I returned yesterday (March 11, 2002) from four days in Naples, Florida, where we attended an "all classes" reunion of my high school (Keith Academy, Lowell, MA). We had a grand time. No outside speakers nor entertainers. Classmates took care of all that, and the "entertainment" was one continuous roll of good, clean humor for almost 25 minutes. The man was in the class of '48, one year ahead of me, and he has been working his act for over 50 years, according to those who know him. For those who were hearing him for the first time he was priceless. One of the attendees was driving a car with a Massachusetts license plate "Chosin" and I told Mary "who ever he is, he's a Marine," and he fought his way out of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. "That's a big part of Marine Corps history," I told her. At dinner Mary was seated next to the man himself. She was thrilled to get to know him. He also was in the class of '48.
Naples is a fascinating community. All the beaches are "public" beaches, although there are hotels and condos up and down the beach. We watched a sunset (at 6:32 p.m., March 8, 2002, Friday evening) from the end of the pier (1000 feet out in the Gulf) and it was beautiful. The man who founded Collier magazine, Trailways, and numerous other successful ventures founded the area. It is called Collier County and is 26 square miles.
One of the places we ate on our own was Mike Ditka's. The food was delicious. We had lunch there and went back for dinner in the evening. Met and talked briefly with Mike. He was very gracious and looked like he could get into the MLB position today.
If not already there, visit my website.
#40
Thursday, March 7
Aquinas and Bakker
Thomas Aquinas died on this day in 1274. The boys down at the pub will want to know this.
Tammy Faye Bakker, ex-wife of soiled one time PTL Club leader Jim Bakker, was born on this day in 1942. The boys at the the pub probably won't give a damn!
If not already there, visit my website.
#39
Thomas Aquinas died on this day in 1274. The boys down at the pub will want to know this.
Tammy Faye Bakker, ex-wife of soiled one time PTL Club leader Jim Bakker, was born on this day in 1942. The boys at the the pub probably won't give a damn!
If not already there, visit my website.
#39
Wednesday, March 6
Confusing
Two young men just rode down my street on bicycles. I couldn't tell if they were Mormons or the local police.
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#38
Two young men just rode down my street on bicycles. I couldn't tell if they were Mormons or the local police.
If not already there, visit my website.
#38
Condit gone
When I told my wife Gary Condit had been defeated in the California Democratic primary, she said, "People have more sense than I gave them credit for."
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#37
When I told my wife Gary Condit had been defeated in the California Democratic primary, she said, "People have more sense than I gave them credit for."
If not already there, visit my website.
#37
Spring cleaning the rage
Everywhere it is spring cleaning time and no where is that more evident than in the Red Sox camp. The new owners of the team axed the General Manager a week ago and the field manager yesterday (March 5,2002). As one of the long suffering Fenway faithful, I can only hope the owners can pull it together and put a winner (we are talking about the World Series here) together.
If not already there, visit my website.
#36
Everywhere it is spring cleaning time and no where is that more evident than in the Red Sox camp. The new owners of the team axed the General Manager a week ago and the field manager yesterday (March 5,2002). As one of the long suffering Fenway faithful, I can only hope the owners can pull it together and put a winner (we are talking about the World Series here) together.
If not already there, visit my website.
#36
Tuesday, March 5
Focus
"A ritual of every American recession is that someone gets hung in the public square." Opening sentence in The Wall Street Journal editorial (March 5, 2002) against stringing up "the accountants (at Arthur Anderson) as a way of letting everyone else off the Enron hook."
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#35
"A ritual of every American recession is that someone gets hung in the public square." Opening sentence in The Wall Street Journal editorial (March 5, 2002) against stringing up "the accountants (at Arthur Anderson) as a way of letting everyone else off the Enron hook."
If not already there, visit my website.
#35
Sunday, March 3
Keith Academy reunion
An "all classes" reunion of Keith Academy (Lowell, MA) graduates will be held in Naples, FL, March 8-10. A number of KA graduates have retired to FL and are arranging this reunion. I graduated from KA (it was a Xavierian Brothers high school) in the 20th class - 1949 - and have not been to a reunion of any sort since. The closest I came was in 1994 when a reunion was held in Lowell, MA, but an opportunity to live and teach in China for a year came up. My wife and I are looking forward to this reunion. We also hope to stop by and see some friends from our early Air Force days who live in Ft. Walton Beach.
If not already there, visit my website.
#34
An "all classes" reunion of Keith Academy (Lowell, MA) graduates will be held in Naples, FL, March 8-10. A number of KA graduates have retired to FL and are arranging this reunion. I graduated from KA (it was a Xavierian Brothers high school) in the 20th class - 1949 - and have not been to a reunion of any sort since. The closest I came was in 1994 when a reunion was held in Lowell, MA, but an opportunity to live and teach in China for a year came up. My wife and I are looking forward to this reunion. We also hope to stop by and see some friends from our early Air Force days who live in Ft. Walton Beach.
If not already there, visit my website.
#34
Saturday, March 2
The Comcast switch over
Much of February has been devoted to switching over to Comcast.net from the failed @Home.com. The switchover has not been without its hazzles, but all things considered, it has been successful. The Web page Archibald99.com is again active. My E-mail address is now archinsc@comcast.net .
If not already there, visit my website
#33
Much of February has been devoted to switching over to Comcast.net from the failed @Home.com. The switchover has not been without its hazzles, but all things considered, it has been successful. The Web page Archibald99.com is again active. My E-mail address is now archinsc@comcast.net .
