Monday, March 27, 2006

Monday Morning

No sun this morning yet. A little bit of a chill in the air. However, spring is finally here, I do believe. It will be in the mid-70's later.

Quiet weekend. Just like I like it. Took son to purchase a new XBOX360 game Saturday afternoon and that was about it for outside activity.

Let's see. What is on the feeble mind today.

In the newspaper over the weekend was an article about the price of crawfish. Seems the price per pound, yes that is how you measure and sell them, is higher than ever. Due to the last hurricane season and continuing wetland barrier problems off the coast of Louisiana. Bummer. We do love to pinch tail and suck head on the Gulf coast. Lent is prime time for crawfish consumption, you know.

Rice University here did a study and found there is definate "Katrina fatigue" in this city 6 months after the event that brought 200,000 new faces to town. No surprise there. I feel it myself, I have to admit. I continue to try to put myself in their shoes. It is harder and harder as time passes, though, when the ones complaining are the ones who make the evening news broadcasts. Houston has given them 12 months free rent and utilities. Tons of support for the school kids and families needing jobs and daycare. Our local charities are suffering with dollars stretched thin. It is never enough.

Crime is up here. Markedly so, according to the police department. They are actively recruiting new officers from other parts of the country. The city is increasing the police force by 600 to keep up with demand.

I watched very little news this weekend. Sometimes it is all just too much. And with cable news, it is so often people who have no clue doing all the pontificating. How does one get to be an "expert" anyway? I'm a process oriented person, just pondering.

I watched a lot of shows on the Food Network and enjoyed catching some movies that are favorites. Saw "Fifty First Dates" with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sadler again. Love it. Just a feel good kind of movie. My hubby loves young Drew so he is always willing to tune into it. Son loves all the physical humor of it. And there's a penguin in it. Enough said.

I read an update on that Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staffer caught "misrepresenting" herself as the lt. gov. of Maryland on a website to obtain his credit report last summer. The lt. gov. is running for the Senate seat vacated by Paul Sarbannes this cycle. His name is Michael Steele and he is an African American Republican with lots of popular support. Anyway, this now former staffer decided to pry into Steele's private life to try to get some goods on him. She was caught and has plea bargained it to a misdemeanor and completing 150 hours of community service. Lauren B. Weiner, the former staffer, used a committee credit card to gain access to Steele's credit report over the Internet. She pretended to be him and created an e-mail address to get the report. So, obviously the DSCC knew what she was up to or she would not have had an official credit card. She was a researcher, not a bigwig in the committee. The chairman of the DSCC this election cycle? Charles Schumer, NY

Last week on 60 Minutes, a scientist called "the world's leading researcher on global warming" by the CBS show, claimed to be a victim of the Bush administration's censorship on the global warming issue. His allegation was that this administration is vested in denying global warming findings from the scientific community. He didn't mention he acted as a consultant in February to Al Gore's slide show presentation on global warming around the country. He didn't mention he publicly endorsed John Kerry for president and received a $250,000 grant from Teresa Heinz Kerry's foundation. $250,000 buys a lot of endorsement, I suppose. The reporter profiling James Hansen on the show, Scott Pelley, also failed to mention any of these links. Hansen made similar charges against the first President Bush, too. At the time, in 1989, Kerry and a dozen other senators co-signed a letter written by Gore, then a US Senator, demanding an explanation for that administration's supposed censorship.

Hubby is in Bolivia and communication is limited, to say the least. Have to communicate via e-mail but I'm not complaining. Better than nothing. Hubby is very good about keeping in touch with phone calls when he is away but sometimes the locations don't present the opportunity. This is one of those locations - the mountains of Bolivia.

"The best things in life aren't things." - Art Buchwald

1 comment:

srp said...

Monday blues. Seem to get bigger. So much going on that is bad, one wishes for a good news story just once a week. George Mason made the final four. It is not in the same conference with the big guys, I think they were included in the tournament as the at-large entry. They are in the Colonial Athletic Association, the same as William and Mary. Not bad. Everyone at W&M are cheering for them.