From The Rowdies In The Back Of The Bus

Because at this time of year you need a break from the stress of prepping for the holiday onslaught...

From Catfish:

USMC Best Joke of the Year

A Marine squad was marching north of Fallujah when they came upon an Iraqi terrorist who was badly injured and unconscious. On the opposite side of the road was an American Marine in a similar but less serious state. The Marine was conscious and alert and as first aid was given to both men, the squad leader asked the injured Marine what had happened.

The Marine reported, “I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway here, and coming south was a heavily armed insurgent. We saw each other and both took cover in the ditches along the road. I yelled to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable, lowlife scum who got what he deserved. And he yelled back that Barack Obama is a lying, good-for-nothing, left wing Commie who isn't even an American. So I said that Osama Bin Laden dressed and acts like a frigid, mean-spirited lesbian! He retaliated by yelling, ‘Oh yeah? Well, so does Nancy Pelosi!.’ And there we were, in the middle of the road, shaking hands, when a truck hit us.”

And from my dear friend Mr. Bill, a warning:

A recent joint study conducted by the Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that 23% of traffic accidents are alcohol related.

This means that the remaining 77% are caused by assholes who drink bottled water, Starbucks, soda, juice, energy drinks, and shit like that.

Therefore, beware of those who do not drink alcohol. They cause three times as many accidents.

This message is sent to you by someone who worries about your safety.

Happy Holidays!

Tootin' the Horn

The best bosses in the whole wide world strike again! I am a lucky, lucky person to work with such generous guys.

Quick Stop

Giggle of the Day:

These incidents are part of an apparent spree of baby Jesus statue swipings.

It made me laugh, anyway.

Quick Stop

I swear this is blasphemy:

America, let's be honest on this point: It is not so great to have pie. For decades now, this confection of fragile dough and chunky cooked fruit has been invading our dessert menus and national mythology, trying to persuade us of its honored standing among baked goods and the gods. Pie is delicious, we are told. Pie is an honest treat. Pie is what we call those who are dear to us ("sweetie pie") and those with a place in the nation's history ("American as"). In an age of gruesome culture wars, pie remains temperamentally Swiss, doing business with all quarters and reaping the rewards of broad acceptance.

You can have your cake and your cupcakes and your brownies and your cookies.

I. Like. Pie.

Raspberry, cherry, apple, pumpkin, banana cream, pecan, chess, vinegar, rhubarb, strawberry, blackberry, Key Lime, lemon meringue -- all of 'em. (Did I mention raspberry? I really, really love raspberry.) With homemade flaky and delicious crust, especially.

I love the contrast between sweet, tart and a bit of salt from the crust. The crunch of the fork through the crust. The layers of flavor and texture.

I love baking them. I love eating them. Plain. Ala mode. With country cream.

The best foods in the world are either messy to eat or use every pot and utensil in the kitchen to make. Who wants neat food, for cripes sake??? Yuck.

Nathan Heller is a Philistine. And has no taste buds. So there.
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Update: 11 Irresistible Chocolate Pies -- yum!

Quick Stops

Karma kicks in:

A convicted felon chose the wrong victim when he tried to rob an MMA fighter Friday night on the Southwest Side and ended up with two black eyes and a gunshot wound to the ankle.

I laughed and laughed!
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On the other hand, this news is a big old bummer:

Longtime WGN-720 AM Radio overnight co-hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putman are ending their 26-year run.

Their final show will air Friday.

Now where am I going to find cool new music? Steve and Johnnie have been a constant source of good stuff (and have been big cheerleaders of my friend Lisa McClowrey's for a long, long time)!
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If I wasn't so darned happy with the way she's running Cook County, I'd be advocating for Toni Preckwinkle for President:

She’s publicly criticized Gov. Pat Quinn, battled with the sheriff over budget cuts and even taken a jab at President Barack Obama’s signature health-care plan.

Her critics, and even some of her fans, say the 64-year-old Toni Preckwinkle, president of Cook County Board, can be abrupt, even “autocratic” — a throwback to the iron-fist rule of the so-called machine Democrats that ruled the county for decades.

But feather-ruffling aside, Preckwinkle has managed to shepherd through two balanced budgets, advance a socially liberal agenda and even make a few power grabs — all with the support of the county board.

