Land of Oz

Orange Bic Pens

Do you remember the black ink fine tip Bic pens? The body was yellow/orange hex shaped plastic with a small hole about half-way up the side. The top had a small black plugin cap that you could pull out and fiddle with until it was lost. The cap was black with the clip molded on and had a small dimple molded into the very end. If this word picture doesn't ring any bells, here's a picture picture.

I've been looking for them off and on over that last few months. I've looked in department stores like Kmart and Miejers and in office supply stores like Staples and Office Max. I've also looked in dollar stores, hardware stores and anywhere else I could think off. I finally did a web search today on them. While the Bic web site still has them I found out they aren't sold in the USofA! I wonder why this is. The web page does mention they are available in Canada and Central America however.

I can't help but wonder if this isn't another conspiracy by the republican christians of the world. I mean really, why isn't this pen available anymore? Could it be it was just too simple and well-designed to fit into the complexities of the New World Order? Don't forget -- just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you!

Here's a last minute update. I wrote to Bic asking about the pen, and here's the answer they gave:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the availability of the BIC Orange Fine point pen. This pen is only available in Europe, Central America, Oceania, South America, Africa and Asia. We hope we have been of some help to you in this matter. Thank you for your interest in our products.
BIC Consumer Affairs Team

I can't help but wonder why? Is it something we said? I guess I'll have to order some from Mozambique or someplace.

Sorry about that...

First Gilligan and now Don Adams, better known as Maxwell Smart. A lot of great laughs being lost. I remember getting into a lot of trouble writing a civil war play in grade school because it contained a lot of phrases from Get Smart. All in all, Get Smart was probably one of the greatest comedies of the 1960s - OK, would believe one of the top ten comedies of the 60s - OK, it was a pretty funny show anyway.

See you guys...

Church

Lately, I've been exposed to more than a couple of "church people." You know the kind. Some are more irritating than others, but they are always bringing up "our church." We did stuff with "our church" or we donated money to "our church" or "our church" is doing whatever. A lot of it lately has been Katrina based - and of course now Rita based. (As an aside, I wonder how long "because of Katrina" will be used as an excuse for everything from high gas prices to low availability of concrete to crappy service at Macdonalds).

This morning as I was driving to work trying to listen to my favorite station as it was being overpowered by one of the now ubiquitous christian stations, I got to thinking about how much "my church" bothered me even as a kid. I remember wondering why god would be pissed off if a woman didn't wear her hat in church or why you had to wear a tie to go to church on Sunday. I used to sit there and listen to the priest asking for donations and wonder why if they needed money did the church have those fancy stained glass windows, gold chalices, and richly brocaded gowns and vestments. Why was the mass said in a language that probably 4 people in the church understood and belonged to a pagan culture that faded out a thousand years ago. Why you had to go for marriage counseling to a priest who couldn't get married. Why was 2/3 of the world destined to hell or purgatory simply because they never had a chance to hear about our god - the only real god. Why couldn't a nice person get to heaven simply because they didn't get along with their spouse and got divorced or didn't tell cigar smoking priest in that little cubicle in the back of the church with the tan translucent window all the things they did bad in the "six weeks since my last confession." And then why did two "Hail Marys" and an "Our Father" neutralize the harm done by the bad thing.

This isn't to say that all churches do all bad things. Nope, most churches do good stuff. They help the poor and sick and give a place for old ladies to play bingo (Of course gambling is illegal unless it's for "church" stuff). I'm sure there are some good church-based schools - not that ours was one of them. Boy, that was three disastrous years wasted listening to inept, but well-meaning, nuns teaching English and math. The thing to remember is, like everything else, just because it's church or religion doesn't make it right. I dare say more people have been killed or tortured in the name of one god or another than for most any other reason.

Reading this doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. There doesn't seem to be a point. I guess the point is that I think people can take this religious/church/faith thing too far. Someone isn't bad or doomed to hell, just because they don't believe what you believe or go to the same church/parish/synagogue/coven/etc. that you go to. There are good people who don't let their lives be dictated my some rigid theology.

deja vu all over again

Here's a couple of quotes I found online lately:

A"Be assured that the death of your son will have meaning," For I give you also my solemn pledge that our country will persist - and will prevail - in the cause for which your boy died."

