Tiger Wins With Broken Leg

First?

Hey Moose! *waving* :-)

Timothy Ferris Rules. "Coming of Age in the Milky Way" should be read at least every presidential campaign. In addition to helping revitalize one's awareness of the History of Science, it helps put things into perspective.

I think Brokaw may have picked up some of that language in the "Big Book of Metaphors" he got for Father's Day. Though I don't remember reading anything about Icarus in astronomy class.

A double stress fracture in his tibia (Tiger, not Tom). Jeez. The man is incredible.

Although I dislike it immensely, the 360 head spin followed by shouting I can tolerate.

Now if Green Pea Soup becomes involved, then we got serious problems. 'cause I really love Green Pea Soup.

Wait! Why is it the "Keith Olbermann Phenomenon?" Why not the "Fox News Phenomenon?"

Once again, the Right is turning the tables with their screeching.. "You can't do that!"

Apparently "We already do that!" doesn't win any arguments.

"not-quite-Grover-waves" :o)

Hi Scotty!

I hit submit too soon. Sheesh.

Olbermann is a dancing monkey. So are O'Reilly and Coulter. Sean Hannity, I'm afraid, believes that cr@p.

Darn. I was going to post the Brokaw thing yesterday in response to one of the boodler's book titles.
Oh well. I'm comforted by knowing that great minds think alike.
That's a fun piece on Olbermann BTW, he really is nuts. In a good way, of course.

Oh, and from this morning, I forgot to digress on Gerson. He is now, always has been, and will forever be a partisan hack and shill. Every word he writes has the sulphuric stench of poorly transcribed talking points.

I would bet that Dubya has done at least as much blow as Franken, but at least Al is open and candid about his mistakes. I would love to see Republican Party Reptile P. J. O'Rourke run for office and watch these easily offended right wingers heads spin as they excuse PJ's humor as 'youthful' and 'hyperbolic.'

Tiger *knew* he had stress fractures and played in the Open anyway? And put all that torque on said fractures? I don't know the medical implications, but we he risking a Joe Theismann moment?

The good news about Tiger is that, even with this terrible injury, he and his family will not go without food, clothing, or shelter.

I don't like the return to yellow journalism we are currently experiencing; I hope that one of the byproducts of the Internet sorting-out will be a higher level of responsible journalism. But I'm not holding my breath. Profit is waayyy too important to owners right now.

RD -- love Ferris's Coming of Age book. YEs, required reading. Should be on the boodle beach reading list. This kit makes me miss Tim Russert even more.
BTW, certain boodlers post on Celebritology quite often and they are funny. And, they know who they are and I shall not call them out.

Working through the pain: is it heroism or sadism? Hard to tell. I shall invoke Tiger this evening when my neighbor tells me again to not ride my bike and swim, etc., with ribs that need to baste.

Or knit. My ribs need to knit themselves: paging MostlyL and DR. Shall we pray to the yarn goddesses that Tiger's tibia knits itself soon and well?

Not too much tackling in PGA golf, I think. Although I could be wrong.

Not too much tackling in PGA golf, I think. Although I could be wrong.

If the networks are going have their anchors read the news and bless us with their opinions they should have to wear moose antlers when they're punditing.
The fishnets would be superfluous 'cause you couldn't see them behind the desk.

Not to dwell, but I used a phrase in the last kit that I regret. Although it can be defended technically, it certainly was not what one would call classy. I apologize for it.

I mean the last boodle!! Delusions of Grandeur!

I'm clearly rattled. Have a great day folks.

Not Moose's antlers. Let's be clear, I wouldn't even suggest such a thing.

'Salright, Moose, I knew what ya meant. :-)

I think the critical distinction between NBC and Fox is that only some of the folks at NBC do the head spinning shouting thing, whereas at Fox...

RD, what word? Hypothetical? Borderline? Help me out here.

I change locals again today. Off to load up the car. Again. Have a sunny day all.

I didn't mean to make too much equivalence between Olbermann and O'Reilly. I find Keith witty, sharp, and well-informed. Adjectives I would not use on Bill-O. The Howard Beale routine, however heart-felt, is clearly tolerated among the powers that be because it is drawing eyeballs.

On AM radio there has been a search for the liberal Rush and Al Franken was not it mostly because he was not vitriolic enough while Randi Rhodes was (and she eventually got fired for it). Take that Gerson.

Raysmom - Tigers decision to play had to do with a love of the sport and the competitive nature within him. With any sport, the love of being out there playing is greater than the fear of injury, greater than the worry of next week. It is the absolute soul fulfillment that one gets from doing what they love at this very moment that matters. To do any less would be an insult to oneself.

Or maybe that's just me....

Tim, I *know* there isn't tackling in PGA golf. I just wondered whether the torque on his leg could have changed the stress fracture into a worse sort of one.

Tackle golf might be an interesting experiment. Player #1 shoots and starts moving toward his ball. Player #2, giving Player #1 a 30-second head start, follows. Player #1 must make his next shot before #2 tackles him. John Daly might have a chance, although speed may come into play as well.

Pretty sure that I pressed the button only once. I guess I was just so wise that the WaPo felt I needed to say it again. Yes, I think that must be it.

Kerric:

clap clap clap clap

Raysmom, I knew you knew. And, I suspect, you know I knew you knew. But I hoped to plant that image. Imagine a hushed crowd. The player examines his sight lines. He prepares for his shot. He selects his club. He addresses the ball ("How you doin'? Having a good day?"). He begins his backstroke, when WHOA! a 300-lb caddy races in from the sidelines and takes him down in a vicious tackle! The crowd goes wild!

As much as I don't understand the cultural obsession with sports, I vaguely relate to the competitive drive. This morning I got up earlier than I had to and beat my previous best time on my ten-mile bike route by 20 seconds. All the exertion and exhaustion were worth it.

When I tore my ACL, my only thoughts were how long it would take to be able to ride my bike again. I upset my wife because I had the surgery in January so that I would be recovered by April rather than have it done in June when my wife would be free to help with my recuperation.

So while I'm not Tiger Woods, I understand why he played. He had to.

Tim, sounds like some of the company golf outings I've attended.

Very poetic, Kerric. And with Tiger, it just might be true. Taking nothing away from his incredible performance, I tend to agree with Raysmom. As I said at the end of the last boodle, I'm uncomfortable with the glorification of athletes playing through the pain. Tiger had every right to do it -- obviously, this tournament meant a lot to him, it's his body and his career that he's risking, and as slyness pointed out, his family will do just fine financially however long his recovery takes. But I worry about the example being set. Remember just a few weeks ago, when we were reading about the "warrior girl" soccer players ending up hobbled for life from youth soccer? If Tiger's such a hero for going against his doctor's advice, why should kids who admire him wait until their injuries are healed to play again?

All that said, yes, I was watching, and it was amazing.

Tackle Golf: Where high-sticking isn't a penalty, it's a requirement.

Tonight at nine, only on The Ocho.

bia, I would say most athletes have at one point played through pain - and not just the top tier athletes. Right or wrong goes with the territory - in part as Kerric described so well due to love of the game/sport, in part competitive drive, in part expectations of others.

You care more about some golfer's bad knee than the endangered Torrey Pine, also known as the Del Mar or Soledad pine?

Interesting how Brokaw front-loaded the "Meet the Press" guestlist last Sunday with women, yet had the nerve or audacity to show the brief Russert-Clinton clip during which Russert asks Clinton, "What was your greatest public adversity?" (We meandered to NBC during the ads on George S." show.) The peacock and little peacocklings are losing their luster in this household.

From the June 16 NYT:

But the list of potential names to assume the moderator role on "Meet the Press" is already well known. From inside NBC, the potential candidates include the evening news anchor, Brian Williams, who would be doing double duty (as Mr. Schieffer did for a time at CBS), correspondents David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell and MSNBC hosts like Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough and Keith Olbermann. Several of those names are already lightning rods for critics, however.

Playing through the pain is what you do. Pain is how your body tells you that you are stretching your performance limits, which is exactly what you want to do. Anything less is failure, even if you win, because you didn't discover what you COULD have accomplished. You will always have some pain. If you pay attention to it, it will hobble you, so you get in the habit of ignoring it. In my active cycling days, it was ordinary for me to simply stop noticing pain. Bicyclists isolate a lot of pain their legs. Eventually, you can learn to treat them as machines whose complaints are of no interest to you. I was never able to manage this trick when I ran cross-country, which is why I was a lousy cross-country runner.

Hey, I was just reading that Olbermann article at lunchtime! I noted that it was illustrated by Richard Thompson. That reflects some glory on the A-blog, doesn't it, a connection to the New Yorker?

Yello - thanks for the compliment in the last boodle. I was wondering if the fact that George Takei and I share something uniquely in common was something to tell people about...

