Good evening, boodle. Hi, Cassandra. Hi, Martooni. Expecting snow tonight. Interesting results in Nevada.

Well, heck, I guess I'm conservative. I believe that if we allowed all of the relatives that Loomis has identified to become residents, there'd be very little wiggle room left in the phone books!

With love! I tell ya', I say it with love.

He sets a pretty low bar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf8SIGpw5do

(Back to a previous subject) - I think that the DC-area conditions are going to be good for the wind-chill freezing-water experiment. I've decided to use Zip-Loc(tm) bags, to minimize evaporation issues, and I'll set them both upon a baking sheet to maximize thermal equilibrium. That oughta isolate wind flow as the only significant variable. I'll probably not be doing it for another half-day or so, so any other input will be welcome.

My apologies to the sane among them, but the majority of the South Carolinians I've seen in the media lately make me glad the Canadian border is so close, and so easily infiltrated on snowshoes. No need to worry about the Canuckistani invasion, after this they won't want us, or anything that looks like us.

Reposting... as usual Joel clipped me at the gate before I could break cleanly.

A little somber, though.

Dr, a cousin on my mother's side was also stranded in France on D-day... parachuted down in the wrong place, wound up hiding out with a French family because he couldn't find his way to the front. He spoke French fluently, being a Franco-Canuck, so that helped.

My mom tells me that he stayed good friends after the war with the host family and they hosted each other a few times afterwards.

As for hunger... the book on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment says so much of what Cassandra's talking about. I also have a book of the memoirs of the priest who married my parents.
He was a Polish Catholic priest imprisoned in Dachau (of the Jews, he writes that they had it even worse than everybody else). He nearly died a few times, was starved much of the time, and subjected to a high level of sadism, much mostly hinted at. He wrote the experience was probably his greatest test as a priest (and his most faith-affirming years). He also wrote that he was sure the Nazis would never win when he saw them destroying shrines to the Virgin Mary.

He later emigrated to the United States and wound up working in Minnesota. The memoirs end with various letters and comments of people who knew him (since the memoirs basically are confined to his Dachau experiences), and how he suffered from PTSD afterwards; he would break down everytime he had to do an emergency call when a millworker got injured or killed, funerals were rough for him as well, and he was unhappy at an earlier posting because he was working with a German-american priest who was brusque reminded him way too much of his earlier captors.

I think anybody who talks about the glory of war hasn't really faced the horrors of even the most just war. This has been way too true of the GOP establishment.

I support a good military, I support national defense, but I sure as blazes don't support any of the travesties that has been GOP national policy for the last 28 years... the war in Afghanistan excepted, but that was messed up.

Bob-I can do the experiment for you tonight if you want, and we'd have the results lickety split. It's -3 already headed for -20 with a wind chill of -35 or worse.

Headed to the garage to run on the treadmill. It's a balmy 33 in there.

frosti - Well, sub-zero will definitely speed things up!

Wilbrod, I've always thought the worst situation a person could be in was a concentration camp. Viktor Frankl's comment that those who survived were the spiritually strong, not the physically strong, makes sense to me.

*laughing, Bob S., laughing*

Hi Boodle!!
Been unable to get online the past week, but I think I got most of the problems cleared up.

I went to my Bro's house to watch the game today and I enjoyed it very much. I didn't like the dancing by the carolina players before the game. But I did like the outcome. Pretty gutsy of the Terps to blow a lead and still manage to notch a "W" despite some home cooking in the end.

Is it just me or does Gary look like he is de-evolving into a turtle?

Good to be back.

Hey, Boodle. Hope everybody's staying warm. We got some snow this afternoon down in Montross in the Northn Neck (of Va.), but when we came north it stopped.

I've been reviewing the Boodle (last kit and this one) and have found it interesting and moving.

Tonight I had the dilemma of what to watch on TV: "Runaway Jury" or "The Terminal" or "Woodstock." I'm sorta joking, because it was a no-brainer. Right at this moment, The Who is doing "See Me, Feel Me,...etc., from "Tommy." And I always was a fan of Richie Havens. (I had forgotten that Daltrey & co. followed Tommy with "Ain't no cure for the summertime blues": is that weird, or what?

Ian Flatow's Science Friday had an interesting interview of the author of "The Zookeeper's wife." And NYT has an article talked about Eli's Night. It is hard to look at history directly.

Ha, Mudge, I watched the movie "Tommy" with my oldest daughter last night. She likes the Who a lot, bought the DVD on a sale rack somewhere for $5.

We both chuckled at how deliberately weird it was, and at Jack Nicholson's singing.

But she was highly disconcerted my mine.

bc

After watching that cartoon, I'm convinced that Broccoli would make a fine Republican candidate. He stays on message and never admits mistakes.

There are also a lot of crypto-racist dog-whistle conservatives in the deep South. Any candidate mentioning "states rights", "cultural heritage", or "voter fraud" is immediately suspect of pandering to these knuckle draggers.

Free associating:

Conservatives Without Adjectives
Doctors Without Borders
Games Without Frontiers
Men Without Hats
Television Without Pity

Hey, bc. Who ya like in the Giants/GB game?

Looks like McCain has won SC over Huckleberry, 33 to 30 percent. Thompson got 16 percent and Romney 15. Roooodeeee is buried somewhere in the noise level.

Ron Paul finished SECOND in Nevada. Jeez. Beat everybody but Huckleberry.

I looked "The Zookeeper's wife" up.

http://www.amazon.com/Zookeepers-Wife-War-Story/dp/0393061728

Diane Ackerman is quite a textured and sensual writer, however when I was reading her book on "A Natural history of the Senses", I found a few factual errors that she clearly hadn't bothered to check, assuming they were true, such as giraffes necking out of passion, and Helen Keller having been born deaf-blind.

That meant I had to check all the science facts she cited that I didn't know about after that, but I did learn plenty from that book.

I always think of that book as exemplifying the trap any science writer can fall into-- writing things off the top of her head and not double-checking her facts even on the fluff.

I am sure her new book will be an extremely engrossing read.

You'd think being beaten by Ron Paul would be a signal to some that they need to get out of the race. Oh, I see Duncan Hunter has dropped out
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HUNTER_WITHDRAWS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

but I was thinking of Fred Dalton.

Good for Ron Paul. Crazy he may be, but at least he's far more honest than most of the GOP.

