Dawn and I are heading south to celebrate our 7th anniversary. We plan to visit some old haunts, see some old friends, relax and enjoy ourselves! I doubt we’ll even look at a computer while we’re gone, so posting will resume after we return and have time to process photos. Comments will be reviewed/approved then, as well.

Meanwhile, why not take this opportunity to check out the “archives” or “photo albums” and catch up on posts you might have missed!?

Probably not the best banner for advocating English be our national language, ya’ think? A May 1 immigration reform story carried in the online Houston Chronicle featured this photo:

You have to love the irony!

Here’s an interesting story from Ananova that should come as no surprise to many of you:

“Some computer keyboards carry more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, according to new research. Consumer group Which? said tests at its London offices found equipment carrying bugs that could cause food poisoning.

Out of 33 keyboards swabbed, four were regarded as a potential health hazard and one harbored five times more germs than one of the office’s toilet seats. A microbiologist ordered the worst keyboards to be so dirty he ordered it to be removed, quarantined and cleaned. It had 150 times the recommended limit for bacteria - five times as filthy as a lavatory seat tested at the same time, the research found.

Dr. Wilson, a consultant microbiologist at University College London Hospital, said sharing a keyboard could be passing on illnesses among office workers. ‘If you look at what grows on computer keyboards, and hospitals are worse, believe it or not, it’s more or less a reflection of what’s in your nose and in your gut,’ he said. ‘Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you’re very likely to pick it up from a keyboard.’

Which? computing editor Sarah Kidner advised users to give their computer ‘a spring clean’.

‘It’s quite simple to do and could prevent your computer from becoming a health hazard,’ she said.”

I have nothing to add to the story; I just wanted an excuse to use this Melissa McEwan graphic of a keyboard that reads “POOP.” BTW, I swam in Miami canals when I was a kid and played with every stray or wild animal that came near me. Dirty keyboards don’t scare me.

This would be pretty amazing if real. What we’re apparently seeing is a rather stupid surfer/amateur stunt guy “fishing” for a great white shark off his board, then being “towed” by the hooked shark passed other surfers. Do I believe it? Well, let’s just say I’m dubious. I have to ask myself, if I was a surfer and a great white shark swam right by me towing another surfer, would I just watch as these guys appear to be doing, or would I walk run on water to reach shore as quickly as possible? In addition, it looks like a wake in front of the shark as though it’s (ahem) “chasing” an RTV or jet ski. Hmmmm… And the shark appears to be swimming parallel to the shore in shallow water… and leaving a wake. Hmmmm… Now, I wasn’t there, but…

With the memory of Barbaro’s death after last year’s Preakness still fresh in our minds, Saturday’s Kentucky Derby spectators saw for themselves the sordid truth about what racing really means for the horses involved, as the filly Eight Belles collapsed, her front ankles broken, and had to be euthanised on the track.

Her death may have seemed humane, but the agony she endured running her final race most certainly was not. And while the trainers, jockeys and owners may weep their crocodile tears today over Eight Belles’ euthanasia, they will be back on the track tomorrow, putting other horses at risk.

Although their bones are not yet fully developed, Thoroughbreds begin their racing careers as 2-year-olds. Compounding the risk to their young bones, they are raced on hard dirt surfaces like the one at Churchill Downs. And as Eight Belles’ two broken front legs showed Saturday, the combination is deadly.

Despite the wealth and glamour associated with Thoroughbred racing, there exists a dark underbelly that most of us never see. For the horses, life isn’t much different than it was for the ancient Roman gladiators. Some live, some die, but most end up broken, cast off, or sent to Europe to be killed for the dinner table. It’s a dirty business, not much better than dog fighting.

I hope people finally come to their senses and recognize that Thoroughbred horse racing, as it’s conducted today, is barbaric and in need of immediate and drastic reform. It should be a no-brainer that these magnificent animals should not be trained or raced until age three when their bones are fully formed. Equally obvious should be the need for cushioned tracks like those used in California. And the number of races a horse is allowed to run per season should be limited, another no-brainer. Finally, whipping should be disallowed. If no one is allowed to whip, the playing field remains level.

