People

Jay Leno Gets It (Mostly) Right

Jay Leno

I didn’t stay up late enough to hear the monologue, but thanks to the Patriot Post, we are able to enjoy Jay Leno‘s takes on the changing of the guard:

You know a lot of celebrities in Washington for the inauguration. Isn’t that unbelievable? So many celebrities are out of town, over in Malibu, they had to close the Promises Rehab Center for a week.

Good luck trying to find a place to stay. Given how hard it is to get a room in Washington, even Bill and Hillary had to double up.

Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office, directing the closing of Guantanamo Bay. He said he needs the money for new prisons to hold Democratic mayors and governors.

Incoming press secretary Robert Gibbs said President-elect Barack Obama will allow gays to serve openly in the military. So the days of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are over. Actually, that’s not quite true. Congress will continue to use the phrase when referring to the bailout money. “Don’t Ask Us What We Did With It, We’re Not Going To Tell You Where It Went.”

At his confirmation hearing, Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder said as far as he is concerned, waterboarding is torture. And Treasury secretary nominee Tim Geithner said, “So is paying taxes.”

President Bush said he is leaving Washington with his head held high, because it is the best way to spot shoes that are coming at you.

Michael Crichton – 1942-2008

michael-crichton.jpgWe sadly report the passing of famous author and screenwriter, Michael Crichton. He died after a private battle with cancer on November 4, 2008. We respected Dr. Crichton not only for his immense scientific and literary talents, but also for his practical views on the global warming hoax.

From Wikipedia:

In 2003 he gave a lecture at Caltech entitled “Aliens Cause Global Warming” in which he expressed his views of the danger of “consensus science” — especially with regard to what he regards as popular but disputed theories such as nuclear winter, the dangers of second-hand smoke, and the global warming controversy. Crichton was critical of widespread belief in ETs and UFOs, citing the fact that there is no conclusive proof of their existence. Crichton stated that “The Drake equation cannot be tested and therefore SETI is not science. SETI is unquestionably a religion.” Crichton has commented that belief in purported scientific theories without a factual basis is more akin to faith than science.

One of the quotes from that topic was this one that we keep on our Climate and Global Warming page:

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.

— Michael Crichton

One Reporter’s Opinion – George Putnam – RIP

It’s with sadness that we re-post this piece we did in December 2005 – the great George Putnam passed away over the weekend. Even late in his life, he was busy writing his unique “One Reporter’s Opinion” columns at NewsMax. We will miss George Putnam.


No one who lived in the Los Angeles area between the fifties and the seventies, will forget the iconic television newsman, George Putnam. One of the regular features on his newscast was “One Reporter’s Opinion,” during which he would editorialize on a topical issue. I enjoyed watching Putnam’s newscast, primarily because of his conservative point-of-view in spite of the liberal Times-Mirror‘s ownership of the television station, KTTV.

Well, I’m happy to report that George Putnam’s “One Reporter’s Opinion” feature is alive and well at NewsMax on line. Better yet, his politics are still in line with reality:

One Reporter’s Opinion – Americanism Left ‘Cold in the Night’

It is this reporter’s opinion that the very heart of America is under attack. There are those, foreign and domestic, who actually HATE this great nation and all it stands for. Led by atheists and the ACLU, there are groups who would love to destroy the promises on which our nation was founded – our very way of life.

Aided and abetted by strange court decisions and oddball judges, each day brings a new shocker. We find federal judges ruling against the Pledge of Allegiance as unconstitutional, finding that “one nation under God” violates schoolchildren’s right “to be free from a coercive requirement to affirm God.”

The latest target of the atheists is to remove “in God we trust” from our currency, claiming that this phrase violates the so-called separation of church and state.

Continue reading George Putnam’s article on NewsMax: One Reporter’s Opinion – Americanism Left ‘Cold in the Night’

Remembering Zep Again – Patriot Day 2008

In the true spirit of “Never Forget” we re-post our original tribute to Mark Scott Zeplin, one of the 2996 victims killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. There were 2996 victims killed, but we were all victims of the pain inflicted by the attacks. Here’s our original “2996” tribute on this Patriot Day, 2008.


Damsel and I are very proud to be able to honor Marc Scott Zeplin on the fifth anniversary of 9/11/2001 and to be part of the 2996 Project.

Zep” is what his friends called him. Zep was one of the 2996 victims who perished in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Marc Scott Zeplin, age 33.

Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Harrison, N.Y. (USA).

Marc Zeplin worked in the World Trade Center offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services company. Reading what Marc’s friends and family have written about him, Marc was well-liked and respected by peers, friends and others who wrote words about him following his death.

The following is from Zep’s tribute at the memorial site that his company set up to remember their employees that were lost in the attack:

Date of Birth: January 12, 1968

Department: Equity Sales

A group of friends named and registered a star in the heavens in memory of Marc Zeplin. How fitting as he was a star in the eyes of so many.

Successful as an equity trader, he formed close relationships with his clients but he was foremost a family man. Marc was very caring and devoted to his wife Debra, sons Ryan (3 yrs old) and Ethan (10 months), parents, sister and in-laws. He adored his children and treasured the time he spent with them. Marc was very proud of the new home he and his wife built in Westchester and enjoyed the change from urban to suburban living.

Raised in Long Island, Marc attended Oceanside High School and the University of Michigan where he also continued to earn a master’s degree in the acclaimed business school. Marc’s first career calling was sports casting. He loved sports of all kinds and enjoyed broadcasting games in Michigan during his college years. However, when he returned to New York, he found immediate employment in the financial world and soon after started at Cantor Fitzgerald where he became a partner.

Marc was truly a “master of the word.” He knew how and what to say in order to put you at ease, make you laugh or help you resolve a problem. Marc loved people. He had many friends and demonstrated a zest for living life to the fullest. He was tops in every way. He even worked at the top. The right position for so many years unfortunately was wrong on only one day – September 11, 2001.

Debra Zeplin and Leora Zeplin, Marc’s Wife and Mother.

Tony Snow — 1955 – 2008

Damsel and I mourn the passing of Tony Snow. The Nation and the media world have lost an extraordinary human being. Tony’s wife and children have lost a wonderful husband and father. God bless Tony’s family and friends in their time of loss.

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Pooling Resources

With Gas prices so high, it appears that some Southern California moms resort to transporting their kids in a more gas conserving way. At least the kid is tied down to mom with a safety belt and wearing a helmet.

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Precision Pooh Parking

PoohYou know how some people will hang a tennis ball in the garage to assist them as they pull in to park? They will screw in a cup hook or an eyelet into the ceiling and hang the tennis ball with twine such that it’s positioned on a certain point on your windshield when your car is more-or-less precisely parked. This is especially important for small garages or when the garage is shared with another vehicle (the latter is true in our case).

Well, not to be so mundane as to have a tennis ball, Damsel suspended a Winnie-the-Pooh bear from the twine. Now, when she pulls in, she has some precision Pooh butt to guide her to an accurate position.

I wonder what A.A. Milne would think about bear-butt precision docking?

Image – Pooh butt resting on Damsel’s windscreen.