Nice evening for a band concert? Is that what you're thinking, Bunky?

Well then, here you go.

Link: Civil War Band Music: A Concert for Brass Band, Voice, and Piano

Cooling off

Cooling off, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

And go back to foot-IN-mouth

British PM Gordon Brown Promises to Eradicate Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

I'm sorry. I can't help it. A story that links a politician - any politician - with foot-and-mouth disease is just too good to resist.

Link: FOXNews.com - British PM Gordon Brown Promises to Eradicate Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Imagine the cookies

James Dobson of Focus on the Family just can’t hide his disdain for the Girl Scouts. His propaganda arm, Family News in Focus, attacked them yet again July 31, claiming that girls are leaving the Scouts in droves for a Christian fundamentalist alternative called American Heritage Girls.

Link: Again with the Girl Scouts - The Carpetbagger Report

Don't be bashful

Tell us what you really think.

Now, if you're in the Secret Service, don't worry: I will never do anything to cause physical harm to any elected or appointed official. But I think I can legally say this: If I happened to run across Condi Rice doubled over in pain on the sidewalk, I would not lift one finger to help her. In fact, I WOULD SPIT IN HER UGLY ARROGANT FACE.

Ah. I see.

Link: Cannonfire

Sun trap

Sun trap, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Because Earth's is full of, you know, Russians

NASA Launches Mission to Mars Pole

Link: NASA Launches Mission to Mars Pole - New York Times

Nose was a mile away and there was a knee over by the river

Foot and mouth found at farm in Surrey

Link: Financial Times - Onet.pl Waluty

So as it turns out...

...most of my disk problems were sorted out quite nicely by my anti-bonehead software and everything is chugging along nicely nicely, except that in sweeping out the resulting rubble I noticed a few more not critical but nuisancemaking problems which really should be cleaned up, one of these days. Which day (are you listening, Apple?) will be when the new OS comes out. This is something I almost always do anyway when a major OS upgrade comes on the scene so it's not really a big deal, although I was contemplating skipping it this time. So maybe it's a good thing, everything fell apart. Sort of a reminder that it's time to clean things up.

So maybe I'll start wearing a life vest in the car

588 Mass. bridges 'deficient' - The Boston Globe:

Approximately 10 percent of the 5,500 bridges in Massachusetts are classified under federal standards as "structurally deficient," including 65 well-traveled bridges with such serious defects that they may need to be replaced and at least 10 with a design similar to the span that collapsed in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Of course the American Society of Civil Engineers has been reporting on this for some years now, stuff falling apart all over - bridges, roadways, water and sewer systems, and oh, yeah, don't forget the levees, levees too. What the hell. Nobody wants to pay.

Wait until a bridge falls down on a highway that's been leased to, I don't know, Australia or something, see how much fun that will be. (Note to Chicago: Read the fine print.)

Meanwhile, buckle up.

So if things look a little different today it's because I'm writing from my laptop. Last night I ran a utility that promised to do a "secure delete" (by overwriting) all the empty space on my desktop hard drive. Let it run all night. And woke up this morning to discover the thing did not repair the file system headers properly and my disk now reports zero empty space. It will still reboot and run just fine, albeit sluggishly, but this is not a good deal, so now I have to decide whether to use another utility to fix it (likely can be done) or just wipe the disk and start over, reinstalling my software (the data files are all backed up). As there is a new operating system due shortly ("Leopard," in Applejabber) rebuilding the disk may not be a bad idea - then I can do a simple upgrade with the new OS. Either way it's a PIA, IYKWIM.

I don't have to make up my mind until this afternoon, so I won't.

Some thing

Some thing, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Ever since I went to the balloon show I've been color starved. This is not good for a guy who planned to shoot black and white all summer. But there it is.

Come on, Bunky, you don't think I'm gonna believe that, do you?

But investigators found that roughly 1,400 parts that could be used on F-14 “Tomcat” fighter jets were sold to the public in February.

To the freakin' public? Are you...

Oh.

You're not.

Link: GAO: Pentagon Improperly Sold F-14 Parts

Along the way

Along the way, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

How did this get overlooked?

While there is a marital privilege that generally prohibits prosecutors from calling wives to testify against their husbands, there is no mistress privilege.

Link: Mob boss' mistress to testify :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Family Secrets

Getting to be sort of a fad, isn't it?

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed in a Wednesday hearing that Lieutenant General Philip Kensinger, who was censured Tuesday by the Army for deceiving investigators regarding the announcement of the death of Army Specialist Pat Tillman, has evaded a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Link: The Raw Story | Censured general evades subpoena to appear before Tillman hearing

OK, Dude, whatever

OK, Dude, whatever, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

Boobs always help

Every time I mention boobs the Google-hit count goes up.

I don't know if mentioning boobs three times in a single post will make it go even higher, but I guess we'll see.

