Okay ladies and gentlemen of the reader's club...we got a problem.

There's a dead heat between Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. So, we're gonna need a tie-breaker, or I'll have to postpone the new book selection until after 04 July (vacations and all).

If you want to vote (and haven't) please do so. I'll check the poll again tomorrow morning and let you know what the results are. If not, then we'll have to do the poll with just those two in a few days.

I will however, still be putting up the review post tomorrow. :D

Okay, I said if we'd have been in TEXAS that yesterday was tornado weather. Well, according to today's Stars and Stripes article it was a tornado without a funnel cloud. It's been reported that the winds reached 82 Knots (94.3639149 mph) before the power went out and they couldn't take measurements anymore.

THIS is what happened to a Black Hawk, AFTER the storm first destroyed it's clamshell-style cover.

This is the remains of the HAWC lean-to style parking area, and a car parked at the HAWC lot.

I assume the insurance adjusters will have lots of work to do for the next few days, atleast. Luckily, the C-130s and the F-16s seem to be fine. I do feel sorry for the Army folks though, those helos are their babies, and that baby may just need to be put down...

I did get some good deals at the Commissary today. A nice roast for making Carne Guisada and some steaks. The freezer went crap and they had to get them gone within the next 24 hours...so dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow are taken care of. As well as a 1/2 gallon of milk that my kids will devour within a few hours, I'm sure.

Wow! Our trip to base today was interesting to say the least. We had Yoga today, I say had as we instead had a massive storm. I've said it needed to rain for the last several weeks, and today it did. It was no little pisser though, it was vicious and destructive.

Driving up to base via Castello de Aviano was an adventure I could have done without. (To see that area in the rain, but without debries, look here. Those photos were taken in May, not today.) NF, and anyone familiar with the UK roadway, imagine a single-track with dual direction traffic and debries across the road at varying intervals, and of varying sizes. Add to this the windshield was fogging up from the sudden cold, and the rain was making visibility to 3 car-lenghts (if you were lucky) and you'll begin to understand why I would have rather been driving the truck.

I could see the storm rolling in but never thought it would be a bad one. I thought it might rain hard, and move on. Boy was I wrong!

If we'd have been in Texas, I'd have said it was tornado weather...



We got to base just in time to hear "This is the Command Post. ALL Non-Essential Personel seek cover, IMMEDIETLY!". We made it to the first building, Family Support, and were there for an hour or so. I of course was soaked through, trying to get the littlest one out of her 5 point-harness in a hurry doesn't work well. The electricity was down, but they have a back-up generator which provided some basic lighting. We were asked to stay away from the windows if possible, and with good reason - they were shaking with each good thunderclap.

We were finally released to go home, or more rightly I released us to go home when they began the damage asessment. We made our way, gingerly, down the Off-Limits road (all Aviano personel - past and present, know just what that road is) to the AP highway. The powerlines were down, but not sparking so I gingerly went around the downed trees. The damage was extensive, with massive 2 foot-thick gate posts ripped out of the ground and shattered on their driveways.

The downed power line on Off-limits road. That blue circle is all that you can see of the power line...until you were right up on the damn tree.




Right as we passed the Padre Marco blessing, the tree next to it was ripped up, by the roots, and laying across the road, blocking people from coming DOWN the off-limits road but blessidly not blocking us from getting to the AP highway.

I wasn't nut enough to try to go through base (the other gate is easier to get to our house) and instead drove the AP highway to our turnoff. A good 1/4 of the HAWC lean-to style parking cover was crushed under multiple trees. The Italian buildings took a lighter beating (from what we could see) but their gate was impassable due to this:



Both the Italians and our CE folks were out in force cleaning the roadways and removing debries. The Italians might have been doing it "low tech" (shovels and sweat) but they got the job done!



Just past the new shoppette AAFES is building (boy that puppy is going to take longer to complete) a massive tree had crushed part of the perimeter fence and the Italians were doing their best to move traffic a little at a time. "The Gammon", a pub just past there, still on the AP highway, had a good 1/2 it's roof either missing or crashed in. Part of it's and Scarpi & Scarpi (the shoe store) parking lots were flooded, with the shoe store missing part of it's decorative building works but with no serious structural damage, that I could see anyway.


Damage seen on the way home:


On the AP highway (Aviano to Pordenone, nobody knows it's actual name, that's just what we call it):






Closer to our house, but past the AP highway:




Considering the amount of damage we'd seen on the ride home I was expecting trees down in our yard, or atleast some major clean-up to do. Nope, not at my house. My rosemary, lavender and sweet basil were knocked over. Some leaves were blown down but no limbs, no bushes, no trees, no nada really. I had to pick up my empty recylce can, but that was the extent of the damage at our house. Guess my lavender did it's job (it's a protectionary herb).

