Audience is from Latin "to listen."

I love Real Time with Bill Maher because the show is always full of highly entertaining debate and surprises. Unfortunately, I missed this particular episode and had to watch Bill Maher kick an audience member out of his studio via a YouTube video posted on the Ann Althouse blog. Here it is:

Lili's first tooth.

Yesterday we took Lili to see her Russian pediatrician to make sure that her ear infection cleared up. He checked her ears and told us she was fine. He assured us that her nightly crying is due to teething pain and that he could see a speck of white on her bottom gum. Later that day, while changing Lili, my wife noticed a tiny protrusion in her lower right gum. She felt it and declared a dental holiday. Lili's first tooth has finally broken through! We were overjoyed because we didn't have to take Lili to our dentist to be fitted with tiny dentures as we feared we might. Now, after calling every relative to inform them of our dental holiday, we will buy Lili her first tooth brush and teach her to brush her only tooth.

Damn, Yankees!

Yesterday, while trying not to watch the Red Sux destroy the Tribe, I heard the two commentators talking about what was going to happen to the Yankees. Since I am a Yankees fan I paid attention. And here is what they, to my absolute horror, had to say. Joe Torre is no longer the general manager. This move is not surprising because I have been expecting George Steinbrenner to fire Torre for years. But I was surprised by how things transpired between Torre and the Yankees. Torre's contract is up this year and instead of simply letting him go they sat on their hands for a week and then offered Torre $5 million for one year. He politely declined since this was half of what he was making previously. Next round of bad news was about the players. A-Rod is going to the Sux, which neither bothers nor surprises me because he is a third, a half at best, of a short stop that is Derek Jeter. So this is actually a very, very good thing. The really, really bad part is that Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera probably won't report to spring training next year. The Yankees without their star catcher and closer might as well be the Mets. There is also the question of where is Torre going to manage next year and who is going to manage the Yankees. Regardless of who wins this year's World Series the post season guarantees to be interesting.

CSI: Linden.

Next week's episode of CSI: NY will include scenes shot entirely in Second Life. I have read that CBS was going to do this on Kapp Notes. But I didn't expect to see it on my favorite CSI show. There are a number of companies that operate stores in SL, so it only makes sense that a popular show would jump on the band wagon.

Web 2.0 telegraph.

I found an interesting article, actually a blog post, called "Twitter dot dash" by Nicholas Carr about Twitter, Web 2.0, and social networking. I am not exactly sure if Twitter has as much relevance in the Web 2.0 world as blogs and wikis, but it is definitely more interesting than MySpace because it allows the users to create a message-by-message history of the world.

The Tribe has spoken?

This post season is turning out to be interesting. The Rockies swept the Phillies and then the Diamondbacks to earn a chance to win this year's World Series. And now the Tribe leads the Red Sux 3 games to 1 and is one game away from doing away with them. I could start getting excited that the Sux will not make it to the World Series this year, but the last time they were in this situation, back in 2004, they came back and won the league championship and then went on to win the World Series. So, it is a little early to start celebrating the Sux not making it to the World Series, but Thursday's game is going to be an interesting one either way since Josh Beckett, for the Sux, is going to face off against C.C. Sabathia, for the Tribe.

The times they are a-changing.

If you read the New York Times in any way, shape, or format, stop right now and toss it into the nearest fire pit. The New York Times is not the paper it used to be. It's not even on par with publications such as the Weekly World News anymore. It has sunk into the filth that resides on the bottom of the Hudson River. And what, you may ask, did the Times do to deserve such high praise on my part? They refused to cover a Congressional Medal of Honor being awarded to Lt. Mike Murphy, a Navy SEAL from Long Island, who gave his life in Afghanistan to save his comrades. Here is the story from the New York Post.

Pumpkin.

"My name is Fester which means to rot!" -Uncle Fester, Addams Family Values

Lurking Lili.

In training for Halloween, Lili practices lurking behind the hamper.

Going, going, gone!

