Canuk Claus?

LUKE SIMCOE, Canwest News Service

Hands off, Russia. Not today, Norway. There's a reason he dresses in red and white: Santa is one of ours.

Less than three weeks after the Canadian government proposed legislation to expand the country's sovereignty over Arctic waters, its citizenship minister is shoring up Canada's claim to the Far North by declaring Santa Claus, a longtime resident of the North Pole, to be a Canadian citizen.

"The Government of Canada wishes Santa the very best in his Christmas Eve duties and wants to let him know that, as a Canadian citizen, he has the automatic right to re-enter Canada once his trip around the world is complete," said Jason Kenney, the minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, in an official statement.

It is unclear whether Santa has always been considered Canadian based on his place of residence, or if the country has extended him citizenship as a courtesy.

"I'll let Foreign Affairs field that particular question," said Andrew House, a spokesman for Kenney.

Sadly, Foreign Affairs representatives were reluctant to let the toy out of the bag, so to speak.

Alain Cacchione, a Foreign Affairs spokesman who handles Arctic issues, declined to comment on the matter, saying only that St. Nick is "an international symbol."

Although international law states no country has dominion over the geographic North Pole, a number of nations - including Canada, the United States, Russia, Norway and Denmark - have recently begun pressing their claims to the area long said to be the location of Santa Claus's base of operations.

Tensions have been particularly high between Canada and Russia. In 2007, former foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay lashed out at the Russians after they planted a flag at the bottom of the Beaufort Sea, a region rich in petroleum and natural gas deposits.

In Russia, the patron saint of Christmas is known as Ded Moroz, which translates as "Father Frost." Moroz dresses in garb very similar to Santa Claus and is said to reside in the Russian town of Veliky Ustyug.

Officials from the Kremlin have yet to respond to Kenney's statement.

Should they choose to dispute Santa Claus's citizenship, they would have to overcome a substantial amount of evidence that points to him being Canadian.

For starters, it's worth pointing out the marked resemblance between his patented red and white outfit and our nation's flag.

North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) has been tracking Santa Claus's trip via satellite for more than 50 years and consistently shows Santa's flight beginning somewhere in the Canadian Arctic.

As well, Canada Post has long been charged with the task of forwarding children's letters to Santa to the jolly fat man's famous H0H 0H0 postal code.

Malcolm French, a spokesman for Canada Post, said the company receives letters to Santa from all over the world in languages ranging from Albanian to Vietnamese.

"Postal code readers all over the world recognize the H0H 0H0 postal code as belonging to Canada," French said.

The global perception that Santa Claus does in fact reside in Canada seems to be growing. In 2007, Canada Post helped deliver more than 1.2 million letters to Santa - a 14-per-cent increase over the year before.

Technically, Santa's postal code would indicate that he lives somewhere in urban Montreal, a region marked by the H prefix in its postal codes.

However, given Santa's ability to squeeze down chimneys and circumnavigate the Earth in a matter of hours, it's not surprising that Canada Post made an exception for old St. Nick.

Calls made last week to Revenue Canada to determine if Santa was indeed a registered taxpayer in Canada were not returned.

Saskatoon StarPhoenix

It's Yule Log Time!

You can even download this for your iPod.

Changing shirts to dresses

In these hard economic times, here is a fun way to change an oversized t-shirt into a mini-dress.

And yes, this leaves out all of us over the age of 25, but still, there are a few gals in our family of the right age to do this.

From wikiHow.

Charting Fake News

Thanks to WIRED magazine for looking at the Fake News industry.

Below is the chart of the history of this industry. Note that The War of the Worlds (1938) is included as is the hilarious That Was The Week That Was from the early 1960s. (See Tom Lehrer. Who did a lot of the music for TW3.)

Click on the chart to see it in full size.

Excess Excess Excess

Refrigerated Beach

There's nothing like a good bit of Dubai excess, but this just isn't impressive enough to justify the profligacy: the Palazzo Versace hotel is building a beach with refrigerated sand.

Fat heads in China?

At first I thought this was a joke. After all the reference to this site was from a friend and humorist in Hong Kong.

But SizeChina is a real thing.

The company is measuring the heads of Chinese across the country so producers can sell hats, eyeglasses, headphones etc. that fit properly.

At last we may have proof that the leaders of China are a batch of fat heads.

The annual "What do the 12 Days of Christmas Cost" report.

This one is from the Weather Channel.