Tiger is truly an athlete. Only real athletes play with injuries. Not saying it's a good idea, but seems most driven athletes will do it. Tiger is fortunate that he hasn't gotten to the point where it has ended his career. How often we've seen that happen! There must be some kind of addiction to sports, people will keep on playing even if it means major permanent damage to their bodies. Was it in the WaPo or the NYT that I saw an article about a star female soccer player and torn ACLs? In any case, it seems to be something our culture promotes in our kids with competitive sports.

*wildly waving my hand in the air hoping to be called on*

Yes, I care more about some golfer's bad knee than I care about a tree. I didn't know golf endangered any trees, since golfers try pretty hard to avoid hitting them. Perhaps you misunderstood the comment, "Wow, Bob, Tiger really blasted that three-wood."

dmd, sure, of course. And I'm not advocating wimpiness. (I still remember the whiner on my childhood gymnastics team. This hurts, that hurts... C'mon, just suck it up already. I was very proud of my own rips and bruises.) But it's a question of the culture of sport finding a balance between demanding toughness on any given day and recognizing that you'll still need that body tomorrow.

Because inviting frequent guests Mary Matalin and Doris Goodwin and his producer and associate of seventeen years is just tokenism meant to whitewash the blatant misogyny of the most beloved figure in television journalism since Walter Cronkite. And getting a few extra jabs in on Hillary is how Tim would have wanted it.

Did you notice that when they ran the montage of eventual candidates sidestepping Russert's signature "Are you going to run for president question?" Hillary's was the least evasive and most inaccurate. D@mn biased sexist media exposing her lies.

Give it a break! RD may be apologetic over his word choice, but I side with the accuracy of his statement.

Not saying that Tiger shouldn't have played, or any injured athlete for that matter--it's a personal decision. I'm genuinely curious as to what further injury he might have been risking.

Last I checked, concern for Tiger and concern for an endangered tree were not mutually exclusive.

With injuries of any bodily sort -- as compared to say, emotional, spiritual, or other ethereal injuries, -- the user (athlete or normal person) cannot always tell when pain is the signal to stop 21) because the injury is increasing or worsening, or 2 ) the little slug inside of you quivers at any discomfort and uses the moment to say soothingly and seductively, " there, there, darling wounded one. Let's just stay on the couch forever, with re-runs of Columbo and Mannix on the Sleuth Channel. We can eat bon bons, too, if you like. Forever."

I've found myself telling my daughter to suck it up after being beaned at bat. Once I heard the thud as the ball hit her square in the back next to her shoulder blade. I knew it was a hard hit but I waited until the coach brought her off the field before I went to check on her. She was crying but seemed okay. I told her to suck it up and get her composure back. It was only after we got home and I saw the big round purple bruise (with marks from the ball's stitches) that I felt really bad for telling her that. Bad baseball mommy.

Raysmom, sorry if I put words in your mouth. I'm not even saying he shouldn't have played, either. Just wondering about the bigger picture a little.

OK, you all get my point by now. Off to run some errands. (Freedom from the computer in the middle of a weekday! Joy!)

Isn't the Torrey Pine on the way up, not the way out? And I know his last name can be a tad confusing, but I think the opening section of the kit is about a golfer named Tiger Woods, not forestry.

Just trying to help out.

Loomis,

And can I also answer your beyond-rhetorical question this way:

I happen to care about just about anything more than I care about your latest buzz-killing gotcha. And the only Soledad I care about is O'Brien, who would make a fine host of Meet The Press.

Lit, aren't you gracious, why bless your lil-ole sweet self. But, honey, the up an coming golfer is named

Porrey Tine!

Torry "Lonesome" Pine is curling PHEnom from down in San Diego who plays in the SoCal-Mexicali leagues.

--
Drive safely; did you pack both pairs of metallic-leather whispey sandals? Two pairs of ephemeral shoes are better than one pair.

Once again, Loomis fails to realize that we care more about golfers' knees (or anything, actually) than the tree she came from.

What's the next thing we should be upset about instead of something else, Loomis?

I (and I think most Boodlers and Mr. Kit) have a very wide range of interests and issues and concerns that we think and speak and write about. Some serious, some not so serious, but many different things.

I could give a flyin' fart about Torrey Pines or mulch fires, just as you could give a "rat's patoot" about the things I find important. The difference is that I and most civilized people aren't rude about it.

To turn the table... How dare *you* be so concerned about Torrey Pines or mulch fires when there are thousands upon thousands of children dying every day of starvation and malaria and war? Did you give blood today? Did you go around and check on all your elderly neighbors? Have you replaced all the lightbulbs in your home with energy efficient compact fluorescents?

If you want to have a contest about what's more important than what, I got lots of ammo.

Sheesh...

And now I've got the song from the end of Monty Python's "Life of Brian" in my head now... "Always look on the bright side of life..."

{* taking that whistling tune cootie back out to the shop *}

It's so cute when ladies start talking sports. Both of you are confusing Torrey Pine with minor league bleacher sitting veteran Seymour Butz.

Ah, the multi-cultural festival that is Soledad O'Brien! Just imagine how many fences could be mended with that one appointment. I would say something about her consummate professionalism and hard-hitting real-news edge, but all I really know about her is what I've seen on the Colbert Report. And on in-flight airline "news" drivel. And in the occasional fluff-news article.

I dunno. I think the whole question of the relationship between sports and pain is a lot more complex and inseperable than it might appear. To a very large degree, pain isn't so much a physical problem or "warning" not to do something, but rather often is a marker of how well (or poorly) one is doing. Typically in most sports, one practices not onlu until one begins to feel some sort of pain, but to keep on doing whatever it is. The goal is either to "play through" the pain or to build up strength and stamina so the pain barrier recedes. For instance, a runner runs ten laps until it starts to hurt. The runner may or may not stop, but the point is to keep doing that so it doesn't hurt after the 10th lap, but the 12th. Then the 15th, and so on. One also learns that even though it may hurt after the 10th lap, you can still do another two or three laps, or whatever. One of the lessons an athlete learns is that pain doesn't necessarily mean "stop"; it means keep on exercising to get past it one way or the other.

The difference in Tiger's case is that sometimes pain really doesn't mean much (or anything), but that at other times it really *does* mean something (like "Stop!"); the problem is to learn to tell the difference. And Tiger's case is especially ambiguous: on one hand, one can argue he should never have played with stress fractures. But on the other hand, one can argue that his victory demonstrates in some sense that he "right," to play, and that although he was injured, he was able to overcome it. Was that "smart" or "dumb"? I have no clear idea. If at some point he'd collapsed on the 13th fairway and had to be carted off in an ambulance, we'd all be saying, "What an idiot!"

The other thing about a lot of sports is, you just know going into it that you are sooner or later gonna get hurt. This is quite clear in, say, football, and quite often in baseball, tennis, etc. Sometimes, good conditioning can minimize it, but it can never eliminate it. Other sports, such as golf or swimming, say, seem relatively pain-free, although one never knows when one can get a sprain or something like that.

So the lesson there is that for many sports, not only do you have to ignore pain, you also have to ignore *the risk* of pain. You really can't go out there (whatever the sport is) and think about your chances of getting hurt. So to a large extent, ignoring pain or the possibility of pain isn't only good, it is actually something of a requirement.

So, like anything else, it involves a certain amount of good judgement, a certain amount of courage -- and a certain amount of willful suspension of "good sense." Why anyone would willingly jump out of a perfectly good airplane, or crowd the plate (much less step up to it) against Roger Clemens, or run off-tackle against Dick Butkus is totally beyond me. I think that kind of behavior is infintely dumber than anything Tiger did.

But what the he11 do I know? I was a baseball umpire for 17 years. How effing dumb is that?

In all honesty, everytime I tweak my back, or disjoint my knee, I get back to my ususal routine within a day or two. This includes a heavy regimen of golf. I do this under the reasoning that, hey, it wouldn't have slowed you down as a teenager, why should it cause you to lose more than a day in your twenties. My basic rule has always been that if it isn't enough to keep me in bed, then it isn't enough to keep me from life. I'll probably regret this thought process when I'm older and don't heal as quickly as I do now.

...But I can worry about that later...

CP, now you are scareing me. You must be evesdroping on the little slug inside of me, referred to in your 2:44 post. You quote him word-for-word. The $64K question, though, is: how to break the sly ba$tard's grip on me? My life literaly depends on it, and yet I can't seem to get the Pb. out of my arse.

Wasn't it just yesterday that martooni said golf would be more interesting if it were a contact sport?

I was pretty good on the putt putt greens back in the day. Beat most of my friends most of the time.

Once played tree golf with brother and a friend of his. The object is to hit from friends front yard, across the street, into neighboring field. whoever got closest to the Oak tree won. I actually hit the tree twice, and came closest most often. This caused my brother and his friend to get bored and quit.

