I always respected Mr Buckley's tenacity. He did a tough interview. I didn't care for his politics, though.

I am shockingly ignorant of William F Buckley. I avoid confrontational television of any kind. It is a psychological weakness of mine.

Yet, from reading the above descriptions I cannot help but think of the man kindly. While I would doubtless disagree with him on most points, I respect the underlying premise of his approach. There really are multiple ways of viewing the universe. Those who disagree with you are not necessarily mentally deficient or morally corrupt. (Although they certainly can be.)

Some months ago we delved into this here on the boodle in some detail, but it all boils down to this. A truly confident intellect has to accept the theoretical possibility that all the self-evident truths he holds dear could, in fact, be wrong.

Oops - forgot the period after the F. Force of habit.

It was because of WFB that my husband went through a period of adding the middle initial F to everyone's name. The one that comes quickly to mind for me is Wink F Martindale.

He had 10 children? and father/dad was not used in the decription of him, too busy being a bon vivant?

Wink Frank Martindale????

dmd, he was from a brood of ten. From a rich family as well. It is very easy to be a conservative when you have capital and assets to conserve. Not so much if you don't have 2 nickels to rub together.

This is one of those annoying quizes where you answer one question at a time and click to see the answer then click for the next question and so on.... http://www.people.com/people/quiz/0,,20180350,00.html

3/10

I expect a lot of low scorers today.

I'm guessing that the Buckley family didn't own a rubber estate.

dmd... I believe he was one of 10 children.

Here's Matt Schudel's Post Mortem blog entry on Buckley...

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2008/02/the_power_of_words.html

Does anyone remember Joe Flaherty's great Buckley imitation on SCTV? He ended up sitting practically upside down, if I remember correctly. I tried to find a YouTube video, but amazingly none exists.

I read a couple of his novels once upon a time. In fact, they still may be on the shelf in the study, I'll have to look. They were witty in an Ivy League way. I have forgotten the plots.

What this country needs is more harpsichord players.

Thanks TBG, makes more sense now.

Omni... I got 2/10 and even those two were guesses.

2/10.

6/10 - I am not proud of this.

After reading the final piece Joel linked to, I have to lean towards Mr. Shaw's view. WFB clearly had a troubled relationship with the comma. I can relate to this.

I don't think the Buckley/Obama analogy is that much of a stretch at all. I think part of what is drawing folks to Obama is a thirst for days past when solving a problem was more important than scoring political points. Days when there seemed to be an understanding that you can disagree with your opponent without being disagreeable or demonizing him/her. Like RD, I don't watch any of the political sparring shows. Listening to nasty shouted arguments just makes me uncomfortable.

WebSense is blocking me from the quiz, but I expect my score would be 2/10.

I only Knew 2. Scarlett Johansson 'cause I very recently seen a picture of it and David Beckham cause I've seen that one many times. I took an educated guess on Eva Longoria.

I guessed right on a couple and wrong on a couple more and quit, because I have no idea who these people are.

The most amazing tattoo I ever saw was on a server in Denny's at Fisherman's Wharf. His head was shaved, and he had a crown of thorns tattooed on it.

When I was young, I often spent a week or two each summer at my grandfather's house. He was a retired army light colonel whose hobby was writing pithy one sentence letters to the editor of the local Huntsville paper. He had a small collection of the ones that had been published.

He had an enormous for its day wood cabinet television that, judging by his viewing habits, you would assume only picked up the local PBS affiliate. The McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour was daily viewing. He would always magnanimously mention in my presence how well-spoken that Charlene Hunter-Gault was. Other shows his television tuned in included whatever Masterpiece Theater costume drama was running and Wall Street Week In Review.

I say all this as preface to note that, not surprisingly, Firing Line was absolutely his favorite show. William Buckley's languorous slouch and measured elocution perfectly epitomized the 70s era PBS style. Bill always gave the impression that he was merely toying with his guests as if he were a bored deity amusing himself by deigning to be with mere mortals. Rather than tirade against strawmen, he frequently had the most nefariously liberal guests because anything less was no challenge.

Buckley's syndicated columns were masterful lessons in rhetoric and vocabulary. If you didn't learn a new word twice a week, you just weren't paying attention. And the bon mots were always razor sharp and viciously accurate.

'God Save The Queen' was both middlebrow silly fun and smutily subversive. While the series of novels went on longer than they should have, that first one made you yearn for the days when secret agents were the Ivy League educated heroes they perhaps never were.

There are giants in fields that because of their commanding presence never lose their legendary stature even as they age and others slowly rewrite the records. Babe Ruth. Muhammad Ali. Bobby Orr. Evil Knievel. William F. Buckley. So it goes.

William F. Buckley could think and talk and write and he was viciously witty. I didn't agree with his politics but enjoyed him public pronouncements for their wit, clarity and style. How many public figures these days have wit, clarity & style?

I forgot to wish y'all a Happy Leap Day. Today is an excellent day to make troublesome appointments. Just offer to see them next February 29th.

Our local paper has a feeble column tying Caesar and Leap Day with beezlebufo ("a dinosaur frog with teeth") of Boodle fame. I mention it because of our interest in beezlebufo. Its use in the column doesn't work at all, but a day with a giant frog is better than a day without a giant frog.

7/10!!! Good guesses, honestly!

5/10 on the tat test because I know Tony Parker's number and remember BB Thornton's tattoo.

I have to be honest. I always found WFB to be an insufferably smug arrogant elitist. The fact that he is dead does not change that. The only time I ever enjoyed watching him was when he famously went toe to toe with Gore Vidal during the Democratic sonvention in '68.

I went 5/10 on the tattoos. I have to study up on my celebrity ink.

The best tattoo I have ever seen was on the arm of one of the bridesmaids at a bone dry Baptist wedding of an ECU art major. She has a medusa head on her tricep and the snake-hair circled her arm.

Cool quiz - 7/10.

TBG,

SCTV - Bill Buckley

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=4230773589672275141&q=sctv+just+for+fun&total=8&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/02/28/why-we-have-leap-days/

I remember Buckley and his television show. I did not care for his politics, and seldom watched his show. Saturday Night Live used to imitate him a lot.

I always got the impression that he thought his opinion mattered a lot.

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DMD, that's a great clip, and yes, Joe Flaherty made a great Buckley. One thing about that clip is it reminded me just how great but underappreciated SCTV was in its own day. Boy, they were good. I think pound for pound they were a better ensamble than any of the SNL groupings ever were: John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'hara, Harold Ramis, Robin Duke, and Dave Thomas, all under the same roof. Wow.

What 'Mudge said, dmd. Catherine O'Hara cracks me up.

Yes Mudge, let's just say I had fun finding that clip! I used to watch the show all the time and forgot about how many people were on it.

Thanks for the kind words, Cassandra. Hopefully my MIL's rehab will be effective enough to allow her to return home soon.

Good thoughts your way, Jack.

Has anyone read the piece in the Post by Angelina Jolie concerning Iraq?

Here's the piece cassandra asks about. It's online only, not in the paper.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022702217.html

1/10. I am rather proud.

Alright Tim.

4/10 on the tattoos, I tried a henna tattoo a couple of times,just because they wear off. I think if I ever got one it would be a calendar,that way it would be good for a year.

Happy leap year everyone, I wonder how many babies will be born today?

