Wilkommen Wednesday

• For reasons unknown, I've started listening - at least having the radio on - on my days off.  The WBAP guy in the post-morning drive slot seems reasonable.  At mid-day, the Limbaugh show starts.  As I've come to regard El Rushbo as a mostly bombastic entertainer more than a talented observer/analyst, I don't engage too much in what I hear.  The syndicated late afternoon Mark Levin program though - that guy seems seriously unhinged. He gets combative even with callers who appear to agree with him.
• My very favorite grocery store cookies of late have been Kroger's Pecan Sandies.  I bought another brand a while back but found they had an unacceptable ratio of shell fragments.  I wonder if Durham-Ellis (successor to Fort Worth's Ellis Pecan Company) supplies the bakeries that make Kroger's cookies.

 A North Main icon since the 1920's

• Last night I made sure to check the western sky for Venus and Mars in conjunction with our lunar neighbor:

Internet stock photo

•  But, I observed the moon and planets from my driveway, not the sports arena:

• Commuting to and from classes from Euless (later Grapevine) to Denton every morning in the early '80s, my Maxell UDXL-II recording of Wings Over America got lots of play.
• There's still much hand-wringing over the airport detentions of 109 immigrant travelers last weekend.  Also, quite a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth.  The fact that there can be, and are, protests in this country is a healthy thing.  But it might be instructive for those proclaiming the apocalypse is nigh to have some perspective.  The United States government detained 109 persons this past weekend, for a few or several hours.  No detainees were hanged from a gallows.  No detainees were lined up against a wall and shot.  No detainees were beheaded by machete.  No detainees were sprayed with sarin or mustard gas.  No detainees were held captive for 444 days.  This is not to trivialize in any way the angst experienced by those travelers or their families and loved ones, only to set the context straight.
• As seen in multiple EU countries, as well as some events here in the U.S., there are real threats posed to Western civilization.  Unless one has access to DHS records and methodology, it's hard to know whether prior vetting was or wasn't adequate.  And some will say that the sudden implementation of the detentions was disruptive.  However, if the threat is real, the defense must also be real, and decisive.  Monty and Ike didn't call Rommel on May 31 and say "Hey, we're planning a beach party in Normandy next week", and HST didn't cable PM Suzuki on July 31 to tell him to look for a B-29 fly-by in a few days.   Instead of talking about a solution, DJT pulled the trigger.  Maybe it will appear clumsy in hindsight, but it demonstrates a bias toward action - details can be worked out as we move forward.
• Senate Democrats are debating whether to try to block the SCOTUS nominee in retaliation for last year's block of BHO's pick to replace Antonin Scalia.  While I'm not displeased that last year's candidate is not now sitting on the SC bench, I have attempted to show that there's no hard feelings by buying Sienna a couple of $2.50 cans of Merrick premium dog food.   ;-)
• WBAP's Brian Estridge is hosting a trip to Germany and Austria, which will include Kitzbühel (just about an hour west of Zell am See, where I skied in 1974) and Neuschwanstein Castle ("New Swanstone", said to be one of the inspirations for the castles at theme parks in Anaheim and Orlando).  If I found $6000 in the sofa cushions, I'd probably sign up for the tour.  But even if I don't, it gave me a great idea for my ED product: "Reclusive Bavarian King Ludwig II's erection of the Neuschwanstein Castle was completed in 1886.  If you're no longer feeling like the king of your castle, try Lite Lift for a Neuschwanstucker!"

 

Abstract metal sculpture of Schloss Neuschwanstein

 

The photographer's reflection needs to go on more bike rides...

• I'm trusting my readers to recognize the Young Frankenstein reference.
• Here's an odd: At an intersection on my way to work is a sign for a dating website.  Next to the parking lot at my work is another one.  But, so far, I've not seen any other of them around town.
• On Carson last night (original air date 8/24/88): The Republican convention just concluded, Johnny took a studio audience applause meter poll for Bush/Quayle vs. Dukakis/Bentsen.  The audience preferred B/Q to D/B by a 2:1 ratio.
• Colleges today are no place for diversity of opinion .  Snowflakes at UC-Berkeley are in full conniption mode over the thought of a conservative speaker on their campus.  I don't expect Gov. Moonbeam to react like a real Governor would have, and did.
• Thanks to having repaired my bike tyre, I've logged two rides this week.