Gosh, I'm such a braggart.

I sure do miss the carefree summer days of youth.

Maybe if I'm ever allowed to retire I'll take up real golf. But I'm not wearing those silly pants.

I will do silly walks though...

CP, I'm heading back to the city for a day or two, so I packed the metallic strappy sandals and anything with a respectable heel (hi bc). I leave the hiking boots and the river shoes here. (Two pairs of shoes isn't nearly enough. From a childhood of hand-me-down shoes and five-and-dime zories comes a woman with a closet just for heels. But then again, my shoe size hasn't changed in years, making it much easier to become a collector.)

Malcolm Forbes isn't the only one to have been fooled by counterfeit bottles. Sarkozy the French prez recently offered a bottle of Cognac to the premier of Poland. They are not the best of friends and it's not going to change anytime soon afterr that story. The bottle they picked was from a Cognac producer that has been fined before for misrepresenting his products. The labels on the gift bottle suggested the company was founded in 1713 (it's more like 1997) and that the Cognacs used in the assemblage were at least 70 years old (the company did not had access to anything vintage.) The French press had a ball with that story. Counterfeit booze seems to be big business.

The best I could find in English:
http://www.premierfrenchproperty.com/content/sarkozys-boozy-blunder-poland

Slaying the Inner Slug: 90 days to a beach body and more

Don -- download the book from Amazon for 19.99. Cheat include this idea:

Salt the slug liberally.
Drown the slug in beer, cheepie beer will do fine.
Fling the slug into your neighbor's yard (brain).
Get someone to promise raise the roof bed-antics every time you ignore the slug's seductive siren's call (the replace good seduction with bad seduction trick).

A friend lost thirty pounds by putting a row of baby pictures on her fridge and tv...both parents died of heart attacks before 50 and did not know their grandchildren...so, she is looking at "future" faces....

I'm just catching up with the Boodle from lunchtime, but wanted to point out that in a different age, Tiger would have ended up with that leg being removed, possibly to be replaced with a nice wooden pegleg.

martooni, think you could lathe somethinng nice up for him if I coupld supply you with an appropriate chunk of Torrey Pine?

Hmm. We might want to make something with a fitting so he could attach a set of specialized club heads to it, just in case.

Aloha, I've been there myself. I typically play shortstop, but was talked into pitching fast-pitch softball practice once. Ended up with a painful bruise for about six weeks.

I wrote something about it on the 10thcircle, along with some other Boodler's reflections on baseball...

http://www.10thcircle.com/10/?p=208

Finally, I understand what LIT meant about race and gender in the context of the elections for POTUS.

Hillary Clinton had a lot going for her, and has excellent credentials to be elected President of the United States, yet her party selected a relatively inexperienced man to be the Dem Candidate.

Having said that, I think Obama *can* win the election come November.

And again, I do find "Let's find new ways to bash Obama and tie him to everything that's wrong with the United States" a tiresome game, in the same way that I find the extensive and tenuious genealogical exposition game "Let's find new ways to tie myself to anything or anyone I find important or interesting in the past 500 years" rather tedious as well. Seems to me like a variation of the same game.

But, that's just me.

bc

My sister has the life long scars to prove swimming isn't pain free. I think anything you do at a highly competitive level can cause injuries and life long problems - dancers must have problems later in life etc.

As with many things in life it is a trade off what do you give up to get that immediate or short term goal (job, victory etc).

'Mudge the real question is not why a professional athlete(who frankly is getting paid big money to do so, and is accustomed to it) would face any of those situations, but more why would an average slob do so on pros vs joes for some meager sum of money and telivised embarassment.

Oh LiT, I have such shoe fancies and fantasies. We had MAIL ORDER CORRECTIVE SHOES in brown and brown and brown....all the other girls had patent leather Mary Janes....I am still in recovery. What ever the commandment is about not coveting, well sure glad it was about cows and wives and important properties and not darling shoes with dear little buckles.

However, I did have several prs of cowboy boots....they hug the knees and cover the basic strike zone of rattlers. However, CPBRO2 was bitten just above the knee....ya know, growing helps you outwit the strike zone. We were told this about extreme pain, as in snake bite pain:

you have twenty minutes of adrenaline to trot on home. Do it. We will dress the wound and deal with anti-venom on the kitchen table.

I used that wisdom when i fell on my bike and broke the ribs....I called three people on my cell phone but no answers...then I rode my bike through the pain -- as Mudge notes -- Fear of moldering in the woods on a relatively obscure bike path was quite motivating!

I understand what you're saying, Kerric, but I don't think the "they are getting paid for it" idea adequately explains it. Granted, there are some players (seems to be mainly in the NBA) who have forgotten why they play, and are just in it for the money (some in football, too). But I think most are not, and the very best would play for free: Cal Ripken, for instance. And I don't thing the "I'm in it for the money" guys would crowd the plate; they aren't getting paid to do *that,* when they could just as safely stand back, take three wiffs, and sit down. And I don't for a second think Tiger did what he did "for the money."

It is sometimes hard for spectators to tell who is "playing for the money" and who isn't, but very often the other players know, and sooner or later the reputation gets out.

I agree I have no idea why the average Joe would do such a thing, nor do I understand why the average Joe or Jane would go on the Jerry Springer show or some of these other abominations, and humilate themselves for money they way they do. Now that *is* a total mystery to me. Athletes at least I understand.

DMD is right and my goodness, with two toe-shoe ballerina dots....my goodness the footsies look gnarled...and the stress fractures are legion. CPDOT2 each year was invited to audition for the three semi-pro troupes in DC...I was always relieved when she would go, be invited, and then decline. Her excuse: They want me to drop 20 lbs and I am already skinny. And, they are not having fun.

Swimming is better now, due to improved training with all sorts of equipment innovations and mandatory stroke patterns despite the swimmer's specialty.

I ran track at at Division 1 school in the West: we cinder-gals ran in the early am on a BANKED TRACK, running the same way ALL THE TIME. Because I ran 440s and 880s, my training distances on the BANKED TRACK were twice and three times that amount. The milers ran off on overland routes. My right hip is funky just due to the overuse by off-angle. Training would have prevented that. We did not lift weights nor cross train in any way. Such were the early glory days of Title 9 specifically but sports even at elite levels generally. Thank goodness for sports medicine and training. We all benefit.

Thank you also for lidocaine patches.....I keep thinking of Wallace Shawn saying IOcane powder. Let;'s pretend that I am building an immunity to iocane powder.

Good thing Tiger wasn't a horse.

Really, I have sincere admiration for the man. His combination of sheer ability, capacity for hard work to perfect that, willingness to learn from error, and powers of concentration are impressive. Episodes like this do create tension in using Tiger as a role model: is it better for kids to see someone disregard sound medical advice in pursuit of a goal?

As I understand it, the issue here is not whether Tiger was playing through pain which might have been an injury or might just have been performance-based (to loosely categorize the excellent explanations above). It sounds like he knew perfectly well something was wrong with his knee, even if he didn't know about the stress fractures, and had been warned against playing. I think that elite athletes at any level will indeed play through pain. I don't think we should be teaching our youngsters, most of whom won't be elite athletes, that one should push oneself to the point of injury for the chance of athletic achievement, personal or public.

Geez, RD or someone, come say that more elegantly. I've obviously been working; I'm using too many words.

Ivansmom, do not fear overmuch the dialogia from work. Look, dear barrister-gal at your first sentence! Such poetry as in meaning packed into a tiny overnight case.

Booya!

In the spirit of pain and importance, here's something that's important to me. It's the first anniversary of the Sofa Super Store fire, in which nine Charleston firefighters lost their lives:

http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/674663.html

Question to ponder: Do you know how good YOUR fire department is?

I confess I too have been a Bad Injury Mommy. Whether it is a playground mishap or a sports injury, my response has always been to assure the Boy that he is okay and can play through it. [My stock response: "There's no blood."] My favorite time was during a friendly fencing bout, where he was accidentally hit in the groin by an opponent (inexperienced fencers are the worst). I was reading. Another mom pointed out the Boy, on the ground, and told me what happened. I went over and told him that he might as well learn now that he could breathe deep, survive this pain, get up and continue fencing. I told him he'd thank me in later years, should some clever opponent in fencing or life think that this would be an all-consuming and decisive blow.

The Boy tends not to be impressed with these helpful tips. I still maintain he'll thank me later. I also tell him it builds character.

It is so easy for kids to be "hurt" and give up, I want him to understand what his body can and can't do. Thus my profound respect for his tries and eventual success in doing a play recently with a badly injured foot. He found out something about his abilities and limits.