It’s rare to find me on the same side of an issue as PETA, but that’s exactly where I stand on this one, at least as regards the need for reform. They’re calling for the Kentucky Racing Authority to institute sweeping reforms that would stop much of the suffering. Story

They’ve made it simple. Complete this form email to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to insist that they take immediate steps to prevent future tragedies. It’s a simple gesture requiring little effort on our parts yet making our voices heard. It’s the right thing to do.

This ‘toon from Shannan asks a logical question…

Good to know I wasn’t the first to ask it.

Today marks the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, affectionately known as the Run For the Roses and considered by many to be “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”

The classic American horse race, the Derby is the oldest consecutively run Thoroughbred race in America. It is run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Preceding the Preakness in mid-May and the Belmont in early June, it’s the first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing. Won by only eleven horses since 1919, Triple Crown winners include memorable names like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Whirlaway and Affirmed.

The first Kentucky Derby was run May 17, 1875, before a crowd of 10,000 from around the city, state and surrounding areas. A field of fifteen three-year-olds ran a one and a half mile course with the race won by H.P. McGrath’s Aristides. The following year, the distance was shortened to the present mile and a quarter.

The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds; fillies carry 121 pounds and colts 126 pounds. So far, only three fillies have won the Derby: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, and Winning Colors in 1988. Not surprisingly, the Derby has produced myriad statistics and trivia over the course of its colorful history. The largest field, for example, was during the 100th running in 1974 when 23 horses ran. The smallest fields were in 1892 and 1905, with only three horses in each race. The fastest Derby was run by the legendary Secretariat who covered the mile and a quarter in 1:59 2/5, the only Derby winner to finish under two minutes.

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., who built Churchill Downs, had wanted his track to feature a race that would rival England’s Epsom Derby. So, after visiting England to study its tracks and races, he established the Kentucky Derby. But the Derby was just another regional race until 1902 when Colonel Matt J. Winn took over the track. He’d seen every Derby since its beginning and, although he knew little about horse racing or running race tracks, he was an excellent promoter.

After raising enough money to save Churchill Downs from bankruptcy, Winn began making frequent trips to New York, the center of American racing at the time, to persuade owners to enter their horses in the Kentucky Derby. His persistence paid off. By 1920 the Derby had become the best known race in North America and was attracting top three-year-olds from all over the country.

Steeped in tradition, the Derby is as much about zany hats, mint juleps and its extravagant Derby Festival as horse racing. For many, it’s the social event of the year. And while rains promise a muddy track and infield this year, they haven’t dampened attendees’ spirits. Spectators have picked their favorites, staked out their grassy viewing spots and will spend the day celebrating. That is, until the 6:04 (EST) post time when all eyes will be on the 134th Run For the Roses where history will, once again, be made.

When we vacationed last July with Cindy and Ray, Cindy had just bought a mobile GPS to help her navigate our Sacramento>Carmel>Yosemite>Folsom road trip in case our cars became separated. As I recall, she had some problems with it… beginning with getting it to stick to her windshield and later with its disagreeing with the fancy schmancy GPS in our car. So when I saw this Randall Monroe ‘toon, I immediately thought of them… and the wonderful memories came rushing back.

Michael reminds me that today is also May Day. Ancient spring rites that related human fertility to crop fertility gave birth to most modern May Day festivities. May 1 is the traditional day to crown the May queen, dance around the maypole, perform mummers’ plays, and generally celebrate the return of spring. In Great Britain, the custom of “bringing in the May” involves gathering “knots,’ or branches with buds, on the eve or early morning of May 1.

Of course, the day is also linked to organized labor’s fight for workers’ rights and, since 2006, Uno de Mayo, organized demonstrations by illegal immigrants in an effort to gain legal status in the U.S. I prefer the more traditional May Day festivities of my youth: the celebration of spring and dancing ‘round the maypole.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday in May, inviting people to pray for the nation. The day was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The theme for this year is “Prayer! America’s Strength & Shield.”

If there is a service in your community, you might consider attending. Our country could use some extra prayer right now. For more information, visit nationaldayofprayer.org.

