UN condemns Israel's use of weapons

Aah, the UN, that emminent association of morality that negotiates with terrorists as if they were countries, puts human rights abusers on the Human Rights Council, and ignores horrific abuses around the world unless it can turn a profit (see Oil for Food). Well, they're at it again. Now Israel's has been condemned for waging war up until the ceasefire. Maybe my definition of ceasefire is wrong, but don't you stop waging war after a ceasefire, not before? The UN has accused the IAF of using cluster bomblets, which have the explosive force to destroy armored vehicles, and are packed into bombs dropped from aircrafts or into artillery shells. [...] The UN humanitarian chief, Jan Egeland, said Wednesday that a large portion of the bombs dropped on Lebanon had failed to explode on impact and were continuing to maim and kill civilians every day. He said he was particularly disturbed that Israel had used the bombs even as the August 14 cease-fire loomed. So looming ceasefire means stop? I don't get it... Nevermind that clusterbombs are perfectly legal, internationally used munitions. There are no international laws banning their use. And what about condemnation for Leba-Hezbollahnan? Perhaps Jan Egeland missed the whole prelude to the war, that Hezbollah terrorists kidnapped Israeli soldiers. Oh, and maybe Jan Egeland missed the news stories where Hezbollah was bombing civilian cites in Israeli cities. And perhaps Jan Egeland forgot the Hezbollah IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION!!! Jan... Get your head out of your ass...

California legislature continues to try to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants

At least Schwarzenegger continues to get this issue right even if he may be wrong on the CO2 emissions bill. SACRAMENTO, August 31, 2006 - The latest attempt to allow illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses passed the Legislature on Wednesday, but it was doomed as soon as the final vote was taken. A spokeswoman said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto it. "The governor will not sign any legislation that in any way threatens public safety," spokeswoman Margita Thompson said. The bill that passed the Senate on a 21-13 vote was lawmakers' eighth attempt at legalizing driver's' licenses for illegal immigrants. It was sent to Schwarzenegger with no debate and the bare majority of votes needed. The measure by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, would overturn a 1993 law that prohibits the state from issuing licenses to drivers who cannot prove they are in the country legally. Talk about politicians pandering to their base. We've really got to get rid of Gil Cedillo. Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants is his pet project and this is the eighth time he's tried to get this type of bill passed. If Arnold ever signs one of these into law, he can start digging his own political grave. UPDATE @ 12:12pm: HotAir's latest Vent also focuses on illegal immigration, briefly discussing a Post Office in Mayfield, CA where pro-illegal immigration protestors flew a Mexican flag before going on with a trailer for an upcoming documentary, Border War. Check it out.

Fantasy baseball time and I can smell the playoffs

I clinched a playoff spot with a punishing win against GOP and the City. GOP and College has the full recap... Wookies Will Win - 10 Robots Eat Babies - 1 (Tie in Saves) Yoo know, it's fun to see my brother get beat, but not that bad. Wookies were pissed about losing to fmragtops last week, and it showed. I mean this one wasn't even really close. Wookies dominated most of the pitching stats, and killed with an ERA of only 3.36. Batting was all Wookies. With Chipper, Dye, and Delgado combining for 12 Home Runs, it's pretty easy to see why he's first. Also, wookies are locked for the playoffs. Game MVP: Jermaine Dye - 8 times across the plate, 11 RBI's and 5 home runs with a .393 average. Game Wash-Out: The Man - Ater a 10-1 win last week, being on vaccation this week vs. the number one team may have blown the Robot's chances at a playoff spot. At least he had fun though. I've really got to say the big win was thanks in most part to a quick start last Tuesday. The Cards and Mets played and Pujols and Delgado combined for 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. In one game. That gave me a headstart and I never looked back. A game ball also go to John Smoltz who came through with 2 big wins that combined for an ERA of 0.56 and a WHIP of 0.44. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going; we've got this last week to tune up and then it's playoff time! If I can keep my 1st place ranking I get a bye in the first round, so there's no room to slack off.

Ahmadinejad challenges Bush to a televised debate

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Now we know he's certifiable. TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced defiance on Tuesday as a deadline neared for Iran to halt work the West fears is a step toward building nuclear bombs, and challenged President Bush to a televised debate. "Peaceful nuclear energy is the right of the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation has chosen that based upon international regulations, it wants to use it and no one can stop it," he told a news conference. The U.N. Security Council has given Iran until Thursday to suspend uranium enrichment -- a process which can produce fuel for civilian reactors or explosive material for warheads -- and has threatened sanctions unless it does so. A debate is never going to happen. All it does is legitimize Wacky-pants Ahmadinejad, and the man is anything but legitimate. Nuclear power isn't a natural right like breathing our not having your head cut off by terrorists. You've got to earn the respect of the international community and his antisemetic rants won't get him respect. So hopefully Dubya gets a good laugh at this one, then figures out a way to diplomatically make life so miserable for Wacky-pants Ahmadinejad that he does something rash that the UN can't wishfully dismiss like they've done with Sudan, Lebanon, etc... UPDATE @ 1:49pm: I just kind of off the cuff said that the UN has in most cases simply ignored Iran's transgressions. Then I saw this story. Unbelievable.

Nasrallah didn't think the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers would lead to war

That's the kind of statement that ought to make Israel and the US feel better about their course of action in prosecuting the GWOT harshly as opposed to taking UN brokered ceasfires. Condi, please take notes... Sometimes war is the answer. BEIRUT - The leader of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, has said in a television interview that he would not have ordered the capture of two Israeli soldiers had he known that it would lead to such a war. Guerrillas from Hezbollah, an Islamic militant group, killed three Israeli soldiers and seized two others in a cross-border raid on July 12, setting off 34 days of fighting that ended with a cease-fire on Aug. 14. "We did not think, even 1 percent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude," Nasrallah told New TV of Lebanon in an interview that was aired Sunday. Asked if he would have ordered the operation if he had known on July 11 that it would lead to such a war, Nasrallah answered: "No, absolutely not." To me that's an invitation to bombard the terrorists whenever they do something. Kidnap a soldier; bomb the hell out of them. Kidnap a journalist; bomb the hell out of them. Kidnap a puppy; bomb the hell out of them. What have I been saying all along? The terrorist swine see negotiations as a victory against a passive, spineless enemy who doesn't have the gumption to see anything related to lethal force through to the end. The only language they understand is violence, and apparently Israel's 34 days of violence made an impression on Nasrallah. Good work Israel.