David Brooks has a sense of humor! Who knew?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/opinion/29brooks.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

GWE, statsitically there will be as many babies born today as the average of any other day, whatever that number may be.

5/10 on the quiz--a lot of lucky guesses, and I also dislike tatoo culture as well as celebrity culture.

Here's a list of some famous people in the past who were born on this date:

1468 - Pope Paul III (d. 1549)

1904 - Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)

1916 - Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)

1928 - Tempest Storm, American burlesque performer

1944 - Dennis Farina, American actor

1952 - Tim Powers, American writer

1956 - Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)

1960 - Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker

1968 - Wendi Peters, British actress

1976 - Ja Rule, American rapper and actor

1976 - Emma Barton, British Actress

the full list has 74 names on it. the list of deaths has 17. So I guess you could say this is the luckiest day of the year as you are 4.3 times more likely to be born on it than die on it.

Hehe

2/10 Allright I beat Science Tim at something! One I recognized and one I took a good guess.

I don't know about Buckley. The man sounded and acted as an American aristocrat. Yes, he was willing to debate, something the blowhards of today don't engage in much and that's something. Let's not forget he was sometimes debating from quite repugnant positions. For example, as far as I know, he kept his homophobic views to the end.

Henri "The Pocket Rocket" Richard was born Feb 29, 1936.
11 Stanley Cups, the most of any players.

Thanks for the link Maggie. The best part was "Paul Krugman is off today."

And SCTV rules!

Shrieker is right. he's on the complete list. But I didn't know him, so he didn't make my list.

7/10

6/10 I'm going to go kneel in a corner now.

On the upside, Dooley has been playing in the dirt, and it looks like he borrowed some big new toys.

http://web.mac.com/dooleyclan/Site_2/Blog/Entries/2008/2/27_New_Triassic_site.html

Somewhere along the line I missed most of Buckley, other than on very rare occasions. 1 tv channel can do that to a person. And without his articles being carried in any magazines we got (farming newspapers, Readers Digest and Popular Science) my awarenenss of him as a celbrity only came from whatever talk tv he happened to be on on my channel. I knew him better by that SCTV skit than anything else.

It was a very different world then. Access is and was everything.

I don't recognize any of the 17 who died on this date.

Maggie,

David Brooks can be very funny when he wants to. That fact and that he works for the New York Times makes him a little suspect in many conservative circles.

Omni, I'm not proud of it but I knew about Richard without searching it. The later years of his career were the early years of my interest in hockey.

Cockfighting in Canada? Those dastardly Canadians.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=343588

I got 6/10 on the quiz. Must be spending too much time reading tabloid covers in the grocery line. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gotten more than 3.

I saw Buckley once in a while on TV back in the day, but didn't want or need a steady diet. Not only did he appear holier than thou, he KNEW he was holier than thou. My sense is that George Will has been the closest to trying to wear Buckley's mantle. Again, like Bill I don't agree with Will's politics, but he does have a sharp mind and can write a well-turned phrase. Also, he dislikes McCain, so it isn't all bad.

I tried to match the name with the back of the heads in an attempt to score well on the quiz. I wouldn't recommend this strategy, as it yielded misses on # 5-10.

RD, he also had a troubled relationship with with more than the comma.

"I speak of a man on whom I laid eyes twice in my life."

"The day the newspapers carried the news of his death a letter from him arrived at the office."

I want to say "the same day" and then add a comma after "death".

And of course, the excessive "I"s grate on me as well. I spot heavy use of "thats", when at least once "when" is the better word choice. The need for the passive voice also puzzles me, as well the long, meandering, weak sentences saying very little.

Sadly, I'd say that his protege George Will frequently commits better prose.

Someone please tell me why some of the American aristocracy have an accent like Thurston Howell III?

Affectation or too tight a bow-tie.....

AnglophilowhisIwasbornBritism.

I think Thurston Howell III was based on Buckley, Jack, which would explain why Gilligan's Island was so funny from the start.

Sad to note the passing of a lion of letters:

Joe Williams, famously of the "style and grace" school of writing instruction.

Obit here:
http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=1280

Widely thought to be the first coin-minter of the phrase

medicalese

One of the many .....-eses plaguing us all.

Thanks for the obit, CP. I hadn't heard of Joe Williams, but style and grace is always a plus with me.

I'll have to give his books a look-see.

His signature book has a Wikipeee entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Style:_Lessons_in_Clarity_and_Grace

We are now on the 9th ed. but I use the 7th to no trouble.

Enjoy, Wilbrod.

yello... I hope your grandfather's PBS lineup included Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser. Friday night excitement.

dmd... thanks for finding that video. I may spend the evening with my Apple TV and YouTube. We did that recently with Steve Martin. At least my kids think SCTV is funny; not so much Steve Martin.

My grandfather thought Rukyeser was a god. And do you have to spell it with a $. If so, Looey beat Prince to the use of typographical symbols as letters by a couple of decades.

Thanks, dr, for the Dooley update. Those were some big machines, and pretty nifty rocks too.

Cassandra, you are right that Buckley thought his own opinion mattered a lot. That is okay with someone who essentially comments on things, but not so good in other areas. I'm dealing now with a small group of people who are so sure their opinion is right they've antagonized an entire community of people who asked (in vain) for a little time in which to decide whether to agree or disagree.

I obtained "Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace" a decade ago when I was working as an editor and proofreader. I re-read it regularly.

Rukeyser *was* a god, yello. He changed the way Americans thought about finance and how they invested their money. Wall Street* moved much closer to Main Street and was never the same after Lou and his guests (and the elves) made it so approachable.

He put Owings Mills, Md., on the map, too. Quite the bigger-than-life character.

______________
*The street, not the show... the show most definitely must have the dollar sign. Trivia: Lou always said and wrote "in Wall Street," instead of "on Wall Street."

Interesting, Wilbrod. Fiction is stranger than truth.

And hey... I meant to ask this last night...

Gomer.. when is your baby due? (At least I assume that's what you were revealing to us last night with the sciatica question.)

I guess it's soon. Make sure you keep us posted. A boodle baby! Have we had one of these yet?

TBG

I don't think so, but I'm going to see if I can change that situation. Just saying.

It is my dream to one day actually visit Owings Mills, Md.

Ivansmom

Wit, clarity, style. I saw part of the President's news conference yesterday, and those words did leap to mind, but unfortunately, they quickly made an exit.

I always get William Shawn (The New Yorker) and his son Wallace Shawn (My Dinner With Andre, Princess Bride, Grand Nagus) mixed up in my mind.

RD,
Owings Mills is the spiritual sister city of Oakland. There is no there there.

Inconceivable, yellojkt. Simply inconceivable.

That was a joke folks. Gee whiz, you folks are so dry today. It's Friday, people, the beginning of the weekend. Lighten up! Just messing with y'all.

I love the movie, the Princess Bride. I've watched it so many times. Smart, funny, with just the right mix of everything a good movie has to offer.

I was too busy laughing to post, cassandra. Very funny. Tee hee.

I sent Son of G a cryptic text message that would ensure he would call me... "Just had an interesting conversation with [his friend's father}."

It worked.

I also saw part of Obama's speech this morning in Texas and his response to those that say he would not be able to address a military crisis in this country.

The man can talk, and he does it eloquently. I did not squirm or feel uncomfortable listening to him. While he was talking, CNN flashed breaking news that Rockefeller has endorsed Obama.

