Ain't Complicated

Christmas Is Coming!

Nativity display OK for Washington state Capitol

A Nativity display will be allowed in the state Capitol rotunda this Christmas season and other religious displays will also be allowed now that a lawsuit has been resolved, officials said.

With settlement of a federal lawsuit filed by Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal rights group in Arizona, any faith community can apply for permission to mount a display so long as it doesn’t promote one religion over another, said Steve Valandra, a spokesman for the state Department of General Administration.

Bah humbug?

Form W-6?

The envelope:

[Form W-6: The Envelope]

The form:

[Form W-6: The Form]

Below the fold:

[Form W-6: Below the Fold]

One of my first thoughts: “Crooks!”

😀

I Googled “Consumer Law Center of the West” and found nothing about them in the news or in the blogs.

I also Googled the Web for “Form W-6” and didn’t see anything helpful. But I only scanned the first page of results.

A Fiery Pope?

Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes

This fiery figure is being hailed as Pope John Paul II making an appearance beyond the grave.

The image, said by believers to show the Holy Father with his right hand raised in blessing, was spotted during a ceremony in Poland to mark the second anniversary of his death.

[…]

The pictures were being broadcast continuously on Italian TV and also posted on religious websites, some of which crashed as thousands logged on to see for themselves the eerie figure formed by the flames.

The bonfire was lit during a service at Beskid Zywiecki, close to John Paul’s birthplace at Katowice, southern Poland, on April 2 – the second anniversary of his death.

If the image wasn’t photoshopped, is that a demon manifestation?

Or is it a sign from God about the flaming state of the previous Pope?

Or is it truly what the director of Vatican TV says it is?

For the record, I lean towards computer hijinks.

A Work of Heart

And a work of art, too.

Our oldest granddaughter Juli turned five last week.

Our middle daughter Dora saw a cake photo in a magazine. So on Friday she used the photo, her own imagination, a bunch of ingredients, and at least two hours of her life.

The result:

A very good job, I dare say, especially for one who has taken no lessons to do such stuff.

PS: A bunch of us ate a bunch of it last night.

As usual, clicking the image will take you to one twice the size.

Licking the cake didn’t have the same effect. Well, I assume it wouldn’t have. I didn’t actually try it.

Foggy Sunrise

Where we live — Tuesday morning at seven — October 9, 2007

As usual, clicking the image should take to one twice the size.

Attention, BiMart

I saw these two signs in the Woodburn BiMart (the Oregon Woodburn, that is).

Sign in Men's Restroom in BiMart in Woodburn, Oregon

That sign in the men’s restroom has good advice about paper towels and doors. Very good advice, in fact. Essential, I would say.

Alas, that bathroom no longer offers paper towels.

But the sign is still there. 😀

Since the sign says they care and to let them know if anything needs attention, I’m letting them know.

And while I’m at it, I’ll let them know about this:

I’m sure the next time they made a sign like that they used sandals, not sandles.

Oh, a post script to BiMart in Woodburn: Please send a rescue expedition to the men’s restroom. The rescue team should take lots of towels with them. So the guys trapped in there can open the door to get out. Thank you.

October 12

On this day….

539 — Army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon — that was B.C.

1492 — Columbus, mixed up about where he was, shows up in the Bahamas

1609 — Children’s rhyme Three Blind Mice published in London

1692 — Massachusetts Bay discontinues witch trials

1792 — Columbus Day is first celebrated

1892 — Pledge of Allegiance first recited in public schools

1915 — Theodore Roosevelt criticizes US citizens who identify themselves with dual nationalities

1973 — Nixon nominates Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew as Vice President

1987 — Oscar Arias (President, Costa Rica) wins Nobel Peace Prize

1992 — Microwave Observing Project begins (seeking alien life)

1999 — Born: the proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world

2000 — USS Cole bombed

2002 — Nearly 200 tourists murdered by Islamist terrorist bombs in Bali

2006 — Law passed in France makes denying the Armenian Genocide a crime

2007 — Former US VP Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize

Oh, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran might have special plans for today.