And she’s done it all in a year’s time, after taking office last Dec. 6 on a platform of reform and transparency following the ouster of past president Todd Stroger.

See what I mean?

Tootin' the Horn

Somewhere up in Heaven, Ron Santo is doing this:

Finally the Baseball Hall of Fame gets it right:

Oh, yesssssss! The guy who immortalized the “oh, nooooo’’ call when Brant Brown dropped that fly ball is heading to the Hall of Fame.

Ron Santo is joining Cub teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins in baseball’s Hall of Fame. He was elected by the Veteran’s Committee in so-called Golden Era (1947-72) balloting announced Monday morning.

The vote came almost a year to the day he died, and in a way it's too little, too late.

Drive-Bys

In the shock poll of the day, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has pulled into a statistical tie with Mitt Romney in the former Massachusetts governor’s backyard, New Hampshire.

Why is this a shocker?

Look -- fiscal conservatives are terrified that Romney will be the Republican candidate, based on his performance as governor of Massachusetts. To those of us who lean more to the center on social issues, Bachman is a loon. Sadly, Perry has repeatedly shot himself in the foot during debates. Cain is rapidly falling apart on his tax plan, foreign policy and the freak show of women accusing him of sexual harassment.

I'm not happy with any of these, but if I have to hold my nose when I pull the lever in the voting booth, I'm going to do it for the person who's least likely to harm the economy any more and most likely to do some good. And that simply is not Obama.

It's a pretty awful field of candidates when Palin's choice not to run is starting to look like a crying shame.

(And, FWIW, here's the guy I'd have been thrilled to back.)
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“We had it put in his hand because that is what he came for,” said another son, Dr. Robert Hoshizaki.

Get out your hankies.
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This sounds like a pretty cool gig, indeed:

Gigwalk, a free app for iPhone and coming for Android, pays users small fees to perform tasks for companies that need local eyes and ears on the ground. Microsoft Corp.'s Bing, for example, enlists Gigwalkers to photograph businesses for map listings. Navigation service TomTom uses Gigwalkers to verify turn restrictions or bridge heights. Several consumer packaged-goods companies send Gigwalkers to retailers to ensure their products are being displayed properly....

Most gigs pay as little as $4, but as Gigwalkers become more experienced, they accumulate "street cred" that enables them to access more challenging jobs, such as photographing hotels or testing mobile apps, that pay up to $95 a pop.

If you live in Chicago, South Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Seattle, you might just want to check it out.
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I just don't understand people sometimes:

And if you think about what you would have done in a situation where you caught someone you love and respect in that position, is it really so obvious, as the chest thumping punditariat proclaims, that you would have leaped into the shower, beaten the snot out of him, and frog marched him to the police station after you rescued the kid? Really? You'd have done that to your father, your favorite uncle, your best friend, a beloved mentor?

Yes. I would.

I am appalled at this line of thinking:

I'm sure at some level they worry about other kids Grandpa might be touching--but they also worry about what would happen to Grandpa in jail, and the rest of his family in the court of public opinion.

Quite frankly, you'd do far better in the court of this public's opinion if you turned your perv of a Grandpa in to the authorities.

Can we stop making apologies for all of these people for their unwillingness to stand up for defenseless children? This just sickens me.

Quick Stop

Funniest headline of the week?

Cursing Christmas fairy fired

The suburb said she had violated the Christmas Traditions Code of Conduct, which says “Christmas characters don’t know naughty words.”

Drive-Bys

This just beggars belief:



As does this:


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For those of you torn between the new Kindle Fire, which started shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhipping earlier this week, and the new Nook Tablet, due out Friday, here's another curveball:

"Although Amazon goes out of its way to hide all traces of vanilla Android from its new Kindle Fire tablet, it turns out tech-savvy users can still install select third-party Android applications outside the auspices of the Amazon Appstore. These apps include Amazon competitors, like Barnes & Noble’s Nook app for Android."

Which ever one you choose, I'm envious.
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Shakira was right: Hips don't lie.

"If one would like to 'fake' a certain (positive) personality in order to attract women, this is probably doomed to fail," Fink said. "An individual's body movement pattern is characteristic and any attempt to fake it would result in less positive judgments of that person."

I knew that.
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I've heard of blaming the dog, but blaming the door???

