Yeah, Right, Whatever

Well, there's been an offer on the house. They offered less than asking price, plus they wanted us to cover $5k of closing costs, and they want to close by July 16th. They're not asking much, are they?

We countered.

They countered.

We countered again. That's our final offer. We really can't go lower.

It's like some bizarre intricate dance, and I don't know the steps. What's the right move? How close can you get to the edge of the (financial/business cliff? Are you sure you can't budge just a little bit more? Maybe I'd know more if I had sold a house before. I've only bought. This is completely new to me.

I've already informed the boys that, if they accept the counter, then we're in full-fledged panic mode for 2 weeks, getting everything packed up and moved. Since over half of our stuff is already living in a storage shed, getting the rest out won't be too bad.

Except the attic. Drat. I forgot about the attic.

UPDATE: They accepted the offer. Panic mode begins.

The news this morning is wall-to-wall London car bomb. Beth (MVRWC) has a good set of links about the car bomb that didn't go off. Drudge has this so far. Fox News is reporting a couple of streets have been closed in the past hour while they check suspicious vehicles.

It's going to be a long news day.

Mom sent me this video.

So, what did she have against the car? It's a nice car.

Danny (at JackLewis.net) has a great post with a few things to think about. Makes you go, "hmmm..."

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Jenn

Staff Sgt. Darrell R. Griffin Jr.
36 years old from Alhambra, California
2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
March 21, 2007


"He was a really patriotic young man", said Darrell Griffin Sr. "He said that the people there really needed us and he felt it was the right place to be. He wished we didn’t have to have wars, but since that’s the way mankind is, he felt he was contributing an important part to his country".

SSgt. Griffin lost his life in Balad, Iraq when his unit came under fire as it was returning to base after conducting security operations in the Iraqi capital.

The eldest son of six children, SSgt. Griffin worked as an EMT before joining the California Army National Guard in 1999. He enlisted in the Army two years later, and in July 2001, was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in Ft. Lewis, Washington. He served with that unit in Iraq from October 2004 to September 2005.

On his second tour of duty, SSgt. Griffin had been awarded the Bronze Star for valor in 2005 when he was credited with saving the lives of three U.S. and two Iraqi Army soldiers injured during battle in Tal Afar. He had also received the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, and the Meritorious Unit Citation.

"Griff was the type of man you want to have by your side in a fight," Maj. Brent Clemmer, his former company commander, wrote from Iraq. "He was the type of squad leader every young soldier wants to have".

"Darrell was my husband, my Soldier, my gift from God who was also the love of my life and always will be." Said his wife, Diana. "He was also 'a Soldier's Soldier of Strength and Honor' whose commitment to duty, honor and loyalty will be forever remembered by all who know and love him. The news of his death saddens us deeply and we ask for your prayers in our time of grief. Please also continue to keep our Soldiers in your prayers

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Here's an Oldies Quiz. Considering all of this happened over 10 years before I was born, I didn't do half bad. (I'll put the answers in the comments later today.)

1. When did "Little Suzie" finally wake up?
a) The movie's over, it's 2 o'clock
b) The movie's over, it's 3 o'clock
c) The movie's over, it's 4 o'clock

2. "Rock Around The Clock" was used in what movie?
a) Rebel Without A Cause
b) Blackboard Jungle
c) The Wild Ones

3. What's missing? _____Baby, Earth_____, _____On My Shoulder
a) Angel
b) Head
c) Love

4. "I found my thrill..." where?
a) Kansas City
b) Heartbreak Hotel
c) Blueberry Hill

5. "Please turn on your magic beam, _____ _____ bring me a dream"
a) Mr. Sandman
b) Earth Angel
c) Dream Lover

6. For which label did Elvis Presley first record?
a) Chancellor
b) RCA
c) Sun

7. He asked, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me? " Who was he?
a) Bad Bad Leroy Brown
b) Charlie Brown
c) Buster Brown

8. Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife", the one with the knife, was named:
a) MacHeath
b) MacCloud
c) MacNamara

9. Name the song with "A-wop bop a-loo bop a-lop bam boom"?
a) Good Golly Miss Molly
b) Be-Bop-A-Lula
c) Tutti Fruitti

10. Who is generally given credit for the term "Rock And Roll"?
a) Dick Clark
b) Wolfman Jack
c) Alan Freed

11. In 1957, he left the music business to become a preacher.
a) Little Richard
b) Frankie Lymon
c) Tony Orlando

12. Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" is written to what star?
a) Brenda Lee
b) Connie Francis
c) Annette Funicello

13. The Everly Brothers are...
a) Pete and Dick
b) Don and Phil
c) Bob and Bill

14. The Big Bopper's real name was:
a) Jiles P. Richardson
b) Roy Harold Scherer Jr.
c) Marion Michael Morrison

15. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. started a small record company called...
a) Decca
b) Cameo
c) Motown

16. Edd Brynes had a hit with "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb. "What TV show was he on?
a) 77 Sunset Strip
b) Hawaiian Eye
c) Surfside Six

17. In 1960 Bobby Darin married:
a) Carol Lynley
b) Sandra Dee
c) Natalie Wood

18. They were a one hit wonder with "Book Of Love."
a) The Penguins
b) The Monotones
c) The Moonglows

There was just a press conference concerning Chris Benoit's death.

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son. Steroid abuse has been linked to depression, paranoia, and aggressive behavior or angry outbursts known as "roid rage."

Evidently, from what they've been able to piece together so far, Benoit bound and strangled his wife on Friday (leaving a Bible by her body at some point), then he called in to WWE, saying that his son was throwing up blood and he wouldn't be at his events over the weekend. He then smothered his son on Saturday (leaving a Bible by his body, as well). Benoit then hung himself in the weight room at some point Saturday or Sunday. He didn't leave a note, but he did send "strange text messages" prior to his death.

Experts are pointing to "roid rage," which is probably a no-brainer. He had a prescription for anabolic steroids, and they were found in the house. Drug use among pro-wrestlers has been cited as one major factor in the 60+ deaths of wrestlers under the age of 45 in the past 10 years. According to some wrestlers' accounts, well over 80% of wrestlers are hard core users of multiple drugs (coke, roids, pain pills, alcohol, etc.), and, at their peak, many wrestlers go into the ring jacked up on a regular basis.

But, we all know that. And we know that it's not just a WWE thing. We know that a lot of NFL players wouldn't be as big as they are without some pharmaceutical assistance, and that the MLB players with the really thick necks didn't get that way just in the weight room. Track stars go a little bit faster, and golfers aren't even immune. But we want our athletes to excel... no matter the cost. And teenage athletes are taking their cues from their heroes, all evidence of their eventual demise be damned.