B "These brave men and women gave their lives for a cause that is just and necessary for the security of our country, and now we will honor their sacrifice by completing their mission."

A = President Johnson, April 6, 1967
B = President Bush, August 24, 2005

Granted this was pointed out in an antiwar biased newsletter, but those are the words that were spoken.

---

On a related front, Pfc. Lynndie England is back in the news again. You remember her, the West Virginia Army private who had a proclivity towards leashes and collars. She's up for her court-martial. I know nothing about Pfc. England but what I've read in the news. However, I can't help but feel she's one of the victims here. The military isn't a normal working environment and Iraq is even less so. You don't, as one of the workers in our company did yesterday, tell your boss to go fuck themselves. You don't say, "I ain't doing that, I quit." One of the things that is drummed into you, is that you follow orders. When you get up, what you wear, what you do, where you eat, how you workout, are all things that you are told how and when and where to do.

Here's a young kid, who obviously isn't the brightest light on an admittedly dim street, put into a severely stressful situation, and is completely let down by those who are supposed to take care of her. Because while you are expected to do what you're told, you also expect those who tell you what to do to be looking out for you. Her boss, who also got her knocked up is in jail - he's obviously a shitbag - and now she's looking to join him. I think poor Pfc. England is just as much a victim as those she mistreated. If you think peer pressure in high school is bad, try imaging what it must be when people are trying to kill you and your peers are the only ones keeping you alive.

// posted by Jim-of-oz @ 9/22/2005 10:28:00 AM

Stupid State Officials

Here is something so stupid, I can hardly believe that even politicians will try to pass it. Here in Michigan, "The House Transportation Committee voted 13-1 Tuesday to raise the 55 m.p.h. speed limit for trucks to 60 m.p.h. on rural interstate highways."

First, just how much will it cost changing the signs from 55 to 60!? That's a LOT of signs to change. Second, just how often do you find a truck that is actually driving under 55mph?? About the only time they are is when they're pulling up to a gas pump. I mean really, without exaggeration, just how often do you see a semi driving at or under 55mph in Michigan. It is surprising enough to see them under 70mph, let alone under 55mph.

Why on earth go through all the expense of changing a law that no one obeys to something that no one will obey? Do the officials think that raising the limit to 60mph will cause the trucks to slow down to 60mph? Why not just raise the truck limit to 70mph like the cars and save the money of changing signs. You can take the "trucks 55" signs down and sell them to Indiana or Arkansas. God, I really can't believe how stupid and wasteful politicians can get.

At work

Interesting times at work today. I work in a cubicle strewn building that deals in customer service. Today some guy was fired (I'm guessing fired - I don't have all the facts). But he sure didn't go easy. I'm guessing he was escorted to clean out his desk by a couple of police. I work a few cubicles and a couple of aisles over and you could hear him hollerin' and rantin' and ravin' and threatenin' for several minutes. To be honest, I was a bit afraid to stick my head out of my cubicle. When things finally quieted down, I did look over and could see a couple of uniformed police still wandering around. There were also a bunch of people looking rather confused staring towards the now empty desk.

Well, like I said, I don't know all the details behind this, but I sure think he could have taken a more dignified way out of the building. Now, instead of the poor guy who lost his job, he'll be known as the nutcase who went off at his fellow workers. My feelings on this is no matter how badly you feel (or actually were for that matter) treated you should show a bit more class on your way out the door. I hope if that ever happens to me, I'll behave a little more like a grownup instead of coming off like a rabid disgruntled employee looking to take it out on his fellow workers.

Scams

I recently read in some newspaper advice column that someone was amazed and dismayed that there were already scams about Katrina. Why on earth does that come as a surprise to anyone. Let's face it, whatever the event, no matter how bad or how good, there's going to be someone (probably a great deal of someones) who will try to take advantage of others.

I have no doubt that even as I write this, and even as another hurricane may be bearing down on the Gulf Coast, there are hundreds, if not thousands of vultures trying to scam some poor sap down south. I would imagine there's fake State Farm ID cards floating around, shingles that exist only on paper and cleanup crews whose only cleansing will be to your bank account. Buyer beware - the vultures are out to get you.