I have been watching the baseball playoffs and wondering how much of baseball is skill and how much is luck. The Mets lead their division the entire season until they pulled a Red Sux type move and lost a seven game lead. Then there were the Phillies whom nobody expected to get anywhere near the playoffs but somehow they managed to get in only to be swept away like some debris. The Yankees and the Cubs did not do any better. Although the Yankees managed to win a game losing to the Tribe 3-1 instead of 3-0 like everybody else. It was sad to see the Cubs lose because now they haven't won a World Series in 99 years. So, next year they absolutely have to get in the World Series because a century is a long time without a win. If the Cubs don't win next year, the Red Sux have no right to complain about their 86 year World Series drought. This entry would not be complete without mentioning the fans, especially the fans that refer to the teams they root for as "my team". If you don't play for the team, have played for the team, or own the team, please do not refer to it as yours. These people drive me betty almost as much as those who say "we won" when the team is victorious.

Sputnik.

Fifty years ago a massive rocket lifted off from the steppes of Kazakhstan carrying into space the first man made satellite. This was, and still is, a significant event in human history because the launch took place fifty four year after the Wright brothers flight. Fifty four years isn't such a long time in a life of an invention if you consider the fact that the wheel was around for centuries before somebody combined it with an engine, improving on the existing concept. That breakthrough eventually lead to manned space flight, Moon landings, the International Space Station, and countless satellites which constantly orbit the Earth. Ever since that first launch it has been easier, cheaper, and safer to launch unmanned probes to explore the Solar system and the rest of the galaxy. While mankind plunged bravely into exploration of the unknown that abounded on this planet, Space, to paraphrase Star Trek, has remained the one frontier where very few men have gone before. In the fifty years since Sputnik orbited the Earth, Space flight has not developed as much as regular flight in the same amount of time. Fifty years after the Wright Flyer took off from Kitty Hawk, I am talking about the year 1953, aviation become an acceptable mode of transportation. But Space travel is still the domain of governments and the very rich, not to mention that only three countries in the world launched humans into Space successfully. Anyway, getting back to Sputnik, here is a story about what happened behind the scenes before the Sputnik launch. And here is one about what happened after it reached the end of its useful life and fell back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.

Spooky.

I found this creature hiding in a shrub outside of a local Dunkin' Donuts. It seems that the neither world also runs on Dunkin'.

Fallen leaf.

October has always been my favorite month because I love to watch leaves change. However, a dried up, brown maple leaf like this one is a very unusual sight in early October.

Momentous occasion.

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the phrase "In God We Trust" first being printed on a one dollar bill. Prior to that American currency was backed by a gold standard which required that the government keep enough gold around to pay for all the bills in circulation. Then eventually any mention of the gold standard was removed from the currency and "In God We Trust" put in its place. This meant the currency, which was printed by the government, was no longer the government's problem and that backing of the currency was God's responsibility.
Today also marks a change in the way Americans travel. The carefree days of going to the Bahamas, Canada, or Mexico for the weekend without anything more substantial than your driver's license are over. Starting today if you go to one of those countries without your passport you won't be allowed back in. This doesn't seem so bad if you think about the Bahamas, but imagine being trapped in Mexico or worse, Canada! Now I don't have anything against our neighbors to the North and the South, but as they say: home is where you keep your passport.

No fair.

The Bloomsburg Fair ended last night. It was sad because we didn't get to see or do as much as we wanted to and because this could be our last fair since we'll probably move after I graduate. This fair was odd for another reason. People around here are used to cold and rainy weather which rolls into town with the fair caravans. The locals call that "fair weather" and it happens each year without fail. But this year it was warm, in the 80s, and only rained once. And now, as September is winding down, it's time to start thinking about Halloween. It's time to decide on costumes, decorate the porch, gather pumpkins, and admire Mother Nature's wondrous color pallet.

Shadows.

Antique rides.

We were invited to a graduation party by one of my wife's college students. Upon arrival at her house we were greeted by the sound of an air horn followed by the source of the sound, a Ford Model T. The owner then offered to give us a ride through the countryside. So we climbed in the rumble seat and got a great view of early Fall in Pennsylvania.

