Hypnotized, mesmerized

Wichita blogger extraordinaire John B. has published this week's Kansas Guild of Bloggers roundup over at Blog Meridian.

This is a great collection about what area bloggers have to say. Always entertaining, often informative, you won't be able to tear yourself away. So go check it out and then plan on submitting a post of your own for next week's carnival.

tagged: Kansas, blog, blogger, carnival, KGB

Eye of the beholder

I just noticed an interesting phenomenon while blogsurfing yesterday.

Plenty of bloggers are taking the opportunity to lob some well-deserved righteous indignation at Rep. Mark Foley, rightly calling him a hypocritical douchebag.

We've also seen in the last few weeks a few more major rants lamenting the death of America with the recent passage of legislation which denies the right of habeas corpus and other constitutional rights to imprisoned terrorist suspects.

For the record (and not that it matters), I oppose the recent legislation and expect it to be overturned by the SCOTUS. I also think Foley is a scumbag skunk who will be justly compensated for his acts by karma. Furthermore if laws were broken, he and all involved should be prosecuted to the full extent.

But I find it interesting that so many people are screaming for his head in the absence of due process... particularly the people who are most loudly lamenting the lack of due process for others.

I guess hypocrisy truly is in the eye of the beholder.

tagged: politics, Foley, hypocrisy, habeas corpus

It's a marvelous night for a moondance

Last night's full moon was amazing. I tried to capture it with this picture...

But Van Morrison captured it much better years ago with this lyric...

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

tagged: moon, Kansas, full moon, Van Morrison, moondance

Another headline I couldn't pass up

Pipe leak forcing sewage into Missouri River

The Wyandotte County (Kansas) government dumped a bunch of raw sewage in the Missouri River and wanted to warn the people of Kansas City, Mo., about it.

Which is more considerate than the government of Kansas City, Mo., which craps on KC residents with no warning at all.

tagged: news, Kansas City, Wyandotte, Missouri, raw sewage, commentary

Not for amateurs

Public Service Announcement:

Pole dancing isn't for amateurs. Before you decide to become a pole dancer, be sure to get the proper training. Oh, and don't drink and pole dance.

The More You Know...



tagged: video, humor, pole dancing

Headline of the Day

Stagg trial ends with hung jury

Does this headline make anyone else think of a bachelor party?

tagged: news, Kansas City

Like a good neighbor

We received this nice note from the people we sold our Roeland Park house to:

Dear Emawkc and Supermodel Wife,
We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making our first homebuying experience so positive. We really appreciate how well you've taken care of this house. All of the extra cleaning, painting and reseeding, etc. was unexpected but very much appreciated. I hope your sellers were as kind to you as you've been to our family.
Good luck to you in your new home and future endeavors.

What a nice sentiment. It sounds like our former neighbors have some great new neighbors.

Unfortunately, our sellers weren't as kind to us. But, time to move on...

tagged: home, house, real estate, Roeland Park, Kansas

La Cage aux Foley

I haven't commented much on the Mark Foley circus, mostly because everybody else already has.

But this headline struck me funny (not that there's anything funny about what Foley did... oh c'mon, sure there is!):

Ethics committee ready to probe Foley case

Just the use of the words "probe Foley" makes me chuckle.

The story notes that "The Justice Department, meanwhile, ordered House officials to preserve all records related to Foley's electronic correspondence with teenagers."

I wonder who's going to pull the plumb job of going through Foley's briefs.

tagged: Mark Foley, politics, Republican, Democrat, probe, ethics, pop culture

Deployed: Kuwait and wait

Thanks to everyone who expressed their concern for my brother-in-law Nick as he shipped out to serve as an MP in Iraq.

Nick arrived safe, but tired, in Kuwait. I was forwarded the following email from my Supermodel Wife's Supermodel Sister and wanted to post this portion of it as an update on Nick's adventure. Names have not been changed, although I have omitted the more private and personal content.

Hey Honey

Just wanted to drop you an email. Its 5 dollars to access the slow ass internet here for an hour so this wont be too long. Right now I'm in Kuwait as you already knew. We're not doing much but we're going to be training soon. It's so weird here. It's dark by 6PM and light by 6AM and it's hot. I'm sick of sand which is probably bad because it's all I'm going to see for awhile. I'm not sleeping well, normally about 5 hours but it may get better as it wears on me some more and I develop a routine.

What else.... I go to the gym about 2 times daily and that's been fun but I am sore. We're supposed to head to Iraq about the 16th or so and I'll know more about things then. Everything is good and my spirits are high but I miss you pretty bad. Okay I've got a list of things I need you to mail out ASAP....

I need one pair of large PT shorts and one large short sleeve PT t-shirt from clothing and sales.
I need you to send me more boxer shorts. 3-5 pairs as they are non existent here and I didn't pack near enough.
I need you to go to a Sams Club and buy a 600 minute rechargeable international phone card and that will be what I use to call home with. Because its rechargeable it makes it a lot easier. I've had to buy some stuff since I've been here, (underwear, pillow, a watch, etc.) but haven't spent too much money.

That's really about all I have to say. I love you. I miss you and I cant wait to talk to you soon. The sooner they get phone cards here the sooner I'll call. They are currently out here and I'm not calling with the credit card again. May be a few days. BTW I leave for a 3 day field exercise on Thursday and won't be back until Saturday. That will probably be the next time I call.

I love you so much.

Love, Nick

tagged: Iraq, Mosul, Kuwait, war, military, soldier

Timber

We received word from our former neighbors that the ancient Sycamore tree on Linden Street in Roeland Park finally had to remove .

The tree was enormous. In a city rife with huge trees, this tree stood out as truly gigantic.

Several owners of the property had investigated having it removed. Too much maintenance, what with the leaves and sticks falling all the time. But it never happened, probably due to the price tag of cutting down and carting off the leviathan.

My Super Model Wife and I were always relieved to see the grand creature remain. That's why we made a trip back to the old neighborhood to bid the old Sycamore a fond farewell.

John, the owner of the house, said a crack in the west trunk appeared over the weekend. The west trunk leaned out over the vintage ranch house, threatening to crush it and the neighboring houses with the next stiff wind.

John said he would end up paying about $10,000 to have the tree removed. The Roeland Park arborist said that the largest tree in Roeland Park had fallen down last week. So this tree, for a few days, had the honor of being the largest tree in the city.

Though we understood that it was necessary, that, as George Harrison said, all things must pass, it was sad to see this majestic tree...

...reduced to a child's plaything.

tagged: Kansas City, Roeland Park, tree, timber, environmentalist