It appears the mind regards a doorway as something experts call an ‘event boundary’, signalling the end of one memory episode and the beginning of another.

And here I thought event boundaries had to do with party manners and social mores...
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When it comes to Obamacare, keep in mind what Obama's new nominee has in mind for us:

“The decision is not whether or not we will ration care — the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open” — and, in progressive-speak, “The social budget is limited.” (Emphasis mine)

Oh, really? And how are all those folks on the public dole going to handle it when they get turned away from the emergency room for their cold and flu symptoms and free pregnancy tests?
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It sucks being a fiscal conservative these days, because I really am not crazy about any of the Republican candidates at the moment. That being said, William A. Jacobson penned a thoughtful post on why Newt Gingrich may end up being the best choice right now.
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Drive-Bys

A tip of the cap to Juan Cortez for giving bus drivers a good name! (And that he's from my own town makes it even sweeter.)
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In the Chicago area we've had two little kids killed by TVs tipping over in the last week. If you've got little ones running around your house -- whether they're your own or somebody else's -- you need to read this. This is fixable, folks.
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Speaking of little ones, this list of cringe-worthy things kids have said in public is hilarious... and not the same old stuff you've seen before!
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Ah! This explains my frequent earworms!
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Quick Stop

Giggle of the Day:



Forget Chelsea Handler. Why does Ross Matthews not have his own show yet? (I've loved him since his "Ross the Intern" days on the Tonight Show.)

Knock, Knock!

Is this thing on?

Yeah... I've been a bit distracted by other things lately. I'll try to be more regular, if only to let you know I'm off doing other stuff.
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On a political note, I haven't found a candidate that I'm 100% behind yet. Between Cain's accusers (and I do believe in assuming he's innocent until proven guilty) and Perry's debate blundering, my concern that Romney is too far left for my taste and my skepticism that Gingrich is capable of sustaining it for the long haul... I'm just not ready to back a candidate at this point.
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I saw my first snowflake of the season this morning. I'm not ready for Chicago winter weather.
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I am aghast that Mike McQueary will be coaching the Nittany Lions this weekend. Of all the horrible questions I have about what happened at Penn State, why McQueary didn't: a) step in and stop Sandusky when he was caught in the act of raping a 10 year old; or, b) call 911 immediately -- local, not campus police is beyond me.

Why, when he called his father, didn't his father tell him to call the police immediately? And if his dad did tell him to call the police, why didn't he???

Why has he kept his mouth shut all this time?

I agree with John Kass and David Haugh -- I don't understand why McQueary wasn't shit-canned along with Paterno and Co.

I am sickened by the actions of the students who rioted in support of Paterno this morning.

Sadly, the whole story looks to be even worse than we thought.

When are we going to stop putting sports icons ahead of our moral and ethical duties?
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Speaking of moral and ethical duties, handing out bonuses to the leadership of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- and that leadership accepting those bonuses -- is beyond the pale. If I bungled my own job so badly, I wouldn't expect a reward, and neither should they.

Let them have bonuses when they've actually fixed something, first.
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On a much happier note, it looks like a vaccine for breast cancer might just be one step closer to reality.

Faster, please.
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Did you know it's National Adoption Month? Clearly this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

I've been reading Carrie Goldman's Portrait of an Adoption every day. I found one story that was very close to my own, and responded via the comments. Guess what? That young woman was finally able to bring her story out in the open and received the same kind of support that I experienced.

While I wish every adoption story could have an ending this happy, Ask Amy today has a letter from a sister who finds her younger sister's judgment wanting in deciding to place her child for adoption.

This is exactly why some of us kept and continue to keep our secrets to ourselves.

National Adoption Month -- it's not for sissies.
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I'm kind of caught between wanting to get my hair colored right now because the roots are about 3/4 of an inch long and letting it grow out enough to chop the colored part off and just see what nature has to offer.

Thus, today's ear worm:

Who Has Time...

... to blog when I'm having scintillating email conversations about said failure to post like the following?

Subject: Dilatory and Derelict

Mike: Seriously, now. Twelve days?

Me: Play closing weekend, sick, family obligations and work up to my eyebrows. Pffffllllbbbbbbbttt!

Mike: You put that tongue away, missy!