Which brings to mind the spammers again. I just read another article about some idiot losing his shirt down in Nigeria. Oh please! Do you really think guy down in Nigeria or Estonia or Bulgaria is going to offer you a couple of million to help him recover his millions? Honestly, if you do, you deserve to be taken. I'm not going to say I'll never be caught in a scam, the scammers are too good for me to promise that. But I'll make them work at it. That is one advantage to my lack of faith in humanity. I figure just about everyone is out to get me. If not on purpose, by circumstance. The final word, which is almost worn out, is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Lee Valley

OK, just to show that I don't always hate the businesses I deal with, I'd like to heap some kudos on Lee Valley out of Canada. This company deals mostly with woodworking -- both tools and hardware, and gardening accessories. They are probably best known for their quality hand planes, router dovetail jig, and sharpening jigs.

Even if you aren't a tool kinda guy, they offer some beautiful stuff. They offer a high quality series of Veritas hand planes in the $100-$200 range that look the way tools are supposed to look - metal and wood, no plastic. These are so far beyond the $20-$40 planes you'll find in Sears or the BORG, that there isn't really a comparison. Their catalogs are a thing of beauty as well.

They also have a printing section that reprints many books from the turn of the century or so. How-to books, books of plans, and even comic strip reprints are offered. I have the complete collection of three of their series. Bull of the Woods is a 6 volume collection of cartoons taking place in a machine shop in the 1920s and 30s. You don't need to be a machinist to enjoy these either. They still are funny even if you work in a cubicle filled with computer screens and telephone headsets. I have a 4 volume set called The Boy Mechanic dating from the early twenties. It's pretty amazing the things a "boy" was expected to be able to do back then. Many of the projects will have product liability folks today pulling their hair out, but it also makes one long for the innocence of those days. My last collection is 25 volumes of Popular Mechanics Shop Notes ranging from 1905 to 1930. Coming across their maintenance hints for automobile drivers makes it so obvious how spoiled we are today.

For one example of Lee Valley's service, I put in an Internet order late in the evening of Sept 13. It wasn't a huge order, but ran around $100 and included a range of stuff from #8 - 1 1/4" brass screws, to a saw tooth setter, to volumes 4, 5 and 6 of Bull of the Woods. The books had to be added as a comment in email since they weren't in the online catalog order form yet. I had an email confirmation of the order along with a second email confirming the book additions later that night. When I came home from work on Sept 15, the order was on the porch waiting for me!! And that was with their normal shipping and handling.

These guys are good! I have to give praise to the service offered by Lee Valley even though I want to do my shopping locally. It's not the price, but the service. It has taken me longer to get stuff from my local store than it has from Lee Valley - and with surly attitudes besides. If you're looking for screws or screwdrivers or saws or magnets, you'll probably do a whole lot worse than order from Lee Valley.

Quote

Just wanted to pass this quote along from The Destroyer series.

...Texas drivers who believe head-on collisions are just another form of brakes.

2fers: Fan Site and Official Site

Help Who?

I sent this to the local newspaper today:
I realize that talking bad about helping Katrina's victims may border on heresy right now, but have people stopped to think about how much help some of the help actually is? Michigan has said it's prepared to take in 10,000 evacuees. What are these people going to do when they get here? Here's a couple of facts that can't be ignored. Detroit is now the nation's poorest big city, with about one in three residents living below the federal poverty level and Michigan's July unemployment rate of 7 percent (Saginaw was 8.6%) was highest among the 50 states. I hardly see how moving people who have nothing to a state where many of the have nothings now live is going help.

2fers: Saginaw News and Detroit Free Press

Big Government

Big government has it uses for the little people as well. Bush is hell-bent to get rid of "big government" at least as far as the people go. But he seems to have no problem in government money going to business -- oil, lumber and munitions have all done quite well on his watch. But what about big business for the little guy?

These past couple of weeks has once again demonstrated (and to my mind proved) the need for big government for the little guy. The entire Gulf Coast took a beating and only the resources of a national government can begin to deal with it. Call it selfish if you wish, but I'd like to see more of those billions spent chasing ghosts in Iraq and Afghanistan spread around the USofA. All men are not created equal no matter who said that in the past. There are a lot of folks who just plain don't have the brain power to help themselves. (I had an urge to say look at WWE audiences as proof - but I won't say it).