Just a heartbreaking story.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080119/ap_on_re_us/homeless_on_the_homefront

Hi, boodle--

What a good discussion this was yesterday and today! I was gone today, went to Key West (left 5 a.m. returned 10 p.m.) There was a Seafood Festival, artwork was sold. I walked around, visited with some friends. Found my treehouse (you know I'm always on the lookout for affordable housing in Paradise):

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/kbertocci/P1190120.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/kbertocci/P1190121.jpg

(Key West report, continued) Also stopped in the local Ben Franklin store and thought there might be *some* boodlers who would like this:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/kbertocci/P1190123.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a80/kbertocci/P1190124.jpg

Now I know where to get yarn when I take up knitting again. Might as well come with the cat hair already on it. Priceless, kb.

Great pictures, kb. Love the kitty. I agree, good discussions. As you know, I read All Quiet on the Western Front recently, which is a fictional account of a German soldier's experience in WWI. I was struck by how much it still applies to soldiers today, especially how hard it was for him to go back home on leave, because his war experiences had changed him so much. As ftb said, when will we ever learn?

I have finished one sock, and it pretty much fits - a little too big and sloppy in places, because my gauge was close, but no cigar. Have started the second. Have bought more yarn and accessories (15% off while I'm taking the class). Accessories include a bona fide stitch gauge and needle size checker. Trying to decide between tennis or a movie to knit by (tomorrow night, Jane Austen for sure).

I'm finding today's presidential results oddly confusing and uninteresting. I did find out where my precinct caucus will be - in a nearby middle school, not the bowling alley (dang it!).

Basically it's still a dead heat between Clinton and Obama in delegate number, despite technical popular vote victories for Clinton.

McCain won South Carolina, which must feel good, if a few years late.

Coming up for air, but both mr dr and I have been looking at stuff on the internet today. We found him listed on a list of POW's and noted as going to the first of the camps he was in, along with his pilot, who we also found on the list. The list included their POW number, and their service number.

We know what place he flew out of the night he was shot down and we think we found the raid he was on, to take out a syntehtic fuel production facility near Lutzkendorf.

Mudge, mrdr and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You posted that interesting (and titillating) list of aircraft, and then I thought I'd tell you a little story. I didn't realize the story I would find was our own. We are sitting here just a little bit awed this all.

Yoki, I'm going to email you tommorrow. Watch for it ok?

'Night, dr. Always happy to be of service. 'Night, Boodle.

I actually do work@work for a few days and what happens? Multiple kits! Hundreds of Boodle messages to read.

Tomorrow, I backboodle.

Hope all is well.

For those staying up late, here's an interesting refelection on the last 20 years in the newspaper business, told from the point of view of a former Baltimore Sun writer who works for HBO now:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011802874.html

Mudge, that GB / NY football Giants is a tough one to figure out. My heart tells me that GB is good at home in the cold, but my head says that NY is on a huge road roll this season. Give me GB because I want to see the Farve Fairy Tale play out.

The other game, well, I expect New England to be 18-0 by 6:15 PM or so.

bc

bc,
That story about the Baltimore Sun seems pretty typical of what's happened all over. On a much smaller scale, local television newscasts seem to have suffered the same fate.

Yesterday, I got a peek at Old Panama, the city burned by Morgan and his 1200 pirates. Notwithstanding that huge quantities of building stone were removed to the city's new site (and some buildings were dismantled and rebuilt), it's an impressive sight. The "new" city (today's Casco Viejo) burned repeatedly, so despite its impressibly antique appearance, not so many old buildings survived. Interestingly, lots of New Orleans-style balconies testify to that great port's cultural influence. The experience left me more impressed by our grandest old city (yup, even if Charleston is in some ways more impressive).

And by the way, I feel badly for that poor uprooted Sabal palmetto. I guess it's being delivered to a breastworks to repel cannonballs, whatever the dove thinks.

Dave, or maybe it was in the way of a condominium project, and it just had to go...

The bird may represent a hurricane. this is one obscure symbol.
Good story dr. My grand-father was gassed in WWI, he spent months in a sanatorium in France. He then took cooking lessons and he became a chef when he returned to Canada. I think I've told the story how he volunteered for the Navy with his brother, being from a family of sailors. They didn't know French Canadians were not allowed in the Navy. Always read the fine print carefully.
It's darn cold here today. Off to a volleyball tournament with W2.

Mornin' all...

The long-haired leaping gnome lives. Two bouts of pneumonia over the past month or so (topped with a nice flu) left me pretty much incapacitated. Much better now, though. Finally got back in my shop Monday and now get to play catch-up for the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of catching up... looks like I've got a lot of back Boodling to do.

Peace :-)

Happy sunny but c-c-c-cold Sunday morning to all!

Trudeau hits another one out of the ballpark. The man's a genius:

http://wpcomics.washingtonpost.com/client/wpc/db/

Well howdy, Martooni! Very glad to see you; sorry about the crud.

We were about to send a posse.

SD -- when you return, tell me. Do you mean that your stripe of canockis were NOT PERMITTED TO BE IN THE NAVY? Wow.

Morning all...

Dave O'C... love your dispatches from Panama. My daughter's best friend moved there a couple of years ago and through the wonders of the Interwebs their friendship hasn't slowed a bit. Same time zone half the year sure helps.

I find it interesting that it can be hot as blazes, but the sun always sets there somewhere between 6 and 6:30-ish. It's hard for me to picture that. I associate the early sunset with barren, cold winter.

Hey martooni! so good to see you! Hope you're all cured. How's the bean doing?

DR, KB's post reminds me to say to you that everytime I see a cute knitted hat (real or pattern) with a flower embellishment, I recall that you contemplate knitting lichens. I would adore a hat kitted with a lichen, or leaf, or some such non flower item. Can lichen patterns or lichen knits be a "retirement" option? I bet you could sell them on etsy....broach even, or a thingie to keep scarves in place.

I have a brown clochie hat about to go on the kneedles....the pattern calls for a daisy to be added. A light green lichen would be better....and CPDots are very anti-flower these days.....a lichen or oak leaf would be the ticket.

Good morning, friends. Martooni, so glad to hear from you. I think I have what you lost. Not good, not good, at all. Green, glad to see you back.

I'm going to try and get the clothes on, but I feel really bad. I want to go to Sunday school and church, I have a lot of work to do. Will see how I feel after taking the shower.

Mudge, it was an interesting conversation yesterday morning. I loved dr's story about his uncle because I could relate to it in a very small way. We really do share a lot on this planet, and so much of it not good.

When I relate my experiences here about the times in my life, please boodle, don't think that I'm trying to "hit" on you folks. I'm just telling it like it is. I've come up on the rough side of the mountain(every heard that song), but I'm so glad I found my Saviour, Jesus Christ or rather He found me.

Got to go. The g-girl and I are going to chance this weather. Slyness, no snow, just really cold. There could be ice, I hope not a lot.