Just go through it yourself. :)

Bottom line:
Total Cost of 12 days of Christmas in 2008: $86,609
Up 10.9 percent from last year's cost of $78,100

Today, Dec. 15, in 1791 Virginia became the 10th state to ratify the first 10 amendments to the brand-new U.S. Constitution. (The Constitution took effect March 4, 1789.) And for journalists, right up front in that list is the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Think about it. Without the First Amendment, what good would it be to have the right to bear arms, have a fair trial or be free from unwarranted searches and seizures? How could anyone protest any violations to the other nine amendments if the First was not in place?

The Bill of Rights is modeled after the Virginia's Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason in 1776. It was Mason and James Madison, among others, who criticized the drafters of the Constitution for not including a list of the rights Americans should enjoy. A compromised was reached that following the ratification of the Constitution a Bill of Rights would be introduced.

The Bill of Rights was written by James Madison and passed by Congress Sept. 25, 1789, just six months after the Constitution went into effect.

While many of us in journalism proudly wear buttons that say "It's the First for a reason," the original First Amendment dealt with the system of representation. And gun enthusiasts would be saddened to learn that the original Second Amendment had to do with congressional pay. (That amendment was finally ratified in 1992.)

So go out and enjoy your freedoms. This is the anniversary of the first time someone wrote down those rights for a country and meant for that list to be honored.

Forget those quick hops to Canada

Those of us of a certain age remember just hopping across the border to Canada for a drink or dinner -- or cheaper gasoline. All we had to do was drive across the bridge or through the tunnel. We were hardly ever stopped at either border.

Well, things have changed. Now you need a passport or passport card.

News release from the State Department Dec. 11.

The Department of State recommends that travelers apply now for travel documents that will be required at all land or sea border entry points as of June 1, 2009. On that date, under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) U.S. citizens will be required to present a government-approved document that denotes both citizenship and identity when entering the United States.

The U.S. Passport Book and the U.S. Passport Card are the premiere documents that denote both citizenship and identity. A list of other government-approved documents is available at http://www.getyouhome.gov/.

The U.S. Passport Card is a wallet-sized document designed specifically for new systems being installed at land border crossings to facilitate inspections. A Passport Card costs $45 for an adult and $35 for a child under age 16. When applied for in conjunction with a passport book or by a previous passport holder who is eligible for renewal, the Passport Card costs $20.

The Passport Card is valid only for entry to the United States at land border crossings and sea ports of entry when traveling from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda. It is not valid for international air travel. The U.S. Passport Card is designed for the specific needs of the northern and southern border resident communities. It is not a globally interoperable travel document like the traditional U.S. Passport book.

The Passport Card incorporates vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. With this technology, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases. For privacy protection, no personal information is stored on the electronic chip itself. The Department of State uses laser engraving and state-of-the-art security features to prevent counterfeiting and forgery. Additionally, the passport card is issued with a protective sleeve that prevents it from being read when not in use, reducing the possibility of its being tracked.

The Passport Card has been in production since July 2008. As of November 2008, more than 650,000 have been issued. Processing times for passport books and passport cards are approximately three weeks. First-time applicants or those under the age of 16 can apply at any of the more than 9,400 passport application acceptance facilities throughout the United States. Current passport holders, who are eligible to renew, can apply for a passport card by mail.
Information on how and where to apply for a U.S. Passport Card is available at travel.state.gov.

Every flight in the world

This is really a cool video of a simulation of every flight in the world during a 24-hour period.

Here is the link to the story.

Bye bye Polaroid film

This is the last month of the last year of production of Polaroid film.

So if anyone still has a camera and you still want to use it, stock up now.

Fans bid farewell to Polaroid film.

Problems in our neighborhood.

A look at what is up to our north -- or if you are from Detroit, to your south.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Provinces in Peril - Indecision Oh-Eh?

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Provinces in Peril

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

For our SPAM loving mother

The Gang of Three Ruin another industry: Private jets

Interesting read from Al Tompkins at the Poynter Institute in Tampa.

Dec. 4, 2008

Auto Execs May Be Hurting Private Jet Business

I remember the days when I got to ride around in the Meredith Corporation jet a few times. A team was out looking at buying TV stations, and we hopped from town to town. It was great fun, and the executives could hit a few towns and still go home and sleep in their own beds.

Lately, though, the use of corporate jets has been highly criticized. The Big Three executives have become poster children for excess, riding in private jets to their first hearings. Watching General Motor's 6-foot-4-inch Rick Wagoner get out of the hybrid car was a picture of humility.

