Droplets

Morning Dew. Wilmington, DE. April 22, 2006.

Cruising In

I haven't posted much lately because not much is happening these days. My wife is in the final days of her pregnancy and it's just wait and see time. The last couple weeks with child look to be pretty miserable, so we're taking it easy until the little guy/gal decides it is time. We're wondering whether he/she is holding out on the off chance it won't have to be born in Delaware. Since there isn't much chance of avoiding that, my wife would just like to get this done ASAP. Due date is May 10, so we are almost there. Updates to come!

Marina. Elkton, MD. April 15, 2006.

White House Shake Up

A new White House press secretary has been named in the wake of Scott McClellan's resignation.

All Baby Name Reject Team

Another amusing name I came across today automatically disqualified from the pool of potential baby monikers: Cubs OF Angel Pagan.

Welcome Back...

...to the work week. Hope you enjoyed your Easter holiday.

Forget Spring...

Bring on the Summer. Temps in the lower 80's this day before Easter. Perfect day to get out and do something!

Spring Ivy. Wilmington, DE. April 14, 2006.








Brandywine Park. Wilmington, DE. April 14, 2006.

Good Friday

From the Gospel of Luke:

[26] And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
[27] And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
[28] But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
[29] For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
[30] Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
[31] For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
[32] And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
[33] And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
[34] Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
[35] And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
[36] And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
[37] And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
[38] And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
[39] And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
[40] But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
[41] And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
[42] And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
[43] And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
[44] And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
[45] And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
[46] And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
[47] Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
[48] And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
[49] And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

Tale of Two Days

This past weekend consisted of two very different days weatherwise: one on the wintry side, the other more like what you'd expect on a spring day.

My little sister rows for the University of Dayton freshman girls team. Dayton, Ohio that is. Saturday, she was scheduled to race on the Cooper River in Camden, NJ, a forty-five minute drive from here. My wife (a real sport at 8 months pregnant) and I drove up to watch my sister race. The forecast promised rain and a high temperature of 52 degrees...which was expected to be recorded before the sun came up. In reality, temps hovered in the low forties most of the day.

The weather, as you can see by the photos I took in the rowers' camp, made the spectators' conditions little different than those of the rowers: wet (though a bit more muddy).

Shivering rowers walked (or better, sloshed) back and forth between the tents and the staging areas, losing flip flops in the mud, dripping cold rain from their heads, and looking generally miserable. About an hour after we arrived, which was several hours after the start of the day's races, the schools finally decided to call it a day.

We never did see my sister race. It's too bad, because I had never attended a crew event before, and was curious to experience the scene. Being that my sister is only a freshman, I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities.

By the time we hopped back into our cars, some evidence of snow and sleet began sliding down our saturated windshields. Heater on and dry, the car's interior was a welcome refuge as we headed back to Delaware.



Sunday was another story entirely. Sunny, dry, and in the upper 50's. We took the opportunity to complete a few errands before heading to Elkton for the afternoon. Elkton, as you could tell from some of the photos I took last spring and summer, can be picturesque for much of the year. At this point early in the spring, the area is just shaking off the winter and starting to bloom.

Vivid colors dot the landscape here and there, and the bugs haven't made their appearance yet so we still have a ways to go before things really hit stride. But having endured even the short period of misery on Saturday, just a start was plenty enough.

Headline of the Day

Spokeswoman: Bow Wow and Ciara Split

Mean Streets of Wilmington

The events below happened today about two blocks from my house:


By TERRI SANGINITI

The News Journal
04/10/2006

WILMINGTON -- A lunch-hour gun battle left one person dead today near Wilmington Hospital.

Police Capt. Sean Finerty said the victim was involved in “some type of running gun battle” with several other people.

The victim was riding a bicycle along Washington Street near 14th Street when shot, police said. A gun was found near the victim.

• The suspects fled on foot, some discarding their outer clothing as they ran. Three people are in custody, according to police.

• Traffic around the hospital was rerouted as police investigated. The roads were reopened around 3 p.m.