Anyway, not all people can take care of themselves. How can you rebuild your washed away house, when your insurance doesn't cover floods? What do you do when the company you worked for is floating down the Mississippi River and your apartment is not far behind it? Not everyone is a great investor, or even has extra money to invest - which makes Social Security a benefit worth paying taxes for. The same with health care. It's hard enough now to afford even with a job that has health care. Trying to afford it on a minimum wage job is impossible. Yes - you can get a better job and save more money - but many can't. Whether it's an accident of birth or a person just isn't bright enough means there are many who aren't going to have a $40,000 job with a 401k and health insurance - they're more apt to have a $6 an hour job and depend on over-the-counter meds and the emergency room. It's folks like that who need and should benefit from "big government" instead of Haliburton and GE and Boeing.

Business as usual

I just bought some tires for my Beetle. I like Goodyear and Northwest Automotive was having a sale on them. I checked around online and the price was pretty good in comparison with others. The last time I had tire dealings with Northwest it was the one on State St. They had the pressures all screwed up after they installed the tires. (I'm very anal about tire pressures)

I thought I try the one on Tittabawassee this time. I stopped there Thursday after work and let them go to town. I told them to check the spare while they were fiddling around and the salesman assured me they would. The finish pretty quickly. I mentioned about the tire pressure problem and the salesman said the pressure is located on the door. I said, I know but no one seems to want to check. As soon as I said that he ran outside to check the tires (sure enough they were about 7 lbs off). I went home after that.

Saturday I finally had time to check things out. The spare was low, the tire pressures were off and they forgot to reinstall my valve stem extenders. I went back to the tire store to complain. When I complained about the spare the salesman said I never mentioned it (basically calling me a liar). The valve extensions were gone, but they said I could to CarCare parts and get new ones. Naturally when I got there, they didn't have the correct size. It seems like 1/2" extensions are fairly rare. I'm stuck with 3/4" (and yes, the 1/4" makes a difference) until I can find some that fit. I'll drag my compressor out tomorrow and top off the spare and get the correct pressures in all my tires.

I know that putting on tires isn't the most prestigious job in the world. I'm also guessing the tech isn't getting paid too much. And in today's world the business is going to cut corners as much as possible. But why over something as simple as tire pressures. Tire and auto manufacturers both put a lot of effort into making the correct pressures available. All energy saving suggestions mention correct tire pressures. So why can't automotive techs get it right. I paid $400 - you should get it right.

Black Copters

Have you ever read some of the weirdo conspiracy books that refer to special groups in black with weapons taking over. That the government would be taking over our homes and confiscating personal weapons. That the government would be rounding up folks and sending them to relocation camps. How FEMA was the agency with the secret agenda to do this kind of stuff.

Then came Katrina. A person is supposed to be prepared for disasters. The fact is that most aren't, but why should that affect those who are. Armed to the teeth with stockpiles of water and food and ammo and booze and matches and candles and meds and clothes. You spend time and money to be prepared so you don't have to leave; so you don't have to go to some relocation center where bodies and garbage pile up; so you don't have to rely on leadership who'd rather pass the buck than spend it on unpopular but needed preparations; that's why you prepare.

HOMELAND SECURITY keeps sounding worse and worse. The government lies and is ill-prepared about a billion dollar a month war in Iraq and now lies and is ill-prepared about a billion dollar disaster in Louisiana. What excuse will the government use in your community?

The Buck Stops Where

Yet another person jumps on the blame game bandwagon. Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell gripes about the disaster response. Most of the higher heads of government in that area have been doing the same; the mayor, the governors, etc. have all been bitching about what a crappy job in emergency management has been done. Come on, someone screwed the pooch and they should own up to it. It's not like a hurricane hits land with no notice. You sit there day after day wondering when and where the blasted thing will hit. Hurricane tracking maps are passed out by every business in the Gulf Coast (BTW, if Tiger Wood cruised to a win in a Mississippi golf tournament would the headline be, "Gulf Coast Golf Coast?") as placemats and advertisements for people to plot and ponder on and every hour folks check TV for the latest red, yellow, green land fall proposal.