CP, that is funny. Very. Even though I think one or two of us here actually follow Wallace Shawn's logic (but only a few dare to use it). I'm sure I'll forever think of WS should lidocaine patches again become necessary (really, aren't they just great? So much better than merely sleeping through the pain.)

Hope you're feeling all better soon. (BTW, cycling through the pain strikes me as the right call in your situation.)

In the theater, Bad Injury Mommies are known as Joan Crawford "Mommy Dearest" mommies.

I think at some level during the Open, Tiger *knew* this would be his last tournament of the year. There was something absolutely driving him to win--on top of his normal competitiveness.

CP, you bring to mind the time when my horse fell on my leg. I knew something was bad wrong, and leaned on the horse to limp to our back door and yell up the stairs for Mom. (As in, come get the horse and take him to the barn so I can collapse.) No answer. I knew from experience that tying the horse up would result in a broken bridle and loose horse, so I managed to climb on him, ride him to the barn, put him in the stall, and gimp back to the house. Turns out I had a broken ankle. Adrenaline is a marvelous thing!

There's a great self help book - finding the perfect balance between taking chances and playing safe?

My kids are involved in several sports - the just suck it up phrase is used a lot, but after appropriate hugs and sympathy. Risk assessment happens each time. I hope what separate hubby and I from some of the obnoxious parents we see is that we do risk assess and always try to keep things in perspective. Even at the recreational level some sport parents truly frighten me - generally the kids don't fall far from the tree.

Just finished reading the Gerson spew. That man couldn't recognize a vulgarian if I bit his ass.

Ivansmom, in my family of origin with three girls and four boys, we gals were in awe of the ONE event where working through the pain seemed to not apply:

boys and blunt force trauma to the special nether regions where from springeth the small-tailed sailors with their precious cargo of DNA.

Oh dear, not a pretty sight at all.

One brother preferred riding my bike for about three months. So, I gadded about on a blue stingray....while he rode a gal's bike with the conveniently dropped bar. He was a dude enough to silence any commentary. This bro walked on to the Notre Dame football team for brief shining season until several forces convinced him to not play.

I've been watching Soledad O'Brien since her days on MSNBC's tech-news show 'The Site'. She used to have to make snappy patter with a computer animated refugee from a Dire Straits video.

I also used to spend lots of late nights with Suzy Kolber (who Olbermann used to make cry, according to the New Yorker). Suzy was the weekend sports anchor in West Palm Beach in the early 90s and I used to tune in to get all the college scores from her on the 11 o'clock news.

Boodle hog action shall cease. Office hours are over and nary a customer in sight! So, Mudge, oh monitor of our work-output, am I back a union specs and shop standards?

Shall swim shortly; may you all be engaged in something flow-ish and relaxing soon.

Can you imagine how good Tiger will be when he comes back with his new Bionic leg.

And Ladies I'm sure Tiger has some nice shoes too.

That reminds me. Mudge, is the office of the shop steward open for business again?

I've played (a trombone) through pain (a broken arm).

Although the arm was already in a cast and I was using my foot to manipulate (pedipulate?) the slide.

:-)

Ack Mudge I beleive I was misunderstood. The main point there was that they are *professionals*, though the getting paid to do so part was a bit of a dig at those professionals who are only in it for the money. I was trying to say that they are there to do a job and quite often that job entails putting mental pressure on opponents by showing disregard of self in the face of something that should be quite frightening ie. 90+ mph fastball, 300+lb linebacker. A true pro realizes what situations can be taken advantage of and which to back down from.

This of course has nothing to do with playing through injuries.

Don't read these if you don't want your day spoiled.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/06/18/BL2008061801546.html

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/detainees/story/38886.html

I can't believe the dems are going to cave in to this criminal gang on domestic spying and telecom amnesty.

Soledad O. does a good job at CNN -- her visit to what was left of her family's place in New Orleans right after Katrina particularly comes to mind.

But I'm in love with Erin Burnett over at CNBC. That young lady is smart, witty and pretty as all get out and I'm smitten, just smitten I tell ya...

{* sighs and pats his heart *}

Never seen Erin Burnett, but Howie Kurtz seems pretty smitten too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601347.html

If I had any money, I guess I'd watch her show.

It's very easy to recognize which professional athletes are in it for the money. They are the ones who have contract disputes, or play out their option year and become free agents to "test the waters," or become free agents and leave a championship squad to play for the last place team, or hold out and miss training camp, or hire Drew Rosenhaus as their agent. Have I left anyone out?

K-guy, don't forget the ones who will not play in "small markets", i.e. the likes of Eric Lindros.

Oh, I forgot the plane. Anybody who flies on Dan Snyder's plane is in it for the money.

All this bouncing back and forth between the 'puter and the shop is wearing me out.

yello... no money necessary to watch Erin. Just some free time and a cable subscription.

btw... As I was sanding away out in the shop, "Surrender" by Cheap Trick came on the radio. Man. I still love that band. "Live at the Buddakan" has got to be one of the best rock albums of all time. The Who's "Quadrophenia" is probably the ultimate, but "Buddakan" would be on my short list to send to aliens who want to learn what rock'n'roll is all about.

"Live at Leeds" is my favourite live rock album, Keith Moon is at his best. Budukan is right up there though.

Oh and Congrats to the Celtics and their 17th NBA crown. They went from the root to the fruit in 1 season.I guess alot must be said about their GM and his offseason trades.

Stagecraft, stagecraft, stagecraft.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/obama-camp-apologizes-to-muslim-women/index.html?hp

The URL has the headline, "Obama Camp Apologizes to Muslim Women."

Stagecraft, stagecraft, stagecraft.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/obama-camp-apologizes-to-muslim-women/index.html?hp

Linda. As much as I enjoy contrarian views and a good snark these things become negatives, in my opinion, when they become boring.
You have now reached that stage.

So much to say, so little time. These headscarf-banning people just burn me up. A little cultural relativism never hurt anyone. I expect a pagan third worlder wanting to bare her breasts, just like back home, in the Memphis Tennessee sun, then getting arrested, (I made this up as an example) is a model for Americans in the Middle East. When in Rome, etc. Now you can say "well, in America, no headscarves, no bare breasts." Is a bra and makeup the American burkha? No, no, no, that's not conceivable. But I grew up among all manner of backwoods religions, such as one where women weren't allowed to cut their hair, and then there are folks who wear skullcaps; who is gonna ban them? You wanta kill the snakehandlers? Chee.

And all this shinola about "unlawful combatants" is just smarmy pap from the Supremes. If the Constitution doesn't apply overseas in war, then the term "unlawful" is equally pointless. And no one is mentioning that in the WWII and the Cold War, it was conceivable that we would be faced with armies 10 million, 20 million strong. But we aren't faced with anything like that. There is no existing strain on our military justice system at this point. If there were, then combatant status might be the only option. But then again, just as our justice system insists on sending offenders to Crime School, i.e., prison, so the Supremes and the rest of this godless administration are just fine with sending borderline fighters to Terrorism School in the various camps Freedom and Justice and whatever is on Diego Garcia if anything.

And there is no war on terror. There may, or may not be, a war on terrorism. That, I could support. If there was a war on terror, the Bush cabal would not be basking in the ill-gotten gains they have achieved by scaring the h3ll out of America.

Which enemy combatants sent the anthrax to Tom Brokaw? Rumsfeld? Cheney? (Now THAT was close to libel.)

And how much money do I have to make before my shin splints become "stress fracture?"

Okay, I'm done. I made an awesome blueberry cheesecake yesterday. It's easy, and I used a bit of real cheddar. (whistling as if everything's normal)

Loomis, let's not reduplicate work. Anybody who wants to follow all the Obama news can easily go to:

http://www.cuban4obama.blogspot.com/

Personally, I don't see why you care more about an illegal immigrant who got a lot of breaks on her deportation order than you care about the difficulties of immigrants who FOLLOW the laws to become legal migrants. I've met both types in my time, and I will say that immigrant laws need a lot of reform... but folks who came here knowing they didn't have a visa or anything shouldn't get a free ride at all.

There is a reason why the highest outrage at illegal immigrants comes from those who are themselves legal migrants. The republicans passed an amnesty bill for illegals that didn't do anything for legals back in Bush I's time.
If 9/11 had not happened, Bush II would have brokered such a similar deal to make illegals have a free ride.

You live in Texas, so I cannot believe you are completely blinkered to the serious tensions involved in having millions of people break the law at the expense of law-abiding foreigners who pay thousands of dollars and abide by regulations, often have to quit jobs when employers break their promise to sponsor their employment visas, and so on, just to win the right to be a permanent resident, and eventually, a U.S citizen.

The republicans did the amnesty deal to buy themselves new voters, pure and simple. I know a former illegal immigrant who votes straight republican because they gave him the american dream after being illegal for 20 years.

Why does he have a vote and the legal immigrants I know who have followed the laws and had waited years to get a green card do not yet?

