Phoning Home

As usual, they left things to the last minute. While time ticked away, they were in the back yard battling with balloon swords, and only when it was time to go did they decide to call home and see if they could make a change in plans. So while we stood around in our running gear, with gloves and hats in hand and with the bike finally strapped to the back of the car, they punched at the buttons on the phone in the kitchen. Nothing happened.

Ugh! Matt exclaimed, trying the number again.

That phone seems to be kid-proof, I said. (It doesn't give much feedback, and it never fails to frustrate the efforts any twelve year old kid in a rush.) He tried again and got the wrong number.

I dialed the right number! I know my mom's cell phone! Matt gasped, as he hung up.

His third attempt went no better. He just held the phone to his ear waiting for a ring on the other end -- a ring that never came.

Try the black phone in my office, I said.

Matt looked at me blankly.

The black phone next to the computers.

He hung up the phone and walked slowly to the study. On his way there, we heard him ask Ben a question.

Ben, can you show me how to use this phone?

You see, it's a black rotary dial Western Electric phone. Trudy looked at me and winced.

We're so old!

9:59:41 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Students in Teheran

The Specatator (linked by Instapundit) show us that there can be reason to hope in these dark times:

More than 10,000 people defied riot police to gather outside Teheran university in a show of support for reformist students and a sign of a wider dissatisfaction with the regime.

...

The crowd on the streets was made up of a cross-section of ordinary Teheranis. One of the several middle-age, middle-class women taking part said: "We don't have free speech and we don't have freedom - I have come here to support the students for my children's future."

Among the crowd were many plain-clothes security agents who bundled dozens of people into police cars and videotaped faces in the crowd. At one point a security agent was surrounded by a catcalling crowd and defended himself with a can of pepper spray.

As he hurried down the street followed by jeers, the crowd began to chant, "Thank you, police!" to the regular police, who stood by and did not overtly harass people. The officers smiled back. One of them helped an injured old man out of the fray. [Specatator]

9:31:57 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []