Fighting Back, Dog House, -and- Wired

Fighting Back - German supermarket cashier foiled three armed robbers by pelting them with cheese
Dog House - 800 small dogs seized from filthy Arizona home
Wired - IBM to help build broadband network in power lines

On this day in history: November 12, 1933 - Hugh Gray of the British Aluminium Company took five pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, the first known photos. Four the the five exposures were blank, and the remaining photo was later proven to be a hoax.

Born on this day in history: November 12, 1929 - Grace Kelly (1929 - 1982) Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, film actress and Princess Grace Kelly made her film debut in 1951, achieving fame in such classics as "High Noon" (1952) and "To Catch a Thief" (1955). In 1956, she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Kelly was killed in a car accident.

Scripture of the Day: A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. — Proverbs 11:12

Video of the Day: Lazy Cat - submitted by Cindy

The Grand Marshall of Corning's Veterans Day Parade. Click to enlarge.

Harvest Festival 2008 Photographs from yesterday morning's Veterans Day parade await your viewing pleasure! From the index page for the Photo Gallery of Local Events, choose Veteran's Day Parade. You may view the images individually by clicking on them, or you may view them as a slide show by clicking on "start slide show." Enjoy!

Back Pain: I have suffered from back pain for countless years. The pain is generally kept within reasonable bounds using aspirin and ibuprofen. When I do a photo shoot, however, the pain becomes very nearly unbearable. I traditionally lean against trees and other objects in order to alleviate the pain somewhat.

When I shot the recent homecoming parade, I used a ThermaCare® HeatWrap for the first time and was amazed to find that I suffered no back pain whatever! I used a ThermaCare® HeatWrap when shooting the recent Harvest Festival. Again, there was no back pain encountered—and the shoot lasted several hours! Yesterday, I used a ThermaCare® HeatWrap while shooting the Veterans Day parade. Again, there was no back pain encountered!

I highly recommend this product to anyone who suffers from back pain! The cost is under $3 each—sold in packages of 2 wraps. They are not reusable.

Armed and Dangerous, Crime and Punishment, -and- Victor-Victoria

Armed and Dangerous - taser shock triggers fire in man's pants
Crime and Punishment - China food-safety law to allow for life in prison
Victor-Victoria - children's hospital launches sex change for children program

On this day in history: April 21, 1992 - Convicted murderer Robert Alton Harris consumes two large pizzas, a bucket of fried chicken, and some ice cream on the eve of his execution.

Born on this day in history: April 21, 1958 - Andie MacDowell
(1958-)
Born in Gaffney, SC, actress Andie MacDowell began as a model and got her acting break in "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes" (1984), though Glenn Close re-recorded her lines. She had success in "Groundhog Day" (1993), opposite Bill Murray, and in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), with Hugh Grant.

Scripture of the Day: And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. - 1 John 4:21

Video of the Day: Stuck in Vermont 75: Jr. Iron Chef - submitted by Danica

While driving to my office this morning, I decided to go for an excursion near the lake. I saw this floating gazebo. Click to enlarge.

Friday evening, we enjoyed a variety of sushi. One of my brothers joined us for dinner. I made 12 large California rolls with shrimp, avocado, and green onion. Laura picked up a large platter of various sushi morsels at Raley's on her way home. We had champagne to soothe the sting of the wasabi. It was wonderful I vow that we shall enjoy sushi more often.

After dinner, we watched "16 Blocks" in Blu-ray. [Tasked with escorting chatty prosecution witness Eddie Bunker (rapper and seasoned actor Mos Def) from police custody to a nearby courthouse, aging New York City cop Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) reluctantly gears up for the 16-block trek. But with powerful forces intent on keeping them from reaching their destination, they'll be lucky to make it there alive. David Morse co-stars in director Richard Donner's action thriller.] We all enjoyed this movie a good deal. Bruce Willis' performance was excellent, as was Mos Def's. The action scenes were well done, and the movie was exciting and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

On Saturday, my brother joined us for dinner again. I made red beans and rice: I simmered a head of peeled garlic (sliced thickly), red bell pepper (diced), white onion (sliced thinly), celery (sliced thickly), Roma tomatoes (diced), in extra-virgin olive oil—seasoned with Tony Chachere's More Spice, brown sugar, molasses, sea salt, ground black pepper, and Gebhardt's chili powder. When the onions became translucent, I added a cup of cooked white rice and two cans of red beans—with juice. This simmered on low for two hours. Laura did a dry rub on two huge racks of baby back ribs (halved), using garlic powder, Tony Chachere's More Spice, sea salt, ground black pepper, cinnamon sugar, and brown sugar. She charred the ribs then moved away from the flame and cooked for two hours—spraying every 20 minutes with a mixture of one part extra-virgin olive oil and three parts balsamic vinegar. It was a delightful meal. Laura photographed the food during cooking, and I will share some of these images here tomorrow.

After dinner, we watched "Ultimate Avengers: The Movie" in Blu-ray. [Captain America and his dream team of superheroes fight to save the world from evil in this original animated feature. Sixty years after courageously diverting a missile aimed at the White House and plummeting into the North Atlantic, the star-spangled superhero emerges from the ocean depths to join Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Wasp and Giant Man in an all-out war against the sinister forces that threaten humanity.] This animated movie was well produced but grew tiresome relatively quickly. It was marginally enjoyable.

Sunday morning—following the early service at Harvest Christian Center, I made potatoes O'Brien, bacon, and fried eggs. It was delicious. We watched several episodes of "King of the Hill" that had recorded throughout the week on DVR. We snacked and napped. At 5:30 PM, we returned to Harvest Christian Center for John Jacobs Next Generation Power Force - A Strength Team with a Message of Hope to Lift the World. It was an excellent event that featured acts of strength and testimony from an ex-NFL football player and a man who holds a record for bench-pressing over 1,000 pounds. I took over 500 photographs and will soon produce a slide show using some of these photographs. I shall post the URL here when the slide show is ready for viewing.

Following the Power Force presentation, we had a Red Baron pepperoni pizza and watched an episode of "Lockup."