Me: Yeah? Sez who?

Mike: (Every response I could think of, suppressed.)

Me: *neener neener neener*

Mike: That's it, young lady. Go to your room!

Me: Make me. Nyaah nyaah nyaah!

Mike: And no dinner, either.

Me: That's okay -- I still have my pillowcase full of Halloween candy hidden under my bed. (So there.)

There -- I posted! Are you happy now?

Book Your Ticket

October – 12/91

Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins[1]

Case Histories: A Novel, Kate Atkinson[2]

The Kinshield Legacy, K.C. May

The Wayfarer King, K.C. May[3]

Plugged: A Novel, Eoin Colfer[4]

Witches on Parole: Unlocked, Debora Geary[5]

Soulless, Gail Carriger

Heartless, Gail Carriger

Changeless, Gail Carriger

Blameless, Gail Carriger[6]

Stormfront (The Dresden Files, Book 1), Jim Butcher[7]

Starting from Happy, Patricia Marx[8]

---

[1] A blend of screwball comedy, deep philosophy and examination of the function of organized religion. Only Tom Robbins could pull this one off so beautifully.

[2] Take a raft of characters ala Maeve Binchy, throw in a couple of murders and stir in a plodding, morose beginning. Stick with it, though, because this book does get better. Still, don’t expect happy Binchy endings.

[3] Not bad fantasy fiction. The pair are a quick read.

[4] Tense, fast-paced and thoroughly satisfying.

[5] Geary’s Witches series is like potato chips – totally addicting.

[6] Speaking of addicting, I adored this series – Victorian costume drama, vampires, werewolves and ghosts with a dollop of steampunk and a healthy dash of humor.

[7] Yeah, it’s fantasy fiction month. Another pretty decent read.

[8] Entirely too hipster in content and style for me. Ugh.

Drive-Bys

While I find it amusing that the protest mob in New York is eating better than I am most of the time...

Hundreds of grimy protesters laying siege to Wall Street and stuffed into the now-smelly Zuccotti Park dine each night on gourmet meals prepared by a former hotel chef using only the finest organic ingredients.

...I can't find fault, because the food and the prep space is all donated.

Most of the produce, grass-fed meat and organic chicken is donated from small organic farms upstate, including Northland Sheep Dairy, West Haven Farm and Wide Awake Bakery in Ithaca, and several farms in Connecticut and Vermont.

As long as it's not on my nickel, why shouldn't they eat well?
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In more Occupy Wall Street news, the protesters aren't much liking the whole involuntary redistribution of wealth concept when it's their stuff that's being seized:

Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen crooks within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops -- and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.

“Stealing is our biggest problem at the moment,” said Nan Terrie, 18, a kitchen and legal-team volunteer from Fort Lauderdale.

“I had my Mac stolen -- that was like $5,500. Every night, something else is gone. Last night, our entire [kitchen] budget for the day was stolen, so the first thing I had to do was . . . get the message out to our supporters that we needed food!”

Note that not one of these people sees the irony.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Bumpy Ride

Oh, no! TOTUS got truck-napped:

A truck filled with President Obama's podiums and audio equipment was stolen in Henrico just days before his visit to Chesterfield.

We confirmed an investigation with the U.S. Defense Department. There are still a lot of questions. The biggest one being did the thieves intentionally target the President's truck or did they take advantage of a crime of opportunity and give a big "uh-oh" when they saw what was inside.

When you see President Obama speak, there is a pretty typical setup including the presidential seal on a podium, the see-thru Teleprompter and a portable sound system.

Thieves saw the truck carrying that equipment and couldn't resist the target.

And what does TOTUS himself have to say about all this?

I've been kidnapped, and if Big Guy thinks he can negotiate with these guys the same way he talks to the terrorists in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, the Philippines, Mexico, Venezuela and the House Republican Conference, he better think twice.

These guys talk a good game. Just last night, after Big Guy announced that he was re-submitting his rejected jobs bill, piece by piece, so that Republicans could understand it, one of my captors said, "Maybe we should send Him back his teleprompter piece by piece."

Frankly, given the lack of any good rhetoric lately from Big Guy, I'm not sure I want to go back. Republicans want to make America "dirtier"? Really? That's the best the speechwriters can come up with? Has Big Guy caught a whiff of what's down at Freedom Plaza near the White House or up on Wall Street? Now, that's dirty.

