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Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 238)

This building sticking out of the water off Douglas Island in the Gastineau Channel is one of the oddest structures we saw in Alaska. It looks like its useful purpose concluded long ago, so perhaps it was once part of something larger. If it was, however, I can't figure out why this piece survived.

It's situated in a pretty good place to take your dog for a run, though.

Danger Destinations and Four Other Random Passing Thoughts

You got your prescription of Tamiflu and you think it's safe to go vacation in Mexico again? Read this article about a gunfight killing 16 people in the hotel zone in Acapulco and think again. I prefer to vacation in places which do not feature the rhythmic sound of a two hour gun battle. Don't you?

Is the mainstream media biased? Let's compare Newsweek editor Evan Thomas and his view of the media's relationship with the U.S. President between 2007 and now. In 2007, responding to the question "Are the mainstream media bashing the president unfairly?” Thomas answered: “Well, our job is to bash the president, that’s what we do..." But ask Evan Thomas in 2009 about Barack Obama and this is what you get: "I mean, in a way Obama's standing above the country. Above ... above the world. He's sort of God. He's ... he's gonna bring all different sides together." Nope. No liberal media bias there.

I keep reading stories that claim that Michael Jackson was not the biological father of any of his three kids, which surprises me not one bit. But I'm also hearing that Debbie Rowe might not be the biological mother of the two she gave birth to, and that is a bit more surprising, but not shocking, since deep down, I harbor a suspicion that Debbie Rowe is really just Jeff Daniels in drag.

A federal judge is poised to save us all from the old adage that bad facts make bad law. A federal judge on Thursday tentatively threw out the convictions of a Lori Drew, the Missouri mother who used a hoax account on MySpace to torment a 13-year-old frienemy of her daughter to the point of suicide. U.S. District Judge George Wu's decision should be applauded, though Mrs. Drew, spared from prison for her cruelty, should be shunned, humiliated and made a pariah everywhere she goes. A conviction in this case could have made millions of Americans into criminals under U.S. law. While Mrs. Drew's conduct is reprehensible, punishing her by penalizing her lies in the creation of a MySpace account, in violation of the company's terms, was a bad idea. We don't need to imprison people for making extra MySpace accounts or sock puppets or mules, or for claiming on a dating board to be 32 when you're really 37. If we think we need a new law against intentionally inflicting emotional distress on someone until they take their own lives, we can write such a law without making every little internet lie a federal offense.

Is there anything scarier than a fat chick at the capital buildings holding a sign that says "I can't make it. Tax everybody." Yeah, there probably is, but it's pretty scary, nonetheless.

A Backlog of Photoposts

I have a bunch of photo posts I put together on my netbook and phone since we started our vacation last month, but I haven't uploaded them previously because I obviously am on an inferior 3G network and every upload attempt failed. Now that I'm back at the office and all, they all get splashed onto the blog in a few minutes, bearing their original dates.

A Quiet Sunset on the 4th

There's a first time for everything, right? No fights. No madhouse. There was one drunk guy who ran into the surf to avoid a cop, and about 30 cops and some lifeguards pulled him out and carted him off. That was the extent of the chaos this year. Now, hopefully, we'll see some fireworks off in the distance.
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This Should Keep Things Quiet

No fireworks near the pier means the drunks will stay close to their own barbecues this afternoon. Normally, by 4 p.m., Oceanside is a zoo from Wisconsin Avenue to the Pier, and then north to Camp Pendleton, as everyone ends a day of drinking like fish by heading down to the water for an outstanding and free fireworks show. This year, for the first time in about a century, according to the locals, there will be NO 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS. Bummer.
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Maybe there will also be NO STABBINGS and stuff.

We Have Our Spot

Can't wait to enjoy the 4th with family today and tonight. I'm looking forward to Junior's party, too.
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Tuesday Travel Photo (No. 237)

Here we were, last Friday afternoon, departing from Seattle aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas, just as most people in Seattle were getting ready to quit for the weekend. On our last cruise, there was a vigorous Setting Sail Party, with tropical drinks, children swimming in the pool, and a steel drum band playing reggae music as people lined the railings to watch the mainland slowly shrink from our view. This time, it was just people lining the rails to watch the mainland slowly shrink from our view.

This would be the nicest weather we would enjoy for the next four days.