This is certainly one interesting election.

Cassandra, if you haven't already, you need to read The Princess Bride. I admit I haven't seen the movie, mostly because I couldn't see how it could capture the delightful writing.

"This story has everything. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."

Time for me to go. I have an appointment in a few minutes.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be safe.

I, like RD, am not very familiar with Buckley, but since he died I have seen him on TV many times. I'm not sure it was his intellect or elocution that would cause the guests on his show to come apart. If I had to sit there with those creepy eyes set a little too wide staring into my soul, I would probably forget what I was going to say and look like a blathering idiot. Not that I'm very far away from that in first place, but I'm just sayin.

raysmom

The book is always better than the movie. I will try to read it. Thanks.

Before I leave, can someone here tell me what I can do about spiders. This apartment has spiders, and not the little ones. They spray, but it doesn't seem to affect the spiders. I've bought stuff to spray with, but they keep coming back. Any suggestions? They're crawling around, and on top of my bed. Not good.

Raysmom... the Princess Bride expert in the house says the movie is every bit as good as the book. You should see it. You'll be delighted, I'm sure.

One small hint for immediate emergencies. Hair spray directly on them works, and I hope it's better for your lungs than poison spray. (Of course, they may be the same).

Here's hoping that turns around!

Not to mention Rodents Of Unusual Size.

I read the book back in 1981 after it was highly recommended to me by a, well, the girl in my Dungeons and Dragons group. This was long before the movie, even though the author of the book is an award winning screenwriter. Magical words.

TBG, I'll try to see it--that really was a lame excuse, wasn't it? The truth is that I consume a lot more books than movies. And don't often have the attention span to sit through an entire movie.

Raysmom, the movie is totally worth watching.

You should watch it. Yes, the book has more meta-story than the movie, with the constant commentary on the imaginary parts cut out of the original book.

The movie is tons of fun and cuts a little more (including the preamble), but never the key action and scenes. It is one of the very few book-movie combos I would recommend doing both.

Andre the Giant is wonderful as Fezzik, even if "he had a french accent that could stop a clock", as William Golding put it.

Mandy Patkin continues to say that playing Inigo Montoya was one of his favorite roles ever (I bet-- he's whip-thin in that role). And yes, Vizzini is played quite well, with a roaring ego).

The three combat encounters between the man in black vs Fezzik, Inigo, and Vizzini are very well done.

Fezzik: Which way is my way?
Vizzini: Pick up one of those rocks. Go behind a boulder. In a few minutes the man in black will come running around the bend. The minute his head is in view hit him with the rock!
Fezzik: My way is not sportman-like.

(You have to see Andre say this line.)

In the book there's a lot of backstory about his fighting career, which is omitted, except to say to the Man in Black, "I just figured out why you give me so much trouble... Well, I haven't fought just one person for so long. I've been specializing in groups. Battling gangs for local charities, that kind of thing. "

MAN IN BLACK: Why should that make such a difference?

FEZZIK: ... you see, you use different moves when you're fighting half a dozen people than when you only have to be worried about one.

Enjoy, with fresh eyes. It's like Monty Python with an actual story :).

I've watched it over a dozen times, and could easily watch it any day I need a laugh.

http://www.geocities.com/monte928/princessbride/west.html

Raysmom, but this is a delightful movie. Really.

i grew up reading national review. and yes, my parents are skeptical of david brooks. he is a "moderate" republican in their view. note that moderate here is not used in a postive way.

i may someday change my boodle handle to 'moderate wingnut'. just for fun.

This may be one of the funniest Google ads yet...

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Buckley.PartyTone.info

I went to high school with a Young Republican that had a National Review subscription. A mutual hippie friend had convinced him to subscribe to Rolling Stone for the far more insightful and detailed political reporting. He canceled after two issues.

Ditto TBG's 4:05: the movie is every bit as good as the book.

Raysmom- You're probably sick of hearing it, but not having read the book, I can still say the movie is one of the best ever. I can't wait till my kid is old enough to watch it with me. Too many excellent actors to mention, even in the cameos. And Andre the Giant really brings it all together for me. Just saw the Biography special on that guy, and he seems to have been a wonderful man who lived his short life to the fullest.

Just back-boodled and found TBG's question. The wife is having a boy in mid-April. He's our second and we are going with an Old Testament name, just like the first. Kind of funny, because we don't go to church, much less belong to any cult or sect in particular.

Thanks, Gomer. Good luck with everything. Keep us posted.

Gomer -- Baal?

Really, congratulations.

And Cassandra, both those jokes were funny!

And geez, guys. Now I have to go re-watch The Princess Bride. It's a great book, but the movie is a sure-fire way to get happy in two hours or less.

And aside from it being one of the best movies ever, just popping the disc in the DVD player is enough to gather the offspring; it is a joy to watch with people you love who love the movie too.

OK, to really pile it on, Raysmom the movie is great - it is completely A-typical of anything I would normally watch, but I love it and have watched it repeatedly.

Well, gang, it's that time again: time to head for the bus. Everybody who tends to sign off for the weekend, have a good one. See the rest of you later on this evening and/or over the weekend.

Gomer,

Very happy for you. Best wishes for your family. Here are some great Biblical names picked at random from this site:

http://www.biblical-baby-names.com/names.html

Albana
Malchus
Tryphena
Hezekiah
Sergius

They all sound great.

thanks, dbg, I'll try it.

And Andre, the Giant hails from my neck of the woods. Right here in the county I live in. I thought he was great in the movie, and I don't say that because he was a hometown guy. All the actors were great.

I'm late, and out the door.

"Princess Bride" is a great film. It was one of the first movies my wife and I went to. Back when we used to do shmootzy talk I would call her "Princess Bride" and say "as you wish" a lot.

The book is also brilliant. I have a special hardbound edition with a fold out map. It was a little pricey, but I couldn't resist.

Which might help explain the reduction in the frequency of shmootzy talk.

The Princess Bride movie should be required viewing in all teacher training programs. If you don't get it, or love it, you will never relate to kids and should pack it in.

Somebody tell me why women of a certain age can no longer find one piece swimsuits with underwire. We depart for a cruise tomorrow and I will be wearing my LL Bean suit purchased in '99. I fear it will disintegrate before I find an adequate replacement. At this point I think it would be cheaper, and less trouble, to just have breast reduction surgery than pursue functional swimwear.

Somehow it seems fitting that we'd move from Buckley to Andre the Giant (I don't really know why). Here is a list of Andre's "finishing and signature moves" from his Wikepedia page...

Kneeling Belly-To-Belly Piledriver
Head and Neck Rake (André places his opponent in a standing headscissors, then jumps up and down, aggravating the neck area)
Hard Headbutt
Running Elbow Drop
Big Splash
Butterfly Suplex
Gorilla Press Slam
Bearhug
Big Boot
Samoan Drop
Butt Drop (while holding onto ropes)
Managers

Oops! "Managers" is the heading for the next section. Trying to imagine what kind of move that would be... pretty funny.

I've been to Owings Mills when I worked for Agway. Nice place.

The Princess Bride is definitely worth the watch and one of my favourite movies.

Why do you have to be of a certain age to need bosom-support swimsuits? Most women who aren't rail-skinny do. I last bought one in 2004, I think, and it's extremely flattering but unfortunately not well designed for petite-sized shoulders; it really needs an A-bar in the back.

Try this lead:

http://swimsuits.lovetoknow.com/Built-In_Underwire_Swimsuit

I WANTED Hezekiah, but we could only agree on Micah. I love it because there are more and more girls with that name, but I have a very good male friend with it. We're takin it back for the boys!

Thanks for the good wishes, and I gotta go camping. Laters!

Gomer.. just don't get the list of biblical names mixed up with with list of wrestling moves.

Micah is great, btw. Good choice. That is, if you don't want Bearhug or Big Splash.

Andre the Giant's iconic turn as "Bigfoot" in the "Six Million Dollar Man" defined the role for a generation.

Hey, congratulations Gomer! We all get to be new aunties and uncles when the boy is born, right?

I keep thinking of names for cats (I have none of them furry creatures, though). They would have to be "pair" names, like:

Hermione and Olivia
Arbitrary and Capricious
Parabola and Hyberbole

The last two are my favorites, as I really enjoy irony (but standing up at the irony board gets a little tedious).

BTW, Wilbrod, I did not mean to offend you in regard to my suggestion that all US natural-born citizens take a regular citizenship test. My point was that I suspect that very few citizens know the information that those who desire citizenship here have to learn before they get the prize. Furthermore, we all tend to take so much for granted. And then there are those who think the Bill of Rights is some kind of communist plot. Something worthy of a veto, you think?

Just as I was on my way out to do some errands, the car decided that it had had just about enough, thank you very much, and gave up the battery. Ah, well, it was time anyway. Ironies of ironies, the AAA guy came over within 45 minutes, had a battery in his car, and five minutes and scarcely over $120 later I was good to go.

Gotta go.

Add one more to the Princess Bride movie fan club. A must see.

Cassandra, I think Andre the Giant was from France.

You are correct Wilbrod, lots of not so old women could use a little underwire help. I suppose I was in the not so old camp when I bought the suit I fear will fail. I'm really whining about the lack of suits with underwire that will work for serious swimming, kayaking etc. My long, but ultimately successful, pursuit of a good bra for running long distances tells me that most manufacturers of athletic gear must think women with huge tracts of land can't possibly participate in active sports.

Frosti, about four years ago, ten pool moms and I wrote to LL Bean and Land's End BEGGING for the simple suit with that magical infrastructure in it.

Interestingly, the ample specialness of the plethers among this bunch ranged all over the fruit comparison system.

Did they listen to us? NOoooooooooooooo. So, I help some people sew an underwire bra from Target into the suit of choice.

However, some of us simply wear the underwire bra under the suit, now. Hey, layers work fine.

In our spare time, we can start a sensible plus rhinestones swim wear company.

This swimwear stuff is revenge for the car talk, isn't it.

According to Wikipedia, "André's body was cremated in accordance with his wishes and his ashes scattered at his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina."

RD -- the boodle knows all.

Tech support.

Infrastructure support

Etc.

Here is my tech support question. Can I buy a Mac Mini, and simply plug in my key board and monitor that are about 3 years old?

Dream situation: Can I have the Mac Mini and my ^%$#$^%Gateway on the same table and simply switch out the connections as needed, say about once per week to access stuff on the Gateway?

Excellent solutions CP, both the sewing and the layered look.

If it's any consolation RD I have found the perfect all cotton bra to be worn for test flights and other things that could result in a fiery crash. Lingerie and powerful engines can work together to defend democracy.

I just love frostbitten's 05:57. There is something magical about discussing the best bras for test flights. Is this a Boodle, or what?

It gets richer,Yoki. I made a corset -- at least 3/4s of one (working with another seamstress) -- for Charlie, of Top Gun. But, she was not Charlie, then she was the forlorn and beleaguered Duchess of Malfi, in a play.

Off to visit two nuns in their 80s. They would looooove the booooodle....

Ftb, I agree that there's not enough time spent on civics, nor is there enough time spent on civics in public discourse.

I'm just now learning a lot myself, about sunshine laws and other items. In Minnesota, there are 2 legislators who want to overturn the ban on Breed-specific legislation and implement laws that would ban german shepherds, chow-chows, "pit bulls", rottweilers and mixes thereof statewide. Wilbrodog is a mutt and definitely 1 or more of those breeds.

Therefore I am getting a fast course in civics to figure out how best to fight what to me is a clearly unconstitutional law that denies people the right to own property, mandates the destruction of what would be up to 25% of all dogs owned in St. Paul, and more. All in the guise they're dangerous, when that is not proven and in fact disprovable in the majority of cases.... if the owners have the funds to fight and disprove it.

Because ordinances and such seem to be property law, such seem to be fought in civil court, which means all injured parties have to fight the law at their own expense. This can cost thousands of dollars.

Over 23 states and localities this year have attempted to pass such laws this year. Most have been defeated so far. The Supreme court has refused to hear a BSL case, but folks, this country is going in a dangerous direction right now.

If I've been ranting about this a bit lately, I apologize, but it's a source of great concern to me; localities that simply need to enforce their pre-existing laws based on sound and fair legal principles.

When caught red-headed in sloppy law enforcement, instead hawk new tougher laws that unfairly penalizes lawabiding pet owners while doing nothing to catch the scofflaws. Those laws actually mean more animal control budget (rarely awarded) and more resources tied up harrassing citizenry for owning pets.

Yoki earlier said she was frustrated because a neighbor kept their dogs out in extreme cold and Animal control said there was nothing to be done.

Just because it appears such cold could be cruel or injurious to the dogs' health does not justify seizure and prosecution. As I pointed out, if the dogs got frostbite or hypothermia, the owners would be up for animal cruelty charges, no matter if the shelter was normally adequate.

Injury must occur first before pressing charges. If we forget this principle, we wind up with citizens being arrested right and left for yelling at their kids ("because they could wind up beating their kids later."), and so on, and we give busybodies a way to harrass their neighbors at whim-- vigilante justice. What's to stop people from faking evidence of animal cruelty, or in fact committing cruelty themselves to frame others? This has occurred.

Such attitudes cheapens the reality of real animal cruelty, which does exist, and makes it difficult for animal owners to protect their animals from cruelty done by others.

And I think legislative cruelty-- sentencing 25% of dogs in a city to death and their owners to thousands of dollars in legal bills to prove their mutt is NOT a banned breed, etc... that is a great cruelty.

Too bad I'm not a lawyer, I KNOW there is constitutional grounds to challenge such cruelty by fiat. I just don't know what they are.

Hire a lawyer. That is what they are for.

True enough, Yoki. Finding a good one expert in such issues is harder.

*cough, cough*

You know, don't you, that Gomer is the name of Hosea's wife? See Hosea 1:3. She isn't described in positive terms, either, which is an essential plot point for the book.

Frosti, I completely agree with you on swimwear support. Not that I should EVER wear swimwear again.

just sitting here twiddling my thumbs, but it strikes me Gomer that you may want to rethink this statement.

"we don't go to church, much less belong to any cult"

You belong to the boodle, bwhahahahahaha

Wilbrod, I just found 91 constitutional lawyers in your state in less than 30 seconds. I don't think they are hard to find at all.

If you mean that you want to let off some steam and think out loud about this, that is a different issue.

There is a really good biography that plays on A&E and the Biography channel of Andre the Giant. His last years were spent in right where cassadra says, in a place he loved greatly. He had it built to fit him.

