The Last Ephor

I've had requests to talk more about life with Autism. One thing that's difficult to convey to people with typical kids. My life is normal. That is, normal for me. It's what I do every day and I don't know anything different so it's routine, normal whatever you want to call it. That said, very, very few people understand my life and how it works. That is, things are often so radically different it defies explanation. Even with our own families I frequently have to explain (or try to) why some things are the way they are or why they are simply not possible. One huge stumbling block is when people fail to realize the importance of Routine and Structure. I capitalize these two because they are the primary drivers for people with Autism. Without them, my son cannot function. Literally, cannot function. The best description I've heard is the allegory of Flying To Holland. Imagine you book a vacation to Holland. You contact your travel agent to get some b...

Manager came up to my desk today. Conversation follows: Manager: Hey Duffy, I'm having trouble with a particular folder. Reports are not returning data properly. Who do I see about that? Duffy: Me, I'm the admin. Let's take a look, which folder and report? Manager: Oh, you don't have access to that folder. The stuff in there is very sensitive. Duffy: (blank stare, trying to see if he's joking) Manager: (blank stare, shifts weight nervously) Duffy: (realizes he's no joking) Uh, as the administrator, I have access to everything. Manager: No, you don't. This folder is protected. Duffy: Let me show you. (logs into folder in question) Manager: (with Surprise and Alarm!) That's not good. That's in violation of security policy! How did you get access to that? Duffy: How can I administer a system if I don't have access to it. Manager: Well...you...you...it's a violation of policy. Duffy: .... Manager: You can't see the dat...

We rode along, floating in the dark over a void the depths of which you could not sense, passing the desiccated corpses and cobweb-draped skeletons, observing a ballroom where everyone spun around in eternal pursuit, so focused on the dance they'd forgotten they were dead. What an excellent metaphor for my life in newspapers.

Captured! Teflon Don has the story about the possible capture of three US Army personnel. I've heard absolutely zero in the MSM on this one. Not sure if that's due to laziness or a request from the DoD to keep this quiet until they know the fate of the soldiers in question. I pray for the soldiers and their families. Not know has to be the worst of all. Nancy Pelosi's authoritarian impulses on full display . More from Don Surber here . Update: That didn't last long. Fox News is derided as an organ of the GOP. Watch this video to see that myth exploded. It's softball vs. football. A list of emerging markets from Forbes. Some surprises here as well as surprising omissions. Readers are invited to see if they can spot any similarities in policies that lead to high growth. How can one work in Hollywood and keep their moral compass? These people want to show you how. What happens when two programs designed to beat the Turing Test get to chatting? It...

How hot is Dubai? Read this . Wow. Just wow.

“Bush is portrayed as a moron. I’ve only conversed with him a couple of times – not for very long – but I found he was more literate on literature than the editor of the New York Review of Books, Bob Silvers. I’ve talked to both of them, and he makes Bob Silvers look like a slug.”

What We Got Right in Iraq Leave it to WaPo to bury it on a Saturday instead of, you know, Sunday when they have the largest circulation. Our critics (usually people who have never visited Iraq) often allege that the de-Baathification decision left Iraqi ministries without effective leadership. Not so. Virtually all the old Baathist ministers had fled before the decree was issued. Startling quote from a principal: "We're filthy rich; I don't want any more of your money. Send me quality teachers." More please: More than a million secular Turks demonstrated in the Aegean port city of Izmir on Sunday in a major show of strength against the Islamic-rooted government as Turkey prepares for early general elections. The politics of airlines and taxation . Makes and interesting point about who's paying for what and who benefits. I firmly believe the airlines should have been left to fall apart in the 70's and again in 2001. They need a Shiva moment wherein they can...

Who Are the Merchants of Fear? It's not who you think it is. According to Cockburn, it's Gore and friends for their Global Warming hysteria. It's almost worth it to pay the price to read it. Or you could ask someone to Not Bug You.

I haven't read the onion in ages but someone pointed me to their latest edition which some some really funny stories. Read them all, they're short and funny

Judge a Book by its Cover 'nuff said.

What he said. H/T: Tim Blair Tax records? Pffft. Don Surber has a much better list . Sadly, not one of those items will ever see the light of day. Teachers stage mock gun attack in school telling them it was not a drill. The principal declined to say whether they would face disciplinary action. If I were a parent of those children and staged a "mock gun attack" on the teachers in reprisal I would be, you know, arrested. Iran's leading lunatic heads anti-American rally in Dubai. Telling them: "America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth." (nb: quoting the article, not the head lunatic). If we're robbing the region, we're doing a very poor job of it. Alternate universes everywhere? One scientist thinks so. "I probably shouldn't speculate, but observational cosmologists have spotted signs of a strange alignment in the CMB that could be compatible with this picture," says Aguirre." G...

