Overreaction?

When I heard about the recent aborted terrorist incident on a Detroit-bound aircraft my first thought was how did the guy get explosive materials onto the plane - especially since the flight originated in Amsterdam, where security is especially tight.

And my second thought was what kind of crazy new restrictions will this mean for passengers. First it was the ban on tiny Swiss Army knives, then on liquids except in 3.4 ounce containers in a single little plastic bag, then the shoe deal - how will they punish us passengers this time?

The answer was fast in coming: According to a statement posted Saturday morning on Air Canada’s Web site, the Transportation Security Administration will severely limit the behavior of both passengers and crew during flights in United States airspace — restricting movement in the final hour of flight. “Among other things,” the statement in Air Canada’s Web site read, “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.”

Now exactly what has changed since last week? Why is movement in the last hour of a flight, or having something on your lap (a book?) suddenly more dangerous now than it was last week? Once again the TSA has overreacted. One can only wonder what might happen after the next incident - no carryons at all? And after that, flying naked?

Obama Snubbed?

Today I received a forwarded email from right-wing acquaintance. The message's subject line was "Gee, I didn't see this on network TV!!!! Obama snubbed."

The message opened with" "Watch this 10 second video where a lineup of leading Russians refuse to shake his hand. Did you see this on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN or MSNBC? " Of course my first thought was to wonder whether anyone saw it on Fox News either - and why the writer failed to mention what is probably his or her favorite news source!

My puzzlement quickly vanished once I checked snopes.com, as I always do upon receipt of such questionable material. Not surprisingly Snopes labeled the message as FALSE, stating that it contained an "edited version" of a much longer video which clearly showed that there was no "snub." See for yourself at http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/snubbed.asp.

Why must these people stoop to fabricating such items to attack the president and the mainstream media? Do they feel their position is so weak that only fabrications stand a chance of making their case? I hope you'll remember to always first check the validity of email messages you receive before forwarding them to your friends. Remember that forwarded messages reflect on YOU!

Conservative Buckeyes still rule Big Ten roost - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

Conservative Buckeyes still rule Big Ten roost - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

Claiming he "screwed up," Hannity "apologizes" for airing "incorrect video" of 9-12 protests while discussing Bachmann rally

Claiming he "screwed up," Hannity "apologizes" for airing "incorrect video" of 9-12 protests while discussing Bachmann rally

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Laurel & Hardy - Bonnie Scotland

This my favorite Laurel & Hardy scene. The tune is "Wi' a Hundred Pipers." I hope you enjoy it.

"Heads we win, tails you lose!"

Daily-Jeff.com - Cougar caught on camera near Salt Fork

If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

If you go out in the woods today,
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely out in the woods today,
But safer to stay at home.




Daily-Jeff.com - Cougar caught on camera near Salt Fork

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Cartoons from the Issue of October 19th, 2009: newyorker.com

18 mostly funny cartoons from the current New Yorker Magazine

Cartoons from the Issue of October 19th, 2009: newyorker.com

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The (almost) always clever Maureen Dowd on Obama's Nobel Award

An imagined conversation between Bill Clinton and Bush 43 upon hearing Barack Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. An excerpt:

CLINTON: Talk about a fairy tale. This ... is ... just ... wrong! It’s killing me, man. I feel like my head’s explodin’. First I had the vast right-wing conspiracy, and now I have the vast left-wing conspiracy.

W.: I hear ya, 42. As if his head wasn’t big enough. This cat is all cage, no bird. He doesn’t have a clue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11dowd.html

Some Favorite Travel Photos

I'm just starting this blog today, and to provide some content I've posted some of my favorite photos from my travels over the past three years.

Church on Spilled Blood - St. Petersburg

Church on Spilled Blood - St. Petersburg, originally uploaded by tseverns.

Because it was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, this church is popularly known as the Church on Spilled Blood. (It's also called the Church of the Resurrection, Church of the Savior on the Blood, Resurrection of Christ, Assumption, and Church of the Redeemer. During the Second World War, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Savior on Potatoes. It suffered significant damage during the Siege of Leningrad. After the war, it was used as a warehouse for a nearby opera theatre.

On the Li River

Li River 2, originally uploaded by tseverns.

The Li River or Li Jiang (Chinese: 漓江, pinyin: Lí Jiāng) is a river in Guangxi Province, China. (Also see the Li River disambiguation page.) The Li River originates in the Mao'er Mountains in Xing'an county and flows through Guilin, Yangshuo and Pingle, down into the Xi Jiang, the western tributary of the Pearl River in Wuzhou, its course of 437 kilometers is flanked by green hills. Cormorant fishing is often associated with the Lijiang. Its unusual karst topography hillsides have often been compared to those at Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Caernarfon Castle, Wales

Caernarfon Castle, Wales, originally uploaded by tseverns.

Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon) was constructed at Caernarfon in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, by King Edward I of England, following his conquest of Gwynedd in 1283. Caernarfon Castle is part of the World Heritage site 'Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd'

Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument, originally uploaded by tseverns.

Less than 800 years ago, Wupatki Pueblo was the largest pueblo around. It flourished for a time as a meeting place of different cultures. Yet this was one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau, offering little obvious food, water, or comfort. How and why did people live here? The builders of Wupatki and nearby pueblos have moved on, but their legacy remains.

Brig o' Doon, Alloway, Ayreshire

Brig o' Doon, Alloway, Ayreshire, originally uploaded by tseverns.

The Brig o' Doon is a late medieval bridge used as the setting for the final verse of the Robert Burns's poem Tam o' Shanter. In this scene Tam is on horseback and is being chased by the Nannie the witch. He is just able to escape her by crossing the bridge (over a running stream) narrowly avoiding her attack as she is only able to grab the horses tail which comes away in her hands.