Can you imagine being a person of that size in a world where everything, everything did not fit you. Phone? How? Chair? Only custom. Table? Not near tall enough. Even beer cans. How would a person with that size hands open the humble can tabbie? You have to admire him for taking all these with such good grace, while enduring a great deal of physical pain as his body gave out.

Today was more or less my last full day, except for consulting. (and since most people were behind, well there is a lot of training left to do.)

Will disscuss new employemnt at doily store come Monday.

Now I am going home to knit and contemplate the wonderfulness of not really working. there will be good wine consumption and port, and maybe even a campfire if the weather holds. Nothing beats a campfire in winter, even if its too cold to make doilies.

Enjoy dr!

CP.. a Mac mini is a great idea. You might want to get an Apple keyboard though, and you can probably find one cheap or free on Craigslist (Macs have been using USB keyboards for a long time). Otherwise you may be confused about the Command key and the Option key, which are Control and Alt on the Windows keyboard.

But yeah.. you could plug in your monitor and your keyboard and they would work. Ask at the Apple store (and make sure you use your educational discount... nothing to scoff at.

An alternative to replugging peripherals is the fact that if you keep both computers on the network (via ethernet or wireless), the Mac will easily access the files on the Dell. And you won't need the monitor or keyboard on the Dell once you've got it set up as another computer on the network.

If you need help, let me know. But your best bet would be the folks at the Apple store. They're way more helpful than at any of the Big Box Store sales folks.

Also.. omni has made this transition. He can probably help, too.

Congratulations dr! Enjoy your new freedom. And the doilies.

Felicitations, dr! Enjoy your freedom - and make sure they pay you more for consulting than they did when you worked there!

Boodle aunts and uncles . . . Baunts. Buncles. Carbuncles.

Oh my. I just realized I am in the same house with my knitting needles and have some enforced leisure stretching out before me. I could probably start and finish something simple if I can get to a yarn store first thing tomorrow. But what will I make? I have picked up some very enticing yarn several times in the past few months but always talked myself out of it buying it by noting what a waste it would be to buy needles up north of a size I already have in FL.

Andre the Giant was beloved in the Frosthousehold as were many pro wrestlers of the late 70s and early 80s. Frostson's first full phrase was "Friday night at the Omni, in Atlanta!" We had the Superstation, WTBS, on our cable system at the University of North Dakota and we always made time to see "Georgia Championship Wrestling."

The WWE has ruined wrestling. I guess I just like my fake stuff to be authentic. Here are some excerpts from Ole Anderson's book. (He of the Anderson "brothers" aka the Minnesota Wrecking Crew)
http://www.1wrestlinglegends.com/crowbarpress/insideout/excerpts.htm

A Science Friday moment,sort of: did anyone see the WSJ report today that daylight savings time costs money? Someone was able to do a controlled study when Indiana crossed over to DST, and found that any savings from afternoon light were overwhelmed by late afternoon heating and early morning cooling costs. These findings paralleled an Australian study conducted earlier. SOOOO, we're discombobulating our systems AND spending more money. I love gummint.

Frosti... you are going to knit on a cruise? Methinks your underwire may be a little loose.

There's no way I could let off enough steam but I did take your suggestion seriously, Yoki.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious; when it comes to proposed law and lobbying, I just don't think of lawyers in that regard. Hopefully some legal advice will suffice.

I don't know where Andre lived, but I believe he was born in the northern part of this county, and that would definitely be Ellerbe, NC. I could have my facts wrong.

Just getting back in. I went to visit a friend, and then checked on my dad. I'm getting so worried about him living alone. I know he's not going to address the issue, so I'll just have to keep doing what I'm doing, going at different times of the day and night.

Time to address the issue of my bed. Have a good evening my friends. I have really enjoyed talking to all of you today.

Night, boodle. Sweet dreams.

LL Bean has lots of one-piece underwires now - here's an example:

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?attrValue_0=True%20Teal&categoryId=45199&linkId=detail&catalogId=1&feat=503318-vht&langId=-1&storeId=1&cat4=&parentCategory=503318

Wilbrod, lawyers are really good at proposed laws and lobbying. Lots of lawyers only do that. Legal advice is always good, but getting the law changed or not passed to begin with is often better.

It is amazing how much credibility a legislator will give to a person who begins by saying, "Speaking as a lawyer". This is fortunate for those of us who occasionally talk to legislators.

TBG-I just discovered that the lowest rate for Internet use aboard our ship is 40 cents a minute (purchased in one hour increments). Feh. No boodling for me.

Cassandra, good luck with your dad. I understand your dilemma completely. Just keep up those visits, and hope for the best.

Sweet dreams.

Frosti, knit 2, purl 2, and so on wide enough to fit snuggly around your hand (the ribbing will work the ease) make it long enough to fit from your knuckles, to some way up your arm. Sew together leaving a 2.5 inch slit about 1 inch from one end of the resulting tube. Or cast on and knit a tube if you like to knit in the round, just don't forget the slit for the thumb. Instant wristwarmers, perfectly right for spring, fast enough and small enough that you will buy sinfully delicious yarn, and will see that you can really never have to many knitting needles. Or too much yarn.

Thanks JS, all 4 of the LL Bean one pieces with underwire are new since I last checked. They still don't offer a racer back with underwire but the one you linked to is very similar to the one I have now and will do. Too late for the cruise but in plenty of time for summer.

And yes, I'd like discussions. I think it's a very important topic to think about.

I know Canada has already had some provinces pass BSL yet your consitution differs from the US's, and I couldn't presume to address that topic in Canada, but suffice it to say that I might have concerns visiting you because my dog is not recognized as a SD under Canada law without extensive documentation-- I could fly in, but I would have to have paperwork to prove it just to fly back home. I have spoken to US users of service dogs who ran into exactly this issue and spent hours getting the right to use their plane ticket and take their SD home with them.

Secondly, I believe a pit bull and bully mix ban is in effect in your province. I don't know if chow-chow mixes are also banned. What would be the implications of this to me? I already know that deaf people have a notoriously poor track record with the canadian legal system. As a guest in your country, I desire never to offend any of your laws.

Those are the kind of things I think about. Thanks to US law, I know my right to use a SD is guaranteed where-ever I go... but I also know that people's understanding of the laws are not guaranteed. I've already had to educate some people and many SD users have been denied access or harrassed due to their dogs.

It shouldn't be this hard. But it is. And to see that people who should know the law better, assume that they CAN pass such laws affecting dogs at whim, is just sickening to me.

Thank you for that information, Ivansmom. I truly didn't know that, only being familiar with corporate and criminal lawyers. I do completely agree with you the clout that legal counsel brings.

Please e-mail me to remit your bill for that advice.

I'm with kguy and Cassandra on Buckley. Could not watch him - his mannerisms and affectations drove me nuts. Don't even get me started on his politics. He was all over TV in the 60s, then became easier for me to avoid.

Princess Bride - great movie. Can watch it over and over. I have the book too - not sure I've read it. Which reminds me - I have about 5 books to read tonight before they're due at the library. Sigh. One is Steve Martin memoir. Whose kids don't think he's funny? For real?

What else would you do on a cruise besides read and knit?

Wilbrod, I'm compiling a general Boodle bill for the occasional bit of counsel, as I'm sure the other Boodle lawyers are. I'll ask the Shop Steward for reimbursement one of these days.

