The Last Ephor

My wife's grandfather, "Poppy" died today at 5:30 AM. We went rather peacefully. He was having trouble breathing and his girlfriend told him it was OK to go and he didn't have to fight any more. With that, he drew his last breath. I was on my way in to work at Zero Dark Early this morning and my phone rang. I figured it was my wife, which would have been unusual but not unheard of. When I looked at the caller ID and saw it was my in-laws, I knew immediately. "He's gone." "I figured." We talked about arrangements and logistics and such and I drove to work in silence. Music seemed inappropriate and all sounded flat. My kids asked Mommy why she was crying and she explained that Poppy was with God now. They seemed to think this was good news as it meant that Poppy wasn't sick any more. My son said, "God came down to get Poppy to take him up to heaven but they're going to fly around for a while to look at some things first....

Global Warming Swindle . Read the whole thing as they say. The destruction of the Grand Monolith of Scientists Who Believe In Man Made Global Warming continues apace. I'll continue to point them out over and over until we get to some sort of rational place where we're debating this not polemically shouting each other down (buckle up, it's going to be a long ride. -Ed). We should be good stewards of the Earth and should absolutely make every effort to "go green". There are, however, trade-offs and we have to be reasonable about them. Technology is the only way we're going to get greener. To think that we're going to get their by conservation is lunacy. Likewise this is not going to be pain-free. There will be things that we may have to curb or even do without to get to where we need to be.

indeed it isn't. Foster parents get up to $1,400 a month. Natural parents get bupkis.

Wow. These guys are really really good. Naturally Seven "Feel it (in the air tonight)" Impromptu subway version here.

"Six world powers reached agreement Thursday on a package of new sanctions against Iran that include an embargo on arms exports and an asset freeze on more individuals and companies associated with Tehran's nuclear and missile programs." Meanwhile American Thinker thinks there are Three Hairline Cracks in the Iranian regime that could well prove fatal. He points to the sudden collapse of the USSR as a prior example. Only by picking up disparate sets of data was that (in retrospect) predictable. I do think the Iranian regime is unstable. Largely due to demographic and economic reasons. They have a very young population who has no taste for the repression offered by the Mullahs. Likewise most of them are unemployed and that makes them angry. Combine that with an energy sector so poorly managed they have to rely on foreign help and investment to keep it afloat and you have a creaking, groaning government. I just hope if it does fall, it does so bloodlessly. The las...

In response, America was quoted as saying, "YES!"

9/11 Mastermind Confesses in Guantanamo . He confessed to 29 separate plots both successful and unsuccessful. He also took responsibility for the Lusitania, Mt. Vesuvius, the Sack of Rome, bell bottoms, lite beer, American Idol and any other horrors visited upon Americans for the foreseeable future. NB: I think he's guilty of the 9/11 plot from start to finish but now he's just taking credit for everything as a means of self-aggrandizement.

Mideast snow shuts schools .

anywhere except New York City . I used to ride my bike when I was in NYC. Then one time I rode at night. In the rain. After I had a few beers. Needless to say that didn't go well. My bike riding days drew to a close shortly after that. The video link shows how harrowing the ride can be even in fair weather. The rider starts off in Central Park and eventually heads south on Broadway through Times Square.

The Jean-Paul Sartre Cookbook is an old one but it still makes me laugh (and today, I could use one). Yes, I'm a nerd.

Inside North Korea is quite simply, horrifying. If you ever wanted to see a personality cult on display, watch this show. It's hosted by Lisa Ling who I assumed was a lightweight (she's an Oprah reporter, fer feck's sake). She is either extremely brave or extremely stupid. Perhaps both. Not only did she go into North Korea under false pretenses, she asked what would be considered treasonous questions while there. Either of those thing can lead to very serious consequences. In the show, over 1000 people are treated for cataracts. Each of them, once their vision is restored, heaps praise upon the "Dear Leader" for this gift. The doctor doesn't rate a mention. This documentary is especially good for those of you suffering from BDS . It will help put your complaints about fascism and dictatorship in perspective.

rethink her priorities. Seriously, get a grip.

Guns, burglary, and self-defense I’ve never understood why anyone would keep a gun in their home to protect themselves from burglars. If you had a violent stalker ex, or someone who was was bent on invading your home in order to hurt you, I could see the rationale for being armed. But buying a gun to protect against burglars is no protection at all. It’s not like you’re going to stand guard every night to deter them. So....I have to assume that someone who breaks into my house in the middle of the night isn't a violent maniac? You have to be kidding. Interrupting a burglary with a gun probably unnecessary and likely counterproductive because you have no idea how the burglar’s going to react. Desperate criminals are human, too. I’m not pointing this out as a plea for compassion. I’m just noting that strung-out junkies at gunpoint are at least as likely to do something stupid as your average person. Maybe they’re armed, too. Maybe they’ll panic and try to get the gun away from you....