Yes, the title has changed but the cast of characters remains the same…

Let’s see, since Part 2 in this series we’ve debated and settled the burning technical question of whether or not our decision to include seafood in our otherwise vegetarian diet entitled us to wear the mantle of “vegetarian.” You’ll recall that some in the vegetarian community were pretty sensitive about who used the title and, upon learning that we were eating fish, promptly informed us that we didn’t qualify. It was much the same response we’d received from the vegan community who told us we didn’t fit the required profile for membership because we hadn’t shunned leather shoes and car seats, and weren’t wearing hemp clothing.

But thanks to a more forgiving arm of vegetarianism, we accepted the distinction of “pescevegetarians” - otherwise vegetarians that, like us, eat fish and other seafood. And before you point out that the word isn’t in the dictionary, remember that our conversion was aimed at adopting a more healthy diet, not making a political, spiritual or ecological statement. A “title”, at least for us, serves merely to facilitate discussion and simplify ordering in restaurants.

So here we are, nearly two months into our epicurean adventure into pescevegetarianism (impressive non-word, isn’t it?) and an update seems in order. Are we still on program? Yes, pretty much so. Do we miss cheese, dairy, meat? Not terribly. Are we still contributing to methane in the atmosphere? Sometimes, and we haven’t quite nailed down which foods, or combinations of foods, cause us to, uh, contribute. But it’s infrequent, so we’re taking that as a sign our bodies are adjusting.

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The YFZ Ranch story, originally centered on child abuse, has reopened a Pandora’s box of confusion and misinformation about the legal and moral issues surrounding polygyny, polyandry and polygamy.

In the strict legal sense, polygamy is illegal in the United States. Yet enforcement has become touchy because of challenges based on Constitutional equal protection.

When the courts said it was alright for two consenting adults to live together (as if married) under a “contract” other than one of marriage, they opened the door, some argue, for a man and multiple women to also live together under a slightly different “contract”. And following that line of reasoning, a woman would likewise be able to take multiple “husbands” under a “contract”. The fine point in this argument is that, as long as the participants don’t call their arrangement “marriage” and don’t apply for a marriage license (or call themselves husband and wife), they shouldn’t be prosecuted for polygamy.

The YFG Ranch story has rekindled the debate. I doubt we’ll ever accept polygamy in the U.S. — it doesn’t fit well with our culture and history — but unless we take some legal position against “what” is being done and stop dancing around what it’s “called,” cults like this one will continue to spring up under the guises of religion and equal protection.

My brother, Ken, sent this oldie, but it’s definitely worth another turn, especially now…

John, the farmer, was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called “pullets”, and ten roosters whose job it was to fertilize the eggs.

The farmer kept meticulous records and any rooster that didn’t perform went into the soup pot and was replaced. That took an awful lot of his time, so he bought a set of tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance which roosters were working. He could sit on the porch and fill out efficiency reports simply by listening to the bells.

The farmer’s favorite rooster was old Butch and a very fine specimen he was, too. But on this particular morning, John noticed old Butch’s bell hadn’t rung at all! John went to investigate. The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing. The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.

But to Farmer John’s amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak so it couldn’t ring! He’d sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one. John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair where the old rooster became an overnight sensation among the judges. As a result, the judges not only awarded him the “No Bell Piece Prize” but the “Pulletsurprise” as well!

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards on the planet by being the best at sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren’t paying attention!

The story offers some valuable advise: Vote carefully this year. The bells are not always audible.

Remember the WiFi pact brewed up between AT&T and Starbucks earlier this year? Well, the two have announced that the rollout has begun at company-operated Starbucks locations and the nationwide effort will continue throughout 2008.

Effective May 1st, qualifying AT&T high-speed internet / WiFi customers — that’s those who subscribe to one of the three higher-speed residential broadband packages, a small business broadband package or a U-verse offering with high-speed internet — will have free WiFi access at over 7,000 coffeehouses across the US. Coupled with AT&T’s January announcement offering broadband subscribers free WiFi at all their WiFi locations nationwide, it’s looking like a pretty good year for AT&T broadband subscribers!