Better living through chemistry? Sure... right up until the point you die.

There are some weird stories out there today.

General:

• A small boy about six-years-old claims that the Taliban tried to recruit him. And everyone (except the Taliban spokescritter) believes him.
  
• German schools are teaching school kids gay pick-up-lines. Lovely.
  
• Prince Charles is going carbon neutral. (Wonder if that flight on BA counts?)
• The celebuscank is out of jail (again.) Will she please just GO AWAY???
• Parental stupidity could have cost a toddler her life at Disney.
  
• Nah... the surge isn't working... not at all...
  
• More problems with Chinese imports.
  
• Chavez is warning of war with America. Well... if that's what he wants, shouldn't we oblige him?
  
• Texas Baptists are embracing immigrants (no matter their legal status). You know... I don't have a problem with them creating ministries to help legal immigrants. Illegal? Not so much.
  
• The University of Nevada is trying to allow faculty and staff to carry guns. Good plan.
  

Politics:

• A Hindu prayer will open a Senate session in July. While I don't think that's quite what The Founders had in mind, if you're going to let everyone do it, then you need to let everyone do it.
  
• Liberal radio claims it's being held to a different standard. (ratings is a "different standard"???)
• President Bush slipped and said the truth- he called the immigration bill "Amnesty."
• RINO Lugar thinks we need a change in Iraq. I think we need a change in the Senate, but no one listens to me.
  
• Alberto Gonzales gets the Sitting Duck Award. Go figure.
  
• Here's one problem with translating ballots into foreign language- "Mitt Romney" becomes "Sticky Rice."
  
• Now the NY Times says Vice President Cheney is "bordering on lunacy." Crazy like a fox, maybe.
  
• Dems are gunning for Fred! Makes sense to me.
  

Sports:

• Pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, and son were found dead in their home yesterday. The police are treating it as a murder/suicide.
  
• ESPN has a list of the 101 sports events you should experience before you die.
  
• Bonds changes his tune about giving stuff to the Hall of Fame. (I don't want him to get seriously injured or anything like that. I'm just hoping that he pulls a hammy or something before he breaks the record. Permanently pulls a hammy. Or something. But I'm not bitter.)
  
• When your golf ball goes into a pond in Florida, leave it. It's just safer that way.
  

Science:

• Canadian EMTs now have a heavy duty ambulance to transport obese patients. Another sign of the most preventable epidemic on earth.
  
• I can't help but think that this guy is going to end up as kibble at some point.
  

Weird:

• Normally, disputes concerning Yahtzee games don't end in bloodshed.
  
• I'm not a big fan of his politics, but Belzer's books might be good.
  
• In what can only be called delicious irony, an Israeli actor has been tapped to play Saddam Hussein in an upcoming movie.
  
• A professional eater's career may be cut short due to arthritis of the jaw. Poor guy.
  

Imagine, if you will, that you're a dad on a camping trip with your three sons. A 300-pound black bear wanders into your campsite, looking for a snack. After trying to abscond with your cooler (and having your six-year-old throw a shovel at it), the bear turns and contemplates munching on said six-year-old. What do you do?

If you're Chris Everhart, you throw a log at it... and kill it.

The bear then dropped the cooler and started coming at the boy, said his father. Fearing what might happen next, Everhart, an ex-Marine, grabbed the closest thing he could find — a log from their stash of firewood.

"(I) threw it at it and it happened to hit the bear in the head," Everhart said. "I thought it just knocked it out but it actually ended up killing the bear."

But, of course, in the world of "no good deed goes unpunished," he was given a ticket for "failing to secure the campsite."

Hooah. That's all there is to say. He killed a bear with a log. Dang. Just dang.

In our never ending effort to make Islamofascists look like morons (as if that's difficult), we, the Ladies of the Cotillion (in cooperation with National Banana) present Sands of Passion (a cross between Days of Our Lives and an al Qaeda training film).

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5

And here's Episode 6:

National Banana has episodes 7 & 8 on their site. They're gonna win an Emmy for this riveting drama.

Evidently, the Danes have a tradition of burning old evil away before a harvest can be brought in. In the past, they have burned a witch (or a witch in effigy when it became... impolitic to barbeque the real thing. This year, they've altered their tradition just a bit. This year, they're burning Mo.

Yes, the intro is in Danish. A rough translation is here. Perhaps Misha can fill in the blanks? (h/t to LGF)

One of the flag raisers from Iwo Jima (the first time the flag went up) has passed away.

RICHFIELD, Minn. - Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.

Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funeral Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg's funeral.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island.

Semper Fi, Corporal Lindberg.

You know, when I saw this moron's mug shot on Drudge, I really thought it was a joke. I mean, it looks like some skin head wannabe doodled on it instead of paying attention in trig, ya know? But, alas, no... he actually paid someone to make him look like this:

As The Smoking Gun pointed out, he "should be fairly easy to spot, considering his piercing blue eyes and that fetching soul patch." Yes, he was captured after his last escape. Go figure.

The boys have put their first item on their Christmas wish lists- The Supacat.

Let's see- Cummins 5.9-litre turbo-diesel engine... top speed 80mph... grenade machine gun which fires at up to 340 rounds per minute... 7.62mm-calibre General Purpose Machine Gun, which fires 750 rounds per minute with a range of nearly a mile... mounted 0.5in-calibre heavy machine gun, which fires huge rounds more than a mile at a rate of 485 to 635 a minute.

Imagine the boys taking this beast to the DMV for their driver's test.

OK... so not all of it. Just the interesting parts.

General:

• Jesse Jackson was arrested for trespassing, this time at a gun shop.
• Speaking of guns, one of the founders of "No Guns" had a side profession- dealing guns under the table.
  
• The dry cleaners win!
• Oklahoma is going to execute a terminally ill man. You know... I don't have a problem with that. Heartless, I know.
  
• SCOTUS upheld a school's right to censor speech that condones drug use. They also upheld President Bush's faith-based initiatives.
• Speaking of school censorship- here's another case. And another reason homeschooling is such a good idea.
  
• A federal court has told unions that they can't pick and choose which religions can opt out of paying union dues.
  
• Alan Johnston was videoed walking the catwalk in the latest in Islamic fashion. (Oh, wait... you mean that's not just a fashion statement? You mean those people really are maniacal monsters who will blow him up if anyone tries to rescue him? my bad.)
• Speaking of monsters, Hamas released a video of Gilad Shalit, one year after his capture. Animals.
• It's snowing... in DC... in June.
  
