Armed and Dangerous, Fly by Night, -and- Gentlemen Start Your Engines

Armed and Dangerous - deputy tries to shoot his way out of jail cell
Fly by Night - airline pilot flew for 13 years with forged license
Gentlemen Start Your Engines - U.S. Navy ships raced each other at sea

On this day in history: March 5, 1982 - John Belushi found dead at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood from a cocaine and heroin overdose. A sketchy woman, Cathy Smith, is later charged with administering the fatal injections.

Born on this day in history: March 5, 1958 - Andy Gibb (1958 - 1988) Born in Manchester, England, singer Andy Gibb became the first male solo artist to land three consecutive No. 1 hits on the 'Billboard Hot 100'. The youngest brother of the band members of the Bee Gees, Andy collaborated with his siblings to create the hit singles "Shadow Dancing" (1978) and "Don't Throw It All Away" (1979)

Scripture of the Day: These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Video of the Day: Rob Zombie - "Living Dead Girl" - submitted by Darin

Imagine my surprise when I encountered this scene while passing through the parking lot at Walmart while on the way to my office this morning! Click to enlarge.

Technology News
Good luck burying the undead IE6
New Photoshop for Android includes Apple potshot
Microsoft to fix eight Windows and Office holes

Laura Visits the Wild Animals
This morning, Laura will visit the Kirshner Wildlife Foundation. As you may recall, the Foundation brought an eight-week-old leopard cub to Laura at Sierra Nevada. This morning, Laura and Brian will visit the leopard—along with a new tiger cub and a wide assortment of other wild animals, birds, and reptiles—at the Foundation's current location in Durham. They will also tour the site of what will be the new Foundation home. Laura is eager to visit the wildlife and is taking her real camera (a Nikon Coolpix 995) to photograph them.

Fighting Back, Freedom of Speech, -and- All Shook Up

Fighting Back - NYC deputy mayor foils mugger in downtown Manhattan
Freedom of Speech - professor calls cops when student mentions guns in speech
All Shook Up - Southern California feels mysterious shaking

On this day in history: March 5, 1982 - John Belushi found dead at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood from a cocaine and heroin overdose. A sketchy woman, Cathy Smith, is later charged with administering the fatal injections.

Born on this day in history: March 5, 1958 - Andy Gibb (1958-1988) Born in Manchester, England, youngest of the Gibb Brothers, singer Andy Gibb belongs to the world-famous Bee Gees group. The group personifies 1970s disco music, and has sold more than 100 million records.

Scripture of the Day: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. - Romans 8:1-2

Video of the Day: Kitten Loves Faucet Water

Imagine my surprise when I encountered this water-dancing kitty as I passed the lake on the way to my office this morning! Water-dancing kitties are very rare, so I was fortunate indeed to espy this one! Click to enlarge.

The Weather: I was communicating with my long-distance friend and regular visitor of this blog, Chris, from Michigan, and told him our weather was cold and wet. Last night, it was. I had not peered outside yet this morning when I made that statement to him. Imagine my very pleasant surprise when I did look outside and saw that it was dry and sunny! The forecasts (if they may be believed, of course) indicate sunshine and temperatures in the 60s through the weekend. There shall be flesh tossed upon the grill this weekend, I am certain.

I thought I was at Burger King! This morning, when I answered a call—the Caller ID for which read, "PRIVATE NAME," I thought momentarily that I was at the drive-through window at Burger King. [See yesterday's video.] The caller's "English" was nearly completely indecipherable, and it was only as a result of carefully listening to a phrase that the caller repeated when I said, "What, in the name of all that is good and free from evil, did you say?" was I able to determine that this creature was saying that the call was being made by him in response to a call that I had made! This, apparently, is a new ploy being used by telemarketers. It was my first encounter with this ruse, but I am certain it shall not be my last such encounter. I quickly ended spiel of this entity by saying, "Due to the volume of calls, please expect a five to six hour delay. Your call is important to us. All calls will be taken in the order in which they are received." At this point, I replaced the receiver. Ten minutes later, the telephone rang. The Caller ID once again said, "PRIVATE NAME," so I assumed it was Mr. Unintelligible calling again and let the call go to voice mail. The telemarketer left a 30-second message composed of words which are, for the most part, unrecognizable. Should he call again, I am prepared to answer, "You have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service."

Heat of the Moment, Quiet Please!, -and- Swoop!

Heat of the Moment - scientists meet in NYC to challenge Gore, UN
Quiet Please! - six days in county jail for overdue books
Swoop! - vultures ripping apart roofs, chewing cars, in Florida

On this day in history: March 5, 1982 - John Belushi found dead at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood from a cocaine and heroin overdose. A sketchy woman, Cathy Smith, is later charged with administering the fatal injections.

Born on this day in history: March 5, 1958 - Andy Gibb (1958-1988) Born in Manchester, England, youngest of the Gibb Brothers, singer Andy Gibb belongs to the world-famous Bee Gees group. The group personifies 1970s disco music, and has sold more than 100 million records.

Scripture of the Day: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Video of the Day: Leopard Looks After a Baby Baboon - submitted by Cindy

It was a beautiful morning, so I decided to take a drive before going to my
office. I encountered this scene in the foothills near Corning. Click to
enlarge.

Laura was feeling much better and went to work yesterday morning. As the day progressed, however, she became increasingly ill and left early. She is staying home today. I pray for her speedy recovery.

The sun is shining brightly, the sky is blue and clear, and the birds are singing. Great Scott, could this be an early spring? While the concept is a pleasant one, certainly, it is highly unlikely that we have seen the last of the cold, wet weather. We shall, however, enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts!

I have been watching a series on The Science Channel entitled "Download: The True Story of the Internet." It is an interesting series. I find it particularly interesting, since I clearly recall the events from my personal experience.

Blast Off!, Homeland Insecurity, -and- Somebody's Watching You

Blast Off! - rocket at museum found to be live
Homeland Insecurity - loaded gun slips through airport security
Somebody's Watching You - AT&T looking at Internet filtering

On this day in history: January 24, 1986 - Crackpot and founder of the fraudulent Scientology movement, L. Ron Hubbard dies. His bad science fiction writing has grown alarmingly prolific in the years since his death.

Born on this day in history: January 24, 1949 - John Belushi (1949–82) Born in Chicago, IL, comedian John Belushi appeared with the Second City comedy troop in the 1970s, and gained fame on "Saturday Night Live" (1974–9). He died of a drug overdose in California.

Scripture of the Day: To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. - Jude 1:24-25/

Video of the Day: Dog vs. Balloons - submitted by Darin

The rain continues! While it was dry (albeit cold, gloomy, and windy) most of the day yesterday, it began raining late last night and continues now. While it is a light rain, it is constant, and the ground is becoming saturated. Puddles abound, and the water levels in local creeks and streams are rising. Rain is forecast for the next several days.

I am daily marking off the days on my Nikon World calendar, waiting impatiently for March 20—the first day of spring!

During Bible college class last evening, we were instructed to choose a partner—someone we did not know well—and ask each other three questions. This was an interesting and informative exchange. Interestingly, the answer to the first question, "What is something that the congregation does not know about you?" was the same for me and my partner: "I am very sensitive."