Joel, when the 100 hours starts, you'll see a little countdown window popup on your screen as if does on '24' (complete with "doonk, deenk" electronic beeps on the second counts).

On the other hand, I know Jack Bauer, and Nancy Pelosi may be many things, but she's probably no Jack Bauer.

bc

SCC: "it", not "if".

Hoo, boy.

bc

It's pretty clear this war IS legal--everybody voted for it. Whether they were stupid to do so, or misinformed, or lied to, is irrelevant.

This is the whole point, the honesty, and because it is the entire issue, it IS relevant. Just about as relevant as all those sidebar issues that I enumerated and you repeated. And since war and the military are such penis issues I have every right to bring up the womb.

What? There is no Usher of the Black Rod ! They sack the guy or what?
oops!, sorry the Black Rod is for the Canadian Senate only.

Ah, yes, protocols. And I think the Senate is even worse. I think Byrd has spent his entire 150 years in the Senate writing the arcana by which that august body works.

If this is just the pre-game show, who is on tap for the half time extravaganza? Neil Young? The Dixie Chicks? Broooce?

I only watch for the half-time show. And the beer commercials.

I wonder if any ants are going to get trampled.

On the subject of womb-vs-penis, an article that explains how hawks tend to have inordinate influence in policy arguments --

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3660

bc, heads up, AP, 12 minutes ago:

Harriet Miers, President Bush's failed Supreme Court nominee, has submitted her resignation as White House counsel, the White House announced Thursday.

OK, Loomis, OK. I'm laughing here. Truce? Just don't come after me with the broadsword.

Joel, will they have a halftime show with drum majorettes and a marching band (like, say, the Bennington-Johns Hopkins gridiron duels of yesteryear)? Unless I badly miss my guess (and as every good reporter knows instinctively), somewhere nearby there must be a couple of credenzas filled with tureens of cold, boiled shrimp, trays of canapes (many of the cruciferous vegatable variety, I have no doubt), and free booze. Why don't you graze until the big show starts?

Yes, the "100 hours" starts Tuesday morning. (I think it's some kind of Verizon marketing program having to do with their Blackberrys--the Congress can call any other Congress with Blackberrys without charge if they are on the Friends and Family Plan.)

I've Googled it, but so far am unable to come up with what exact time on Tuesday the egg timer gets turned over, though. 7 a.m.? 8 a.m.? Noon? Maybe it's just a Y2K problem, I dunno.

Wazzat Loomis? I didn't vote for no war, and you can't say I did. I demand a congressional investigation on who's making such accusations about me.

I know a marine who got out of active duty just before Afghanistan but had 5 years of inactive duty in which he could have been called up anytime. So, he goes and marries a woman who has disabilities. they have a kid. Now, this woman does need his help to take care of the kid, she can't work either, so going to a soldier's pay would be a hardship etc.

All this while, until the very last day his inactive duty expires, he's worried about being called up for Iraq.

He's proud to be a marine, but he served his tour of duty, and he disagrees with Iraq. He wouldn't have stood up in defiance of authority, though.

He'd have took his druthers and busted up his kneecaps with a bat rather than go. Even though, taking all the facts in, it would seem likely he could beg off due to family circumstances, he wouldn't take any chances.

I say this guy is a coward, not in disagreeing, but in how he has chosen to approach this issue. It's too bad he's not arguing that the contracts are illegal for every soldier serving out there.

We already know as much, thanks to the backdoor draft. But what he doesn't get is those guys are not going to leave their good buds in the lurch by opting out once they're already in Iraq. That's the democracy of suffering in the military. One for all, all for one, whatever.

Sheesh, channeling Tom fan again:

10) Cleark...
13) ...Pelosia...

More from the White House

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/485561p-408789c.html

I say the officer and no-gentleman in the story is a coward, not the marine who would rather take a bat to his knees (ouch!) rather than enjoy the backdoor draft.

And another thing for 'Mudge. I promise you, you could make Lebanon Bologna yourself and not be at all grossed out. It only has wholesome ingredients.

But on the other hand I know all about Hotdogs and Scrapple and still eat those on a semi regular basis, so your mileage may vary.

Should have been a SCC: That's what I get for opining on a situation that would never apply to me since I am 4-F.

Joel, you totally forgot to mention the Feats of Strength and Airing of Grievances.

Bless you, omni. I am sore relieved to hear it.

Oct. 11, 2002 Congress authorizes an attack on Iraq.

March 20 2003 coalition forces begin the attack.

Watada enlists March 2003 (can't find the specific date).

Joel, you forgot to write down that they had to secure the Four Watchtowers and shrive the Trouser of Sancity, and the windows fastened with the Red Cords of Intellect in accordance with ancient prescription before the Supreme Grand Master could begin the House meeting.

Very important that, and the ritual password and handshakes, too. We can't have any knowlessmen running in and out of Congress (other than the rightfully elected ones anyway.)

The American rituals are the essence of efficiency and practicality, compared to what goes on in England at the State Opening of Parliament--they have some serious theater in their traditions.

http://www.army.mod.uk/ceremonialandheritage/household/parliament.htm

Thanks for posting kbertocci!

Now I understand where the parody of the ritual of the Keys at Unseen University comes from (Terry Pratchett's discworld series). I knew England had lots of weird rituals, but Parliament, gosh...

If this is just the "pregame" then somebody wake me up when they're about to show the nipple during half time.

And by god let's all hope it isn't Dennis Hastert's nipple.

*reposting from previous Kit*

Where to begin, where to begin...

First of all, a disclaimer. I have an automatic bias against someone refusing to deploy, dating back to the first Gulf War. A co-worker in the public affairs office I served in suddenly developed a case of asthma AFTER our division was picked to go to Saudi, and was "excused." During my deployment, his religious fervor convinced him the world was ending, so he attempted to "save" my daughter and wife. So yeah, outright refusing to go gets my dander up.

'Mudge has already covered much of what I could say, and said it better than I could. There are a couple of things, however.

1 - "The Watada defense: Questioning the war publicly is not "conduct unbecoming" but an exercise of freedom of speech."

Oh, how I wish we didn't have the Wirty Dird Filter, so I could say more than... Bull-F-S!!!!! The First Amendment has absolutely no bearing here! The article doesn't make clear where and when the "subsequent statements" occurred, but unless he was given permission to speak by a superior officer or was on leave and off-base and not wearing a uniform, he had no freedom of speech to speak of. That's right folks, those wearing the uniform cannot exercise the First Amendment as it's commonly understood. You're ordered to do something, the most you can do is ask for clarification of the order.

2 - "He walked into a recruitment office in Honolulu and said he wanted to go to officer candidate school."

This is a tough one. If he'd been through ROTC or West Point, I'd have had absolutely no sympathy with his attempts to resign, since those programs are taxpayer-funded and lead to a diploma, which is kinda hard to "give back." So OCS doesn't equate to a "free education" in this case. It's still a significant investment for the taxpayers to make, however, and a specified term of service is the repayment the officer makes. Resigning a commission is not a trivial matter, given an officer's myriad responsibilities to subordinates, superiors and the military in general. Attempts to resign have to be supported by some sort of definable hardship, be it medical or familial. "I now conclude the war is illegal" is not a hardship one can claim.

Bottom line, I don't have any sympathy for him. Please note the Army didn't ship him off "against his wishes," since no soldier wants to deploy beside someone who has fought not to go. They simply left him at Fort Lewis until the wheels of military justice could grind exceedingly slowly. If he wants to make a stand against the war, he pays the price.

And I still don't get why a Style reporter covered this. *shrug*

kbertocci, our opening of Parliament is somewhat similar to Britians. One of the rare occasions for full pomp and goofiness is this country. (disclaimer I am not much for pomp and ceremony).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdngovernment/

Omni, thanks for the info, I have a little less sympathy for the soldier now but I do know that much of the info being promoted at the time by the US government and broadcast repeatedly by the media was false. Perhaps it is my lack of understanding the military but I can't think of anywhere else when all the evidence is shown to be incorrect where you wouldn't change the course of actions - i.e. medicine, law, teaching etc.

Can anyone attend this event?or is it just by invitation only?

I remember going to see the Congress as a kid.I am sure there is security up the wahzoo.

For that matter,driving down to DC is probably the bigger hassel.

I bet there are some good deli's around the Capitol.Maybe I could find the perfect Reuben there.