So what happens now to the private jet business? Will governors and other politicians have to ditch their flight plans for the time being until flying seems less excessive to taxpayers?

Time magazine makes the argument that maybe we have all of this wrong. Maybe people who run huge businesses and governments should not be sitting around at airplane gates hoping planes will leave and arrive on time. Consider this:

It was pointed out that the three could have flown commercial that morning for something like $212 each. But let's do the math. Three CEOs being paid millions a year each are going to Washington on a business trip to try to save $300 billion worth of sales and 3 million jobs -- and they are supposed to risk all of that on Northwest or US Air, a.k.a. Northworst and Useless Air, formerly Allegheny a.k.a. Agony Air? I see the connection: you fly to D.C. on a previously bankrupt airline as you contemplate the bankruptcy of your own company. The experience should be enough to scare you into devising a scheme to save your own company from such a fate. But wouldn't this be a case of America's worst-run manufacturing companies relying on America's worst-run service companies? There'd be a 50% to 75% chance of the CEOs showing up on time. What are you supposed to do, call Congress and tell them you're on a gate hold?

Even voices in the corporate aviation business worry that the public is getting the wrong message about charter business flights.

A commentary piece in the Hartford Courant offers some additional ideas about why flying commercial is not a great option for high-level execs:

High-level executives -- especially those heading up corporations in the news -- are the targets of significant and very real, threats, which are leveled at them every day. Flying commercial is not an option, even with a bodyguard. The exposure is simply too great.

Also, every major corporation I know has policies prohibiting certain senior executives from flying together, guarding against catastrophic loss to the corporation in the event of an accident. Asking three top executives from the auto industry, even from different companies, to fly together would violate the very appropriate caution imposed by this policy. Further, corporate aviation is not a royal barge, it is a time machine. 

New Math: Just in an Abbot and Costello mood today

Who's on first updated

I saw this exchange right next to the original Abbot and Costello Who's on First routine. It is a version of what has been done with just about anyone trying to deal with China and the Middle East.

Enjoy.

56 Years on TV and Who's On First?

Today in 1952 Abbot and Costello premiered their TV show.

The show was popular but not as popular as their most famous routine: Who's on First?



Enjoy!

Hoist a drink at 8:32 p.m. EST to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 21st Amendment

Dec. 5, 1933
8:32 p.m.
The Utah legislature ratified the proposed 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Its action repealed the 18th Amendment and ended Prohibition.

Thanks to the people who wanted to save the world from the "evils of drink" and pushed through Prohibition in 1919 with the 18th Amendment we got positive results such as organized crime figures Al Capone. Besides laying the groundwork fro organized crime, Prohibition led to increased corruption among law enforcement officials and a weakening of respect for the legal process.

So let us all raise a glass of our favorite alcoholic beverage -- in moderation of course -- to praise those who finally woke up to the fact that legislating morality doesn't work.

History Channel Story.

Welcome to my world

Santa's e-mail hacked

I just love this page: Santa Claus' Gmail Account Exposed

And, no, it is not a real account.

But just look at who has been writing to old St.Nick.

What not to get...

It's that time of the year again.

And here are the Top 10 Stupid Gifts for 2008.

And more!

A sad day in automotive history...

Today, 29 years ago, the last of the AMC Pacers rolled off the production line.

My little baby was a fun car to drive -- even though the autodrive often crapped out.

So a moment of silence please as we honor the passing of the Jetson Bubble car.

Toddler Phone: The latest from Asia

Friend and very funny columnist Nury Vittachi in Hong Kong comments on the latest item from Asia for the spoiled "little emperors": Mobile Phones for 3 Year Olds

Irony exists: Today in history

Today, 95 years ago, Ford Motor Company debuted the assembly line.

Ironically, today (12/1/08) is also the day the Big Three (or as they say in China: The Gang of Three) CEOs return to Washington asking for a bailout.

So how soon do we see the "dis-assembly" line kick in?

The Simpsons and Apple

First Ford bomber is produced

November 28, 1942

On this day, the first production Ford bomber, the B-24 Liberator, rolled off the assembly line at Ford's massive Willow Run plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

See the full story here.


And let us not forget in our family history, the maker of Texas Ed, Laura, worked in this plant.

Ain't technology grand?