When that day comes, I would accept in-kind and barter reimbursement, if there's any of that Bacon Holler Revenooer or whatever it is left in the bunker.

Wilbrod, my province does have a Pit Bull ban - details here

http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/dola-pubsfty/dola-pubsfty.asp

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/regs/english/2007/elaws_src_regs_r07429_e.htm
Legislation

Ivansmom, that does not surprise me. They base the supposed savings (methinks) on the mildy cheaper off peak rates, but fail to take into account that if everyone is getting up a little earlier... well any reasonably thinking person is going to see all daylight savings time really gains you is more golf time here in the far north.

You know this morning the financial persona on CBC news talked about how much it 'costs' to live this extra day of February 29th. I wanted to hand out dunce hats but mrdr restrained me.

I wish you ladies would stop talking about underwires. I think of you all as my friends. In my mind none of you wear brassieres.

Wait. That didn't come out right.

RD, you are so sweet.

I think.

It's okay, RD, I needed that laugh.

On RD's unintentionally humorous note I will bid you all fondue. If you don't hear from me tomorrow I am out yarn shopping. Now it's time to see what reading material is worthy of packing. Must borrow Persepolis from the dott. Toodles!

Good luck retuning your life dr.

This is just too good.

Hmm, is it wrong that this story was probably picked up mostly by the media because of the interesting juxtaposition of Clinton and livestock in the same sentence?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080229/pl_nm/usa_politics_kenya_dc;_ylt=AtfsMb0ZvB1GqUtmyNuiaQkb.3QA

Hillary: Swiftgoated in Kenya?

Thanks TBG; I can keep the plan as a go-forward and think more. Good to know.

Thanks for the LL Bean referral, Just Saying; welcome if you are knew.

Gomer, a baby always keeps us linked forward with the next generation. As one who had no name for CPBoy until after the event, I am in awe that you have one.

DR -- I have some Porto, too, but it is sweeter than I remember.

Frosti -- the Sea Cruise song is playing in my head for you.

Cassandra -- parenting the parents; necessary but so fraught with troubles. My dad will collapse in a box canyon and be eaten by coyotes. I have made my peace with this, but two of the rest of we seven have not. When they call to enlist me in a "grand scheme" of "what shall we do with (bad) dad" I just listen and sort socks. Funny, they think he should come live part of the year with me, so he can hang out in the Smithsonian. Trouble is, he is a nature-loving gun-toting guy. He would make national news here and be arrested. The John Birch Society and the Izaak Walton League would be joined by Ducks Unlimited to spring him from jail.....sigh. He better stay where he is for the time being so he can spear salmon with a pitchfork when it comes up the piddly creek behind his house.

Gomer, you could consider one of these mythology systems for a middle name:

Thor (Tor), Odin (Wooten), Loki OR

Zeus, Apollo, Hephaestus.

Sheesh. Go off to dinner and the conversation turns to underwear w/underwahrs. The irony is that, tomorrow, our middle daughter is off to shop with my wife for her first adult under garments. Men have no such rite of passage. The closest equal would be getting a cup. Like a bra they have to fit pretty well or else you'll get, at least, binding and chafing.

frosti, a place where you can get advice on a new underwire swimsuit isn't worth $24 an hour?

We'll miss you.

15/20. Did we do this one already?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/

I was reading a NYTimes article a while back about sports bras for the generously endowed--don't know why, it's the last thing I need to worry about. But in the comments section, somebody described a sports bra that really worked, and said, "the good news is, this bra gives my C-cups the support I need to run long distances. The bad news is, I'm a man."

(Apologies all around...)

Good night, all.

There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,
The Earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Appareled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore:--
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

That was cool, dbG. I got 14/20. Mostly I thought real ones were fake. I only thought one fake one was real.

kbertocci... that guy needs a manssiere... or a bro.

Was 13 of 7 on the first quiz, 23 of 20 on the second.

And the best is, the site has other quizzes, although I question their value slightly.

fun quiz, dbG - 14/20...I thought I would do better!

oh my, back boodling is fun when I find gems like RD's 8:20 and kbertocci's 10:11. Made me laugh.

On the whole underwire problem....some of us don't have that problem. Just sayin'.

My poor baby (he's 17) spiked a 102 temp tonight...and he's supposed to take the SAT tomorrow at 0800. It's enough to make me cranky. I hope that the 'flu doesn't get the grip on him the way it did in Ivan's family. I'm glad to hear they are doing better, anyway.

Frosti - have a wonderful time! Gomer - best wishes! Keep us posted. dr - my very best wishes on your new life!

I just sped-read Persepolis tonight - very good (and quick - it's a graphic novel). But now I need the next ones - doh! Hope Steve Martin goes as fast.

Hi, folks.

My oldest is going to take the SAT tomorrow morning as well, and she's showing some signs of anxiety; fussing, etc.

She's also been studying a lot tonight, so I'm giving her all the room she needs to do so.

Kim, I hope yours is feeling better.

Now, to do some backboodling, I'm woefully behind...

bc

Couple of quick side notes, then off to bed for me.

I used to watch Buckley's "Firing Line" as a teenager and when I was in college. Didn't agree with him much, but lord, he was entertaining and *sharp*. He sliced some folks to ribbons before they even realized they were cut.

Took the Tatoo quiz on the People site.
9/10, no bs. There were enough clues in the pictures and in the text to make my guesses reasonably accurate.

dr, good luck with your new career, and I hope it's not just at doiliance...

(sorry)

More tomorrow.

bc

102 pre-SAT? Sounds miserable.

I did well on the 1960s version of the SAT, but back then, SATs didn't seem to mean much, except maybe to obscure the importance of other factors and make admissions decisions look a bit more scientific.

So several years later, I assumed the GREs were a formality. Big mistake. I did nicely anyway and even got a fellowship. Whole different experience from the undergrad admissions mess.

Undergraduate admissions seems vastly more complex today. I pity the current crops of kids and parents.

Best wishes, dr! Doilies?

'sa chick thing

good morning, friends. hands swollen this morning, so please indulge with me with the lower cases.

cp, i had to laugh at your description of your father. my dad does not see himself as needing anything or anyone. he is still his same self, probably fifty at eighty. i worry about him, but just going to try and do the best i can, and what he allows.

mudge, slyness, martooni, scotty, up and with it guys. good morning to all.*waving*

i am going to the radio station this morning with one of my church members for support. i am going to take the g-girl with me. that's going to be interesting.

hope your weekend is starting off with a bang. time to jump in the shower.

loomis, hope you are well and your family.

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

I forgot to ask something, and I don't know if I should do this here, but I don't know what else to do.

I received an email that is supposedly from the FBI about a live wiretap concerning something from a Central Nigerian Bank, and at the bottom is all this information and the Director of the FBI, Robert Mueller's name. The body of the email is discussing money and transference of funds or other. I've seen these kinds of emails but I delete them, and ignore them. I don't understand this one, and need help. Could this be a scam too? Does the FBI know these folks are using their name for this.

Can someone help me?

Clues that it is a scam:

You don't know the person.
Any foreign country whatsoever is mentioned, but especially Nigeria.
You will get paid for helping them.
Poor grammar or spelling.
Oddly large amounts of money involved.

Without seeing the text, my first reaction would be scam.

Good morning, all.