These things don't sneak up like an earthquake or a bearded non-infidel wearing a TNT corset. They take days to move in. US President George W Bush has declared Friday 16 September a national day of prayer. I'm sure that is comforting to those holed up in their homes waiting for FEMA to drag them out at gun point. I didn't see the proclamation, but is it strictly a christian prayer request or can anyone join in?

Below all this hubub of finger pointing and ass-covering the peons of the response go about their duty. All over the USofA people are trying to help. From kids selling lemonade for donation money to techies keeping servers served in dark buildings, from cops saving dogs to Guardsmen rescuing old ladies and their cats, the work goes on. Politicians posture and pundits punt, but the work goes on. This is in spite of the leaderless leadership and talking heads who add way too much hot air to the already hot and humid south.

Hang in there guys, sooner or later (usually later) the powers to be will get off their dead asses and actually do some good. By next season, you'll probably be able to move back and once again live in a coastal flood plain meters below sea level to await the next hurricane that will (not might) hit again.

Stuff

Private ownership is rapidly going down the tubes. A couple of months ago, the government decided that if they want to put up a McDonald on your land, you don't have anything to say about it. And today, if you live in New Orleans, the government will use force to get off your property.

Cindy Sheehan has changed from a private person suffering the loss of her son to a media clip on television and in the papers. I once said she was much different than Hanoi Jane - now I'm not so sure.

Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment (here in Saginaw it's supposed to be around 15%). The governor has invited several thousand Katrina evacuees to move here permanently. And do what I'd like to know?

Saginaw's $10 million share of the recent $287 billion transport bill is going to be used to put one more exit from the 675 bypass into the city. There are already two exits roughly a mile apart that no one used now. One makes people afraid to exit and the other leads to nowhere. This new $10 million exit will exist between the nowhere and afraid to visit exits. Boy, let's watch Saginaw bounce back after that!

There is going to be an investigation over the perils of post Katrina. It's going to be headed by President Bush - any guesses as to who won't be found at fault? Truman used to say "the buck stops here," now it stops anywhere but...

Not much more than a week ago, gas was $3.30 a gallon. This week it's $2.98 a gallon. Does this mean that the damage to the "Gulf Coast petroleum infrastructure" from Katrina is all good now?

Don't forget to donate to your local charities in this blitz to donate to Katrina. One ass-kicking hurricane doesn't mean everything else is hunky-dory now. This week a house out in a nearby farming community blew up and killed 6 kids. Folks like that need help too.

A turn signal lever has other uses than providing symmetry for the windshield washer control. Try using it before you turn! Amazing what those automotive engineers have been able to come up with, isn't it?

Diets

Here's some little known diet facts that you may not be aware of:

If you leave a candy wrapper in someone else's trash can, they get the calories not you.

The fiber contained in the almonds in a Hershey Bar with almonds provides enough benefit to your system to outweigh the harm caused by the calories.

A diet Coke and a candy bar when eaten together will cancel each other out resulting in no calories.

The weight of any fruit in your Halloween candy bag will balance out any harm done by an equal weight of candy.

The milk in Milk Duds and Milky Ways helps build strong bones.

Since an apple a day keeps the doctor away, green apple candy should do the same.

New York style cheesecake is much healthier when served with a fruit such as strawberry or raspberry preserves.

Cold cereal is part of a nutritional breakfast - regardless of the thickness of the sugar coating.

Eating vegetarian is healthy. Since Dove Bars and Godiva chocolate contain no red-meat, they must be part of a healthy vegetarian lifestyle.

// posted by Jim-of-oz @ 9/07/2005 09:11:00 AM

Arms

What is it with guys and arms and open windows in their vehicles. (I almost said cars, but there's too many pickups and SUVs now) Have you ever looked and wondered why guys have their arms hanging out their windows? There seem to be pretty common positions.

The "hang on to my roof so it doesn't fly off" position. Here the guy (and it's almost never a gal) has his arm up and is hanging on to the roof of his car.

The "I'm tired of looking behind me" position. The guy will have his hairy arm draped over the side rear-view mirror. I guess he figures if he can't see the ambulance coming up behind him, he doesn't need to pull over.