As the blog turns... a brief public service announcement

For the three of you who are regular readers, you may have noticed a small change on Cake or Death. I've sold out and signed up with AdSense. Well, maybe not a sellout, but I figure since I do spend a fair amount of time keeping the content here up to date, I might as well get paid a few pennies for the efforts. I just signed up today, and there's a review period as the AdSense gurus figure out the best possible way to use my blog for their advertising, so I won't get paid for anything right away. But don't let that stop you. Go ahead, click on an ad when you stop by. Baby needs a new pair of shoes...

Jack Bauer wins two Emmy's

And that's really just more proof that no one says no to Jack Bauer. And Jack has this message for Ned Lamont: So remember Vote for Jack!

Project 2,996

With the fifth anniversary of September 11th approaching, an effort to get the blogosphere together for a memorial has been brewing. Project 2,996 is trying to get 2,996 bloggers to post on September 11th something about a single victim that died that day. That way each individual gets a post dedicated to them and them alone. It's a great idea, and My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy led me to it. When I signed up last night they were still about 400 bloggers short of 2,996. So if you'd like to dedicate a post to the memory of a 9/11 victim head here to sign up. Don't worry about not knowing someone who died that day, you'll be given a name at random to memorialize. If you don't have a blog, just spend a little time that day jumping between blog posts. Everyone who died that day was someones son or daughter, father or mother, brother, sister or friend. Take some time to pay your repsects by remembering them and their familes.

Adventures of a first-time father to be... part 5

I had an epiphany today. A realization that hit me like a bolt of lightning. Since the fetching Mrs. Wookie is pregnant with a girl, that means I'm going to have to pay for her wedding... eventually... hopefully in like 40 years... The first words out of my mouth after this unusual moment of clarity... ? F*ck. Part 4 Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

Hot Air replaces Michelle Malkin (not really...)

Well, technically Michelle's on vacation, but with such amazing guest hosts, do we really need Michelle back? Gee... let me think...

12 arrested after Northwest flight was diverted just after takeoff

Breaking... AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Dutch F-16s escorted a Northwest Airlines flight bound for India back to an airport here Wednesday after the pilot radioed for help, and police arrested 12 passengers who had aroused suspicions, authorities said. [...] While Flight NO0042 was over German airspace shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed for permission to return to Schiphol Airport and asked for an escort of jet fighters because some of the passengers were acting suspiciously, the Defense Ministry said. "A number of them behaved, in the opinion of the crew, in a suspicious manner," said the ministry. "As a result, the captain asked to return to Schiphol." A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said crew members and air marshals observed the passengers trying to use cell phones and passing them among themselves while the airliner was taking off. This is just the world we live in now... Memo to all airline passengers: Don't do anything suspicious. Unless you want to get arrested... UPDATED @ 3:53pm: CNN reports air marshals were on board and were instrumental in making the call to return to Amsterdam along with the pilot.

Solar panels now a required option on all new homes

Schwarzenegger just signed the bill on Monday. It's just another example of a Republican singled handedly destroying the environment... oh... wait... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Monday legislation that is expected to boost his plan to place solar panels on 1 million rooftops and create the equivalent of five new modern power plants. The legislation, authored by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, requires homebuilders to make rooftop solar panels an option for buyers of new homes in all housing tracts of at least 50 houses, beginning on Jan. 1, 2011. "When you go in to buy a home, you'll pick your carpet, you'll pick your tile and hopefully you'll pick what type of solar roof you want," Murray said at a bill-signing ceremony in Los Angeles. This is where I find myself getting conflicted much of the time. I generally hate it when government requires businesses to do anything. Anti-smoking laws are a great example. But I think this law might actually be a good idea. First off, it doesn't require that all new homes have them installed, it just requires that buyers be given the option by the manufacturer. No harm in that, right? If you want to have the solar panels you can get them and don't have to find someone after the house is built to install them for you. And as the article mentions, if the anticipated numbers are achieved, it could add the equivalent of 5 new power plants in California. Hell, even if it only adds one equivalent power plant, it's less strain on existing plants, less use of fossil fuels to create our energy, and overall, it's better for the environment. Yes, I said environment. Republicans aren't out to destroy the environment, contrary to popular opinion. One small downside is that it doesn't take effect until 2011. That's two and a half years before we see these solar options available directly from the manufacturer. Seems a bit much to me, but you can't have everything. The coolest thing that this bill allows that I didn't quote above is that if your panels create more energy than you consume, you can sell that energy to your electric company. That's right... Sell. Back. To. Your. Utility. So during those winter months when my electric bill is $40 if I produce more energy than I use, I would get credits to my account to help pay for the AC during the summer that's bumped my bill upwards of $250. Now on a costs vs. benefits look, California residents can go here to get an estimate on the costs of installation, potential electric bill savings based on your zip code, and environmental benefits your system would create. The estimator starts you on a small 1.0 kW series of panels, but will allow you to adjust and see the costs and savings involved if you buy more or less. For me, it said a 1.0 kW series of panels would cost $8000 and save me an estimated $368 a year on electricity. So at that rate it would take 21 years for the panels to have paid for themselves. Now the estimator also mentions incentives that could cut the installation costs in half, which would take a little over 10 years to pay off. That's still not quite fast enough for me if I'm paying for this out of pocket, even with the incentives mainly because most people don't stay in the same home for that long. But if your manufacturer is putting them up for you, you'll just roll those costs into your home loan as opposed to paying out of pocket or taking out a home equity line to pay for the costs of doing it yourself. In your home loan it would cost you pennies a month over the 30 year life of your loan. So overall this could be a good thing. Still we've got to wait until 2011... But maybe by then, I'll be in the market for a new house...

Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we?

Every once and a while you actually get something good forwarded to you. Something other than a chain letter. Something like this... Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11,2001 Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they? And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all. I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11. I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia. I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat. I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques. I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs. I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights. In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave Marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care. When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care. When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care. When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care. And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and ---- you got it, I DON'T CARE! I think that just about sums it up...

9/11 comic released

The Today show this morning seemed to be trying to make a big deal out of this for whatever reason... NEW YORK — It looks like a comic book and reads like a comic book, but the subject matter is deadly serious: what went wrong before, during and after 9/11. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (Hill and Wang, $16.95 paperback, $30 hardcover), based on the government commission report that became a best seller in 2004, arrives Tuesday. My initial reaction was to cringe a bit at the thought, but when David "Cheney has me on speed dial" Gregory interviewed the creators, they were very up front about their purpose. The wanted to create a visual representation of the 9/11 Report. That's it. No personal views or biases, just telling the story of what happened that day and maybe making the timeline a little easier to understand by actually putting in times things happened that day. The authors mentioned they couldn't read the 9/11 Report because it was too dense, to hard to follow. They're quoted in the article as saying, "we're in the business of clarification." Hopefully this graphic novel can clarify that report. Think of it like Cliff Notes for a hugely important document. Gregory and the Today Show tried to up the controversy around it by interviewing a family member who lost a loved one on 9/11. She of course didn't think the graphic covel/comic was appropriate, but with all due respect to her and the loss she suffered, she's coming from a distincly biased point of view. What would she feel is an appropriate portrayal of that days events. Movies have been and will continue to be made about that day, novels and biographies have been and will be written about people's experiences that day. Are those appropriate? I'd say depending on how they approach the subject, yes, they're more than likely completely appropriate. And everything I've seen about this release is just as good. Some will argue that kids shouldn't see it. Well, that's really up to the parents, isn't it. Parents let their kids watch all kind of stuff that they shouldn't; is this really going to be any worse than anything they'll see on TV or at the movies? I'd think this might even help some kids grasp the importance of the events that day. It might help them understand the far reaching consequences of the tragedy on 9/11. And if that's the case, I say that this will probably help more people than it will harm. Anyone who might not find it appropriate I'd have to say don't buy it. Just like with United 93, World Trade Center, or any other movie about 9/11, if you're not ready to handle the story in those mediums then don't watch them. I know when United 93 came out, the fetching Mrs. Wookie, wouldn't go see it with me, because she didn't feel like she could handle the overwhelming emotions from that day. I can respect that, because she could differentiate between what she could handle and what the public could handle. I'm definitely going to have to take a look at the book... see what it's all about. And unless there's some gross negligence that went in to creating the book, I'd say it's at the very least worth checking out. Give it a chance.

Adventures of a first-time father to be... part 4

Be vewy, vewy quiet... I'm hunting fow highchaiwes at babies-awe-us... That place is friggin' enormous! The fetching Mrs. Wookie and I went a-registering yesterday and let me just say, thank God our friend Kristin came with to explain what all this stuff was and whether or not we would need it. Long gone are the days of a just getting a crib and a highchair and being good to go. You need car seats (one for each car), strollers (super duty off road version and light travel version), pack'n'plays (one for parents and others for grandparents), changing table, bath tub, video baby monitor, cradle swings, cradle bouncers, changing pads, sleep sacks, breat pump, a snugli (baby backpack), sling rider (another baby backpack), diaper pail, diaper bag, auto mirror, and a plethora of other stuff that I have no idea what it even does. And you'd think a "diaper pail" would be simple. Not a chance... Some of the one's we saw probably were first used as toxic biological waste dumps with air sealed spaces in the top that hermetically seal the diaper before placing it in the waste recipticle. And the plastic liners for the diaper pail/toxic waste bin are especially made to withstand materials as corrosive hydrochloric acid. At least you'd think they ought to be at $10 apiece for the liners alone. I think it's easier to dispose of used needles... Does a stroller have four wheels, a seat for the baby, and a compartment for stuff? Nope... It's got eight off-road sized wheels, cup holders, glove box, enough space to seat 2 babies, a place to attach the car seat to it, hand brakes, sun shade, window, and collapses with the push of a button to something half the size of a folding chair. If it brewed espresso, life would be complete... Oh and I keep referring to cup holders as bottle holders; bottle of milk for baby and a bottle of beer for daddy. Baby monitors don't have to just listen to the sounds from the baby's room anymore. It's got night vision on it, and I think infrared heat signal monitors are coming just around the corner. I think we were there for 3 hours. Thank God we weren't buying, just scanning for our registery for the upcoming baby showers. I don't think I could afford this kid if I had to just go buy all this stuff... Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

Bush continues to defend the GWOT

Dubya got a little testy this morning as he continued to fend off criticism about the GWOT and the war in Iraq. "Frustrated? Sometimes, I'm frustrated… War is not a time of joy." "These aren't joyous times," Bush said. "These are challenging times. And they're difficult times. And they're straining the -- the psyche of our country. I understand that. You know, nobody likes to see innocent people die. Nobody wants to turn on their TV on a daily basis and see the havoc wrought by terrorists. And our question is, do we have the -- the capacity and the desire to spread peace by confronting these terrorists and supporting those who want to live in liberty? ... That's the question." He hammered the Democrats as weak on defense, wavering on their support for the war, and for tax increases despite the strong economy and our deficit shrikning faster than anticipated. But his defense of Israel and support of the ceasefire left something to be deisred. Israpundit points to Dubya's weaker responses. 1. When asked about the death and destruction Israel caused he replied that Israel was attacked and was entitled to defend itself and how it defended itself is for her to decide. I was disappointed that he didn’t say Israel’s response was proportionate notwithstanding allegations to the contrary. 2. When asked about the International Force being created, he said the US was working hard to get it done, to make it robust and to work out the mandate. Unfortunately his remarks suggested that the mandate was only to create a security zone. As for disarming Hezbollah, all he could say was that hopefully in the future they will be disarmed. Thus it is no longer on the immediate agenda to get it done. He did not remark at all on resupply. 3. When asked about whether Israel violated the ceasefire on Sunday, he begged the issue and replied that it was important to get the international force in there as soon as possible. He failed to justify Israel’s actions. 4. Finally when speaking of the threats to the Middle East and world emanated from terrorists and extremists with an ideology supported by Iran. Gone was any reference to Islamofascists. Tough to argue with that. You can't undercut an ally by not supporting their response to Hezbollah's terrorist actions. You can't hope that a ceasefire will make Hezbollah disarm. You can't be soft spoken when dealing with a terrorist regime like Iran. Come on Dubya. Get your A-game back...