Off to deliver oldest child to school for her SATs.

Good grief.

Cassandra, I think that's a scam as well.
If it were me, I'd delete it and forget it. And I have no doubt the FBI is aware of it, though if you contacted their public affairs office and reported it, I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Lots of people use the Lord's name, but they probably don't have anything to do with him/her. Particularly when they hit their thumb with a hammer.

bc

Good morning all.
Cassandra, it's a classic 319 scam. The 319 is the applicable criminal code article in the Nigerian law I believe.

H removes his shades, frowns and looks sternly at the suspect. H put his shades back on, puts his hands on his hips thinks 2 seconds then roars out of the office.
I'm all caught up in CSI Miami, I watched 3 episodes from 12:00 to 03:00, thanks to a bit of food poisoning. Yesterday's Chinese lunch I think. Caught one and a half of the Soprano's next to last season as well. The one in which Steve Bushemi's face gets reconfigured with a 12 gauge.
Ouch.
6 more inches of snow and it's still falling. Joy. I think I'll try to harness the Puppy to the big snow removin scoop.

From the passing away of a loquacious man; on to the Nigerian email scam. There is meaning here, but I cannot quite put my finger on it.

I only did 10/20 on the fake smiles. No better than chance. I want to know how the researchers know whether the files are fake or not.

It reminds me of a recent Dan Savage podcast where he went through all the recent medical advances in detecting female orgasm. It seems the best way is still to ask her. Assuming she'll tell the truth.

Good luck to anyone with kids taking the SAT today. It is a grueling rite of passage. I would rather go intimate apparel shopping with my nonexistent tweener daughter than take the SAT again.

My family is off to Bear College so may son can interview for a scholarship. Also a great excuse to come back through Delaware and do some tax-free spring clothes shopping.

Watching mr dr's folks and mine as they age and become infirm makes me wonder about that too Cassandra. I recall my dad and one of his sisters talking about my grandparents and how sometimes they behaved like children for their stubborness.

I watch our folks and see just how hard it is the older we get to adjust to change, even small change. All those little things, like news at the same time cause that is when they have supper, the same broadcasters reading the news, grocery stores being arranged in the same way, the bus running at the same time, all those tiny things by which we arrange our lives become something we count on.

Maybe he just needs more time? Maybe its a matter of cajoling slower? Sort of sneak the idea into his head?

And then there are some old folks like my friends dad. His dad looked forward to moving into a home. The only thing he missed was being able to drive his car. So long as he was assured they had not sold his car, he was ok.

14/20 on the fake smiles experience. Fascinating. I love the BBC. When CPBoy uses a BBC article, however, for the standard current events article summary assignment, he is sometimes told to use a US source. BBC news articles are

pithy and to the point and

interesting.

Today's WaPo style section features an Eastern Shore beauty contest complete with muskrat skinning. Now I cannot get the ear worm of Muskrat Love out of my mind.

Good luck to the SATers. It is only a test, albeit an important one.

I got 17/20 on the smile thing. And the three I missed, were ones I really waffled on. Most were easy to spot.

Its the eyes. For most people, real smiles show up in the eyes.

And Cassandra, I'm faxing you some cranberry juice for those hands. Maybe that will help.

For DR, riffing off her initials and new adventure:

Doily Reconnaissance
Dinosaur Rituals
DoDo (Bird) Resurrection
Donut Renewal

Dooley can help with the Dino option. What is the name of that Canadian "Tom"? donut shoppe?

Scam. Scam. Scam. The FBI never uses email to initiate communication with people. Never.

Tim Horton's?

DR, you are right. The other problem is stopping to think about the smiles too much. Respond, out of the dinosaur-part of the brain, I think.

Am sprinkling poppy seeds (Shirley riot of energetic pastels, but very like the red Flanders poppy) in two places. Sometimes there is a pansy and sometime not. But, I am so thrilled by the dear little seed packet pictures that not much else matters. Anyone else in my clime should do this today. We need two conditions: sunlight and chill, before the rains of March.

Back from dropping Oldest off, nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof.

And she's a little anxious, too.

Sorry I missed the "Princess Bride" discussion yesterday. That's a family favorite, along with "A Christmas Story," and "The Wizard of Oz." Watched "Edward Scissorhands" with the oldest two for a late show last night. We all love Tim Burton movies, particularly "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Yes, they do have a bit of my warped sense of reality.

bc

Not to change topics entirely, but I find this particular pointy-headed science news item veddy eeenteresting...

Seems that there's Something Else We Don't Understand Going On Out There, even inside out own Solar System. Spacecraft aren't where we expect them to be according to the physics we know about.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080229-spacecraft-anomaly.html

Some scientists have regarded the Pioneer Anomalies as the equivalent of the Single Bullet Theory, but now there's strong evidence that there's something to it, and closer to home than the far reaches of the Solar System (where Pioneer 10 and 11 are).

Interestingly, the new data show a reduced effect when craft pass along the Earth's equator versus those passing at more oblique trajectories.

Spacetime frame dragging, dark energy, "friction" from dark matter, who knows?

Very cool stuff to me, anyway.

bc

Good luck to all of the SAT'ers and to the parents. I will experience that high anxiety affair with our daughter in a couple of short years.

Please keep my MIL in your thoughts. She's at the rehab facility and hasn't reconciled the reasons for being there.

jack, we will.
Thanks for the reminder.

bc

Mr. T and I are done with taking care of our parents. I hope we did right by them. My mother voluntarily moved to assisted living six months before she died; Mr. T's mother had wonderful hospice care and the dutiful attention of both her sons, which enabled her to die at home.

I've got to get dressed and go visit my little lady to whom I am assigned as deacon. She was to have surgery yesterday, to removed a cancerous spot on her hip. Fortunately, it did not break. The doctor told her it would be much easier than dealing with a broken hip. I can relate, having been through the therapy with my mom twice. I didn't know how this lovely, frail little person could get through that.

My mother said getting old isn't for sissies. Now that's a self-evident truth. I'm going to try to make it as easy as I can on my children. Yes, I'll go to assisted living voluntarily, and I'll give up my driver's license without complaint.

I'm trying to be good to them so they will be good to me!

Jack, my best to your family, especially to your MIL as she adjusts to her new circumstances.

It's . . . Saturday! What to do? Maybe I'll go find those boxed crayons of joy and scribble on the walls.

Thanks everyone for the advice about the email. I thought it was a scam too.

Slyness

I hope your kids will be good to you too. Sometimes it does not work that way, but for the good you're doing now, God will remember you.

dr
My dad still drives, although he can't really see that well. Getting that car away from him would be very difficult, almost impossible. I mentioned once about his not being able to see very, perhaps he should not drive, and boy, did he get upset with me. Squealed on me big time with the rest of the family. I don't go that route anymore.

bc
Had to laugh at that last line in your comment about the hammer.

Mudge, I'm worried about you, should I be?

Jack
I've prayed for you, your family, and especially your MIL. Trust God, He really is good. God loves to do mercy.