Stay tuned!

Drive-Bys

Why, ultimately, will Occupy Chicago not work?

“Are you here to occupy?” asks Tyler, 20, a young man from Tennessee with whimsical facial tattoos. I tell him no, I’m the media, and ask why he is here, standing in the rain.

“First of all, we’re changing things,” he says. “The people in this bank right here have to listen to the drums every day and have to see us every day, and sooner or later they’ll get real tired of it. We’re going to be here until something happens. Sooner or later, everybody’s going to get sick of it.”

No doubt, though when it comes to real change, I put my chips on “later.” I can’t see the economic order crumbling because those in power get tired of the drumming. Those who have in our society do not generally give up what they have unless forced, and when they do give, it’s symbolic — the bags of cash being handed out by the Federal Reserve at its lobby money museum are shredded, of course, and thus worthless. There is no free money.

Ah, yes! The bank will cease to do business, pack up its marbles and go home because the powers-that-be are sick of the drumming!

Then again, maybe this explains all behind that kind of magical thinking:



And then there's the brilliance of Occupy DC:

You could say they haven't harmed anyone here downtown, except that they have. In McPherson Square, where some two or three dozen of them have been camping out for the last week, they have already ruined a few newly sodded sections of the park.

The re-sodding of the park was completed this year as part of a $419,000 stimulus project to refurbish the square. The park, which is across from the Examiner Building in downtown D.C., was shut down for months during the project.

You could say they're stimulating the economy, because now taxpayers will have to cough up a few thousand more to fix the damage.

Wonderful strategy, eh?

Krauthammer sums it up beautifully:

To the villainy-of-the-rich theme emanating from Washington, a child is born: Occupy Wall Street. Starbucks-sipping, Levi's-clad, iPhone-clutching protesters denounce corporate America even as they weep for Steve Jobs, corporate titan, billionaire eight times over.

These indignant indolents saddled with their $50,000 student loans and English degrees have decided that their lack of gainful employment is rooted in the malice of the millionaires on whose homes they are now marching — to the applause of Democrats suffering acute tea party envy and now salivating at the energy these big-government anarchists will presumably give their cause.

Except that the real tea party actually had a program — less government, less regulation, less taxation, less debt. What's the Occupy Wall Street program? Eat the rich.

And then what? Haven't gotten that far.

Too right.
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But maybe I was wrong about that free money thing after all:

Like many homeowners these days, Victor and Yvonne Delia stood to lose a lot — about $90,000 — when they sold their townhouse near Midway Airport five months ago.

Instead, the two retired Chicago police officers managed to walk away with a 23 percent profit — thanks to property taxes collected from 61,145 of their fellow Southwest Side homeowners.

Ah! That's the Illinois way. And there's more:

Scanlan — a neighbor of Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, who helped enact the home-equity law — used the program to more than double his investment on the West Lawn bungalow at 6430 S. Keeler that he bought for $105,000 on Dec. 20, 2003.

He enrolled in the program and was given a guaranteed value of $263,000, according to an Aug. 31, 2005, appraisal.

He sold the home for $182,000 on Sept. 8, 2010, then got $81,000 more from the association on Sept. 20, 2010 — for a total of $263,000.

Scanlan moved to a two-story home in Burbank that he bought for $200,000.

And this:

The Suarezes bought their ranch house at 6221 S. Karlov in West Lawn for $135,000 on Sept. 22, 1998, enrolled in the program and were given a guaranteed value of $248,000, according to a March 2, 2005, appraisal.

They sold the house for $164,000 on April 8, 2011, then got $84,000 more from the association on April 20, 2011 — for a total of $248,000.

The Suarezes now live in a bilevel home they bought for $332,500 in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood.

The magic money machine strikes again. That is what you pay taxes for, isn't it?
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Here's an article on how to fix some of the privacy issues with the new Facebook features. (If I hadn't just friended someone who I haven't seen or heard from in a very long time, I'd have deleted my page with this last round of changes. And I may do it yet. Ugh.)
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This could almost turn me into a Katy Perry fan:


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Drive-Bys

Just how gullible can some women be?