Our across the street neighbors weren't so lucky. This tree USED to be in their side yard...


A neighbor down the street had their entire carport covering ripped off, and the next door neighbor lost part of their's with another bit being ripped from the screws but still hanging on to the beams.

We've got more storms predicted throughout the night, starting in a little over 10 mintues, so I'm going to moniter the weather, and power-down the computer, DSL and network. Talk to ya'll tomorrow!

Okay, ya'll have 1 more day to vote for July's book. So far Lorelie's suggestion of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is winning. If you haven't voted yet, VOTE!! :D

Also, today is the LAST day to send in any review you want ME to post. If you're going to post on your blog, please let me know when the post is up so I can link to it.

Happy Summer Reading everyone!

Hhhhmmm, I just got an invite to join BlogBurst. I have refused the invitation.

The idea is quite interesting (linking your blog to a major news outlet (the Houston Chronicle, the SA Express, the Austin-American Statesman, the SF Gate among others of high caliber if not quality reporting) that would greatly expand my exposure to a potential readership, especially within TEXAS). However, upon further attention to the site's FAQs and "Editorial Guidelines" I can not with good conscience have anything to do with them.

My issue with their FAQs is thus:

Family-friendly language and content

I don't think anyone could EVER accuse this blog, or me, of being "family friendly" and I'm not about to change what I have to say, or how I say it, to fit into a "family friendly" group. Not my style and I'm not going to change to get listed on a well-known site even if it costs me potential readership and exposure.


My issues with the "Editorial Guidelines" goes much deeper, to a more basic right - Freedom of Speech.

We do not accept posts that contain pornography, hate speech, spam, or criminal activity.

I do NOT, nor have I ever, believed in criminalizing speech. To do so is to betray a human right that is unassailable. The thought police will NEVER have an honored or accepted place within my life, period. I am joyfully uncouth, and I speak my mind. I will NOT censor myself to make my readers happy - happiness is found within you, not within anything I do or say that you hear or read. If you do not like what I have to say, use the lovely red X button in the top, right-hand corner of your web browser, or better yet leave a comment.

To accept the invitation of a company, no matter how well founded or how good an idea they seek to convey, in violation of my personal beliefs would be me selling out - and while I may have my price it's not that cheap.

I am linking their FAQs, Editorial Guidelines and main site not to disrespect them. I do believe they have a high ideology, but one that I can not support. If however, you believe your blog may fit within their desired group, feel free to submit your own blog for an invitation. I wish them success but I can not take part in their experiment linking blogs and highly-read internet news sites due to my very basic issues with their stated aims and goals.

Okay, okay, I finally posted it! SOMEONE (who's initials will remain nameless) has asked me WHY I didn't respond to this yet...So now I have! :D


1. FIRST NAME? Rhianna

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Fleetwood Mac's song - Rhiannon (which in turn is after the Great Goddess Rhiannon/Epona)

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Dude?!? I don't usually...I'd have to say the last time Hubby left...early this month.

4 DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Depends, my signature is unreadable but my print isn't too bad

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Grilled Baloney - I'm so 'white trash'

6. KIDS? 3 Daughters - 8, 5, & 2

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Depends, would I still like forceful, blunt but honest people??

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Um, what does this blog count as?!?

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? You're reading my blog, YOU tell Me!

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Sure, I'm willing to try anything once!

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Grape Nuts

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? My tennies no - they don't have strings, my boots no - again no strings, my sandals yes - they have strings.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes, for many reasons and in many ways.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

16. SHOE SIZE? Um, in men's or women's? Men's 9.5, women's is usually 9-10

17. RED OR PINK? Red

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My temper

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Family or friends wise?

20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Only if they want to

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue Jeans

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Butter popcorn with garlic sprinkled on it.

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Van Helsing on the TV

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green

25. FAVORITE SMELL? My husband, the sunny-dirt smell kids get when playing out in the sunshine and having fun, ozone right before it rains.

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom

27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED To? Intelligence

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Of course I do or I wouldn't have replied

29. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Dr. Pepper

30. FAVORITE SPORT? I'm a TEXAN, answer that yourself!

31. EYE COLOR? Hazel

32. HAT SIZE ? 9 1/4

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Not until I'm over 40 - I did when I was younger but until you reach about 40 your eyes are still 'growing' and possibly deteriorating, using contacts starve them of oxygen which causes more deterioration. But they're loads more comfortable than glasses and hard as hell to loose.

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Fajitas, Guacamole, tortillas

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? As scary as you can get it

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIES? Ice Age2 - with the kiddos

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? I'm a pajamahadin baby, I don't! ;)

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Definitely Summer

39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Pineapple Tiaramisu

41. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Don't know, don't care.

42. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See #41

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? HG Well's The Time Machine, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The History and Conquests of Ancient Rome

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't use one

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Simpsons, Futurama, Dawn of the Dead (the remake)

46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Happy kids

47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles

48. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Naples, Italy

49. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm not sure hubby wants me to share that... >;)

50. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? A Podunk F*ckin' Hellhole in Wilson County, TEXAS

51. Who sent this to you? NF

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1906.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:
************************************

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California...

With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States, possibly the world, in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

I have found it! It being the reason my damn house was so hot for the last several weeks (not that it was cool today). My 5 year-old kept turning all the fans off in the house.

I yelled at both the older two (the 2 year-old can't reach the switches standing on a stool, thus she's out of the running); I've sent them to their rooms; I've put them in timeout; I've taken away fun stuff (trips, playing with friends, toys, tv, etc.) and the fans were still MIRACIOUSLY turning themselves off...until today.

Mommy had taken ENOUGH! They came in for lunch and the fans were all off again. I made them stand in the living room until the middle one broke and admitted she'd been doing it. The classic child answer was then "I don't know" when asked why.

So Mommy punished her in the only way I thought would get the message across (see other methods thus used above). I made her get in her room, closed her window and blinds, turned off her fan (which I had turned back on), and closed the door. She had to stay there for about 20 mintues. I made her live in the oven she's been forcing on everyone else and it seems to have worked! Not one single time has a fan been turned down, or off today (we're talking over the last two weeks of turning the fans back on 3 and 4 times a day!)

Call me cruel but it got through. I used every standard method out there and then I had to get creative. Hubby's shocked it took me this long to loose my patience in almost 90 degree heat, with 3 kids and a dog. Honestly I am too, but I'm trying to have more patience than before, especially given they're all home all day and hubby is in another country!

I don't suggest starting out with something like this as a punishment and teaching tool but when all else fails you've gotta get the message across somehow, and this seemed to get through to her. And I find it perfectly acceptable to make her live (even for a short time) with the consequences...no windows open and no air, what's she's been forcing on all of us for the last 2+ weeks.

It's still hot as hell in my house, but atleast the air is flowing making it slightly more tolerable, for EVERYONE.

Okay, I'm a TEXAN, I'm used to heat. I'm used to both dry and wet heat, I'm used to humidity that makes you sweat before the sun comes up, but this is gettin' nuts.

My house is registering 31.5C. That equals 89 degrees. That's psycotic. Why? Becuase I have 3 windows downstairs and 2 upstairs. (Even though we're the end unit we have only ONE UPSTAIRS bathroom window on the endwall of the house. Whatever moron designed this house needs to be made to live in it, along with the USAF folks that approved these moronic designs!. I pity those who live on the inside units (only two walls), really I do.)

I've got every door open, the bug screens down and it's baking in my house. The ceiling fans are all on full blast and it sucks! This is just the end of June! Come August this house is gonna be an oven! The AC units from Germany are $500 & $600 a pop and they'll only cool a room! While I would be inclinded that's $1500-$1800 just to cool bedrooms at night, not even considering the amount of electricity those puppies eat that USAFE would foot the bill for (which means the US taxpayer in the end - US)!

There's no fan anywhere to be had onbase so we're stuck. The fans we had in the UK we had to get rid of as UK 220v won't fit a Continental 220v outlet. Holy hell!

And don't think it cools down at night. I woke up at 3 this morning and it was 30.8 = 87F! At 3AM, no dryer on, no gas stove on, no heater, nada and it's still that frikin' hot!

And never believe the southern lie of women don't sweat. I sweat! The only place I might "glisten" is on my face...in the early mornin' or late evenin'.

It's to the point my satin sheets are stickin' to me and they're the ones made to keep me cool and dry (sound like a damn deoderant).

UGH. If you ever opt to visit Italy, don't do it in the summer. Considering we're at the foot of the mountains, I don't even want to think how hot it is in Rome (91) or Naples (88). Both their's are from WeatherUnderground (my little weather stickers), and considering the traffic in and around those cities and that they have bupkis for real green spaces, it's gotta be bakin' down there.

I don't think it's quite hot enought to boil and egg yet, but I really wish it would rain soon. Too bad I don't have any okra seed, I'd have gumbo fixins in no time! It's hot enought to stick to leather furniture, and that's bad!