I see SC did McCain good. It's the least they could do. They were some kind of nasty to that man. And as far as being ultra-conservative, I believe it's just another world for plain old mean. They've traded their lack of slavery for something else. And that states rights stuff is a cover for treating people badly. In other words, it's mine so I can do what I want even if that means abusing someone else. Southern states used that analogy to segegrate and mistreat African-Americans for so long, and still do to some extent. Take a look at the school systems. Don't get me started on that.

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Good morning, all.

Martooni - hey there! I'm glad to hear you're doing better, man. We were worried.

Dave, enjoy your time in the sun.

My thermometer reads 17 deg. F. right now, and that does not include the wind chill.
Perhaps not so cold compared to what some of you folks out there experience, but for this area, that's pretty cold.

Oy.

And, dr, in honor of Countie-Man, we need cockages in the shapes of native palms.

Cackades? and Badges? mushed into cockages....

Good to see you Martooni!

I really like this column. Take heed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011802870.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

cockades?

Slinking away in shame. My fingers are very cold, but that is not much of an excuse.

RD.. good column, thanks. Although I think any of the top Democratic candidates would make a great president, the writer explains why I'm an Edwards supporter.

Cassandra, I agree that it's good McCain won in SC, certainly a nice turnaround for him.

Not sure I agree that "ultra-conservative" is a synonym for "plain old mean," if I understand what you're saying.

From Dictionary.com:

con·serv·a·tive /kənˈsɜrvətɪv/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
-adjective
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
4. (often initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Conservative party.
5. (initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
6. having the power or tendency to conserve; preservative.
7. Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.

I agree that conservatism in this country has certainly had much of the effects you describe, but I'm not sure I'd ascribe it to meanness. I'm more inclined to believe the majority of conservatives are that way due to fear and overt self-interest (call it selfishness if you'd like) rather than an active plan to keep people down. I don't think many conservatives actually consider the long-range effects of keeping the status quo, be it politically, socially, scientifically, economically, environmentally, etc. In fact, I think humans do tend to need some small-c conservatism in their lives, for comfort and stability in a world that is dangerous and difficult, and as a grounding as they search (*if* they search) for spiritual and emotional meaning. Religious traditions would be a good example of that IMO.

But political conservatism is about keeping things exactly as they are, even though the nature of everything is change.

Everything and everyone moves down the vast river of spacetime, so why not steer ourselves where where we want to go rather than try to anchor ourselves somewhenwhere?

Besides, there's nothing to wrap the anchor around except our own minds.

There I go, getting philisophical again. Time for another cup of coffee, maybe with some Kahlua in it this time.

Ah, time...

bc

RD, I agree with that column, for sure.

I think we've been saying all along that the Dems can still drop the ball this year if they're not careful, haven't we?

I know I have.

And I'd add that McCain - who just won SC, and SC has been a very good predictor of the eventual GOP Prez nominee - is appealing enough to those all-important independents to sway a lot of votes his way, rather than the polarizing guys like Huckabee and Romney.

bc

-27 this morning.

Am I the last woman in the world to fall in love with Tiki Barber? I was doing some grad work at UVA when he was there so I have always known he and Ronde are both hot, hot, hot. But, I saw Tiki on Charlie Rose last night and his interpretation of effort, ability, and the mental aspects of playing on the NFL level was so interesting and refreshingly free of cliche he knocked my socks off. Cerebral and hot, hot, hot. Darn few of those around.

Welcome back Martooni. Stay warm Cassandra! I often think a little ice in your area is far worse than below 0 temps in ours.

Frosti, a former Terp football player introduced himself to me on day one of class, saying that he wanted to like the Barber Brothers. Good example. However, my Terp still needs to finish the degree....he is playing for some team that I shall not name.

Small victory in the laundry wars: occasionally, I ask CPBoy to provide some laundry items to make for a full load. Otherwise, he is chief petty officer for dude laundry. However, the old rule applies that money found belongs to the launderer or laundress. If coins are heard, he shoots downstairs to fish out the bills. Today, no coins. CPBoy is still sleeping. So, I am the new owner of 12 dollars, drying atop the dryer. Such clean money, too!

CP - sounds like you could treat yourself to lunch!

24 degrees here...mighty cold for Tidewater. I think it's supposed to get even colder. We got just a dusting of snow much to my daughter's chagrin. She didn't even care that she wouldn't have gotten a "snow day" out of it, she just wanted to play in the snow. It's been a few years since we have had a substantial snow. (kids can make it work with just 2 inches)

I love Tiki Barber, he has such smiling eyes. I love his name too, such panache!

Martooni - I'm glad you're feeling better.

Good article, RD. He articulated my fears perfectly.

Watched the Terps win last night. Lots of whooping and hollering. I mentioned to my husband that I knew a boodler who is not all that impressed with the Mr. William's attitude towards the academics of his players but the hubby just told me not to "rain on my parade" right then. I had to laugh.

One year and one hour from now... if we can only survive that long.

Our local S.A. Life columnist Cary Clack has written a column today about MLK. It reminds me a bit of Frank Rich's column at the NYT this morning, in that both mention how Hillary, Barack and Willard Mitt have invoked the name of King in their campaigns. I'll give you the ending grafs since they are the most powerful, but know that Clack inserts a humorous anecdote in the middle of his column that's worth linking to. Clack served as a scholar-intern at Atlanta's King Center in '84 and was affiliated with the center for a handful of years, teaching workshops about nonviolence.:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/columnists/cclack/stories/MYSA012008.04H.CaryClack.153be9e.html

This is the first year that King has been dead more years than he lived. His standing as a great historical figure, the lionization of him around the world and, of course, the national holiday that celebrates his birth are testaments to a man whose career as a public figure lasted little more than 12 years.

King may be more quoted than read, more admired than emulated and his voice heard more than his message is listened to.

That's why it's healthy to step back and remember that at the time of his death, because of his criticism of the Vietnam War and poverty and his passionate devotion to nonviolence and love, King was an unpopular and divisive figure -- even within the civil rights community.

That's the Martin Luther King Jr. who should be celebrated, remembered and invoked, not the sanitized King stripped of the controversy and complexity that made so many people uncomfortable.

That's also the King who offers a reminder to politicians that you can't simply tell people the things they want to hear but, often, you have to challenge them with the things they don't want to know.

Yeah, it's good to be the King now. But it wasn't always so. That it wasn't always so good and easy must be remembered and appreciated on this holiday weekend.

bc writes:
And I'd add that McCain - who just won SC, and SC has been a very good predictor of the eventual GOP Prez nominee - is appealing enough to those all-important independents to sway a lot of votes his way, rather than the polarizing guys like Huckabee and Romney.

As Katrina pointed out on George S.'s show this ayem: McCain's visage is the polite face of warmongering. Loomispouse thinks that position will be McCain's undoing.

