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Dude, I hope the BeeGees deal don't make you vomick!
But...
Looking at Rita is worth it for me.
Brilliant... and this shall be today's Happy Hour Soundtrack. As far as the Bee Gees go... I'm one of only six living Americans who will admit to buying the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. That album was pure GOLD to the young Buck Pennington, in that it helped him get laid on numerous occasions in the way-way-back. How Deep Is YOUR love? Mine ran pretty deep back then... at least as far as quantity went. :-)I stand by that statement, for better or worse.
Thank Ya!!
Heh. There's a classic example of the wisdom one acquires in one's old age. Except, perhaps, for the marriage bit.Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Miami, are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they go in. Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?"
The pharmacist answers, "Yes."
Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"
Pharmacist: "Of course, we do."
Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"
Pharmacist: "All kinds."
Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"
Pharmacist: "Definitely."
Jacob: "How about suppositories?"
Pharmacist: "You bet!"
Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis and Alzheimer's?"
Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."
Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"
Pharmacist: "Absolutely."
Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"
Pharmacist: "We sure do."
Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"
Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."
Jacob: "Adult diapers?"
Pharmacist: "Sure."
Jacob: "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."
More Details on "Nyet Flag": Russian news reports—and other news outlets that picked up the story last week—claiming that Russia would send fighters to an upcoming Red Flag exercise are "a complete fabrication," said Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy. Russia was indeed supposed to send "working-level observers" to last month's Red Flag-Alaska 12-2, but their participation was canceled "due to reciprocity issues," she told the Daily Report on July 9 without elaboration. Observers at this "unit leadership" or "worker bee" level normally watch the exercise in order to prepare for possible full participation a year in advance, she explained. However, Red Flag participation by actual Russian air force fighters and strike aircraft "was never considered," she said. And, "no further . . . observation/participation" by the Russian air force in Red Flag "is planned at this time," she noted. Nevertheless, a Russian air force one-star general did watch the June exercise as part of an executive observer program. The Air Force could not immediately say whether this was the first time a Russian air force general observed a Red Flag at any level.—John A. Tirpak
Tiny Air Commandos Invade Hurlburt: Air Force Special Operations Command recently hosted its first-ever "Bring Your Child to Work Day" at Hurlburt Field, Fla. "Everyday we drop our kids off at daycare and kiss them goodbye in the morning," said event organizer Capt. Kristina Sawtelle in a July 9 Hurlburt release. She added, "This event takes the mystery out of what mommy and daddy do." The honorary air commandos began their day with physical training by running in formation with their family members. From there, it was off to the headquarters building for a pancake breakfast. The kids then rotated between an AFSOC command brief, an air park tour, and a battlefield airman exhibit showcasing special tactics gear. "I really appreciate that the command takes an interest in the families and makes them a priority," said SMSgt. Samel Brown, a security forces airman, who brought his five-year-old daughter Aniah to the June 29 event. (Hurlburt Field report by Rachel Arroyo)Cute, eh? No word whether or not the tykes were given KA-BAR training.
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| A cheesy cell-phone pic, me bein' too lazy to go get the real camera. |
That would have been the very HEIGHT of stoopid.No Krasni Flag: Russia won't be participating in an Air Force Red Flag exercise this year, according to an exercise spokesman at Eielson AFB, Alaska. What? Russia at Red Flag? Several media outlets—including the Voice of Russia radio network's English-language website—ran stories last week suggesting Russia would indeed be sending fighters to a Red Flag exercise in October, either at Nellis AFB, Nev., or in Alaska. This would be an extraordinary first if true, and a watershed development in US-Russian relations. But, alas, no red-starred Flankers and Fulcrums will be populating the ramps at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson, or anywhere else. Air Force officials told the Daily Report on July 6 that Russia had requested sending observers—not aircraft—to a Red Flag exercise this fall, but it won't be happening. While it would have been interesting to see those Sukhoi and MiG fighters at Red Flag—playing Red Air, perhaps?—modern Russian-designed fighters have already played in a Red Flag. In 2008, India brought its Su-30s MKI fighters to Nellis.—John A. Tirpak
We've got everything from takeaway burgers to farmers, from boys' toys to classical music this week, kicking off with a flashmob for culture vultures – a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to celebrate the 130th anniversary of a Spanish bank (it's great that a Spanish bank has found something to celebrate!). Check out the faces of the crowd – this performance will twang a few heart strings …
She's so cold, she's so cold
She was born in an arctic zone
She's so cold, she's so cold, cold, cold
And when I touch her my hand just froze
She's so cold, she's so goddamn cold
She's so cold, cold, cold, she's so cold
Four Air Guardsmen Died in C-130 Firefighting Crash: Four members of the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte died when their Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 crashed on July 1 while fighting a woodland fire in southwestern South Dakota. Two other crewmembers, whom officials are not naming, were injured in the crash and hospitalized, according to the North Carolina National Guard's July 3 release. The deceased are: Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, of Mooresville, N.C.; Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, of Belmont, N.C.; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, of Boone, N.C.; and SMSgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, of Charlotte. "Words can't express how much we feel the loss of these airmen," said Brig. Gen. Tony McMillan, 145th AW commander. "Our prayers are with their families, as well as our injured brothers as they recover." Mikeal was an evaluator pilot with the 156th Airlift Squadron. McCormick was an instructor pilot with the squadron. David was a navigator with the squadron. Cannon was a flight engineer serving with the 145th Operations Support Flight. The cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation. (See our initial coverage.)
