Posts from — December 2006

“Boldly going

where no man has gone before.”

The Wright Brothers make the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Florida License Plates

Beneficiary

A weekend feature of Why Now.

Time magazine has decided not to decide because they aren’t the “decider” and declared ‘Net users the “Man of the Year.”

As August Pollak so eloquently puts it: Lamer than anything that has ever been deemed lame.

Atrios wonders why Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was under consideration?

Simple answer: Because Time doesn’t understand that the President of Iran doesn’t quite have the political power of the Prince of Wales.

Update: I bought the album – from TBogg: We’re so lame, we probably think this story is about us

Happy NODWISH

Whatever

It is time to wish my family and friends: [select one]

Happy NODWISH
Merry Solstice
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa
С Рождеством Христовым
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Vrolijk Kerstfeest
Nadolig Llawen
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Joyeux Noël
Buon Natale
Feliz Navidad
Mer Juli
Happy Hogwatch
Happy Christmas

and hope they are visited by: [select one]

Дед Мороз
Saint Nicholas
Santa Claus
Kris Kringle
Pere Noël
Babbo Natale
Los Reyes Magos
Hogfather
Father Christmas

who leaves good things in their: [select one]

Stockings
Boots
Shoes
Clogs
Box
Pillow Case [some people are greedy]

rather than the: [select one]

Lump of Coal
Raw Liver
Bloody Bones
Birch Switch
Sticks

some of them may deserve.

Don’t forget to leave out the: [select one]
Oats
Hay
Grass
Turnips

For the: [select one]

Horses
Reindeer
Donkey
Camel
Goat
Boars

And: [select one]

Vodka & perozhki
Milk & Cookies
Wine & bread
Sherry & pork pie

For the driver.

Because of careful planning the Swedish Christmas Goat Survives Attack.

If you would like to verify its existence you can check the Gävlebocken webcam.

From Steve Bates of Yellow Doggerel Democrat in the comments:

Why build a giant goat of straw,
Which most of us would scarcely note?
Some, though, defy the very law,
To vandalize the Gävle Goat.

In some years, they used wayward cars;
In others, flaming arrows smote.
This year’s survives, although with scars…
A fact that gets some people’s goat.

A webcam and some watchful eyes,
A flame-retardant second coat,
Should save it… unless Dubya spies
The thing, and claims it’s his pet goat!

– SB the YDD

These two symbols represent the same organization in different parts of the world. Someone should inform the US military, especially those in Iraq.

“Hearts and Minds,” people, I’m sure someone mentioned it to you.

I’ve written about General Peter Schoomaker, the Army Chief of Staff, before, when he asked Congress for more money in September to fix all of the worn and broken equipment that is piling up in repair depots.

Now he’s asking for more troops for the Army, because the commitments are exceeding the capacity of the Army to meet them without breaking.

General Schoomaker was Rumsfeld’s personal choice for Army Chief of Staff; he was called out of retirement to fill the job. He isn’t a maverick and has been toeing the party line for years. Things are so bad that he can’t be quiet any longer.

Mark Fiore highlights one of the problems that General Schoomaker faces when trying to hold on to trained personnel.

Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends. I miss the latkes and jelly doughnuts my roommates received for the holiday at college. [Their grandmothers were afraid they wouldn’t celebrate or couldn’t get “real” food at that terrible Baptist university.] It was a great break.

One of the nice things about Hanukkah is that there are established “gifts”, so you don’t have to rack your brains about what to get: a card and gelt covers just about everyone.

[Note: on the Jewish calendar the day changes at sundown, not midnight, so it’s now the 16^th.]

Fashion Fix

Enough with the flash! You have to talk to him about this Harley Davidson leash; it just isn’t me.

[Editor: CC is at the end of her tether, outside, since the weather warmed up.]