Well then 'Mudge; here it is:

http://www.recipecottage.com/preserving-meats/lebanon-bologna.html

Just to be sure:

Prague Powder #2 (for curing): sodium chloride, sodium nitrite (6.25%), sodium nitrate, FD&C red #40 (.0040%) with no more than 1% sodium carbonate.

and:

Fermento: a starter culture (a dairy based product) that produces a tangy flavor immediately in semi-dry cured sausage.

Didn't Fermento also have a late-night radio program with wacky songs?

:-)

In my google searches, I discovered Fermento is everywhere in the universe, so yeah he (or she?) probably did have a radio program with wacky songs...

Scotty, I believe that was DOCTOR Fermento to the likes of us. He didn't spend long years in evil DJ school to be just "Fermento".

Or even "Demento", as it were.

Wilbrod,
You're late to the party. If you go back to the previous Kit, you'll see that a statement that you attributed to me, really was penned by Mr. Curmudgeon.

I think the bigger story of the day, one that I heard several sentences about this morning on NBC's morning show, got picked up by Froomkin as his lede--the right of the federal government to now open your mail without your knowledge. Welcome to the the continuing machinations of the National Security State and the demise of the republic:

Froomkin:

And sadly, most of the questions about signing statements that I raised in a Nieman Watchdog essay last June still remain unaddressed. Foremost among them: Are these signing statements just a bunch of ideological bluster from overenthusiastic White House lawyers -- or are they actually emboldening administration officials to flout the laws passed by Congress? If the latter, Bush's unprecedented use of these statements constitutes a genuine Constitutional crisis.

It sounds as if the Achentourage wouldn't have had a very interesting time of it this morning. It is just as well we're still in formation stage. However, someone has to watch the festivities with a critical and humorous eye. You go, Joel, and we're with you in spirit.

Where's that BoodleCam?

>the right of the federal government to now open your mail without your knowledge.

I actually saw that on Slashdot. "The signing statement directly contradicts part of the bill he signed, which explicitly reinforces protections of first-class mail from searches without a court's approval."

So we've go that going for us.

omni, you could try 25 grains of Prague powder behind a 120 grain Hornady bullet for a nice handload in .260 Remington.

I see that the Canadian Pomp and Ceremony is a diluted version of the British one. There is no hope as we have no Beefeaters and the supply of gold plated horse drawn carriage is pretty tight too. Being Sargeant-at-arms and Guardian of the Mace (the blunt instrument, not the nasty stuff in a can) is a very much sought-after job for retiring senior army NCOs but the uniform is a little too much IMO. http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/report2005/ph7-e.htm
The best name remains the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. http://www.ctv.ca/generic/WebSpecials/michaelle_jean/gallery1/image02.html
I will note however that the GG Michaëlle Jean (seen smiling on the left) is easier on the eye than ER II.

S'nuke, I sure can understand your resentment right there. What a chickenhawk (and bordering on flaky-mentally ill).

Ten years or so ago, I was talking to a deaf refugee from Sarvejo about Zlata's diary (a book by a 12 year old girl in Sarvejo about her war experiences).

She said simply and wearily: "She's not the only one."

And that's what bothers me about this story. He's not the only one who's been asked to go to Iraq, and 3,000 American soldiers have already died there. And he picks... NOW (after what, 5,6 years?) to complain it's illegal?

Mudge,
When Brit gents duelled with broadswords, bruises and cuts were fairly common, but not many fatalities. When rapiers became fashionable, the casualties soared. (from a remarkable book on 18th century England. Title, I think, is "Riot, Rising, and Revolution" by Ian Gilmour.

I think the English naval commander who subdued Blackbeard used the newfangled rapiers, drilling his crew relentlessly until the big day. At first, the pirates appeared to be winning with their heavy broadswords and cutlasses. But their wrists got tired. The remaining Navy personnel won.

Mudge, it starts when Nancy Pelosi says, "I'm Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and today is the longest 100 hours of my life. The following takes place between [time] and [time] during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. Events occur in real time but behind closed doors, out of sight of C-SPAN cameras."

Doonk, deenk.
Doonk, deenk.

Good to know that Miers is singing "I Want to Break Free" to herself (her personal theme song, no doubt) and looking for a good therapist. She's probably going to need it.

bc

I've always thought that the standard in all governments was to check the Red Cords of Intellect at the door.

If a soldier is allowed to choose who or what orders he follows, you have a soldier or soldiers who by the power of their choices, can decide the fate of nations. All you have to do is look at Pakistan and any number of African and South American nations where military leaders stage coups and juntas successfully because they have the support of the boys (and girls) with the toys. To allow a soldier the choice is to BE so far down the slippery slope that you may never climb back.

ditto what Mudge said, and what Scottynuke said about the fellow in question.

dr, it is a slippery slope both ways, absolutes are never good. I fully agree to the need for discipline, teamwork.

But there is a line, you follow orders only to a point. We have a duty to our soldiers to honour them by providing the tools they need, and to carefully weigh the battles we wage. It is their lives we are risking and it should only be done when absolutely necessary.

As for the other countries how many of those soldiers are volunteers, how many are children forced to fight, how many are asked to slaughter their brothers and sisters in order to obey. That is where I draw the line.

Child soldiers in Africa.

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/childsoldiers-africanchild-eng

Didn't think I'd be reading about a paranoid Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist trying to escape a hospital in his jammies . . .

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/04/rehnquist.files.ap/index.html

Note that he had been hooked to Placidyl for "at least 10 years." I loved the quote that he suffered from a "disturbance of mental clarity." Shoot, that happens to me every five minutes.

Note also that the Reagan Administration used the FBI in a very Nixonian way to attack Rehnquist's critics when he was up for Chief Justice in 1986. Sure glad that couldn't happen today . . . .

SCC: "disturbance in mental clarity" not "disturbance of mental clarity." See?

It's not that I am not agreeing with you about absolutes dmd, at all. Absolutes generally suck.

The thing about this is, if a good soldier says no this is wrong, and disobeys the order he would fully expect the punishment that would follow. A good soldier knows he will pay a price and is willing to put it all on the line to defend. Its the same code of honour that he lives by when he goe out to do the duty asked of him.

This particular instance I see no such honour, no such code. He wants his cake and he wants to eat it too.

dmd, I think I understand what you're saying, and I'm thinking about you 2:29 in the context of the American Civil War.

billeverything, I read that article on Rhenquist earlier, and found it interesting - and a little scary - too.

bc

My only hesitation in fully agreeing with you dr, would be perhaps giving him the benefit of the doubt at being so disallusioned at the revelation of the truth about the evidence the led to the invasion of Iraq.

Were it me I would have taken him at his word and sent him to Afganistan and you and I both know - a very dangerous place. If I recall it is not uncommon to request a transfer in the military (am I wrong?) certainly appears in enough movies!

I think he should not have joined in the first place for sure - but I am a softee so I will go easy.

There's a kind of hilarious photo on the WaPo home right now showing Hillary being sworn in by VP Cheney, and Bill is standing there, and everybody is smiling like cheshire cats, and you just KNOW Hillary and Cheney are looking at each other and thinking the worst possible thoughts about each other.

FYI, I have updated this kit. Please see additions.

This is an intriguing part of the Rehnquist story:

In one previously secret memo from 1971, an FBI official wrote, "No persons interviewed during our current or 1969 investigation furnished information bearing adversely on Rehnquist's morals or professional integrity; however ..." The next third of the page is blacked out, under the disclosure law's exception for matters of national security.

"It would be nice to know what is still classified, three decades later," Charns said.

No offense, Joel (he said, stifling a yawn), but zackly how many Post reporters were covering this, ah, thrill-a-moment breaking news event?

Little-known-but-true-although-completely-made-up fact: Part of the blacked out portion of the Rehnquist document included the assertion that he was once spotted singing "I put on women's clothing/and hang around in bars."

Was that him? I guess the size 11 FMPs should have been a give-away.

The redacted part of Rehnquist's FBI memo is just meant to give wise guys a chance to deliver the punch line, to wit:

"however, it has been alleged that Rehnquist throughout the 50's would haunt the Sarah Lawrence College campus dressed as a woman, going by the name Mary McCarthy. It is also further believed he (or she) may have been used on one or more occasions as a ringer on the Lawrence football team."

The real wits will, I am sure, do better.

byoolin, I was thinking,

"Guess what? I don't wear *anything* under my robes!"

Mudge, I chuckled at that pic myself, was thinking that Cheney wanted to invite the Clintons to a little hunting trip in Texas.

bc

Economist style guide --

http://www.economist.com/research/styleguide/

(Hope you can see this without being a subscriber.)

