Trigger Warning: Something Fundamentally Wrong

Another school shooting....I heard about it halfway around the world.
Just from the headline I could picture the murderer. Young white male, withdrawn, down on his luck.
The presumed killer met my description to a tee. What does young, white American males have in common, which is shared between the working class and middle class?


 Generation Z is the first generation to live in the era of frequent mass killings. I was out of high school before mass killings became an epidemic in America. What has gone wrong? Three answers to start: Social media pressures, emotional infantilism of teenagers, and glorification of violence in media. More reasons?


Giving guns to dangerous people:
Young mass murders seldom buy firearms with money they earned. On top of the purchase price, boxes of ammunition are too expensive on a ramen diet. The usual story is that the killer got a gun as a gift, or got a loan to buy a gun. I would support liability insurance requirements for inexperienced gun owners.


Ostracizing and De-facto Criminalization of mental illness:
Despite health privacy laws, diagnosis of mental illness is carried on permanent records. It affects one's ability to join the military, get a high paying contractor job, own a firearm, drive a car, or even participate in civic life. With the digitalization and interstate access to records, there may be a perception that a mental health diagnosis is something to be avoided, when it is something needed to get appropriate (though stretched and underfunded) treatment. As if it were a criminal record.


It might trigger the "You can't have it" theory illustrated on South Park. When a gun ban is proposed, people rush to buy guns. President Obama, it is said, was the best firearm salesman. On a smaller, personal scale, when a person is marked as ineligible to own a gun, he has the urge to get his hands on one. That said, several killers have no significant criminal record, but a disturbing history of behavior. Courts should be able to put a clinically unstable individual's firearms in the custodianship of a responsible individual. Without rendering a person legally incompetent.




Disrespect for authority figures:
In a former time, when much of the world lived under dictators or communists, public officials were given respect for being democratically elected. While there is a place for holding authority accountable to the people, the past several years the disrespect is incredible. It occurs in the media, on the streets, and even in the halls of city governments. Then there are the government shutdowns, which is totally prejudicial to good order. As of last month, both major parties are guilty of unleashing this anarchist tactic. Violent protests are a stark contrast to MLK's approach of non-violence. How could this not translate to disruptive behaviors and grossly disrespectful behavior in the classroom?


Mistrust of authority:
  Students need to understand that safety issues can be raised without resorting to intrusive searches of the innocent. That raising a concern will not trigger full SWAT.


Deadly marksmanship:
 Columbine was shocking since that kind of violence was rare at the time. But recent events made Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold part of the JV squad of school killers.
In the inner-city, bad aim and good trauma care have given many people second chances. I have seen it multiple times on the news, which reports that a  gang member opens fire into a crowd. One dead, seven injured. Six injured. Four injured, one dead.  (It should be noted that injury by firearm can cause permanent damage). What these school shooters have today is horrific accuracy, better than on actual battlefields. If we could do one thing, keep the guns out of dangerous peoples' hands.


Soft targets:
Since 1990, we've gone from acceptance of hunting rifles in the high school parking lot to mass murder despite restrictions on guns in school. The 1990's federal school gun ban originated form 1980's incidents of one-on-one violence between ex lovers, gangs, and grudges.


That did not change policies of wide open doors and lack of preparedness in once-peaceful suburbs. Columbine was a one-time tragedy. This Florida high school was ready, and yet the Valentine's Day killer slayed 17 in 6 minutes. One dead every 20 seconds, plus the wounded. In Washington, DC the local public schools have metal detectors. A good measure, but not foolproof: armed attacks have occurred at the security checkpoints of the US Capitol, DC's Metropolitan Police Headquarters, and the Holocaust Museum in DC. As Rudy Giuliani demonstrated in New York City, visible presence is a deterrent. 


OK, OK, maybe its the guns: and how they are glorified in certain circles. In deference to 1st and 10th amendments, restrict paid advertising, of gun makers, across state lines to prevent criminally-minded people from gaining a bloodlust from reading magazines and internet pages.

