The road that was...

In a recent post, I whined about the condition of the Augusta Bottom Road. Above is the Google Map of the worst section of the road. I played around with the color to make the water holes stand out.

You can see the vehicle traffic on what pretends to be the "road" -- the dark objects on the wider white ribbon.

Google Maps has drawn the "map" of the road to the right of the actual road -- it drew the road where it used to be before the Great Flood of 1993. As you can see, there are now two sizeable bodies of water where the road was, the larger is the darker area center right. The smaller is the green oval to the left. These are called scour holes, and are often created during a flood when a levees fails.

So, thirteen years later, nobody has fixed this mess.

Rooty Van Halen

Rooty will no longer eat the green dog biscuits.

I have no idea why.

My own little corner of the USA, no Canada, no the USA...

You probably remember from your grade school geography class that the 49th Parallel is the boundary between the U.S. and Canada between Vancouver Island and Minnesota. This produces the curious fact that -- if your are driving -- you have to go through Canada to reach Point Roberts, Washington. Map above.

East of the Minnesota, a bunch of Canada is so far south of the 49th Parallel that 27 states are in whole or in part north on the southernmost point of Canada (Middle Island, Ontario). Twelve states are entirely north of Middle Island.

This brings us to the Northwest Angle of Minnesota -- usually just called the Angle. Besides Point Roberts, it is the only other part of one of the contiguous 48 states that you have to drive through Canada to get to -- like Point Robert, you can go directly by boat.

Unlike Point Roberts, however, the Angle sticks up above the 49th Parallel, making it the northernmost point in the contiguous United States, and Angle Inlet the northernmost town in the contiguous 48. (Maine just looks as if it is the most north point because of map distortions.) It is a 40 mile drive to get from the rest of Minnesota to the Angle -- this means crossing the international border between the U.S. and Canada twice.

The customs check point between Canada and the United States, whether entering or leaving the Angle, is on the honor system. Yes, the honor system. The crossing is officially "Jim's Corner" and the custom house is the little shack in the photo below dwarfed by the sign. It has a video phone to connect to either U.S. or Canadian customs, but that apparently seldom works. If nothing else, the little shack is larger than some Amtrak stations.

Who, what, where, huh?

"Rumsfeld to visit Vietnam to boost military ties."
Reuters 6/4/06

The Virtual Wall
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Online
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"Crusin' and playing the radio, with no particular place to go"

Rooty and I spent last night (Friday) in Missouri. On the way back this afternoon, we were heading north on I-270 when a stretch limo passed us. It had to be doing 80! As it passed by, I noticed that it said "United States Department of Transportation" on the side. There was also a handsome seal, and DOT license plates. I thought it would exit at I-70 and head for the airport, which might justify the speeding. Instead, it exited at Natural Bridge/St. Charles Rock Road -- says "restaurant" to me!

While those of you who live near DC, in Maryland or Virginia, are probably used to government limos zipping along your roadways, it's pretty uncommon around here.

Personally, I don't think you should be allowed to work for something called the U.S. Department of Transportation is you are unable to drive yourself a car.

Notes from the doctor's waiting room...

Woman arrives with big curlers in her hair. Call me a sexist pig, but why would she put her hair up in curlers and then go to a doctor's office? If it were urgent, they would have taken her right away. If it were an emergency, there is an urgent care facility in the building. She was still there when we left, curlers and all.

Family arrives carrying their lunch, drinks and bags from Hardee's. No kids, all adults, youngest a boy about 18. One of the women had the appointment -- the rest of them sat there and ate their burgers.

Two different people, at two different times, came in and asked at the counter to see the doctor. Neither had appointments. They just wanted to see the doctor right then and there. Neither had been a patient before. There was no open display of laughter from the staff, but they were probably doing that in the back room, probably still are!

[I was a tag-along, not the patient, that's why I was in the waiting room so long.]