Baby food.

Lili does not like to eat her food. She would rather play with it or, as in this case, wear it.

Alive Day Memories.

If you haven't seen it yet, Alive Day Memories is going to change your life. And if you have seen it, then you know what I am talking about. Alive Day Memories is a production of HBO Documentary Films in which James Gandolfini, aka Tony Soprano, sits down with several veterans of the war in Iraq to talk to them about their Alive Day and what they remember. Alive Day is the second most important and memorable, after their birthday, day in a soldier's life. It is the day that they almost died. Several of the veterans Gandolfini interviewed for this project displayed their horrific injuries and unbreakable spirits. It is truly amazing to watch these heroes talk about the day their lives were changed forever. This documentary is also the greatest argument against Iraq and for bringing the troops home I have ever seen. Do yourself a favor, watch it. And if you don't have HBO, rent it.

Fairly odd.

The inventor of pigs in a blanket proudly brings you sheep in a coat.

More fair.

Nothing says first day of Fall like pictures of livestock.

The fair.

Today is the first day of the Bloomsburg Fair. It's annual, week-long, and has been held since 1855. Last night was Free Friday, what could be described as a dress rehearsal if fairs had dress rehearsals. I was going to take pictures, but between the low quality of my cellphone camera and poor lighting conditions I was guaranteed to have the kind of pictures I get when the external camera button on my cellphone gets pushed in my pocket.

Twitter.

I have succumb to the evil that is Twitter. Resistance on my part was truly futile. And it's all Wil Wheaton's fault. Damn it, Wil! I am a blogger, not a twitter!

Supermarket.

Lili is happy to be grocery shopping with Mom and Dad.

Avast, land lubbers!

Shiver me timbers! Today is the Talk Like A Pirate Day. So pour yourself a pint of grog and sing The Official Talk Like A Pirate Day Song with some of ye maties.

Waiting.

This is a pic of a painting that hangs in an exam room at my doctor's office. It makes you wonder what's around the corner. It also makes you want to investigate, especially if you have been waiting for a while.

Public privacy.

In 1984 I was living in the Soviet Union and reading a samizdat copy of George Orwell's 1984. I didn't know where my father got a copy of that book in Russian (I figured it was from one of his decedent friends) and didn't care because if the authorities got wind of us having it, plausible deniability would be much easier. Back then I expected that Big Brother was watching me and that I didn't have any privacy.
Fast forward to present day, in 2007 I am living in the United States and posting on my blog. I make these posts because I want to express myself and because I want people to read them. However, everything I write is being stored in the vast memory banks of the blog hosting site for the purpose of creating the ultimate, all knowing database. Not to mention the fact that potential employees will Google my name in hopes of learning things about me that I might have left out of my resume. I don't have any drunk MySpace pictures and I'm too old for Facebook. So I feel somewhat safe with my on-line presence, but the fact that I traded Big Brother for Big Brother, Inc. disturbs me.

Last days of Summer.

To celebrate the end of Summer my wife and I took Lili to Knoebels, an amusement park in the middle of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Knoebels is a big part of the local lore; Summer doesn't officially start until you've been to Knoebels.

Extreme close-up.

Fifty seven hundred.

In last night's speech Bush said that 5,700 American soldiers will be coming home from Iraq by Christmas. This number is ridiculous because it is only a tiny bit higher than the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since 2003 which, as of today, happens to be 3,780. Also the new withdrawal policy is based on the success of the new Iraqi government and its various infrastructures. This is like telling an employee that they'll get their bonus when Jimmy Hoffa is found. Both events are possible, but not bloody likely. Bush is just throwing a bone to the war protesters and the Democrats in Congress.

Web 2.0.

I recently discovered that I have not embraced Web 2.0 as much as I should. This is not to say that I don't use it. After all, I am writing an entry for my blog about it. In the past, I read a lot more than I wrote while browsing the web; I have visited countless sites reading what they have to offer without leaving a comment for the creator. This is a Web 1.0 trait which I find very hard to shake. Web 2.0 is about collaboration or, to put it plainly, leaving people comments. Some might argue that Web 2.0 is also about social networking which again requires that you actually leave people comments on their MySpace or Facebook pages when they leave comments on yours. In order to do this, you have to remember that blog pots (like this one), or whatever Web 2.0 content you happen to be reading, are not newspaper articles and do allow room for comment at the bottom.