For Turkey Day 2008 part of the Kubiske clan met in Phoenix, Ariz. Then joining them via the joys of the Internet and SKYPE, were the Kubiskes in Brasilia.

The California Kubiskes (Doug, Diane, Josh and Lauren), the Ypsi Kubiskes (Patriarch and Matriarch Ed and Pat) spent the holiday at the Rosen's (Mary Pat (Kubiske), Norm and Jake) house.

The Brazil Kubiskes (Dan and Lisa) sponsored their usual Thanksgiving party for members of the embassy community who could not get back home for the holiday or who did not arrange time with other embassy families.

Once all groups were done with their respective meals, the SKYPE connection was made.

During the first few minutes technical issues had to be fixed but eventually there was a 20 minute conversation.

Here is the happy group from Phoenix.

Look for them on Facebook as well.

Celebrate Bill of Rights Ratification Day, Dec. 15

First Amendment - Part 1
Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

Good coffee on the road

WikiHow is an interesting site that provides some interesting ways to do things. (I found their instructions on how to tie a bow-tie too odd but other items have been useful.)

The latest one on How to Make Good Hotel Room Coffee is worth reading.

Lisa and I have long believed that traveling with our own coffee is the only way to really have decent coffee. We have also found that more hotels are actually taking the in-room coffee situation seriously and are offering good (not great) coffee blends.

I particularly like the warnings at the end about the possible illegal use of a coffee pot in a hotel. Just what kind of hotels are these guys checking into anyway?

U.S. election day in Brazil

An okay video about the election day party held by the US embassy in Brasilia.

More on math and a collective "HUH?"

A friend in Hong Kong jus filed the following article on dealing with his 12-year-old's math problem.

Personally I like the 1950s style of teaching math:
Mrs
Fong has 13 mangos. She gives 12 to her local Party work unit because
property is theft. Should they shoot her for keeping one?

Here is the rest of the article.

First picture of Earth from the moon -- Restored and enhanced

Here is restored and enhanced first picture of the Earth from the moon.

This shot was taken in 1966 by Lunar Orbiter 1 about two years before the famous similar shot by Apollo 8.

Click on the picture for a larger view.

To read more about how NASA is reviewing and restoring many pictures from the early days of lunar exploration, go to the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project.

First picture of Earth from the moon -- Restored and enhanced

Here is restored and enhanced first picture of the Earth from the moon.

This shot was taken in 1966 by Lunar Orbiter 1 about two years before the famous similar shot by Apollo 8.

Click on the picture for a larger view.



To read more about how NASA is reviewing and restoring many pictures from the early days of lunar exploration, go to the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project.

Stars and Stripes and Doonesbury

A friend currently on assignment with the US Army in Iraq sent me a note about the latest controvery over Doonesbury and Stars and Stripes.

The latest dust up is that the liberal cartoon -- which has been in Stars and Stripes for more than 30 years -- came over the cartoon that showed soldiers' reactions to the Obama victory.

Hoo-boy did the letters fly into S&S.

Here is the Ombudsman of S&S addressing the issue: Trudeau’s election ‘Hoo-Ah’ escapes an Uh-Oh  (Links to the orginal letters are in this story.)

And here is a letter from Doonebury creator Garry Trudeau: How 'Doonesbury’ serves the troops

This is becoming a very interesting lesson on freedom of the press and expression -- the very thing the U.S. military is sworn to protect.

Polling Update

Just to let you know how the polling is going on the top four positions in the Obama Cabinet.

Secretary of State
Should name

• Richardson - 40%
• Powell - 60%
• Other: Clinton, Albright, Gingrich

Will name

• Richardson - 33.3%
• Lugar - 6.7%
• Hagel - 13.3%
• Powell - 33.3%
• Other: Clinton (after discussion in media started)

Secretary of Defense
Should name

• Gates - 26.7%
• Lugar - 13.3%
• Hagel - 20%
• Powell - 26.7%
• Danzig - 13.3%

Will name

• Gates - 50%
• Lugar - 7.1%
• Hagel - 14.3%
• Powell - 14.3%
• Danzig - 14.3%

Secretary of Treasury
Should name

• Paulson - 27.3%
• Summers - 18.2%
• Volker - 18.2%
• Geithner - 36.4%

Will name

• Paulson - 15.4%
• Summers - 30.8%
• Volker - 23.1%
• Tyson - 7.1%
• Geithner - 23.1%

Attorney General
Should name

• H. Clinton - 38.5%
• Davis - 7.7%
• Napolitano - 30%
• Patrick - 23.1%

Will name

• H. Clinton - 25%
• Napolitano - 41.7%
• Patrick - 33.3%

Party affiliation

• Democratic Party - 86.7%
• Republican Party - 13.3%

Voting

• Absentee vote - 26.7%
• Advanced voted - 6.7%
• Day of election - 66.7%

Today in history: Colombia volcano erupts

November 14,
1985

Volcano erupts in Colombia and buries nearby towns

On
this day in 1985, a volcano erupts in Colombia, killing well over
20,000 people as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice and lava.