The Hangman Wenteth Away

Reuters reports that before England abolished the death penalty, would-be hangmen were often disqualified for unusual reasons:

One applicant was disqualified for having a "somewhat morbid interest in the work." The work, of course, was killing people.

Another was turned down for being "too talkative when drunk." I guess they didn't mind if he was drunk on the job, they just didn't want him to be too chatty.

My favorite is they guy whose morals were judged to be "too loose" to be a hangman -- it reminded me of Alice's Restaurant, in which Arlo Guthrie's conviction for "bein' a litterbug" were judged to make him unfit for the Army.

NOTES:

The picture is Bruce Pobanz, The Hangman, inspirational speaker, former champion pro-wrestler, movie actor, Hall of Fame Member, and church pastor.

The song Alice's Restaurant was released in 1966, the movie is from 1969. Arlo was actually classified A-1 after his famous draft physical but his number was never called in the Draft Lottery. Knowing that President Nixon had a copy of the song, Alro has always maintained that Alice's Restaurant is what was erased from the Watergate Tapes, creating the 18 1/2 minute gap. The song runs 18 minutes and 20 seconds.

Mr. Piano Man

Next week may, or may not, see the final episode of Everwood on The WB. Part One of the Series Finale aired this week, Part Two is scheduled for next week. The network has announced that the series has been cancelled. That would all seem pretty definite -- except that the last episode is said to have so many "cliff-hangers" in it that a TV movie or mid-season replacement next year might be what is planned.

As some of you know, I like to watch the series finales of TV shows, even of those that I have never watched. So, next week, Everwood here I come.

I did watch the first season -- since then it has been hit or miss (mostly miss). This is the plot as best I can remember: New York City brain surgeon moves his family to mountains, where his son (Ephram, right in photo) immediately falls in love with a pretty mountain girl (Amy, on the left) whose current boyfriend oddly enough needs brain surgery (man, what are the adds?).

The boyfriend dies, so Ephram and Amy get to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but then they break up and he gets his nanny pregnant. His father, the brain surgeon, and the nanny decide not to tell him he's a daddy, and he cannot get into Juilliard, so he goes backpacking across Europe and misses a bunch of episodes. The ratings never recover, so they add Scott Wolf to the cast, who's supposed to be a doctor, but he's shorter and looks younger than Ephram, so everyone thinks he's been adopted by the single lady next door.

With Ephram gone, Amy turns to drugs, her mother develops cancer, and her father (also a doctor and Catholic) performs abortions. Her brother, Bright, who was probably not intended to be a main character, becomes a fan favorite and his part increases until Ephram returns. He returns to being a goof.

In the final episode, all the cast get on a big bus and it plunges off of a cliff. Such are the dangers of living in the mountains. Miraculously, the bus lands right in the middle of the old Love Boat set and everyone sings as the final credits role:

Love, exciting and new
Come Aboard. We're expecting you.
Love, life's sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.

Love Boat soon will be making another run
The Love Boat promises something for everyone
Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.

My Name is Jimbob

I have seen part of one episode of My Name is Earl. It seems to be about some guy who won the lottery and travels around trying to undo "wrongs" in his past. He does this in lieu of spending some of the money on a day at Barneys and a decent haircut.

My short exposure to Earl and his tribulations caused me to wonder about what wrongs I should correct if I won the lottery, then I decided 'screw'em if they can't take a joke,' and I'd spend then money on myself.

"And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, stun-guneth that sucker."

A church in Missouri bought Tasers for a local police department. It is unclear why the police department could not buy its own Tasers. It is also probably a good idea for police to carry Tasers. If you have never seen a Taser in operation, there is a police video below. Oddly, most of the discussion in the local press has been about separation of church and state. I would have thought that the more pertinent discussion would have been what the hell would Jesus have to say? If you don't understand the question, watch the video and then read the quotes below the video screen.



In the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says:

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV)

A parallel version is offered in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke:

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,"

"Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." (Luke 6:28-31. King James Version)