Thursday the 13th.

There is a superstition about Friday the 13th being a day of bad luck. In fact, it is shared by several cultures throughout the world. However, I think that Thursday the 13th is far more menacing. Just think about it, Thursday The Thirteenth. It just sounds so threatening.

It's a reflection thing.

I was trying to take a picture of an amuzing sticker on the back of a Scion. After taking this picture I realized that both Lili and I are reflected in the Scion's black, shiny exterior.

Real Big Love.

If you haven't seen Big Love on HBO, this story about a polygamist on trial will have little or no meaning to you, but if you have been watching it as much as I have you'll understand the ramifications of this story.

Six years later.

It is hard for me to think of the events of 9/11/01, since it is hard to think of anything else today, without wishing that they never took place. I remember watching the Twin Tours fall and wishing that Seven Days, a television show about a time traveler who fixes things that went horribly wrong, were true. Now, I am filled with sadness for all the thousands of innocent lives that were lost that day. May they rest in peace.

Warning!

This is a sign I found in the petting zoo at the Luzern County Fair which kicks off the Fall fair/festival season in the area. I thought this sign was funny because the word "animals" can be easily replaced with the word "people".

Coffee news.

Thursday, Starbucks opened two new stores. As irony would have it, they are located in Bloomsburg and in Russia. With the overwhelming numbers of Starbucks in places like New York City, it is hard to believe that there are parts of the world still untouched by these beacons of civilization.

All tomorrow's signs.

While shopping at Wal-Mart I came upon this sign outside the bathrooms. Is it saying that tomorrow depends on the customer or the associate? If tomorrow depends on me, the customer, that's a little too much pressure for one person to bare.

Arrivederci.

Luciano Pavarotti, an Italian tenor, died at his home in Modena, Italy from pancreatic cancer. He was 71. Following Antonioni and Bergman, this is the third death of a great artist this year.

New hat.

Lili likes to keep up with all the baby fashionistas. Here she is enjoying a bottle of formula from Starbucks in her Old Navy hat.

Princess Lili.

Lili is wearing her aunt Melissa's tiara. Melissa is the First Runner-Up in the Luzern County Fair Queen contest.

Back to school.

When I was a kid, growing up in the Soviet Union, September 1st was the first day of the school year. All the kids would put on their uniforms and we'd gather in the school yard for the First Day ceremony. There would be a little speech by the principal followed by the ringing of the school bell. Every school had an electric bell but on the first day a girl who was starting first grade would be lifted in the air by a tenth grade, which was the final grade in the Soviet school system, boy and ring a big bell. As I was remembering these things, I wondered what would have happened today since this year September 1st fell on a Saturday. And then I remembered that we went to school 6 (six) days a week. This in turn made me wonder if we learned more because of the six day school week or because we were taught some subjects, such as English, at an earlier age. One day, I would like to explore this further.

Healthcareless.

According to the US Census Bureau, there are 47 million people in this country without health insurance. The United States has more uninsured people than Canada, our neighbor to the North, has people. This would be almost amusing if it weren't so sad.

Got what?

This is the best installment in the "Got ...?" series of t-shirts and bumper stickers spawned by the "Got Milk?" commercials. It inquires about your intelligence and suggests the driver is a zombie at the same time.

Sign of the times.

I am on my way to class to start my last semester as a graduate student. And this sign seemed appropriately descriptive of the upcoming months.

Lili and Bandit.

Lili is playing with her grandmother's dog. She loves the Spaniel three times her size, but she's afraid of her aunt's lap dog. We'll have to get a puppy when she gets older.

Sunday morning.

I went to get some milk and noticed how empty the roads were. I suppose usually I am not out and about this early which explains why I never noticed this before.

Empty glass.