For those of you following the David Simon story, here is a recording of an off-the-cuff story he tells about his days at the Sun. Without naming names, he accuses a Sun reporter of Jayson Blair level fabrication. He comes off a bit bitter.

http://www.stoopstorytelling.com/shows/19/storytellers/169

I quit my subscription to the Sun in part due to the rapidly declining quality.

CP, I didn't know you were into laundering money? LOL

3 here this morning,I hate to waste today indoors,but it is flippin cold here with a gusty wind.

Became curious about our local upcoming Trinity University lecture series for the spring, so Googled it.

The MLK lecture series will feature poet and author Nikki Giovanni this Wednesday.

Gen. John Abizaid will talk about "Leading a Changing Culture," on Wed. Feb. 6. Not war, but culture!

Tony Blair will be here on Thurs., March 6. The website informs readers that his talk will be "a ticketed event for the campus community" with ticket distribution information to be announced at a later date. Hmmm. No topic given for his talk.

hey, martooni! stay well.

kb, loved the photos of the cat.

the tom toles cartoon is really funny today, if anyone is interested.

I backed the vehicle into the carport yesterday, so the front was facing the sun. When I got in it at 9 a.m., the thermometer read 44, which dropped to 32 by the end of the first mile. It was down to 27 by the time I got to church. Yeouch.

Interesting sermon on MLK. I remember what a divisive figure he was, but also how horrible it was when he was assassinated. He was right about just about everything, which is why he is venerated today.

Loomis-here is an interesting account of a recent Abizaid talk, written by an Iranian-American woman. Might give a feel for what to expect in your locale-http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22354/42267-war-diplomacy--general-john-abizaid-s

SCC
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22354/42267-war-diplomacy--general-john-abizaid-s

Hey Martooni -- welcome home!

Just read that Suzanne Pleshette died. Very sad. I just *loved* the first Bob Newhart Show -- everyone in it was so good. But she was always the so-called "level headed" one (geez, who wants one of those in the room?). But I gotta tell ya -- the very last episode of the *second* Bob Newhart Show (the one based up in Vermont with the three Darryls) was priceless! I just about jumped out of my skin with laughter. Ms. Pleshette will indeed be missed. When Tom Posten died last Spring, I was surprised to read that the two of them were married (not that they were required to go out of their way to tell me). When Tom Posten died, though, that meant (at least for me) that all of the three men on the street on the Steve Allen Show were gone. Steve went, and then Don Knotts, Louis Nye and finally Tom Posten. I just adored that show -- I hope some of those shows were saved and put on something electronic so I can savor them again.

Now I'm just about to put together one of my absolute favorite wintertime comfort foods -- red lentils (which turn golden when cooked) with regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips (my current fave root veggie), kohlrabi, kale, red onions, caraway seeds, thyme and ginger. All may be varied, depending on what I've got and what I want in it. I cook it in vegetable broth (one of those Swanson's cartons is all that's needed). Hmmm, I'm hungry. Gotta go chop those veggies.

Again, martooni, glad you're back. Remember to force them fluids (and you know which ones I mean). Pneumonia is a bear (I'm a veteran) and very, very fatiguing.

Cassandra, hope you feel better soon.

Veggies await.

CP, dr:
http://knittingiris.typepad.com/photos/preblog_gallery/lichenkoiguruffle.html

And, of course:
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/12/27/knitting-mathematics.html

I have to admit that *I* prefer the math in knitting to be hidden...

i'm really curious to see what will happen in florida. if the republican electorate is smart, it will rally behind mccain. if it's not, the vote will be divided several ways. republicans have a tendency to be strategic and disciplined when it comes down to the wire.

one thing that i've thought about in my musings on the merits of obama versus clinton is that if we were to have a terrorist incident any time between now and november, that would completely reverse the electability perception. right now independents are more likely to go for obama, but if some terrorist thing were to occur, that would evaporate. all of a sudden, people wouldn't want an idealist, anti-war person, they'd want a tough, experienced foreign policy person. that would favor clinton over obama (in terms of changing perceptions about electability), and it would also favor the republicans over the democrats.

whoever the nominees end up being, perhaps factors beyond control will determine the election, whether foreign or domestic (like the economy).

bc

in the end, wouldn't you say, conservatism is about keeping the bottom on the bottom and top on the top? if that's the case, one has to know a foot has to be placed on someone's neck. and I don't believe the thinking is so elevated that even the most dense don't get that, because left to its own devices the situation might very well change. and to achieve that end, it does take a certain amount of meaness, wouldn't you say?

conservatism of itself might be harmless, but when thrown in with a bunch of other stuff, it becomes deadly.

read the article, RD. the writer makes some valid points, but perhaps keeping the present situation in front of the american people could be a boost for the democratic candidates. yet I guess one has to keep in mind we're talking about folks that put the present administration in office.

went to church, but was late. not feeling too good now.

Interesting piece in the latest issue of _Parameters_, the Army War College Quarterly.

"The Moral Equality of Combatants" speaks specifically to the issues of jus ad bellum, when it is just to start a war, and jus in bellum, the just conduct of a war once started (even if the conditions of jus ad bellum did not exist). I am a bit disappointed that it does not do enough to address the responsibility of senior military leadership when a politically legitimate government enters into a war that is not justified under "Just War" theory. However, it does a great job of explaining the duality soldiers have to deal with of knowing a war is wrong (or stupid, or entered into based on lies) and fulfilling the duty to continue in as just a manner as possible because of the very necessary subordination of the military to legitimate civilian authority.

Read it all at:
http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/07winter/ceuleman.htm

Thanks, frostbitten, for the post and ensuing link.

You may have just given away (to me) most of Abizaid's talk. One small correction to the author--Abizaid really does not hail from Frisco, but from the general Lake Tahoe region, as I Boodled some time ago. When I go to hear him talk in February here, I can compare and contrast his remarks (if there is new material) with what the young Iranian woman wrote.

Brrrr!

My shop is freezing (and so are my toes). We're up to a whopping 10F now, which is better than the 5F this morning when I first went out there, but not by much. Time for a hot tea break.

FTB... trust me, I've been drinking *lots* of fluids (and not a drop of the bad kind, believe it or not). I've been sucking down so much green tea with honey I wouldn't be surprised if I turned a shade of asparagus.

For those of you who don't normally watch Comedy Central, they're doing a Frank Black special tonight -- "Red, White and Screwed" -- at 9:00 Eastern. I can't wait to hear his latest rants.

Toes are thawed... back to work.

