Final Honors for Fallen SEAL

Matt Heidt / Froggy of Froggy Ruminations was able to attend the funeral of Petty Officer James Suh this weekend in Los Angeles, rendered with full military honors. Reading his account of the service, I could almost hear the guns firing the 21-gun salute. Please go there to read the whole story, see the pictures, and remember this fallen hero. Dozens of members of SDV Team One were in attendance as well, and I learned how these men honored their lost brother. Hint ... look for the trident.

Blog Crawl 2005!

Welcome, Blog Crawlers! Feel free to leave comments -- I am out for the day and evening. See y'all later!

What's Happening?

Many fun and interesting things ... First, MSG Keith is now a Grandpa - as his daughter Katie gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Eleanor Louise on Wednesday! Go over to his place and hand him a cee-gar, why dontcha... Congrats, Keith!! Then there's the Blog Crawl ... It started as a bit of a joke because That 1 Guy got somewhat drunk totally wasted one night and typed up this insightful little gem. He then wandered drunkenly around the blog 'hood, leaving a few insightful comments. It sounded like Such Fun, that Contagion suggested the Bad Example and Frizzen Sparks Families should plan a Blog Crawl this weekend! For more details, go here to read all about it. Just a reminder --- If you haven't visited the new digs of FuzzyBear Lioness, then make sure you check out Fuzzilicious Thinking today. She put some thought into the decorations, and hasn't wasted any time in sharing her viewpoints! And one last major announcement for today ... It's the Armorer's birthday!!! Now, we all know what John likes - so go out there and find some nice shiny brass cannon or other fine piece of artillery, and go visit the Castle to leave the link. Or you can leave the link here in my comments, and I'll add it to the post !! To start off the fun, here's a fine gift from JM Heinrichs, because "the Armourer is approaching Senior Status and hearing has become difficult." From myself, I'd like to offer John a nice little mortaretto - small and relatively portable. Happy Birthday, John!!! UPDATE Don't miss the great Redleg tribute and history from Cass at Villainous Company. Bloodspite of Technography has some Really Big Pics linked in celebration. And, of course, SWWBO is delivering the best gift of all -- she is arrving home tonight!

Self Portrait Friday

Today's theme for SPF is Favorite T-shirts. Here I am wearing my favorite geek t-shirt, and here is the image on it. Thanks to Katy at The Grass Isn't Greener for creating the SPF theme ... Check out today's Self Portrait Friday collection. Also, make sure you visit some of the other folks who are playing today, especially Erik. He managed to post a cheesy pic from Iraq! Go leave him a comment, pretty please!!

Tagged (Part II) - And an Announcement

Yesterday I responded to the "What's on my Nightstand" tag from John, but left the second tag on Favorite Movies for today. Before I complete that task, I have to divert for a quick flogging and announcement. The flogging is for me ... since I missed a key date yesterday! I totally forgot that FuzzyBear Lioness had a birthday to celebrate! *hangs head in shame* But -- the Announcement is that FbL has joined the blogworld with her own space. YAY! So head over to the blue waters of Fuzzilicious Thinking and wish her a Happy Belated Birthday! And Thanks to BillT for the reminder. No, Bill - you Don't get to perform the flogging... My Favorite Movies High School I loved Young Frankenstein, and can still watch it over and over. Of course, the urge to repeat the dialog tends to annoy anyone around me! College Star Wars - the original. What can I say, I'm a product of my times. But the combination of Sci-Fi, effects, and humor is still fantastic. To put it in perspective, I learned to love Sci-Fi by watching the original Star Trek series ... *grin*. Recent Favorites Lord of the Rings - Return of the King. When I saw that the movie was 200 minutes long, I figured it would never end. When it did end, I wanted more -- great cinematography and total fun! Finding Nemo. Another fun Disney, Dude. Favorite Disney I love Disney animation, and I'm working on replacing my VHS collection with DVD replacements, starting with Beauty and the Beast. But that one isn't my personal fav, although I love the special extended edition. We bought it first because it is the Hubster's favorite! In fact, it's one of the few he will watch over and over. My personal Disney fav is Tarzan, not just for the animation, but for the music as well. Favorite Non-Disney A toss-up between Shrek and Monsters, Inc. -- love 'em both. All-Time Favorites The films I can watch any time -- and have watched so often I can almost recite the dialog ... The Thomas Crown Affair -- love the story, the acting, the music - the whole bundle. Groundhog Day -- Ironic, isn't it ?! Since I just tagged five lucky folks yesterday for the Nightstand meme, I won't name any new victims for this one. If you would like to play, leave me a comment and I'll link to your post. Popcorn, anyone??

This will make you proud

This one is for Sgt B, and all of the war-fighters out there ... active duty / retired / reserve / guard. Thanks to each and every one of you. This one will make you proud. H/T to Sarah at Trying to Grok, who got the link from her Dad. Many thanks!

Tagged! (Part I)

I've been tagged by John to bore you with the objects residing on my nightstand, thanks to a tag from Les Jones. Our bed has one of those complete wall-units that encompasses cabinets, shelves and drawers (and mirrors - Whoo Hoo!), so I won't detail all the crap inside -- that would be cruel and unusual punishment! On my side of the bed are... * The books I've read, which right now numbers only one ("Mister God, This is Anna"), but varies from week to week - depending on how fast I move the finished books to the big bookcases. * Book(s) I have staged, or am reading. This morning that included "Deception Point" and "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown, and "Dark Lady" by Richard North Patterson. The one I am actually reading right now is "Wings of Fire" by Dale Brown - but it's residing in the bathroom at this point. * Remote control for the ceiling fan. I keep it on my side so that *I* can control the fan speed. Having a remote for this is Heaven, by the way! * Water spray bottle - This is used to keep my 4-footed child from joining us in bed. He used to be locked up in his own room at night, but now is free to wander the house ... as long as he does not disturb us! Since he has severe short-term memory issues, he needs an occasional spritz in the face when he jumps on the bed. That's it for my stuff - the Hubster's side is pretty similar, with different books, and the TV remote. Separation of powers ... *grin* ! The joint section has the clock/radio, where we both can reach it. There was another tag in John's post, which I'll work on later. Oh ... and I have to tag 5 people. Sgt B, That 1 Guy, Punctilious, Boudicca, and Teresa ... You are all On Deck!