What the history books don't say is that many of the dog search teams that the United States sent to the area were used just a couple of months earlier in Mexico City.

In Mexico the dogs were used -- for the first time ever -- in an urban disaster environment.

In Colombia it was the first time dog search teams were used in a natural disaster environment. Usually the dogs are used to find lost children in the wilderness.

The operations in Mexico and Colombia saved lives because people who would have otherwise been missed by normal search and rescue methods were found by the dogs.

Creativity?

Got a handful of actual responses to college exams from Adam.

Thought you might enjoy these.

Do I Get Points for Creativity?

Unscientific poll on cabinet leadership.

Just for the heck of it, I set up a short poll to see who you think should head up the State, Defense, Treasury and Justice Departments. And then to find out who you think Obama will actually name.

It will take just a few seconds.

Go to the box on the right to start the poll.

I'll post the results sometime in December -- or just after Obama actually puts forward names for these posts.

Condiment history

A tongue in cheek (but accurate) history of ketchup from a friend in Hong Kong.

Enjoy.

Nuff Said

Election Sites and Online Tools

PC World Magazine has a great article about websites to help track the election results.

Everything from MSNBC and CNN to The Onion and InDecision 2008 (Jon Stewart and friends) are on the list.

Worth a look.

No Candy For non-McCain Supporters

At least this woman included candy with her McCain material.

I still remember that guy near our house on Grove Road who ONLY handed out Barry Goldwater and (later) George Wallace or John Birch Society material for Halloween.

Boy those debates really got the candidates talking!

This is a funny and interesting look at how the candidates stayed on message throughout the debates.

Any ideas on how to fix this in the future?

Fun bank ad.

HSBC -- the Hong Kong bank -- has some great ads. This one I really like.

Cool ideas for old cameras

One of the neat things about the Internet is finding things you weren't looking for. (You know, like someone who only watches Fox News ending up at The Daily Kos and learning something.)

Came across a great article in PC Magazine about what to do with old digital cameras. I was already working on one of these ideas. The others sound pretty cool as well.

Gotta have some fun

Bush endorses Palin/McCain

Love for David Gergen

let's have some fun in the middle of political analysis.

Let's get all Gergen-y.

No Mudslinging

A debate from 40 years ago...

Home from 31 million miles away

Once again NASA has a great video.

Here is good old planet Earth from 30+ million miles away. And that is the moon crossing our path.

Mars' moon move across the night sky

Really cool thing came in the other day from one of the Mars rovers.

The rover Spirit used some of the extra power it saved up during the day to take some night-time observations of the Martian sky.

Here is a shot of two of Mars' moons moving across the sky.

Is that cool or what?

Click here for a description of what you are seeing.

Making that move from analog to digital

Start your own Religious War (Or not)

There is a set of photos making the rounds that purport to show a Catholic and Presbyterian church fighting it out over the issue of do dogs go to heaven.

It is a put up.

See All dogs go to heaven at Snopes.com.

Two points:

1. Anytime something on the Internet seems too funny or too dangerous (or silly) to be true, check out it out on Snopes.
2. If you want to start your own religious war, go to Church Sign Generator and make your own set of signs.

FYI, the #1 and #2 hottest urban legends checked on involve Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. So before you go sending friends those e-mails talking about how Obama is some radical Muslim or sharing that erotic picture of Palin in a U.S. flag bikini while holding a rifle, check with Snopes first.

Joe Biden is #5 and John McCain is #9.

Breast Cancer Awareness in Brazil

Picture of Lisa and Barbara Sobel, wife of the ambassador, taken at a breast cancer awareness event held at the U.S. embassy in Brasilia October 10, 2008.

The Neiman Marcus catalog is out

Once again you can see what the people with WAY too much money can do with their extra cash.

Here is the story about the 2008 catalog.