Peace :-)

Transcript of Obama's speech today:
http://thepage.time.com/obamas-speech-at-ebenezer-baptist-church/
Excerpt:
"I'm talking about a moral deficit. I'm talking about an empathy deficit. I'm taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother's keeper; we are our sister's keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny."

I think many conservatives, especially, have the inability to see themselves in someone else's shoes. They think they are successful all because of their own efforts - they don't see the privilege they are afforded simply by being white, or middle class. I don't know that Obama can get through to people like that - but I'd like to see him try.

firstimeblogger, i hope to feel better. it is cold here, but i feel like i'm in an oven,even when outside.

Cassandra, if you have a fever, stay in and take care of yourself. I know, I know, that's tough to do when there is a four-year-old bouncing about.

Martooni, glad to hear you're doing better. We really were about to send somebody to check on you.

Welcome back Martooni. I think you meant *Lewis* Black is on the Comedy Channel tonight, but you've been sick so don't worry about it. Cassandra, don't put off going to the doctor if you continue to feel poorly.

I too feel bad about Suzanne Pleschette, she was outspoken and funny when interviewed which was refreshing, seeing how most of the celebs on TV are scripted and phony. Just my opinion.

Not too cold here yet but temp is headed downward. Agree with you about Obama, Mostly. He seems to have a bit more real substance than some of the other candidates, altho' with all the sniping back and forth I try not to read or listen to much of it.

You can but me in the Achenblog sick bay, too. Just came back from a trip to the doc-in-a-box because I ran out of asthma medication a while ago and had a really nasty flareup of it. I was such a wreck that he gave me *two* trips to the Crab Nebulizer instead of the usual one. Got some meds, though, and between them and the nebulizer drug at least now I can breathe. More or less. Breathing is nice.

Glad to see you back here, martooni!

*Lewis* Black... doh!

I must have had Frank Black from The Pixies on my mind.

Wishing everyone who is sick gets better soon! I'm just about over my head cold - but I thought that a couple of days ago and had a bit of a relapse. Not close to pneumonia, fever, or asthma - yikes, y'all. Nice to see you again, martooni.

Need to go for a walk now that I'm feeling up to it. Sunny but cold here, and supposed to get colder (just below freezing - I'm a wimp).

Another take on Obama:

http://www.slate.com/id/2182159

Broccoli for President!

Oh. Sorry, forgot we already have that.

Cassandra, I hope you're feeling better.

I would say that conservatism is about keeping things as they are, however that is.

When conservatism is mixed with religion or other spiritiual and moral imperatives and used to justify conservative politics that block social, intellectual/technological and/or economic change which would benefit people -- that's when I see problems.

Now the question is: who perceives these changes as 'benefits,' and at what cost?

Who's spiritual, economic, or intellectual capital would society be asking to spend on change? Who's willing to comprimise themselves materially in order to effect change? Or compromise their chldren?

I don't have the answers here, but I do know that any answer would depend on the perspective of the person being asked. And *no one* ever regards themselves as evil or a wrongdoer or even basically mean.

People have their reasons. Even conservatives. The trick is to get them to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

bc

My personal brand of conservatism (which is not strictly conservative in politics - I'm mixed for that) is move slowly. conservatism is about moving slowly enough that you take the time to consider. Its a fine and integral balance to a more liberal philosophy, which tends to move faster, and move farther than a conservative philosophy. In me it is not a fear of losing, it is a fear of losing again.

I will always vote for the best person to do the job.

Mr dr did some more research last night and he found Uncle Romans flight details. Uncle Roman was off by one day according to the records noted here.

http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=2213

"The trick is to get them to walk a mile in someone else's shoes."

Ahh... but if they did that, they wouldn't really be conservatives, would they? That's the easiest definition to me of conservative vs liberal... a conservative only wants to help the hungry if he's been hungry.

Or is against torture because HE was tortured.

bc

as always you are right on the money. i don't see the folks in south carolina walking in anyone's shoes but their own. why would they? remember these are the folks that seceded from the country ,first ones if my memory is correct. have they grown since that time? i don't know. i just see them as people wanting to go back to a time that was good for them. when everything was everything. when men and women of color had to bow to them almost as if they were royalty, were at their beck and call, no matter what. a time when everything they did or said was right regardless of the truth. has that changed much? my contention has always been that in some way they're trying to win the war, because for them the war isn't actually over.

pj, i can relate. i had my inhaler out yesterday too. breathing is good. i wasn't doing such a good job of that yesterday. i do hope you feel better and the meds work out okay.

bc
you are correct. no one has that perception about themselves. but one question that has been on my mind for the longest is at what point did the population that enslaved human beings and treated them as animals believe that this was right, and a God given right at that.

everyone talks about the impact of the civil war in terms of how it affected african americans, but very few people talk about it in terms of the folks that lost the war. in order to come to a point of civil war, there had to be a lot of internal strife. where did these feelings go after the war, how do the folks that lost the war see themselves in the whole frame of things. was there a coming together or still fragments of isolation. is there complete trust or deep pockets of wariness, and where does religion come in to all of this?

like i said yesterday, we need to bury this, but we need to have funeral first.

The Democrats should probably realize that if they get the votes of the independents, it won't be because of love for the Democratic party. It will be because they feel the Democratic nominee will represent them.

My sister thinks her son used a pen name to write this...

http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/dont-blame-me-i-voted-on-hot-or-not

Taking a break from the football game to check in.

I think neither textbook Conservatism nor textbook Liberalism is necessarily "kinder." Classic conservatism values liberty over equality while classic Liberalism values equality over liberty. Both are valid goals, and history shows that both strategies can lead to good and bad outcomes.

The real division is betweens extremists and moderates. Between those who swear allegiance to one approach verses the other as a way to solve all problems even when evidence shows their favorite approach is failing.

Further, in this country at least, the contingencies of history have led to various unholy spurious alliances that have very little to do with the underlying political philosophy.

It is these alliances that I believe have led to the perception that Conservatism is cruel.

Conservative? Liberal? It's all relative, isn't it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/fashion/weddings/13vows.html

CP, thought about you when I saw this:

http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/455224.html

I could go a long exegesis on political conservatism, but it's halftime of the game (Pats lead 14-9; whaddaya think, Scotty? I think SD is doing better than I expected) and I'm cooking a 4.4-lb. apple-stuffed pork loin with a root beer glaze and black pepper dumplings. I will fax leftovers to those of you in sick bay. And maybe a few others of you as well.

Must return to the kitchen now: there's work to do and I have miles to go before I eat.

Zero degrees in Green Bay--and wait until the sun goes down. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. That's gonna be one mean football game tonight.

Checking in at halftime here - gotta admit that San Diego's defense is doing a good job keeping it close in the cold of Foxboro...