Some peole say the glass is half full, others that it's half empty. I say, what's in the glass?

Lili after lunch.

Today Lili is 8 months old. Here she is chewing through the restrains of her high chair. She doesn't yet realize that some days it's not worth chewing through them.

Cross walk.

I took this pic because whoever built this cross walk either didn't know what they were doing or decided to confuse everybody.

Mr. Melon Head.

This is what my coworkers do with stray watermelons.

Self-portrait.

Steps.

These steps lead to the porch on which people from different companies that occupy the building sometimes have lunch. It's raining today so I thought a negative pic was appropriate.

Monday Monday.

Next week I will start my last graduate semester and the hardest class in the program. I am nervous and exited, more nervous than exited, right now.

Lili.

First strike.

This is a pic of a video tape of Jackie Chan's movie First Strike. I took this because of the phrase "icy glaciers of the Ukraine" which is the third line from the top, right above the word "Australia". In the 13 years I lived in Ukraine, I have never seen a glacier. Maybe the Communists were hiding them.

Apple in color.

This the same apple as bellow. I am not sure which pic I like more.

Apple.

This was a part of my lunch.

Styrofoam cup.

This is another one of my photo experiments.

Granite marker.

Ever since I added the mobile option to my blog, I have been experimenting with photography. This granite marker sits outside my work.

Column.

I work in an old building with a huge porch where people frequently gather for lunch. Here is a pic of one of the columns from that porch.

Still life.

I read several sites that offer helpful hints on how to streamline your life. One of them, lifehacker.com, recently had a post on how to use twitter.com as you organizer/calendar by sending and receiving text messages from your cell. The post demonstrated how to set parking meter reminders. I find this idea is ridiculous because it shows how to simplify your life by complicating it first. Most cell phones these days have alarm clocks anyway. Or, if you wanted a low tech solution, get yourself a stopwatch.

Fountain.

This glorious water display proudly sits in the center of town while we're experiencing a slight drought and are urged to conserve water.

Abandon ship!

Karl Rove announced that he has resigned as political adviser and will be leaving the White House on August 31st. It appears that the ship of state is sinking and the rats are getting off while the lifeboats are still available.

Amazing.

Here Lili demonstrates her ability to hold a bottle with one hand.

Work.

As deadlines loom I get busier and busier at work. This leaves no time to think or blog. So here is a picture of a rain spout on the porch of the building I work at.

Holy Crap!

A man, who shares my first name, was arrested at Pace University for throwing a copy of the Quran in a toilet. How many members of other religions would raise such a ruckus over their "holy book" being in a toilet? And if I threw The Book of Mormon into the nearest urinal would anybody on this campus even notice? Read more about it.

Catch phrases.

Yesterday, as I was watching my friend Lisa leaving the DesignStar studio, I began to wonder why reality shows have such stupid catch phrases. The highly pompous host of DesignStar told Lisa that her "show has been canceled." I thought the idea was that the contestant were there to win a show not to have one canceled. And how about the equally pompous host of the equally overrated Survivor, "the tribe has spoken" has got to be the dumbest thing in television history. The so-called tribe does not speak, they vote. And these votes, despite the host insisting on it, are not tallied. They are simply counted. Also, why does he keeps saying "somebody is going home tonight" after the contestants who get voted out go from the tribal council to the jury. What ever happened to the simplicity of a baseball umpire's call: "You're Out!" It does not belittle or humiliate the contestant, it simply notifies them that their turn is over. I would like to see more baseball umpires host so-called reality shows.

A great artist is gone.

Ingmar Bergman, one of the great (if not the greatest) 20th Century filmmakers, has died at his home in Sweden.

Reality TV.

I no longer consider myself an HGTV viewer. My friend Lisa got kicked off the second season of DesignStar after the first competition. I was only going to watch the show because of her anyway and now I will occupy my time with a far more amusing show, The Two Coreys on A&E. It is an ingenious paring of married, stable actor Corey Feldman and single, not-so-stable actor Corey Haim. They appeared in several movies together in the '80's and were, at one point, huge. This show is hilarious, especially for somebody like me who is fascinated by the real person behind the role.