I've been holding out on my reader(s). I've been playing soccer for the first time in literally a decade. We play once a week at from 8:30 until 10:00ish. I got roped into this by someone we'll call Brian. A few weeks ago when we started this I met Brian at his house so I could follow him to the field. We got there and there were only 7 guys. We took sides and I touched the ball to start the game. Brian took one step and tore his ACL. As he's writhing on the ground writhing in agony I say; "You are in so much trouble." His wife's parting words to us were "Don't get hurt". "I know" he said sucking in air and making sounds like a leaking tire that swears. That was the end of his summer career. In fact, he just had surgery this week to repair his leg. Some guys will do anything for attention. Anyway, back to the story... As we're making the initial introductions, three guys are wearing Red Bull New York gear. As ask one...

I know it appears I've invoked Godwin's Law in the title of this post but I haven't, really. Hear me out. I'm talking about The Other Big Lie and it's codicil. It goes something like this: Your alarm goes off and you hit snooze. Worse yet, you turn it off and tell yourself "I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute and then I'll get up." You know you're lying to yourself but you believe it anyway. Next thing you know, it's 45 minutes later and you wake up, look a the clock and it you're anything like me, drop a few expletives and then get up. The codicil to this lie is the one where you get up and you're positively exhausted. Eyes burning, head hurting, sensitive to light kinda tired. You then tell yourself; "I swear to God, I'm going to be early tonight."

Andrew Sullivan touched on a topic that gave me pause. He's been talking about Jack Chick tracts that you find nutjobs distributing hither and yon. They're not as prevalent in this area as they are in others. My first and only encounter with these things was in Baltimore shortly after the Earth cooled (translation: when I was in college). It was Halloween and I was in Fells Point. For those of you familiar with the sight, no further explanation is necessary. For the uninitiated, my words will fail to adequately describe the bachanalian scene in those days. I understand it's become a bit more sedate over the years as Baltimore's Finest have clamped down a bit. Anyway, I was heading down Broadway toward Max's and as I was waiting on line, some shady looking character was eyeballing me. I was dressed as a priest (of all things). I borrowed the gear from Fr. Perrine who lived upstairs from me. He seemed to think the thought of me as a priest was hilarious. ...

“I want to tell them that France will always be by their side when they need her" The ban on French products is hereby lifted. It will be nice to have a bottle of French wine and some cheese. The upside of the self-imposed ban for me has been the exploration of other regional wines. I've been most impressed by the Chilean wines. Australia seldom disappoints and with their overproduction in recent years the prices have been very good. Maybe if DV can stay sober during the next wine tasting he attends he can make a recommendation. (I'm not holding my breath)

Democrats folded. The threw the red meat to the Kos Kidz and now it's back to the drawing board to come up with Operation Surrender II.

Dialogue Delaware is making scandalous accusations about me! They contend that Sherry Freeberry had county executive assistants: * Paying traffic tickets for Duffy * Typing Duffy’s resume * Sending Duffy’s photos to a modeling agency All lies! OK that bit about the modeling thing is true but only because I'm so devastatingly handsome it seems unfair that only local women get to see a man of my pulchritude.

Hube claims to be a fan. Bah! If he were, I wouldn't have scooped him on this one. Picture from here

Global Politician revisits the Anthrax cases and points a blackened finger. More here Just another day in Iraq . The ease and humility that Teflon Don writes with makes it all the more compelling. I guarantee if I were writing this story it would be replete with hyperbole, self-aggrandizement and worse. Read it. Now. Why France will liberalize . I'm not so sure. The welfare state has been decades in the making. We're now looking at third and fourth generation Frenchmen who know nothing else. As an American I knew about the size and scope of the state in France but it wasn't until I lived there did I really get it. Even if Sarko wins he's fighting an entrench bureaucracy that makes the US government look like Cato Institute's wet dream. Mitt Romney's efforts to make himself unelectable continue apace. Now he declares "Battlefield Earth" as his favorite book. Who's the only religious group less electable than Mormons? Scientologists!...

New York City, having eradicated all violent crime and closed all open cases has turned their sights on 77 year old cancer patients who smoke pot. Thank God they're working so hard to keep Gothamites safe. Tenet is getting it from all sides now. Hitchens ('natch) gives him a beatdown and former national security officials National Review skewers him here . Someone remarked that if there's anyone supporting Tenet now I haven't found him. After some searching, I haven't either. Reader(s) are invited to post any links to anyone supporting him now. Bonus points for politicians and MSM figures. Remember when Bill Frist had his name dragged through the mud as part of the Democrats campaign to regain control of Congress and get rid of their most effective opponent? Me too. Did you hear he was exonerated ? Of course not. Why would you? Sarko has a slim lead. Can he hold it? A day in the life for paratroopers in Iraq. Quote of the day: " Iraq not getti...