Back to Work (or School)!

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Joni’s song always pops into my mind whenever a transition occurs, no matter how large or small. The work week begins anew today, but it’s different this week…we have a transition, albeit a minor one. Summer’s over. Not technically, of course, but for all intents and purposes it’s gone. The vacations have been taken, the kids are back in school, and the first college football Saturday has come and gone. Actually, school’s been in session here in P-Town for quite a while…K-12 began August 15^th and classes at ENMU began last Monday. And since ENMU is back in session, that means the cowgirls are back. The aesthetics around beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park have improved. Significantly. And we’re all in transition mode. It’s a wonderful thing, no?

Speaking of wonderful things…and technology is a wonderful thing… How about “liquid armor?”

SOLDIERS are to begin trialling a futuristic “liquid armour” that is worn like ordinary clothing but turns into a rigid shield as soon as it is hit by bullets or shrapnel.

The armour consists of material impregnated with liquid silica that has been modified using nanotechnology. It is designed as a flexible alternative to the current military armour, which consists of Kevlar material reinforced by heavyweight ceramic plates.

The American army hopes to use the liquid armour — which has been likened to the skin of cyborgs in films such as Terminator and RoboCop — in a new combat outfit that will enter service in 2010.

Wow. Now that is really something! (H/T: Lex)

Robert Fisk, the renowned left-wing Jihadi apologist and fellow traveler whose name has become a verb, writes in The Independent (UK) about Ayatollah Mohammad Khatami’s “grave warning” issued from “the very heart of America:”

As the West's "war on terror" burns across the Muslim world, one of Islam's most principled leaders - the former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami - issued a grave warning yesterday from the very heart of America, the country whose troops and allies are fighting Islamists across the Middle East in a war that is costing thousands of Muslim lives.

[…]

Needless to say, his words were given scarcely a few seconds on America's major news channels. Mr Khatami's wisdom is not wanted in Washington.

Not at all true, Mr. Fisk. Well, not completely. Khatami’s “wisdom” is largely unwanted, true. But CNN gave Khatami a platform for his lies this past Sunday, including an extensive article on its web site plus a two minute and 39 second video clip. The WaPo has a fair-sized article on the former Iranian president’s speaking tour of the US. The blogs have been attentive to Khatami’s visit, too. That’s a lot more than “scarcely a few seconds.” But, Hey! …this is Fisk we’re talking about. Oh, and one more thing…Did you see the American Jihadist Adam Gadhan’s Al Qaeda recruitment/“convert to Islam” video? Or perhaps the analysis of same? Walid Phares:

“Azzam” names “sympathetic” personalities for whom he has messages for action; He asks journalist Seymour Hirsh to “reveal more” than what was published in a New Yorker article on the War: Obviously an open call by al Qaeda to M Hirsch to resume the attack against the US War on Terror. Then “Azzam” turn to two British journalists and thank them for their “admiration and respect for Islam” encourage them to do the final step: Convert. He names British MP George Galloway and journalist Robert Fisk.

Talk about “dubious distinction.” I’m surprised Fisk hasn’t converted yet; it seems to be the logical next step for this useful idiot. What a tool, in every sense of the word.

Oh My God. Talk about bizarre sexual practices. I’ve known about this phenomenon for a while and had successfully buried the thought deep in the back of my mind. But this article brought it to the forefront of my consciousness once again. Back! Get BACK!

This is good news… “Promising New Oil Find in Gulf of Mexico”

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the region where the well is located could become the nation's biggest new domestic source of oil since the discovery of Alaska's North Slope more than a generation ago.

The Journal said Chevron and Devon officials estimate that recent discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico's lower-tertiary formations hold up to 15 billion barrels' worth of oil and gas reserves, a total that would boost the nation's current reserves by 50 percent.

Good news indeed.

Nothing else to say, other than “Amazing.” Tiger is obviously the best at what he does, he may be the epitome of accomplishment in any sport. Better than Michael Jordan was at basketball. Better than Babe Ruth. Why? Because he’s such a young man and has a helluva long way to go…

Today’s Pic: Sculpture in Taos Plaza, Taos, NM. May 7, 2004.