Getting a strange feeling of deja vu on that 3:53 post, bill everything. Don't know why.

Senor Curmudgeon, to paraphrase something said here previously, "great writers steal."

Is Bush in Spandau Prison yet? Or is that for the 2nd hundred hours?

That Economist Style Guide is potentially hours of diversion. The most entertaining advice I've found so far is:

"Use Dr only for qualified medical people, unless the correct alternative is not known or it would seem perverse to use Mr. And try to keep Professor for those who hold chairs, not just a university job or an inflated ego."

I had to laugh at this, yellojkt. "Use Dr only for qualified medical people, unless the correct alternative is not known or it would seem perverse to use Mr.

Since I use dr, and have posted about mrdr, I can confirm once again that I am breaking every rule in the book. Perverse? Yes that's me.

Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn? check

Marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict or arising from such a disposition? Check

Cranky; peevish? check

I think it would be safe to say mrdr would agree.

Oh, great. Now there's a photo of Pelosi arm-wrestling with John Boehner on the WaPo front. So much for bipartisanship.

Wow, dr, you sound like your handle ought to be something like...Curmudgeon.

From the Economist style guide, on Americanisms(hehehehe):

Other Americanisms are euphemistic or obscure (so avoid affirmative action, rookies, end runs, stand-offs, point men, ball games and almost all other American sporting terms). Do not write meet with or outside of: outside America, nowadays, you just meet people. Do not figure out if you can work out. To deliver on a promise means to keep it. A parking lot is a car park. Use senior rather than ranking, rumpus rather than ruckus,and rumbustious rather than rambunctious.

oh great - we are above the fold again!

True enough, mo...but it took me 5 minutes to find us, so maybe it won't be so bad. In any event, I'm running for the bus shortly, so will get the bunker all prepared with the usual: playing cards, soda crackers, cans of Dinty Moore, flashlight batteries, caipirinhas (just in case it gets really ugly)--the usual.

does anybody else find this amusing?:

by lois romano

Call it the McDonald's clause.

Underpaid Hill aides who have long relied on journalists' expense accounts for pricey meals and fine wines better start thinking fast food.

The proposed ethics package, crafted by Democrats and first up on the House calendar, bans legislators and staffers from receiving gifts and meals not only from lobbyists but also from the organizations that employ them.

So, to spell it out: Any news organization that employs a lobbyist -- and there are many, including The Washington Post -- no longer will be able to court congressional sources over an expensive steak, or even cheap fries.

The new ban and how to interpret it has caused much confusion on the Hill. There is a long list of "common sense" exemptions, which would suggest that Hill folks will need to carry a laminated copy of the bill with them at all times.

and for us non-pointy geek types (you know who you are, error flynn...)

Programmers blamed for complex software

http://au.news.yahoo.com/070103/2/11y2v.html

I'm back! Funerals are never good, they drain you, but families need help during that time, and it all part of mission work.

Tangent, we need math books if you have some, basic math. Anything that talking about kinds of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. And the rules that apply to those applications. And thanks for asking.

College, I liked your post, and the thinking that goes with it.

Lostinthought, I laughed so hard at your 10:25 in the last kit. The word "resourceful" certainly is not what women would be called if they did such things.

Mudge and Scotty, not familiar with that story, but your comments regarding it sound on track.

What's up with the body parts words, Loomis? You certainly make a valid point even with those choice of words.

Slyness, just trying to hang in there. I don't know how much good I'm doing, but hanging in there for the long haul.

Ivansmom, Miss Winfrey does have a point, maybe not the whole point, but a little bit of it. But for me, it doesn't stop there, and not just me, but for a lot of parents. Just don't know what to do sometimes. Feel at a loss so much of the time.

Congratulations, Joel. You really are moving up in the world. Told you so, didn't I?

Error, are you upset? I hope not, I'm so glad you're back with us. I missed you a lot when you took that break. And thanks for calling Jesus sweet because He really is.

I'm a little tired, going to rest for a little bit. Have a good evening, my friends. History was made today with the swearing in of the Speaker of the House. I'm glad for her. It is a step in the right direction. The White House is next.

Mo I loved your elf by the way. Strangely, you sound just like Yellojkt. And amen, amen, amen on software that is set up with to many software designer assumptions.

Mudge, first thing I saw your nom d plume, was, darn that would have worked. Kerric, sweet child of mine that he once claimed to be, told me, I need to use my inner monologue more often, and not just my outside voice.

oh great - is everyone already in the bunker?

hehehe - spoke too soon!

cassandra - how bout the first african american president?? *wiggles eye brows*

Oh yeah, we should definitely just go ahead and delete stuff when someone accidentally lets the mouse button go over that menu item while they're looking for "Save". And when you just exit the program without saving an hour's work we should definitely not remind you to save your work because your bed doesn't remind you to go to sleep.

Excellent use of poor auto analogy too. After all, it's really easy to accidentally put a key in the ignition right? I mean, you could just be passing by someone's car and BAM there you go starting it. Maybe Amazon can add a "Do nothing to buy now" to make an easier user experience, and send you whatever your mouse happens to be over at that moment.

And obviously, typewriters are everywhere today. You certainly want the PC to ask for a new ribbon before you can start typing.

I guess there's no question that StarBucks should run a database search on every single store in their company when you won't go more than two miles, because that would never affect the processing time, right? You'd be happy to wait for a complete list of stores from San Fran to NYC when you've got 10 minutes to get coffee before a meeting. Multiply 30,000 people searching against 50,000 stores vs. 30,000 people searching against 3 stores. It does sort of make a difference.

Some of my user favs:
User: "Hey, I saw a window on all the PCs this morning that I haven't seen before, what does that mean?"
Me: "What was the message?"
User: "Oh, I didn't look at it."
Me: "So you dismissed the window on 8 machines without looking at it?"
User: "Yeah"

User: "Hey, I got an error message that says this file can't be exported before 9am, what does that mean?"
Me: "That means it's 8:30."

I once had an operator delete a file after working for 4 hours on it. I spent three days proving there was no way the file could delete itself. Now I log EVERY single thing they do.

"Hey, there's a file missing!"
"From what day?"
"Thursday at noon."
"Uh, huh, let's see... user Fred Delete file requested. Delete file confirmed. Are your really sure? Yes. Are your really REALLY sure? Yes. File Deleted."
"Ok Fred, that was you deleting your file. Have a nice day."

Humans... feh. Inconsistent, unreliable, cannot be programmed.

Thanks Cassandra, I missed you too. I'm fine - I'm not the one grinding my teeth. :-)

I have a theory (throat clearing). The reason that the British Parliament has so many obfusc rituals (and of course Canada just apes them) is that traditionally, the seats were held by the landed gentry, and therefore public (private) school boys. It all comes out of the long tradition of late night japes while the housemaster sleeps. And the poor things never really mature past the 12 or 13-year old obsession with clubs and mysteries and high-falutin' language signifying nothing.

I have some evidence for this position because I once ate in the Members' dining room at Westminster; it was all stogy English nursery food (at a time when the English dining scene was moving well beyond it) and the MPs were absolutely delighted to be eating mushy vegetables and overroasted meat and bread pudding.

Deeply pathological.

Sorry Error, four days of dealing with an irrational relative squewed my perception of the point you were making. I've ordered a larger umbrage bucket which should prevent splash over.
I still think that woman is a crook.

"And the poor things never really mature past the 12 or 13-year old obsession..."

Does this apply to all men? Never? Never Ever? Not even when the cows come home? Say it's not so! There must be one....perhaps some freakish anomoly who would be instantly identifiable by all?

Sorry that was me.

>Sorry Error
No problemo. Even rational relatives can be a strain.

>I still think that woman is a crook.
Well I guess if you believe it, yeah. If you're going for the theater, I'm not sure it was a bad deal. It was a night out in the city on my birthday. Like I said, I could see the fans blowing the drapes around, I had no illusions they were winds from the beyond!

Getting in your face was hypocritical for someone who's enjoyed playing with a ouji board. Maybe I was channeling Penn Gilette without knowing it.

error - you and i could write a book - how NOT to be a user!

user: i saved my documents to this floppy and now there's nothing on it p- how did they disappear?

me: did you delete the files?

user: no

me: did you have it near anything that may have a magnet in it?

user: no

me: ok - well, you HAD to have done something?

user: no, nothing - they just disappeared!

me: ok - let me run some diagnostic software on the floppy
(runs diagnostic software which indicates that the user deleted all files and the time and date) um... this says you deleted the files!

user: can you get them back?

me: (inner voice) yeah, cuz i'm a freakin magician! you need harry potter not the IT dept. (outer voice) i'm sorry, those files were not recoverable. maybe next time you should burn them to a disc, it's a lot more stable than a floppy.