Back to the Cities?

Even though I’ve spent the past year outside of the US, I’d like to catch up on the latest trend: businesses, and people, are moving back to the cities? I’ve heard from urban pioneers of yesteryear, now middle-class homeowners in the swankiest neighborhoods, talk about how their neighborhood “changed for the better”. It’s not a new trend, but one that entered hyperdrive since 2010- or the official end of the last recession. Places like Detroit and Cleveland are on the upswing. Manhattan is back, more than ever. In Washington, DC, gentrification has been completed in the L’Enfant City of stately apartment buildings, Victorian townhomes, and sleek new construction. Prices continue to climb; so where should urban pioneers head next, if not Baltimore?

I’ll ask, why did people move to the cities?

Because of Television

Shows like Entourage and Mad Men glorify the after-work happy hour. Driving to, but mostly from, happy hour with pals from your asphalt-surrounded office park is not a feasible idea. Ditto a decent lunch break. Long waits to take a left turn into the strip mall make the brown bag an appealing option.

Because of the Internet

Facebook says, shouts, and screams that you have to be there in the middle of the action. If college today is about the amenities purchased with tax-advantaged student loans, yuppie life is about prolonging adolescence. Whether you’re a SINK or a DINK, you can’t be more than walking distance from the hot spots.

Why did businesses move to the cities?

Cities wised up about tax policy

Without big-box stores, Washington, DC lost $1 billion per year in tax revenue as residents shopped in neighboring suburbs. Since then, Target and Walmart have opened in the city. Also, state laws limit scope of local regulations: A business can open in inner-city Norfolk or Richmond  with little more red tape than in business-friendly suburbs.

Maximize workforce within commuting distance

Mature workers may be tied down to houses in different parts of the region. Locating in the heart of the city averages out commuting distances, and makes a shorter commute for those choosy, urban-dwelling Millennials. Also, with traffic so bad, mass transit reduces commute times, as long as offices and businesses are located near transportation hubs, often the center city.

Hip and Energetic

We’ve seen companies trying to be “with the times”, occasionally embarrassing themselves in the process. Downtown offices have the same hoped effect: to give a new, friendlier image to the same old corporation. Big Data says it’s the right move to take…what could go wrong?

So where should urban pioneers head next?

How about Crystal City, a stone’s throw from the Pentagon, once the workplace of legions of military personnel and their contractors, the epitome of square culture. Hard times hit the community of 1970’s office towers and large condos with the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent Defense Department’s BRAC initiative that picked up speed after homeland security concerns came to the forefront. (These buildings replaced the wartime “temporary buildings” placed on the National Mall) It was a paradox, because as the offices were emptying out in this “bland” area 10 minutes by car, subway, or commuter train from Downtown Washington, the “authentic” U Street corridor benefited from gentrification that began with the arrival of a new subway station.

What’s wrong with Crystal City? It just wasn’t hip; street life was non-existent as commuters, residents, and hotel guests arrived by car; or by the subway, through a maze of connected basements. Polyester-blend khaki uniforms don’t take sweat-stains well, and the tunnels were a brilliant idea to keep workers of the future away from Washington’s summer heat. Recent renovations have widened sidewalks and opened more ground-level retail. I’ve seen sidewalk cafes bustling at lunchtime as today’s workers ditch the brown bag.

Washington, DC had to develop a start-up culture. Although now home to a wide range of industries outside of government, including Fortune-listed companies offering technology applications, aerospace, and hospitality; even Volkswagen; these companies were transplants like many of the area’s residents. Notable exceptions are Marriott, AOL and Capital One. Young educated born-and-raised locals, a growing demographic, had to realize that government was not the only means to a successful career in Washington.  With the necessary entrepreneurial infrastructure in place, the start-up environment was hatched. 