MAFFS Back in the Firefighting Fray: After a one-day standdown on July 2, the Air Force's small fleet of Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130s resumed flight operations to help battle wildfires in Colorado and several northwestern states. As of early morning on July 4 local time, these airplanes, which began operating on June 25, had conducted a total of 105 airdrops and discharged more than 270,000 gallons of fire retardant on the flames in parts of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, said US Northern Command officials in a release. These MAFFS C-130s are assigned to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command units. They've been operating out of Peterson AFB, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo. The one-day suspension of flight operations came after the crash of one of these C-130s on July 1 during a firefighting mission in South Dakota that claimed the lives of four of the six crewmembers. (See our initial coverage.)One-day standdowns are common after any aircraft accident that involves fatalities. It just goes to show that the flyin' bid'niz is a dangerous bid'niz, especially one that involves a great deal of low-altitude flyin' under less than optimum conditions.
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| John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is a 12-by-18-foot oil-on-canvas painting in the United States Capitol Rotunda that depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress. (From The Wiki) |
We’re not all of us language-people. But…for those who just might be such a person, I offer “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence.”
The Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most masterfully written state paper of Western civilization. As Moses Coit Tyler noted almost a century ago, no assessment of it can be complete without taking into account its extraordinary merits as a work of political prose style. Although many scholars have recognized those merits, there are surprisingly few sustained studies of the stylistic artistry of the Declaration.(1) This essay seeks to illuminate that artistry by probing the discourse microscopically--at the level of the sentence, phrase, word, and syllable. By approaching the Declaration in this way, we can shed light both on its literary qualities and on its rhetorical power as a work designed to convince a "candid world" that the American colonies were justified in seeking to establish themselves as an independent nation.(2)
[…]
Like the introduction, the next section of the Declaration--usually referred to as the preamble--is universal in tone and scope. It contains no explicit reference to the British- American conflict, but outlines a general philosophy of government that makes revolution justifiable, even meritorious:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Like the rest of the Declaration, the preamble is "brief, free of verbiage, a model of clear, concise, simple statement."(11) It capsulizes in five sentences--202--words what it took John Locke thousands of words to explain in his Second Treatise of Government. Each word is chosen and placed to achieve maximum impact. Each clause is indispensable to the progression of thought. Each sentence is carefully constructed internally and in relation to what precedes and follows. In its ability to compress complex ideas into a brief, clear statement, the preamble is a paradigm of eighteenth-century Enlightenment prose style, in which purity, simplicity, directness, precision, and, above all, perspicuity were the highest rhetorical and literary virtues. One word follows another with complete inevitability of sound and meaning. Not one word can be moved or replaced without disrupting the balance and harmony of the entire preamble.I don’t know just how many times I’ve read the Declaration of Independence, but it’s been more than a few. One cannot read the document without a sense of wonder at the magnificence of the words and the way they’re put together. That said, I’ve never read an analysis of the style, thought, and historical/political precedents that went into the composition of the document. This “Stylistic Artistry” essay is one of those rare things one finds on the ‘net: A Keeper. Duly saved in my “Important Stuff” directory.
From: Occasional Correspondent
Date: Sun, Jul 1, 2012 20:02
Subject: I miss Detroit
To: Me
Last week I was in Charlotte and I saw a bumper sticker on a parked car that read"I miss Detroit".
So I broke the window, stole the radio and left a note that read "I hope this helps."
Heh. Along those same lines... I got a Romney bumper sticker in the mail this week. I thought about putting it on the Caddy before I went to ABQ this week... but, no. I don't want my new car keyed.
A wise move, my dear. I think you would have way more fun driving to Santa Fe and leaving it on the bumper of a Prius.