Mexico has serious economic and governance problems which people are fleeing. It is also an conduit for illegal immigration from other countries, and a source of very high crime rates.

Our solution is to tighten the borders, rather than make Mexico accountable for their people's welfare.

Why do you care more about ONE illegal immigrant than all the problems that led to that woman thinking she could come to the US in defiance of the laws, and somehow be entitled to stay because her son was born here in the USA... and that she saw this as the best future for her-- living the life of a criminal, always on the run from the INS, keeping money in her home and attracting high risk of theft and abuse from others, knowing she'd be afraid to go to the police for risk of being caught?

Having an underclass in American society that is exempt from the protection of the law is exactly how terrorists managed to come here, network, and pass money about unseen. Cracking down on illegal immigrants, innocent or not, and taking measures to bring them out in the open removes the network for criminals to move around through.

One thing I strongly favor is ensuring legal immigrant workers do not have to become illegal to stay. This means changing employment visa laws so an employer cannot promise a visa, renege on it, and then have that person trapped due to having been working without a permit.

I had a friend (who would vote Republican, at heart), who had to quit her job because of visa issues after her marriage, and her employer refused to comply with her need to get her work permit renewed. She later told me she was so glad she had to quit, as she got a better job once her green card went through.

She wasn't free to look for a new job while she was on that employment visa. Can you say "indentured servant?"

I'm not worrying about citizen women's rights in the US as much as I'm worrying about immigrant women's rights and how patronizing the laws are, in that a woman who can claim domestic abuse has greater rights to stay over a woman who has had employer visa issues, but real job prospects and valid reasons to stay in in the USA, and shows prospects of being a contributing citizen with good judgment.

But then, the answer to such laws is to reform them, not break them. I applaud that Bush was forced to become tougher on immigration by 9/11.

See, what haunts me to this day is-- how many Al-Qaeda or other terrorists got a free pass to citizenship thanks to Bush I? They really didn't check people that thoroughly. They couldn't-- the illegal underground is highly paranoid of law enforcement, and most of their activities and work would have been undocumented and impossible to check. And, I think it also raised hopes in future waves of illegal immigrants.

But I'm sure you doubtless have a great vision of how those problems would be somehow fixed by refusing to deport people who have broken the law.

"Canadian Conservatives Insist Canadian Children Should Be Abused By US Military"
When asked if child soldier Omar Khadr could get a fair trial at Guantonomo PM Harper replied, " Who cares, and anyway, kids love kangaroos."

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/445170

Ok. I did the headline. And it's too long. Sue me.

I'm totally changing the subject here. Those of you who lived in the DC area in the 70s or 80s will appreciate this story. The others might, too.. who knows?

The Secret of the Ourisman Chevrolet Girl
By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts

If you ever turned on a TV in the D.C. area in the 1970s or '80s, you remember the Ourisman Chevrolet girl.

She was Susan Gailey, the radiant blonde who marched through the car lots in all those commercials singing the most indelible jingle of the era: "You'll always get your way-aay/At Ourisman Chev-ro-let!" The ads, an instant sensation, got her dubbed "Washington's only sex symbol." She was mobbed in local restaurants, recognized on the street as far away as Paris.

Her career seemed so promising; then, she vanished. Now we know why: Gailey's daughter was the 13-year-old girl at the center of director Roman Polanski 's sensational 1977 statutory rape case...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR2008061703227.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Oh my, Michelle Obama submitted a properly credited homemade cookie recipe, while Cindy McCain and Bill Clinton ripped off copyrighted recipes as "theirs."

That's dishonest! I see "CookieGate" breaking in the news tomorrow.

Cookiegate! I love it. My mother used to make a thing called "ham pie." My brother and I both love it and make it in our respective households. I described it as an "old family recipe" and my mother broke out in guffaws. "I got it off a bag of Gold Medal flour when you were kids," she said. She DID have it written on a 3 X 5 card at one point. This is how recipes are "stolen." This is how appropriated recipes become "old family recipes." It means nothing.

According to Ivansdad and the Boy most of my true old family recipes are for things nobody outside the family (including those two) will eat. Barbecue sauce excepted. I, of course, beg to differ. I'm sure some of our own traditional recipes were lifted from very common sources in the Depression and later. It is also true that there are only so many oatmeal cookie recipes and they all pretty much call for the same thing. Even so, this was just sloppy - especially considering Cindy McCain was already busted for submitting "favorite recipes" for something else which came straight from Bon Appetit or Gourmet or something like that.

I think Cindy should just tell the truth: "I'm an heiress, for godsake. If I want cookies I hire someone to bake them. I don't even know where my kitchen is."

Ivansmom, I agree - in all honesty I could not submit a recipe of any kind. Our family recipes - like Jumpers come from somewhere else, Tenderflake box, Tollhouse cookies.

Perhaps a story by the candidates spouses on why the recipe is special would be more telling than the recipe itself - even if it is a story about a store bough item share at a special time and place with a loved one.

Nobody's mentioned it yet today, and I suspect most of you missed it. But Tim Russert's memorial and funeral was today, much of which was televised. Here's a link to the NBC News link, with clips from the event. Probably the best is Tom Brokaw's eulogy, which is about 10 1/2 minutes long. There are a bunch of other clips as well, all well worthwhile. Mario Cuomo's piece was good, and there was a surprise guest appearance by satellite from Bruce Springsteen; turns out Russert was a big "Boss" fan. Springsteen talked for about three minutes, then sang "Thunder Road," accompanied only by his own guitar, almost an elegy. Brian Williams was good, too.

I only choked up maybe three or four times.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25242830#25250409

What an odd coincidence. It appears I happen to have one of them there bottles of 1787 Chatew Margaux right here. I found it, um, sitting in a cardboard box next to the road. Somebody was gonna throw it out. You know how people are.

And acounta I am not greedy, I will happily sell it for only 50,000. That's right. Just fifty Gs and this here fancy French wine can be yours. Pay no attention to the slight smudges on the label what look kinda like magic marker. That just adds to the patina I've done heard off.

And iffen you open it and it tastes a little bit like ripple, pay no mind. That's what you get when you don't buy fresh wine.

Mudge... weren't you there during the 1787 harvest at the Chateau Margaux? I heard there was some good foot stompin' going on.

Dmd thanks for the turtle story from the last kit. My neighbor ended swurving to miss a huge snapping turtle last week. She said it was so big,she didn't think she could or wanted to pick it up.

Last night the house I was hanging at got skunked,talk about a nasty odor.Then a bat ended up flying around in the house interrupting our card game. I was lucky enough to get it into a net and then back outside.

Finally, remember when we were kids and used to make those goofy faces when the other kids weren't looking? Well I am making one now after reading all on your dribble from today Loomis.

Mudge, those video clips are so touching. Thank you. Sigh. Such a great big lovable lug with the happy Irish thing going and not the dark layer.

Last words of the mighty Timmy Russert were, not in stress, but turning to his colleague, "What's happening." Good stance toward the world and very scientific: observing and asking.

This Yogi-Berr-ism is good too: Always go to everyone else's funeral so they will go to yours.

Here is positive news for the day: Obama and McCain sat next to one another at TR's funeral. The Russert family asked the candidates to do this.

http://www.nbc11.com/news/16643298/detail.html?rss=bay&psp=news

scc: of

geesh my spelling and grammar stinks as much as that skunk did......sorry

I missed all the news coverage of Russert's funeral today (I intended to watch it, but if it wasn't one thing it was another -- chaos rules my roost). I'm guessing/hoping they'll replay it later tonight when I regain custody of the remote. One benefit of insomnia is that you eventually get to watch everything. Usually at 3am.

Did any Boodlers or Boodle-lurkers make it to St. Albans today?

If so, please share your experience.

gwe... that wasn't you (or the skunk)... I convinced Mudge to pull my finger -- which was no small feat considering he invented the game back in 1492 or so. IIRC, Columbus needed a little extra wind in his sails, the galley was overstocked with baked beans and Mudge happened to be on deck.

See... we've been teasing him about his "blue" bottom, but it all really started as "blew" bottom.

The rest is history.

;-)

OK, so we're sitting here watching the 1948 classic I Remember Mama on the Tivo. We've been recording lots of movies on Turner Classic Movies lately.

We noticed Edgar Bergen in the credits at the beginning of the movie so I imdb'ed to find out if it's the Edgar Bergen of Charlie McCarthy fame.

I said to Dr G, "Yes, it is... he was in lots of stuff as an actor, including, apparently a movie in 1935 called Two Boobs in a Balloon."

"Oh... is that the one about the woman balloonist? Her first solo flight?" he said.

Now... wouldn't he fit right in on the boodle?

Dr. G can chime in here anytime.

All I want to know... was it a "D" cup balloon and was it wearing pasties?