I think I might go fill the little heathen's wadding pool just for my own benefit! :'/~

England Beat Ecuador on a penalty kick from Beckham! And we're into the 1/4 finals! COME ON ENGLAND!! :D

Okay, there is now an actual POLL (woo hoo, I figured out where to get the free code) with next month's suggested book readings. I placed it right under my profile, and above the disclaimer. You can only vote once, but don't let that stop you. ;)

Also, reviews of Dante's Inferno need to be sent to ME NLT 29 July if you want ME to post them. Please also note if you have a name or nom de plume you wish me to publish it under.

If you're going to be posting a review, please e-mail me (or leave a comment) for your blog page so I can make a full post of all those who are taking part.

Have fun! :D

Dirty, Rotten, Filthy, THIEVES!! Destroyers of antiquities, stealers of human history, bringers of destruction and misery! I talk of the 'art trade' in the US (and throughout the world - notably Europe) with museums.

Italy, Turkey, Greece and Egypt are hot on their trails and are slowly having their looted items returned. And I sincerely home Marian True gets her nasty, thieving whore ass nailed to an Italian prison wall for the rest of her miserable, disgusting life. May she have to look at 4 dark, dank prison walls to begin to attone for the thefts she gleefuly commited with 'art dealers'...for DECADES!! And may the 'getti museum' be gutted, burned to the ground and it's ashes pissed on by every passing Italian possible!

Why am I so very angry about this? I got my July/August 2006 copy of Archaeology today (eagerly awaited might I add, but not for this particular article).

I make no secret of my love of Rome. I make no secret of my hatred of thieves, especially those that are considered 'cultured' thieves. Add in WANTON DESTRUCTION OF IRREPLACEABLE HUMAN HISTORY and I foam at the mouth! Make it destruction of ROMAN history and I'm ready to wage war. I know very few people will understand that, but perhaps some photos of the damage might help...






These are important Roman frescos, IN SITU and DESTROYED for 'sale' to an 'art musuem'. WHERE are they now? The THIEF isn't saying and the art world is the proverbial 'thin line' that will not talk. He RIPPED them from the walls near Pompeii, broke them into fragments, and glued them back together so he could sell them!

The top photo is the WHOLE mural - survivor of THOUSANDS of years, eruptions of Vesuvius and human habitation. They survived all that time, waiting to be rediscoved, brought back to the light of the human existance. Instead they were DESECRATED, destroyed and peddled to the highest bidder - a bidder fully well knowing these items were stolen antiquities!

These items are never replaceable! There is no Roman left alive to paint a new one, to continue the artistic medium or repair the damage thus it falls to us who follow to protect these treasures of the ancient world.

Italy has woefully bad protection methods (as do the Germans, Austrians, and English - I know firsthand). But just because there isn't a burly man with a gun standing over the insitu item does not excuse such wanton destruction.

Italy is going after these thieves and I wish them all the luck in the world. May them empty every 'private' collection and museum the world around to return these treasures to their rightful homes, but they do not own them. They are but keepers of the past, those who have by grace of God and Goddess been granted the ability to have these precious things inside their countries. But it is US who own them, all humanity shares a common history and it is US who have been stolen from.

Fragments of history have now been gutted, lost forever to serve the greed and gluttony of 'museums'. In truth to serve the bottom line of places such as the 'getti museum'. Don't ever think a museum is there just to inform the people, it's to get the people to PAY for the right to see their stolen history.

I've seen the profits reaped by the thieves. I visited the British Museum, I saw their wanton and callous destruction of ancient temples in foreign lands. The Elgin Marbles is but the tip of the iceburg. And I know just how damn hard they're fighting to NOT return them (even though they admit they're looted!). Why don't they want to give them back? Because they build a wing just for them - and draw visitors by the MILLIONS to see them. If they give them back, they loose the money from the gift shop, the books, the souveniers, the donations (they never got one from me) and the people instead go to Greece to see them.

Vile creatures who thrive on destruction, may you be cursed to wander the rest of eternity, forever surrounded by beauty but unable to look upon it for the dark and dirty deeds you have commited against it.

Have any of my readers ever been to Lago de Barcis (Lake Barcis)? From the photos it's very beautiful but I don't know how much it costs - the picnic tables have a rental fee but I don't know if anything else costs, and if so how much.

**My Altavista link is on the righthand column bottom if you need it translated, like I do.**

Ghana kicked our asses in a 2 to 1 victory at a stadium in Nuremberg. Ghana and Italy will advance to the next round and the US men are goin' home. No suprise there. Italy had 7 points, Ghana 6 (and this is their first World Cup) with the US men trailing with 1 - yes ONE frikin' point!

I personally back ENGLAND, ENGLAND, ENGLAND!!