The "shoo - go away" position. The arm is hanging straight down ready to ward off attacks from any dogs or coyotes running along the highway at 70 mph.

The "weee - I'm an airplane wing" position. I did this one (when I was twelve and my dad was driving). Not too common, but you can see the hand tilting up and down to be blown about by the wind.

The "my elbow is too hot" position. I think the guy is too embarrassed by the other positions, so just hangs his elbow out into the wind.

I guess guys must think they're too macho to use two hands on a steering wheel. That is just for wimps like Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt. Just think of those poofy habits they use when driving 220 mph three inches away from a wall and another pussy driver. All strapped in, helmet on, both hands on the wheel, nary a beer or cigarette in hand. What a woos! Not like a real driver with a big black "3" on the rear window, a cigarette dangling jauntingly from lips, and one arm out the window and the other switching the radio to the latest country station. Now that's a real driver.

BTW, it's not peak hurricane season yet!

// posted by Jim-of-oz @ 9/06/2005 01:30:00 PM

Katrina

All the news about Katrina has brought something to my mind. How are your disaster plans? It doesn't have to be something as severe as a Category 5 hurricane (BTW, isn't it cool the way everyone picks up these esoteric terms in times of disasters) or an F5 tornado. Do you have plans on what you're going to do if the neighbor decides to trim his tree and drops it on the power tranformer and kills you power for the next 12 hours. Or how about when the Jeff Gordon wannabe next door wraps his 1976 Ford Pinto around the fire hydrant across the street and you have to evacuate for a couple of days?

Last winter, for no specific reason that I'd ever heard, I lost power for about 13 hours. It was snow covered and in the teens outside. Luckily, it was only for about 13 hours and the temperature inside never got much below 50F. I have a gas water heater, so I could take a hot shower and later fired up my little Sterno stove and cooked up some tea and soup. This summer a storm knocked a tree down a couple of housed away and we were without electricity for around 5 hours - luckily it wasn't too hot. We sat on the porch swing until dark and then came in and read by kerosene lamp and listened to my battery powered radio.

I'll admit I'm not all the well prepared for a major multi-day disaster, but I have some stuff ready. I have a kerosene heater and lamp and several gallons of fuel on hand. A couple of cases of bottled water and a few cans of easily prepared food are also sitting around. I have flashlights, battery powered radios and fire extinguishers sitting all over the place along with a bunch of candles and extra blankets. In the winter I toss a bag with extra clothes, blankets, candles, tea and chocolate in the trunk. My cars rarely reach less than half a tank of gas and I have a pocket knife or multi-tool almost constantly at hand. I also have one non-remote phone that I can use when all power is out. Cell phones and portable phones all run out their charge eventually.

How about you? Do you have any disaster supplies laid in? Extra food, water, medicine? Do you have small kids or a baby - how about their needs? If a flood hits, can you feed your kids for a few days? If the power goes out, do you have a flashlight to find the candles you probably don't have? It doesn't take much. If you're on a budget, t dozen bottles of water can be had for $3-4. You can pickup a few cans of pork and beans for about the same price. Go to the dollar store and grab a few candles and lighters and keep them in a kitchen cabinet. Of course, you can go all out and pickup a generator to keep your house going for a week and lay in a couple hundred pounds of the latest freeze-dried food and install a hundred gallon tank for extra fuel or potable water. It's up to you.

Vacation Eats

First, it was nice to see that our driving vacation was timed so that we ended the same night that gas prices went through the roof. The night I got back, I paid $3.15 for premium and the next morning my wife paid $3.20 for regular. When we left a week earlier I think gas was around $2.60 or so.

Anyway, part of the vacation was eating out. I already mentioned the Mickey D free zone on most of the trip, so here's the restaurants we did make it to:

(Weds) Freighters - Sault Ste. Marie. MI - a pretty nice place on the first floor of the downtown Ramada. $20-30 for an entree. The tastes here were great. We had a bowl of gumbo that was surprisingly spicy and there was a basket of fresh rye buns, that had a clear rye flavor. My wife had broiled whitefish and I had a Italian style chicken/shrimp/vegetable dish. The only drawback here was that they were at half-staff (not flag, but help) that evening. It seemed half of their workforce called in "sick" and that made for some maddening (to me - I have no patience) waits.

