Stupid Criminals, The Kids Are Alright, -and- Animal Kingdom

Stupid Criminals - gangster accidently shoots himself, in critical condition
The Kids Are Alright - teen scales fence, saves drowning girl
Animal Kingdom - parrot given award for alerting owner about choking baby

On this day in history: March 24, 1989 - Exxon tanker Valdez, piloted by a drunk captain, strikes a well-charted reef at Prince William sound, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil.

Born on this day in history: March 24, 1930 - Steve McQueen (1930 - 1980) Born in Slater, MO, actor Steve McQueen became famous in TV Western "Wanted Dead or Alive" (1958), which led to a co-starring role in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960). He became the archetypal 1960s cinema hero/rebel.

Scripture of the Day: The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. - Proverbs 10:7

Video of the Day: "Bullitt" - car chase scene

Imagine my surprise when I encountered this scene while driving past the park on my way to work! Click to enlarge.

Anticipation: Our iPhones should arrive today. I say that without certainty, since of late my experience with next-day FedEx has not been particularly stellar. The iPhones were ordered last Friday. Theoretically, I would have expected them to appear here yesterday. There was an issue with the order, however, and this was not resolved until yesterday morning at 8:01 AM. Given that, I would expect the iPhones to arrive today. As I say, however, my experience with next-day FedEx has me musing the possibilities—only one of which (and not necessarily the most likely) is that the iPhones will arrive today.

I have several applications awaiting the arrival of the iPhones—including a Mah-Jong app, a guitar app, and a Bible app. Today, I shall continue investigating the available apps and prepare a few more for installation. I shall, of course, continue to stare trance-like into the live feed from the Web cam on my Desktop—waiting...ever waiting, for the FedEx truck to appear in there!

Firepower, Shameless, -and- Heat of the Moment

Firepower - police in rising arms race with crooks
Shameless - no one in family has worked in 3 generations
Heat of the Moment - scientist says global warming ended 10 years ago

On this day in history: March 24, 1989 - Exxon tanker Valdez, piloted by a drunk captain, strikes a well-charted reef at Prince William sound, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil.

Born on this day in history: March 24, 1930 - Steve McQueen (1930–80) Born in Slater, MO, actor Steve McQueen became famous in TV Western Wanted Dead or Alive (1958), which led to a co-starring role in The Magnificent Seven (1960). He became the archetypal 1960s cinema hero/rebel.

Scripture of the Day: So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. - Galatians 3:24

Video of the Day: Crossword Puzzle Champion Completes Puzzle in Record Time - submitted by Amber

I spotted this bumper sticker on the way to my office this morning. Click to enlarge.

The weather has been beautiful for the last several days. Afternoon temperatures have been in the upper 70s, the sun has been bright, the sky has been blue and clear, and the birds have been singing. Today promises to offer more of this same wonderful weather.

I installed theatre blackout drapes in our living room Saturday morning. Later that day, an installer from DirecTV replaced our dish with a new dual-feed HDTV dish and installed a HD receiver/DVR. The image quality on the Vizio 47" LCD HDTV is stellar. We enjoyed watching HD programming Saturday evening and Sunday. I realize that most of you have probably been enjoying HD programming for some time, but this is new and exciting for us. We have been living in the dark ages of television technology. Later this week, we shall add a Sony Blu-Ray DVD player to our system.

You've Got Mail, Typo, -and- Arf!

You've Got Mail - U.S. Internet spam king arrested
Typo - keystroke error sends $2.5 million check to school counselor
Arf! - Yoko Ono eats dog to protest fox hunting

On this day in history: May 31, 1996 - Timothy Leary dies quietly in his sleep, thereby failing his intended mission of suiciding live on the Internet.

Born on this day in history: May 31, 1930 - Clint Eastwood (1930- ) Born in the San Francisco area, actor, director and producer Clint Eastward landed the role of Rowdy Yates in TV series Rawhide (1959), which ran for eight seasons, then went to Italy to star in Sergio Leone "spaghetti westerns? (1964), which made him a worldwide star. Back in the U.S., he starred in the hugely popular Dirty Harry film series, which included five films over 17 years. Eastwood gained critical acclaim for directing and starring in his own movies, including Unforgiven (1992), Space Cowboys (2000) and more. Eastwood has been married twice, and fathered several children out of wedlock.