You're, like, not gonna believe this, Bunky

SACRAMENTO - Representatives of three voting machine companies criticized a state study that found their machines could be breached by hackers, saying it had reached unrealistic conclusions.

Link: Voting Machine Companies Attack Review - Forbes.com

So now it begins

D's want to get into the tough-guy club.

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

By the time it's over they'll be worse than the freakin' R's.

Link: Obama might send troops into Pakistan - Yahoo! News

Been reading a little Jonathan Swift there, Paige?

The Sun-Times has declared August Baby Month, and we'll be covering all aspects of their dimpled goodness.

Mmmmmm!

Link: Ooh, baby, baby :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Lifestyles

Sounds like a pick-up line to me

JEDDA, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister today said his country was considering plans to upgrade its diplomatic ties with Iraq...

Hey, darlin', let's upgrade our ties, ya dig?

OK, right, I haven't had a date in a decade or two. But still.

Link: Saudis Consider Upgraded Relations With Iraq - New York Times

Do you think they do this on purpose?

BAGHDAD — Despite President Bush's recent insistence that al Qaida in Iraq is the principal cause of this country's violence, senior American military officers here say Shiite Muslim militias are a bigger problem, and one that will persist even if al Qaida is defeated.

I mean, if they tell you every story they can think of then they're really not telling you anything, are they?

Link: McClatchy Washington Bureau | 07/31/2007 | U.S.: Shiite militias main threat to Iraq

A perfect solution to the whole Pat Tillman thing

Blame it on some retired guy! And BTW, the White House had nothing to do with it. I mean, Dude, it's just a house.

Although the Left Coaster has this nagging question.

Then why is the White House invoking executive privilege?

Link: The Left Coaster: Army Finds Its Scapegoat For Tillman

We are shocked, Bunky, shocked!

WASHINGTON - WTOP Radio has learned a former escort, linked to a member of Congress, is set to testify alleged D.C. madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey's escort service provided illegal prostitution.

Link: Vitter Escort: Palfrey Ran Prostitution Ring

Is this part of the, you know, “reconciliation act?”

WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- Iraq's Oil Ministry has directed all its agencies and departments not to deal with the country's oil unions.

Link: IraqSlogger: Oil Ministry Bans Cooperation With Unions

Oh, more, I bet

Texas alone could hold 40 years' worth of US emissions.

Link: Earth too warm? Bury the CO2. | csmonitor.com

I'm thinking that Wagner guy is pretty scary

Transit workers are installing speakers this week to pump classical music from Seattle's KING-FM into the Tacoma Mall Transit Center. The tactic is designed to disperse young criminals who make drug deals at the bus stop or use public transportation to circulate between the mall and other trouble-prone places.

Link: Wash. city fights gangs with symphonies - Yahoo! News

So maybe Ken can get his old job back, quit bugging us

July 31 (Bloomberg) -- Lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm that's home to Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr and Bush administration official Jay Lefkowitz, have given more to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign than to all of the top Republican candidates combined.

Link: Bloomberg.com:
Politics

Maybe they hung around with him too long, ya think?

Home Depot seems to have had a change of heart. They're now unequivocally telling their customers that they will not advertise on Bill O'Reilly's show. Oddly, however, they're now also claiming that they never advertised on O'Reilly's show.

Link: BREAKING... Home Depot dumps O'Reilly: “We will not... advertise on the Bill O’Reilly show” - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

KOMG!

THE call letters KUNT have landed at a yet-unbuilt low-power digital television station in Wailuku, Maui.

Alarmingly similar to a word the dictionary says is obscene, the call letters were among a 15-page list of new call letters issued by the Federal Communications Commission and released this week.

The same station owner also received KWTF for a station in Arizona.

From Skokie, Ill., comes a sincere apology “to anyone that was offended,” said Kevin Bae, vice president of KM Communications Inc., who requested and received KUNT and KWTF. It is “extremely embarrassing for me and my company and we will file to change those call letters immediately.”

Bunky! You say “alarmingly similar” like it's a bad thing!

Link: starbulletin.com | Business | /2007/07/26/

Plane hits cow in Wisconsin

From our Midwest Bureau, more Oshkosh air show news.

Ouch.

(Photo: Phil Compton)

Remained conscious

St. George Ambulance responded to a call at about 2 p.m. Monday of a man who had fallen 5 to 10 feet and landed on a dock, hitting the back of his head. The patient was ashen and was foaming at the mouth. National news report quotes a Supreme Court spokeswoman as saying that Roberts was conscious the entire time of the incident.

So then we didn't have to turn over the Supreme Court to Cheney too, I guess.


Link: Chief Justice Roberts to spend night at hospital - Maine Coast NOW - A Courier Publications Information Source

Kids make geezers craZy

Managers tell stories of summer associates who come to meetings with midriffs exposed, baring a belly ring; of interns who walk through the halls engaged with iPods; of new hires who explain they need Fridays off because their boyfriends get Fridays off and they have a share in a beach house. Then there is the tale of the summer hire who sent a text message to a senior partner asking “Are bras required as part of the dress code?”