Then you had to teach the real estate magnates about changing times. Kings of concrete, they were used to renting out entire floors to well-paying clients like the US Government, the US Air Force, and various contractors. Today, they are becoming more accepting of smaller square-foot leases and shorter terms, required by small, fledgling, and nimble companies.  They’ve even torn down some arsenals of cubicles in Crystal City.

Part of the attraction of cities is the cool buildings and a sense of place: I’ve been to Portland, Oregon. Old loft warehouses are inspiring, especially when relics of the past are still visible. Do 1970’s office buildings, such as those surrounding the Pentagon, have to be forever branded as sterile and impersonal? One building owner remodeled one floor in the image of Silicon Valley. For other offices, I envision posting images of the quantifiable work performed and vintage encounters: satellites, mustached military officers, and secretaries with typewriters. Heck, paint the elevators camouflage green.

Could Crystal City, and its sisters across America, be the next up-and coming neighborhoods?

Pioneers, Oh Pioneers

When I think of patriotism, I conjure up memories of Reagan-era glories such as Rambo, the Battleships Iowa and New Jersey, tractors, Top Gun and Full Metal Jacket. I also think of hot dogs and the traditional family, with an overweight Dad with a suntanned neck. 

I do not forget the real patriots:  the daughters of pilgrims, the sons of Ellis Island, and the brides of World War Two. There is no more American story than one’s ancestors looking for religious freedom in the 1700’s; or arriving on the streets of New York in the 1890’s, penniless but ambitious and willing to work hard; nor the brides of Europe arriving home with ordinary soldiers who defeated the Axis in 1945.  This is a beautiful story, encompassing the narrative of (Caucasian) America.  In remembrance of our ancestors who embodied masculinity and the risk-taking of new ideas, it is due patriotism to “use government policy to incentivize work” (a.k.a., cut welfare), in conjunction with “letting the bull loose”, to recreate the Gilded Age that created the American Dream in the minds of our great-grandfathers. 

As I walked with my family in Washington, DC to the Fireworks on the National Mall on the Fourth of July, I saw many young Americans sporting attire boasting of American pride. Seeing the first several groups, I suspected that they were southern frat boys and sorority girls: Washington, DC is still the gateway to the South, where country music plays at large gatherings that include suburbanites, and talk of “open season” is not just a figure of speech. But it became clear to me that these Chubbie shorts-wearing, boat-shoe sporting, patriotic tank-top bearing, Oakley-popping peers represented a greater demographic than I had imagined.   

Here is some background: Facebook counted 26 million profiles bearing rainbow flags- enough, upon rough estimate, to represent one in seven Facebook profiles in the US. In addition to those “out and proud” about their sentiment on gay marriage, there must be many quiet allies who choose to appear neutral on the issue. I had reason to believe that a number of those young people I saw dressed like “Born in the USA” patriots…must support gay marriage. 

Smart and wonky conservatives sense something in the air. Editorialists and targeted papers, such as the Washington Examiner, have been poking holes in the presumption that the liberal consensus among young people is permanent. They have pointed to cases where young people have been more enthusiastic than their older counterparts in supporting Republican newcomers like Ed Gillespie and Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia, or Republican Patrick Mara’s base of support in DC’s shoebox-condo neighborhoods. (Perchance, Gillespie and Mara are moderate and liberal, respectively, on bedroom issues). With young voters, Republican luminaries accept that no news is good news: many young people are apathetic about politics or are registered Independent- an opportunity for party growth. They look at young people and their love for disruptive technology like Apple’s I-Phones or Uber, and their impatience with government interventions like liquor license moratoria. Furthermore, they don’t like being un-employed or under-employed, and have an aversion from joining unions (Chicken or Egg?), instead, preferring to “compete on the open marketplace under a new relationship with their employer, where individual initiative is rewarded”. That phrase- originally a talking point in the Washington Examiner- slipped into my subconscious and got me in trouble with a relative last Thanksgiving. To these editorialists, the app-using, uber-riding, condo-living, “millennial” young people; who are mostly pro-gay marriage, but delightfully queasy on abortion and undecided on immigration; are patriots who are looking for direction from the fatherly hand of the Grand Old Party, with reasonable accommodation for their support of gay marriage. 