Point taken, Error, L. If I worked in your office you would like me. Honest. Sure you would.

The kind of problems I have are that the programs I use, ie specific small business accounting software where things that have been working for decades (I know because I have been here that long) now don't work because someone new and improved it. Its like the new Coke or the new Tide. Suddenly its two clicks and 4 tabs to do what one enter used to do. Suddenly what is vital to processing your project costing is closed to you because of a date which is not your fiscal year end, just one they thought would work for you better. I am sure they have a reason, but what once was a rock solid software is now anguish for me and thousands of other low level accounting types, who play the what won't work after the update game.

Just don't tell me you work for the company that sells the best selling small business accounting software in Canada, or I will cry. And then I'd have to consider serious torture.

Yoki, you get 10 points for using the word "obfusc." Nicely done.

Nobody in the bunker so far, mo. Doesn't seem to be any Rovestorm on the event horizon.

OK, time to don my chef's hat and put ten (not nine, not eleven) Gorton's fish sticks in the toaster oven. (I lead such an exciting life.)

>channeling Penn Gilette
There you go. It's all about the performance.

I tell ya what my pet software peeve is, Open and Save dialogs that don't remember the last location. It's easy to do and saves a huge amount of time navigating around the drive.

Also dangerous is the ability to rename and move files a file dialog. I've seen people lose whole folders that way.

no wait - my FAV is when they store e-mail in the deleted items folder in outlook - and then complain that outlook is running slow or isn't running - so you go to empty their (1 gig) deleted items and they say "no! i need those e-mails!" um... ok so WHY do you store them in the deleted items folder (esp when the microsoft default is to empty the folder upon exiting) - do you store your necessary hard documents in the garbage can under your desk? no! because it's called GARBAGE!!! ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Error... I've been there (as far as stupid users go).

My favorite was the night I was trying to walk a client through an upgrade that required inserting a CD into the server... you know, like IN the CD DRIVE?

Anyway, I'm telling the guy to push the little button under the drive so it'll pop the drawer out and he says that he did, so I tell him to stick the CD in there (assuming he had done what I told him to do and that the drive bay opened up). Of course, he didn't push the button, the bay didn't open, and instead of saying anything he lets me take him through step #2... put the CD in there. So he did. In the gap between the drive bay's face and the tape backup unit. He even got out a letter opener to push the dang thing all the way in.

Meanwhile, back in Mayberry, I'm trying to mount the CD remotely and can't figure out why it won't work. Then he asks "was I supposed to wait for the tray to pop out before I stuck the CD in there?"

Grrr...

My only consolation is that he IS the client -- owns the company -- so we ended up with some nice extra billable time that came directly out of his pocket because he was incapable of following detailed, slowly spoken instructions.

The same guy had us chasing our tails one afternoon because his server was down. First thing I asked was to check that the thing was plugged into the wall. "Oh sure" he says. What I forgot to have him check was that the POWER STRIP the server was plugged into was actually plugged into the wall. Two frustrating and profitable hours later, we had him back up and running.

Sky update for Pat.

The night sky was still very much in evidence as I drove in to work at 6:30 this morning. It was as usual, very dark and night like even though my clocks were telling me to go to work. Some quirky low level clouds in the western sky were reflecting the city lights in colors of purple, and pink and orange on their bottom side. From the tops those same low level clouds were touched by the light of mostly full moon creating the most amazing vision of light and dark, night and day, as if it were a sunset on a planet with a black sky.

Just kind of neat.

See, this is why I try never to have to call an IT personnel for ANY kind of problem... and try hard never to work in IT, either. I'd be shopping for the best, biggest, and sharpest razor blades in no time flat.

Martooni, I'm afraid to ask what you meant by "I'm trying to mount the CD remotely". I assume this relates to drinking at work?

Hey all,

I just wanted to pipe up about orders (better late than never). Sorry, chum, you can pick your nose, but not your orders.

From Queen's Regulations and Orders (probably very similar to the US law on this point):

"19.015 - LAWFUL COMMANDS AND ORDERS

Every officer and non-commissioned member shall obey lawful commands and orders of a superior officer.

NOTES:

...

(B) Usually there will be no doubt as to whether a command or order is lawful or unlawful. In a situation, however, where the subordinate does not know the law or is uncertain of it he shall, even though he doubts the lawfulness of the command, obey unless the command is manifestly unlawful.

(C) An officer or non-commissioned member is not justified in obeying a command or order that is manifestly unlawful. In other words, if a subordinate commits a crime in complying with a command that is manifestly unlawful, he is liable to be punished for the crime by a civil or military court. A manifestly unlawful command or order is one that would appear to a person of ordinary sense and understanding to be clearly illegal; for example, a command by an officer or non-commissioned member to shoot a member for only having used disrespectful words or a command to shoot an unarmed child."

doonk, deenk,
doonk, deenk

*nod to bc*

I used to share an office with a guy who could never figure out how to turn off those allegedly helpful formatting defaults in Microsoft Word. It's kind of hard to concentrate when your office-mate periodically screams "F***-You Bill Gates! F***-You!"

You know, I think I'm going to like this retirement thing. I went to see my brother today and had a pleasant hour and a half talking to him. I have to do that often, because I always learn important things when I see him. Today we talked about our grandmother and how she came to Charlotte as a young widow with three children and made a good living for herself, running a boarding house and cooking lunch for the workers at the Ford factory in what is now downtown Charlotte. She did well enough to send all three kids to college, when not many went that far.

Nope, don't miss going to work at all.

mo, EF, I'm the front-line IT guy for the office (they ask me before they call the help desk) and I know the truth you tell.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

DVD Trivia time!!! Hold your applause, please.

Having received, as a Christmas gift from my delightful GF, the entire first season of SNL, I have made more astounding discoveries...

The third episode of "NBC's Saturday Night" included a performance by "The Lockers," a dance troupe specializing in the early breakdancing genre of pop-'n'-lock. One of the members was rather rotund... I'm sure it was Fred "Rerun" Berry.

And those of you who remember the Muppet contribution to the early episodes... You can't possibly deny 'Mudge was the inspiration for The Mighty Favog, now can you???

:-)

No, Scottynuke, I have to respectfully disagree. Although, as I recall, Favog clearly had Mudge's dry wit and aura of omniscience, I fear there was a distinct lack of perkiness.

"I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines."

Man, they just don't write classic stuff like that no more...

RDP;

He was pretty perky for a stone idol, fer cryin' out loud!!

:-)

In truth, Scottynuke, you are quite correct. The resemblance is uncanny. But please don't tell him I said so.

http://muppet.wikia.com/images/d/d1/Mightyfavog.jpg

Scotty, I loved (indeed, nearly worshipped) the Mighty Favog, and when I was in Mexico last week I saw a Maya statue that had a face just like Favog, so I bought it, and it is now on my desk in the office.

Speaking of puppets I'm on my 2nd disc of Stingray. Talking stone idol puppets in underwater temples are becoming a daily occurrence here.

"Hello, my name's da Mighty Favog. I'll be yer diety this evening. ...that's my name, wisdom's my game. Talk ta me!"

FYI, all the SNL scripts of Favog and the land of Gorch are at http://www.toughpigs.com/anthgorcha00.htm

Not to be tedious, but since the Watada story is local, here is a link to The Seattle Times article today (which has links to previous articles):
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003508558_watada4m.html

I don't know that there's any evidence that he sent his mother to Washington, DC, for help - I suppose she's doing what she thinks she can to help him avoid time in prison. He seems sincere to me - but who can tell? I don't think he has any chance to win his case.

RD, great pic at that link.

Ahh the IT troupe woes. Here's one of my own.

User: Help my computer won't turn on.

Me: Is your system plugged in?

User: Yes, but when I push the button nothing happens!

Me: Nothing? Does the power button light turn on?

User: Well it goes yellow and the computer flickers....

Me: Wait... flickers?

User: Yeah like it turns on but it doesn't do anything.

Me: When did this start?...(inner voice: Dont try to turn on the monitor use the freakin computer. I bet its a new system and its not even connected.)