• Maoist ditz Cameran Diaz has apologized for upsetting the people of Peru.
• The tax dodgers are still at it. (The IRS refutes their arguments here.)
  

Immigration:

• As if immigration reform on its own isn't bad enough, now we have Teddy Kennedy breaking into song... in Spanish.
  
• House conservatives are willing to dis the President on other policy matters in order to get the point across about immigration. I like these people.
  
• An ex-Southern-California City Councilwoman might get deported. (No, she didn't do it on purpose- she was just stupid and didn't follow up. Did she not realize that, if she was a naturalized citizen, she would have gone through the ceremony and everything???)
  

Politics:

• SCOTUS began chipping away at McCain-Feingold.
  
• John Murtha is the "Culture of Corruption" poster boy.
• Feinstein is seriously looking at bringing back the Fairness Doctrine. (Hey, Diane- life ain't fair.)
• Rudy is avoiding the whole "being denied Communion" fiasco by not even trying. Seems kind of cowardly to me.
  

Fred!:

• Looks like he's going to announce next week.
• He's leading the GOP right now.
  
• His secret weapon? Ex-girlfriends. Seriously.
• blogger-in-chief? They say that like it's a bad thing.
  

Science:

• So, in this case, Global warmth is a good thing?
• When they say "giant penguins may have lived in Peru", they mean GIANT penguins.
  
• Tidbit the shark passed away- and gave scientists a bit of a surprise.
  

Sports:

• Federer is unstoppable.
  
• Rod Beck was found dead in his home. He was 38.
• Twins' Morneau will probably leave the hospital today, but the team is being cautious where he's concerned. (He just coughed up a little blood... what's the big deal? Bruised lung. OUCH.)
• Chipper Jones and John Smoltz have kissed and made up. (Bobby Cox isn't paid enough.)
• A minor league baseball fan's casket was taken around the bases during a memorial service at the stadium.
  
• Tank got tanked.
  

Global Nuttiness:

• The British military needs to take global warming into accounts in its planning. (Do they mean stocking up on sun screen?)
• Blame it on the worms!
• But the Goracle blames scientists. (Is there anyone he hasn't blamed?)
• Wasn't this supposed to be another global warming-induced high hurricane year?
  

Oddities:

• In 1957, a Plymouth Belvedere was buried with a time capsule, and the town had a raffle. The winner of the raffle would win the car in 2007. It was unearthed recently, but the winner won't be driving away with the car- he passed away in 1988.
• Germany won't let Tom Cruise film in their country- because he's a Scientologist. (While I agree with them that it's not so much a religion as a money-making scheme, I can't quite wrap my brain around not letting him film a historical film there as long as the script is accurate. But, then again, I'm quite American in my mindset.)
• Rosie's not going to host "The Price Is Right." I'm trying to be upset about that, but I'm just not feeling it.
  

My mom sent this to me. This guy is amazing. Watch it all the way through. You'll be impressed.

... is evidently $60.

I just received a postcard in the mail from the president of Althoff Catholic High School's Class of '87. Looks like our mumble year reunion is coming up next month. It's going to be at a golf club that didn't even exist when we graduated, and for music, food, beer and soda, it's going to cost us $60 a piece. I just took a look at the club's restaurant menu. If it's going to cost $60, that means a lot of beer. Well, one would hope, anyway.

Do I even want to go? I mean, sure, it would be cool to see some of the people I hung out with in high school. I've kept in touch with a couple of people, but not all that many.

But, I also remember our last reunion. It was... um... the pits. They held in the high school cafeteria. (Some of you might have had a cool cafeteria- we didn't.) The food was... predictable (some baked chicken dish and soggy veggies, IIRC). I remember there was music (I think it was a DJ). No one could talk because of the music. Do I want to do that again?

I dunno. There's a lot of stuff going on right now. I'll have to think about it.

But... $60? Yikes.

... with almost every member of the House of Representatives. Then, of course, you have the Clown to the Left of me (Dennis Kucinich) and the Joker to the Right (Ron Paul). What were they voting for? Roll Call 513:

Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel

Oh, yeah, that's one to take a stand on. Uh-huh. In Ron Paul's "defense", he routinely votes against any and almost all resolutions because they're not resolutions and, in his mind, are a waste of time. (Well, at least he's consistent, right?) Dennis "My Tinfoil Hat Is Too Tight" Kucinich's excuse? "Ahmadinejad was misquoted." (I can't find a direct quote.)

In case you've been in a cave for the last few months, Paul and Kucinich are both running for President. Kucinich is courting the whacko left fringe, and Paul claims to be a conservative, but is more Libertarian (and not in a good way) ***. Makes me really hope Fred! gets in the race officially or Duncan Hunter gains a lot of popularity. Please.

The eleven people who voted "present" and the eight who didn't vote at all probably won't get any press. If they're your reps, you might want to ask them what they were thinking. (Well, Conyers was one of them, so we know that he wasn't thinking. But ask the rest of them.)

*** I had originally stated in the post that Ron Paul wasn't invited to the GOP debates. Cornelius points out in the comments that Ron Paul has been at the GOP debates. I remember hearing that a lot of insiders wanted him booted from the debates because he is a Libertarian in Republican clothes. For some reason, I thought he had been uninvited. I was wrong, and I removed that statement.

Here's the news you might have missed:
General:

• Two girls got kicked off a bus for kissing. They should have received a kick in the pants from their parents, but that's not going to happen. The mother of one of the girls didn't seem upset at all to find out that her FOURTEEN year old daughter was locking lips with another girl. (Oh, yeah... and the bus company apologized. How nice of them.)
• The Polish PM has made waves... by telling the truth.
• Bob's not as excited about Rosie on "The Price is Right" as was originally reported.
• Planned Parenthood responsible for yet another patient death in California. With no repercussions, I'm sure.
  
• A hacker claims that he know how the final Harry Potter book ends, and he posted the ending for religious reasons.
  

Politics:

• Congress gets a 3% approval on immigration. Which is no surprise, since they have an overall approval rating of 14% (the lowest since 1973). Will they pay attention to this? Nah... they'll say that their approval rating is so low because they're not getting "immigration reform" passed. uh... no- it's because you're not protecting our borders and enforcing the laws already on the books. But that's just me...
  
• President Bush has finally decided to pick up the veto pen for something other than stem cell research (which is important- don't get me wrong). The budget is worth vetoing for? It's about time.
  
• In our "and the sky is blue" news flash, journalists give money to Democrat candidates at a 9-to-1 rate. Who knew?
• John Edwards doesn't even have his daughter's "vote." (Scroll to the last paragraph.) Oops.
• Fred! looks like he's about ready to make it official.
  

