Well Deserved Atta-Boy(s)

This is from the Barr Report from the Washington Post:

Yesterday, the White House issued its history of Katrina, but some of the most interesting findings in the 228-page report are in Appendix B -- "What Went Right."
It's on Page 129 that we learn that Coast Guard Petty Officer Jessica Guidroz returned to work after the hurricane passed through New Orleans. Guidroz led "a squadron of eight boats and crews in the evacuation of approximately 2,000 people from the campus of the University of New Orleans. Like many of the [Coast Guard] station crew, she lived nearby and lost all her personal possessions to the storm, yet put her duty first," the White House report says.
Petty Officer Moises Rivera-Carrion served as a rescue swimmer on Coast Guard helicopters. He was on duty for three days and confronted such hazards as downed power lines and contaminated floodwaters. "Rivera-Carrion tested the limits of his skill and endurance while rescuing 269 survivors trapped on rooftops and balconies throughout New Orleans and southwest Louisiana," the report says.
Much of the Coast Guard rescue effort hinged on the skills of Petty Officer Rodney L. Gordon . According to the report, he landed in the first aircraft to return to New Orleans, even though strong winds were tossing debris across the Coast Guard station.
Gordon "immediately began a series of complex electrical and mechanical repairs vital to sustaining what quickly grew into the largest air rescue operation in Coast Guard history," the report says. He cannibalized broken machinery to repair emergency generators and power lines, including lines to the Naval Air Station control tower that dispatched rescue sorties. Gordon "single-handedly performed a complex rewiring" of emergency generators at the base's aviation fuel distribution plant, a feat that permitted "hundreds of aircraft to continue lifesaving missions," the report says.
Overall, the White House report says, nearly 6,000 Coast Guard personnel played roles in the Katrina search and rescue missions. They retrieved more than 33,000 people along the Gulf Coast, including more than 12,000 by air.

well deserved atta boys for some hard working and diligent Troops

Olympic Coverage

It's the digital age, yes? I mean, I have what... a hundred twenty four channels on the baby-sitter and some fourteen of those are high-def 720p resolution. I get American Channels, Canadian channels, Japanese Channels, Religious Channels, Shopping channels. That lineup doesn't include the pay-per-view channels or On Demand features, or any of the premium channels like Starz, Cinemax, Showtime, (though we do get HBO), or any of the some 50 sports premium channels that we couldn't care less about.

Well then, welcome to the 2006 Olympics, available for your pleasure on THREE, yes count them three channels. Only in the evening. And only what the network wants you to see on their potluck schedule. There are only 15 events in the Winter Olympics spread over 16 days, AND the most events held on any single day is Seven (which happened on Sunday 2/12/06). It seems to me that they could dedicate an event per channel on seven of those 50 sports pay channels and let me choose what I want to watch for a few dollars more, instead of having to rely on Mr. Personality Bob Costas.

Sure, there's On Demand "Highlights", but in my opinion that is just a crummy summation of the already crummy coverage by NBC. Nope, here in my 6th winter Olympics the only difference I can see in the sports coverage between now and then is that I can catch another country's one channel of coverage. My, how far we've advanced.

Come to find out...

Well, some of you (if there really is any one out there reading this stuff) might have noticed that I've not been posting very frequently. Somewhat sporadic even, you might say.

There's a reason.

No, not the one about me being mad because no one leaves comments and I'm not to be bothered... though, youse people know who you are and I'm keeping tabs.

No, the reason that I've not been posting here is because I've been posting somewhere else: www.projectsoup.com. This is my new hobby / project about remodeling. Those of you familiar with our home remodel project will see a lot of information that you'd been wanting to see here, posted over there. Pictures of the house before we bought it; horror stories from the home inspection; ideas and technologies we're hoping to incorporate into our new build. All kinds of groovy and nifty things are over at Project Soup.

There could be more. I'm really light on authors right now. Namely, it's just me. I'm also looking for a graphics artist to help me redesign the site to give it a brand image and help market the site. I do what I can with the limited knowledge I have about web design combined with the limited amount of time I have available throughout the day.

On the plus side, I get to go to lots of trade shows, which i really enjoy, and I get to see lots of things that pertain to home remodeling, which I also enjoy. I've asked a couple of friends to chip in some articles on the topics of construction and remodeling and landscaping, too. But thus far I know that everyone is busy in his or her own lives and so I'm not too hurt about not having gotten any thing yet. I'm still holding out hope. If you happen to know of someone just itching to write an article on home remodeling or what not, give them my email address.

In the coming weeks, preferably after I've gotten a web designer/graphics designer to give this the once over, I will be pushing the site into the advertising realm. This really goes hand in hand with the home remodel. The dream being that this site gets popular enough that manufactures want to comp me their products to put into the Project House so that they get free advertising. But I'm a good deal away from that right now.