Cassandra, thank you for saying I'm right on the money as usual, but really, I'm just a guy who has a lot of questions and knows that I have a lot to learn about a great many things. Everything, when you get right down to it.

One other thing I know is that I don't have all the answers for myself, much less anyone else. All I can do is the best I can.

I have no idea if people want others to bow to them, or how many think they're still fighting a war that was over almost 150 years ago. To tell you the truth, I've never asked anyone those questions specifically.

I can only imagine that anyone clinging that closely to the past risks becoming marginalized in the one-way river of time.
Swamped, overtaken by events.
Change is the only thing in the universe I think I can count on.

Oops, here's the second half kickoff.

RD, good points about conservatism and liberalism, exremists and moderates.

bc

Scotty... Sneaks... Woo hoo!

Now... Go Packers!

Looks cold just watching the Packers/Giants game. Maybe the servos in that obnoxious "Fox robot" will freeze up.

Martooni, So happy to see you back. Take good care.

6-0 Giants at the start of the second quarter. I'm glad some of you ladies think Tiki Barbour is hot, because right now Mr. Hot is freezing his nuggies off.

Wow, were those black pepper dumplings good! I gotta share the recipe, adapted from Bobbt Flay:

Black Pepper Dumplings

Dumpling liquid:

1 onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs parsley
2 tablespoons fat and fond

The recipe presumes you are cooking some sort of meat--chicken or pork loin, for instance. So when it says, "Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat" it means fat from whatever is being cooked, plus any fond you can scrap up. If you don't have any meat fat to start with, use some olive oil and butter to saute the onions, carrots, garlic and celery (your basic mirepoix, in other words). Place on top of the stove over medium heat in big pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and the herbs, and bring to a boil, cook until reduced by 1/3. Reduce the heat to low and let the broth simmer.

Black Pepper Dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons very cold solid vegetable shortening
¼ to 1/3 cup milk (or water)

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, parsley, and thyme in a medium mixing bowl. Using your fingers, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk, stirring just until the mixture is moistened. Gather the dough into a ball, knead it a few times, and cut into 12 equal pieces.

Drop the dumplings into the broth, cover, and simmer until they are puffed and cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

-----

Donald Drive touchdown, Packers lead 7-6.

Headline on WaPo front page right now:

"Army reservist navigates rocky road in quest to be first female Muslim chaplain in U.S. military."

Wow.

His hotness, Mr. Barber, said on Charlie Rose he'd be watching the game from home but would go to see the Super Bowl since its in a warm venue.

I like watching GB play in weather like this and wish the Viking played outdoors. Team owner Zygi Wilf is taking his show on the road to try to convince out staters that the whole state would benefit from a new stadium, not just the Twin Cities metro. Reminds me a bit of the Art Modell quote from Bill Moyers' Journal this week, "The pride of having a professional team is worth 13 libraries." (At a time when library funding was being cut and he was playing Baltimore and Cleveland off each other.) I could buy the MN pride thing if the new stadium was going to reflect our particular location, and climate. Like most people who don't live within 50 miles of the proposed new stadium I don't see us taking too much pride in the luxury boxes none of us will ever see that are supposed to make a new dome superior to the now old (at 20) Metrodome.

Right now it is the same temp here as in GB and I feel a bit for the players, but being in the stands has to be more miserable. Those are fans.

Boy, the 'fifth quarter' show after the Pats game went on forever. A lot of players who usually don't speak on camera got up at the podium. Vrabel, Faulk, Bruschi, Seau and of course Brady. They were all pleased but low key and mentioned how well SD played. Now we're routing for the Packers. It's so much more relaxing to watch a game when I'm not emotionally involved in it. And Frosti, I don't understand domed stadiums. I thought football was supposed to be played in he11ish weather, it's part of the 'charm'. The Pats snowbowl game when all the fans tossed snow into the air after each score making the stadium look like the inside of a snowglobe was fabulous to watch (from home under a heated throw).

That dumpling recipe looks good Mudge, can't wait to try it.

Wow indeed, LTL. I didn't even know that there were any women imams.

Judging from this, her main obstacle might well have been from her fellow muslims, rather than the U.S Military.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_as_imams

Well done!

If nuns live in a nunnery, do female imams live in an imammary?

(Sorry. Just couldn't resist.)

Looks like the CDC spoke too soon about eradicating canine rabies from the U.S.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=3765973&page=2

We're importing over 300,000 unvaccinated puppies from aboard every year.

It makes no health sense to import any dog under 12 weeks old because this is a crucial socialization period and they cannot be vaccinated at all. However, people want young and cute, and thus the market speaks.

The way to change this is to showcase older dogs as being adoptable (they so often are!).

Many people simply need to get a good look at older dogs that don't need all the work in housebreaking, chewing, etc. before they get transfixed by cute puppies.

Mudge... I guess the residents of an immamary are immates.

And yes.. Tiki is hot. Ronde, too. No arguments here.

bc, Scotty, whaddaya think? Wanna switch the game off and watch "Northanger Abbey" over on PBS?

As soon as I finished bursting a gut at that image, I checked the local PBS station, and sure enough it was on even up here.

Thanks, Mudge.

Jeez, Tynes missed it! Um, er, I mean, Mr. Darcy failed to respond in a timely manner to Miss Crumplestone's invitation for tea. How exciting!

Um, wrong book, Mudge. Nice try at an interception pass there, though.

My bad, Wilbrod. It is very hard to keep all these characters straight and figure out who is related to whom. Fot instance, after that nice Lord Favre went three and out, the evil gamekeeper, Mr. Manning, was sacked by the Rector of Bugabugaba, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila Wockawocka and now that nice Lord Favre is again trying to acquire more greensward from the other persons. I'm moist with anticipation!

Oh, dear! A major scrum! Many persons have piled upon the pigskin! Who shall emerge with possession?

Mr. Bradshaw has now appeared to have run all the way to the far end, but now he has determined to reverse his course and return to the position from whence he started!

Yunno, I always think the baseball season runs too long, into too much cold weather for the World Series. And it seems like football is the same way, except they have the Superbowl someplace warm - don't they, usually? Maybe that just makes too much sense. Since I am a football avoider, I hardly know.

I'm hoping Federer isn't playing at the same time Northanger Abbey is on - will have to tape one or the other if that happens. Just finished the book.

The barristers have ruled that only a brace of brief moments remain, and all must pause for refreshment. And since the outcome at the moment is in deadlock, spoirits upon the field are running high. Indeed, that Mr. Harris, the gentleman with the long braid midst his helmed coiffure, and who has been having harsh words with Lady Plaxico-Burress all evening, has bestirred himself to the sidelines momentarily so that apothecarries may administer oxygen balm to his manly calves, which have been cramped most painfully.