An 81-year-old man who posed as a doctor so he could con his way into women's homes and perform fake breast examinations has struck a plea deal with prosecutors, narrowly escaping spending the rest of his lief in prison.

Phillip Winikoff, from Coconut Creek, Florida, was accused of carrying out the pretence with a black doctor's bag in April 2006 at an apartment complex in Fort Lauderdale.

Two women are said to have fallen for his ruse and allowed him into their apartment.

The first victim, a 36-year-old, said once Winikoff was inside her apartment, he 'touched her breast'. She realised something was wrong when he moved his hand down into her pants and fondled her.

By the time the victim called 911, Winikoff had already found a second victim, the sheriff's office said.

Seriously???
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Speaking of seriously, how has this managed to have gone unaddressed for so long?

Cook County Forest Preserve District workers soon will be getting e-mail addresses, performance reviews and clear descriptions of their jobs.

The lack of decent technology is bad enough, but the no performance reviews? No job descriptions? That's just plain nuts. (And that's government Chicago-style for you!)
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For those of you that think Hillary Clinton running for Veep alongside Obama is a good idea, keep in mind her "good" judgment:

"I do not think it's even in the realm of possibility, and in large measure because I think Vice President Biden has done an amazingly good job."

That ranks right up there with, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
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I've been beating the drum on this topic for years.

In the movies, you know the seemingly mismatched couple are really soulmates when they perform karaoke and both miraculously know the words to some obscure song. All their problems melt away, and confessions of undying love and marriage on the beach swiftly follow.

The inference is that once you find your soulmate, there are no rows and you will be unquestionably accepted for who you are. No wonder everyone wants one — particularly this generation, many of whom had a front-row seat for their parents’ divorce.

Obviously, we need to believe that something will save us from repeating our parents’ mistakes — so the idea that soulmates exist is very attractive. Sadly, it’s totally devoid of realism.

Did they listen to me? Noooooooooooooo. And nobody will pay any attention to this article, either.

Lest you think I lack a romantic soul, however, keep in mind that several of my close friends also thought I was nuts when I arranged for two crazy kids to meet back in 2007. In 2008, those same friends had to eat their words. And guess what?


(Click to embiggen, and check the left hand.)



Nanny-nanny boo-boo to you!
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In Dreams

I woke up this morning with this song on and endless loop in my head, thanks to whatever the heck I was dreaming about:

Urk.

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Update: This may explain the hows of why a song ends up one of my infamous ear worms... but not the whys of any particular one pops up out of nowhere.

From my travels on Sunday:


More to follow.
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What's going on with the U.S. military? Between this news...

"There’s no one in the Defense Department with his hand on the network switch. In fact, there is no one switch to speak of. The four branches of the U.S. armed forces each has a dedicated unit that, in theory, is supposed to handle cyber defense for the entire service. ... In practice, it’s not that simple."

... and this news...

"Specialist Chazray Clark was dying due to politics, and the Army and Air Force pilots are very angry about this. Chazray’s is not the only such case. Army medevac helicopters fall under the Medical Services Corps, who mark medevacs with red crosses. Officers will tell you face-to-face that the Medical Corps does not want to give up its helicopters because senior officers want their own helicopters to shuttle them from here to there."

... several heads in top brass should be rolling. Our troops deserve much, much better than this.
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Speaking of heads rolling, our Veep's should, also:

In Flint, Michigan, Vice President Joe Biden suggested that more rapes and murders could occur if President Barack Obama's jobs bill is not passed.

That's just unconscionable.
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If you're into photography at all, whether rank amateur or income-earning professional, you need to pay attention to this:

[S]ince the advent of Homeland Security and the heightened sense of vulnerability to terrorism, many LEOs have quote the 9/11 Law as reasons to ask photographers from making images in public places in completely legal venues. There is no such 9/11 Law that prevents a photographer from taking images. There are certain places where photography may be limited for national security (certain areas of military bases, certain areas of nuclear facilities) but trains, bridges and buildings are not on the list. But photographers have been arrested for taking images of all of these. Almost all the charges have eventually been dropped and some of the people are bringing suit for false arrest.

Go read the whole thing. That's just plain scary, folks.
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When she say's "mind-blowing," she ain't just whistling Dixie.
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When you break it down this way, those housekeeping chores don't look so daunting.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more ICHC After Dark