Everyone's favorite fantasy baseball. It's Hot Wing Conspiracy time!

Well I'd love to start this round up by saying I cleaned up against fmraptops, but alas, it didn't quite happen... Before we get to that though, here's how this whole fantasy baseball thing works... We play head to head matchups against another team in the league based on the stats our players put up during the week. The stats your team builds up are broken down into 12 groups. For batters, there are runs, homeruns, RBI‚’s, strike-outs, stolen bases, and battering average. For pitching, there are wins, saves, strike-outs, holds (no one really understands how they work), ERA, and WHIP. When the week is done and the stats are totalled up, each one of those categories is a win, a loss, or a tie for the teams playing. So in a given week, you can have any combination of wins, losses, and ties that add up to 12. With that out of the way, here's how our games finished... Wookies Will Win - 5 Fmragtops' spewers - 7 I talked a little too much smack at the beginning of the week and karma being what it is, of course, I ended up losing the game. Figures. We both had a good week and I managed to keep the score close, but I just couldn't quite beat fm. We split the pitching stats 3-3 and he managed 4 of 6 offensive stats clobbering me in SBs and batting average. Stud: Carl Crawford. Can anyone keep this guy of the basepaths? 7 SBs with a .583 average. Damn. Dud: Kiko Calero. I picked him up in a vain attempt to get a hold now and again, but his 16.20 ERA probably was the only thing that kept me from winning the ERA category. Or it could be that his name is Kiko... Robots Eat Babies - 10 The Right Wing Nuts - 1 The spanking of the week. With a score like that you'd think Robots would have killed the Nuts, and, well... he really kinda did. Sorry Nuts... not much I can say good about that performance. You only won the strikeout category by one. That's it. Robots destroyed you in every other category. So I guess you could say the Robots really know how to put those Nuts away, which is good cause I'd hate for them to get cold. Stud: Francisco Cordero. With 1 win, 3 saves, 0.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.50, he deserves the MVP Dud: Huston Street blew the save against KC and went and pulled his groin at the same time. Not good... Baghdad Bombers - 7 Webcats - 3 This was the pitching versus hitting matchup of the week, and the offfense won. The Bombers swept the offensive stats; it really wasn't even close. Webcats got their 3 wins in pitching, but the Bombers managed to get 2 ties to keep the Cats from getting too many points. Stud: Big Papi, Big Papi, Big Papi. 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 7 runs. His usual... Dud: Marcus Thames hit .200 but put up no other valuable stats. Not a RBI, run, or SB. He struck out 8 times, but that's a bad thing... RFTR - 4 bRight & Early - 7 The distribution of stats here was kinda interesting. All the offensive stats were really close, but bRight edged out RFTR 4-2 there. Pitching on the other hand was all over the place. bRight killed RFTR in wins (4-1) and K's (54-28) but couldn't manage a single save and lost that 6 to zip, and then they went and tied WHIP. Weird. Stud: Steroid king Jason Giambi pounded 2 HRs and 9 RBIs as the Evil Empire went to Boston and pounded them like they were a second rate t-ball team. Dud: We'll give Russell Martin the dud award, becasue, well, someone has to have it, and hitting .158 and only scoring 1 run will earn you that spot. The PAWs - 4 CZC Owns - 5 4-5 and the stats were pretty even. Who'd have thunk it. CZC squeaked this one out by some miracle. I've said this before; he's got the best #15 team in the league, and it's true. His pitching was a little less shabby than the PAWs and that was the difference. Stud: Manny Ramirez, even though the Red Sox got beat like the proverbial red-headed step child, Manny did well: hitting .476 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs. Or we could give it to Robinson Canó with his .306, 2 HRs, and 13 RBIs but he's employed by the Evil Empire, so screw him... Dud: Geoff Jenkins forgot to swing the bat this week and posted goose eggs across the board. Repubs lost in SD - 5 Akhtar the Divorcee - 5 Offense versus pitching and nobody won. With stellar ERA (2.63)and WHIP (0.85)the Repubs to the pitching 4-1-1 and Akhtar clobbered 13 HRs and 40 RBIs to take the offensive stats 4-1-1. I'm guessing Akhtar was counting on a win against the league's last place team, but the Repubs did their best as the spoiler. Stud: We have a Miguel Tejada siting! .435 average, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, and 6 runs. Too bad he plays for the O's. Dud: Josh Beckett. Part of the Boston Massacre, Josh ended the game with a 10.80 ERA and a WHIP at 2.23. Columbia Cardinals - 7 The Galt-inators - 5 Thanks to Galt for keeping this one close against the league's #2. It's the only reason I'm still #1. Galt managed to steal the batting stats 4-2, but the Cards pitching got him the win taking the pitching categories 5-1. Stud: Johnny Damon's 4 HRs and 12 RBIs don't count, so the MVP is Chris Duncan who hit .583 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs. An excellent free agent pick up for the Cards. Dud: Mike Piazza. What happened Mikey? You hit your 400th HR a couple weeks ago and you think a .000 average with a sac fly RBI will cut it? Gashouse Gorillas - 6 Poca Dots Blog - 4 The big hairy apes were pretty convincing with the power numbers, but couldn't muster a batting average above .240. Still it was enough to win as the Dots were worse... barely. The Dots looks like they're throwing in the towel on baseball pinning their hopes on football which will be starting soon. I, on the other hand, will live it up in baseball because my football team is gonna blow goats. Big, fat, hairy, ugly, old goats. Stud: JD Drew has surprisingly managed to play most of the year and not break a finger nail. He hit .333 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs. Dud: Gary Sizemore must be relying on his looks and stature as the most popular Cleveland Indian with the ladies since Wild Thing Rick Vaughn instead of actually trying to hit the ball. Gotta hit better than .120 to make the chicks dig your long balls. If you're so inclined, here's the past recaps. Last week got skipped I think, so it's as complete as it can be... Week 18 Recap Week 17 Recap Week 16 Recap Week 15 Recap Week 14 Recap Week 13 Recap Week 12 Recap Week 11 Recap Week 10 Recap Week 9 Recap Week 8 Recap Week 7 Recap Week 6 Recap Week 5 Recap Week 4 Recap Week 3 Recap Week 2 Recap Week 1 Recap