Friday Ark

So, Haloscan was down recently, Jo Fish of Democratic Veteran has had to dump comments because of spam problems, Karen at Peripetia had to dump the graphic check at her place because it was flakey, POP of Morning Martini has discovered that Blogger Beta comments doesn’t like non-beta BlogSpot [and vice versa], and now Mustang Bobby of Bark Bark Woof Woof is talking about John McCain’s crusade to stop child pornography by making bloggers file federal reports on their comments.

As Elayne keeps saying: this isn’t a job, it’s a hobby. We do this to exercise our minds, not put food on our tables. It is a method of communications, a release for our frustrations. One of the reasons it has become popular is because we can’t afford the time or the money to meet in person.

I’m getting tired of all the crap required to comment anymore, but I’m turning furious at all of the attempts by pandering politicians to violate the letter and spirit of the First Amendment because it is considered a political plus.

McCain, and most politicians, don’t care about “collateral damage,” like Constitutional rights, only scoring political points. There aren’t any short cuts. Discover the crime, investigate it, determine the suspect, and prosecute. That’s what works – always. These wide-net tactics don’t work and just annoy innocent people to the point they give up on the government.

Some people don’t understand that there’s a limit to “cute.”

There is a house locally that has a manatee mailbox. It is a sculpture of a momma manatee with a nursing baby, and a mailbox coming out under momma’s chin. It that weren’t enough, there have been seasonal hats and scarves put on the manatees from time to time. The treacle is enough to slow your car when you’re trying to drive by.

We just try to ignore it and hope the people will come to their senses and put up post for their mailbox like everyone else.

Now they have escalated. For the “season”, in their front yard, lighted at night, these people have put up two flamingos in Santa hats!

It is about time the code enforcement board did its job. The house and property have to approach $2 million as a newer house on a large piece of land on the waterfront. There need to be some standards, even for the wealthy.

Update: I would note that Bill O’Reilly has no problem attacking rabbis for wanting a menorah at their local airport, but has been silent on the flamingos.

Andante reminds us that Santa gets letters, even from children who should realize they are on the “Naughty” list.

Juan Cole thinks that bicycles might make a good gift for everyone.

Ellroon thinks that overdoing the decorations could be dangerous.

Ellroon also looks at the problem of determining who’s naughty and who’s nice.

Via Holden at First Draft I read a Washington Post article by Robin Wright announcing Saudi Ambassador Abruptly Resigns, Leaves Washington.

I checked with Informed Comment and Needlenose, but found nothing. Laura Rozen at War and Piece only had some speculation that it was something at home.

Prince Turki al-Faisal has only been in the position 15 months, while his predecessor, Prince Bandar bin Sultan stayed for 22 years.

It may be related to Prince Turki’s brother, Prince Saud al-Faisal, Saudi foreign minister, who is ailing. Prince Turki may need to return to deal with the internal squabbles that would arise at his brother’s incapacitation, or to help his brother during the approaching Hajj.

Prince Turki headed Saudi intelligence before being assigned the post in Washington, but he tends to be truly frank, rather than diplomatic, when describing relationships between the US and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis are not happy about the disaster on their doorstep, Iraq, nor unconcerned about the fate of the Sunnis in Iraq. Prince Turki may be too truthful an emissary to deal with the Shrubbery.

If you are looking to celebrate the solstice or yuletide and don’t want to get involved with the Christian holiday here are a few things you can use: a Yule log, The Tannenbaum or Fir Tree, Mistletoe, Holly, Ham, and Wreathes. There is no need to get into what happens to wrens, or the role of the European robin. Also, the local authorities would probably get upset if you tried to have a bonfire.

These are all part of the Nordic/Teutonic solstice celebration long before the missionaries arrived with Christianity.

The only real Christian symbol is the Crèche, so if you don’t put up that scene and you avoid stars and angels in the tree, you are celebrating an ancient northern European winter festival.

This is why the Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas: they could smell a dodge to justify enjoying yourself.

As for the chubby elf in red – pure commercial propaganda. Come on, the standard outfit is based on Coca-Cola ads, which is why it is red and white.