From the Usual USAF Source.Air Frame: The United States celebrates its 236th year of independence on July 4, 2012. "Thanks to the vision of our Founding Fathers and the commitment of the courageous men and women who fought to win American independence, we inherit a legacy of freedom based on the idea that all people possess certain unalienable rights—to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness," wrote Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and CMSAF James Roy in their Independence Day message to airmen. They added, "This Fourth of July, let us recommit ourselves to doing all that we can to ensure that our children, our grandchildren, and the generations that follow will enjoy the freedoms that are our birthright as Americans." Here, fireworks light up the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 13, 2006, the eve of its dedication. (Air Force photo by SrA. Desiree L. Andrejcik) (Click on image above to reachwallpaperbigger version.)
MAFFS in Force: For the first time since 2008, a total of eight specially modified C-130s from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve are helping the US Forest Service fight wildfires raging in Colorado and several northwestern states. Since June 25, four Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130s staging from Peterson AFB, Colo., have battled the flames; on June 30, four more aircraft arrived there. As of early on July 1 local time, these eight airplanes had dropped more than 190,000 gallons of fire retardant in 73 airdrops, states a Peterson release. Starting on July 2, four of the MAFFS C-130s will begin staging out of the Wyoming Air Guard's base in Cheyenne, announced Cheyenne officials. This will give the Forest Service "tremendous flexibility to assist with several regional fires at once," said Col. Jerry Champlin, 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander. Two C-130s from Cheyenne's 153rd Airlift Wing and two from the North Carolina Air Guard's 145th AW will operate from Cheyenne. Two Aircraft from the California Air Guard's 146th AW and two from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd AW at Peterson will continue to stage from the Colorado base. (Includes Cheyenne report by Deidre Forster) (See also June 30 Cheyenne release.)
Academy Gets Back to Normal: With the worst of the Waldo Canyon fire seemingly behind it, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., resumed normal operations. "Although academy personnel have been recalled and normal operations have resumed, the Waldo Canyon fire is still active and extremely dependent on weather conditions," stated academy officials on June 29 in announcing the return to normalcy. They added, "There is no immediate threat to academy property, and academy officials continue to monitor the situation closely." Should the fire continue to spread north, they said there was "a high degree of confidence" that firefighters would be able to minimize impact to the academy. On June 29, academy officials allowed more than 2,100 airmen and family members to return to the Douglass Valley and Pine Valley housing areas and to the enlisted dormitories that were evacuated last week. They also lifted the stop-movement order on personnel coming to the academy. The academy reopened to visitors on June 30. (Colorado Springs report by TSgt. Chris Powell) (JBSA-Randolph report by Debbie Gildea) (For updates, see the academy's Waldo Canyon fire webpage.)An Occasional Correspondent sent me pics of the Academy wreathed in smoke... it looked pretty bad at the time.
So there's The Tart's competition. She's got a pretty tough act to follow, methinks.On Cars
That “Which Sports Car Are You?” quiz got me to thinking right after I took it. Bad thoughts. Thoughts about replacing the Green Hornet with a new Miata, even though the current one, with only 38K on the clock, is in immaculate condition and is eminently serviceable in each and every respect. I did all the usual things: went to the Kelly Blue Book site and found out what the Green Hornet is worth (always a shock), what folks are paying for new Miatas (also a shock), and fired off a request for a quote to the nearest Mazda dealer. Yesterday I came to my senses and put those thoughts out of my head. Why replace a perfectly good thing with something that’s gonna cost you a lot of money, relatively speaking, and provides only limited advantages over what you currently own? Crazy, is what that is.