Who knows what time it is?

It's time for snakes on a mother effin' plane, yo!!! And my favorite part of how this movie went from internet rumor to honest-to-God film is that Samuel Jackson took the part after only hearing the title. Because, really... with a title like that, do you really even care what's in the script?

Woman who caused yesterdays transatlantic flight to be diverted is a "peace activist"

It also sounds like she's completely friggin' nuts too. I put this little blurb up on the "Headlines" sidebar to the left yesterday: The United Airlines flight landed in Boston after a 60 year old woman on board caused a ruckus when she became extremely claustrophobic. Authorities know this was not a terrorists threat, but nevertheless, they are searching her luggage and the plane was escorted to Boston by fighter jets. This must have been some confrontation on board with a 60 year old woman to get this kind of response. Apparently "ruckus" and "claustrophobic" don't even begin to describe it. Catherine Mayo was restrained on board United Airlines flight 923, diverted from Washington DC to Boston. Her lawyer said Ms Mayo, 59, described by her son as a peace activist, had "serious mental health problems". Usually I'd say peace activist alone is enough to be certifiable, but she took it to a whole new level. [...] The FBI said that Ms Mayo took several banned items onto the plane. According to FBI spokesman Gail Marcinkiewicz, Ms Mayo carried hand lotion, a screwdriver, matches and cigarette lighters on board. Screwdriver, lighters, matches... that's a good way to get noticed. If that's not enough you could always do this... [...] The flight crew on board United 923 noticed Ms Mayo behaving oddly, pushing against a bulkhead door, according to an affidavit lodged with the court by an FBI special agent. After being asked to return to her seat, the affidavit said, Ms Mayo asked to speak to an air marshal and said she knew people wanted to see what was in her bag. Her continued erratic behaviour and constant state of movement, combined with regular references to her time spent in Pakistan and people she knew in that country's mountainous regions, led the flight crew to believe she posed a serious security risk, the affidavit said. During a conversation with the plane's captain, she apparently made reference to "six steps to building some unspecified thing". Later on, when trying to use a toilet, Ms Mayo allegedly pulled down her pants and urinated on the floor. Totally acceptable behavior back at the hippie treehugger commune, but not appreciated so much on an airplane. I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I can't resist... She must have been really pissed.

Ready for a good laugh? Ahmadinejad says the US should be disarmed

BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Aaahh... This is rich! "Those states responsible for the atomic bombing of (Japan's) Nagasaki and Hiroshima are now trying to deprive the Iranian nation of its right," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "Those states should be disarmed." First off, neither nuclear power nor nuclear weapons are an inalienable right. Especially not nuclear weapons. And since the international community has deemed you unfit to possess nuclear weapons, tough shit. You don't get to have them. Maybe next time you'll think before opening your big mouth and saying how you want to exterminate Israel and that the holocaust never happened. Second, our decision to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima was made when it became apparent that Japan would fight to its very last soldier, draggin the war out for years possibly. How many more lives would that cost? Truman made the best decision available to save lives in the long run and force Japan into submission at the prospect of utter annihilation. Jeff Jacoby concurs... More than ever before, the historical record confirms what those soldiers knew in their gut: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hideous as they were, shortened the war that Japan had begun and thereby saved an immensity of lives. Far from considering itself “essentially defeated,” the Japanese military was preparing for an Allied assault with a massive buildup in the south. It was only the shock of the atomic blasts that enabled Japanese leaders who wanted to stop the fighting to successfully press for a surrender. It was a tough choice, certainly not one that was made lightly. And in the end, I believe the right one.

Federal judge orders a stop to NSA wiretapping program

Jimmy Carter's leagcy of idiocy bites us in the ass... again. .S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit said President George W. Bush exceeded his legal and constitutional authority in ordering the surveillance program that began after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ruling on a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups, Taylor said the surveillance program violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee against unreasonable searches as well as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. [...] "The office of the chief executive was itself created, with its powers, by the Constitution," wrote Taylor, a 73-year-old senior judge appointed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. "There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all 'inherent powers' must derive from the Constitution." Aaah... Jimmy. Thanks so much for another liberal judge willing to sacrifice the security of the nation for the ACLU. It's a comforting thought that we will allow terrorists in the US to call their terrorist buddies in Pakistan, Iran, or where ever and we won't listen to their call. It's not like the Brits used that sort of technology to track the terrorists that they arrested last week before they got on the planes and blew them up. Oh wait... yes they did. And it's not like we haven't already had the discussion that these wiretaps are 100% totally friggin' legal. So thanks again Jimmy Carter. Once again you've done your best to make us more vulnerable.

