Anyone 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. With my recent […]
Monthly Archives: August 2007
Worrisome Phrase
In 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 […]
Another propaganda poster
As 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 DV snub fighter. […]
Hidden meanings?
I 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 is temporarily unavailable. […]
The financial hardship of serving one’s country
You 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 have to […]
The Mongrel Dogs in Transit Hell: Airline Insanity
I 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 that plane at […]
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (12): From Arizona to Missouri
Seven 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 case your command of […]
“After the Fire” — Roger Daltrey
After 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 About twenty years ago, I saw this video on U68, an over-the-air UHF “competitor” to MTV. It never actually competed, of course, being locked […]
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (11): Solar Sight
I 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 as the Regal Princess […]
The Mongrel Dogs at Sea (10): Managed Disequilibrium
Every 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 avoided this like a […]