Somebody's Watching You, Out Damned Spot!, -and- The Nose Knows

Somebody’s Watching You - nation’s street sweepers turn into spies
Out Damned Spot! - new detergent gets rid of those pesky bloodstains
The Nose Knows - odors are as unique as fingerprints

On this day in history: November 7, 1872 - The cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from New York, never reaching Genoa. Four weeks later it is found completely abandoned, whereabouts of the ten man crew unknown.

Born on this day in history: November 7, 1918 - Billy Graham (1918 - ) Born near Charlotte, North Carolina, protestant evangelist Billy Graham converted to fundamentalism at 16. In his first high-profile crusade in Los Angeles in 1949, he preached to 350,000 people. A magnetic preacher, Graham has converted millions of people, and is a national figure.

Scripture of the Day: For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face. — Psalm 11:7

How William Shatner Changed the World - submitted by Amber
Video of the Day:

Gas prices have certainly fallen! Click to enlarge.

Photographs from the CUHS Homecoming Parade 2008 await your viewing pleasure. From the Photo Gallery of Local Events, choose CUHS Homecoming Parade 2008. You may view the images individually by clicking on the thumbnails, or you may view them as a slide show by choosing "Start Slide Show."

[While I slept] It was Tuesday, November 11, 2008—Veterans Day. I arrived at my office at 7 AM and began the day as usual. I had Outlook 2007 set to alert me at 10:45 AM that it was time to prepare for photographing the Veterans Day parade, which would take place on Solano Street—passing in front of my office. I intended to exit the front door of my office, walk to the edge of the sidewalk, and photograph the parade as I have done when photographing parades for the last ten years.

I continued about my day as I usually do. I completed the blog post for the day, responded to emails, read the news, prepared a quotation for a client who was scheduled to come to my office that afternoon, and listened to Sirius Satellite Radio via the Internet.

At 10:45 AM, Outlook 2007 alerted me that the parade would begin in 15 minutes. I opened my camera bag and took out my Nikon D3 and removed the lens cap and affixed the lens hood to the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. I walked to the front door, and I was unable to open the door, because someone had set up a booth directly in front of the door and sufficiently close to the door that it was not possible to open the door. The door opens outward, and in the past, it has been blocked by people who have set up booths there. When this has happened, I have successfully got the attention of these people by rapping on the glass of the door and indicating that I required use of the door. Rapping on the glass was ineffective, and the doorway remained blocked. I determined that I would exit the rear door and walk down the alley and around the corner of the block to my usual shooting position at the edge of the sidewalk in front of my office.

When I reached the back door and attempted to open it, I found it blocked by a large truck that had backed into my parking spot sufficiently close to the rear door of my office that I was unable to open it. [In reality, the rear door of my office opens inward, so it would not be possible to block it in this fashion.] I walked to the front door and rapped upon the glass once again. There was no response, and the time for the parade to begin was drawing near.

I noticed a sign on the booth that was blocking my doorway. It read, “Rita’s Carnitas” and listed a telephone number. I called the number and reached someone who apparently spoke no English. I attempted to communicate the situation, using the few Spanish words at my command, but I was unable to do so.

I walked to the rear of my office, stood on a step ladder [I have no such ladder.], and opened an entryway in the ceiling. [There is no such entryway in the ceiling.] I entered this and found myself in the area between the ceiling and roof. I located an exit to the roof, took it, and found myself on the roof of my office. I found that it was a good vantage point for photographing the parade. I saw that the parade was just beginning to form in preparation for beginning. I put my camera down and returned to my office. I took a folding chair from the storage area of my office [There are actually two such chairs there.] and returned with it to the roof. I sat in the chair and photographed the parade.

When the parade ended, I returned to my office and began downloading the photographs I had taken. At this point, I awakened.

Heat of the Moment, Unusual Punishment, -and- Fire!

Heat of the Moment - are sunspots prime suspects in global warming?
Unusual Punishment - mover gets probation for stealing two Picassos
Fire! - fire damages fire station

On this day in history: September 28, 1920 - A Cook County grand jury indicts the Black Sox 8 -- the White Sox players paid to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Even though they are found not guilty, Commissioner Landis bans them all from professional baseball for life.

Born on this day in history: September 28, 1934 - Brigitte Bardot (1934 - ____) actress. She was an international sex symbol best known for "And God Created Woman," 1956; became a conservationist and defender of animal rights.

Scripture of the Day: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Video of the Day: Beer Scooter - submitted by Phillip

Here is a photograph I took in 2003 of the museum at Fort Bragg, California. Click to enlarge.

Yesterday morning at 9 AM:

The telephone rang. Caller ID displayed "UNKNOWN NAME" and did not list a telephone number.

I answered, "California Technologies."

A man's voice said, "Yeah, can I talk to Sharon?" His tone was unfriendly.

I said, "There is no Sharon here," and I replaced the receiver.

Five minutes later, the telephone rang again. Caller ID displayed "UNKNOWN NAME" and a long-distance telephone number.

I answered, "California Technologies."

A woman's voice snapped curtly, "Let me talk to Sharon!"

I said, "There is no Sharon here," and I replaced the receiver.

Fifteen minutes later, the telephone rang yet again. Caller ID displayed "UNAVAILABLE" and did not display a telephone number.

I answered, "California Technologies."

A different man's voice snapped, "Is Sharon there?"

I said, "No."

The man said, "Well, where is she?"

I said, "About an hour ago, she went out for a beer. She never returned." I replaced the receiver.

Two subsequent calls came in—both displaying "UNAVAILABLE" on the Caller ID. I allowed HotFax MessageCenter to answer them. No message was left.

Today's Weather: The weather forecast changed yet again late yesterday—once again predicting "mostly cloudy" for the day. The predicted high is a mere 70 degrees—a dramatic drop from yesterday's high of 90 degrees! This is unfortunate weather for the Homecoming Parade this afternoon. Hopefully, it will not rain!