The CNN headline pretty much says it all: Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy store

A guy trying to pick up some extra money at Wal-Mart is stomped to death by people trying to be the first to enter the store, and two guys decide to have a gun fight in a California Toys “R” Us. That is the spirit of the season. That is what the US has become. That is what Christmas has become.

I keep hearing the tired refrain that “The children wouldn’t understand if we don’t spend the money.” Sorry, but I was once a child and I understood what I was told. Jehovah Witness children don’t expect it. Hindu children don’t expect it. The only reason children expect it is because their parents tell them to. It isn’t the kids who need an attitude adjustment, it’s adults.

Some of the most current and comprehensive reporting is found on the Wikipedia Mumbai page and a constantly updated Google map.

I would note that many of the efforts to tie this attack to Pakistan have been disproved, and the Indian government has requested assistance from the Pakistan government.

There has been almost total official and media silence about the attack on the police headquarters beyond the initial reports. There have been plenty of opportunities for young radical Islamists to receive small arms training in Iraq and Afghanistan and the weapons used in this attack are openly available throughout the region, despite all of the so-called arms embargoes.

Apparently we can add the sinking of a Somali pirate mother ship by the Indian Navy to the list of grievances cited by the attackers. I think their psy-ops people might want to have a closer look at that one.

ITALIAN SALAD (6 Servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked beets
1 cup cooked carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup cucumbers, pared, seeded and diced
Mayonnaise thinned with cream or sour cream
1 head of lettuce

Preparation:

Prepare the vegetables and chill.
Combine the salad with dressing.
Prepare beds of lettuce and top with the salad.

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The Price Of Flies

That was certainly noisy!

[Editor: One of the major disadvantages of Income’s size is his ability to jump. Here he is on top of the cabinets in the kitchen looking down at the sink which instantly contained a collection of rarely used spices that had been on top of the cabinet. Some of them had been in glass containers. The fly he was chasing escaped.

Friday Ark