Thursday Tidbits

I am happy to say I am a little clearer of mind today. This morning's brew, Starbuck's French Roast, Bold , seems to have done the job.

Today I am monitoring the confirmation hearing for Gen. Hayden to head up the CIA. It may or may not be interesting. All the members of the committee in the Senate and in the House have now been brief fully so that canard is gone. No one, not even Nancy Pelosi, wants to discontinue the program so now it is all just posturing for votes in November. Sad but true.

A large portion of the USA Today story about the telecommunication data collecting is now discredited so once again it is the "journalists" making news, not reporting it.

Professor Ward Churchill from the University of Colorado in Boulder has been officially reprimanded by the committee reviewing his academic research methods and they have decided to suspend him without pay. Finally. Get him out of that school and let the kids get an education. Telling his students that this country, the country under attack, is responsible for the attack of 9/ll because of our system of capitalism and our freedom, is a huge disservice to young minds. He is a small-minded basher of America not deserving of the title Professor. You notice he doesn't have a doctorate.

A quote from Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Chris Bain, Reconnaissance and chemical weapons specialist, January - April 2004: "You know what was really amazing? The people who said, "Chris, you know, I don't support the cause, but no matter what the cause, I'm always going to support the troops." I was just dumbfounded by that. I asked this one guy why you don't support the cause. He said, "I've been watching the news." "Well,"I said, "that's your problem". As I continue to say, you are just not being honest when you say you don't support the war, the mission, but you support the troops.

I am starting "The DaVinci Code" since the movie is coming out and I still haven't gotten around to it. Apparently I am the last human remaining on earth who hasn't read this book. My son loved it and is looking forward to the movie.

During the summer of 2002 my son and I traveled to Portland Maine to visit hubby. He was working on a long term assignment at the shipyard there in Portland, doing his engineering magic on two oil drilling rigs being built. He had been there since March and it was at the end of June that we were able to head up there for a visit. We flew to Boston, spent the night there, then took the Amtrak train to Portland. Son hadn't ridden a train for any distance and I wanted him to experience it. The countryside was so pretty and it was a nice trip. We saw The Blue Man Group at the historic St. Charles Theatre in Boston when we spent the first night there. It was awesome. So, on the way back home after a couple of weeks in Maine, we took the train back to Boston, spent another night there - this time visiting the New England Aquarium and the site of the Boston Tea Party - then headed to Logan Airport to fly home the next morning. While waiting for our flight, we were wandering around looking in the little shops in the airport and spent a little time in a bookstore. Son is as avid reader as I am.

Son purchased a paperback to read on the flight and the title was "Angels and Demons". The author was Dan Brown. I had not heard of the book and he hadn't either but he thought the story sounded interesting. He read it non-stop on the plane. Couldn't put it down. Brown's upcoming book was advertised at the back of "Angels and Demons" and it was called "The DaVinci Code". Son mentioned he would keep an eye out for it since he liked the first book so much. Little did we know what would happen with the new book. Son took "Angels and Demons" to school for all his friends to pass around and read as they all loved "The DaVinci Code", too.

So, anyway, now is the time for me to take it out of the to-read stack of books I maintain and tackle it. I know the movie is not getting good reviews from the critics but I don't necessarily pay attention to them. I also know some groups are protesting the showing of the movie, especially Catholic groups. I don't necessarily pay attention to them, either. The book is fiction.

"It's not how much you have that makes people look up to you, it's who you are." - Elvis Presley