Oh, my goodness, this is most distressing! With but four seconds upon yonder churchtower clock, that young Mr. Tynes has once again entered upon the lists, determined to render asunder the deadlock that has held our readers in such thrall lo these many hours.

Miss Crumplestone is going into overtime.

The sumb1tch shanked it!!!

Uh, er, I mean, Mr. Tynes efforts have met with a most disappointing outcome, wide left. O joy! Be still me heart!

Pause we now for more refreshment, visits to the loo, and perhaps a bite of watercress sandwich before our story resumes.

Oh, that poor unfortunate field goal kicker for the Giants. How must his mother feel.

Mr. Coughlin will surely suffer from extreme apoplexy. I don't think the hue of his cheeks could be any deeper an apple shade.

I believe young Mr. Tynes may be filled with such remorse and shame that he may throw himself under the hooves of a passing carriage at any moment. And his fans back in Newyawk may inter him in the endzone of the Meadowlands.

Oh, dear me, Mr. Webster! How my bosom heaves with disappointment.

Heavens! That young man just took a ball that did not belong to him!

Oh verily, may I say that I find you most decidedly rich! I'm surprised that you've all ascribed to such an easy conquest. I must admit that I plead such ignorance of such affairs.

Who, pray thee, won?

Crumbcakes!

Our sad tale must end with this cruel act of redemption upon the soul of young Mr. Tynes, who hath finally learnt where to put it.

I am most distressed. I believe I shall require a fording nightcap before bestirring myself to slumber.

SCC: Whom!

football playoffs in austenese. excellent.
how about the superbowl in shakespearean?

My dear Miss O'D, I believe if you enquired of a passing newsboy, he might inform you that the upstarts from New York, to the surprise and chagrin of many including myself, have won the struggle at hand.

Of course, when they met the foe from Foxborough in two weeks, they shall surely have their asses handed to them, and not by stableboys.

Or so one devoutly hopes.

I am most distressed that the fromage ones did not win, yet they had the utmost grace to lose in time for the conclusion of Northanger Abbey to be viewed without interruptions for surfing back and forth to check on progress of that frozen contest.

Anything but Bahktinian, LA. Anything but that.

Whuf! What a couple of games!!!

I think Coach Coughlin might be showing up in Arizona with a case 'o frostbite...

And yes, this is gonna be one heckuva rematch!!

Off to bed. Vaya con football, and fondue.

:-)

Verily, young Tynes has redeemed himself in the Time of Overage.

And so the Giants advance
to the desert sands
and a final appointement worth mention;

And another real chance
at their gridiron dance
'gainst New England, for victory and redemption.

bc

Uh, Scotty, don't get up early and go to work tomorrow. Fed. holiday, ya know.

Whew, now we can get back to campaign stuff.

Interesting proposal for a science debate.

From American Scientist Online:

With the U.S. presidential election less than a year away, the candidates have participated in literally scores of debates across the country and online. But science and technology--so central to modern public policy--have been addressed only in passing and for the most part in brief, 90-second responses.

"Right now we have a confluence of issues facing candidates: embryonic stem cell research, global warming, science and technology education, biotechnology and energy policy--it's just becoming an avalanche," Case Western physicist Lawrence Krauss told Wired magazine. "I think at some level, you have to get some insight into what the candidates know, or what they're willing to learn."

Krauss, science journalist Chris Mooney and other concerned citizens hope to do just that with Science Debate 2008, a grassroots movement that proposes a dedicated presidential debate in which the candidates discuss in detail their ideas about health and medicine, science and technology policy, and the environment.

Read the rest here-
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/56597;jsessionid=baa6C-kVCtnrrp

bc

i am learning, and just like you, i don't have the answers. for many in the South, some years back was a good time for them, and it could be that some want to go back to that time. in looking at the future, there could be fear about moving forward. so much of the time we're not comfortable with moving forward because we don't know what to expect. and we do prefer our comfort zones. we know that things change, that's why we have history books, and yet a lot of it does not change. we never run out of ways to hurt and kill one another, every generation coming up with new ways to do the same old thing. and whether it's greed, hatred, apathy, whatever, the pages written show a pattern. man's inhumanity to man. one size does not fit all. there are good people in this world. and because some want what i call their "familiar" does not mean they are not good people. as rd, mentioned those that go outside of moderate, balanced thinking. sometimes good people get carried over by extremists from one end of the scale to the other, simply by forging a bond with such groups. not intentionally, but by hanging on to the higher calling, yet the damage is the same.

when jesse helms was running for office in north carolina, it was reported that his biggest contributors were from other states, not his home state. somebody else liked him as much as some in north carolina. he played the race card so much of the time, and it never failed to keep him in office. evidently someone else liked what he was doing. wars have their impact, and they effect the winners and the losers. and even if we don't have the answers from those that survived, we can see patterns and changes in behavior that speak more loudly than words ever could.

Okay, I think I'm caught up, although in a rushed, page-flipping before the exam kind of way.

Sure to fall behind again in the next week or two--too much work to do!

Hope all are well.

nice, bc.

mudge, if i had more of an attention span for sports and some spare brain wattage, a bakhtinian carnival rendition might be rather interesting.

Cassandra, you're right, racism isn't confined to the South.

For the gridiron physicists: Apparently the universe does have cosmic strings stretched across to measure time-space. Or so one fan of the COSMOS believes.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080120182315.htm

The search for cosmic flags is still on.

Now for this story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118125835.htm

My first thought was, if a psychologist has to use a Tom Hanks movie to back his findings, is it really good science?

i used to keep up with all the football games, the play-offs, and the super bowl was the highlight of all. just seemed to have lost interest after my son died, can't get back into it.

going back to bed now. hoping to feel better in the morning. glad it's a holiday. i have a ticket for the MLK luncheon here, but i don't feel right spreading these germs. don't wish this on anyone.

have a good night, folks, and beautiful dreams.

Ah, that's the germ that makes you write like e.e. cummings, Cassandra?

You better keep that one away from everybody, except for maybe a few politicans you don't like...

Coach Coughlin was a refreshingly normal person when he set up the Jacksonville Jaguars, years ago.

TBG,
I was writing on Panama from the hotel concierge's room. Yesterday, my departure day, I developed a cold, so I slept most of today.