No, TBG, I missed the harvest that year. I spent most of the summer and fall in Philadelphia (and believe me, you *never* wanna be in Philly in the summer before they invented air conditioning). I was kinda down on my luck that summer, so took a "temp" job as a scribe and stenographer at Independence Hall. Little did I know that in May all these delegates began arriving in town. Something about writing a Constitution. "Guys," I said, "what's wrong with the Articles of Confederation?" But would they listen to a poor ink-stained wretch like me? Pfffffffffff.

G. Washington was elected to run the d@mn thing. I'd known him at Valley Forge of course (first I freeze my tuchis off for the guy, then I broil all summer for him). A nice enough guy, if you like 'em tall and silent; man didn't say much. Unlike, say, Franklin, yabber yabber yabber yabber. That was Ben.

Well, we was supposed to start on May 14, but what with the spring rains and the tendency of some of the delegates to spend a lot of time on the road dallying in taverns and roadhouses with serving wenches (you know politicians), we didn't even get started until the 25th. Yep, 11 days I'm sitting there at my little crummy desk in the corner of the room reading "Tristam Shandy," sweating, and looking out the window.

Finally Madison and Hamilton arrive. I liked Madison; he was the only guy there shorter than me. But Hamilton was a snot of the first order. And a tricky sod, to boot. Madison and the other Virginia boys already cooked up what they called the "Virginia Plan." Well, big whup, they were from Virginia, what the he11 else they gonna call it? The "We'll Get Ours and the Rest a You Clowns Suffer" plan?

So right after they unanimously elect Ol' George to preside, they then elect this clown William Jackson to be secretary. "Hey," I yelps out, "I thought I was--" and Madison kicks me in the shins to shut up. "Don't worry about it, Mudge," he whispers, quiet-like. "I want you take my notes for me. You're still on the payroll." Well, history has since put in a word or two about whose notes were better, Jackson's or Madison's (mine). I ain't telling ya who; you can look it up.

So first off Madison and Randolph present the Virginia plan. Yadda yadda yadda, two houses with proportionate seating, separate judiciary, weak executive (I looked over at George and saw him heave a sigh and shake his head sadly).

So then Chuckie Pinckney from South Carolina gets up. This halfwit has his own plan, but seems he left the hard copy in some bordello in Delaware, so he's speaking just from some notes he'd scribbled on his cuff. Yadda yadda, bicameral house, one proportional, one not, judiciary, weak executive, so forth. I looks over at George, who at that moment sneezes. Or at least it kinda sounded like a sneeze, but I think he said "Bull--" and just made it sound like a sneeze. (George would do stuff like that from time to time, god love 'im. Used to blame it on his false teeth, too. What a laff riot. Lotta people don't know that about him. He had his wacky irrepressible side.)

So at any rate, Pinckney's yabbering on an on, and I think we're into June or something, and I've got wicked writer's cramp and carpel tunnel, and even Jackson had stopped writing, so the only notes of what Chuckie the Cheese said came from my notes.

So we take a break so a bunch of us can go to the facility out back, and then we get a pint of lager, and start up again. This time New Jersey gets a shot. Guess what? They submitted the New Jersey Plan. (By this time I had gotten wise, and started using initials for names of colonies, N.J., Del., Pa., like that. Uh-huh. That was me invented that. Not that I ever saw a lousy farthing out of it. [We didn't have dollars back then, just shillings and pounds and weird crap like that.])

The heart of the Jersey Plan was there should be gambling along the seacoast, horse-racing near Trenton, and certain friends of the Jersey delegates would get the contracts for the food and beverage service, musicians union, haulage, and like that. They didn't give a crap about the how the rest of the country was organized, except that there should be a lotta families in charge here and there. I could see a lot of delegates didn't much like it, but they were too polite to say anything.

So then Hamilton gets up, and I think we're in freakin' July or something. I told you he was a snot; but he was also a world-class bootlick, too. This bright spark proposes a plan modeled on the British system. Parliament, and stuff like that. I hear George over in the corner sneezing like crazy. I can't repeat some of what he sneezed.

Finally this guy from Connecticut stands up and proposes this compromise. They wrangle, yadda yadda, finally on July 23 they all reach an agreement. "Terrific!" I'm thinking, "Let's get the he11 outa Dodge!" But no. Next we gotta talk about slavery. I'm thinking, jeez, we'll never get outa here now. Well, lemme tell ya, that got a little bit heated, to put it mildly. 20 percent of the entire nation is slaves, and 40 percent in the South. Nevertheless, 10 colonies had agreed to ban it. Yup, 10. Betcha didn't know that: including Virginia , too. But then Georgia and the Carolinas throw a hissy fit and threaten to walk out. So after a whole lotta who-shot-John, they compromise their buns off, and agree they can't outlaw slavery until 20 years had passed, until 1808. You see how well that worked out.

So we pretty much had the basis of an agreement, and we took couple a days off while a subcommittee was assigned to write the thing up. I tell Madison my hand is really cramped up and I need a day off. He's says "Fine, Mudge, you've earned a break. Take the weekend." So I go down to the Delaware River and spend the weekend drinking beer and helping my friend John Fitch launch this big steamboat I'd helped him build earlier that spring. Instead of sails, it had this big iron boiler on board which turned a set of paddle wheels. Pretty clever, I thought, since a lot of it had been my idea. "John," I sez to him one day, didja ever see a waterwheel at a flour mill going round? Why not take a pair of 'em, one on each side?" "Nah, we don't need redundancy like that, Mudge. Makes it too complicated and expensive. Let's just use one waterwheel on one side and see what happens." This was in like, March or April. So me and John launch his boat and it works great. Except one thing. Oh, yeah, I know you're ahead of me on this. Yup. It only goes in circles. I sez, "John, whaddaya gonna name her, the USS Nascar? Bwahahahaha." He heaves a big sigh and sez, "Mudge, you was right. Two wheels, one on each side." I'm like, "Duh..." but I don't say anything.

At any rate, when we launched her again that August, she had two paddlewheels, and worked just fine. If ya didn't mind smoke.

So anyway I go back to work Monday morning, and Gouverneur Morris (who took airs with the fancy-schmancy spelling of his first name) had written this Constitution thing, with the help of Madison (and my notes) and some other folks. And it looks like everybody's happy to sign it when George Mason gets up and throws a major hissy. *He* ain't gonna sign nuthin' without no Bill of Rights attached to it, he says, with all these here rights spelled out. And I'm thinkin', oh jeez, here we go again.

More yadda yadda. Give militias their freakin' muskets. No harboring troops. No government mucking about with religion (hah!), on and on it went. So finally they say enough is enough; we got ten of the darn things, let's sign and blow town. So some delagates sign after the Bill of Rights is added, and some signed before, agreeing the Bills would be added later. And at the end, nobody was exactly happy with all of it, but most were able to swallow most parts of it.

So I'm sitting there at my cramped little desk soaking my hand in a pitcher of salt water, and just dying to make tracks for the beach, it being mid-September and all the kids are back in school. And Madison comes over and says, "Mudge, you did a fine job. Just one thing before you go-- can you make me three or four copies of everything?"

So, no, TBG, that's why I missed the *&%$#@&^% wine harvest that year. But thanks for asking.

As some have pointed out, many people 'play' through pain; working with sore ribs, going to the office with a sprained ankle, or recovering from food poisoning, or feeling lousy or simply depressed.

I've played through some tough stuff myself, and seen some pretty amazing clutch performances from friends and acquaintences. I remember a friend of mine with a very specialized skill driving a race car spending a night and a morning in a bathroom issuing from both ends (sorry, I won't get more graphic than that) and with hot flashes and chills, then willed himself to drink some Gatorade and then get off the floor of the public restroom and drive the car, dehydrated, without sleep, pale and in a sheen of cold sweat. Sets fast time of the day, stops the car at the end of the course, pulls his helmet off, throws open the door and pops the belts and window net, leans over the door bar and out comes the Gatorade. Gutsiest thing I've ever seen.

This is what we do. Woods did show courage in an amazing demonstration of personal perseverance, and those that are driven exceed have some inner resource that compels them to do the best they can all the time, every time.

It's what they do, and sometimes we do it too, for a lot less money.

gwe, good work with the skunk and with the bat. A real doubleheader, as it were. Trying to find my "Curmudgeon at the Bat" Boodle comment from some time back, I remember a good snort or two over that...

TBG, thanks for the update on the Ourisman lady, I remember her quite well.

And I'm always glad to see a nice pair of shoes. Always. Sometimes even when other people are wearing them.

Good night, Boodle.

bc

Mudge, you poor thang, I hope you got over the carpal tunnel.

I just looove it when you tell us how it really was! Thanks for the giggles.