What I really need is a new motorcycle!But back to cars. How well traveled is your car? I’ve owned some cars that have been exceptionally well-traveled. The Green Hornet is probably typical. I took delivery in SFO and have driven it as far north as the central Oregon Coast, south to the Mexican border, east to Houston (ed: and South Carolina and PA, a couple o' years ago), and lotsa points in between, especially in New Mexico. My Corvette, on the other hand, didn’t get out a lot. I took delivery in Detroit, and drove it all over Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, west to South Bend, IN and east to New York. The ‘Vette was a toy, pure and simple. The most well-traveled car I’ve ever owned was a 1983 BMW 320. I bought it while living in London, took delivery in Munich, drove it through Germany, Holland, and all over the UK before bringing it back home. Once in the US, that car took The Second Mrs. Pennington and me from coast to coast, New Jersey to Los Angeles, all over Michigan, south to Oklahoma City, and more than a few points in between. I owned that car for nearly ten years, getting rid of only after it had well over 100K on the clock and maintenance costs began to exceed operating costs. I replaced it with a SAAB 9000, which was one of the worst cars I’ve ever owned, and my first and last front-driver.So, apropos of nothing, here’s the inventory of cars I’ve known and loved or hated, from first to current, with a few comments on each.1950 Buick coupe, yellow with a black top, straight-eight with a slush-o-matic Dynaflow transmission. The engine never changed pitch and there were no perceptible shift points in that car. Very weird, very geeky. Like its 18-year old owner.1957 Triumph TR-3. God, I loved that car! It was a chick-magnet! It had a short life, and very nearly ended my own. I managed to toss it off a 50-foot embankment just outside of Lompoc, CA. Rolled it three times, once laterally and twice end over end before it came to rest.1964 Chevy Impala. Technically not my car, it belonged to The First Mrs. Pennington. But it was the family car for a few months after we were married. I walked between totaling the TR and marrying TFMP.1965 VW Beetle. A thoroughly utilitarian, forgettable automobile, no matter what Bug-lovers say. Cramped and underpowered.1967 Chevy Malibu SS396. 350 hp, three-speed Hydramatic, great looking, wonderful car. One of the few automobiles I wish I still owned.1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340. 275 hp, four-speed. The best way to get more than 275 hp out of that car was to turn the ignition key to the right. VERY quick. Sold it during the First Great Oil Crisis, coz it got all of ten mpg, highway.1972 (maybe 1973, I don’t really remember) Mazda RX-3 station wagon. Very powerful and very smooth, for its size. About as reliable as a hand grenade; Mazda put two replacement engines in that car under warranty, TFMP put one in it on her dime.(Following my first divorce I went about three years without owning a car at all. I had a succession of motorcycles for basic transportation. An interesting period in life, to be sure.)1972 Chevy Nova, bought used in 1977. Straight-six, three-speed stick. Best value for money in a car I’ve EVER had. Bought it for $750.00, sold it in 1979 for $500.00. It took me from South Bend, IN to North Dakota, to Florida, back to ND, and out to Oregon. I sold it once I could see my feet while looking down into the trunk. Serious rust-bucket, but it sure worked.1978 Ford Courier pick-up. Another utilitarian vehicle. Four-banger, four-speed. Took The Second Mrs. Pennington and me from Oregon to the East Coast and all over the UK for a year or two.1983 BMW 320. See above. Another car I wish I still owned.1984 Nissan pickup. TSMP’s daily driver. Utilitarian. Forgettable.1991 SAAB 9000. Four-banger, five-speed, hatchback. Front-wheel drive. I seriously disliked this car, even though I kept it for four years.199X Mercury Cougar. TSMP’s daily driver; I drove this car rarely. Don’t even remember what year it was.1992 Corvette. I owned this car for seven years and I LOVED it. Technically TSMP’s car, I inherited it in the divorce.1996 Chevy Impala SS. The last big-assed, RWD, ‘Vette motored Impala. Great road car! Another one I wish I had back.1999 Dodge Durango. TSMP’s vehicle, I rarely drove it.1953 Cadillac Four-door sedan. Hobby car, money-sink. TSMP christened it “The Smokin’, Drinkin’, Partyin’ Car.” And so it was. It was fun, but I won’t go there again.The Green Hornet. 2000 – current. Reliable, fun, good looking. This car STILL gets approving comments and glances from all sorts of people, from nine-year old boys to Sweet Young Things, to Grandmas.
The bold-faced cars were my favorites. And there you have it.Update 1/29/06: I forgot the "other 'Vette." The Corvette was TSMP's daily driver and she didn't want to drive it during the Detroit winters. So I bought a "winter car," as lots of Michiganders do, and the 'Vette was garaged "for the duration." The winter car was a 198X Chevette, maybe an '85, maybe an '86, I don't know. It's hard for me to express just how BAD that car actually was. A Chevette would give the Yugo a run for its money for the title of "Worst Automotive Abomination, Ever." If ever there was a reason to be glad to see Spring, it was the fact I didn't have to drive the Yu...er...Chevette again until November.More needs to be said about that '53 Cadillac, too. That thing was HUGE inside. TSMP and I used to joke that if we fell on hard times and lost the house we could always live in the Caddy. I also imagine a lot of kids were conceived in full-size American cars of the early and mid-'50s. TSMP and I split the back-seat upholstery of that car one afternoon (the upholstery was old, we were "exuberant"), and that became an inside joke between us concerning "the best thing about the Caddy."