Sports:

• Sammy "Never My Favorite Player" Sosa hit his 600th career home run. Of course he came back to hit #600. And of course he probably used some form of performance enhancing substance. But he's in the record books, and that's all that counts, right?
• Pacman is facing 2 felony charges. That's for the February shooting, not the one earlier this week. He's just a "witness" in this week's fiasco.
  
• NASCAR will have the Winston Nextel Sprint Cup Series next year. (aw, come on- I was just getting used to the series not being named after cigarettes. Add that to the uncertainty of Junior's sponsors for next year, and y'all are just trying to confuse us NASCAR fans, aren't you?)
• I didn't even know golf had a drug problem. Alcohol? Sure. Steroids? Not so much.
  

Science:

• The AMA is going to vote on whether or not internet/video game addiction is a medical condition. It should be easy to prove- pull the plug and see if they go into physical withdrawals. (Temper tantrums don't count.)
• Beware of the biting dolphins! (duh- just ask T1- he got bit at SeaWorld.)
• Not busy for the next 100-520 days? Need a steady income, busy schedule, and the paradox of isolation and lack of privacy? Sign up now for the Mars mission simulation.
  

Environment:

• Vaclav Klaus (President of the Czech Republic) has some logical thoughts on global warming. And he answers questions, too!
• As you get ready for global warming, don't throw away your mittens. You just might need them.
  

Weird:

• A lawyer is handling cases for people who say they were abused by aliens. No, not Mexicans. The green, big-eyed aliens.
  
• Boston bars may start serving cocktails in sippy cups. Sure, it might sound like a good idea, but it's quite nanny-state, don't you think? The bar staff might like it, though- easier to clean up after closing.
  
• Suicide squirrels torment homeowner. (And I thought the squirrels crawling into the transformers near our house when I was growing up was bad.)
• Stan Lee, on the heels of his cameo in the latest Fantastic 4 movie, is now an action figure.
  
• Stupid crooks tried to sell Herman Munster's credit card information.
  
• Man kills rabid bobcat- with his bare hands.
  

I'm not very good at apologetics. I know that defending my faith is a Biblical mandate, and I know the basics. I'm just not good at arguing. I stink at it. But, when I read stories like this, I feel the need to take a stab at it.

A veteran Episcopal priest says she became a Muslim just over a year ago and now worships at a mosque Fridays – but that hasn't stopped her from donning her white collar Sunday mornings.

"I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both," Rev. Ann Holmes Redding told the Seattle Times.

No, ma'am, you're not. You can't be. As was referenced in the article, the two religions have very different views. She claims that she doesn't need to reconcile every belief of both religions, but she is very wrong. How can you believe two opposing viewpoints at the same time? Either Jesus is God or not. You either follow the god of the moon or YHWH (two very different deities). Which sacred text do you believe (they say very different things about almost everything)? Does your salvation lie in Jesus' death and resurrection for your sins or in adherence to the Six Articles of Faith? Do you pray for your enemies or strike them down? (Those are just the ones that came to mind quickly- there are plenty more.)

How does she deal with the disparities? Well, in honesty, she doesn't really have to, because she doesn't believe the same as most Christians (well, the ones that haven't fallen off the liberal end of the spectrum, that is).

She has never believed in the Christian doctrine of original sin, and for years she struggled with the nature of Jesus' divinity, the Times said, concluding Jesus is the son of God insofar as all humans are the children of God, and that Jesus is divine, just as all humans are divine — because God dwells in all humans.

Wow. Where do I start? Well, her view on original sin is quite Islamic, for starters. As for Jesus' divinity (or lack thereof), that's quite Islamic, as well (as opposed to what the Bible says.) Her view that God dwells in all humans is neither Christian nor Islamic (New Age, if anything).

Rev. Redding's bishop knows about this and approves. He thinks "interfaith possibilities are exciting." No, Rt. Rev. Warner, they're not exciting. They're blasphemous. Read the 10 Commandments some time. (They do still teach that in seminary, don't they?) Actually, just read the first one.

One the other hand, the president of the Islamic Center of Washington actually has a clue about this.

Being both Muslim and Christian — "I don't know how that works," he told the Times.

It doesn't work. That's the point.

Rev. Redding needs to face the facts. She can call herself a Christian and a Muslim all she wants, but she's not. In spite of what she thinks she understands about the religions, they are not compatible. They are contradictory at best, violently opposed at worst.

She can call a dog a cat, but that doesn't mean it will suddenly use the litter box. She can call a skunk a rose, but it won't smell any better. And she can call herself a Christian all she wants, but that doesn't mean she's saved.

(No, I'm not going to get into the debate of whether or not Episcopalians are actually Christians or not. She's claiming to be a Christian, and that's what I'm going with. Generic Christianity v. generic Islam.)

Here are some tidbits I found. Enjoy.

General:

• Syria misses Mother Sheehan. That tells me all I need to know.
  
• Today is Juneteenth.
  
• Suicide teams have graduated from training and are on their way out into the world. I'd say, "their moms must be proud," but I'm sure they actually are.
  
• Peace-loving immigrants who just want a better life in the US are setting fires to distract border patrol. Lovely.
  
• The Chinese are paving the way (literally) up to Everest's base camp. Nice for the Olympic torch runners, but kind of sad, too. I mean, if I can drive to base camp, it's not as... mysterious as it used to be.
  
• I'm still not sure how I feel about the national ID card, but these 6 states who don't want to implement the law are just stupid. "It costs too much". Every single legal driver in the US will have to get a new driver's license between now and 2013. Just change it over as the old licenses expire.
  
• In Seattle, the city officials are going to provide housing for the town's indigent drunks. How nice of them.
  
• And in New York, the poor might get paid for going to the doctor or having a job. (Mayor Bloomberg- if it works so well in Mexico, why are they all coming here? Just curious.)
  
• The BBC is "casually anti-American." And the sky is blue. The grass is green.
  
• A town in Massachusetts has its own currency. How quaint. Some of their "heroes" are... telling, I suppose.
  
• Israel doesn't have any reason to be worried about Russia selling fighter planes to Syria... do they? I mean, it's not like Syria wants Israel completely wiped off the map or anything.
• Christians living in Gaza have a fun choice... accept Islamic law or leave (well, dying might also be an option).
  
• Chinese companies have made all 24 of the toys on the recall list this year. But there's nothing to worry about. Not a thing.
  
• Judge says that Nifong should clean out his desk... right now.
  