JonBenet Ramsey's killer arrested

It wasn't the father, mother, or brother... It was a second grade teacher? Aug. 16, 2006 — A 41-year-old former schoolteacher who is wanted for questioning in the murder of JonBenet Ramsey is under arrest in Bangkok, Thailand, on unrelated sex charges, federal law enforcement sources told ABC News. [...] The man under arrest was charged in 2001 with possession of child pornography in Sonoma County, Calif., and is also wanted in that state for failing to appear in court, the sources told ABC News. Sex. charges. in. Thailand. I can't even imagine what that would be, but it certainly not something he put on his resume when he became a second grade teacher. Neither are the child porn charges he's already had brought against him... And it's been 10 years since JonBenet was killed. Certainly doesn't seem that long. And the sad part is that her mother Patsy died earlier this summer from ovarian cancer, before she could see her daughter's killer brought to justice.

Mexican drug kingpin nabbed

This is the guy who built all the drug-running tunnels that spannned the US-Mexican border. Arellano-Felix, 37, was captured by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday while he was deep-sea fishing about 15 miles off the coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, said Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. Arellano-Felix is wanted in both the United States and Mexico for his role as a leader in the violent and sophisticated Tijuana-based Arellano-Felix gang, which includes seven brothers and four sisters from the Arellano family. McNulty said the gang was blamed for 20 murders in the United States and Mexico. [...] Federal agents began preparing for the operation 14 months ago after learning that Arellano-Felix was planning to go fishing aboard the vessel off La Paz, Mexico, the law enforcement official said. They enlisted the help of the Coast Guard in mounting the operation. Another massive operation in place that no one had any clue about lands another big fish. The Brits break up a terrorist plot and we nail a drug lord and two of his suspected assassins. How bad a guy was this guy? Javier Arellano-Felix was named in a federal indictment that was unsealed more than 3 years ago and he was charged with conspiring to assassinate Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Posadas Ocampo in Mexico City in 1993. Isn't there a specific ring of hell dedicated to guys who try to kill priests?

UN Israeli-Lebahezbollanon ceasefire is a win for terrorism

AllahPundit over at Hot Air has a great piece about how he feels the ceasefire is a win for Hezbollah simply because they survived and a loss for Israel because they couldn't kill every last man in Hezbollah. He goes on to speculate that Lebanon being the timid democracy that it is, could follow in the footsteps of Palestine and elect Hezbollah as Palestine elected Hamas. Lebanon could therefore stop being controlled by terrorist state Syria and just fully controlled by Hezbollah. I bring in order to frame this story... In a defiant address on Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad praised Hizbollah for "the glorious battle" that it had waged, which had shifted the security balance in the region. "From a military perspective, it [the battle] was decided in favour of the resistance. Israel has been defeated from the beginning," Mr. Assad said. He added that Israel had surrounded Beirut within seven days of its invasion of Lebanon in 1982. In comparison, "After five weeks it [Israel] was still struggling to occupy a few hundred metres." Mr. Assad said the U.S. had failed to impose its will on West Asia. "The Middle East [West Asia] they [the Americans] aspire to .... has become an illusion." He wrote off the Bush administration as incapable of promoting peace in the region. "This is an administration that adopts the principle of pre-emptive war that is absolutely contradictory to the principle of peace," he said. "Consequently, we don't expect peace soon or in the foreseeable future." This is just a reminder that though we've made significant inroads in the Middle East through Iraq and Afghanistan, we've still got work to do, and it's not just because of wackypants Ahmadinejad. And it makes Iraq all that more important. If we want to continue to use democracy as the carrot we dangle in front of oppressed muslim peoples, we need a solid, successful democracy to use as a base. Iraq can be that, and every insurgent that dies and every election they hold is a step in the right direction. That of course means "staying the course" as the president likes to put it. It means no time table for withdrawal (like you can really wage a war, especially one like this on a strict schedule... Tuesday: kill all insurgents. Wednesday: draft framework of new representative government. Thurday: elect new government officials. Friday: election results. Saturday: everything is hunky-dorey. That's John Kerry's wet dream), so it's quite possible we'll have some number of troops there for years to come. Will it always be 130,000 or whatever we have there now? Of course not. You'll notice we have troops stationed over in South Korea, have since the Korean War. Iraq may turn out to require years of presence like that. So buck up. The world's not as dismal as it may seem and use Michelle's latest Vent as an inspiration. With people like that around, we've got a damn good chance at changing the course of history in the world. UPDATE @ 6:30pm: It's also a win for Hezbollah because they refuse to be disarmed... oh and they're totally the "it" thing in Beruit now, after beating the eeeevil Zionist bastards. What a crock... The following article labels disarming Hezbollah as an "obstacle" to which I respond, "No shit." BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah's huge cache of short- and long-range weapons loomed large Tuesday over the tenuous truce between the militant Islamic group and Israel as Lebanese officials grappled with what to do with the militia's arsenal. Lebanese officials said they have largely dismissed the idea of disarming Hezbollah, which is now more popular than ever among the country's large Shiite Muslim population. Instead, they spent Tuesday in tense discussions with Hezbollah representatives over how to allow the group's fighters to keep their weapons while ceding military authority in southern Lebanon to 15,000 Lebanese troops and a still-unformed United Nations peacekeeping force. So basically things go back to the way they were before the war, except that Hezbollah 10 times more popular now and gains international credibility now that the UN has negotiated with them, putting a terrorist organization at an equivalent level with Israel, or any other nation for that matter. Great.

The Israeli-Lebahezbollah ceasefire is a joke

Not because Israel won't honor it, but because Hezbollah won't. JERUSALEM - Israel's military said Hezbollah guerrillas fired at least 10 Katyusha rockets into southern Lebanon early Tuesday. None hit inside Israel and no injuries were reported. The rocket explosions reported by Israel came hours after the start of a U.N. cease-fire in Lebanon. The military said it has not responded to the rockets, which were fired over a two-hour period. Hezbollah, which frequently used the Katyusha rockets in its battle against Israel, has said it will attack Israeli forces in southern Lebanon despite the truce. The article tries to make it a fair trade when it mentions the IDF forces killed six Hezbollah fighters in four separate skirmishes. Riiiiight. You'll notice they left out who instigated the "skirmishes" otherwise we'd be discussing dead Israeli soldiers as well as rockets fired after the ceasefire.