Knowing next to nothing about gravity, aside from what I've learned and taught, I now feel like I know even less. I wonder if the gravitational field might have waves and troughs. If the spacecraft happened to pass by Earth and was accelerated at the crest of a gravitational wave it might increase the rate of acceleration. Conversely, if it happened upon a trough, the object might not experience as much acceleration, or maybe the object encounters two waves traveling in directions that would create a resultant wave with less energy, thus decreasing the rate of acceleration of the object. Kind of like the headwind/tailwind/crosswind phenomena that affects the way a car behaves. I have no idea, and chose to compose this blathering post to put off work that I need to do to the upstairs bathroom. At least up there, gravity works. Waste will move downward at 9.8m/sec2.

From BC's link:
--------
In five of the six flybys, the scientists have confirmed anomalies.

"I am feeling both humble and perplexed by this," said Anderson, who is now working as a retiree. "There is something very strange going on with spacecraft motions. We have no convincing explanation for either the Pioneer anomaly or the flyby anomaly."

-----
Anderson is John, formerly of JPL in Pasadena.

Thank you, BC. I will use this next week in class for the definition topic. Students must define or describe an important idea in their field for both a lay audience and a technical audience (two linked short papers). The best teaching topics are like what you shared with us:

Pioneer Anomoly.

The BOODLE is everywhere. Ever think about how knowledge is one commodity that sharing of which does not leave any party worse off? Like love, knowledge, can (should be!) shared. And, we are all better off. The very definition of SYNERGY, I believe.

The boodle-way is one of knowledge....and love.

Don't you love it when scientists admit to being humbled and perplexed? Come to think of it, people too.

dbG is going to scribble on the walls!

I am going to drive around in the sunshine with the windows open and the music turned up a bit, singing along tunelessly but with gusto. A little Bedouin Soundclash I think.

Big crowd for supper tonight - much shopping and chopping to be done.

Have a great day, everybody. Come for supper if you wish.

I read an article last year about the Voyager probes traveling faster than expected. IIRC the article didn't mention the 'Pioneer Anomaly' and the piece bc linked to doesn't cite the Voyager data.
I hope the left hand knows what the right hand is doing over at NASA.

It's the Pioneer anomaly because it was first noticed with the orbits of the Pioneer probes (10 &11). I don't actually recall such a problem with the Voyagers. Originally, the Pioneer anomaly seemed it could be ascribed to slight pressure -- drag from the outflowing solar wind, something like that I think. Now, it's getting more interesting. Seems like one of those arenas in which we might want to spend a little more time letting the data lead us. But, it's looking interesting.

Cassandra, considering the safety not only of your father but innocent bystanders, perhaps you'd consider reporting him to your department of transportation?

Sounds harsh, I know. After my aunt had several horrific near-misses and several collisions with non-moving (thank god!) objects, I wrote a letter to the PA Dot asking them to retest her. I signed my sister's name. :-) Her doctor refused to send one, although you may ask your father's doctor.

She was furious when she got a letter from them saying she needed to be retested within 30 days. When she called them, they *explained* that it was like a lottery, mere chance her name had come up. She was mollified, but determined to take it, we knew she couldn't pass; then she started having dizzy spells and the doctor said she couldn't drive or even take the test. She almost kicked him in the examining room.

I'm hoping you know I write this with great love and amusement, but it was typical of my aunt when my cousin noticed the entire front passenger door was crushed in and non-functional. Our aunt said, "I hit a rock." Later my cousin saw the massive stone wall by the side of the driveway, newly decorated with paint scrapes from my aunt's car. :-)

If there's something hinky happening to space probes during gravity boosts I'd think scientists would study the Voyager probes as they must be the boostedest man made objects there are. Furthest out, fastest, etc, blah blah, Nice pictures too.

As of December, Voyager 1 was over 29 light-hours away from Earth. Voyager 2 was approaching a full light-day (23:22 hours).

I suspect it'd be harder to measure speed fluctations at that distance. The Pioneer craft were easy to measure because they were slingshotting around Earth, and even so, the deviations from expected speed was what, 13 mm/s? That's less than 0.133% variance.

Newton and Galileo could never have hoped to get that precise measuring gravity.

Hopefully this will open up a new way to look at how electromagnetism and gravity may interact (as the measurements were via radio wave).
There also have been previously abnormalities in subatomic particle decay/speed ratio when entering Earth's atmosphere that were, as I understand it, explained by the theory of relativity and time dilation effects.

Cassandra, your dad sounds like my dad. He would not listen to us about even moving closer to town so he would not have to drive. He had several accidents - luckily no one but him was hurt. He wound up going to a nursing home after he was in the hospital for nearly dying of exposure when he got disoriented picking up the mail one November day and spent the night outside. He still had enough sense to dress in wool, which is probably what saved him. He went kicking and screaming and scheming to get back home. Not a pleasant time for any of us. My sister and I have vowed to go happily to assisted living when the time comes - although, who knows what we'll do when that happens. My neighbor is another one who won't think of leaving her house. I try to suggest that as an alternative, but she doesn't want to hear it.

17/20 on the smiles. I'm very proud of myself. Along with the eyes and the gut reaction, for me it also had to do with other movements -- if it looked like they were laughing -- and how sudden the onset and especially offset were. Harder to turn a genuine smile off suddenly, I think.

I love the BBC in general, but they've had various questionable reports in my area recently, so I don't necessarily trust their science coverage any more than any other general media outlet.

I think I got 7/10 on the tattoos, or maybe it was 6; not as proud there. Except for Billy Bob, I just tried to identify people from their blurred outlines.

I am just giddy at the idea of taking crayons and writing on the walls. Poetry maybe between the windows looking to the side and back yard. Hmmmm interesting.

Cassandra, My grandpa was like that. It would have killed him to give up his car keys. I think they had to get sneaky on him, and lose the car keys after someone took it to the shop for repairs. But IIRC, he had his license to the day he died aged 93.

I'm with slyness. I hope I'll give those things up easily. I'll keep him in my prayers And you!

Jack, may your MIL find ease.

"Afternoon, gang. Cassandra, I'm here; nothing to worry about. Just slept in way late (and it was deeeeeelicious).

You might find some of the following links helpful when dealing with older folks and their driving:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/UnderstandOlderDrivers/

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/Alzheimers/index.html

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.31176b9b03647a189ca8e410dba046a0/?javax.portlet.tpst=4670b93a0b088a006bc1d6b760008a0c_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_4670b93a0b088a006bc1d6b760008a0c_viewID=detail_view&itemID=43c3ada429373110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD&overrideViewName=Article

Also:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/polypharmacy/index.html

and

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/OlderDriverPlan/index.html

And if you go to this page you will find a bunch of publications dealing with specific diseases and conditions that afflict older drivers:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.31176b9b03647a189ca8e410dba046a0/

Thanks again for the words and thoughts of encouragement. You folks rock. My son and I have the day to ourselves. Spent part of the morning at a baseball tryout that was unnecessary. He jumped through that hoop last spring and will be back on the same team this season. So, home to practice hitting. Lost the baseball to a thicket of weeds. So, yard cleanup. My son wanted to see poop fly, so I obliged him. We might bring the fan outdoors, just for gp's.

Such as:

A COMPENDIUM OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OLDER DRIVER PROGRAMS
at
http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/LawEnforcementOlderDriver03/index.htm

and
Family and Friends Concerned About an Older Driver, at
http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/FamilynFriends/faf_index.htm

and

Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully, at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/olddrive/Driving%20Safely%20Aging%20Web/index.html

Hope somebody finds these useful. But even if they aren't specifically helpful, I think you'll find most of them remarkably well edited.

Just sayin'.

My son want