• great Britain knighted Salman Rushdie, and the Muslim world has its turbans in a wad... again. More dead threats, the Queen burned in efifgy- the whole 9 yards.
• Larry Seidlin, the ANS judge who started crying on the bench, is resigning "to spend more time with his family." Or maybe to spend more time on tv. Who knows?
  
• For some reason, I don't think Dave Thomas would have liked it if they sell Wendy's. But I could be wrong.
  
• Guinness may close its Dublin brewery. Come on, guys! You have a 9,000 year lease. Just upgrade what you have there. Geez.
  

Politics:

• Liberals celebrate the decline of conservatism. They're not big fans of honest debate, but they're more than willing to try to embarrass a few conservatives on the way.
  
• Obama blames his campaign and yet takes responsibility for the "Clinton, D-Punjab" memo. (Supposedly, that's a joke Hillary's told herself, but I can't find a link for it.)
  
• Hillary outsources for her theme song. Celine sings the songs that Americans won't sing (because it's a bad song).
  
• The Nuge rants (rightly) about Paul McCartney firing some people on his tour because (GASP!!!) they had the audacity to sneak in some burgers (of the bovine variety, not the tofu kind).
  
• Fred! is on top of the GOP heap right now. Sweet!
• Bill Richards thinks we should leave NO troops in Iraq. Bill Richards doesn't understand how this whole "war" thing works, does he?
  
• Janet Folger has a great idea- tear down the fence (around the White House). Well, it makes sense.
  
• If Bush aides really did "illegally lose" e-mails, then that's a big problem. One that Dems have a history with themselves. (Although, if those missing e-mails were political, then they did nothing wrong. Hatch Act and all that.)
  

Brave New Schools:

• A middle school in Virginia has banned all physical contact. Hugs? Nope. High Fives? Not a chance. Stupidity? You bet.
  

Sports:

• The University of Indiana lost their football coach today.
• Giambi will talk to the Mitchell investigation, which might lead (in a back door way- think Al Capone) to a way for the commish to get at Barry Bonds. A girl can dream, right?
• Tiger has a cub. (Since Sam's a girl, would she be a "cubbette"?)
• It doesn't pay to fight in MLB.
  
• Pacman really needs to stay away from strip clubs. For his own well-being.
  
• And football players need to stay away from motorcycles.
  
• Wilson makes sure that the Bengals' reputation is intact. How nice of him.
  
• The NFL is having a "concussion conference." I'm sure that's... heady conversation. (I'm sorry. I couldn't help it.)
  

Science:

• Giant pandas were once pygmies. That's cool.
• The US snip rate has dropped. No idea what that means for the world, but... make of it what you will. (The lady mentioned in the article is an idiot. A bris without the circumcision? That's not a bris- that's a "I have a baby- bring us presents" party.)
• The world will end in 2060. Well, that's what Isaac Newton said.
  
• A six-year old was treated for anorexia in the UK. All he would eat was cheese spread. He's fifteen now, and he still eats a lot of cheese spread. Odd.
• A study shows that eating candy cigarettes lead to smoking. Observation of this study shows that researchers are on crack. I loved candy cigarettes when I was little. No, I don't smoke.
  

Environmental nuttiness:

• How not to measure data used in global warming models.
• "We're all gonna die!!!" or something like that.
• "Save the planet! Stop Shopping!" Good luck with that.
  
• Evan Almighty combines religion and environmentalism- and conservative politicians are the bad guys... again.
  

Oddities:

• A teenager in ICU recovering from a car accident pulled the plug on his roomie because the life support machines were too loud. Ouch.
  
• Evidently, he wasn't as dead as they thought.
• Sure. If you have a gambling problem, just blame the casino. No problem.
  
• I'd expect to hear about goat-slaughter in restaurants in the Middle East or something like that. Not in North Carolina.
  
• The Vatican issues the 10 Commandments of Driving.
  

Bald eagles will be taken off the endangered species list.

Later this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to announce that the bald eagle, the nation's symbol and one of the first species placed on the U.S. endangered species list in 1973, will be dropped completely from the federal list. It was downgraded from endangered to threatened in 1995.

Woohoo!

Here are some of the headlines you might have missed in the past couple of days:
Today in history:

• Today is the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta (1215). Don't know what that is? Look here.
  
• George Washington was named head of the Continental Army (1775).
  
• The first fatal avaition accident occured (1785).
  

General:

• Police officers in White Plains, NY, can't inquire about a person's immigration status because, well... that would be discriminatory. (I'm getting sick of law enforcement officers being prohibited from enforcing the law.)
• A young man stupidly prosecuted for a "crime" that wasn't really a crime was ordered released by a judge. Finally. Unfortunately, the DA doesn't think it was a stupid prosecution, and he's appealed the decision, so the young man stays in jail.
  
• Fred! has some big guns sign on to his campaign.
  
• Speaking of Fred!, he's gaining in the polls.
  
• The Goracle used to think that Iraq harbored terrorists.
  
• If the fact that a middle school thinks a field trip to Planned Parenthood is a good idea isn't bad enough, how about the fact that it was part of a field trip to visit social services offices? Yeah, raising a generation of dependent people is always a great idea.
• Speaking of Planned Parenthood, they had a record profit last year- in spite of the fact that donations were down. How? The US taxpayer, of course.
  
• I'm all in favor of Guardsmen making some extra money, but I think these guys got it wrong.
• Kilimanjaro's snowcap is shrinking, but not from global warming. Sorry, Al.
  
• The Governator gets one right.
  
• The Supreme Court backs the First Amendment for a change.
  
• Hilary has a Drudge-looking website to spread her propaganda now. How... cute.
  
• Speaking of Hilary, the Missionaries of Charity weren't very happy with Hilary using Mother Teresa's image in an ad.
  
• The Russians say the Russian computers on ISS might have a fatal flaw and may need to be replaced. But it's the Americans fault, of course.
  
• Nifong said he might have gotten "carried away." No... really?
  
• "No girlfriend for 3 years" is an odd court ruling.
  
• I'm supposed to be upset that Sicko was pirated, right? I mean, that is illegal. For some reason, I'm just not feeling the outrage. Sorry.
  
• John "FreeFall" McCain's campaign has bought the "mittvsfact" domain name to "brand Romney. How mature of them. As Romney's campaign said- "Desperate candidates do very desperate things."
• A scramjet was successfully tested at up to Mach 10. very cool.
  
• Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, has passed away. She was 87.
  

Sports:

• I'm not much of a basketball fan at any level, and even I know about the women's basketball rivalry between Tennessee and UConn. And now it is no more.
• The Spurs swept the series. Yippee. No more NBA for a couple of months. Woohoo!
• The good news is that Daunte Culpepper is fine. The bad news is that his '75 Caprice Classic convertible can't say the same thing.
  