To give you a sense of what is available this year:

• Life-size Lego replica of you for $60,000
• Backyard golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus for $1 million.
• A 35-year collection of every 45 RPM record listed on the Billboard Top 100 Rock and Pop charts

Maybe people can drool over the catalog as they watch their houses sold at auction.

Think the Thomas Crown Affair but without the cut

Bank Robber Uses Craigslist To Hire Unsuspecting Accomplices

Posted: 01 Oct 2008 08:20 PM CDT

A man robbed an armored car outside a Monroe, Washington bank and used a dozen unwitting accomplices to act as decoys during his getaway. He hired the accomplices on Craigslist and instructed them to wear very specific clothing. From King5.com:

"I came across the ad that was for a prevailing wage job for $28.50 an hour," said Mike, who saw a Craigslist ad last week looking for workers for a road maintenance project in Monroe.

He said he inquired and was e-mailed back with instructions to meet near the Bank of America in Monroe at 11 a.m. Tuesday. He also was told to wear certain work clothing.

"Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask… and, if possible, a blue shirt," he said.

Mike showed up along with about a dozen other men dressed like him, but there was no contractor and no road work to be done. He thought they had been stood up until he heard about the bank robbery and the suspect who wore the same attire.

Armored truck robber uses Craigslist to make getaway (Thanks, Jess Hemerly!)

50 Years of NASA

Say what you will about the expense, there is something to be said about the granduer of exploring new places.

Just about every science fiction writer has touched on the importance of continuing to push the limits of knowledge and to explore.

NASA has been doing that for 50 years.

For those of us old enough to remember, where were you when Neil Armstrong stepped on the lunar surface?

Think about all those glorious pictures of the universe from the Hubble Telescope. (Thanks in part to the Hubble Space Telescope, we know the universe is 13.7 billion years old. Not 4-6,000 years.)

Look at the data we are getting about Mars today with actual robots roaming around the planet. And to think that it wasn't until the 1970s that we actually saw what the Martian surface really looked like.

So despite the disasters, the bureaucratic foul-ups and the petty bickering, NASA has given us what humans have always dreamed of: A way to touch the stars.

And something has to be said about reaching for dreams beyond our current grasp.

Bob Schieffer discusses presidential debates

At last a reasoned look at the debates.

The Original TRUTHINESS Routine

From 2005: A new term is coined.

World Fails To End

The giant atom smasher in Switzerland was turned on today (9/10/08) and despite the hysterical screams of the anti-science crowd, a black hole devouring the earth was not created. (Or maybe it has and we are all now living in an alternate universe.)

Here's the CNET report on the one of the greatest science projects ever created.

Voices up and down

I just love the Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel. They do so much that is fun AND science.

Here is a clip on the effects of inhaling two different gasses:

So Near And Yet So Far Away...

Eight Crazy E-Mail Hoaxes Millions Have Fallen For

E-mail fills our in-boxes with come-ons to see celebrities naked and to get rich quick. Even though we know deep down that these are fakes, why do we contine to think, 'Maybe?'

read more | digg story

Exclusive Video: How Lego Builds the Minifigs

This is a fun video on how Legos makes all those wonderful mini-figures.
http://gizmodo.com/5041136/exclusive-video-how-lego-builds-the-minifigs?autoplay=true


read more | digg story

Mindset of 18 year olds

Once again Beloit College has its annual Mindset List.
The list for the class of 2012 has some interesting items that make some of us feel old but at the same time helps mark how society and world views change.

Here are the top 5 items.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.

Olympic event tracking site.

Forget watching the highlights of the Olympic games on NBC.

Keep track of all the events with this really cool New York Times tracker.

This is so much better than the NBC site.

With the New York Times site you can mark the sports and individual events of interest to you so when you come back you can see the results of the game or event. (I am keeping an eye on the Brazilian and US soccer teams.)

Any way, enjoy.

Just for fun: Finding your way out of a parking lot

Ran across this today and thought how much fun would this be to see.

The sign lines up correctly when you are in the right position.


The sign is in Melbourne, Australia.
See the story at: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/08/05/parking-lot-wayfindi.html

Water on Mars

I know this has nothing to do with the family but...

THIS IS SO COOL!

Water on Mars proven!

Follow the Mars Phoenix mission with regular updates at https://twitter.com/MarsPhoenix

Plan for Rio in 2009

Start planning now.
Carnival in Rio is Feb. 20-24, 2009.