Three Lions


(The crosses of St George are flying all around me)
(Gareth Southgate the whole of England is with you)
(Oh it's saved, saved, saved)
We still believe
We still believe
We still believe

It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home

It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home

Tears for heroes dressed in grey
No plans for final day
Stay in bed, drift away

It could have been all
Songs in the street
It was nearly complete
It was nearly so sweet
And now I'm singing

Three lions on a shirt
Jules Rimet still gleaming
No more years of hurt
No more need for dreaming

Talk about football coming home
And then one night in Rome
We were strong, we had grown
And now I see Ince ready for war
Gazza good as before
Shearer certain to score
And Psycho screaming

Three lions on a shirt
Jules Rimet still gleaming
No more years of hurt
No more need for dreaming

(Beautiful football by England, Gazza oh that is majestic, Alan Shearer, Italy nil England nil and we're there in France 1998)
We can dance Nobby's dance
We could dance it in France

It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home

It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming home

Three lions on a shirt
Jules Rimet still gleaming
No more years of hurt
No more need for dreaming...

Come On ENGLAND


[Commentary]
Lyrics by James Jirgens and Dave Cheeseman

CHORUS
Come on, come on England
Come on, come on England

VERSE 1

Can you hear the Engerlund fans sing?
We're singing cos we know we're gonna win
All the other countries know
That they might as well go home
When all the England goals start flying in!
Brazil and France and Germany all know
That this world cup's the England football show
The Spaniards and the Dutch
Are gonna find it all too much
When it's time for England's lads to have a go!CHORUS

VERSE 2

Remember back in 1966?
In the final Hurst put 3 between the sticks?
Since then we've had some ups and downs
We've been knocked out in early rounds
But this year we're gonna win it just for kicks
The England team are holding in their hands
The hopes and fears of every England Fan
Through missed penalties and tears
We've still believed for all these years
It's time to win so sing for Engerland!

CHORUS

BRIDGE

What would happen if we won again?
I think about it every day
We'll talk about it for another 40 years
And this is what we'll say...

RAP

Did you see our super strikers strikin'?
Owen like lightnin', Crouch excitin'
Tapper Wolcott the secret weapon surprise
Rooney off crutches couldn't believe my eyes
When Lampard gets it he always nets it
Other teams get sick with Beckham's free kicks
John Terry rock solid like a brick wall
Robinson never takes his eyes off the ball
Whose this sprinting for the goal?
It's super pint sized Joey Cole
His brother Ashley is just too quick
Rounding full backs and taking the mick
Other teams just can't compete
With Steven Gerrard's magic feet
When goals fly in, celebrations begin
(and) This is the chant we'll sing:

CHORUS

CHORUS

Of the family of one of the deceased soldiers kidnapped and murdered.

It's a long video feed, and the link is a .wmv file so those on dial-up may wish to not click it. I thought some of my readers might like to see what the family had to say themselves.

**Thanks to Sid for e-mailing me the link.**

I have LOST my family tree computer disk! WAH, WAH!! My tree has over 8000 names...and now I have to get a NEW program to retype everything (I can import my stuff from online but I need to retype all the "living" stuff and make several updates).

So, if anyone does their family history on the computer, feel free to let me know what programs you've tried and liked or disliked, or any features you find useful.

Off to drag all the paper copies back up...

Your embodyment is the US news outlets. I have never seen such shameful glee at the descriptions of torture, mutilation and boobytrapping of bodies as those of US soldiers taken captive and executed. Where is the outcry from the world about "due process" and "Geneva Conventions" violations?


And the world makes not even a sigh for those murdered in violation of "international law". And by doing nothing you all make a mockery of "international law".

With photos! I know ya'll are all just dyin' to see what second degree burns look like after 2 weeks. ;)


My right leg...with the loads of damage caused by the damn adhesives! The burn is about half the size it was when I actually burned my leg, if that gives you size indication.




My left let, with almost bupkis for the burn and massive amounts of dry, sore skin from...you guessed it...adhesives! The slightly brown spot (top left) is the actual burn, about the size of a quarter now.



I'll be making an appointment at the clinic to get some scar minimizing cream. I'm not so worried about the scarring, but I don't want it that large and that stark. I'm vain, I'm a Leo! ;)

Did someone ask for BEACHES? Friuli-Venezia-Giulia has got 'em in spades!

Textile, Clothing Optional and Nude beaches listing. Don't be a prude, you come into the world nakey, don't freak if you see someone in a state of nakey!

Grado's many beaches. Grado has more than one you say? Yes, and many you don't have to pay to vist...just to park.


In case someone wants to vist the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region. ;)

Well, the rank list came out on Thursday and hubby ain't on it. Neither of us are suprised but he's disappointed by it. I'm not quite sure why, he knew he wasn't going to make rank because of the testing fiasco. (OH, I didn't type about that, did I?)