Anyway, if you've missed me, that's where I've been. Feel free to come over and leave a comment or two on what you see. Oh, and if you go to page two of the blog, you'll see a quick little clip on safety laminate that Lilah shot with her own video camcorder. She's very proud of her work, and I must profess, it is quite impressive.

That's about it for today. :j

Startling How True These Are

I receive this in my email the other day, and amazingly enough, for a man from the South*, this is spot on. (*presuming that Foxworth actually wrote this stuff).

The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy.

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them!

Am I just another bitter fan?

Yes I'm bitter! I want a Congressional inquiry. I want a Class Action Law suit against the NFL, Ford Stadium, the Referee organization that provided these buffoons, and the head referee. Look, when a doctor makes a mistake it's almost never intentional, yet he or she is held to a specific standard and must answer for those mistakes. If an engineer builds a bridge that collapses, even if no one is hurt, there is an economic loss and that professional engineer is held to a standard and held accountable. So riddle me this, how is it that these supposed professional referees can make what the tape shows to be blatant mistakes in their calls and not be held responsible? And do you realize how much money was riding on this one game? Billions. And not just for betters; how about the economic impact of having a Superbowl winning team in your city?

Honestly? I mean, I can't understand how Pittsburg, the very SAME Pittsburg that was crying foul not two weeks ago over poor calls from referees, can stand tall and proud given the sheer number of shoddy flags thrown in Superbowl XL. If I were a Steelers fan, I'd be embarrassed and angry that the referees tainted my victory with such scandal.

But that’s the same thing every other North Westerner is saying. Here’s the beef that I want to talk about: ABC completely blackballed the Seahawks. Did anyone else notice this? The entire first quarter and the Steelers didn’t even get a FIRST DOWN and all Madden could talk about was “The Bus” this, or “Unpronounceable Quarterback Name” that. The commercial breaks where the network highlighted a player in a semi-sorta sepia tone with this inspirational speech in the background? They were all for Steelers players. In fact, in the entire game there were only two Seattle players highlighted versus the 6 for Pittsburg. Stats were ignored or flashed across the screen without any mention of the fact that the Seahawks had held the Steelers to a minimum of yards gained and had triumphed over their supposedly impervious defense like it was a second rate college team.

No recognition, no praise, no respect. I guess the Seahawks have been talking about this all year and I shouldn’t be surprised, but here we are in the Superbowl and these two teams are supposed to be on an unbiased, level playing field and that did not happen. ABC has lost my respect. I’d rather FOX keep all the football on their network because at least they’re impartial.

As for the Seattle Seahawks? Darn glad to know you! You deserve everything you earned and a lot more. See you again at XLI.

EDIT: i'd like to include the following link to Fox Sports to add a little vindication to my complaints. I know that there are probably a hundred different versions of this story in the news, but this one agrees with me, and that means it must be true. :j

To the Malodorous Man at My Gym

I know it’s the beginning of a new year and I know that you’re all excited to get out and get in shape. You probably keep a well-written record of each and every pound you lose, with color-coordinated highlights for each milestone you make.

But for the LOVE OF GOD, wash your gym clothes.

No you know what, don’t wash your gym clothes. Throw them away.

Wait, even better, burn them; there are microbes growing twixt the cotton fibers of your putrid ensemble of which the people in the Congo are frightened.

How can you not smell yourself? You reach into the gym bag that has been sitting in your car with the same pair of shorts and the same T-shirt since the Clinton Administration, unwashed, baking in the sun season after season and what? you don’t feel the same overwhelming nausea touching that stuff that I get every time you walk by?

How? How is it that you make a conscious decision that these unwashed spore-havens-of-nostril-cruciation are okie-dokie for another day?

Have a donut, sit down on the couch and enjoy a little boob-tube, maybe you should give up exertion all together. Or at least, find another gym.

One Down, Eleven to Go.

Can you believe that January is already over?!? Where did it go? Maybe if I were to measure it in inches of rain it would be much more apparent... perhaps I can use my soon-to-be patented living room bucket rainwater measuring system.

So how has everyone been doing on his or her resolutions? Forgotten already? We're doing pretty well-ish. Our nutrition is still in good practice as is our exercise dedication, our pursuit of all things home remodel is going well if a little slowly, and we've put more focus on our church experience. In fact, we're currently going through a membership class to become members at Silverdale Baptist Church; Tuesday nights for 4 more weeks (of 6 total).

