Memorial Day 2011



Italy or not, this day my home is American soil.



Miscellanea . . .

. . . and minutia

Q and A:  How do you recognize a parking spot for the disabled in Italy?   Easy.  There is an able-bodied Italian parking there, and another waiting for the spot when he leaves.

The mouse . . .

. . . turned tail

Shortly after the shameful attempt to profit from the exploits of brave men by copyrighting "Seal Team Six" for shoes, games, hats and entertainment, and with only minimal pressure from the U.S. Navy, the Disney Company has struck it's colors.   The twats have now been given their dishonorable discharge.  Well deserved, that. 

Gates . . .

. . . and walls



Unemployment is very high in Italy in general and Naples in particular.  Europe's open borders are also gateways from contries with even more severe conditions.

The result?  Lots and lots of petty - and not so petty - crime. 

Burglary seems to be the second national sport behind football.  A couple of months ago, two houses less than 200 meters from us had attempted break-ins.  In both, the miscreants made it into the yard, but were unable to enter the houses. 

The response? Alarms and fortifications.  Walls and gates.  The gates range from primitive to decorative.  Electrical, mechanical and manual.  The walls range from modern stonework to medieval bulwarks.  The photos below were taken within ten-minutes walk from our house.

We're well alarmed and well fortified, but it's a bit sad that these precautions are necessary.  What's even sadder is that we're not allowed to cudgel the living bejesus out of anyone we find wandering around in our living room.

Millions believe it . . .

. . . so, why not admit it?

Ok, ok, I KNOW it's not politically correct.

  I cannot . . .

. . . be trained

My computer at work automatically resets the Num Lock key to "off" every time it reboots.

Every night.

In order to log in every morning with a key card and a PIN, I need to turn the Num Lock back on.

Every morning.

I always forget.

Every morning.

And have done so for one year, two weeks and six days.

Tomorrow, this shall change.

I would change the startup up to activate Num Lock automatically, but I cannot.  Uncle Sammy won't allow it.

Opportunist . . .

. . . vultures

In a shameless display of greed, the Disney Company has applied for a trademark on "Seal Team Six."

And it only took them two days after the raid on Abbottabad.

The applications cover toys, games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles (except clothing); hand-held units for playing electronic games other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor; Christmas stockings; Christmas tree ornaments and decorations; snow globes; clothing; footwear; headwear and entertainment services.

Disney has attempted to reserve the right to squeeze a dollar from just about anything  these brave men have done over their entire history as Seals in the U. S. Navy.

Because the Navy did not use the name in commerce, and because Seal Team Six is no longer the official name of the team, the money-grubbing bastards at Disney will probably succeed.

What next?