Here is a link to all the events: http://www.rio-carnival.net/rio_carnival/rio_carnival_programs.php

What Lisa is up to

No sooner did Lisa get a chance to step into her office, than she was whisked away to a nearby town to open a display of American products and services.

Here is proof she does not spend all her time locked in meetings: http://www.embaixada-americana.org.br/?action=materia&id=6899&itemmenu=

Fun posting

Annette sent a very funny video.
Look on the group to the right for the video "Dan running for office."

Flag Planted In the DEEEEEP South

Made it!

After 9.5 hours from Washington, 4 hours in transit between airports in Sao Paulo, another 1.5 hours to Brasilia. We arrived at the new house ready to collapse.

Oops. No can do.

The two adults of the family -- if you can call him an adult -- had just enough time to shower and change clothes before they headed off to the embassy to get their IDs and for the real adult in the clan toget her Blackberry and mobile phone.

Back to the house for another change of clothes and thence to a VIP July 4 reception.

Home by 10:30 p.m.

Bright and early the next day, the two big folks were off again.

Up at 5 a.m. and out the door by 7:30.

An hour and a half to Rio where the two split up so she could take care of meetings the ambassador wanted covered and he to the hotel. (Nice view of Ipanema Beach.)

Then that night another July 4 reception at the old British embassy.

Another late night in the hotel.

Another early morning and a mad dash to the airport where the team departed for the northeast town of Recife.

Meetings with business and government leaders and a mad dash to the local international school for another July 4 party. This is Lisa talking with the area Young Ambassadors. This is a program that offers scholarships to local public school kids to learn English.

The party was festive and everyone had a good time.

From the party the folks were whisked off to a nearby resort hotel for night. Too bad it was about midnight by the time people got to their rooms. And then the next day it was raining cats and dogs.

Lisa had a no so brief meeting with the consulate staff t talk shop. Then to lunch to continue the talks and then off to a sugar mill.

Then a really mad dash to the airport (arrived with 10 minutes to spare) for 2 hour flight back to Brasilia.

Arrived about 6:30 p.m.

Next morning, no travel but...

Lisa had a meeting with a senior staff member before he went on holiday. That went from 8:30-2:30.

The whole group packed up for the embassy's big July 4 party -- about 3,000 people.

Got home about 9 p.m.

Next day up at 5:30 for a 7:15 pick up toget to the airport.

Off to Sao Paulo.

Meetings all day for Lisa. Dan sat quietly and read his books.

Another evening July 4 party.

Next day a 7:00 departure for the airport and back in Brasilia about 10.

Lisa to the embassy and Dan to the house.

That same night, another party. A big thank you to the volunteers for the big embassy event.

Airline tickets and hotel packages were given away in a drawing.

I should mention that the young Kubiskes in the group worked hard helping set up thebig event. Philip was setting up booths, flipping burgers and anything asked of him. Adam was a pro at distributing sodas, chips and beer.

Wednesday (July 9) was to be a normal work day for Lisa and the boys. (They left together for the embassy at 7:45.) Dan stayed behind to wrestle the Internet connection into submission. (A new modem and some slight of hand/backdoor programming got the system working. Many thanks to the embassy team that finished the job.)

More to come later so stay tuned.

Celebrate the Spud

We've had International Women's Year, International Youth Year, International Year of the Forest.

And now the International Year of the Potato. (Will some one please tell Dan Quayle there is no "e" at the end of that word.)

Go to Wikihow to see some suggestions.

But for my money, I want to see potato ice cream.

Kids dropping from the sky

For his 18th birthday, Adam wanted to go skydiving again.

He did this about 5 years ago in New Zealand and has wanted to do it again as soon as possible. The only problem is that in the States you have to be 18 to do it.

So the first Saturday after his birthday the folks and Adam packed off to the only tandem skydiving place within 100 miles of Washington, DC.

The sign over the hangar entrance did not exactly instill a sense of calm in Adam's mother.

It was a beautiful day with only a few clouds coming in and out of the area. So there were a lot of jumpers that day.

After checking in about 11 a.m. Adam and family waited and waited. But eventually Adam was called up for a briefing on what to expect and what to do while in the air.

Then it was back to waiting while the two gals in the briefing session with him went up and while the video/picture operator for the dive got his gear ready.

Then came the magic moment when Adam got ready for his jump and headed out to the plane with Chuck, his jump partner.

Just a real quick explanation, Adam is attached to Chuck with a four-point harness. Chuck has the parachute and Adam is attached to Chuck.