User: Ever since I got it.

Me: Ok did you hook everything up when you recieved it?

User: Well I took it out of the box and there was a wire that I wassn't sure about so I didnt do anything with it.

Me: Did you connect the monitor to the tower?

User: What?

Me: Sigh.... OK here's what you do.....

That was a pain. Its not even my job

The guy who handles my IT problems must cringe when he sees my name. I just send the tower to his office and try to sound pitiful when he calls.

I used to support IT stuff many years ago, and oh, the stories I could tell.

Keyboards that didn't work turned out to have a half gallon of coffee sloshing around in there (or a half pound of cigarette ashes), floppy diskettes jammed into seams between drives (as martooni described), computers, monitors, and keyboards that "didn't work" because they were plugged in, all kindza stuff. Had one that the user claimed "smelled funny" and emitted smoke. Turned out to be a mouse that had met an untimely demise chewing on power supply insulation. How it got in there, I still have no idea.

We kept a baseball bat around the workspace, calling it a "User Attitude Adjustment Tool."

bc

Hey Cassandra,
Sorry, I don't have any math books on me, not even basic ones. I gave that discipline up as soon as I could :). The book program that you have going is really amazing, and I admire and respect you a ton for it. Um, I just thought I'd say, I think it wasn't me that asked the question on the last boodle, but someone else, (maybe College Parkian?), the post at 8:57. All that being said, although I can't provide books for you, I will be praying for you, your physical, emotional, and spiritual health, it's the least I can do. I don't personally know you, but you seem to be a truly amazing person, God Bless you.

(Apologies for the carry-over from last boodle. I really am living up to my handle, huh?)

a happy and healthy new year to everyone!

joel, the european reading room is a great place to read in the loc (spent the week before christmas there). it's nice, quiet and out of the way.

Just got back from the hospital and am catching up, mo and Error you have me laughing. I was always the front line person people went to before they called IT, sadly for those people I very little patience with people who repeatedly can't figure out simple things (terribly judgemental I know one of my vices).

Dad is starting to improve a little more, off the ventilator and was sitting in a chair, he is pretty confused still but I hope that will improve in time. Funny how some of the instincts are still there even though the mind is fuzzy, he tried to get up to walk us to the door when we were leaving. For a man who always had a bit of the mad scientist look he is truly fitting the bill at this moment just in a sweet way.

Night all.

dmd, that's good news.

Interesting job opportunities - requires math, no doubt:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003508449_rocket04m.html

http://public.blueorigin.com/index.html

Good to hear that your dad is improving dmd.

It's another long night in the office for me here. Just had to explain to a user that downloading pr0n, while being the basic use of the internet, is likely the reason that he has virus and spyware problems.

Good morning, friends. Sorry Tangent, I thought you asked about books for the program. I can't remember anything. Dmd, glad your dad is on the mend, will keep praying.

Slyness, it sounds as if you are truly enjoying your retirement, good for you. I love listening to stories of my family from long ago.

Loomis, although my earrings aren't the real thing, I wear them according to my mood, and perhaps that is what Miss Winfrey did, just felt like that pair. And sometimes I try to match them with whatever I'm wearing.

I have a question for the lawyers here. A preacher here in my county offered a plea deal for killing his wife. The first plea he offered was not acceptable, don't know the details of that. The second plea was accepted. He admitted killing his wife, and the plea was for manslaughter, and the judge said that it was okay. This morning in the paper the prosecutor attempted to explain why the plea was acceptable.

The preacher killed his wife and put her body in the trunk of her car. The following Sunday he goes to church and preaches his sermon, and when asked about his wife, he said she was sick, although she was dead in the trunk of the car.

The prosecutor said that it was manslaughter because he admitted killing her, but it was without malice. In other words the evidence did not present malice, although manslaughter admits hatred, passion, and all that other stuff that we supposedly have no control of. My question, doesn't malice come with hatred? I mean don't the two kind of work together? This preacher has been in jail for two years and some months. The prosecutor said the family wanted closure because of the children involved. And I believe the county wanted closure too, because the case is ugly. Also this wife had informed her friend that she thought her husband wanted to kill her about two weeks before it happened. They had separated, but I think they were back together when the killing too place.

Needless to say this killing has rocked our small community, and the three neighboring counties. I think many people wanted it to go away, and perhaps this was a way for it to do just that. What does one need to prove malice? I don't know anything about legal issues, and I can imagine many of us are so lost with this, the legal aspect of it and the moral part of it too. And there are children involved which makes it even more complicated.

Have a good day, my friends. I'm off to wash clothes. And remember that God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Oh, I believe in the plea deal he gets five years, two of which he's already made, so we're looking at three years with good behaviour. Not much time for killing another human being, and your wife at that.

Morning Cassandra! *waving*

I don't claim to understand plea-bargaining all that well. The only thing I can say is the DA has as many facts as possible to determine what's proper. Whether the DA has the mental acuity to do the determining, however... *SIGH*
________________________________

'Mudge, we know you bought that statue to fill in for you when you leave the cubicle...

http://www.monkeyview.net/id/2480/xmas_bph/Favog_Mudge.vhtml

:-)

Good morning, all!

I wonder if the preacher's wife who killed her husband a little while back will get as good a deal.

I read that Oprah felt wearing a gown and diamond earrings would signify to the girls what an important occasion she thought the opening was. Maybe it's because I work someplace where everyone wears them every day, but I thought she looked nice. I think she does a lot of good in the world and if she wants to dress up, she should go for it. YMMV. :-)

Work. Gotta go.

Cassandra,

Would the workbooks available for drill review on multiplication facts help? Sometimes they are titled "Fourth Grade Math" and the like. I am sure that people here would be happy to buy you a selection of such books. If there is a set you like and need more of, then we can send money.

Let us know how to help.

I liked these review books. You can either consume them as you go, or trace over the problems with light paper. One daughter did this, and I had a entire set of review books for the boy.

I also find that grid paper is really good for math practice. Some children, especially boys wrote so badly that they lose track of number alignment.

(Posted the following on the Robin Givhan's fashion op-ed this morning. Thank goodness the Achenblog has grafs. What I wrote--three short grafs--got lumped into one long running graf there--via the op-ed's comment section.)

When I was a member of Teacher Corps, an LBJ Great Society program in Pasco, Wash., three of the interns and the coordinator, a Mrs. [Ramona] Sifuentez, decided to offer a makeup session to improve the self-esteem of junior high girls involved in the program. Our local leader of the project, a Mr. [Dick] Green, became seriously ill almost as the two-year endeavor kicked off. Had he been well [and it was more than a year before a replacement leader was installed, we all thinking and hoping that Green would recover], I wonder if this makeup self-esteem workshop would ever have grown legs. I was the fourth intern, and refused to participate in this offering--preferring to expend my energy elsewhere.

The primary thrust of our project was to improve the English skills of junior high students in the two middle schools in Pasco. Eye makeup would not improve the students below-average language skills. Foundation and blush would not prompt the junior high girls to pick up books. Lipstick would not help them master basic grammar or learn to write a decent paragraph.

Robin, sorry to say, but this article of yours about Oprah is simply ridiculous. It gives a blessing to social promotion--and potentially job promotion, based on looks, not skills and brains.

(I think it would have been better to use the funds to build ten more modest schools--sans beauty parlor.)

Before we all get our expectations too high for our National representative bodies, I heard Steve Inskeep interview with Senator Barbara Boxer (head of the Senate Committee for Environment) regarding environmental issues this am. There was a quote that gave me pause (I'm doing this from notes I furiously scribbled in my car at a stoplight on Old Georgetown Road):

"Experts tell us there are about 15 different ways we can solve this Global Warming issue. So, look, if we can't do all 15 maybe we can do 8 or 10 or 12 (laughs)."

Congress can Solve Global Warming by legislation? And all we have to do is 15 things? 8 or 10 or 12 of which can be done by Congress? Wowee wow wow.

I'm glad that she wants Congress to get serious about this, but I think she's underestimated this Global Warming thing a bit. It's probably going to be a little tougher than 8 or 10 or 12 bills. Might take all 15 pieces of legislation...(not)

Waiting for the legislation rescinding the Industrial Revolution and bannig Milankovitch cycles. That should be a doozy.

bc

Here's one of those medical-dilemma stories that you could argue round or square all day and all night long:

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/surgery-to-stunt-girls-growth-sparks/20070104173509990018?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Also, Cillizza has a typically excellent line today on the prez contest:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/01/the_friday_presidential_line_1.html#more

Only thing missing is the Gore factor.