• This is an interesting brain study on dead NFL players. What it means, I'm not sure.
  
• Ivan Basso gets a 2 year vacation from the Italian cycling federation.
  
• Dale Junior has signed with Hendrick Motorsports. What will that mean for his Bud and Wrangler deals?
  

Weird:

• It's time to look into AA if you're involved in a bar fight, leave the pub, and walk down the street before you realize part of a finger is missing.
• Do you really want to see partially nekkid seasoned citizens in a calendar?
• A squirrel went bonkers and attacked three people.
  
• hmmm... "embracing while driving"... I've never heard of that one before.
  
• (not weird, but cool) A 76-year old golfer saved a drowning dog and then finished her round of golf.
  
• ok... I know what the yellow line on the road means... and the solid white line... and the broken white line... even the double white line... but what about the wide orange line?
  
• Antibacterial sprays and wipes may be doing more harm than good. Oh, joy.
  

Those should keep you busy for a while.

Yesterday, we had a chance to go to SeaWorld, San Antonio. If you've been to either of the other SeaWorld parks, it's some, but not all, of the same. You still get to see the shows, and you can still feed the dolphins and sea lions. There are 3 water rides and 2 roller coasters in the main park area, and there is a separate water park area. If you want to spend the money, they also have sea lion and beluga encounters (where you can get up close and personal with some marine mammals). And, since it's an Anheuser- Busch park, there are always the Clydesdales and the hospitality house (more on that later).

First, the good stuff. The shows are great (I loved Viva!, and the boys like Sea Lions Tonight). The animals are as playful as ever. Food at the park is good (but pricey, of course). Lines didn't seem terribly wrong. The park is small enough that you don't knock yourself out trying to get from one end to the other. At the hospitality house, adults may responsibly consume samples of AB products, and, if you want to kick back for a half hour or so, you can sample 4 AB products plus learn food pairings and tips at the Brewmasters Club (which is free, and includes a tasting tray of cheese, crackers, fruit, and chocolate).

Now, the not so good (but not really bad) stuff. If you've been to SeaWorld Orlando, you'll notice a few things missing. There is (understandably) no huge manatee habitat. There is also no sting ray feeding area. You can still feed the dolphins and sea lions, but no sting rays. Of course, the food prices are... steep. $2.50 or so for a bottle of soda you get (overpriced) at a convenience store for $1.25. Water costs about the same (but there are plenty of water fountains with cool water all over the park). If you're going for rides (does anyone actually go to SeaWorld for the rides?), you'll be sorry- the roller coasters are cool, and looked like a long ride, but there are only 5 rides in the park (not including the baby coaster in Shamu's Happy Harbor).

Would I recommend Sea World San Antonio as a place to visit? Sure, if you're going to be in or near San Antonio anyway and have a free day. You should be able to see most everything you want to see in one day (unless you want to hang out at the water park for part of the day, and then you'll probably need two days). Would I go back? Probably- we missed a show or two, and the boys wanted to check out the water park.

All in all, it was a good day. We had fun. And that's what we set out to do.

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Malinda


69-year-old Bert Brady has never stepped foot in Iraq or Afghanistan, yet many soldiers who have know who he is and appreciate what he's done for them. You see, for the past year Mr. Brady has made a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport nearly every morning to welcome home returning American troops. Bert Brady, along with fellow veterans, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program. They make sure that every soldier who steps off a plane in Dallas gets a special homecoming.

Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.

"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."

To read more about Bert Brady, you can go to ABCnews.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

No, Sgt. Pepper wasn't giving music lessons. President Ronald Reagan gave his famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate. You remember that, right? The one with the infamous (and State Department rejected) "Tear down that wall!"

How was the world changed since Reagan's visit to Berlin? Let's see. The Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union is gone. The entire Eastern Bloc is no more. Communism, for all intents and purposes, has been proven as a completely flawed theory. All in no little thanks to President Reagan.

Go, read his speech. Think about how far we've come. And how far we've yet to go.

(h/t to Fausta)

Soldiers' Angels doesn't get much in the way of donations during the summer. So, from now until the 4th of July, there will be a donation button in my sidebar. If you can help out, please do. It's for a good cause.

I don't believe in coincidences, but... these might be.

Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."


Oregon's Columbian newspaper announced the winning Pick 4 lottery numbers for June 28, 2000 in advance. The newspaper had intended to print the previous set of winning numbers but erroneously printed those for the state of Virginia, namely 6-8-5-5. In the next Oregon lottery, those same numbers were drawn.


In 1979, the German magazine - Das Besteran - ran a writing competition. Readers sent in unusual stories, but they had to be based on true incidents. The winner, Walter Kellner of Munich, had his story published . He wrote about a time when he was flying a Cessna 421 between Sardinia and Sicily. He encountered engine trouble at sea, landed in the water, spent some time in an emergency dinghy and was then rescued. This story was spotted by an Austrian, also named Walter Kellner, who said that the German Kellner had plagiarized the story. The Austrian Kellner said that he had flown a Cessna 421 over the same sea, experienced engine trouble and was forced to land in Sardinia. It was essentially the same story, with a slightly different ending. The magazine checked both stories, and both turned out to be true, even though they were nearly identical.


Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility had many parallels with the RMS Titanic disaster; the book concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which (like the Titanic) eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York, with many dying because of the lack of lifeboats. Various other details in the book coincide with the Titanic disaster. Later, she wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried "sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii.

Death calls twice:

On July 28th 1900, the King of Italy Umberto I was having dinner in a restaurant in the city of Monza. It turned out later that the restaurant's owner looked identical to the king. The restaurant owner's name was Umberto, his wife's name was the same as the queen's and the restaurant was opened on the same date as the king's inauguration. The Restaurant-owner Umberto was shot dead the next day. So was King Umberto.


Claude Volbonne killed Baron Rodemire de Tarazone of France in 1872. 21 years earlier, the Baron's father had been murdered by somebody else called Claude Volbonne.


On February 13, 1746, a Frenchman, Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed for the murder of his father. Precisely 100 years later, on February 13, 1846, another Frenchman, also named Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed - for the murder of his father.


On the 26th November, 1911, three men were hanged at Greenberry Hill in London after being convicted of the murder of Sir Edmund Berry. Their names were Green, Berry and Hill.