The original plan for the jump was to go to 13,500 feet (what the company calls the 2.5 Mile Club) but some fast moving clouds came in. Adam had to jump at 9,000 feet.

The difference in the jump height meant he only got about 20 seconds of free fall instead of 50-60 seconds. (In New Zealand he jumped at 15,000 feet and got 90 seconds of free fall.)

He was a bit disappointed at the reduced time but still REALLY enjoyed the jump.

So with a successful jump done, Adam and Chuck headed back to the barn to finish up the paperwork to prove that Adam had indeed jumped out of a perfectly healthy airplane and survived.

Celebration in the house

Had some festivities in the house last week.

Seems the last of the hold overs -- Adam -- turned 18 April 22.

To celebrate a number of signs were hung around the house showing variations of the number "18."

Cute but predictable.

For dinner that night the family went out for Indian food with Adam's girlfriend, Erica.

Much to his credit, Adam ordered the lamb Vindaloo, a very spicy mixture of seasonings with wonderfully tender lamb. Erica stayed with the less spicy Tandoori chicken.

Once back at the homestead Minia pulled out a rum cake.

And boy did it have rum!

And not that cheap Puerto Rican stuff they advertise on television. This was the good stuff from the Dominican Republic.

For his birthday Adam wanted to go skydiving again. (He did it once in New Zealand about 5 years ago.)

So that is what the folks set up for Saturday. (See separate postings for this.)

Adam was disappointed that a number of things still require being 21 in the States. But he is off for Brazil with the family where 18 is the legal adult age and from there to college. So he should not have any problem doing what most 21 year olds do real soon. (And it's not like he already doesn't.)

Stop the Seuss Movies

An appeal in the appropriate prose from "Dr. Seuss" and The Onion

Stop Making Movies About My Books

On a recent shopping trip

A man asks: "In what aisle could I find the Polish sausage?"

The clerk looks at him and says, "Are you Polish?"

The guy (clearly offended) says, "Well, yes I am. But let me ask you something. If I had asked for Italian sausage would you ask me if I was Italian?

Or if I had asked for German bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German?

Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish?

Or if I had asked for a Taco would you ask if I was Mexican? Would you? ...... WOULD YOU???

The clerk says, "Well, no!"

"If I asked for some Irish whiskey, would you ask if I was Irish?"

"Well, I probably wouldn't!"

With deep self-righteous indignation, the guy says, "Well then, why did you ask me if I'm Polish just because I asked for Polish sausage?"

The clerk replies, "Because you're at Home Depot."

The Obsolete Skills list

Okay folks. Time to feel old.

Here is a list of Obsolete Skills.

Personally I still mourn the loss of WordStar. One of the best word processing programs around -- once you got used to its "dot command" format.

Such a lovely story

A man and a woman who had never met before, and were both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly... he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 A.M., the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.

"Good," she replied, "Get your own damn blanket."

After a moment of silence, he farted.

Professor Dan teaches a different lesson

Well you have to get students' attention somehow.

http://www.connect2mason.com/gorilla_dan

Diagramming the Preamble

For all of you who remember the "fun" days of diagramming sentences.

Check out the preamble of the US Constitution.

And when was the last time any of you actually read the Constitution? Especially the First Amendment.

Holiday Party a Hit

Just a quick note to report on the successful annual Kubiske open house.

While the numbers weren't anything like what happened in the Dominican Republic (or so I hear) about 70 or so people came through and ate the great food Minia prepared and the killer egg nog Dan made. (This is a recipe of his that goes back almost 30 years.)

As you can see Dan's kids had a good time.

Philip is not holding his breath or looking offended, his cheeks really were that puffed out. He had four wisdom teeth yanked out a few days before the party. (Needless to say he was upset he could not have anything harder than cider or Coke to drink.)

Next year, for the first time, the party will be held in the summer. It will still be the first weekend after New Year's Day, it's just in Brasilia that will be the summer.

By the way, Elmira and I are not looking forward to this cockeyed way of looking at the world. December, January and February are winter months. Not summer. I really need a home that will appreciate this basic fact.

Celebrate National Gorilla Suit Day

Get ready to celebrate

"National Gorilla Suit Day"

January 31.

Lutsen is.

Lisa and Adam get ready for the national holiday as well. (Or maybe Adam just forgot to shave.)

Dan will be wearing his gorilla suit to class that day.