Pho real!

My daughter and I had lunch at our favorite pho restaurant yesterday. The servers know us well, and by now we are so predictable in our menu choices that ordering is almost by rote: "Spring rolls and P-15 with extra noodles, and spring rolls and V-1."

Part of our pho ritual is to pick fortune cookies from the jar next to the cash register when paying for lunch, and to compare fortunes before we get in the car.

The past few months have been a period of growth for my daughter, for me, and for our relationship. We have both negotiated some profound changes ... not always easy ones ... and there have been times when we've both had nearly simultaneous insights that have almost seemed to be sent to us from a higher plane.

When my daughter opened her fortune cookie, she said, "Hey, I have two in mine!"

She read the first:



We both nodded, knowingly, and I said something like, "Wow, that's right on the money!"

She read the second:



We both felt the hair on our necks start to stand up. "Gosh, that one is really right, too," she said. "Open yours ... it's going to tell you what you need to do."

I tore open the cellophane wrapper of my fortune cookie and cracked open the cookie. Both of us read it at the same time:



So now, I know what I need to do! This is the fortune cookie equivalent of the zen phrase, "Chop wood, carry water." Or at least, that's how I am going to interpret it ... once I stop laughing.

P.S. The photo at top is not our favorite pho palace, but it might be if they open one in our town!

Taking non-existent prisoners from non-existent prisons...

...and sending them to a prison that he wants to shut down?

Does Bush really think none of us have memories that last longer than a goldfish's?

From today's Globe and Mail:

After his administration spent months steadfastly refusing to confirm the existence of the widely criticized "black sites," Mr. Bush not only acknowledged that terrorists had been "held and questioned outside the United States" by the Central Intelligence Agency but he praised the program as one that had broken up several plots and kept "potential mass murderers off the streets before they were able to kill us." The presumed terrorists, including suspects in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000 and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, have already been transferred to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where 455 other suspects are also being held...

The surprise admission by Mr. Bush was part of a series of announcements yesterday timed for maximum political effect just days before the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mr. Bush said he was introducing legislation that would allow "enemy combatants" to be tried by special military commissions.

The Pentagon also made public new rules banning abusive treatment of prisoners, marking a reversal from earlier policy which said the terrorists did not qualify for that kind of legal protection.

In asking Congress to set out the rules for the military commissions, Mr. Bush was responding to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that earlier trial plans violated U.S. and international law. He was making it clear that in the future the United States will play by the rules of the Geneva Conventions when it comes to the treatment of prisoners.

But by announcing the transfer of the 14 suspects to Guantanamo, Mr. Bush was anxious to portray himself as the leader of the war on terrorism and to put his Democratic opponents on the defensive in the run-up to crucial congressional mid-term elections in November. The families of Sept. 11 victims were invited to witness the President's 35-minute speech in the White House, which was broadcast live on national TV.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer lashed out at the Bush administration for flouting international law for so long. "Their bull-in-the-china-shop approach -- ignore the Constitution, ignore the rule of law -- has made us worse off than if we had gone to Congress originally."

"The Dumbest, The Poorest, The Fattest"

The Hotline, National Journal's blog, has done an analysis
of three recent state-by-state rankings.

They compared each state's performance on the following measures: SAT scores, poverty and obesity, thus developing the subject list.

Their analysis, in part:

So, in order, here are the states with the 5 best and 5 worst average rankings:

Best
CO 40.67
MN 40.00
UT 39.67
WI 39.33
CT 38.67

Worst
SC 7.33
TX 8.00
WV 10.00
GA 10.67
MS 11.67

Other points worth mentioning:

. SC has the worst average ranking of SAT score, obesity rate and poverty rate (7.3). . CO has the best (40.7).
. NH and IA are 8th and 9th best, respectively, when you average the three rankings (37.0 and 36.33).
. TX is the only state to be in the bottom 10 for each category.
. MS comes in at number one in obesity and poverty

Now, why is it that we pay so much attention to Lindsey Graham, George Bush, Robert Byrd, Saxby Chambliss and Trent Lott?

