Friday, February 28, 2003

Iraq prepares for its defense. Thousands of troops shift south; foxholes dug in gardens. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories] No, no, no!  It's Saddam that we want pushing up the daisies. 12:05:31 PM  Bites [];

Court Won't Reconsider Ban on Pledge of Allegiance. A federal appeals court rejected a request to reconsider its decision that the Pledge of Allegiance is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion when recited in public classrooms. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] Back when I was a young lawyer, one of the more popular jokes went like this: Q: What do you call the law student who graduated at the bottom of his class? A: Your honor. Personally, I'm for eliminating the job security of life-time appointments to the bench. 11:20:47 AM  Bites [];

Woohoo!  I'm on time, even. 1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)?  I read everything, even cereal boxes and shampoo bottles.  During the day, my favorites are magazines (about 5 a week) and newspapers (2 per day).  At night, I prefer a good novel to lull my brain. 2. What is your favorite novel?  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  I re-read it at least once a year.  Sophie's Choice by William Styron is a close second simply because the man's writing is so damned beautiful. 3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!)  Howl, by Alen Ginsberg. 4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read?  I've had a copy of Herman Hesse's Glass Bead Game I've been trying to get around to reading for at least 5 years but everytime I pick it up I get distracted.  5. What are you currently reading?  Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George.  Ever since picking up her book The Memoirs of Cleopatra I've been hooked on historical fiction.  Unfortunately, my arms get awfully tired of holding up her 800+ page volumes, but they're so worth it! 9:34:25 AM  Bites [];

U.S. Lowers Terror Warning Level From Orange to 'Yellow'. The Bush administration lowered the nation's terrorist alert level from orange to yellow, but warned that the nation still faces a serious threat of attacks. By Philip Shenon and Eric Lichtblau. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] Wish I had a dollar for every idiot I heard moaning yesterday something along these lines: They shouldn't have raised the level if nothing was going to happen.  (HUH?) Ok, I wouldn't be rich, but at least I could afford enough martinis to get rid of the massive headache all the whining caused.   Yesterday, I made a trip to my local store, which here in Hawai'i really means a plywood and cinder block shack where dusty cans of Spam cost $4 and the $20 bottle of wine has a screw-top lid.  Around here, where going fishing to catch dinner is part of your daily chores, we really go shopping just to catch up on local news even if it means getting financially raped in the process.  So there I am, wanting only to get a package of chicken laulau (it's a local thing, don't make me explain it), and I was subjected to a conversation with a toothless woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Refrigerator Perry.  Now, being only 5'2" on a good day, I don't make it a habit of arguing with folks who have a thigh-circumference larger than I am tall.  Plus, she had five kids with her, the smallest of which still had a good 30 lbs. on me.   So right about the time that she began pontificating about the change in the alert level, I was running mental calculations on mass, speed and the wind resistance she'd be combatting in her efforts to chase me out the door were I to simply scream "Shut the hell up!"  Unfortunately, althoug math has never been one of my strong points, it didn't take much to realize that I didn't stand a chance.  So I chose diplomacy instead, and it went something like this: Woman: D'ja hear the gubment lowered da terrorist threat level to yelluh? Me: Yeah. Woman: Why dey boddah raising it, da kine worries us for nuthin', yeah? Me: Well, no.  Not really.  I mean, they had a lot of sources saying there was going to be an attack and they wanted us to watch out for it and be prepared. Woman: Yeah but we alls got worried for nuthin since dere was no attack. Me: You can't mean that you're disappointed an attack didn't happen, right? Woman: No, no.  I mean we got worried 'bout nuthin'. Me: (looking at her kids) Kinda like birth control? Woman: Huh? Me: Well, let's say I don't want to have any more kids.  So I take birth control pills and I don't get pregnant.  Does the fact that I didn't get pregnant mean I didn't need the birth control pills? Woman: (eyeing her kids) Hmph.  Do da pills make you gain weight? I'll admit, I paid for my laulau and left but not without feeling like maybe, in some small way, I'd made inroads.  If nothing else, I bet her doctor gets a call from her soon. 9:19:18 AM  Bites [];

© Copyright 2003 Kate Berry. Last update: 3/9/03; 8:51:50 PM.