• Wilmington Hospital remains open, said Dan Bates, corporate director of external affairs for Christiana Care, which operates the hospital.

• An employee at The House of Watches, who declined to give his name, said he and his colleagues heard three pops and saw some people running down the street. It was “very” scary, he said, but a police officer happened to be in the store at the time as a customer. The store, at 1330 Washington St., remains open, he said.

• Riva Brown, co-owner of Living Letters Studio in the 1300 block of Washington Street, said her calligraphy studio and art galler/frame shop remained open, but she was staying inside and out of the way. She did not see the shooting, only its aftermath as a crowd of onlookers and police arrived. “Until this clears out a little, I think I’ll just keep my door locked,” Brown said.

See complete coverage Tuesday in The News Journal and at www.delawareonline.com.

Contact Terri Sanginiti at 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com.

Seen At The Post Office

While waiting in line at the Post Office today, I noticed a man in line carrying around a seven foot section of a gutter's down spout. Naturally, he took it to the counter to mail somewhere. He had plugged both ends with cardboard and gobs of clear masking tape. He asked the postal worker for $180 worth of insurance on his aluminum encased delivery. I would love to know what was in there.

PC For You, But Not For Me

Here's a good illustration of how ridiculous the label "African-American" is:

[Cynthia McKinney] had previously insisted she had done nothing wrong, and accused police of "racial profiling." She is African-American and the police officer is white.

How come we aren't told the ethnic origins of the police officer? Were his ancestors Irish? Or Italian? Or German? Or Scandinavian? Furthermore, is he American? We can't know these things from the quoted the article. We are only given the teaser that the officer is "white." Is this journalism? I want to know more!

The Groundhog Was Right

Woke up yesterday to some pretty intense snow showers...and I don't live in Chicago anymore! Hopefully it was nothing more than winter saying "goodbye!"

Saving the Planet

A nutball scientist from the University of Texas recently stated that the only thing that can save this planet from doom is a reduction in human population by 90%. He freely stated that he welcomes ebola and the bird flu as catalysts for this change. Ebola and the bird flu, as you may know, are extremely lethal viruses that lead to very painful deaths. Apparently the speech in which the scientist made these views known was very well received by the audience. (I could post forever on this warped view of planet over people that extreme environmentalists are able to justify in their meat deprived minds...but that's a post for another day.)

Whenever I hear something like this, my first reaction is: who decides who gets to live and who dies? Will this professor and his faithful crowd of fanatics be first in line to volunteer to save their planet? Doubtful. The people who are advocates of these points of view automatically assume they will be part of the chosen few who live. But what makes them more valuable than the next person? How can they be sure that loosening ebola and bird flu on the population wouldn't result in their own demise? Would a world populated by these ghouls really be a better place?

Eliminating 90% of the human population would be a tragedy of epic proportions. Unfortunately, there is a segment of the population who would welcome such a mass die-off of the species. These sick individuals, I'm sure, are advocates of some of the legitimized policies of death (abortion, euthanasia, etc.) that kill millions each year. That a lot of blood to have on one's hands, and there's clearly a bloodlust for more. Sad.

Seen In This Sunday's Bulletin

Click to enlarge. Found in this Sunday's St. Patrick's Church bulletin.

Bad Kitty

When our cat really crosses the line into bad cat behavior, we punish it by putting it temporarily in the basement. That's not as harsh as it might seem. Though it's not finished, we have put plenty of soft pillows and other amenities down there to keep her reasonably comfortable. Her litter box and food bowls are there as well, so she's in no danger. She just loses her in-house privileges. And usually it is taking advantage of those privileges that leads to her temporary confinement.

This afternoon, we came back from the store, and I peeked through the window to see if she was sleeping on top of the recliner. We've found evidence she likes to this when we're gone. That's a no-no, and she knows it. Often we come through the door just in time to see a white blur and the recliner rocking frantically back and forth. This time, I peered inside before putting the key in the door. Sure enough, the kitty-iot was sitting on top of the recliner. Our eyes met. Caught red handed and knowing it, the cat decided it wasn't worth making a run for it this time. My wife looked inside next. "KEADY!"