This is good ...

From ABC News ... Authorities Arrest Men With NYC Maps, Video Five Men Detained in New Jersey, Set to Be Deported July 26, 2005 — Five Egyptian men with maps of the New York City subway system and video of New York landmarks have been arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, N.J., ABC News has learned. FBI and law enforcement officials told ABC News the five men — four illegal immigrants and one law enforcement fugitive — were arrested Sunday night following a tip to the Newark Police Department. In addition to the subway maps and video, the men had train schedules and $8,000 in $20 and $50 bills. The men were identified as: Karim Ahmed Abdel Latif Ahmed, 21; his brother Mahoud Ahmed Abdel Latif Ahmed, 19; Ahmed Mohamed Atta, 30; Mohamed Ibrahim Gaber, 34, and Mohamed Palat Anwar Jozain. When Newark authorities converged at the group's location at 246 Ferry St., Karim Ahmed answered the door and agreed to allow police to enter. Officers said they noticed the maps, and video cameras and Karim and his brother agreed to a search. Karim said he had the maps because he had a new job as a street vendor. Initially, Karim said no one else was in the apartment, but police came upon the three other men upon further search. FBI officials said the men have no known link to a terror network but noted that none of them could adequately explain the items they had in their possession, the large amount of money or their reasons for being in the United States. Mohamed Ibrahim Gaber has been a fugitive since he jumped ship from an Egyptian flagged freighter in September 2000. The men, all of whom claimed to be unemployed civil or chemical engineers, are set to be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Notice that one of the men is named Ahmed Mohamed Atta. I applaud the Task Force - this is good news. I'd rather read about these kinds of arrests, than about bombs going off, wouldn't you?

Now THIS is Art...

John over at Castle Argghhh! posted some nice examples of Art of the Liberated yesterday. Today, he has added some new items, and I begged him to let me post them here as well. A great jointy effort between the Armorer and Kat of The Middle Ground And two terrific montages from Bloodspite of Techography Please check out the complete post ... Art of the Liberated, Part II

Think of it as Evolution in Action

So the Brits killed a man who was not about to blow himself to kingdom come. While this is a shame, I am glad to see that they are taking the risk of more bombers in London very, very seriously. Thanks to Damian at ConservaThink for pointing me to this lovely little Monday Morning Rant from Jeff Harrell at The Shape of Days. If the F-word causes you grief - you might not want to go there, by the way. My favorite line ... "It was f**king Darwin, come to collect his due." (Asterisks mine, not Jeff's!)

Mayhem in the Med

Several years ago, the Hubster and I were all set to go on a cruise for our 15th anniversary. We were going to fly to Tahiti and sail among the islands in comfort. Unfortunately, that was in 2001, and the cruise company went out of business after 9/11. Still - the idea beckons, and I imagine that someday we will correct the deficiency. I just hope that we don't have the kind of excitement and intrigue that occurred during Huntress' cruise of the Mediterranean. You may have read about this story in the NY Times "Greenwich Man Disappears From Ship on His Honeymoon". The Huntress tells the story her way ... Cruising The Med: Murder Mystery Mayhem A honeymoon couple board a cruise ship, and he disappears under mysterious circumstances, with blood found in his stateroom and on the awning underneath his balcony, his new wife is escorted off the ship, to the American embassy in Turkey, where she is met by her parents; a young woman is raped aboard the same cruise ship, and a 52 yr old man dies of a heart attack or possible aneurism brought on by heaving endless vomiting, at least 5 members of a family traveling together are offboarded in Italy accompanied by the FBI and Italian authorities, divers are dispatched to make sure the British Cruise ship while in several ports of call, remains safe from potential terrorist attacks, and the family of the missing man are alleged to have boarded the ship in Italy, while FBI agents remain on board to further investigate these incidents. Is this the script for a new adventure at sea feature film, a movie of the week, a new book about to become a best seller? NO! This is what happened on the "Brilliance of the Seas" Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship during my 12 nite Cruise of the Mediterranean! There's much, much more to read -- but you have to go there to read it. Catch her two other posts as well, to Set the Record Straight, and the Final Word on the cruise event. This kind of excitement we would all like to avoid. I'm just glad we have her back in one piece! Welcome home, Huntress !!!

If it isn't Art, what IS it?

I read of this tasteless piece of imagery in ALa's Weekend Mini-Rant, and again today, when she pointed out that the "artist" had his own blogspot site. I caught a little of the Pearce's on Scarborough Country tonight, although they were saying nothing that I wanted to hear. Can someone explain to me WHY the Attorney General of the State of California should have this so-called artwork displayed in his office?? I did find an interesting item while researching a bit on the web, though. It turns out that a young man named Andy Nevis has started a Petition to force the AG to take the painting down. I added my name and a short comment - you can do the same. Keep the comments polite, please! I was intrigued by Andy's site "California High School Conservative". You see, Andy is a Sophomore this year. You wouldn't know that from his writing, though, as I found it pretty thoughtful and interesting. Heh ... I also enjoyed the image "T'anks to Mr. Ted"