While hubby was "deployed" (the prefered DOD term for hellholes - "tdy" is now for the nice places) for 5 months he studied every day - 3-5 hours a day. How in hell he could stay away through all those damn CDCs I don't have a clue but that's why he's got the job code and I don't.

Anyhoo, he knew he'd test right after he got back, IN cycle. So he studied his ass off, but not the PFE (USAF history among other things, USAF wide not job specific). He never really studies the PFE because they don't really add a whole lot of new information to it, and what they do add he knows due to military discussion and news.


Well, we set up our COT leave because he'd have just tested. Well, thank the 31st Fighter Wing for FUCKING that up. They took his test date (given by the USAF) without telling him. Why? Because he just got back from deployment. USAF regs state that you must ASK the military member who is deployed if they want to test in cycle - they never asked they just made the choice FOR him, a gross violation of USAF rules but that's standard Op Pro for the 31st FW.

He gets back, finds out they crapped on his test date and he schedules a new one for 17 March (we left on 20 March and we only finalized the COT AFTER he rescheduled his test date). He does it himself directly with the test head folks back in the states.

So come 1645 on 15 March, he's told he DOESN'T have a test date, that the 31st TOOK it AGAIN! Why? They don't order testing materials for those just back from deployments. He'd been home for over 45 days! That ain't "just back" from a deployment.

So while we were Home he didn't study. Can anyone blame him? First time Home in 4 years, do you wanna stay locked in the house studying for rank, or actually enjoy your leave?


When we get back, he goes to 12 hour shifts (which being an NCO means 14 hour shifts for all the work that needs doing, he don't go HOME 'til it's done). 6 hours, 6 HOURS before his third test his First Shirt tells him he has to report for testing. No e-mail, no phone call, no visit from the folks at MPF/Commander's Support Staff/Orderly Room, which is who is SUPPOSED to tell you your test date and time. So hubby CAN'T make the test date (he was supposed to report while he was on duty still...not gonna happen).

So about a week later he gets his shit jumped by some jumpedup clueless fuckin MSgt. who thinks he's trying to avoid testing! He stands there and takes it! (Another reason I wouldn't do well in the military, if you're wrong, you're WRONG. I don't give a shit WHAT you fuckin' rank says idiots come in all ranks, and I don't humor idiots.) After dickhead's 10 minute RANT on what's wrong with my husband and NCOs like him that don't take their careers seriously, the airman who's got his test date (another one - that makes FOUR) and hubby finally get across to numbnuts that the 31st FW is to blame for there being FOUR TEST DATES!

So he finally tested, OUT OF CYCLE, with 2 day's notice and an asschewing from an idiot with stripes on their sleeve that they apparently didn't earn for competency. (I can not stress enough that no one wants to test OUT of cycle, it screws up your chances of making rank. How exactly that works I'm not sure but we've known many people that were forced to test out-of-cycle and they've never sewed on after that test, instead having to test IN cycle the next year.)


Fastforward about 6 weeks and the rank score comes out. Hubby ain't on it, but I don't blame him. I know just how hard he busted his hump in the litterbox, at home after he got back, and then more after we got home from leave. So he's disappointed, in himself which is odd, that he didn't make rank.

Just one more reason hubby hates this assignment. I don't like Aviano, but I'm trying to enjoy Italy. Since we got here his stress level has gone through the roof, his job satisfaction has plummeted, and his desire to be here in Italy is nil. We know there are other bases better than this (and worse) so he won't opt to get out before retirement age, but think of how many first term airmen are here, how many families on their first overseas tour and you'll begin to get the scope of disaffection and disappointment that permeates this base. And the command does NOTHING about it, just smiles for the cameras and pretends it follows USAFE and USAF rules. Just another day at Aviano, same shit different bucket...

I've got one of my Sims2 creations up on Simslice! You have to pay to download it, but still that's pretty cool. They have some of the best hacked downloads- motive maxers, life givers, etc. and I've used them since The Sims came out. Very coolio, imo. :D

The others can be found on The Sims Resource (pay for full access - 3% free per week).

MTS2. Yes, I have some serious issues with MTS2 - they're latest is to say Roman mosaic floors with pictures are unacceptable due to "pictures belong on the wall, not on the floor" (I kid you not!) but they're free and host the most community driven downloads, so I'll work with their limitations - I just won't be totally happy with it.

Sexy Sims 2. ADULT downloads - hosted by MTS2. Do NOT even attempt to access that site if you're not 18, or you're offended by nudity (mine are vintage and Roman, so deal with it).

Sims2 Workshop - some of the best known names in modding have their own little niches, along with community downloads and tutorials galore.