(Thurs) Taroko Shabu-Shabu - Thornton, ON - A small Chinese style restaurant in one of ubiquitous Chinese malls on Highway 7. If you haven't eaten this before, it's interesting. Each seat has its own hot plate. You get a bowl of broth (assorted flavors and styles) and a plate of veggies and tofu and stuff (it includes a couple types of tofu, a bunch of assorted veggies, hardboiled egg, noodles and other stuff) and you can add a plate of thinly sliced meat - lamb, chicken or beef. The broth starts boiling and you dump in the assorted goodies and as they cook, you eat them. It's pretty good and my wife loves it.

(Fri) Real Thailand - Bloor St. downtown Toronto - We've eaten here several times. I proposed here. Very good food and nice service. Try the sticky rice with mango for dessert. BTW, the florist next door is the pits. They wouldn't deliver flowers when I proposed a couple years ago.

(Sat) Bombay Bhel (Thornton) - maybe the best of the trip. We had the veggie samosas for appetizers and I had aloo gobi and the wife had butter chicken. A lively place, bordering on noisy, but happy noisy. Great service to go with the food.

(Sun) Baton Rouge - Markham ON - This was a disappointment. It was pricey and the food was just OK. I had Cajun catfish - with a very mild seasoning and my wife had a somewhat fatty pork chop. Our side dishes were reversed, her plate had mine and vice-versa. The margarita was fair and served in a plain tumbler. Nice looking place, just not worth the money. My wife told me she has had great steaks there in the past tho' so maybe we just ordered the wrong thing.

(Mon) Assorted places (Markham) - Monday was a mix. My wife went with her friends to a Japanese restaurant run by a Korean located in a Chinese mall that she really enjoyed. I went to a RASOEE The Indian Kitchen. I had the Samosa plate with 2 veggie samosas, chick-pea curry, tamarind dip. Not a bad place for a quick meal. Later that evening we went to the T&T Supermarket which is a supermarket chain from Taiwan. There we picked up a couple of Japanese style sushi trays for $4 each and took them home to eat. Again, not bad food and there's no way to beat the price.

// posted by Jim-of-oz @ 9/02/2005 05:36:00 PM

OK - not really

It's nice to know that the US has been so successful in fighting anarchy and terror after the 9/11 fiasco. Because of our direct presence, the democratic process is alive and well in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq (OK - not really). We've been so successful in getting other countries (like Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Saudi Arabia) to expand their values of democracy (OK - not really). Our efforts on human rights have done so much to lessen terrorist attacks in countries like England, Spain, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, and Indonesia (OK - not really).

And we've done so much at home to prepare for the worst. We have a new strengthened Homeland Security office to provide a safer society to live in places like Saginaw MI, New Orleans LA, Biloxi MS, and Comptom CA (OK - not really). And jobs are so easy to find here in the heartland of America where companies like Ford, GM, and Northwest Airlines are doing so good (OK - not really). And I really feel so much safer seeing social services strengthened, stable energy prices for heating and automobiles, and strong law and order OK - not really).

And for all this we can thank our president (OK - not really).

hmmmm

Let's see now. Dead bodies in the streets, rioting with the National Guard and police being shot by armed mobs. Rampant looting and military helicopters taking fire from out-of-control mobs. Threats of epidemics from wide-scale flooding and corpses in the open. Thousands of refugees being bussed hundreds of miles to shelters.

Nope - not Iraq, where our National Guard troops are currently sweating and dodging bullets and mobs but Louisiana - where our National Guard troops are currently sweating and dodging bullets and mobs. While I don't know if the 70,000 or so Guard troops stuck in Iraq would make a difference here in the US, they sure couldn't hurt. To me, unless there's a full-blown declared war going on, the National Guard should be sitting around here at home for stuff exactly like Katrina and whatever else might be happening in the US.

I've also heard that a lot of Corps of Engineers budget for flood control down in our south was siphoned off to pay for whatever it paid for out in Iraq. Helicopters and other heavy equipment is also short because of it being used elsewhere. At least the President decided to cut his vacation short (by 2 days) and come back to work.