It's been a while since I've done one of these and in my mercy I've given DonViti a pass. The latest silliness comes from Kavips. In a post entitled Halliburton to IRS: “Return to Sender….Address Unknown….” Without further ado, let's get started Halliburton to IRS: “Return to Sender….Address Unknown….” Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 in Trillion Dollar War, national defense, administration policy, Cliff Barnes, J. R. Ewing, Dick Cheney, Dubai, Iraq, Dallas, Bush, no child left behind, Houston I thought I was bad with over categorization. We have "No Child Left Behind"! I can only assume this is somehow supposed to be humorous. If I were in charge of an oil company, very few would think it unusual for me to move my headquarters to Houston or Dallas. After all, how could I be a player in oil, if I didn’t rub shoulders with Cliff Barnes and J. R. Ewing……………… J.R. Ewing was a fictional character. So why should it be a surprise that Halliburton, an oil field servi...

Be More Than You Can Be so sayeth DARPA . The article is incredible. It outlines how they are using basic physiologic principles to makes soldiers endure heat extremes much easier. This is going to be a very very big breakthrough. Reducing muscle fatigue and inuring soldiers against weather will have a profound effect on capability and even morale. Read the whole thing. It's fascinating.

Canadian style! Soldier calls nasty bar beating a 'sneak attack' . This will be dismissed as a mere myth in 30 years time. Much like the spitting incidents of the Vietnam vets.

Went to see wife's grandfather this weekend. He is fading fast. Very thin and waxy looking. Not pale but almost jaundiced. He's occasionally disoriented and sometimes dozes in mid sentence. On the whole he was in good spirits and was happy to see the kids. Especially the baby. Sometimes when he's talking we're not sure how lucid he is. We have to ask him basic questions to see where he is before continuing. One of his grandaughters was there and wasn't sure if he was with it. She pulled a picture off the shelf of the two of them dancing at my wedding and asked him who the two people in the photo were. "That's what's her name...Lauren Bacall." "OK, and who's the guy" "Humphrey Bogart". I couldn't help but laugh. At least his self-esteem is still there.

James Lileks once said that "nothing is as dated as yesterday's future". Indeed.

I could commute in one of these.

First Things (recoil in horror ye liberals!) has an article about how Bono's "RED" campaign has spend $100MM in advertising to raise a paltry $18MM. That's a very bad ROI. I'm just sayin'. The article goes on to explain at length the caveats with charity and even cites the Kenyan economist who has shown that aid to the third world is a net negative not a positive.

BoingBoing has a list of people who held out to the end in the face of development. The man who lives in the St. Alexius hospital , and this one , this one and lastly, this one . Every oak tree is a nut that stood it's ground. These oddballs end up creating tourist sights because people want to see the tiny little house in the shadow of a casino or middle of a parking lot. As much as I understand the "home is my castle" mentality, the offers given to some of these people to give up their property far far outweighs the value of staying. (IMNHO)

The Adaptable Hillary Hillary_animatedIf you're playing along at home, here's Hillary Clinton so far: Cubs Fan/Yankees Fan, Gay-ish Pro-choice-with-an-asterisk Christian Mom, Southern Belle New Yorker, Black Panther Sympathizing Goldwater Girl and Progressive Feminist Against iPods. I know I've left out a lot, but I got tired of typing. That's two in a row for Some Have Hats

Tim Blair continues to document "The Gore Effect". Read this post and you'll know why Tim Blair should be on your favorites tab.

Six vintages of Thomas Hardy’s I am in possession of 8 vintages of Thomas Hardy's. They include: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. They do, as noted above, vary wildly in taste, color and quality. I don't have any tasting notes in front of me but one thing is consistent they are very dark, very malty and high in alcohol content. If you're a beer nerd like I am, get them, they're well worth the effort it takes to find them.

Hannity deserved the derision heaped upon him by Fr. Euteneuer. His qualifications and studies and adherence in his personal life to the teachings of the church. None of that matters. What is important is his repeated, public disagreement with and opposition to the dictates of the Church. He doesn't have to follow them but he can't expect to be welcomed with open arms if he doesn't. There are other congregations that have no problem with abortion and he'd be welcome there. Hannity, true to form, dissembles, deflects and then attacks Fr. Euteneuer.

ohnotheydidnt: Tracy Morgan bugging out Seriously. I think he's not joking. I think he's divorced from reality.

"...it was like the Nickelodeon version of The Exorcist."