And of course my Yahoo! group - which hosts 3 files at the moment. (Yes, I am a Sims2 creatorwhore and I want players of TS2 to download my stuff!) :D

Okay, my middle kiddo had (has) speech issues and whe she saw EDIS they taught her some basic signs (drink, please, thank you, welcome, sorry, pizza, chicken, etc.) Well the littlest turkey turd also has speech issues (as in, she ain't doin' it), so she's now seeing EDIS here. They've also started to teach her some very basic sign language, but I wanted to add a few "words" so she can get her point across a bit easier.

So, I happily found Lesson Tutor's ASL page. It has the alphabet, plus "words" for family, going out, please & thank you, etc. All the worksheets are printable, and very helpful with both a picture and a description of how to make the sign.

I also found ASL Browser which is indexed by letter, then by word. When you find the word you want, a video pops up showing exactly how to sign the word. Very helpful but it is a bit more limited in scope than Lesson Tutor - you don't get video feed of things such as "I Love You", "playdough" and some of the more common but compound "word" usage (you're welcome, etc.). Still very useful - even if you only want the most basic grounding in ASL (not the same thing as SE - signed English).

Just thought those links might come in handy for some other parents. And no, my kids aren't deaf, but signing helps them get their desire across while actively encouraging them to use words because so few people understand sign language. It also lowers the amount of frustration in that a sign has a simple meaning where as grunts, monkey noises and the like are difficult to interpet.

**Edited to update the ASL browser's correct site address.**

What the Hell is going on? Apparently the US men earned a 1-1 DRAW against Italy in our second World Cup battle. Italy must have been playin' some crap ball, cause the US men suck big DD.

This is after two US players were redcarded and one Italian player as well. We should have got our asses creamed, US men bite the big one in soccer. I say this as an avid player and follower of the 'beautiful game'.

Next up we face Ghana and I doubt the US will repeat a draw, let alone win. My money's on Ghana (not that I gamble) to walk all over the US.

The only things the US men are known the world around for is starting fires, destroying furniture, breaking windows, hosing hotel rooms and being nuisances. Even British hooligan fans have nothin' on the US men.

Now, field a US team with women and we can hold our own, but FIFA are a bunch of wennies and won't let coed teams compete - to the effect of threatening professional teams with sactions for allowing women to play. Tell me that ain't crap!

Okay, everyone reading this post, raise your hand if you read LATIN!! If not, I'm sorry you were most likely raied in the US and never got a grounding in a classical language (I didn't either, my grandfather taught me the scientific names and I learned the rest by study).

Now, that said...how the hell hard is it to find a frikin' printable for teaching kids Latin? Seriously, there's tons of flash-type games out there but bupkis on the printable front (and well, I like The Sims2 too much to let my heathens have my computer). Thus I shall be forced to make my own games and things for the kiddos (I force my children to LEARN over the summer - I'm such a horrible mommy!).

If anyone would be interested in such a thing (most likely a list as I don't know how to imbed .pdf and the like), leave a comment and I'll see about sharing. We're talking "for dummies" level here folks, no noun and verb declinations and tenses, etc. Colors, family, animals. Ater/Niger; pater; canem (black, father, dog in that order).

Off to Latinize my children (with Italian as well, should hold them in good stead throught the summer, no?).

Ooooh, oooh, ooooh! THIS is what I want for my birthday!

It'll even be available for shipping the day before, how perfect is that? No, I don't have a deal with HBO to get the series ready in time for my birthday. Now, to convince hubby to buy it....That might not be so easy, but I did get him to buy this



so I don't know if getting the DVD of Rome's first season is outside my abilities, thought I wouldn't wager he'd be willing to watch it with me. He might love me, but I don't want to try and push the envelope to far. ;)

Okay, went to the Doc on Tuesday. Burns are healing fine, the left one is almost gone. The right one is about half the size it was in the beginning.

I was given a tube (not quite 3x larger than the Italian one) of the same medication they prescribed me at the ER. Comforting to know we use the same stuff. I'll used it for another week (at least), and then I shouldn't have any large scars.

Dude, if the worst that happens from 2nd Degree Burns is a scar on my leg, OH MY GOD I'M GONNA DIE!!! Sheesh! I've got scars all over the frikin place, stretch marks, celluloid. Some little scars on my legs are the LEAST of my worries!

I apparently can't use J&J waterproof tape however. I've got massive owwies from it ripping up skin when I changed the dressings. Not a good thing, I promise. The paper tape works well, if peels a bit more than I'd like.

So, in about 2 weeks time I'll be totally bandage free and can look forward to no more tape residue on my legs (I hate that stuff, and it never seems to go away unless I scrub and that's not an option at the moment.)

Posted for a friend...Edited slightly for identification purposes.

So how does SETAF, MWR, AAFES and all the other assorted acronyms welcome home their returning troops? Pretty well, it turns out.