When did they decide to let people go sleeveless, Mudge? You know.. the right to bare arms?

Oh yeah, Mudge, I do have a question. IIRC, there were 12 items in the Bill of Rights, only ten got passed. What were the other two that didn't make the cut?

TBG, it was so *&^%$ hot that summer we were *all* sleeveless. And a few of the delegates were topless as well. (Let me tell you, Edmund Randolph without his shirt on is *not* an attractive sight. And you wouldn't believe the back hair on Pinckney. The man's practically a racoon.)

Slyness, the two that got voted down were OTC betting windows, and making Newark the national capital.

Cookie recipe poaching is a time honored political tradition. Hillary got caught passing off Toll House cookies as her own back in '92.

We only have a couple of recipes that qualify as family heirlooms. My grandmother made something called marshmallow pudding which has marshmallows, walnuts, and bananas it. It's my favorite special occasion dessert.

My signature pot-luck dish is a baked macaroni and cheese from a Good Housekeeping cookbook my wife got from my mom as a wedding gift (My mom also gave her some silky things for the honeymoon trousseau). The other recipe we got from that book is Thin Porkchops Orientale. People we serve it to mistake it for a family recipe from my wife's mother. Wrong on both accounts. I'm the cook and my mother-in-law has her own secret recipes, but pork chops isn't one of them.

The betting window vote was close; Newark not so much.

Boko, you daft sod! You made me ruined a perfectly printed (in colour!) Vesey's brochure with your 'kids love kangooroo comments'.
RD Padouk, Ha! I'm almost willing to put that $50k down.

From Cognac-world.com:

"Misleading cognac
11 juin 2008
During a visit to Poland in May, N. Sarkosy thought he was offering his hosts a famous cognac (Domaine Fontaine de la Pouyade, in Bassac, 1713 vintage), but the manager of the company had been judged by the Regional Court in Angoulême in 2006 for "having misled clients of the company about the origin and the important qualities and the composition of the cognac". "

But then Sarko doesn't drink wine so what does he know?

mudge,
thanks for another bicentennial moment. The real players never get the proper credit. I bet you stole a ton of stuff from your work copy-editing the Magna Carta.

The nice thing about the Magna Carta, yello, was I at least got to work outside, in this big meadow under a couple a nice shade trees near a babbling broke. Swell place, Runymeade. Not so built up back then, either. On the other hand, KJ (King John, to you) was certainly in one foul mood that day, I can tell you.

And they didn't yack yack yack for three and a half months, either.

'Night, Boodle. Sleep tight, especially those of you who are in one kind of pain or another; you know who you are. There are far too many of you. My "acceptable" number of you who are allowed to be in pain is approximately zero. Would that I could make it so.

MSNBC is re-broadcasting the Tim Russert memorial right now. The coolest thing is what happened at the end - a double rainbow over DC, as the service ended with Over the Rainbow playing. Keith Olbermann said it was a ukelele version - wonder if it was Iz (the Hawaiian singer who passed away at a very young age)? My favorite version of that song, along with Judy Garland, of course.

I love Keith, but I can't see him on the nightly news or Meet the Press. He'd have to suppress his wacky side too much, and would probably just explode. I read where Gwen Ifill might be considered for MTP - I'd love to see her get it, although Washington Week is on at a time when I'm awake and able to watch.

Missed Michelle Obama on The View today - meant to tape it. Have you noticed she always wears sleeveless dresses so she can bare her beautiful arms?

Hey.. the boss is on the front page tomorrow...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061803371.html?hpid=topnews

So much boodling to catch up on, but I did it! At times it was like playing through pain, I won't list the times, but I'm sure everyone can gather my inference.

What a day, early meeting and other business followed by helping Ma Frostbitten's cousin with installing a new kitchen backsplash. She wants to finish the work before her husband returns from a fishing trip on Sunday. The new back splash is a product I've never used before, designed to look like corrugated stainless steel. Tedious stuff but so fun to have a helper at my beck and call with all supplies, tools, and coffee at hand almost before I call for it. Nirvana! Not only a minion, but a DIY minion at that. We plan to finish tomorrow which allows a little extra time in case we hit a snag, which of course we will because this is a DIY project involving special order materials.

Toodles boodle.

Nice article on Iowa! The line about cities building on flood plains got my mind jumping tracks, though.

Maybe your next book could be "the Cities of the Flood-Plains", in remembrance of the past style of Proust-- only written as though the manuscript had landed on the bed of Procrustes.

Mind you, I think it would scandalize Iowans if Des Moines was compared to Gomorrah and themselves to children of Sodom, even in an ecological sense.

But what the heck, you're no longer welcome in France, what's one more burnt bridge?

Ah, it was Iz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OMLoAtC9RY

Had a chance to look at WaPo for the first time in a while (I've actually had work to do for the past few weeks, which, it turns out, is a pleasant way to spend the day.) and saw Joel's article on Iowa hydrology, which takes me back to my days as a geography major. Great article, although I would quibble about one line:

"The deluge struck a nearly naked landscape of small plants and black dirt." When it's tracked in the house onto the carpet it's dirt; outside in the field, it's properly called soil.

And this jumped out at my eye:

'But the database can be spotty. Robert Holmes, national flood coordinator with the U.S. Geological Survey, said a lack of funding since 1999 has forced his agency to discontinue hundreds of stream gauges across the country. "It's not sexy to fund stream flow gauges," he said.'

Reminds me of the anti-tax freaks: "Why do we have to pay for mosquito abatement? There aren't any mosquitos around here!"

Cheers, all.

ML, I love that song. Love it. Listen to it (this version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL-uL2M3xvM&feature=related, screen turned off) pretty often. I love how he changed the meaning so poignantly just by condensing verses. It speaks to me, on so many levels. I particularly like what he's done with "I like the dark." (A friend says it takes $&%^ to attempt a remake of this, and then to do it justice....)
And lately, it makes me think of Error. In a very comforting way. And advances my sense of inner peace.
I'm smiling that someone I know, even imaginary, knows this version too. Thanks. Very good for the soul.

'And I don't thing the "I'm in it for the money" guys would crowd the plate; they aren't getting paid to do *that,* when they could just as safely stand back, take three wiffs, and sit down.'

Mudge, I don't think they'd get a lot of $ if all they did was strike out. Standing close and pulling the ball with a quick wristy swing, or farther back and hitting straight away or late with a longer more centrifugal swing is just natural for different people. If you're batting leadoff and prepared to take walks when offered, then standing closer helps because you have a better idea of the strike zone.

I wonder what Tiger did while jogging to injure his liagment. It have a 2/3 tear in the outer collateral ligament on my left knee and of course I also ruined the meniscus -- playing soccer when I was 37. It took a major stress to cause that, stopping a full sprint to go the opposite direction. (Info from MRI; the meniscus has been cleaned up, but the ligament wasn't repaired, as I didn't have a major athletic career ahead of me.) Not what I would call jogging.

Oops, I just posted one about baseball and knees without my handle. Musta been away too long.

LTL-CA-- Maybe he had to outrun the paparazzi?

It's great to see Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture show up in a story on flooding.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/

Aldo Leopold is mainly the patron saint of wildlife biologists, but he was certainly concerned about what we today would call sustainable use of the landscape. It's not an accident that his son Luna became an eminent hydrologist.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/03/07_leopold.shtml

Thinking about the Midwest's profoundly changed landscapes would also link to plant ecologist Dave Tilman at the University of Minnesota, whose academic fame rests on utterly boring data collection. Here's an old interview:
http://in-cites.com/scientists/dr-david-tilman.html
He's now very much involved (with Ford Runge) in urging Midwesterners to create species-rich prairies that will be mowed for hay that will become biofuel.

As for USGS budget problems, I recall a splashy Gingrich-era congressman wondering "why do we need a Geological Survey?" It's a marvel that the agency has persisted.

And the 500-year thing. Having survived Wyoming's worst winter in a century, Florida's worst freeze in a century (accompanied by an ice storm, no less), and two genuine hurricanes spaced precisely three weeks apart, I've never figured out why so few people buy cheap flood insurance.

Vali Nasr's "Iran on its Heels" is a must-read. How recently did I read a piece on the astounding successes of the gentleman who runs the Quds Force? Maybe two weeks?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061802632.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

It looks like Leopold, Wolman and Miller, "Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology" from 1964 was last reprinted in 1995. That's real longevity -- it was the text for my geomorphology seminar in 1966. I also like it because Freeman also published my father's organic chemistry textbook.

From The Independent : Scientists discover genetic ingredient for creation of man on rock in space.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/did-life-begin-with-a-meteorite-849201.html

Does this mean those supposedly big head, big eyes, small body creatures could be our cousins visiting?

