Friday, August 17, 2007

U.S. Travelogue II


We spent 4 days in Las Vegas on the way to the left coast after visiting the Grand Canyon which has morphed into an urban cancer replete with super market and federal gestapo since our previous visit in 1991. The Las Vegas visit was an ordeal for anyone suffering from agoraphobia. It had been 20 years since visiting that "attraction" and things have really changed. The casinos formerly would provide nearly free or at least inexpensive meals to clients . Not any more. The prices for food and lodging are now very high and new mega hotel casinos are being erected at a frantic pace. The traffic problems in and around the city are at least as bad as the major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta or Los Angeles.

During our stay there the outside temperature reached 111 degrees at 5:00 pm making any out door activity virtually impossible. We noticed that lots of sparrow like birds were hanging around the grille areas of parked vehicles in the parking lots. Closer inspection revealed that they were feeding on the insects that had been impaled on the front parts of the radiator cooling fins as well as the windshields. They did not have to expend energy hunting for the insects that made up their diet but engaged in the symbiotic harvesting of food provided by the evil fosil fuelled conveyances of us high tech evil homo sapiens.

We have subsequently arriveded in the southern Kalifornia metro area where recent regulations require the installation of only flourescent lighting in the kitchen and bathroom areas of new construction and no vehicles are to be parked on "private" property for periods exceeding 72 hours.

To be continued

Friday, August 10, 2007

U.S. Travelogue

We decided to drive across the continent in order to wrap up some minor business in California as well as pay a final visit to friends and family on the Left Coast. The hassel of airports has resulted in opting for the hassel of spending many hours at the wheel of Nessie (our Ford F250 Diesel pickup). The family vehicle of choice would have been the VW Passat turbo sedan, but stepson requested we haul a recently acquired spare engine for his Mercedes 450SL back to Georgia from South Lake Tahoe, California.
This posting is from Flagstaff, Arizona after 3 days on the road and over 1700 miles. This is about the 14th transcontinental surface trip for ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ since 1981 aboard autos, motorcycles and trucks. Many changes in the countryside are apparent. The interstate highway system has suffered greatly over the years from wear and tear and a lack of upkeep. I would assume that the politicians have their priorities adjusted for projects other than maintaining infrastructure. Additionally, the number of over the road large trucks is nothing short of phenomenal and they outnumber the passenger vehicles by at least 5 to 3. For this reason the return trip to Georgia will rely more heavily on avoiding the interstate system.
Although members of the indigenous population of flyover country are still the friendly and helpful sort of 26 years ago, They have undergone considerable gain in the area of body mass, especially those of the female persuasion.
Part of our journey has taken us along part of the route of historical Highway 66 as you can see from the accompanying photo of Nessie in the New Mexico town of Tucumcari.
Tomorrow we plan to revisit the Grand Canyon, having today enjoyed the Petrified Forest and qualified as senior citizens for a lifetime pass to such attractions. I suppose the theory is that the "lifetime" is coming to a close thus making the bargain tariff economically feaseable. In any event I will update this adventure for those of you who are interested in this diversion from the usual fare of depressing socio cultural events.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Justice?

The details of the crimes committed by two Iranian Kurdish journalists have as yet not been released. It has however, been confirmed by the Iranian government that they have been sentenced to death by hanging for being "Enemies of God". Would that be the ancient Arab moon god now known as "Allah"?
Meanwhile here in the "west" one American citizen has been arrested on felony charges for the commission of a "hate" crime by placing books in a commode. He should have applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the "Arts" in order to qualify his acts for display at the Guggenheim Museum in the same city whose "police" force has arrested him. After all if disrespected religious icons such as "Piss Christ" and the dung decorated images of Christian saints are objects of "art", why not Korans in the toilet?
Oh forgive me. Only one religion is "protected" from "offense".
In any event, this is one court case that should be interesting; especially should it reach the purview of Justice Kennedy as he seems to be concerned with foreign (sharia?) jurisprudence as it applies to the United States.

Why does it always seem to be the same politicians (Kennedy, Shumer et al) that consistently push gun control who also advocate "hate" crimes? Do they wish the U.S. to go the way of Sweden?

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

h/t: Dhimmi Watch