This week the Homefront Celebration has been ongoing in Italy, with a triathlon race, mud volley ball and a pugil stick competition, culminating with a free concert yesterday. I’ve heard some people complain about the fact that the whole shindig was held three months after the first soldiers came home, but to me it only makes sense; with the staggered block leave schedule, everyone’s only now finally home. What didn’t make sense is that at the parade/award ceremony that my husband had to stand through during the hottest part of the day, apparently the only awards went to Rear Detachment soldiers. But what can you do? They had more free time to file the paperwork, I suppose. There was free food, at least, though you had to pay $3.75 for a cup of no-name beer. Thank god for the free sodas and water though, I’m sure there would have been a lot of heat fall-outs otherwise, since it was smoking hot yesterday. I heard a rumor that the event cost 2.5 million dollars, so there damn well should be free food and drinks.

My family and I went, stopping by the kids’ area first. There two bounce-houses and a bounce slide were set up, plus a ton of activities. The boys were thrilled to get balloon swords and cardboard “Roman” helmets. (Rhianna would have been appalled at their inaccuracy, I’m sure.) Other than the moments where I managed to lose both my children (one at a time) it was pretty fun. Turns out a five year old seems to believe “Go show daddy your sword” means “Go to your dad, three feet away, show him the sword and then move on to the slide – without telling us.” I also discovered my kids are disturbingly familiar with perfect strangers. On two separate occasions, the older one would strike up a conversation with a random guy (once about the guy’s tattoos!) and the three-year-old would offer the dude a piece of his cookie. Um yeah, might be time to start pushing “Don’t talk to strangers” a little harder.

Finally (finally!!!) it was time for the first of the headliners – Lee Ann Womack. She was dressed down a bit in just a tank top and Bermuda shorts but when you donate your time and appearance I guess that can be forgiven. Apparently she’d been at Landstuhl Army Medical Center the day before, too. (Yes, I was impressed.) I was messaging with my step-mom last night and she said “Do I know that name?” Fine, don’t listen to country music, doesn’t matter to me. Womack sang for a bit more than an hour, including the time when MG Kamiya presented her with an engraved plate. Whoever would have thought that the job description for General would include meeting music stars?

After her were the Denver Bronco Cheerleaders. Oddly enough, while everyone chilled in their seats for Lee Ann Womack, the second the cheerleaders came out, people were standing up and putting their kids on shoulders. The really bizarre part? It seemed to be mostly females who stood up first! Personally, I’d have expected the drunk-ass guys but hey, whatever floats your boat. They put on a pretty cute show, if you like hard bodied chicks gyrating and flicking pompoms. On the other hand, who doesn’t? There was one chick whose four-pack abs I could make out from 75 feet away! At dusk! Oh my god, her body fat percentage had to be around 5 percent. And it was all in her boobs! Can I look like that when I grow up?

We left after the Bronco Cheerleaders, so I can’t say much about Master P and Lil’ Romeo, who were supposed to come on stage about 2150. It was getting a little late for the rug-rats, plus what I’ve heard of Master P’s lyrics aren’t good for them. The kids were pooped, but it turns out my husband was even more so – he was the first one of the household to fall asleep once we got home!

I've added a new heading on my left side-bar (under military news) for MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) seeks to bridge the gaps between the West and the Middle East by allowing a wider audience to view Middle Eastern news and TV broadcasts. They're all translated by MEMRI and span the gamut on subject matter and country of origin.

If you've ever wondered what the heck's being said about the US, terror, oil, nuclear weapons, Isreal, etc. in the Middle East, MEMRI is the place to go for the latest video translations.

Sometimes it's best to hear it from the 'horse's mouth' so to speak, and MEMRI makes that possible. I hope all my readers have a good long read and view of MEMRI's site, it's well worth coming back for.

MEMRI will be hosting "Must See Iran TV II" on Capitol Hill on 15 June 2006.

I'd like to go but that just ain't gonna happen. However, if any of my readers are in the DC area the event is open to the public and looks to be a very interesting day up on the hill.

If you'd like to attend you WILL need to RSVP (e-mail address at the site). The event will show translated clips of Iranian TV broadcasts on important world news items (nukes, terrorism, oil, etc.).

2996 is the official number of dead and missing on 9-11. On the 5th anniversary of 9-11 there is a project to have a blogger post a memorial for each person killed that day. I just sent an e-mail to get 'my' name for the memorial.

If you can help, please send an e-mail (via the site) or sign-up with a comment. Let's remember the people, their lives, their personalities. Let's honor them and their sacrifice by showing the kind of people they were, instead of the nameless, faceless dead that they have become.

**Taken from The Kept Woman (aka Mama Duck)**