Mulsim charity helped fund UK bombing attempt

If you had any doubts about the allegiance these groups have, this ought to clear that up... Investigators are already looking at one UK-based charity, called the Muslim Charity, that allegedly has sent large sums of money to three individuals in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, under the guise of quake relief but for the actual purpose of funding the alleged UK plane bombing plot, according to official sources. The new charity, which has been under surveillance for several months, is also said to have provided funds to individuals in Quetta last year. So you've got to wonder who these charities and rights organizations really support and figght for... I won't hold my breath waiting for an answer from CAIR though. UPDATE @ 11:05am: I took a second to check out the charity's website, and not surprisingly it's full of propaganda... Palestinian children being slaughtered, a message from the al-Aqsa Imam, please send money to fund schools (I imagine they're akin to the Saudi schools with antisemitism right in the textbooks), etc. About what I expected... UPDATE @ 3:37pm: Hot Air's latest Vent takes on the Mulsims action groups as well. Watch the video... It's amazing what people will brainwash their kids with, even here in America...

Brian WIlliams is a total idiot

I don't think I've ever really been this enraged over a reporters complete lack of a brain as I have been after hearing this exchange between Chris Matthews and Brian Williams on hardball. Thanks to Jed Babbin who's been filling in for Hugh this week for pointing it out. Here's the dialogue... MATTHEWS: You know, in our first edition of HARDBALL tonight, we had a senator on, former Senator John Edwards on, who said that once these people in the east and the Islamic world get to know us personally, understand our good character, as he said, they wouldn‘t hate us so much, they wouldn‘t want to commit suicide to hurt us. But here we have maybe 25, 24 people who have lived in London and England and the free world for all these years, that become citizens, subjects of the crown, and, yet, after having gotten to know us, they want to kill themselves to hurt us. Isn‘t that an even deeper conundrum here than the chemicals being used in these attacks? WILLIAMS: And that, Chris, that last aspect, the willingness to take one‘s own life, I always tell people, you know, there are guys on our team like that, too. They‘re called Army Rangers and Navy Seals and the special forces folks and the first responders on 9/11 who went into those buildings knowing, by the way, they weren‘t going to come out. So we have players like that on our team. But to the center of your question, it goes to etiology. Can you reverse the clock here. We now know this is the conflict of our generation. Who would have thought it would take this shape? Who would have thought it would be against an enemy we can‘t always see, and who would have thought the new target would be a stainless steel tube flying, as you put it, at 39,000 feet, full of innocent people. MATTHEWS: Frightening stuff. Thank you very much for this report from Heathrow Airport in London, Brian Williams. WHAT!?! Someone please tell me that Brian Williams did not just say our Navy Seals are like their terrorists. I don't see how the fact that our military and the terrorists are 180 degree opposites could have possibly escaped the man! Let's break this down for no-brain Brian... Terrorism is defined by Merriam-Webster as the systematic use of terror (violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands) especially as a means of coercion. Navy Seals, Army Rangers, special forces, and the emergency responders in New York on 9/11 weren't terrorizing anyone (no matter how many times John Kerry claims they were), they were rescuing people, protecting people, and the spec ops guys are specifically trained in counter-terrorism (to me counter would mean "anti" or possibly the opposite of terrorism, but that's just me). These men are sacrificing their lives for other people's safety and security, not blowing themselves up to inflict maximum casualties. Maybe it's just me but that seems a far cry from beheading bound and gagged prisoners, car bombing mosques, and planning attacks on innocent civilians. Not even the dolts that were convicted after abu Ghraib did that. Some might say I'm quibbling over semantics... Well if you can't tell the difference between terrorize, intimidate, or destructive and protect or rescue then you certainly don't deserve to be an anchor on a national news network, you deserve to go back to Kindergarten. Memo to no-brain Brian... take your head out of your ass next time you decide to try to think up some cute little analogy. Ooh, even better. Let's see if we can arrange for you to deliver that short paragraph to some of our servicemen and women in Pendleton. Something tells me you might not get the pat on the back from them the way you did from Chris Matthews. In fact you'll probably need a 5 minute headstart just to get your dumbass off the base...

Pakistan's assistance was critical in foiling UK airliner bombing plot

Pakistan's a bit AC/DC when it comes to helping with the GWOT, but they came up big for the US and UK in yesterday's arrests. Times Online - Pakistan said today that its security forces had arrested a "key person" in the alleged transatlantic terror plot, who is the brother of one of the 24 men held by police in a dramatic dawn swoop in the UK yesterday. Rashid Rauf was arrested in the Punjab on Wednesday, hours before the simultaneous raids in Birmingham, Buckinghamshire and London that brought Britain’s airports to a standstill yesterday. Among the two men arrested in Birmingham was Tayib Rauf, Mr Rauf’s brother. In total, Pakistani security forces arrested seven people, including at least two British nationals, thought to be connected with the alleged plot to blow up US passenger jets heading from Britain to the United States. Pakistan collaborated with MI5 for several months and one of the factors that led to the arrests yesterday was the wiring of a large amount of money from Pakistan to the cell's ringleaders in Britain so they could purchase their airline tickets for the dry run then for the actual attack a couple days later. In their search of the residences of the individuals arrested, British agents reportedly found a "martyrdom" video as well as tickets on United Airlines. Obviously surveillance played a critical role. Must be nice to be able to use security measures that would, say, monitor the international phone calls made by the suspects or possibly tracking their financial transactions. If only our national security agents had such tools at their disposal... (end sarcasm) Those NSA programs are ESSENTIAL to our national security. UPDATE @ 4:20pm: Ace brings to light the indirect connection between between the wouldbe London bombers and none other than Saddam Hussein. But as Ace points out "that's just crazy talk, because we know for a fact Saddam Hussein had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism (apart from inviting Al Qaeda to Iraq for sanctuary when it was forced to depart the Sudan, and apart from putting up Abu Nidal in Baghdad, and etc.)." He took the words right out of my mouth. For a Saddam-terrorism recap, see my previous post, the Iraq-al Qaeda connection. UPDATE @ 4:30pm: The WaPo now puts the number arrested by Pakistani forces at 17. They just didn't want the first 7 they arrested to get lonely...

