Friday, February 23, 2007

A Pack, Not a Herd: Tourists in Costa Rica

Have attitudes changed since 9-11? Is a "Let the police take care of it" attitude a little less common than it was, or is this sort of resistance just getting a bit more news coverage? Perhaps both. And that would be a good thing.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Feb. 23) - An American senior citizen killed an alleged mugger with his bare hands, and his traveling companions aboard a tour bus fended off two other assailants in the Atlantic coast city of Limon, police said.

A retired member of the U.S. military aged about 70 put suspect Warner Segura in a head lock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus, Luis Hernandez, the police chief of Limon, 80 miles east of San Jose, said Thursday. Segura was later declared dead, apparently from asphyxiation.

The two other men fled when the 12 senior citizens started defending themselves during the Wednesday attack....

The tourists left on their Carnival cruise ship after the incident and Hernandez said authorities do not plan to press any charges against them.

"They were in their right to defend themselves after being held up," he said.
Marianela Jimenez has the story on the AP.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

"To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport Rhode Island."

May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid....

G. Washington
In response to a letter from the congregation which had said, in part :
Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of free Citizens, we now...behold a Government, erected by the Majesty of the People ~~ a Government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance ~~ but generously affording to all Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship: ~~ deeming every one, of whatever Nation, tongue, or language equal parts of the great governmental Machine
Thanks to PowerLine for the tip.

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

This picture stuff is fun!

 


Another pic I took under the shower tree last year.
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The Albert Laing Brant decoy and Zack

 
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Zack seems to have found a new friend and power-napping companion in the Albert Laing snuggle head brant decoy which I got last year.

According to decoy collector Ron Swanson, who researched and wrote the major article on Laing for DECOY Magazine (July/August 1995), it was likely made in the 1830s, and may be the earliest Albert D. Laing decoy to survive.

I hope Zack appreciates his pillow.
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Whale Hassling in Hawaii

 
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Yesterday the lot of us, Valerie, Greg, his cousin Alan, our friend Dan, and I went whale watching aboard the Star of Honolulu. Soon after departing from Aloha Tower we came across a cow and her calf, and hassled them for around a half hour before continuing eastward toward Diamond Head. Nary another cetacean was seen, but it was a glorious day to be offshore: sunny, windy, and just a bit of chop. The wind did make it hard to spot the whales' plumes as it was blowing the tops off the waves, but it was awfully nice to be out on the water.

Although I'm still a bit put out that the fare didn't include harpoons....

The pic above is Waikiki with Diamond Head on center-right, below is Dan snapping a pic.
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