This was a basementable offense, so down we put her.

About 20 minutes later, we went into the basement ourselves to get some gardening tools. Keady was nowhere to be found. She wasn't in her old cat carrier, formerly her favorite spot. She wasn't on top of a bag of old clothes, or the black pillow that was now nearly white from her sheddings. She wasn't behind any boxes. But I heard her collar tinkle a couple times, so I knew she was in the basement somewhere.

I told my wife to call her. "Kitty, kitty, kitty!"

Nothing.

"Kitty, kitty, kitty!"

A jangle. Suddently, she appeared atop a ledge near the basement ceiling. How the heck did she get up there. And for that matter, where exactly was "there"? Take a look for yourself. The photos below will give you an idea of the area in which she decided to hide:


Take a good look. You can see a couple ears sticking up behind all the pipes and wires.













I was holding the camera high over my head to get this shot.












It looks like the dumbhead jumped up on a table in the back of the basement, then from there about three feet upwards onto a two inch wide ledge. After walking behind the electrical box, she found a spot between the floor supports to get on top of the dusty heating duct. I admire the agility and athleticism it takes to get up and into that place. But otherwise, I can't understand what would possess an animal to want to be there?

None of this does much to change my already low opinion of her feline intellect.

Spring Has Sprung

Temps soared into the seventies today. Perfect day to get out and take care of some long-overdue chores. I even found a couple signs of life in the yard.

Resign Already

Does anyone believe anything Cynthia McKinney says? And who exactly is voting this disgrace into office year after year? An easy way to tell when a person is lying is when their story gets more and more elaborate as time passes, and each time the liar opens his/her mouth to add another "fact," the new fact inevitably attempts to portray the speaker as more of a victim than the time before.

As you may know, McKinney was stopped by a relatively new Capitol Police officer after she tried to bypass a metal detector. McKinney apparently doesn't ever wear her member pin, so she had no outwardly identifying marks to show that she was a congresswoman. And she's Cynthia McKinney from Georgia, a congresswoman of no significance, so the run of the mill Capitol Police officer might not know who she is. When the officer stopped McKinney as she breezed past the metal detector, she apparently flipped out and hit the officer in the chest with her cell phone. Assaulting a police officer, by the way, is a felony.

McKinney's version of events has grown more elaborate by the day. A recap:

1) She first claimed that she was angry that the officer didn't recognize her, and flipped out. Sorry.

2) Then she claimed that it was a white officer who had it out for her because she was a black woman. Naturally.

3) Now she's claiming that she was "touched inappropriately," which is what started the altercation. She made this claim conveniently after rumors circulated that an arrest warrant will soon be issued against her.

Credibility problem, anyone?

Here is the Washington Post recap of her latest accusations against the officer.

Cynthia McKinney, the Georgia congresswoman who had an altercation with a Capitol Police officer, said yesterday that the officer started the incident by "inappropriately touching and stopping" her after she walked past a security checkpoint.

McKinney, speaking at a news conference where she was joined by singer Harry Belafonte and actor Danny Glover, said she understands that a case against her may be referred for prosecution but declared that she will be exonerated.
U.S. Congress

"Let me be clear: This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman," McKinney said. "I deeply regret that this incident occurred."

Let me ask one last question. Does it help or hurt McKinney that she makes the above allegations against the Capitol Police (the men and women dedicated to protecting the lives of members of Congress) in the presence of two America-hating pals of communist dictators Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez?

UPDATE: McKinney's lawyer says she's the victim of use of "excessive force" because she's black:

Her lawyer, James W. Myart Jr., said, "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, like thousands of average Americans across this country, is, too, a victim of the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials because of how she looks and the color of her skin."

"Ms. McKinney is just a victim of being in Congress while black," Myart said. "Congresswoman McKinney will be exonerated."

Give me a break. What a complete clown.