Neither is every Chubbie-wearing bro a member of the College Republicans. (They are the group whose 2013 report shocked the Party leadership’s assumptions about young adults).  You can be patriotic, and staunchly liberal. The thirty-something financial analyst who licks his chops about putting a true conservative on the Supreme Court to reverse a punch-list of 5-4 decisions, has no higher moral ground than the twenty-something arts major bemoaning the democratically elected Republican leadership of Capitol Hill. Better, ask this question: do your liberal friends love to participate in flag burnings? No.  John F. Kennedy, a so-called Cold War Liberal, had this to say in his Profiles in Courage:

“If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.”

Kennedy may have identified himself as a liberal for that era; yet it is hard to deny him his status as a true American patriot. Despite the media narrative, it’s important to remember that we are not divided as ‘red states’ and ‘blue states’; but the shared experiences of rural, suburban , or urban life, with regional variations, unites communities across state lines and the two great continental mountain ranges, the Appalachians and the Rockies. We are one nation under Oakleys, Chubbies, and Vineyard Vines.

AC Gilbert

Globe, Erector set Ferris wheel, art project with lots of electrical wire and small rods, 4 oversized books. The Erector Set may be called the "has-been". Invented early in the last century, it "transformed how boys and toys were made". Girders and bolts that rile of industry that made Gilbert a rich man. But of course change in consumer tastes and handing over of ownership took a toll on this dynamic toy. Then in a society that now profits mainly in the service sector, why bother with tools and the type of satisfaction that doesn't come instantaneously?
What gets me is e-Monopoly, the electronic form of the monopoly game. It really helps cut down on banker dishonesty, but it doesn't allow you to readily flash your bling maybe an atm next?

But boys aren't made from soft assets.

Sunday Drivers

After six days of work, I came across a Sunday. But I had a prior appointment for that date, and thus, did not end up in New York for old schoolmates' graduation. So I was in a Fire Room again, ten minutes prior to mass, and being given the directions: Follow the Thurifer inside the gate. Boat bearer. At St. Thomas, that was the job of the portico ledge. But the job was made easier by the MC, who is being seen off to West Point the Military Academy (just 45 scenic miles north of NYC). Enjoyed wondering whether the smoke was bad for my health or not. After that, listen to the webcast of the St. Thomas service before getting some mountain air, where I drove about 4 miles on Skyline Drive. Would have driven faster than 30mph except that there was a steep incline. The double solid center line is actually quite helpful to stay on one's side of the road, to help avoid collisions on that narrow road. But we descended to the vineyard plains and passed through (Little)Washington, no stop on go,finding ourselves on a scenic byway and somehow on I-66 in Prince William's County.

Congratulations, St. Thomas class of 2009!
Massimo, Matthew, William, Danny, Aidan and James

MD the Song

And yet another state song is coming under fire.

I don't know how it happens, but some of these songs are goofy, hateful, inciteful, and downright archaic. The year is 1939, and somebody or some group in the Maryland government decides to approve the Secessionist Civil War Song, with the tune of "O Tannenbaum"- an easy-to-sing job that frequents taverns and the like. Well. The legislators in Annapolis are looking at this.

But for now,

"The despot's heel is on thy shore" (aka Abe Lincoln)

"With Ringgold's spirit for the fray,
With Watson's blood at Monterey" (who are these people?)

"Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain,
Maryland, My Maryland!
Virginia should not call in vain!" (outright obvious)

Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum! (wishful thinking)


The whole text is available at http://www.50states.com/songs/maryland.htm

Luckily, I think that the whole concern is about several lines, not the whole job. Virginia removed "Old Virginny", and yet has not replaced it. What a terrible fate- to not have a state song- only NJ and DC have never had one.