If not already there, visit my website
#33
Friday, March 1
Kitchen project moving along.
Expect a man in Monday to sand and finish the floors. About 52 years ago, when I got out of high school and was knocking around before my serious life's work began, I had a job on a maintenance gang in a textile mill. One project we worked on was laying a hardwood floor in a mill that was about 300 feet (or more) long and about 60 feet wide. I can tell you that you do when you are 20 cannot be duplicated when you are 70. I laid down a hardwood floor and it took two days to do about 110 square feet. It is hard work.
If not already there, visit my website. (There may be trouble with some parts of the website. Comcast is still working out the bugs.)
#32
Expect a man in Monday to sand and finish the floors. About 52 years ago, when I got out of high school and was knocking around before my serious life's work began, I had a job on a maintenance gang in a textile mill. One project we worked on was laying a hardwood floor in a mill that was about 300 feet (or more) long and about 60 feet wide. I can tell you that you do when you are 20 cannot be duplicated when you are 70. I laid down a hardwood floor and it took two days to do about 110 square feet. It is hard work.
If not already there, visit my website. (There may be trouble with some parts of the website. Comcast is still working out the bugs.)
#32
Sunday, February 17
Kitchen renovation
My wife and I are renovating the kitchen in our home, doing some of the work ourselves and contracting out some heavy cabinet painting and the installation of kitchen counters, sink and electric glasstop range. The sweat work should save us about $10,000 over a general contractor bid to do a turnkey job. We the ripping out, carpenter modifications, and are doing some wall painting and paper hanging. The floor is still in question. We may try to do it, or contract it out. We have to get the old floor vinyl roll tile up first.
If not already there, visit my website.
#31
My wife and I are renovating the kitchen in our home, doing some of the work ourselves and contracting out some heavy cabinet painting and the installation of kitchen counters, sink and electric glasstop range. The sweat work should save us about $10,000 over a general contractor bid to do a turnkey job. We the ripping out, carpenter modifications, and are doing some wall painting and paper hanging. The floor is still in question. We may try to do it, or contract it out. We have to get the old floor vinyl roll tile up first.
If not already there, visit my website.
#31
Friday, February 1
Who says Enron is a lost cause?
Some lawyers working on the Enron debacle are billing $200 to $700 an hour, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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#30
Some lawyers working on the Enron debacle are billing $200 to $700 an hour, according to The Wall Street Journal.
If not already there, visit my website.
#30
Wednesday, January 16
The New Year
Sliced bread has been around only since 1928. I did not know that prior to 1928 bread was sliced in the home with a knife. I find this interesting because the design of the slicer preceded my birth by only about three years. In an age when men have walked on the moon, it seems so mundane that machine sliced bread is also an invention of the 20th Century. What will be the big "invention" or "feat" of the 21st Century? Will it occur this year? Stay tuned.
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#29
Sliced bread has been around only since 1928. I did not know that prior to 1928 bread was sliced in the home with a knife. I find this interesting because the design of the slicer preceded my birth by only about three years. In an age when men have walked on the moon, it seems so mundane that machine sliced bread is also an invention of the 20th Century. What will be the big "invention" or "feat" of the 21st Century? Will it occur this year? Stay tuned.
If not already there, visit my website.
#29
Friday, December 21
Their lost youth
Old men lament their lost youth, none more so than those who never had one.
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#28
Old men lament their lost youth, none more so than those who never had one.
If not already there, visit my website.
#28
Monday, December 17
The incredible vanishing book review...
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Kevin Berger
July 19, 2001 | "Wait, I think the stairwell is over there," said a San Francisco Chronicle editor, accompanying me to the paper's book-review department. "I've actually never been down there."
The wry editor and I were leaving the newsroom, a fluorescent hive of conversing reporters and editors. Down we descended into the basement and into a scene right out of "Norma Rae." We stood in a windowless lunchroom, a grim assembly of colored-plastic tables and vending machines. The few folks eating their sandwiches here were clearly not the Chronicle's executive staff. A sign on a far wall said "Book Review," followed by an arrow.
We headed down a dimly lit hallway, past a janitor's office, a storage space with extension cords on the floor and an abandoned copy-machine room, and finally arrived at a stockroom. Inside, pressboard shelves sagged with books. The floor was piled with padded envelopes stuffed with a lot more.
Well, you get the point. This lengthy article was about book reviews being a disappearing breed and was published in Salon.com back on July 23, 2001. Are books reviews becoming a vanishing breed?
If not alreay at the site, visit my website.
#27
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Kevin Berger
July 19, 2001 | "Wait, I think the stairwell is over there," said a San Francisco Chronicle editor, accompanying me to the paper's book-review department. "I've actually never been down there."
The wry editor and I were leaving the newsroom, a fluorescent hive of conversing reporters and editors. Down we descended into the basement and into a scene right out of "Norma Rae." We stood in a windowless lunchroom, a grim assembly of colored-plastic tables and vending machines. The few folks eating their sandwiches here were clearly not the Chronicle's executive staff. A sign on a far wall said "Book Review," followed by an arrow.
We headed down a dimly lit hallway, past a janitor's office, a storage space with extension cords on the floor and an abandoned copy-machine room, and finally arrived at a stockroom. Inside, pressboard shelves sagged with books. The floor was piled with padded envelopes stuffed with a lot more.
Well, you get the point. This lengthy article was about book reviews being a disappearing breed and was published in Salon.com back on July 23, 2001. Are books reviews becoming a vanishing breed?
If not alreay at the site, visit my website.
#27
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