Today's silliness...

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was laid to rest today in a pomp-filled ceremony in London.  Years ago she was in Dallas on a book-signing tour and I got to meet her.  She had on her finest British properness (is that even a word?), just as I imagined she would.  But I digress.

As I mentioned, today was Margaret Thatcher's funeral.  This photo was on the morning news pages, and I was struck by the ceremonial dress of the Honour Guard.  I wonder where they get those helmets with the built-in lightning rods and feathers?  And those boots?  Harrods?

Nobody does pomp like the British.  If you've never seen the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, you've missed something quite spectacular.  I have no idea what the purpose of it all is, with the cavalry and bands and such, but I liked it. Maybe it was just for the benefit of us tourists.

By contrast American military dress uniforms are just so....blah.  Dignified, but blah.  Some militaries just know how to please a crowd, you know?  For example....

....the Swiss Guard that protects the Vatican.  If there's ever trouble in St. Peter's Square, just imagine a few hundred of these guys counter attacking with their red-plumed helmets, court jester costumes, and assault rifles.  Grrrr!  (They need to cull that tall guy in the middle.  He ruins the chorus line.)

I'd have to give the Indian's a B-.  They've got the Las Vegas show-girl headdress down, but IMO they need a bit more panache with the rest of their outfit.  (Read:  Lose the brown.)

It's good be Leader, at least until your subjects behead you.  Remember Libya's Muammar Gaddafi?  Snappy dresser he was.

Here's something I'll bet you haven't seen in the Western press.....the North Korean Army Terror-ette's Drill Team.  Step, kick, step, step kick!

And then there's the Greek army.  Laugh if you want, but I think they'd make a very effective fighting force.  I mean, if I saw a division of these guys charging me with their chiffon shirts, tights, and petticoats, not to mention those cute little puffy balls on their shoes,  I'd run like hell.

I'm sorry, but I have to say my US of A needs to up their game.  Whenever we get our financial house back in order I think we need to bring in a designer to give our troops more flamboyant uniforms.  

Maybe they could make it a TV reality show where we could call in and vote for our favorite.  It's the American way.  ;)

S

No 15 minutes of fame for them

So evil had its day yesterday, killing people who were at the Boston Marathon just to cheer on their friends/loved ones participating in this innocent, wholesome event.

As is the custom of our media, news reports ever since the attack have re-created the tragedy.  "Did you feel the explosion?"  "Did you see people with missing limbs?"  "How did it make you feel?"  Video from every angle....people screaming....blood and chaos everywhere.

And somewhere there is a terrorist sitting at home watching TV, just laughing his ass off, gloating.

I'm all for a news blackout.  Don't give the bastard(s) the satisfaction of seeing their handiwork.  They won't know what's going on until their door is kicked in and a dozen special forces/SWAT types slam them face-first onto the floor.  

Black hood placed over their heads, shackled feet and hands, thrown in the back of a truck and later a cold, completely dark cell.  Not a word spoken to them.  How long can you hold someone until they must be allowed to lawyer up?  Five minutes before that deadline you give them legal counsel.

Their real name will never be released to the public.  Their trial will not be open to the media.  Their face will never be seen.  They will never be immortalized.  They, and their "cause", will just be forgotten.

Here's an idea:  My understanding is there are many websites that teach people how to make bombs like the ones that blew up in Boston yesterday.  Anyone can download the instructions, buy the ingredients over-the-counter, and build a weapon of mass destruction.

Why don't we unleash our nerd-army of computer hackers to get into these bomb-making websites and play with the ingredients list?  Put in something that will either, 1, blow up the bomb-makers themselves right on the spot; or 2, render the bomb inert whenever detonation is attempted. 

 Ever practice "good cop/bad cop"?  Guess which role I always got?  I choose #____?

S

"Hi....I'm from the government and I'm here to help", or "Bend over and feel the love"

Imagine for a minute you decided you wanted a new computer, but you didn't want to go into debt for it.  Then you heard of a merchant who would sell you one on an old-fashioned layaway plan....you paid monthly, and when you'd paid in full, you could go and pick up your purchase.  It was sale priced, so you jumped at it.

This was the prize you were promised.

After working hard day after day, looking at the picture of your new computer stuck to your refrigerator door with a little magnet, waiting for the day when you could get your hands on it, you go to the store to claim your hard earned prize, and this is what they handed you....

Then they tell you they miscalculated....they couldn't deliver on that new computer after all.  Their projections were way off, they were operating in the red, costs were up, revenues were down, times were tough.  Never mind what they promised, but this was all you were going to get.  Sorry.

This is essentially what is threatening to happen with Social Security.  Most Republicans and more than a few Democrats have decided that "entitlements" must be cut if we're ever to have a balanced budget, or even a manageable deficit.  It seems the politicians have over-promised.  *shock!*

Only one little problem....people PAID into Social Security all their working lives in order to have that little pot of money waiting for them when they retired.  It's THEIR money!  Anything they could put aside over and above Social Security was great, but at the very least they had their Social Security waiting for them.   Now the gubment is considering taking at least some of it away.

"Entitlement" means they've already paid for it and they are entitled to receive it.  IMO, at this point it's a right, not a privilege.

This might be a bit more palatable if they had scrapped the entire tax code and put in a new one that treated everyone equally, but they didn't.  There are still subsidies and loopholes sprinkled throughout the old code, robbing the gubment of revenues it needs to keep above water.  And now they want to change the Social Security rules in the middle of the game to make up for their wild promises elsewhere.