SCC: among many, "banning".
Ah, me.

bc

You still think he's running, Joel?

bc

Cassandra,
Sorry, the issue is not department store costume jewelry. I regret that you, like those who don't subscribe to NYT Select--most here, were unable to see David Brook's op-ed yesterday, which has more to do with millions than Monet faux baubles:

I have a dream that Pelosi, who was chauffeured to school as a child and who, with her investor husband, owns minority shares in the Auberge du Soleil resort hotel and the CordeValle Golf Club, will look over her famous strand of South Sea Tahitian pearls and forge bonds of understanding with the zillionaire corporate barons in the opposing party.

It pains me to see plutocrats fight, because it sets such a poor example for those of us in the lower orders who fly commercial. It pains me even more because politicians from the rival blueblood clans go to embarrassing lengths to try to prove they are most authentically connected with working Americans.

Think of John Kerry visiting a Wendy's or Bill Frist impersonating a Bible thumper. This week, witness Pelosi going on her all-about-me inauguration tour, which is designed to rebrand her as a regular Catholic grandma from Baltimore. Members of the middle classes never have to mount campaign swings to prove how regular they are, but these upper-bracket types can't help themselves, and they always lay it on too thick. [just like Oprah]

bc, it makes me so happy that Barbara Boxer has taken over that committee chairmanship from James Inhofe--Inhofe being a guy (from the great state of Oklahoma) who thinks global warming is a "hoax"--and probably thinks the same about Darwin's theory of evolution. Boxer has been a voice of reason through all these recent difficult times. I hope she can achieve her goals in the House of Representatives. I wish she could be President.

Jeez, I open that link, and there I am, twice. It's spooky. Almost like looking in the mirror to shave.

'Morning, Cassandra. I'm not only NOT a lawyer, I've never played one on TV, either, but I've covered a fair number of trials, including murder trials, and I know a bit about plea bargaining. It may not help, exactly, but at least it may explain the theory.

First, the DA has to consider exactly how much he thinks he can prove in court. Yes, they got the guy, he's in jail, they got the wife's body, so there's no question of who did it, so that's the major hurdle. Now, the next step is to "prove" what was in the preacher's mind. That's a heckuva lot harder. Yes, we may make some assumptions, and there may be some evidence suggesting he was planning it for a while (called "malice aforethought")--but is that evidence strong enough to constitute proof "beyond a reasonable doubt"? That I don't know.

Next, he (or she, as the case may be) has to consider cost and trouble. He's almost certainly got a full caseload of other stuff, so one consideration is, how much time and effort should my staff and I put in, just to bump up the charge from manslaughter to Murder One? We've got the guy, he's gonna do time, let's just move on to the next case.

Next question: if the DA wants to bump it up and go for Murder One, what's a jury trial going to cost the taxpayers? How much court time for all the parties? A week? Two weeks? Is it worth it to the taxpayers to spend, (I'm guessing) $300,000 just to get the sentence increased from 7 years to 10 years? It's a very fair question.

Next: Yes, obviously killing one's spouse involves a certain degree of malice, all right (and who among us hasn't pondered it from time to time? OK, just kidding...sort of). But the truth is, killing one's spouse is generally considered "a crime of passion," and always has been treated differently and somewhat more leniently than all other kinds of murder: liquor store robberies, murder-for-hire, wacko serial- and spree killers, murder/rapes, political assassinations, etc.; all of these we acknowledge are much much "worse." There is a general societal recognition that otherwise "normal" human beings once in a while go a little nuts and murder their spouses in a rage, due to jealousy, cheating, whatever. While we don't condone these murders, at least we understand them on some human level. And take a lot of pretty famous cases where the husband has been an abusive b@st@rd for years and years, and finally one day the wife has had enough, and cuts his throat while he's sleeping. Yes, we know that's murder, and we don't explicitly condone it, but there's a certain part of us that says, "Good for you, lady; the SOB had it coming."

Next element: in these kinds of cases, there is a general acknowledgment that the husband-or-wife killer is pretty much unlikely to ever commit that crime again, whereas with the liquor store robber, the rapist/murder, the drug dealer gangbanger, etc., is VERY likely to commit the same crime again, if not over and over. So society has a vested interest in trying to keep the repeat murder off the streets for as long as possible, whereas, there's no particular reason to keep a crime-of-passion murdered off the streets forever, unless (in rare cases) the crime was especially heinous.

So ask yourself: after this preacher serves his 5 or 7 years, or whatever he winds up with, and then gets out, is he likely to be any threat to society? No. Is he likely to commit this crime again? No. (Not unless he's some kind of "Bluebeard" serial wife-murderer or "Black Widow" serial husband murderer, but those kinds of cases are extremely rare to the point of being apochryphal Hollywood stuff).

Final element: if they go to trial on Murder One, the sentencing can be a bit flukey anyway. The Da would have to file for Murder One, but also lesser charges: Murder Two, and Manslaughter, etc., just to make sure he has all the bases covered. This is in case the jury decides, no, it isn't Murder One, and if they have no lesser charge they can agree on, the preacher walks. So that's no good.

So let's suppose the jury convicts on Murder One, but it is the judge who does the sentencing, and depending on what state you're in, there are all kinds of guidelines which he may or may not have to follow, etc. So it's perfectly possible for the judge to say, "OK, you may have convicted him of Murder One, but I think you went overboard, jury, so I'm only gonna give him the seven-to-ten." And you're right back where you started, having spent $300,000 for nothing that the plea bargain already didn't get you.

Last element: this guy's a preacher, theoretically an upstanding member of the community; in fact you CAN'T GET any more upstanding than that (in theory; let's not think about priests abusing choirboys). So that means this guy would bring a zillion character witnesses to the stand, all testifying to what a great man he was and he only made this one little slip, and he's repented, and yadda yadda yadda. Nobody is going to send that guy away for very long. That's just the way it is.

So, yes, all things considered, I think the DA is thinking, "This is about as good as I'm going to get, and the bad guy is going away for 7--I'll take it and move on to the next case."

And on the whole, I'd say that was a pretty good decision.

>Congress can Solve Global Warming by legislation?

I don't know bc, but it's going to be 71 here tomorrow so I'm hoping if they can solve it they wait until April.

Speaking of environmental issues, we *cough, hack, wheeze, cough* have a local issue that is growing legs newswise, and is impacting us personally.

The story made it today on our local paper below the banner on the front page and above the fold. The story has moved from Metro to the front page below the fold, and today it got bumped higher.

Two miles from our home and just outside San Antonio's city limits *sputter, wheeze* we have a mulch fire burning out of control. Not just a dinky ol' mulch fire, but a mulch fire of Bunyanesque proportions. *hack* The mulch pile is 400 feet long and 80 feet high (eight stories!) and sits on property owned by one Harry Zumwalt. Wonder if he's related to Elmo?

The Helotes fire started about midnight on Dec. 25 and Zumwalt suspects arson. The pile sits only 2,000 feet from a reasonably new high school, and not far from the town's elementary school. *hack*

Given the holidays, people, meaning government, were slow to respond. Now the Helotes City Council has met, and the blame game is escalating. The neighboring community leaders have pointed fingers. San Antonio said that the fire is not in its jurisdiction. Bexar County officials have pointed fingers at the state, the governor, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The state has pointed fingers back at the county and property owner.

A Red Cross emergency center was opened for a day or so after Christmas--and closed just as fast, in Helotes. But an air monitoring station *cough* 16 miles from the smoldering fire, and inside San Antonio City limits, has picked up dangerous particulate levels. Did I mention that at the rate the mulch pile is burning, the fire is expected to burn for a YEAR!

Today, state environmental crews will be placing four new air monitors at various sites, one at the reasonably new high school, another as close to the fire as possible. A phone line has been set up by Metro Halth for inquiries. The schools I mentioned are offering temporary transfers for students to other area schools. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, also a former mayor of San Antonio, is taking a proposal back to Commissioners Court on Monday to set up a hotel for people to go to if they *hack* need to get out of the smoke.

Scotty or slyness, would you mind faxing a surgical mask? *sputter, wheeze, hack, cough*

That's a good point, kbertocci.

My point is not only should we be trying to *mitigate* Global Warming (I don't think many experts think we can "solve" it at this point), we should start to prepare for dealing with the effects.

I think we can do more than just moving the National Cherry Blossom festival up to January.

