Quote of the Week

Kosovo edition:

"Whatever the reason for the coalition victory, everybody was perfectly willing to take credit for it. The Air Force took credit for achieving the first "pure air power victory" in the history of armed conflict. The Navy took credit for the first maritime victory ever won without a single naval engagement. The Army took credit for the greatest air and naval victory ever commanded by an Army general. The White House took credit for the greatest military victory achieved under a Democratic administration since Franklin Roosevelt's.

"No good guys got killed in combat. Not all that many bad guys died either. In all... Kosovo was a perfect little war to end the twentieth century with."

--Jeff Huber, Bathtub Admirals

X-Rays & Shoes - from the VA Code

§ 18.2-321. Using X ray, fluoroscope, etc., in the fitting of footwear.

It shall be unlawful for any person to use any X ray, fluoroscope, or other equipment or apparatus employing roentgen rays, in the fitting of shoes or other footwear. This section shall not apply to any licensed physician or surgeon in the practice of his profession. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

(Code 1950, § 18.1-416; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.)

The Brain: I'm sure radiation is dangerous and all, but banning the use of x-rays for sales of shoes only? They could at least also include hat sales...

The Heart: Why not make it purses, scarves, and umbrellas too?

Hail to the Chief

Language like this is what keeps legal opinions from getting too dry. Nice to see it from the Supreme Court, not just the lower courts. Enjoy Detective Noir, a la the Chief Justice:

North Philly, May 4, 2001. Officer Sean Devlin, Narcotics Strike Force, was working the morning shift. Undercover surveillance. The neighborhood? Tough as a threedollar steak. Devlin knew. Five years on the beat, nine months with the Strike Force. He'd made fifteen, twenty drug busts in the neighborhood.

Devlin spotted him: a lone man on the corner. Another approached. Quick exchange of words. Cash handed over; small objects handed back. Each man then quickly on his own way. Devlin knew the guy wasn't buying bus tokens. He radioed a description and Officer Stein picked up the buyer. Sure enough: three bags of crack in the guy's pocket. Head downtown and book him. Just another day at the office.

Cert denial of Pennsylvania v. Dunlap (U.S. 2008) (Roberts, C.J., dissenting)

Mother Always Told Me Not To Drop My H-s

Israelis digest Kouchner 'H-bomb'

Some Israelis may have choked on their breakfast when a newspaper headline quoted France's foreign minister saying Israel might devour its arch foe, Iran.

Hebrew daily Haaretz splashed across its front page that Bernard Kouchner said Israel might "eat" the Islamic Republic before it got nuclear arms.

The following day Haaretz apologised, saying Mr Kouchner, speaking in English, had actually said "hit".

Mr Kouchner also offered a diplomatic apology for the "phonetic confusion".

When Mr Kouchner was asked about the possibility of Tehran developing a nuclear weapon, the Hebrew and English editions of Haaretz newspaper quoted him saying:

"I honestly don't believe that it will give any immunity to Iran.

First, because you [Israelis] will eat them before."

He went on to say: "And this is the danger. Israel has always said it will not wait for the bomb to be ready. I think that [the Iranians] know. Everyone knows."

The comments were published on Sunday, as Mr Kouchner ended a two-day visit to the region, under the headline in Hebrew saying "You will eat Iran before it achieves an atomic bomb".

On Monday, the paper published a correction and apologised for the "misunderstanding", but it also said the transcription had been cleared with Mr Kouchner's office prior to publication.

The paper did not explain how the mistake had occurred, but dropping the "h" is widely seen as a feature of English spoken with a French accent.

Haaretz's current English online version of the story - with "hit" rather than "eat" - makes no mention of the earlier confusion.

It could be said any levity about the misquote belies the seriousness of the issue it relates to. The US, Israel and their western allies say they believe Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran strongly denies.

Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has raised the possibility it might launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran to prevent it from becoming nuclear-armed.

~BBC News

How would you celebrate a worldwide flood?

Quote of the Week

"You can't have your cake and choke on it, too"

--Mel Gibson, describing the lesson of Hamlet

How much is a kid worth these days?

Bassinet Sales Halted

Under new Consumer Protection powers barely two weeks old, the federal CPSC has issued a "pull off the shelves and refund existing models" order for 900,000 multiuse baby bassinets. The move was prompted because a baby apparently managed to strangle itself on a metal bar. Additionally, the agency noted that there had been another infant death a year ago, but is reported to have declined to discuss that matter because it is an "ongoing investigation."

A quick Froogle search reveals that these particular bassinets run about $100 each.

Traffic cameras

Here is an article illustrating one of the downsides of traffic cameras - lack of instant feedback.  Traditional "in person" traffic enforcement leaves you remembering the encounter, and, often, chiding yourself and promising to do better.  Additionally, everybody else sees that someone is pulled over, and they remember that it could be them.

Cameras, however, catch everyone who breaks the law (leaving aside the actually very significant issue of whether assuming that a license plate number identifies the individual driving)... and they don't even know it.  And if, as in the article, you aren't receiving the summonses in the mail, you would never have any feedback.  Until the day you actually get pulled over - the old fashioned way - and get arrested because (first you heard of it) you owe nearly two million dollars for running red lights and pushing your speed.

Which of course, raises the revenue questions (if this one guy owed two mil, what did everyone else's payments amount to?!) and why cities might have incentive to use cameras rather than enforcement methods which provide direct and immediate disincentives for continued violations... another thought for another day.

I grant that perhaps the guy became aware or should have become aware that, when he never seemed to get caught by the cams, there was in fact something wrong with the notice system, and perhaps he decided to take advantage of this seeming immunity. He was, after all, running up, on average, a citation every two and a half days for seven years.

Drool Factor

Very sweet rocket wing - sort of a motorcycle in the sky. Yes, the picture is real.





Article and video here.

Quote of the week

"I can see Russia from my house."

'nuff said.

For the Music Lovers Out There

(Many thanks to Kari who passed this on to us!)

Ireland to get a medal

In what? Boxing, of course :-)

Since Drinking and Shillelagh Thumping aren't Olympic sports.

"Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes claimed the Irish team's first medal at the Beijing Olympics after a quarter-final win over Poland's Lukasz Maszczyk on Tuesday. "

(Written by The Brain, but Posted byt the Heart, because he is funny, and I think you all should know.)

Overheard

County sheriff from a rural part of Virginia, speaking to a women's defense gathering.

Question: "What kind of gun do you carry?"

Sheriff: "I carry a .45 on duty and off."

Question: "That's a really big bullet. Why do you carry a forty-five?"

Sheriff: "Because they don't make a forty-six."

Olympics

You would think that with all their sand, Saudi Arabia could put together a first rate womens beach volleyball team.

Irish view on our election!!

We, in Ireland, can't figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.On one side, you have a pants wearing lawyer, married to a lawyer who can't keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer who goes to the wrong church who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run.

Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name appropriately starts with "Mc", married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.

What in the Lord's name is hard about this decision??

(Thanks to GNT for passing this on to us!)