Lili and Mom

Lili is getting ready for bed. I just wish she didn't have redeye.

In the news.

This morning, as my wife was driving me to work, I heard a story about Islamabad's Red Mosque being reopened for Friday prayers. It has recently been the site of a week-long standoff between the Pakistani military and the local chapter of Militant Muslims. This made me wonder why are there no militant Buddhists, or Jews, or Christians, or Hindus, or even Atheists. Why did Muslims corner the market on this?

Lili sleeping.

This is my daughter sleeping in her bassinette back when she was one month old. I ran this pic through PhotoShop.

Drunks in space.

A NASA study found that astronauts were allowed to fly drunk on two occasions. I wonder how soon we can expect a bar module to be added to the International Space Station.

A giant moth.

This picture was taken in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Time.

Today, my daughter is seven months old. I am amazed by how much she has changed in the last few months. She can hold her bottle, pick up her toys, and sit up. But the thing that amazes me the most is my daughter's smile, except when she wakes up in the middle of the night and smiles at us when my wife and I tell her that sleep is a really good idea.

All in the family.

If Muslims want the West to stop seeing them as barbarians, they have to stop the honor killings. It is hard for me to buy the claim that Islam is a religion of peace when murdering a woman to restore the honor of her family is acceptable.

In local news.

This was bound to happen eventually. Somebody my wife and I have known for years is a contestant on a reality show. My friend Lee's wife, Lisa (first one in the right column), is a contestant on the second season of DesignStar on HGTV. She has a chance to win her own show on HGTV which would be awesome since she's very creative and talented artist. Lee is a very creative and talented artist, too.

The less you know.

The better off you'll be, according to the late, great Warren Zevon. There have been recent developments in the glorious lunatic asylum we lovingly call the Congress that I thought were worth commenting on. As always, I took some time to think about what I was going to write before actually writing it. It seems that the Democrats voted to pull the troops out of Iraq by April. There are a couple problems with that idea. One, Iraqis are as ready to govern themselves as a ten year old is ready for a driver's license. Two, this would leave a lot of soldier, who have put their lives on the line, with a sense of defeat that American soldiers have not felt since Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Since "couple" usually means two, I will not list anymore. Another bit of craziness was the Congress staying up all night to debate the War in Iraq which, according to Bush, we won two or three years back. Come on! These people have not pulled all-nighters since they were in college twenty or thirty years ago. And they could not form a coherent thought back then. So, what are they trying to accomplish? Oh, and what is up with the all the Presidential candidates' MySpace pages?

Been a long time.

Since I posted here. It seems that John Lennon was right: life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. I have been working, going to school, and taking care of my daughter after work. These things took up most of my time for the last, almost, three months. The point of this post is not to complain about my life, but to explain.

The truth about Imus.

This story is from a Russian newspaper called Pravda which means Truth in Russian. This newspaper used to be the official newspaper of the Soviet Union. I didn't believe anything in it then and I am not about to start now.

The hunt for former glory.

As I was watching The Hunt for Red October, I read a story about the launch of a new Russian nuclear submarine. It is the first one to be launched by Russia since the Soviet Union was disbanded. This is an attempt to rebuild the sub fleet which has been in disrepair for years. It is also an attempt to recreate the former Soviet Union only a slightly more democratic one, something Putin is extremely fond of.

Tax day.

This morning, which would be a holiday if it weren't a Sunday, my wife is paying bills and my daughter is listening to classical music emanating from her Leap Frog. We are expecting, what local weather wizards called, a "northeaster" to arrive later today bringing snow. But right now it is only raining.

Space, the final frontier.

Forty six years ago today Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space and orbit the Earth. Twenty six years ago today Columbia became the first shuttle to fly in space. Ironically, Gagarin was working on designs for a reusable space vehicle prior to his death. What started out as an expansion of the Cold War has evolved into former enemies "sitting in a tin can high above the world" together and people celebrating Yuri's Night every year.

A local Imus.