Today's Video: Sleep Last Night? - a tribute to our troops - submitted by Harvest Christian Center

VIDEOS: The videos are now available via the link "Amazing and Amusing Videos" in the Links section, below the visitor counter.

Ultimate List of Car Songs! View the list and submit your favorite car song(s)!

Steve McQueen in "The Blob." Click to enlarge.

Fighting Back, Reality TV, -and- Nap Time

Fighting Back - man clad in underwear pins leopard
Reality TV - contestants vie for woman's kidney
Nap Time - burglary suspect found sleeping in car

On this day in history: May 29, 1999 - Hikers discover the skeletal remains of Philip "Taylor" in his Ford Aerostar at the bottom of a 200-foot ravine in Malibu, California. The onetime bassist for the band Iron Butterfly had disappeared four years prior.

Born on this day in history: May 29, 1736 - Patrick Henry (1736 - 1799) statesman, orator. He was a brilliant orator of the American Revolution ("Give me liberty or give me death", 1755); first governor of VA.

Today's Video: Steve McQueen Mustang Commercial

VIDEOS: The videos are now available via the link "Amazing and Amusing Videos" in the Links section, below the visitor counter.

I hope everyone had a festive and safe Memorial Day weekend. Laura and I chose not to travel over the weekend. We generally do not travel during holidays. We chose to rest, enjoy some excellent meals, and eschew the traffic and high fuel prices.

Sunday, I made a spicy barbecue sauce, and Laura used it to glaze some grilled chicken breasts. I made a green bean sauté. I steamed green beans and whole garlic cloves for three minutes in the microwave and set aside. I sautéed sliced white onion, sliced white mushrooms, and sliced cluster tomatoes in extra-virgin olive oil and Cajun seasoning. When the vegetables were cooked, I added the green beans and garlic and stirred. The meal was delightful.

Monday, Laura put a spicy dry rub on two huge, thick New York strip steaks and grilled them perfectly—charred on the outside and rare in the center. I made a green salad with spring mix, sliced white mushrooms, sliced red onion, sliced celery, sliced red bell pepper, and grape tomatoes. It was an excellent meal.

Satan Slept Here, Lost!, -and- The Kids Are Alright

Satan Slept Here - hotel replaces Bible with Gore's global-warming book
Lost! - lawyer sues dry cleaners for $67 million for losing trousers
The Kids Are Alright - 4-year-old saves mother by calling 911

On this day in history: May 2, 1957 - Mob figure Frank Costello is shot in the head by Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. Instead of killing him, the bullet circumnavigates between his skin and cranium, exiting through the original wound. Costello retires from the Mafia soon after.

Born on this day in history: May 2, 1903 - Benjamin Spock (1903 - 1998) physician, author. He was a major influence on modern U.S. child-rearing practices; "Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care," 1946 has sold millions of copies.

Today's Video: Chase Scene from "Bullit"

VIDEOS: The videos are now available via the link "Amazing and Amusing Videos" in the Links section, below the visitor counter.

Today's video is the chase scene from "Bullit." In my opinion, this is the greatest movie chase scene ever filmed. A friend and I were in San Francisco while the movie was being filmed. We had no idea what was taking place until we inquired why the street was blocked off and why such a crowd of people had gathered. We did not get to see much, other than a very brief glimpse of the Mustang chasing the Charger. We were excited to have accidentally happened upon this event, however, and eagerly awaited the release of the movie. At that time, I was a Ford enthusiast and had a 1966 Ford Mustang GT. Understandably, I cheered Steve McQueen as he chased the 1968 Dodge Charger with his 1968 Ford Mustang. In 1980, I became a Dodge enthusiast and have purchased only Dodge products since then. Understandably, I now cheer for the Dodge Charger—even though I am fully aware of the outcome of the chase!