Archive for August, 2007
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Friday, August 31st, 2007Anyone checking the frequency of blogging for this site need not be told that I am not a natural diarist. I keep trying to start a regular compilation of my thought but never quite get in the habit. I have a journal I’ve carted from DC to Stanford to Bensalem to Princeton. [...]
Worrisome Phrase
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007In reading this AP News story on the upcoming speech by the President, I came across the following:
Bush and his senior advisers are likely to hear the initial thinking from Ryan Crocker, Bush’s envoy in Baghdad
[emphasis added]
Isn’t Ryan Crocker the accredited ambassador to Iraq? Confirmed and empowered, one would hope, by the United States [...]
Another propaganda poster
Sunday, August 26th, 2007As has been usual, this is another exhortation to “Work to Win”. My “study” of WWI and WWII posters indicates that almost all fell into the “Work harder” or “Buy more bonds” categories. True to form, this poster says, “Victory up here… begins down here“. Overhead are a Retro Rocketship and a [...]
Hidden meanings?
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007I don’t know what this means, but I’ve discovered something weird with the iTunes Music Store. I wanted to find a particular song by Bob Dylan called “Dignity”. But the search box won’t find it for me, instead returning an error: “We could not complete your iTunes store request. The iTunes Store [...]
The financial hardship of serving one’s country
Saturday, August 18th, 2007You have to feel bad for poor Tony Snow, Press Secretary to President Bush. You see, Tony really really loves the job — he’s full of passion for it — but darn it, he just can’t afford to fight the good fight anymore. According to reports on CNN and the AP, Tony will [...]
The Mongrel Dogs in Transit Hell: Airline Insanity
Thursday, August 16th, 2007I am currently in LAX International Airport. I’ve been here since 10:30 AM and it is currently 9:00 PM. If you knew my itinerary, you’d see that this is the time listed for boarding Continental Flight 1803, nonstop LAX to Newark/EWR. You can probably guess that I am not actually getting on [...]
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (12): From Arizona to Missouri
Thursday, August 16th, 2007Seven days ago I had the opportunity to relive the American experience in the Second World War in one morning. In reverse. As part of the Regal Princess‘ stop at the port of Honolulu, I took part in a tour of the memorials to the USS Arizona and USS Missouri. In [...]
“After the Fire” — Roger Daltrey
Thursday, August 16th, 2007After the fire, the fire still burns
The heart grows older but never ever learns
The memories smoulder and the soul always yearns
But after the fire, the fire still burns
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (11): Solar Sight
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007I experienced something today that I’ve heard a lot about but never quite believed in: the infamous green flash. I’d read that, sometimes, during sunsets, just at the moment the Sun sinks below the horizon, it flashes green. However, the conditions are hard to meet and the occurrence somewhat rare. Tonight [...]
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (10): Managed Disequilibrium
Saturday, August 11th, 2007Every night, the crew of the Regal Princess find some live entertainment to put on in the grandiosely-named International Show Lounge. Sometimes it’s in-house, like a crew sing-along. Usually, it’s more like a Vegas revue: Sometimes piano, sometimes comedy, sometimes live performance, sometimes old Broadway standards. For the most part, I’ve [...]
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