So write the geezers at the NYTimes. But hey, Bunky, it's in their job description. The kids', I mean. The Being a Kid Handbook. Helps keep those old geezer tickers, well, ticking. Good for the digestion, too.

So thanks, kids. Keep up the good work.

Link: When Whippersnappers and Geezers Collide - New York Times

As the Rudy spins

And Shayera calls him out:

Rudy “I surround myself with criminals” Giuliani says that Democrats want a nanny state. The guy who outlawed smoking in NYC.

Link: excuse the mess... that was just my head: Check out the desperation.

Calling Milo Minderbinder

Unless sanity suddenly sets in, the Bush Boy Scout Brigade is off on another Middle East adventure that could work out at least as well as toppling Saddam Hussein.

In Joseph Heller's novel, Catch 22, the commercially-oriented Sergeant Milo Minderbinder brokers a deal with the Germans wherein US planes bomb their own airport for a fee. Now, the last Neo-Cons standing, according to one of their own - Eric Edelman - are scheming to use US special forces to help the Turks suppress the Kurds. And, of course, since the Kurds have long been touted as our best friends in Iraq, we could easily wind up attacking ourselves.

Sounds like a sequel to me.

Link: Connecting.the.Dots: Newest Middle East Adventure

Now it's Newt with the trifecta thing

Newt Gingrich slams Detroit public schools, unions and the state

Link: Newt Gingrich slams Detroit public schools, unions and the state

Crowd of thousands blown away by amplifiers cranked to max

Only a few remain standing at rock concert in local park.

Well, mini-skirts, yeah

(CBS) WASHINGTON New signs are posted around the White House indicating a new strict enforcement of the dress code, the Washington Post reported Thursday. The code applies to all visitors and staff members, including tourists....

The forbidden items include jeans, sneakers, mini-skirts, t-shirts, tank tops and absolutely no flip flops.

They really do not want me walking through the White House in a mini-skirt. I'm cool with that. But Dude, jeans? What are they thinking? OK, OK, I know, thinking...but how can they not allow jeans?

Do they allow nude?

Link: cbs5.com - Signs Around White House List Dress Code Rules

No! Over there!

At the Oshkosh, Wisc., air show last Friday a guy shoots - I don't know, something - while behind him two World War II-era P-51 Mustang fighters crash.

Photo by Phil Compton (all rights reserved, etc.).

For the finest in late news, trust Yet Another Media Empire.

(If you just can't wait, go read CNN.)

Also examined for fleas

New rules weighed for auto efficiency

Link: New rules weighed for auto efficiency - The Boston Globe

Silver in the sun

Silver in the sun, originally uploaded by tedcompton.

SPOILER: English is the cheap one, Dude, take my word

Should an undergraduate studying business pay more than one studying psychology? Should a journalism degree cost more than one in literature?

Link: Certain Degrees Now Cost More at Public Universities - New York Times

Came in late, huh, Boyd?

“The airline sells the ticket, and the airline is responsible for at least treating the passenger with some dignity,” Boyd said.

OK, look. Maybe I'm not the one to talk. I haven't flown anywhere in a dozen years or more - right, since long before 9/11, for financial, not terrifilicous reasons - so maybe I just don't know. But before I quit flying I'd logged a whole lot of hours in the air.

So I read this ABC story (see below) about Northwest flights being canceled because pilots are refusing to work more than the 90 hours per month their contracts specify and I remembered a day back near the dawn of time - oh, 1968 or so - when I was waiting around in the New Orleans airport for a flight home. I lived in Atlanta back then and Atlanta was weathered in - fog, thunderstorms, something, I don't remember what - and nothing from New Orleans or anywhere else was getting in. There we all sat.

And then a pilot from some minor airline - I don't remember which - strolled casually through the waiting room, bag in hand, and announced, “I'll go to Atlanta if I can get a full plane.”

Not a single soul stood up.

Yeah, the airlines don't seem to care about your “dignity” (here, have some peanuts and shut up). But then, what's a little indignity if the alternative might be landing in a tree?

Link: Pilot No-Shows Ground 200 N'west Flights

The dancing turkeys and Hillary's boobs

"It was worth the money and the natives got all they paid for," concludes one Wm. D. Naylor in his story of "The Dancing Turkeys." Or, as the ombudsman of the Washington Post would have it:

"Does this have anything to do with whether Clinton should be president?" the ombudsman asked. "Not a thing. But do we want to read the column about her cleavage? Yes indeed.

"It was the most viewed story on the Web site all day."

Beat out Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and John Edwards' hairdresser, in other words, and you, Bunky, got all you paid for. Let's move on.

(Photo by Walker Evans via Library of Congress.)