Just in Time:


The British actor Anthony Hopkins [who shot to fame as Hannibal Lecter] was delighted to hear that he had landed a leading role in a film based on the book The Girl From Petrovka by George Feifer. A few days after signing the contract, Hopkins travelled to London to buy a copy of the book. He tried several bookshops, but there wasn't one to be had. Waiting at Leicester Square underground for his train home, he noticed a book apparently discarded on a bench. Incredibly, it was The Girl From Petrovka. That in itself would have been coincidence enough but in fact it was merely the beginning of an extraordinary chain of events. Two years later, in the middle of filming in Vienna, Hopkins was visited by George Feifer, the author. Feifer mentioned that he did not have a copy of his own book. He had lent the last one - containing his own annotations - to a friend who had lost it somewhere in London. With mounting astonishment, Hopkins handed Feifer the book he had found. 'Is this the one?' he asked, 'with the notes scribbled in the margins?' It was the same book.


As the inhabitants of Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, were watching a scene in the film Around the World in 80 Days, where a hot air balloon was about to take off, their TV sets went off due to a power cut. Nearby, power lines had been damaged. A hot air balloon had crashed into them.


Hernán Cortés' arrival in Mexico in 1519 coincided with the year in the Mayan Calendar when it was predicted that the pale-faced man-god Quetzalcoatl would return to reclaim the city of Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs therefore assumed Cortés to be the legendary man-god, which assisted him in capturing the city and thence Mexico.


Lightning strikes back:


A British officer, Major Summerford, while fighting in the fields of Flanders in February 1918 was knocked off his horse by a flash of lightning and paralyzed from the waist down. Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver. One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river, lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and paralyzed his right side. Two years later Summerford was sufficiently recovered that he was able to take walks in a local park. He was walking there one summer day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two years later. But lightning sought him out one last time. Four years later, during a storm, lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major Summerford.


In 1899 a bolt of lightning killed a man as he stood in his backyard in Taranto, Italy.
Thirty years later his son was killed in the same way and in the same place.
On October 8, 1949, Rolla Primarda, the grandson of the first victim and the son of the second, became the third.


D-Day: The Normandy invasion:


The date of the invasion June 6,1944 {6644} reflects the first great invasion associated with Normandy in 1066

In the first Invasion in 1066 Roger de Montgomery commanded portions of William the Conquerors Forces.

In the second Invasion 1944 Bernard Montgomery commanded portions of Eisenhower's Forces.

German General Rommel -Montgomery's adversary in an earlier Campaign in N. Africa Commits suicide on October 14, 1944 {101444}

The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14 {101466}

Eisenhower's Birthday was October 14 {101490}

The first Norman invasion initiated the first major immigration of Jews into Britain.

The second Norman invasion initiated the chain of events that returned the Jews to Israel


A. Lincoln and J.F. Kennedy

Life

Both presidents had 7 letters in their last name.

Both were over 6' feet tall.

Both men studied law.

Both seemed to have lazy eye muscles, which would sometimes cause one to deviate.

Both suffered from genetic diseases. It is suspected that Lincoln had Marfan's disease, and Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease.

Both served in the military. Lincoln was a scout captain in the Black Hawk War, and Kennedy served as a navy lieutenant in World War II.

Both were boat captains. Lincoln was a skipper for the Talisman, a Mississippi River boat, and Kennedy was skipper of the PT 109.

Both had no fear of their mortality and disdained bodyguards.

Both often stated how easy it would be to shoot the president. Lincoln supposedly said, "If somebody wants to take my life, there is nothing I can do to prevent it." Kennedy supposedly said "If somebody wants to shoot me from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop it." Note that both these quotes are each 16 words long.

Death

Both presidents were shot in the head, on a Friday.

Both were seated beside their wives when shot. Neither Mrs. Lincoln nor Mrs. Kennedy was injured. Both wives held the bullet-torn heads of their husbands.

In each case, the man was injured but not fatally. Major Henry Rathbone was slashed by a knife, and Governor John Connolly was shot.

Lincoln sat in Box 7 at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy rode in car 7 in the Dallas motorcade.

Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Ford product, a Lincoln limousine.

Mrs. Kennedy insisted that her husband's funeral mirror Lincoln's as closely as possible.

The Assassins

Both assassins used three names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. (It should be noted that Lee Harvey Oswald was known as just Lee Oswald prior to the assassination.)

There are 15 letters in each assassin's name.

Both assassins struck when in their mid-twenties. Booth was born in 1838, and Oswald was born in 1939.

Each assassin lacked a strong father figure in his life. Booth's father died when he was 13 years old, and
Oswald's father died before he was born.

Each assassin had two brothers whose careers he coveted. Booth's two brothers were more successful actors and Oswald envied his brothers' military lives.

Both assassins were privates in the military. Booth was a private in the Virginia Militia, and Oswald was a private in the Marine Corps.

Both assassins were born in the south.

Both assassins were known sympathizers to enemies of the United States. Booth supported the Confederacy and Oswald was a Marxist.

Both assassins often used aliases. Booth frequently used "J. Wilkes" and Oswald used the name "Alek J. Hidell."

Booth shot Lincoln at a theatre and was cornered in a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was cornered in a theatre.

Each assassin was detained by an officer named Baker. Lt. Luther B. Baker was leader of the cavalry patrol which trapped Booth at Garrett's Barn. Officer Marion L. Baker, a Dallas motorcycle patrolman, briefly detained Oswald on the second floor of the School Book Depository until he learned that he worked there.

Both assassins were killed with a single shot from a Colt revolver.

Both assassins were shot in a blaze of light-Booth after the barn was set afire, and Oswald in the form of television cameras.

Family and Friends

Both presidents were named after their grandfathers.

Both were born second children.

Both married while in their thirties. Lincoln married at 33 and Kennedy married at 36.

Both married dark-haired, twenty-four-year-old women.

Both wives died around the age of 64. Mary Todd Lincoln died in 1882 at age 63 years and 215 days, and Jackie Kennedy died in 1994 at age 64 years 295 days.

Both wives were known for their high fashion in clothes.

Both wives renovated the White House after many years of neglect.

Each couple had four children, two of whom died before becoming a teen.

Each couple lost a son while in the White House. Willie Lincoln died at age 12 in 1862, and Kennedy's son Patrick died two days after his birth in 1963.

Politics

Both presidents were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.

Both were runners-up for the party's nomination for vice-president in '56.

Both were elected to the presidency in '60.

Vice-Presidents

Southern Democrats named Johnson succeeded both Lincoln and Kennedy (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.

There are six letters in each Johnson's first name.

Both Johnsons served in the military. Andrew was a brigadier general in the Civil War and Lyndon was a commander in the U.S. Navy during WW2.

Both Johnsons were former southern senators.

Both Johnsons had urethral stones, the only presidents to have them.

