And I Feel Fine

I think I've finally figured it out, what with the Israeli forces massing at Megiddo Hill and all. R.E.M. told us years ago:

That's great, it starts with an earthquake,
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane

Guess what opens August 18? Yep. Enjoy the end times...

Cubs get toasted, but it's still fun

Despite their awful performance last Sunday night, I went to all three Cubs@Nats games...the Nats were having a "Grand Re-Opening" to celebrate both the new owners and some improvements. I had to snicker as they gave me a hat, t-shirt, and "Rally Towel" while I was wearing my Aramis Ramirez jersey...

Speaking of him, he was they only Cub to have a good weekend...Lee didn't start the first two games--supposedly they were resting his wrist--but Aramis had a pair of two-homer games. That's pretty cool when you're wearing the jersey. He didn't homer Sunday as the Cubs took their soundest thrashing of the sweep.

Also of news, they replaced the lame "Presidents Race" animation on the scoreboard with a super-cool "giant-headed Presidents" race on the field, reminiscent of the Sausage Races in Milwaukee. See below. The only thing that would make it cooler than the Sausage Races is if they had Secret Servicemen running alongside. Giant-headed costumes, or just guys & gals in black suits, I don't care. But they need Secret Servicemen to go over the top with this.

The pics:


  Austin Kearns

  Nick Johnson

  Alfonso Soriano

  Ryan Zimmerman

  The view from this year's 20-game plan seat (Saturday)

  The umps, from Sunday's seat

  Aramis. All for one!

  Derrek Lee, fouling off a ball

  Neifi the Outmaker, Black Hole of Suckitude


The next five are the Giant Headed Presidents (band name!):

  

  

  


  

  

Science Link Post

From the world of combustion chemistry, I bring you grilling with liquid oxygen. Do not try this at home. At least without me. Not that it would be safer, but I want to see it. (Some of you have probably seen it before; I couldn't find it on the net for quite a while.)

From the social sciences: computer simulations of societies, with very simple rules for the individual units, have surprising and disturbing results.

From the lines of the science-religion discourse, a physicist addresses how to talk to the general public about the "conflict." Probably of more interest to the scientists among the handful of readers; as a suggestion on how to approach the topic.

I am a Patriot

I will not wrap myself in the flag; I will declare this to be the greatest country that ever was. I will not allow that to blind me to calls to make it better. Rectifying an injustice is not unpatriotic; nay, it is the height of patriotism. It's certainly how we got started.

You could argue that the current administration, and their enablers assembled in Congress (on both sides of the aisle), even hit these listed "Injuries and Usurpations," albeit only passively on the final:

HE has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

HE has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

FOR depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:

HE has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People.

Fortunately, we are not forced yet to pledge our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor. (Yes, I spelled it as we do today. Sue me.) It's a critical campaign season coming up; do what you can, give what you can. OK, so maybe that is pledging your Fortune. As cynical as many of us have become, including me, it's not going to get better unless we work at it.

They say that the top athletes are those who are never satisfied, and constantly work to make themselves just a little better. That's how I feel about patriotism. Just because we have a lot of which to be proud, doesn't mean it's wrong to focus on being even better.

Rain Wrap-up

Washington evaluates its repsonse; I can't really say it was too bad, although as they point out in the article there are obvious traffic flow issues to work on. Of course, they're going to treat the mass of people trying to leave the Mall area after the Independence Day fireworks as an evacuation drill. Mostly in terms of reconfiguring the roads to be outbound-heavy, I would hope. Fake emergency announcements would be bad.

The opening 9/10 tourney game at CSLL on Thursday was rained out...by a brief thundershower. At that, you would have needed water wings to go from 2nd to 3rd. The fields were mostly alright on Friday night, but one of the bullpens (in foul ground) was a soggy mess. Fortunately no ball in play ever found that area.

In unrelated news, DC is experimenting with rubber sidewalks. If you could only chalk them up, that would be a hell of a hopscotch court.