It’s been six years. Perhaps the emotions you experienced that day - terror, disbelief, anger - have faded. Perhaps you think that day is a horrible part of our history to be filed away. It’s not. The enemy is reforming and will strike again. The war against evil is now and forever a part of our lives. We must be vigilant. We must use all means to defeat the enemy or he will surely defeat us. That is the nature of war. And make no mistake - we are at war.

We must remember the act of war that brought us here. Take a few moments to watch this video. Do you remember that day? Were you angry? Are you still angry?

We are Americans. We honor our dead and we give aid and comfort to those who have suffered. But then we return to the battlefield to engage and defeat the aggressor. He is still there, plotting, planning to attack again. The war is not over…

Remember those who perished that day. Say a prayer for those who carry on without them. Never forget.

During World War II, the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from possible Japanese air attacks. They covered it with camouflage netting and trompe l’oeil to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air. As this series of 9 photographs illustrates, the ruse was quite effective, allowing workers to carry out their daily routines without fear of becoming targets…

Tip o’ the hat to Davey!

A woman went to the doctor’s office and was seen by a young, new doctor. After a few minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room, screaming as she ran down the hall.

An older doctor stopped her and asked what was wrong and the woman explained. After hearing what had transpired, he had her sit down and relax in another room.

The doctor marched down the hallway to the exam room and confronted the younger doctor. “What’s the matter with you? Mrs. Johnson is 59 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you tell her she’s pregnant?”

The new doctor continued writing in the woman’s file and, without looking up, asked, “Does she still have the hiccups..?”

These are purportedly photographs (click to enlarge) of the worlds largest helicopter, sighted on the tarmac in Dease Lake, B.C., a couple weeks ago. It was apparently being used to move mining equipment and cargo to Galore Creek, a new mine in that area. Called the Utsky and owned by a Russian company, the behemoth chopper couldn’t land at the unpaved air strip at Bob Quinn Lake (its rotor wash blows 12-inch rocks around like leaves!) so it had to land at Dease Lake until the landing site north of Bob Quinn could be inspected. It’s probably bigger than anything ever seen at the Dease Lake Airport, including the terminal building!

Stats (unverified):

• Russian crew of 6 (2 pilots, 1 navigator, 2 engineers (mechanics), 1 cargo person)

• Carries 75 troops

• Consumes 2000 litres of fuel per hour

• Range: 580 km

• Rental rate: $30,000/hr

• Length: 40 metres

• Rotor: 8 blades, each about 2 feet wide

Thanks Davey!

For those of you who didn’t catch this season’s America’s Got Talent, you missed perhaps the best ventriloquist act I’ve ever seen. Terry Fator went on to win the $1 million contest and will be appearing in Las Vegas before the year is out. Give this video a watch. It may just reshape your perception of ventriloquists…

Want more? Watch all of Fator’s America’s Got Talent performances on YouTube.

This comes from Sara…

How cool is this? Cadbury’s has just launched a $12.5 million (£6.2m) campaign for Dairy Milk featuring a gorilla playing the drum solo of Phil Collins’ track “In the Air Tonight.” The ad was written and directed by Sony Bravia “balls” creative director Juan Cabral of Fallon London. The video ad apparently launched Friday during the episode of “Big Brother” to rave reviews. Is the gorilla real? You tell me. Is this a cool ad? You bet!

A unique art form perfected by Japanese artist Kazuo Akasaki who can spend as much as six months producing a single work. Each is completed entirely of fallen leaves. After being awarded the “Salon de Paris” at the 1986 Fine-arts Paris Exhibition of Japan, Akasaki continued perfecting his techniques and has written several instructional books on his art form and opened a school to teach his techniques. The works are truly exceptional.

To learn more about the artist and see more of his work, check out Japan Probe and this Flickr site.

Grandson Dakota is pretty involved in sports, playing league soccer and basketball, and running track as well. He had a tournament weekend before last and Dawn and I attended Saturday’s game. They went on to win the tournament Sunday.

I had taken my camera and a “walk-around” lens which was, unfortunately, not quite up to the task of shooting action sports from that distance. Nonetheless, I grabbed a few descent shots (most of which required cropping) and have posted them for your perusal.

I was amazed to notice in the image below just how much Dakota (right) looks like his dad at that age! I’m also amazed that these kids are able to play in this heat - it was over 100 degrees! But it was a great game for the team and the spectators.

Not likely in today’s political morass. In fact, I doubt he’d be able to do anything that helped make us the great nation we are today. Why? Because we’ve become hamstrung by lawyers, corrupt politicians and commie organizations like the ACLU and, without realizing it, we’ve become a nation of veal calves. We’re too fat and lazy to do the dirty work, make the tough decisions, carry the heavy loads. We’d rather let politicians, our so called “elected officials,” do it for us. After all, isn’t that why we elected them?

No, it isn’t, but I won’t get into that now. I just wanted readers to see this political cartoon that’s been sitting on my desktop for so long I’ve forgotten who sent it to me (sorry.)

Why can’t we fix the mess that plagues our republic today? Because every boat has at least one of these guys sitting in the back and saying we “can’t do that.” Not rowing, mind you, just getting in the way of real patriots who want to roll up their sleeves and fix the problems.

Know what I say? Throw the bums out of the boat!

Last Thursday, as Dawn and I waited for the O Street RR crossing arms to be raised, we watched a young man on a bicycle lift the arm and move inside. Almost immediately, the train sped through with him standing there straddling his bike. Had there been an extension on one of the rail cars, it surely would have decapitated him! The second the train had passed, he crossed the tracks, rode around the opposite crossing arm, crossed in front of traffic and peddled on his merry way, probably imagining that the 20 seconds he’d just saved would make all the difference in his busy day. And the “coolness” factor! Let’s not forget that! What was he thinking?

So when I saw this PSA video on RT Driver’s site, I thought it worth sharing. As Jon points out, “Next time you ponder walking or driving around the crossing arms at a train crossing, remember that you never know what train is coming from what direction…”

“American workers stay longer in the office, at the factory or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year. The average U.S. worker
produces $63,885 of wealth per year, more than their counterparts in all other countries…”
-International Labor Organization

Today is the first Monday in September, Labor Day, a legal holiday in the U.S. that serves as our unofficial “last gasp of summer” three-day weekend. It also marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the weekend of Labor Day, with the NFL playing their first game the Thursday following. Traditionally celebrated with parades, picnics, and barbecues, Labor Day also marks the date after which it is no longer appropriate to wear white. But have we forgotten what Labor Day actually celebrates?

The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire by the Central Labor Union to create a day off for the “working man” and became a federal holiday by Act of Congress in 1894. It’s celebrated today mainly as a day of rest that marks the symbolic end of summer for many.

In keeping with tradition, Dawn and I spent the three-day weekend with family and friends. We ran a few errands, ate a few hotdogs and took Steve and Lori’s boxer dog, Jasmine, on a walk along Lake Natoma. Jas is a real sweetheart and a pleasure to take on walks. Our regular route takes about an hour, but with Jas it took two, was considerably shorter and was much more “fun.” She stayed right beside us while we walked, laid down on the grass next to us for rests in the shade, wasn’t at all bothered by other dogs or people, chased sticks at the edge of the lake (and laid down in the water while we chatted with a kayaker), and was a joy to have along. We look forward to doing it again!

Tomorrow begins a four-day work week as we head towards cooler weather and the official end of summer. I’ll miss the longer days and summer activities but, truth be told, fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Winter, well, let’s just say that cold and wet are not my friends.