For one, should we consider revising building standards for construction near shorelines where the ground is less than 1.5 meters above sea level?

bc

LindaLoo, would you accept a faxed Sikorski Skyhook complete with forest fire-fighting attachements?

*Faxing Loomis a self-contained breathing apparatus with CBRN (chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear) protection*

A surgical mask won't cut it, Linda. Is the responsible fire department doing anything about it? They could put it out eventually, though it would take time and LOTS of water.

I was going to ask who allowed the pile to come into existence, but never mind, it's Texas...

Loomis... you get to fly commercial?

You must be loaded.

The last time I flew, I had to ride with the luggage. I'm not complaining, but that was a major step up from hanging on to the landing gear.

Goodness gracious! Our local mulch fire, now being dubbed "The World's Biggest Barbecue" has now made it to YouTube! I'll have to go out and buy some pork ribs pronto!

http://www.mysanantonio.com/specials/weblogs/weathervane/2007/01/worlds_biggest_barbecue_in_hel.html

Joel, I saw that article on the so-called "pillow angel" last night and it really disturbed me. My initial reaction was horror at the idea of mutilating a child just to make her easier to handle. Yet, with a little thought, I see that the underlying premise isn't entirely new.

Severely emotionally disabled children are routinely given powerful drugs to make them more tractable. Such drugs are, in fact, sometimes the only thing that allows such children to live in a loving home environment. Although more extreme, on some level this is the same thing. And, although it seems a bit callous, the daughter isn't going to know any different.

Further, I do not find the slippery slope argument very compelling. I would rather consider a specific situation, and not what foolish people might infer from it. Finally, I am profoundly sympathetic to the needs of caretaker parents when dealing with disabled children. Such parents should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Snuke and slyness,
ALL offers graciously and gratefully accepted!

The Dig Deeper blog really tells the story of the blame game, so I have discovered moments ago, and really dishes the dirt.

http://digdeepertexas.com/?p=188

martooni,
I think the last flight I took was 10 years ago. But this fire may make me consider local flight of a sorts.

Slyness, got that right. *w*:

I was going to ask who allowed the pile to come into existence, but never mind, it's Texas...

In my neck of the woods, setting fire to piles used to be highly amusing. Especially when said piles were deposited on a neighbor's porch and immediately followed by ringing the doorbell.

Of course, we thought knocking cows over in the middle of the night was funny, too...

SCC: forgot the "running away and hiding" part after ringing the bell... not very funny if you don't do that.

Simon Jenkins in The Guardian on newspapers vs blogs, editors, taste, and so forth...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1983347,00.html

One hesitates to ask if they are calling it the Mulcho Grande down your way, Loomis.

Of course, if it was only a small fire, it'd be just a mulchaco.

There is something inherently funny in the whole idea of cow tipping. Or maybe it had something to do with cheap wine. Either way, memories that make ya smile.

bc, I'm with ya. Every day I do my commute parallel to the Florida East Coast Railway, and on a regular basis I see trainloads of gravel/sand/mystery material (I think yellojkt knows what it is for sure) leaving South Florida. It seems backwards to me. If our coasts are threatened, we should be hauling that stuff IN, piling it up, raising the land level--I realize that might be a very dumb idea, but still it's something I think about every time I see one of those trains go by. Anyway, dumb idea or not, I agree with you that we need to be thinking about mitigation, instead of waiting for the catastrophe to overtake us.

Did you hear Barbara Boxer when they asked her about "requiring sacrifices" from the public? She almost sounded like me: "Conservation is not sacrifice." She didn't quite get to the life-improving and happiness-inducing benefits of lower energy consumption, but that's okay; she's addressing a wide variety of people, she is staying on the middle ground as much as she can. I'll keep the fires burning over here on the leftwing fringe. (oh, dear, that is an unfortunate metaphor, but no time to rewrite, I've got work to do...)

SCC: mulchacho

I have never participated in cow tipping.
although I did have some friends who tried to tip over a Bull,that they thought was a normal cow......Those poor city boys...when will they ever learn.

Our biggest farm mischeif past time was driving through corn fields.Also a lot of fun until the farmer confronts you with a loaded shotgun......

When will I ever learn

Oh good Morning all

Gary Larson, the cartoonist who did "The Far Side," used to claim that cows are intrinsically mirthful. I think it's partly the name. It's just really fun to say "cows."

Interesting column by Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe about Nancy Pelosi:

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/01/05/nancy_pelosis_powerful_first_act/
(free reg may be req'd)

At least your friends didn't try to milk it, GWE. ;-)

At least your friends didn't try to milk it, GWE. ;-)

Movable Type is giving me fits again. Anyone else?

Krauthammer channeling Hitchens, only taking the next logical step and saying we shouldn't "surge" (escalate) in order to help the deeply sectarian Iraqi government:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/04/AR2007010401347.html

I think Krauthammer is right in this case, although the underlying "Blame the Iraqis" implication is a little disingenuous.

http://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php

That's a D.O.E. graphic that ought to be of interest to most. It explains all inputs and outputs in our energy consumption. It does not seem to preclude vast savings that might be accomplished by, yes, legislation.

http://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php

That's a D.O.E. graphic that ought to be of interest to most. It explains all inputs and outputs in our energy consumption. It does not seem to preclude vast savings that might be accomplished by, yes, legislation.

http://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php

That's a D.O.E. graphic that ought to be of interest to most. It explains all inputs and outputs in our energy consumption. It does not seem to preclude vast savings that might be accomplished by, yes, legislation.

Oops.

Anyone else ever noticed the screaming incongruity between "the Iraqis will welcome us with open arms" and "fight 'em there so we don't have to fight 'em here?"

That is, if the original plan was to make Iraq a battleground for fighting extremists, do the Iraqis not have a good reason to loathe us and not support us?

Interestinkgly enough Krauthammer mentions the Shiite massacres, the attempted genocide of the Kurds and the murderous reprisal against the Marsh Arabs but let the war against Iran slip. In sheer number (about a million on each side) Saddam's worst crime was certainly to attack Iran unprovoked. The thing is that absolutely nobody, except maybe Iran, was interested in investigating the details of how that war was initiated. Rumsfeld most certainly wasn't, as the main US link to the man at the time.

Mudge, perhaps the Muladar Grande, muladar in Spanish meaning rubbish pile, dump, or dunghill. Mula means mule, but taken a step further it is what I would like to do...echar a uno la mula--give someone the dickens or scold someone--for this conflagration. Fire someone up (agitar)about this fire (fuego), perhaps a fireman (un bombero) or fire a gubbie guy (expulsar).

Hey, you're a sailor--ever been past Tierra del Fuego?

http://geography.about.com/library/misc/uctierra.htm

Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to visit this land in 1520 as his expedition made its way around the globe. He named it 'Land of Fire" for the beach fires he observed the aborigines building as a means of keeping warm and for cooking.

Later, Charles Darwin, too, was amazed at the size of the fires and the scant clothing the people wore in this cold place. On one occasion Darwin and crew were near a good size fire and still quite cold, while the aborigines were some distance away and perspiring heavily. Charles noted this with great interest. Consequently, Tierra del Fuego influenced Darwin in several of his thoughts about the development of life. He was impressed with the vast differences between the aborigines and the "civilized" people back home.

To the north of the main island is the Strait of Magellan and to the south is the Beagle Channel -- named for Darwin's ship the HMS Beagle. Tierra del Fuego is a 28,500 square mile archipelago shared by Chile and Argentina, though Chile has the greater share of the land -- almost two-thirds. Originally inhabited by aboriginal groups depending on hunting and gathering for their livelihood, it is a cold, windswept, and rather inhospitable place. The scenery is absolutely supreme! Fjords of the Andean coastline along the Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan are said to rival those of Scandinavia.

Jumper, the official line is that there is a distinction between the good peace-loving Iraqis who welcome our presence and the largely-foreign "terrorists" who wish to crush the glowing flame of the nascent Iraqi democracy because they, you know, hate freedom.

The important thing to keep in mind when interpreting US policy towards either Iraq or Iran anytime between the end of WWII and the end of the Cold War, is that the overwhelming driver was the Soviet Union. All decisions were dominated by issues of Soviet containment. Sometimes we forget that nowadays.

