October 2005 – Page 4

I’m Baaaaaaaaack. . . .

In case you didn’t notice over the weekend, I’m now back from my trip through Arizona and part of New Mexico, and I have the pictures to prove it. More info on all that in coming days.

Before getting back to regular blogging, though, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to my co-bloggers, and particularly to Tim J, who did an outstanding job filling in!

Kudos, guys! Y’all don’t know how much I appreciate it! Your posts are welcome here, any time!

Happy Universe Day!

Today–October 23rd–back in 4004 B.C., the universe was created.

At least according to the chronology created by Anglican Archbishop James Ussher.

You’ll find it printed in the center margin of many editions of the King James Bible.

Funny that it’s not found in Catholic Bibles.

In any event,

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I grew up in Alaska, so the importance of of THIS ARTICLE (from Reuters) about not running into moose resonates with me somewhat, even though I now live in Arkansas.
I encountered moose on several occasions as a youngster, both intentionally and un-.
Moose aren’t just big, they are huge – like a Jersey cow, but
homelier and with longer legs. I mean, you just won’t believe how
vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big they are.
For instance, when the article says that moose can stand 6 feet tall, that means at the shoulder, and the truth is they can be bigger than that.
Encountering moose accidentally is always a little unnerving, and in a moving vehicle it could be especially deadly. In an airplane… well, it would be bad. Looking for a way to keep moose from wandering onto airport runways would therefore be a noble pursuit.
Now the folks in Wasilla, Alaska have installed a Moose Irritating Device that shows great promise in keeping the dumb beasts from wandering into the path of unsuspecting Cessnas.
Archie Giddings, Public Works Director for Wasilla, explained the subtleties of the mechanism;

"They’d feel a shock and they’d also hear a snap. Those two things
would cause the moose to not go in there."

Giddings also described, in refreshingly anthropocentric terms, what a moose/airplane collision would be like;

"If they ever did come to the runway and have a collision with an
aircraft, that could be disastrous to the pilot," Giddings said. "An
airplane could disintegrate if it hits a moose.".

If successful, the device could soon be seen in airports all across the northern U.S., and we will all sleep a bit better, though the moose might be more irritable.
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Dishing on Immigrants

An interesting article from WAPO (via the Seattle Times) reveals that for many immigrants to the U.S, using the automatic dishwasher in their home is the equivalent to Drinking The Kool-Aid.
Many – nay, most – simply won’t use the thing. It is seen as frivolous and unnecessary. According to the article;

If they have a dishwasher — and many do, because it is standard
equipment in most homes — it becomes a glorified dish rack, a
Tupperware storage cabinet or a snack-food bin. It’s never turned on.

Dishwashers are also seen as overly complicated and mysterious. Think about the way alot of Americans feel about programming the VCR (that’s what they had before DVD players, kiddos).
At bottom, though, many immigrants simply think that they can do a better job washing up than any old machine, thanks.

Graciela Andres laments that her daughter, son-in-law and three
grandchildren have abandoned washing by hand. "They do it the American
way: They put everything in the wash machine, no matter if it’s a
little spoon," said Andres, who emigrated from Bolivia in 1981.

You can almost feel the scorn and contempt, can’t you?
I say, good on ’em! "Go not gently…", and all that.
They should start an organization and print T-shirts with the slogan "They can take my dishes away when they pry them from my wet, soapy hands".
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To Heir is Human

Walton heiress Elizabeth Paige Laurie ~~has been stripped of~~ has voluntarily given back her diploma from USC, after it was found she paid her roommate, Elena Martinez, to do most of the coursework.
Just a couple of thoughts:

If one were not heir to a gazillion dollars, would one be given the opportunity to "give back" the fraudulent diploma, or would one be unceremoniously dumped via a terse note from the registrar’s office, and possibly threatened with legal action?
I would be interested to know if ex-roommate Elena Martinez has given back any of the $20,000 she was paid to do something she knew was wrong in the first place. She seems equally content to have A) taken the money and B) sung like a canary on 20/20, presumably for more money. It seems like Ms. Laurie would be due a refund.

Of course, Miss Heiress Thang got what she deserved, but – hey, a deal’s a deal.