Let's pretend it's Monday morning

Oh how I hate to get up in the morning
O how I wish I were still in bed
For the hardest call of all
is to hear the trumpeter call
(Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah)
(This is the Army, Mr. Jones; Irving Berlin)

6:07 am. THe little 99 cent IKEA alarm clock goes off for the first time in four days. I was sooo sleepy and loathed how Little Brother would still be in bed during Fourth Period. I take shower, eat some meal, and find that my clock went beserk- it was doing its self-tripping motion. I shook the clock a little, and it caught bak its momentum. Usually, I get some work done while on the 6:58 Blue to Largo and sequentially, the 7:10 Red to Glenmont at Metro Center. But I took a nap...

It's going to be Wednesday tommorow. I have to teach a brief lecture at 12:45 in the afternoon. I hope my listeners are engaged. And to think that one week ago, I had started the journey to New York as I was liberated for several days from the cycle.

113 x 2 Thanksgiving

I totally felt like a tourist. After getting off the and trying to figure out whether the express or local would come first (unlike most stations in the NYC subway, Penn Sta. blue line lacks a crossover), and dashing to the business dinner. We got on the local, and shuffled to the express at the next stop! Having had the NJ Transit train arrived in New York 1 hr 15 min late, we missed cocktails and part of dinner. Afterward, after a long delay, as a group, the younger St. Thomas alumni went out to in an effeminate style to the 68th street theater, ten blocks north. Duane Reade, Starbucks, theater closed and locked. How could this be? It was therefore necessary to go back downtown to 42nd street. Since all of us were cheapskates, we didn't take a taxi or a subway. When we all got to 58th again, somebody got hungry. Realizing that the last show was actually at 12:45am, and that no one really wanted to see Quantum of Solace that badly, we headed out to Bella Vita- the slices went up to $3 each! Anyway, because they wanted to rid of their pizza, they cut us deals. Some late-night supper with Chocolate News and Futurama before realizing that it was 1:30 am. By then, this was the most wasted I had made myself to date, surpassing the Dec.1 lock-in at the Cathedral last year (refer to a post around that date). So we got into bed and all. Truth and Dare with Stefane, nothing too weird, though, and we set the game into a logic loop (I dare Stefane to stop doing this game). So we all fell asleep. Or that was what I thought.

I had a good long sleep until 8:57 am, according to the clock on the microwave. I felt totally refreshed. Surprised not another soul was not awake, I looked at my own clock. It was 7:57. The clock had not been reset since the organist-in-residence left this posh midtown apartment (approx value 3,500+/mo.) in July. So I put my head back into bed. Some time later, I remembered that I needed to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade pass by on Broadway, for I never had the chance to do so.

Got some good shots. But where was Kermit? I had vowed to see him as a float while in New York. Well, I at least I saw the parade, I thought, as I got dressed for church. I took a wide look out the window. Some Escalade and a small dirigible. Then I heard loud applause. A green head. Sure enough, it was Kermit, and his dominating minions holding him to ground were dressed in florescent green jumpsuits, as I had been informed. I got two awesome shots, and jolly-lept to church.

The service was quite enjoyable, with good company. Sitting in the wide, dark, balcony of Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue that was unknown to the hoards of tourists let us rest in peace. I pulled out two knit finger puppets I bought in a hurry for $5 on the way over. A lion and a giraffe. THe crocodile would have been nice, but they were sold out. Yes, I had meant to buy them as a gift for someone all the way back in sixth grade. I lost one brief window of opportunity, and he was gone when I returned from church then. So I willed this not to happen again and all. How's that for rewriting history? Some greetings, nice to meet yous and all before taking the walk down Avenue of the Americas, cutting to Seventh and Times Square perpendicular to Radio City. With the grand avenue closed, Little Brother and I alternated taking touristy shots of each other as we rattled to Penn Station (at 33rd, not 34th!) past Macy's Herald Square. I didn't get to see any large floats being deflated of helium, though. They were probably done at 28th street, a larger street than the others. Looking for a cheap lunch took us around the large loop under Madison Square Garden, and out to a falafel vendor outside, who sold those lamb gyros for $5. Coupled with two cans of 99 cent Arizona Iced tea and a $1 bottle of water, we faced the train departure board. Twenty minutes delayed. The only one out of 20 trains on the board. Oh well, the train could catch up time. Better start late and fast, rather than on time, go fast, then wait for the schedule to catch up. We looked for our unaccompanied minor friend, who might get us bumped into business class. Eating the gyro on the floor in the coach section of waiting room wasted a little time. Just looking into the sparsely populated First Class waiting area... 2:25pm. The 169 was supposed to be here, with the delay. Instead, the message went vague. 'Delayed' I was in so much anticipation of my first Amtrak ride.