Loopholes and subsidies are not paid for in advance.  They are pure and simple freebies to the recipients.  They are not entitled to them.

So people who are "entitled" to something are (maybe) not going to get it, while people who are NOT entitled to something can still count on getting theirs.

I could not in my wildest dream imagine a more dishonorable idea.  Considering it's coming from Congress I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Oh....and Happy Tax Day.  :)

S

Becoming obsessed....

Yesterday while K and I were out running errands we stopped for a few minutes to watch a local rugby match at a park in Dallas.  K had done some research and found that there was actually a (very) amateur league that plays here in North Texas.  We saw the Dallas Diablos (with the orange/white jerseys) play a team from Denton (30 miles north).  

While it was nothing like the English Premiership level competition we watch on TV, it was still interesting.  In fact, it was the first live rugby game I'd ever seen, complete with all the scrums, rucks, and mauls I'd read about in Rugby Union For Dummies.  (I was definitely their target audience.)

I wish I was 30 years....make that 40 years younger.  I would have signed up on the spot.  I mean, who really needs teeth and straight noses anyway?

The Dallas ladies rugby team played right after the Diablos, but we didn't stick around to watch.  (They scared me.  ;)

S

And he has a bad haircut, too.

Yeah, yeah....I know.  We're supposed to be all hot and bothered by the little North Korean leader dude, but frankly, I'm just not feelin' it.  He just doesn't look the part.  He looks like he should be sitting in that teacup ride at Disney World going round and round.  Or maybe eating cotton candy while waiting for his turn on a ferris-wheel somewhere.

I mean, think of all the really bad guys over the last century....Hitler, Stalin, Mao Say Dung, Saddam What'shisname....they just reeked of evil, right?  This Korean guy, not so much.  I think he should be the poster child showing what happens when parents indulge their kids too much and don't discipline them during their formative years.

As for my personal feelings for Dear Leader III....I'll just follow my alter ego's lead:

Now back to our regularly scheduled Saturday morning cartoons.

S

All things bacon....

I'm NOT a bacon-holic.  I can quit anytime.  Some day I may quit, but not now.  I don't need help, just more bacon.  Well, I don't NEED more bacon, but I just find that it helps me take the edge off....

Oh, hell.  Does the Betty Ford Clinic have a "bacon wing"?

Of course this is all in jest.  I do like bacon on my hamburgers, but that's only one every week or two.  And I do enjoy a traditional eggs and bacon breakfast on Sunday mornings, but rarely on a weekday.

I enjoy a bacon-wrapped filet mignon, but after it's grilled I don't eat the bacon.  It's just there to keep the filet juicy since filet is just beef tenderloin with no fat around it.  That's about the extent of my bacon intake.  Oh...and I like crumbled-up bacon on top of a salad, too.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

And when I cook bacon instead of cooking it in a skillet on the cooktop, with the finished product just laying there in a pool of grease, I cook it on top of paper towels in the microwave.  I like mine slightly crispy.

Looking online, however, I've found some recipes for various "bacon-infused" products that I think might have originated in the minds of people who could actually use a few days at Betty Ford.  For example:

How about a bacon, coffee and vodka "breakfastini"?

And the ever popular bacon and hard liquor. (OK, this one isn't so far fetched.)

White chocolate and bacon cookies, anyone?

Screw "sweet tooth".   How about "bacon tooth"?

And finally, for the guy who's both bacon obsessed and sexually innovative...

'Nuff said.

Have a great weekend everyone.  *off to the pharmacy*  ;)

S

What a crock of crap....

Yesterday I attended a seminar on "high performance building".  I still like to keep up with the newest energy-saving building trends, especially since I might eventually build one more house for K and I.

The first presenter was a "building scientist" flown in from Michigan by Dow Chemical.  I had to chuckle quietly when he was introduced with his "building scientist" title.  He had reams of computer-generated data, but I doubt much of what he offered could be reproduced on a real jobsite.  The second presenter (just a lowly engineer) obviously knew how to build a home and his energy saving advice was excellent.  He carried the "scientist", hands down.

With just two more courses I, too, can be a "Certified High Performance Building Scientist".  WooHoo!

I guess I'm just wary of people with fancy titles.  It reminds of an article I read years ago during the era of busing kids across town to achieve more equal racial enrollment at schools.

The term "busing" was a touchy subject back then so for PR purposes a "bus" was renamed a "motorized attendance module", and instead of hiring "bus drivers" the school system advertised for "motorized attendance module technicians".  Why use 3 syllables when you can use 11, right?  

Is anybody really suckered by titles these days?  Is "deputy assistant undersecretary" really just the new code for "the office gofer"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

My big embarrassing moment yesterday was when I came home at the end of the day.  K immediately pushed me back and said, "Oh my gawd....what did you eat?"

As part of my seminar enrollment fee we were served lunch.  I told her that we had salad, bread, and a chicken/pasta dish.  She said it must have been loaded with garlic as I just reeked.  Who knew?

The worst part was that after my seminar I had gone over to visit with and advise one of our homeowners from 21 years ago.  They are debating whether to remodel / update their home or just sell and have us (bro with the semi-retired me assisting) build them a new one.  I'm going to call them back today with some answers to their questions and somehow work in "sorry about my garlic breath yesterday."

Somebody needs to invent a portable "stink-o-meter" to keep me from embarrassing myself this way again.  ;)

S