Vacation pics... just to make you jealous

We had an absolutely fabulous time, as I alluded to yesterday with my quick "we made it back alive" post. We actually started the vacation in Montego Bay, but when we arrived at the hotel after flying from San Diego to Jamaica via Washington DC (don't even ask how that happened) we were totally disappointed. Musty smelling rooms, bathrooms falling apart, poor facilities... just not good. So we transferred to another resort in the chain on the other side of the island in Trelawny. It was perfect. There were tons of activities around the resort, and I owned the pool volleyball. We went horseback riding in the ocean, paddle boat riding, golfing, I drank ALOT, and ate enough for 3 people. We met some incredible people; people we'd actually like to keep in contact with. From activities coordinators to guests to people at the resort were phenominal. Outside the resort you're reminded that there's a large part of the island that's still 3rd world... people doing whatever they can for an American dollar. One US dollar is 65 Jamaican dollars, so it goes a long way especially from the casual tourist willing to throw their money away. So here's a few pics from the beautiful island of Jamaica.... Not too shabby....

Playing catch up after a week in paradise

Man I go away for a week and I miss a ton of crap! Ned Lamont beat good ol' Joe Lieberman. That sound you hear is the Democratic party washing their hands of any idea that doesn't conform to the party line. Now I know Joe's said he'll run as an independent, but I think we ought to break out the big guns so we can spank Lamont and the Krazy Kos Kidz who have breathed life into the man... Jack Bauer. Sure we've already got him running in New York, but he's Jack Bauer! Are you gonna tell him he can't hold 2 seats in the Senate? al Reuters went and decided that the Israeli-Hezbollebanon war wasn't gruesome enough so they had to photoshop and stage some photos to make Israel look like a monster. They added smoke to city photos, used the same wreckages for different days labelling them different attacks, used the same poor homeowner who apparently lost her home twice on two separate days, and some find it amazing how childrens toys are always prominently displayed in their photos. HotAir has two posts on it and LGF was instrumental in breaking the story. Cynthia McKinney played the race card a few too many times and lost her seat in Congress. As the picture says, McKinney is nuts. Adios Cynthia! Bon voyage and don't let the door hit you on the way out. And can we give the security guard who stopped her a raise? Apparently, Fidel Castro isn't feeling to well at the moment. I'd say he's on his death bed, but I don't want to jinx it. All I can say is I'm looking forward to the day we don't have to smuggle a good cigar into this country... And perhaps, most importantly of all... I won last weeks fantasy baseball matchup, and I didn't even check it at all. Sweet! Akhtar the Divorcee: 3 Wookies Will Win: 8 And the Wookies did win, completing Akhtar's (my) fall from the top half of the league. I had been a solid club all year, but the past few weeks have not been good. This week is was the pitching that specifically won the match for the Wookie. Wookies won that category 5 - 1. Batting went 3 - 2 - 1 to the Wookies. MVP - Casey Blake of the Wookies. 4 HR, 9 RBI, 6 Runs, and .467 BA. Nice. Goat of the Week - Either Beckett or Suppan, for me. Both had ERA's over 10. Good work, guys. That's a great team right there... that can still execute even while the manager is on vacation...

Britain thwarts hijacking/mass murder plot

We can truly never let our guard down. Regardless of what we do in the world, where we do or don't fight, this is the threat we will always face until we can eliminate terrorism and have Islam retake it's true peaceful from the Islamofascists who've stolen it. As long as Islam harbors these murderers, we will never be safe. LONDON, Aug. 10 -- British authorities said Thursday they have disrupted a sophisticated and well-advanced terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners using liquid explosives, arresting 21 people who police said had planned to commit mass murder over the Atlantic Ocean. Police said they were confident they had the "main players" in custody, but authorities in London and Washington ordered a full-scale security clampdown at U.S. and British airports out of concern that other plotters may still be at large. A number of transatlantic flights from Britain were canceled, others were delayed, and new security procedures caused major tie-ups at U.S. airports as authorities enforced a ban on bringing liquids aboard planes in carry-on luggage. And of course this will affect airport travel worldwide... delays, delays, delays. Liquid explosives explains the caution US officials are taking banning all liquids on flights. The Brits say the 21 arrested appear to be mostly of Pakistani decent and that the plot suggests al Qaeda may be behind it. The plan was to destroy as many as ten planes in flight over the Atlantic, and the only reason the Brits moved today as opposed to when they were scheduled to move on the suspects was because they lost track of one or two of them. They believed the operation to be too close to it's execution time, to let it go any further. We can all imagine that it was quite possible for the loss of life here to have exceeded the death toll from 9/11. Still, we've got to give major kudos to all involved in the discovery and take down of the suspects. And man, am I glad my flight came in on Tuesday and that they were able to fly my luggage out yesterday... UPDATE @ 11:35am: ABC is reporting that British intelligence has ID'd the three ringleaders of the 21 they arrested earlier this morning: Rashid Rauf, Mohammed al-Ghandra, and Ahmed al Khan. British authorities believe 5 suspects are still at large and have begun a massive manhunt across the country. UPDATE @ 2:38pm: The San Francisco Gate is reporting that the terrorists were most likely attempting a "dry run" on the operation and the actual attack would have followed a couple days later.

We're back!

... and just a smidge sunburned. Fortunately for us, we don't need our luggage or the clothes in them, so the fact that they're in Philadelphia while we're at home in California really doesn't matter. We had a great time, of course, and as soon as I get a chance to download all the pictures from Jamaica, I'll post some of them. Until then, I need to catch up on the world (and work). Half the US could have fallen into the ocean and I would've been none the wiser... It's like I we were on an island or something