Not present for our class was NTFletch and his co-partner and twin brother, Zak. The school board thought that Thanksgiving was a racist holiday, so they had school until 3, and band practice, too. ?!

Even with your stock fund in the gutter,
We all have to be thankful for gas in the $1.-- range. That's what matters most.

Oh, and yes. I found out that three of the brothers went out to the 24-hour Apple store at the GM building (59+5th ave) to seek out internet. Why? Facebook.

The Eternal Copyright

Anything before 1923 has eternal life. That's when the first Mickey Mouse was First it was 28 years, then doubled if requested, then 70 years... now, it's lifetime plus 70 years in America- scenario: a 15 year old writes a book- lives to age 95. Copyright doesn't end for another 70 years, so the kids can get some dough. That's 150 amazing years- imagine- pre-civil war material still under copyright. Amazing. Corporate copyrights are up to 95 years now, and as Mickey gets close (as it did in 1998), it'll be renewed. So don't copy this bloggy.

Balt 57

One of the best thing about staying in hotels is the indigenous TV news!
Montreal somehow gets the Detroit news- how exotic- I haven't been to that part of the country in years. Watching local news that isn't national. News that is not recession-proof, and the reporters don't fake about financial tragedies and the audience can't say, "what people". Reporters who aren't invincible, smart, or even rich.
Detroit news- more closing factories, the stun-session of robberies, slaughters, and fires.

Baltimore news- a shock session of a straight line of 6 murders, not even mentioning attempts and near-fatals. Then it proceeds to national news that DC people balk at, then back to the good stuff from blue-collared Baltimore, sister of the gold-collared DC. This is what we started to get over HDTV recently, in pure color, and perfect picture, except for the occasional breaks by large jets at BWI airport. I hope that this is a permanent change- some news that makes one understand the real world.

California en Fuego

The PSAT's were fine, but by regulation, I can't tell you too much about them, other than the three afternoon classes- a little tired, but that's OK.

Anyway, I was terrified by the headlines in Tuesday's paper- Calif. on fire. Then, there is California allowing 'different' marriages. Yes, in the old testament, the angry God smote the Sodomites. Is he angry with California for being so...progressive? And then- we must not forget the New Testament's compassionate and all-loving God. and then, has Oregon ever been punished like that?
Just a prophecy.

Put on a happy face

Gas prices are crashing down (like the stock market), so let's all put the little hybrid away and pull out the Humvee. And throw the bikes on top of it, even though you won't use them, but just for the sake of wasting precious fuel. Leave the lights on, as well as the computer, because it's time to celebrate. Yes, it hasn't been since the '90's that the media used the cute factor of Socks (the Clinton's cat, now age 17-1/2 (a good 90 in cat years) as a prime attractant. Remember, the news is like any other business. But, especially Fox, loves to use the scare factor. Economy Crashing. Unemployment. Misery. Great Depression. Yes, part of it is George Bush's fault (and his dad and brother), but the rest is mind-altering exaggerated fluff intended to make us cringe at the purse string. Darn, I gave out the secret.

Anyway, go out and spend some $ this (racist*) holiday weekend, and enjoy life to the fullest!
From the producers of JangooVision

* I'll explain tomorrow.