Both Johnsons chose not to run for reelection in '68.

According to "On This Day", on this day is 632, the "prophet" Mohamed died in Mecca. According to wikepedia, he "fell ill and died." No details on how. Since he didn't die a martyr, how can Muslims be sure he made it into paradise?

Yeah, another one from Strange Cosmos:

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And finally, take a look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

So... Paris Hilton is now out of jail, resting comfortable in her hovel after 4 or 5 days of confinement, wearing an ankle monitor. Evidently, it was for medical reasons. (And because of laws like HIIPA, the spokesperson can't tell anyone what the "medical reasons" are.)

Medical reasons? uh-huh. She whined and cried and played them like a cheap violin.

Granted, driving on a suspended license is against the law, but 45 days in jail is a bit steep. The judge was "making a point." So, now what point are they making? That they are weak when it comes to celebrity?

Eh... another celebrity who is famous because she's rich and famous. Can she go away now?

Here's my headlines. Nope... not gonna organize them today...

• I orginally saw this story a week or more ago. Some pro-lifers are upset with Dr. James Dobson because he thought the Supreme Court ban on partial-birth abortion was a good thing. Evidently, one small victory at a time isn't enough for them.
  
• How does Gen. Peter Pace celebrate his 40th anniversary of military service? By going into the lion's den, explaining to military spouses why he's extending their loved ones' deployment. Brave man.
  
• A man person thing has been arrested in Kelsey Smith's abduction and murder. I hope they put him in general population... or that he tries to escape.
  
• Smelly LA just got a little stinkier. At least they were told to take shorter showers, not no showers.
  
• Senator Cheney? Cool...
• Smart prosecutor. I think. (How does one harass a police dog, anyway?)
• EW. Newly discovered cousin to trench fever. Remind me not to visit Peru anytime soon.
  
• um... will these workers get... uh... "glowing" performance reviews? (sorry... it was right there... I had to...)
• Vlad wants missiles in Azerbaijan instead of Poland. On the surface, it kinda makes sense. But do we really want to put the missiles right next door to Mad Mamoud? And would a Muslim-majority country actually let us put them there? Didn't think so...
  
• Speaking of my favorite Islamic nut-case... Iran was caught "red-handed" supplying weapons to the Taliban. Can we bomb them into the Stone Age now?
  
• The Ducks won the Stanley Cup. Can we all admit that they're aliens now? (My favorite quote- "Pain is an illusion. An illusion that really, really hurts."
• Bob Barker has retired. Finally.
  
• Dodd and Richardson will debate in Spanish. Which country are they trying to woo, anyway?
• A naked Tony Blair is something that the world should just not be subjected to, ya know?
  
• A teddy bear robot? In the Army? uh... ok...
  
• Are stowaway penguins considered illegal immigrants? If so, we need a fence along our far north border!
• 75 hours of pain.
  
• 
  

This Weeks Soldiers Were Suggested By Mary Ann

Col. David Sutherland(Left)
45 Years Old From Toledo, Ohio
Commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division


Since being deployed to the Diyala province of Iraq in November 2006, Col. David Sutherland, along with brigade Chaplain Maj. Charlie Fenton, pictured on the right, has made it a point to visit every wounded soldier and say goodbye to each and everyone of his men who've lost their life. Four of his soldiers died on one day in April 2007 and the bad news arrived at his office in waves -- a knock on the door, a note handed in by an aide, heads bowed, knowing glances exchanged. Aides say Sutherland walks to the mortuary affairs tent at his base and embraces the dead bodies of his men. "I hug all my fallen soldiers", said Sutherland. "They are my own".

Diyala province is one of the worst places in Iraq. Public beheadings of Iraqi police, tribal wars, sectarian wars and al-Qaida. "I didn't come here thinking it'd be easy. No one told me, 'You're gonna get 9 hours of sleep a night and you're not gonna lose soldiers'. But I believe this is the place for me."

"As a soldier, I want to be here on the ground," he said. "As an American, I want it to end."

For more information about Col. Sutherland, visit this page.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

If you mixed vodka with orange juice and milk of magnesia, would you get a Philip's Screwdriver?

Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs? Shouldn't they be wearing night gowns?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?

"I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do " is the longest sentence?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?"

I love this kind of stuff. Found it at Strange Cosmos.

Minnesota:
--It is illegal to tease skunks.
--Every man in Brainerd is required by law to grow a beard.

Michigan:
--A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband.
--Under state law, dentists are officially classified as "mechanics."
--In Clawson, it is legal for a man to "sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens."

New York:
--In Saten Island, it is illegal for a father to call his son a faggot or queer in an effort to curb girlie behavior.
--In NYC, "it is disorderly conduct for one man to greet another on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose and wiggling the extended fingers of that hand."

North Carolina:
--It is illegal to have sex in a Churchyard.
--It is illegal to make love on the floor of a hotel room between two double beds.

Oklahoma:
--Whale hunting is strictly forbidden.
--People who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

Ohio:
--In Columbus, it is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.
--In Oxford, it is illegal for a woman to disrobe in front of a man's picture.
--In Youngstown, it is illegal to run out of gas.

Oregon:
--The town of Hood River prohibits the act of juggling without a license.

Montana:
--In Whitehall, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.
--It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.

Nebraska:
--If a child burps during a church service in Omaha, his or her parents may be arrested.
--It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.

Florida:
--Unmarried women who parachute on Sunday's will be jailed.

Georgia:
--In Quitman, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.
--In Columbus, it is illegal to sit on one's porch in an indecent position.

Pennsylvania:
--"Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes."

Rhode Island:
--Its illegal to throw pickle juice on a trolley.

Tennessee:
--It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
--In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
--In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists."

Texas:
--The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
-It is illegal to milk another person's cow.

Utah:
--A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife in his presence.

Virginia:
--In Richmond, it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
--In Lebanon, it is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.

Vermont:
--It is illegal to deny the existence of God.
--It is illegal to whistle underwater.
--Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

Arkansas:
--A man can legally beat his wife, but no more than once a month.

California:
--In L.A., a man may legally beat his wife with a leather strap, as long as it is less than 2 inches wide, or she gives him permission to use a wider strap.
--It is a misdemeanor to shoot any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.

Massachusetts:
--It is illegal to wear a goatee without a license.
--North Andover prohibits its citizens from carrying "space guns."
--In 1659, the state outlawed Christmas.

Indiana:
--Monkey's are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend.

Illinois:
--In Chicago, it is illegal to take a french poodle to the Opera.
--According to state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is "American."
--In Joliet, it is illegal to mispronounce the name Joliet