Way cool, or creepy?

“Google goggles“, that is.  Lawd a’ mighty, what next?

Done!

I am done with the exam, it is over, finished, completed.  What a relief.  And I feel pretty good about my performance- I think I am justified in allowing myself to feel at least guardedly optimistic at my prospects for having passed it on my first try.  I’ll get confirmation on that by early February at the latest.

What a difference, now that, for the first time in over a year, I don’t have any assignments to research or write, no tests to prepare for-  I can relax, tend to all the things I’ve put off, the “loose ends” I’ve left dangling.  I feel …liberated.

I also feel drained, so it’s off to bed with me.

Happy St. Nicholas Day to all.

One down, one to go.

Finished with day one, and feeling rather good about my performance.  Now I need to guard against getting overconfident about tomorrow.

Boththis morning’s and this afternoon’s test sections were the only one’s with write-in short answer or essay answers.  I understand that with the advent of texting kids are getting hyper-developed thumbs, and everyone else is used to keyboarding, but when was the last time anyone had to actually write, pen or pencil on paper, for two whole hours?  My forearm was shot by the time I finished.

Treated myself to a nice pizza dinner at a local trattoria, bracketed by a glass of Valpolicella to start and a cup of capuccino to finish.  A little light, unstressed review of material for tomorrow’s segments, then a bedtime chat with Lesa before turning in.

I’m feeling very mellow, full of gratitude and appreciation for my life.  I know it isn’t the wine- I’ve been feeling this way since I got here.  It’s a nice place to inhabit while it lasts, to enjoy and be thankful for.  I hope you all have times like this as well.

“Ta ta for now”, as they say.

It’s showtime!

Well, the day I’ve worked towards for over a year is finally here. 

Flew up here to Fairbanks this morning, took a taxi into town and checked into my B&B room.  It’s conveniently located just half a block from the test center where I’ll go in the morning for the paralegal certification exam; this is especially nice, given that the forecast is for temperatures somewhere in the range of -2 to -3 degrees below zero.  That’ll wake me up!  The afternoon temperture today was a relatively mild +22, and after tomorrow’s cold snap they say the temp should get back up to +11 Saturday.

I’m actually in a somewhat semi-euphoric mood, beyond confidence or doubt, simply relieved and ready to “enter the ring”.  I’ll probably take a final scan over the the material scheduled for tomorrow, but I’m not going to cram or fret about it.  Did that yesterday, over it now.

Wish me well!

“This isn’t the Britain we fought for”

A very sad article from the Daily Mail.  (h/t to Hot Air)

What would be the answer of America’s veterans to a similar question? Veterans not only of WWII, but of Korea, Vietnam, and even the current generation?

I’m afraid we already have an answer we can infer from inadequate enlistment rates.  What does it say when you have a volunteer-based military, and you have to rely on too small a cadre of the brave, the courageous, the honorable and patriotic, whom you must compel to leave home and family again and again and again to return to war.  Maybe it says that too many have concluded (with help from their teachers and professors)  “This country isn’t worth it”.

Of course I wish my dad were still alive, but I think it might have killed him to see our President doubled over obsequiously before the Japanese emperor.

Pray for our country.

President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

[New York, 3 October 1789]

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor–and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be–That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in thecourse and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions–to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

[Source]

Imagine if the American President read this each November.  Imagine if each American citizen responded to it sincerely.

God’s blessings to any who read this, and may your heart be as filled with gratitude as your stomach is with food!

Yeah, tax the greedy b****ds!

Big Business?  Already done.

Big Banking?  Already done.

Who’s left?  How about…

Big Hollywood?

What a great idea.

Re: the NYC trial of KSM

As mentioned earlier, my evenings and weekends are mostly filled with preparing for my upcoming paralegal exam, but I still have breaks and lunch time at work to scan the ‘net.

Here is a column by Jonah Goldberg that clearly expresses the primary objections to referring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to a civilian trial in NYC.

And here is a post by Andrew McCarthy at NRO on the monumental chutzpah of the Attorney General in bemoaning the Bush administration’s supposed years of delay in bringing the terrorists to justice.

As if anybody needed more evidence of why these Leftists, like their counterparts in Hollywood, are morally wretched and feckless people.

The root of Palin hatred?

This commentary in today’s Anchorage Daily News; I think a large part of the Palin-loathing can be explained by the “You’re a traitor to your kind” thinking, i.e., REAL women are liberals, just as REAL blacks are liberals.  Black conservatives can for the most part be marginalized by ignoring their existence.  Sarah cannot be ignored.

But as for the particularly unhinged ferocity of the Palin-hatred among old-line feminists, it makes one wonder whether there must not be something more going on.  I think the author of this article may have found it.

President O”bow”ma

Regarding the President’s ridiculous pathetic ridiculously pathetic bow to Emperor Akihito, this cartoon from Investor’s Business Daily explains it perfectly:

_____
11/23/09: “Reaction to Japan Bow Left Obama ‘Speechless’ “, from the CBS News blog “Political Hotsheet“.

Naturally, it’s reported that it was just those petulant conservatives who were upset.

“”Obama’s attitude was, this is an elderly gentleman in a country where this kind of greeting is customary,” said the official. “It does not seem extraordinary to show this kind of gesture to him.”

Except, yeah, it is.   ABC Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper reported (here) that,

“An old friend — an academic with expertise about the Japanese Empire, and in general a supporter of President Obama — sends me the following note, relating to photographs of President Obama bowing to Emperor Akihito of Japan…

“Obama’s handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush’s back-rub of Merkel.

“Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

“The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms…The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.”

And then there is this quickly produced video, showing forty-six (46!) handshake greetings of the emperor by other heads of state- and some of those from other Pacific region countries with similar “cultural traditions”.  Forty-six handshakes… and one bow.  Ow.

What an embarrassment.

(h/t to HA)