Texas Holden

Catcher in the Rye. A fascinating mid-20th century novel that fits well in the pocket. It is said that it can be read in one night- if wanted to, or be prolonged into a page-by-page adventure. But, some says the books turn people into psychopaths. Mr. Hinckley, who was an attempted assassin, read this book shortly before the ambush at the now-historic landmark Washington Capital Hilton on Connecticut Ave. John Lenin's Grimm Reaper had the pocket-sized book on him as he took the legend down. But like the generic kid named 'Jamal', the reading of it is not a cause of insanity, but could be a possible indication of a psychopath. Just thinking.

BTW- Holden is a depressed kid, possibly suicidal, but never dangerous to others.

Don't be Hateful

Bienvenu Mbutu Mondondo, a Congolese who is in Fatherland Belgium, is filing a suit against the publishers of TinTin. This is what makes a mockery of the justice system- wasting people's valuable time, and threatening freedom of speech in Europe, just because Herge was being historically accurate. If you can get this boy's adress, I'll refund your postage stamp. Yes, just try to sue me for blogging.

I f you don't know, Tintin is a Belgian colonizer (approx. birthdate 1910)- yes, Belgium has colonies in Congo, with a dog named Milou (in english editions, it's translated to Snowy) who endeared the world in books by cartoonist Herge from 1929 into the '80's. Now just look at what this unpatriotic college student is trying to do.

So, as what Rat is doing in Pearls before Swine this week (tip-off- frivously sueing billionaires in an attempt to become very wealthy) is not as bad as the symbolic guilder (euro).

And please don't sue people unless it's for due recompension!- and not because someone drew a picture that offended you. t's partiotic to pay a just amount of tax, and it's patriotic not to desecrate a national symbol.

Here's a link to some TinTin cartoons:


Same thing goes for all the other cartoonists over there.

The Caboose

The Closing Ceremonies are almost done on NBC. And on Tuesday, school starts. But today, I went on a strenuous climb on my bike up to the W+OD trail, and when onto the rail trail, which was a smooth, although hot ride. (Unlike the Capital Crescent Trail, the overhead ROW is occupied by powerlines, not trees). Some interesting railroad artifacts remained, as Little Brother turned around past the newer Citizen's Bridge in the proud city of Falls Church. A stop inside a railroad caboose museum, fitted with small photographic exhibits about the railroad's past. What concerns me most, though, is how many of these railroads are being converted. But that's just a fleeting thought. The exhibit hall provided cold water- something I hadn't had in 10 miles. Now we headed down the sparsely used Bluemont Park trail. into Ballston and over the Orange Line for a quick downhill slide Little Brother set a new record of his, 32.7 mph, entering Rosslyn.

Format, Format, Font

I haven't been on Microsoft ie in so long! I've always been using Firefox, but it's being goofy today, so now I'm here. At work today, we took the tour to the white-labcoat science museum, and found out: Kennedy Center tour tommorow.

At 'exit 24' near Albany, we tried to find the really good deal Best Western- but, there was no ramp to the street at that exit- go figure! So we headed south into the darkness. At Newburgh, home of Stewart Airport, New York's fourth airporet, it was hard to find a room, but we found one at the Ramada. The Olyimpic parade in Peking (Bejing) was just getting underway. It was already 11pm by the time I dozed off; I missed the spectacular flying spectacle-I caught a rerun the next morning, though, before heading to the rather rationed continental breakfast (I've always felt that hotels that didn't give you free breakfast are sort of scammy) But, there was a reason we stayed no further south. Daddy's surprise maneuver sent us onto I-84, not the Thruway, rushing to the Jersey Turnpike. Instead, we were headed westward. Soon, though, we arrived in the formerly industrial town of Bethlehem. A rusting steel mill sayed it all. Lehigh University was the attraction, though. Nice place, though with quite high hills. Digital camera card filled. Now I cringed at the though- fresh air and Segway tours. Since when? as I later learned, the mill closed in 2003, but the gentrifying Bannana Factory opened in 1998, and the University had been there for over 100 years. How nasty and dirty did it used to be?