Gary Smith, a morning DJ at a radio station in nearby Stroudsburg, got fired yesterday for asking his listeners to repeat the phrase that only got Imus a two week suspension. I guess if Smith worked for CBS he would still have a job right now. Oops! It seems that I was a bit hasty in my admonishment of CBS, they decided to fire Imus after all. However, Smith pulled an Imus on Tuesday and got fired the following day while CBS waited a week and watched as advertisers fled the sinking ship before firing Imus. So the conclusion here is that money, and not the racial comment, was the proverbial straw.

Clothes make the man.

This site is a very interesting, and rather English, take on formal men's wear.

Blogiversary.

The Ignorant Immigrant has been in existence for a year. I started this blog after hearing about blogs in class, not really knowing what I wanted it to be about. I tried to keep it on the topic of my misadventures in rural America and how I see this country. Sometimes, I think that my daily life is too dull to write about so I don't, but I do need to document my daughter's development. This way, years from now, she can read these entries and learn about a part of her life she can't remember. Therefore, I will try to keep up with this blog more in the following year than I have in the past.

Easter Monday.

Let's ponder this one. So far we have had a wet, mild Christmas followed by a cold, snowy Easter. According to the local weather wizards, it was colder on Easter day (in April) then on Christmas day (in December). I miss the weather I knew when I was a kid, back then four seasons weren't just a hotel chain. Another thing I would like to ponder, or have explained to me, is how did the story of Jesus rising from the dead become a celebration filled with bunnies, eggs, and candy.

A bit of history.

For some reason the Kharkov Historical Museum houses a British World War I tank, which by the way was the reason tanks are called tanks. When I was a kid it sat in a garden area in the middle of the museum grounds along with a World War II Soviet T-34 tank. My friend Vlad took these as well.

Home, sweet home.

My friend Vlad, whom I have known for most of my life and who served as the best man at my wedding, posted pictures of his trip to our hometown on a Russian photo sharing site. This one shows the building I used to live in year ago. My former home is on the left side of the picture behind the green, corner building. I have a black and white picture of myself taken on the bridge in the foreground.

The price is wrong.

Yesterday, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq, George W. Bush interrupted my enjoyment of The Price Is Right. In his short, yet pointless, speech he tried to justify the war by saying: "four years ago today, coalition forces launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to remove Saddam Hussein from power. They did so to eliminate the threat his regime posed to the Middle East and to the world." Saddam Hussein, if memory serves me right, tried to invade Iran only to bog both countries down in a war of attrition that lasted eight years. He also invaded Kuwait and was promptly escorted out by a coalition force. During the Kuwaiti invasion Hussein launched missiles into Israel, not the entire Middle East, just Israel. So I can see how his regime was a threat to everybody. This, by the way, brings me to the Weapons of Mass Distraction. If Hussein had the so-called WMDs back then why didn't he launch anything in the general direction of the United States? Bush also mentioned the importance of securing Baghdad and restoring peace in Iraq. These, of course, would not be necessary if he didn't decide to invade Iraq four years ago. The Democratic Congress has been talking about pulling the troops out of Iraq and Bush addressed that issue as well. "It can be tempting to look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude our best option is to pack up and go home. That may be satisfying in the short run, but I believe the consequences for American security would be devastating. If American forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure, a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country. In time, this violence could engulf the region. The terrorists could emerge from the chaos with a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they had in Afghanistan, which they used to plan the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. For the safety of the American people, we cannot allow this to happen." The invasion of Iraq resulted in insurgency, car bombings, and civil war. And if Congress pulls the troops out of Iraq, the country will deteriorate into complete chaos. Bush makes you believe that pulling out of Iraq will play right into the terrorists' hands, actually the invasion itself was a part of the jihad master plan since the beginning. The biggest threat to "the safety of American people" came from the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut because, despite Ronald Reagan's promises to find those responsible, nothing was actually done about it. This proved to the Muslim fundamentalists throughout the world that you can kill Americans and the government will not react. Also Afghanistan became a breeding ground for terrorism because the US abandoned the Afghani people following the end of the Soviet invasion instead of "staying the course" and helping them rebuild. So here we are another war, another Republican President, another lie.