Friday had been taken up with the University of Panama's field trip, complete with two small buses and a van. After lots of warning about chiggers, our first stop was Chagres National Park, which protects the watershed of a lake that supplies the Canal locks. It's full right now. The forest is on limestone without much soil, so it's not as lush as some you drive through in the Canal Area, but there were lots of beautiful hardwood trees, including some spectacular trees like cuipo (Canavillesia platanifolia) with its thick, bulging trunk with distinct rings. A bit like a New-World baobab. It was about as easy to move through the forest as it would be somewhere near Washington--lots of small trees, a few vines, small bamboos, smallish palms, and the featured attraction: Zamias, cycads that look very much like small palms, down to having short trunks. They were abundant and thriving in this low-light, somewhat water-restricted environment, perhaps competing successfully with the palms for bits of real estate and sunlight. Some were happily making cones, and we even spotted a Zamia-eating butterfly.

So much for Zamias being primitive relics from the dinosaur era--these were thriving in what was by all odds a very competitive environment, possibly the ecological equivalent of K Street.

The park office and ranger's house were very modest, reminding me of a bygone era in our own national parks and wildlife refuges.

Up on the ridgetops, the gumbo-limbo tree (Bursera simaruba)was pretty abundant. Due to its peeling, bright red metallic bark, it's extremely hard to miss. Amazingly, this tree's range extends north nearly to Cape Canaveral, where it lives mostly on the barrier islands.
http://ctfs.si.edu/webatlas/findinfo.php?specid=908&leng=english

There wern't any nasty chiggers. No bug bites at all, in fact.

Second field trip stop was an orchid nursery with an extraordinary breeding collection of native Zamias, all nicely labelled. Their specimens of Zamia pseudoparasitica were spectacular--almost no stem but long, floppy, feather leaves. Since Zamias seem pretty good at coping with lack of water or bad water (a recently-discovered one puts up with occasional salt-water flooding), I guess it's inevitable that a species grows on trees, just like orchids and bromeliads. The orchids were impressive, too--the owner, a former soybean breeder, specializes in natives. Most were under water-resistant shelter, presumably to control sun and ensure that watering is done according to schedule, not according to whims of the weather.

Miraflores locks, of course. Amazing that they're still working. The US started building supplemental locks back in 1939, but nothing happened until recently, when Panama decided to go ahead.

The condo and office tower boom in Ciudad de Panama has to be seen to be believed. From the sea, Miami looks sort of modest by comparison, despite the recently-ended boom. Regrettably, mid-rise housing for the poor looks awful, and has the attention of the local newspapers. Then again, the plight of pedestrians also gets attention. There's a lot of parking on sidewalks.

Finally, Ciudad de Panama is a fantastic place for great food at modest prices. The last night's meal was at Madame Chang's on Av. 5A and Calle Uruguay, a short walk from the hotel. I don't think anyone in the group had sneakily made reservations--we were welcome and had a wonderful, inexpensive feast with great service. Just now, I did a google search and checked some of the reverential reviews. They're justified.

MARTOONI!!!! *confetti and other belated celebrations* :-)

'Mudge, I was wondering why the roads were so empty... NOT! *L*

Cassandra, stay healthy, please!! :-)

*genteel-and-almost-lacadasical-for-a-day-off Grover waves*

Loved the Austen football play-by-play last night. There are some very clever people here. Today is a floater holiday for us and I've chosen to work and save the day for later. Of course it would have been really nice to stay in my snug, warm bed this morning. Not too cold here today, about 15 degrees, at least it's not cold comparatively speaking. Sort of bummed about the Giants, I'd have preferred to see us play GB. Have a great day off everyone.

good morning, friends. scotty, i'm seriously thinking of going to the emergency room. the doctor's office isn't open today. maybe i just need some fluids. don't really want to do that.

it is so very cold here. sunny skies predicted, but verrrrrrrrrrrrrry cold.

mudge, martooni, slyness, stay warm all.*waving*

martooni, heat that shop up before venturing out there. you don't want to have a relaspe. tell little Bean and your wife hello for me.

i hope everyone's weekend has been good so far. with the cold weather i don't see much that can be done outside, just too cold. the g-girl is going bonkers staying in the house so much. her mom takes her out for a little while. my daughter is still here, and i am glad because i don't feel so good. she doesn't cook, but it's nice to have someone here, beside who needs to eat? she did make a strawberry pie yesterday. she seems to be hung up on junk and sweets. i wonder where she got that from?

listen, if you folks are going out, please dress nice and warm,and check on your elderly neighbors. seniors sometimes don't realize how cold it is, and that is very dangerous for them. and remember the homeless.

slyness, i saw on television news that a man was found frozen in your city. he went to sleep outside. i know we have a shelter here in the county seat, but for folks not living there, it can be hard. i truly hope no one is sleeping outside, especially this week.

bc, i enjoyed my chat with you. i hope you were not offended at the conversation. i don't know the language yet to talk about race relations, just have the few words that i know. it is good to talk, and though sometimes the conversation may sound angry, i am not angry. just always so very sad about it all, and wanting a peaceful outcome.

going to get the coffee, and try to eat a little bit. have a lovely MLK day, and enjoy you time off.

calling, ivansmom, calling ivansmom. how are you doing? hope you and the Boy are on the mend.

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

wilbrod

you're talking the lower case writing? i had to look up the writer. i don't think i understand what you're saying. i hope you don't mind explaining.

We went with Austen last night instead of the Gridiron giants. I have never read or seen Northanger Abbey, but we were noting the overlaps with other Austen works:

The trip to Bath at the invitation of the generous uncle.
The cad virgin deflowering army officer.
The status conscious parent trying to marry up his kids.
The ditzy/flirty best friend.

Now we can name all six Austen novels as easily as the seven dwarfs.

Cassandra, please, for the love of Mike, if you're "seriously thinking" about going to the emergency room, please GO! Now! This cold or flu or whatever it is has been hanging on too long, and you need to see someone about it.

Or as my parents used to say: "Don't make me come up there!"

Mudge is right, Cassandra, take care of yourself! I hope you feel better quickly.

I'm on an airplane, flying to Little Rock via Atlanta. Will post later today. Have posted a microkit in the meantime, a speech by MLK.

I just bought the new Michael Pollan book -- should be great fodder for kits.

Remind me at some point to write something that clarifies the presidential contest so that everything makes sense.

Um, the Giants are in the Super Bowl? Whaaa...? (But that WAS a great game.)

Hey Martooni!!!

Cassandra, I'm with Mudge, get yourself to the ER for the help you need.

Yes, sad story about the homeless guy who died of exposure. Also story in the morning paper that there are about 2,000 beds for a homeless population estimated to be 5,000. If it weren't for the Room at the Inn program, the situation would be dire. My church participates; churches go to the homeless shelter and take a number of men to sleep overnight. We provide shower facilities, beds, supper, and breakfast once a week, December through March. The issue, of course, is that certain people prefer to stay outside rather than submit to the rules (no drinking, smoking, or drugs).

New mini kit with link to a speech by Dr. King.

As the boss says, new kit!