Cleaning has not gone as fast as hoped and we've really not stuck with our supposed "grounding". However, I have accomplished the first hurdle, which was to empty the large closet just off the entryway. That was a full dump run in and of itself. The downside is that what wasn't thrown away is scattered across the living room and the downstairs guest room. There were only so many hours in my day off yesterday so I didn't get things put away yet. Oh, and Christmas decorations! EGADS! That is one tremendous pile of sprawling stuff.

Lilah will be tackling the office and the craft room (formerly known as the "Blue" Room--which is more of a marketing change since the blue room is in truth still blue), transporting the bulk of our books to the dining room shelving or boxing them up for the eventual move out during remodel.

Ah yes, the remodel. Well, I think we scared our real estate agent; he never called back, which is to say he never called at all after his visit. And in truth, while I'm still overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the project, I'm now pretty certain that I'm ready to go forth and stumble... err, conquer. So, seeing as I have no $450k offers in hand (and seeing that my neighbors house is not selling for $423k like hotcakes), I propose to forgo the easy sell and do this the hard right way.

Hope all of you are doing well and I'll try to keep you mo-betta posted in the future.

Another Quick Copout

Yes, I know I've given you nothing of substance in too long, and I know that you've probably already gotten 9 copies of the following email joke in your inbox from all your various "friends"... but it's too DARN funny not to share, and I'm really busy at the moment trying to get things concerning construction and renovation addressed, so here: enjoy this in the mean time! (many thanks to Ron V for the humorous emails that have kept me sane!)

Now that Vancouver will be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, these are some questions people the world over are asking! Believe it or not, these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website (frightening). Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!

Q. I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q. Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A. Depends on how much you've been drinking.

Q. I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto; can I follow the Railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A. Sure, it's only four thousand miles; take lots of water.

Q. Are there any ATM's (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A. What did your last slave die of?

Q. Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA)
A. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North ... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.

Q. Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A. Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q. Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A. No, we don't stink.

Q. Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A. Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q. I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA)
A. It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q. Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A. Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

NOW, YOU HAVE TO ADMIT... THAT WAS FUNNY!

An Internet Jem

I don't know who wrote this or how long it's been around (I'm sure the dates change to suit the email string... I'm leaving it at 2002), but enjoy:

The Ark in 2002

It is the year 2002 and Noah lives in the United States.

The Lord speaks to Noah and says: "In one year I am going to make it rain and cover the whole earth with water until all is destroyed. But I want you to save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on the earth. Therefore, I am commanding you to build an Ark." In a flash of lightning, God delivered the specifications for an
Ark.

Fearful and trembling, Noah took the plans and agreed to build the Ark. "Remember," said the Lord, "You must complete the Ark and bring everything aboard in one year." Exactly one year later, a fierce storm cloud covered the earth and all the seas of the earth went into a tumult. The Lord saw Noah sitting in his front yard weeping.

"Noah." He shouted, "Where is the Ark?"

"Lord please forgive me!" cried Noah. "I did my best, but there were big problems. First, I had to get a permit for construction and your plans did not comply with the codes. I had to hire an engineering firm and redraw the plans.

Then I got into a fight with OSHA over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system and floatation devices.

Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.

I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees to protect the Spotted Owl. I finally convinced the U.S. Forest Service that I needed the wood to save the owls. However, the Fish and Wildlife Service won't let me catch any owls. So, no owls.

The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Union. Now I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still no owls.

When I started rounding up the other animals, I got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me only taking two of each kind aboard.

Just when I got the suit dismissed, the EPA notified me that I could not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn't take very kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of the Creator of the universe.

Then the Army Corps of Engineers demanded a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe.

Right now, I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I am practicing discrimination by not taking godless, unbelieving people aboard!

The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes.

I just got a notice from the state that I owe some kind of user tax and failed to register the Ark as a recreational water craft."

Finally the ACLU got the courts to issue an injunction against further construction of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the earth, it is a religious event, therefore unconstitutional.

I really don't think I can finish the Ark for another 5 or 6 years!" Noah wailed.

The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine and the seas began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up hopefully. You mean you are not going to destroy the earth, Lord?"

"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government already has.

Here's one for you, Nineteen for me...

So I was reading an interesting article I linked to from Digg.com, the social news forum, about the top ten reasons that the American Tax System will collapse in the next 10 years. The author stresses that while the Tax system may collapse, this will not be a catastrophic event for our economy, and in fact we may all be better for such an event and the replacement system that would result.

Highly speculative, to be sure, but there was an interesting bit I'd like to quote.

To put this in perspective, the taxes paid into the government each year are based on over a trillion judgment calls by people interpreting their understanding of a tax code consisting of several thousand pages of paper that they have never personally read… or care to read.

--Thomas J. Frey

You can find the full article here if you're interested in reading all ten reasons. Some of them are very convincing. Some a little far fetched. But I will mark my calendar and await 2016 to see if Mr. Frey was correct.

Here's hoping!

:j