It's not often that an editorial cartoon makes me smile like this one did. It's about the Celtics' win.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/dan_wasserman_cartoonist/

Hey rainforest! *waving*

Eeep, busy day ahead at the office, and I've got to get outta here on time to pick NukeSpawn up at the airport!!!

*haven't-even-started-yet-and-I'm-very-very-late-so-off-to-get-more-caffeine Grover waves*

:-)

http://www.miamiherald.com/418/story/574088.html

A Santeria priest brought a rooster statue to the Miami Herald "to help save our jobs"--columnist Leonard Pitts.

Here in Hiaasenland, rain fell last night and out in the yard, the cycads (coonties, Dioon, Encephalartos) are producing their flushes of new leaves. The little Dioon seemed to pop out its fresh set of leaves overnight.

Flushing seems unique to cycads--a whole bunch of leaves pops out of the tip of a stem. The plants must have loads of starch stowed away so they can afford to build so many heavy-duty, industrial-strength leaves all at once.

On the side, the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford is planning a dinosaur garden, which of course needs plenty of cycads. By happenstance, the nearby owner of an impressive collection recently died. The collection will long outlive him because it's moving to the zoo.

Yep, Sneaks, that's a goodun... :-)

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Morning, morning, friends. Just popped in to say that. I'm running so late this morning. I have my grandsons here, and the g-girl. The g-girl is still in school, and my grandsons won't go to Vacation Bible school with me. As much as I wanted to take all three, it just is not working out that way. We're still enjoying ourselves. I'm so happy they are here. And they've gotten so big.

I'm going to have to come back and read all the comments, only got through half of them. And Tiger played with a bad knee or leg? I think Tiger just loves the game. And I don't need to say he is good at it.

Morning, Mudge, Slyness, Scotty, Martooni, and all *waving*.

Have a great day, folks. By the time I get done with the crowd I'm hanging with, I don't have the energy to even turn on the computer, much less try to type something. Please don't hold it against me.

And I've prayed for all of you this morning. My lack of presence here does not mean you are forgotten, far from it. The sentence that I start off with each morning is a very true saying. Think about it. I love you guys, and you too, Mr. Achenbach.

Good morning, all.

Dave, that was a most interesting article about Iran. Can you post a picture of the coonties flushing? I'd like to see.

Mudge, you awake yet? Betting and Newark, you say. I'm amazed.

The boss did good, as usual, in writing about Iowa. I read somewhere that global warming is forcing the jet stream northward, so that the Southeast doesn't get rain. I'll bet that also influences the amount of rain in the upper Midwest and eastward. No fair.

Story in the Observer this morning about drilling for oil off the NC coast. Yeouch, didn't know it was even possible. This is the story I hope points to the solution to the fuel issue:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece

Morning and here is a quote from Aldo, who was quite a fly fisherman, catch and reliease, typcially.

"Do we realize that industry, which has been our good servant, might make a poor master?"

From
Leopold, Aldo: A Plea for Wilderness Hunting Grounds, Outdoor Life, November 1925. Reproduced in Aldo Leopold's Southwest, edited by David E. Brown & Neil B. Carmony, University of New Mexico Press, 1990, pg. 156.

Morning and here is a quote from Aldo, who was quite a fly fisherman, catch and release, typically.

"Do we realize that industry, which has been our good servant, might make a poor master?"

From
Leopold, Aldo: A Plea for Wilderness Hunting Grounds, Outdoor Life, November 1925. Reproduced in Aldo Leopold's Southwest, edited by David E. Brown & Neil B. Carmony, University of New Mexico Press, 1990, pg. 156.

Whoopies, on the double post. The Iowa farmland article reminds me very much of the haunting book by Jane Smiley, 1000 Acres. Tis the King Lear story, but with cows and drainage tiles, and if I remember correctly, perhaps a mention of rhubarb pie.

Gesundheit, CP. :-)

Cassandra,

It is so special to know that most mornings I can log on to the boddle and read your right start for the day. Vacation Bible School, so many memories! Both as a child and as an adult, entrusted with the little ones for a few hours by their Moms & Dads. Used to be up here it was for two weeks; now, to my knowledge, none of the churches have enough workers to do more than a week. Still, the children adapt to what they know and look forward to that time of the Summer. Blessings to you for all you do in the name of the Lord.

Hi Scotty. *waving back*

Hope you and NukeSpawn have a fun summer.

Hi CP. Hope you are feeling better this morning.

I'm going to emphasize the Tiger Woods story when I see daughter #2 tonight. Knowing her, it won't have much effect, but I'll try anything to get her to be more cautious during her recovery.

I have a serious computer related question for the geeks here but I don't have time to ask it now. Also, I would bet the Kit will change soon to Joel's article on the Wapo cover. It makes sense to me that at least part of the cause for the flooding would be all the building and planting in the flood plains. After all, the flood plains by definition are for overflow from bodies of water, right?

The article about plain flooding is very timely. It has been raining so much our usuall fairly well drained lot is partially flooded. I must say the hand of man has something to do with it as well. When they built the McMansion subdivision in the back they clearly disrupted the natural flow of water to the creek. Since they built it 8 years ago we have seen a lot more standing water in the early spring and the fall. Now, it's the first time we see it in summer though.

Slyness, I wish I could send you the excess water but it *doesn't* fax very well.

The last photo in this discussion of Zamia (the genus to which coonties belong) shows a big multi-stemmed plant flushing. It's much larger than a coontie, but gives an idea of abundant new leaves, all at once.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=10783&st=40

I wonder sometimes about folks who invest insane amounts of money in bottles of rare wines destined never to be actually consumed. Unlike, say, art collectors, who can enjoy the beauty of their possessions as intended, a wine collector subtly perverts the intentions of the vitner.

Clearly, this phenomenon is not limited to elderly bottles of fermented grape juice. I know a gentleman who enthusiastically collects Hess Toy Trucks - so long as they remain forever locked within the darkness of their original cardboard boxes.

Indeed, within my very own home resides a young woman who insists on collecting so many paperback books that her bookshelf groans (really, I've heard it) under the weight of her acquisitions. And yet, will she actually read them? No. She just makes Daddy empty his wallet to those devious folks over at Scholastic Books and then looks all pouty and indignant whenever it is gently suggested that perhaps she should actually crack open one of these books instead of watching "The Winx Club."

But I digress.

I guess one who purchases rare wine views the acquisition as an end in itself. Ownership becomes its own reward. And I imagine that the nature of this reward varies from person to person.

Perhaps purchasing a rare and expensive wine proves to some individuals that they are wealthy enough to purchase a rare and expensive wine.

Many, I am sure, feel that to own a rare bottle provides a salient connection with the storied history and mystique of vinification. They feel as if they have a bit of history in their cellars. (Much like why there is a small chunk of East German concrete sitting on my desk.)

And, of course, some doubtless buy expensive bottles of unopened wine in the hopes of one day reselling said bottles, for a tidy profit, to others who value bottles of unopened wine. Sort of like Poker chips that will never be truly cashed out.

I dunno. I guess to me it will always be something of a mystery. Much like people who have children but never want to spend time with them. I mean, what's the point of that? To prove you can reproduce? Children are to be enjoyed. Although it is sometimes a challenge.

Which reminds me, if somebody wants a complete, and startlingly pristine, collection of "The Babysitters Club" just let me know.

Good morning, all.

mostlylurking, LIT, I really like Iz' cover of "Somewhere" too -- it's in my personal rotation and has been since a friend showed it to me. Interesting and emotional recasting of the lines (including "I like the dark"), and the inclusion of "Beautiful World" was inspired IMO.

Scottynuke, have fun with NukeSpawn. Please tell her I said hello.

More later, folks.
Especially after I read that update on the Murchison meteorite and the Boss' article on the front page...

bc

Sure, I post my little opus and Joel puts up a new kit. Sheesh.

'Morning all
Sorry SD, but I'd have more sympathy had you been printing out a 'proper' seed catalogue.

Re Joel's Iowa article. There's a good example (small scale) of what tiling (the modern stuff is the fabric covered perforated plastic pipe that's put around house foundations) can do to surrounding land.
When the farmer tiled some marginal land abutting a govt. classified wetland the increased flow into the wetland killed the trees growing there. Since the trees had been absorbing and transpiring hundreds of gallons of water per hour a negative feedback loop was created with increasing water levels killing still more trees. Result: Swamp

Re Golf. When I was at the assessment office my boss and his minion, me (Miniminion), were the Farm, Quarrie, and Golf Course section. It was section policy that golf courses were to be inspected only on Friday. As Friday's were 'casual' when inspecting golf coures faux Hawiian shirts, shorts, and sunhats were essential protective gear. As we gathered our measuring wheels, tape measures, and cooler we'd loudly bewail our terrible fate asking why wasn't the job at least given to people who like golf, like the golfers in the office who always seemed to be grumbling something under their breath.