No comment necessary

Floyd should have read The Chicago Tribune

Or his attorney should try The Viagra Defense.

Please tell me they weren't wearing bicycling shorts during the test

The Chicago Tribune reports today that competitive bicyclists who take The Little Blue Pill can improve their cycling performance on mountain roads by close to 50 percent.

Some cyclists have more trouble than others in sustaining high levels of exertion at mountainous elevations, wrote reporter Miriah Meyer.

"For these cyclists, taking Viagra improved their performance up to 45 percent, which would allow a cyclist racing in the high Rocky Mountains to cover a stretch of road in 39 minutes that would otherwise take an hour."

"'The participants told us that while they were riding the bike they didn't know whether they were on the drug or not,' said [one of the scientists who led the study]. 'However, what they did say was that in the showers afterward they pretty much knew which pill they had been given.'"

Insert your own joke about gearshifts, sticking it to the competition, crossing the finish line first, etc., etc. here.

Talk about "Darn Dangerous!"

Did he just realize that there has been no "plan" for more than five years?

From The Scotsman
6/15/06

Bush declares wish to close Guantanamo

US PRESIDENT George Bush said yesterday he wanted to close the Guantanamo military prison but first needed a plan to deal with the "darn dangerous" prisoners held there.

Mr Bush acknowledged that the camp, which has drawn international condemnation, gave some "an excuse" to criticise the United States for failing to uphold the values it espoused.

Two Saudis and a Yemeni hanged themselves with clothes and sheets at the prison for foreign terrorism suspects on Saturday, the first prisoners to die at Guantanamo since the US began sending suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban captives there in 2002.

"I'd like to close Guantanamo, but we're holding some people there that are darn dangerous and we'd better have a plan to deal with them in our courts," Mr Bush said.
An Afghan delegation, returning from a ten-day visit to the Cuban jail, said yesterday conditions were "humane".

The head of the delegation, Abdul Jabar Sabhet, of the interior ministry, said the group spoke freely with all 96 Afghan prisoners about their living conditions and that there were "only one or two" complaints

From the RSA's Dispatch Online
6/15/06

In February the five [U.N. Human Rights advocates] released a highly critical report accusing the US of violating a host of international human rights rules and called for the immediate closure of the facility and the trial or release of the 460 or so inmates held in legal limbo.

Only 10 of the 460 people held there as “enemy combatants” have been formally charged since the camp opened in early 2002 at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. None has gone on trial.

Washington says many of the other inmates are highly dangerous suspected al-Qaeda members or Taliban fighters. It does not acknowledge that they are prisoners of war or entitled to the full protection of the Geneva Conventions.

Great Jon Stewart interview of Bill Bennett

Living with war

Glad somebody is saying it.

Mystery Solved...

With some help from a few Chowhound.com contributors, I've determined that the plant in the photograph below is a Bitter Melon plant.

Mystery Asian vegetable plant

Two weekends ago, we went to a plant sale hosted by a local Asian community garden. In addition to shiso, various species of basil and several other recognizable kitchen herbs and vegetables, we bought a plant that was completely new to us.

It is a climber, making me think it is a pea or a related legume, and it has leaves that look like maple leaves. (It has more than three leaflets, so I am relatively certain it is not poison ivy.) The older Hmong woman who sold it to us spoke very little English, but in response to my "What is it?" question held out her hand in what I assumed was an imitation of the maple leaf shape of the leaf foliage.

It has started growing very nicely and has flower buds on it. (It was 95 degrees today here in Dallas, so the profuse growth doesn't surprise me too much.) But I would greatly appreciate any help in identifying this delightful surprise before harvest time...especially if the leaves/shoots are the best parts to eat.

Makes you proud to live in North America

Remind me again. Which one is Moe?

One of these guys needs to fire his event manager.

Rick Mercer plays with fire

Based on what our family's Firefighter-in-Training has told me, Rick Mercer's day with the Toronto FD is a pretty accurate portrayal of the life.