Now we sped home, past Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's busy capitol, and onto I-83, arriving home at 6:27pm, with 2352.8 miles and a nice parking spot out front.

I can't spell "receive"

Blog time now! Even though the violin lesson went 20 minutes over, I still got a lot done. With luck, I caught the friendly neighborhood 31 home in no time, after walking 5 blocks, or so on Mass Ave.
At work today, we worked on our business plans, and dry-ran the performance. This Mr. Haus commented that our idea was pretty lucrative- versatile, full-range technology company- Cherry Point Technology Group of Northern America- or CPTG.
Lunch was fun- not lunchtime, but the food- Bologna sandwich, that, when microwaved, smoked liked plastic; the carrots were on their way out, in their little bag; fruit jello running down the side of its cup; A cookie that tasted rather like styrofoam. I happen to know that the food we received was served on certain airlines. If I ever flew on that airline---

Where's the Blogger?

Appetizer-
I snoozed until 8am, as we were going to go to the 9am mass this Sunday. After that, it was about 11:15am. Time to shop for 'stuff'. Tysons was too crowded- a diversion to Leesburg's strip malls, were we bought a bike, pillows, toaster, etc. How American. And what a view! From the Dulles Greenway, you can see planes land- large ones, larger than those at National Airport, and the mystery of which country the plane came from. Flight to National only come from the States or Canada, in general.

The Show-
I was at a John Williams (the movie soundtrack composer) concert at the Kennedy Center last night. It was part of the Marine Band 210th anniversary event. It was FREE admission- I actually did not know that I was going until Sunday morning; otherwise, I would have given a FYI in-blog notice. Awesome show, included some clips of Star Wars, ET, Harry Potter, and JAWS. I would have snapped a photo of the event if it was not prohibited- not only by the House, but by the Department of Defense. I don't remember seeing many illicit cameras out, either.

Monday-
Not much to talk about, got a group raise, but no more lunch hour pay. In all, we lose net $1.35, including travel fare (working only 3 hours means that we can get a blanket transfer that is still valid after work), but gain a precious hour of lunchtime. I still treasure that moment, grabbing a packaged meal to go, swiftly getting on the 32, and being home in 25 short minutes. Then there was the forgettable bike trip loop between the bridges (I-66 and Arlington Memorial), and the Walgreen's back-to-school-sale fiasco, and the pool.

Pay Comes In

So today is Thursday, and tomorrow (probably at midnight tonight) I should be getting about $360 in my account for being at work- payday, as it is called. One more day of Whupity and then it's two days off. What a life. I was out since 6pm-biking, tennis, cosmetic bike fix- my thoughts are a little unorganized, and sorry. But some of our readers did want to know- How much does it pay? About $6/hour- a good value for what work we do (If this program wasn't about real-life job skills, we'd be shelling out $200 or so a week for it!)

PS- I was eliminated twice in UNO today, but it never happened when I held my deck to the end- if I yapped about it more, I think I could control my fate. Noontime round (one where I was ousted from)- that was dq'ed because of hidden cards!

Tactical Error

I read a savory ad about the new National Harbor at the Wilson Bridge.
I harken back to the Streetcar days of DC- A destination place at the end of the line. Glen Echo remains as an example. These days, 1920's theme parks are conceived as 'lame'. So enter this 2.1 billion (USD) resort, luring (monied) city people to beefen revenues and profits accumulated from the lured tourists.

-There is no way to get from Downtown to the 'resort' easily (sans voiture)
Options include- direct ramp access from I-95 and the Anacostia Freeway, which leads directly to Downtown, a $14 roundtrip ferry ticket across the river to Alexandria, or, as implied, a bus from a Green Line Metro Station (Southern Avenue) for staff. Great planning, Gaylord. I'll laugh when I read that you're in court facing a discrimination lawsuit. Or I'll file one myself.

But, I wonder, is the parking free?