No, never been "round the Horn" nor ever hope to. Read too much about it, in tales of the great clipper ships: Too cold, rainy, miserable, isolated, and -- Darwin and Magellan to the contrary --nothing much there to see. You can pass through the fog-shrouded straits almost without ever seeing land, or what little you do see ain't worth the ticket. And if I want to see a big bonfire, I can always go to a Bennington-Johns Hopkins homecoming game pep rally.

I once wanted to go round the horn, but my girlfriend would have none of it.

Shriek,
Seems to me the way I remember it, we encouraged Saddam's war against the Iranian mullahs--who reacted in response and as a backlash to the repressive regime of the Shah, whom was the CIA and Kermit Roosevelt put in power in order to overthrow the democratically elected prime minister Mossadegh. We gave Saddam a real big green light to fight the Iranians. Then, when Saddam crossed over into Kuwait for a few filling stations, the light changed from green to red as far as foreign policy goes and our oil concerns (and catching Saddam off guard) and we, George H.W., went bezerk and ballistic, so to speak. Think Saddam wasn't aware of the shifting sands in our foreign policy. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Mudge, I'm so glad that you surrendered to me utterly, completely, and sweetly yesterday. Didn't have a chance to respond to you in the p.m. as I had found some books on the first and second British campaigns in Afghanistan at our half-price book outlet a mile away, realized that they are hard to come by, and now cheep-cheep-cheep, so swung back in the afternoon to get them. The clerk who waited on me admitted he was eyeing them himself as he's heading to UT Austin, with a major in foreign affairs, specifically British imperialism. Smartest and most charming young fella I ever had wait on me in a bookstore!

SCC: working toward a *masters degree* in foreign affairs, with a focus on British imperialism

RD, I agree. There are many decisions made 1945-89 that can only be understood in that context. Whenever I read Chomsky et al about events during that era I think back to the Allies' greatest ally against WW II: "Uncle Joe Stalin". Talk about the lesser of two evils.

Or, as the Kingston Trio put it (in a shanty that appears to have been written or at least resurrected by Burl Ives),

Shipmates listen unto me, I'll tell you in my song
Of the things that happened to me
When I come home from Hong Kong

CHORUS:

To me a-weigh, you Santy, My dear Annie
Oh, you New York gals, Can't you dance the polka?

VERSE TWO:

As I walked down on Chatham Street a fair maid I did meet
She asked me please to see her home, she lived on Bleeker Street
Now if you'll only come with me you can have a treat
You can have a glass of brandy and something nice to eat

CHORUS:
VERSE THREE:

Before we sat down to eat we had several drinks
The liquor was so awful strong I quickly fell asleep

CHORUS:
VERSE FOUR:

When I awoke next morning I had an aching head
My gold watch and my pocket-book and my lady friend had fled
In looking round this little room nothing did I see
But a woman's shoes and apron which now belonged to me

CHORUS:
VERSE FIVE:

Now dressed in the lady's apron I wandered most forlorn
Till Martin Churchill took me in and he sent me round Cape Horn

CHORUS: (Twice)

To me a-weigh, you Santy, My dear Annie
Oh, you New York gals, Can't you dance the polka?

I'm guessing the KTs cleaned up the song a mite, because there is a variant (and probably more authentic) verse:

When I awoke next morning,
I had an aching head.
There was I Jack all alone,
Stark naked in the bed!
With a flour barrel for a suit of clothes,
I went down Cherry Street.
There Martin Churchill took me in
And sent me around Cape Horn.

And there's a version of the same called "Chatham Street" and another musch, much longer version called "Patrick Street" that omits Churchil and sailing 'round the Horn altogether, but the last verse is:

So come all you young sailor boys, a warning take by me
And always keep good company when you go on a spree
Be sure and stay clear of Patrick Street or else you'll rue the day
In a woman's skirt and jumper they will ship you back to sea

Linda - That view of history, although popular, misses several important subtleties. First, Mossadegh was nuts, (Remember Hitler was once a Time "Man of the Year" too).

There was a huge amount of domestic opposition to him in Iran. As far as "installing the Shah," although some would love to take full "credit" for this, the truth is it is still unclear to what extent the US "caused" this, or if the Eisenhower simply instructed all available resources to attempt to make the inevitable popular uprising evolve in a way that favored US interests.

Interests, of course, dominated by the proximity of Iraq to the Soviet Union.

SCC: too many - but I meant, of course, the proximity of IRAN to the Soviet Union.

When I was 13 or 14, I joined a candystriper type program at the local hospital. We took water round to patients, books and magazines, straightened pillows, delivered meals, whatever the nurses asked us to do, for a couple of hours after school once or twice a week. We also had to feed and change the girls.

In Saskatchewan in the 70's, as they closed the old mental institutions (looking for a better word, but unable to find it), many people were had nowhere to go. They were the developmentally and physically disabled, the unwanted and abandoned, the hidden of society. As the institutions closed, the province moved these people to small hospitals all over the province. Our hospital had 3 girls, Mary, Jessie, and Caroline.

Mary was severely handicapped. Her only responses were the most basic of responses. She did not smile, and when you looked at her eyes, it was like looking into terror. Only ever fear. Nothing else. She was about 5 feet tall, but I doubt she weighed more than 80 pounds. Her arms, her legs, were just skin and bone, no muscle tone at all. She cried almost all the time. Not tears, never tears, but a haunting keening crying that went straight to your soul. Mary was in her 30s. To the best of my knowledge, Mary never left her bed.

Jessie was 12 or 13. She was a big girl, strong, well muscled. Whoever her family were must have been people of amazing stature, the kind of people who when they walk down a hallway, simply fill it with the breadth of their shoulders. If she was upset, she used to flail her arms, and if you weren't careful her strong arms flailing about, could land you on your butt. She laughed at that, who wouldn't, but she responded, she interacted with the world. She loved it when you sang the alphabets and nursery rhymes, and if you laughed with her, she liked that best of all. Not a lot of the girls liked working with her because of her physicality, but it really was her way of being in the world. As she got older, she was rougher and rougher on people till it became a real problem, and she was often sedated. In her world that misbehavior made people acknowledge her, look at her, talk to her. My heart was always heavy at how the world did not listen.

And then there was Caroline. Sweet, charming, pretty Caroline of the bright blue eyes. This delicate angel was a normal child in the womb, but in a tough delivery, she arrived on earth with cerebral palsy, and was left by her parents for the province to take care of. She craved people, you could see there was so much more behind her eyes, that even a 14 year old knew that it was a crime that this physically handicapped but mentally alert aware and normal child was housed and stored in a place where all she really received was physical care. To Caroline's great good fortune, the hospital was run by nuns who lived at the backside of the building, and she became their special person. The nuns quickly learned she needed more and advocated for a better placement for her in an environment where she could be all she could be. She lives in a group home last I heard and is still visited by the surviving nuns.

To my 14 year old relatively sheltered self, it was a hard to deal with people so terribly handicapped. But I learned that all people, even the most damaged among us, exists and lives and deserves to be loved and cared for, not locked up, not just stored away from all eyes till we die.

The world has changed so much in the way it handles these sadly damaged people. There are some resources out there for care assistance for parents, but not enough. I can only imagine the stress parents of severely handicapped children face. A father went to jail in Saskatchewan in the 90's for murdering his severely handicapped child, a truly heinous act, but I can understand how a good dad got there, and in a lot of ways, I think the legal system didn't quite find justice for any party, not Tracy, not her family, and not society.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/latimer/

This family did not throw their daughter away and dammit that earns my respect. If this keeps that girl where she is wanted and cared for and loved and responded to, then it is just and right in my eyes.

Thank God Reagan kept the Ruskies from marching on Washington through Nicaraugua, Guatemala, and Mexico. Now that Negroponte is back at State he can go to Iraq and get contol of the death squads. He knows how to run them so he might know how to combat them.

dr - that was really beautiful. I am so glad you posted that.

Briefly boodling with an answer to Cassandra's question. "Malice" is a technical term in criminal law. Used in the context of murder, it means you intended to kill the person with your act. For manslaughter etc., you may have committed an act in the heat of passion or other some other overwhelming influence, which resulted in death, without consciously meaning to kill. Bar fights, domestic disputes, etc., often have this characteristic. Malice may be formed in an instant, and juries usually find it if a case is presented in which there is any question. Manslaugher is a usual plea bargain where murder one is charged and there is any remote evidence which may suggest the situation just got out of hand and the defendant didn't mean to kill right at that moment, with that action. Whie in the real world the word "malice" is connected with hatred, evil will, etc., this isn't the case at law. That is why it is possible to kill someone with malice when you've