On Pots, Kettles and Bushes

"I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform. And I know you can't be a partner in peace if your party has got an armed wing."
-- George W. Bush, commenting on Hamas' unanticipated victory in Palestinian election, at White House News Conference, 26 Jan 06

Uh, excuse me, Mr. President, but aren't there a few people around the world who might question the United States' suitability as a partner in peace, using these same criteria?

In case you missed this

It's remarkable how the North Korean media all speak with the same voice. Which sounds remarkably like the one that wrote this press release! "Immortal feats"? Sounds like Kim Jong Il needs definitely should try out for the touring company of Cirque de Soleil.


January 21, 2006 Saturday 4:37 AM EST
KIM JONG IL'S CHINA VISIT HAILED

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- The government of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea issued the following news release:

Newspapers here today come out with editorials saying that spectacular successes and immortal feats registered by leader Kim Jong Il during his visit to China will shine long along with the history of the DPRK-China friendship.

Rodong Sinmun says that Kim Jong Il's recent China visit offered a momentous occasion as it provided a new landmark in boosting the unbreakable friendship and solidarity and developing the sincere and comradely cooperation between the parties and peoples of the two countries despite the whirlpool of the turbulent 21st century.

It goes on:

The visit also offered a significant occasion in further deepening the mutual understanding and friendship between the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries and strikingly demonstrated the good tradition and solidity of the bilateral friendship that has been brought into fuller bloom in the new century.

Kim Jong Il's visit bore a good fruit and it marked an important occasion that recorded a brilliant chapter in the history of the bilateral friendship. His visit powerfully encouraged the two peoples in their struggle to build socialism and reunify their countries and made a great contribution to ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and other parts of Asia and giving an impetus to the unity of the anti-imperialist independent forces and to the building of a just new world.

The friendship between the DPRK and China that has grown generation after generation is a common treasure of the two peoples. The Chinese party, government and people have always set great store by the Sino-Korean friendship at a strategic level and rendered disinterested support and aid to the Koreans in their struggle to defend socialism. The Korean people are sincerely thankful for this and will always remember it. Particular and invariable are the feelings of friendship and trust between the peoples of the two countries. The party and the government of the DPRK will as ever make every possible effort to consolidate the ties of fraternal friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples and inject fresh vigor and vitality into this traditional friendship.

This friendship that has stood all tests and tempests of history will come into fuller bloom thanks to the concerted efforts of the parties, governments and peoples of the two countries under the deep care of the top leaders of the two countries.

Minju Joson notes that the servicepersons and people of the DPRK will remain true to the Workers' Party of Korea's Songun revolutionary leadership, with high honor and pride of being led by Kim Jong Il, and make a fresh leap forward in the building of a great prosperous powerful socialist nation with the might of Songun and boost the traditional relations of DPRK-China friendship this year.

Rick Mercer is Very Funny

One of North America's funniest people is hardly known outside of Canada. Here's one of his commentaries on CBC, especially apt for those of us south of the border.

Best Instructions of the Week

Off the Core

Purchased a set of three santoku knives at Costco today. They are made in China for NapaStyle, a U.S. company, and NapaStyle's attorneys receive my award for best instructions of the week.

The instructions include the following:

General Safety

. Always use caution when handling cutlery items. Misuse of cutlery may result in personal injury.
. Ensure that cutlery blades are always sharp. Dull blades ... may cause personal injury. Do not test sharpness with your hand or fingers; test on a food item.
. Do not allow children to play with cutlery.
. Always carry cutlery items with the blade pointing away from your body.
. Always cut or slice away from your body.
. Never try to catch falling cutlery.

To these very insightful tips, I would add (at no charge to NapaStyle, I will point out):

. Do not practice juggling with cutlery.
. Do not wear cutlery.
. Do not shave your neck, legs or other sensitive body parts with cutlery.
. Do not use cutlery as a substitute for your toothbrush.
. Place food items to be cut or sliced on a hard surface, such as a cutting board, rather than on your abdomen (see bullet point 4 above for more detail on this issue).
. If using cutlery as a substitute for lawn darts, do not look up to watch its trajectory.

Thank you NapaStyle. I hope your knives ... excuse me, cutlery ... give me as much pleasure as your instructions.