Better late than never.

Braunschweig chapter of the Germany's Social Democratic party is planning to have Hitler's citizenship revoked. I don't know what the SPD is trying to accomplish with this move, but it would have made more sense fifty or sixty years ago.

Ignorant Immigrant and the Holy Grail.

Yesterday after work I decided to find a wooden coat rack, the kind that stands up. We have a metal one, which recently gave way under the weight of winter coats and needs to be replaced. So I set off on my quest to the local mall and shopping area. The first stop was Lowe's which previously was the source of rather useless replacement stove knobs. After wandering around the store in aimless wonder of the size of the ails and the quantity of stuff they contain I asked a store employee for some much needed help. He directed me to some hanging coat racks, but after consulting my wife I returned to the quest for a standing one. After a little more wandering, and consulting another employee, I gave up and left Lowe's for Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart did not have any coat racks at all. It did not have any easily accessible employees either. I spent as much time looking for somebody who actually works there as I did looking for a coat rack. I gave up on Wal-Mart and left for Home Depot. There I finally found somebody who could tell me the truth: "We don't carry coat racks." I was relieved by this man's words because by then I was getting ready to give up anyway. So I bid adieu to the bright orange walls of Home Depot vowing to return if I ever decide to build a coat rack myself because if I can do it, they can help.

Last day of winter.

Today is the last, meteorological, day of winter. Tomorrow, regardless of the amount of snow still on the ground, spring will begin. Actually, spring has been in the air ever since the most famous Pennsylvania rodent missed his shadow twenty six days ago. But for me spring arrived yesterday when I signed up for fantasy baseball on Yahoo. Now I can't wait to select my team with the accuracy of a blind man kicking a field goal and to watch them fall apart with the combined winning history of the New York Muts and the Boston Red Sux. Oh well, it's free and it's fun.

Cultural differences.

My friend Leather Penguin sent me this link. It makes a very interesting point about the cultural differences between Europeans and Americans.

Family moment.

Today my daughter is two months old. It is really weird to write that. It is also really weird trying to remember a time before she was born because she brought so many new things into our lives. There are some things, such as diapers and night feedings, I can not wait to be done with. But there are also some things that I will never forget. Tonight, while my wife and I were watching TV, I changed the channel. The volume, as it often happens anymore, got unpleasantly loud. So my wife, who was holding Lili, looked at her and said: "Tell Daddy it's too loud." Lili turned and looked at me. That was an amazing moment.

Before going on a cruise.

Make sure that you bring your passport and an ex-Marine because without a passport you might not be able to get back into the country and without an ex-Marine you might not get back to the ship.

Have an ice day.

Yesterday, as schools were closing because of the snow and ice storm, my boss called to inform me that they are jumping on the bandwagon. This is great because now I get to spend Valentine's Day at home with my wife and daughter. Now, if only it started snowing again, this would be a perfect day.

Wrestling with God.

Once again the good citizens of Kansas are engaged in a Creation vs. Evolution wrestling match. This has been an on-going title bout for over a century. I think that it is time to call it a draw and find something new (more appropriate for the 21st century) to argue about. After all, both God and Darwin have long, white beards. Shouldn't that be a clue?

Bumper stickers.

Today, as I was walking to my car in a grocery store parking lot, I noticed a car next to mine with a bunch of bumper stickers. The three that I had time to read were: "I don't believe The New York Times," "I don't believe The Washington Post," and "Politically Incorrect and Proud of It." The driver of this car arrived at his vehicle soon after I passed it. He was a gentleman in his seventies (I am horrible judge of age so it is a really, really rough guess on my part) with gray hair and large glasses. Seeing him, made me wonder what made this man, who grew up in the age when people believed the printed word, put those stickers on his car. This reminded me of two stickers I had on a Buick I used to drive. One said "Broken horn look for finger," the other "If you found God, and nobody claims him in thirty days, he is yours." My wife was not very fond of them, but I thought they clearly represented my attitude toward life in general and religion in particular.