Another Little Visitor

This little guy was rummaging through the garbage as Karen pulled up in the van. That didn't seem to scare him. Me coming out with a camera finally got him to back off, as I captured his backside as he slowly made his getaway.

New From The Onion... Oh wait this is true!

At first I thought this story was an hysterical creation of the The Onion, until I realized that this was a true story. Apparently, Fox News picked up on the original critique of the ad and ran heavy with it. The spin of course was that dunkin donuts was of course being un-American. To me this is insane! On my way home they were talking about the story on NPR and likened the reaction to a call to ban hooded sweatshirts because they celebrate the unibomber. At least someone has common sense; its too bad that Dunkin Donuts was forced to drop the ad.

Dunkin' Donuts scarf ad flap "silly"-Islamic group
Thu May 29, 2008 6:44pm EDT

By Marcy Nicholson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A move by Dunkin' Donuts to pull an online ad featuring Rachael Ray after a blogger dubbed the celebrity chef's scarf "hate couture" was an "incredibly silly situation," a U.S. Islamic lobby group said on Thursday.

The ad, online for two weeks before Dunkin' Donuts removed it last weekend, showed TV host Ray wearing a black and white scarf that some critics likened to a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress.

Columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin said it was "hate couture," after which others made similar criticisms.

"It's sad that Dunkin' Donuts pandered to that kind of fear-mongering. They have businesses in the Middle East, in the Arab world. It's interesting to see how that will affect business there," said Ahmed Rehab, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Dunkin' Donuts, which calls itself the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain, said in a statement Ray had been wearing a silk scarf with a "paisley design" selected by a stylist with no intended symbolism. It pulled the ad due to the possibility of misperception, the company said.

Ray hosts morning lifestyle show "Rachael Ray" on ABC, also appears on the Food Network and has written recipe books.

"Our comment is no comment whatsoever," Ray's spokesman Charlie Dougiello said when asked about the ad's removal.

Vacation Look Back - Part 3 (Butterfly World)

On to Butterfly World, where you pay through the nose, but in the end seems worth it. The butterfly below really took a liking to Jacob.
But the highlight of the day was in the lorikeet house. This was where a crazy looking old bird (kind of like the john Belushi of the bird house) relieved himself on Jacob's hat which happened to be on Grandpa's head :-)

One more reason maybe I should be a vegetarian

This video is unbelievable, even if extensive training was involved. Make sure you watch until the end.



Apparently this is not uncommon among Thailand elephants at the Academy Of Elephants.

Dumb and Dumber

Illinois-Shaped Corn Flake Up for Auction

I'm not sure what is dumber: the fact that this news story was picked up by the Associated Press or the fact that someone is offering $500 for the flake (no pun intended... well maybe)!

Plumber Bummer

We had another plumber over today, this time to fix a leaky valve under our sink. Its the valve to the outside water faucet. This is actually the second plumber having a crack at it and the second one failing. The first plumber was the one who told us to call a basement guy about the flooding basement. While he was here evaluating that, Karen had him look at the valve. He said the packing nut was loose, so he tightened it (no cost). OK, with no fee I was not too upset when I found water under the valve that night. On to the the next plumber, who we have used in the passed with good success. This time he was called over specifically for this valve. His assessment... the packing nut was loose. He tightened it. Fortunately, Karen questioned what he did and told him the last plumber did the same thing and it still leaked. So he check it again. Packing nut now tight. Fixed. Karen knowingly put the bowl we've been using to catch the water from the leak back under the sink. And 'lo and behold, a couple of hours later... water; it still leaks. How many times can I tell them the valve is bad. This time we paid $96. So now I'm mad, but even worse Karen's mad. Plumber's beware.

Anyway, while bad plumber #2 was here I asked Karen to have him look at the drain outside the basement door and potentially snake it. Well, 'lo and behold, the drain is not so much a drain, but rather just the entrance to a hole (and not a big one at that). Its not connected to the storm sewer; its not connected to anything. There's no pipe. It essentially goes nowhere, but now explains why the water level in that area was so such a good measure of the ground water table. So now the next step is an outdoor sump pump right in the corner of that well. I think I may go back to the basement guy to do it.

Bizzaro World

Now that I got my good friend James all excited, this has nothing to do with Superman. Karen and I took our kids to the Museum of Natural History in DC this morning. For some needed background to the story, in case you don't remember our boys are about 3.5 years old and my daughter is about 2.5. Well after going through the museum we went to have lunch in the museum cafe. Who should sit next to us... A family with twin boys about 4 and another kid (a son) about 3. After exchanging pleasantries and the looks of true understanding, we exchanged some contact information. On our way out, I wished them a quiet evening. We both laughed understanding the plight of the ultimately unachievable.