……Friday 30th – Saturday 31st October

Day 12

The Whale Watch trip got cancelled due to untranquil seas.  To be fair, we didn’t think it looked too bad (based on numerous dive trips in hairy weather) but hey, it wasn’t our call.  It was a bit grey and drizzly, on and off, so we rebooked for the 7am start trip the next day.  We thought we’d get up at the crack of dawn, check out and park up at the whale place and go and do the early sailing, then head north to Blenheim.  So, what to do in Kaikoura on a drizzly day?  We headed off for second breakfast and then walked along the main street.  That didn’t take very long, so we wandered along the steep pebbly beach and watched the waves for a bit.  Fair undertow. And lots of lovely rounded sea-worn pebbles, mostly either black or white.  Also lots of lovely worn driftwood.  We drove back to Point Kean to look at the seals and seabirds.  The tide was out, so we had a wander round the headland and found a big dead seal wedged in a crack above the huge tideline.  On the way back to town, I spotted fields which had big clumps of wild arum lilies, which were beautiful.  We had a relatively quiet night in a nice bar in town before weaving home for an early night.

Day 13

Whales are go!  We got up at stupid-o’clock and had a light brekkie before checking out and heading over to Whale Watch. Grabbed a coffee and then were bussed across to the wharf to a rather swish looking twin hulled catamaran.  It looked like a 3m swell outside the breakwater.  Not bad.  Until you discover that you can’t go outside whilst the boat is underway (it’s a bit bouncy).  And they try to chat to you about whales and get you to look at some graphics on a big flat-screen tv.  The guy two rows behind started throwing up about 5 minutes in.  He wasn’t quiet about it – in fact, it was loud and I think he threw up his breakfast and all his dinners from the last week.  Then other people started vomiting.  I felt generally ok until the woman next to me went white, then green, then grabbed a sick bag and started throwing up. That was it for me – I can’t stand the sight, sound or smell of other people being sick.  So I lost my brekkie. I’ve never been seasick, and I’ve been out in boats in some fairly hideous weather (including the tail end of a cyclone) so I was a bit pissed off.  The crew stopped the boat every so often and used hydrophones to locate sperm whales coming up from the deeps.  Eventually, we found one – Old Nick – who bobbed about on the surface for about 5 mins then did the classic tail up and slipped into the depths.  We saw loads of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters.  The albatrosses were amazing – vast white wings, gliding without effort across the waves.  I was impressed.

Back on dry land, we headed north, stopping at Ohau Point to look down the cliff on a seal colony – complete with some little seals!  Sweet but stinky.  The drive north to Blenheim was pretty – hilly and windy (after the coastal bit) and then lots of vineyards as we got closer to Blenheim.

As we went to bed I managed to get beautiful shots of Dunedin submerging into the night. The wind was just a light breeze. Then, Katka had to go to Jane (or do girls also go to John?) and my flip flop got stuck in the sliding door, which resulted in rather chilly rest of the night in the camper van.

We get up the first time at 07:30 to the van rocking heavily with wind gusts. After solving the “flip-flop” issue we still chill till 08:30. Some cold front has moved in, bringing heavy clouds, strong winds and occasional horizontal shower with it.

We drive back to Dunedine and emerse ourselves in Cadbury’s world of chocolate. The tour takes about 40min and includes melted chocolate tasting and also viewing a chocolate waterfall in one of the silos.

Content we get groceries across the street, drive around this beautiful city with steep streets and georgeous old buildings and go check out the steepest street in the world (19 degrees incline). We first drive up Baldwin St. and then I have a “wonderful” idea of running up the street. Badly out of shape I get tunnel vision 90% up and end up walking the last 20m. My lungs still hurt!

We drive back through the town, admire some of the old cathedrals and warehouses. Then we park on the main street, take a walk around, check out a few surf shops, chat with friendly staff and grab tea and ginger flavoured latte at Starbucks. In one of the surfshops we chat with the girls and ask about “free” showers and she “again” brings up the great idea of public swimming pool. We drive there, “invest” into swimming goggles and after great 1km swim and NZD 5.50 p.p. entrane fee, leave clean. Observation: who came up with the idea of separating cold and burning hot water pipes? You either burn yourself or freeze?

Though the weather has been scatchy, we decided to book the animal watching tour with Elm Wildlife Tours. We drive to Portobello on Otago Peninsula and wait for the mini- bus to pick us up. Warren, our drive and guide is very nice and knowledgable. He actually visited Poprad in Slovakia and caught us off guard asking if we know where Dedinky is. We don’t! First we drive over the green hills covered in sheep to the other side of the peninsula. We see some sea gulls, black backs, kingfisher, royal spoonbills, pied stilts, variable oystercatchers, black swans and other birds which I unfortunately can’t name. Then we take a tour at the Royal Albatross Center. We learn that albatross are a lot like humans. They mate for life, sometimes they switch partners, the oldest recorded bird was 62 yrs old before it disappeared, they are solitary when on the ocean but reunite with their mate on land, if he/she doesn’t show up the first year they come back again and only after two years do they look for a new one, they can fly at max of 120km/h, furthest recorded distance they travel in a day is over 1000km and they can live out at sea for years without coming back to the land, as they can hydrate from salty water. Their wing span is up to 3,3m and since they are mainly gliders they do not really flap their winds that much. After the presentation and a brief movie we go up to the observation hideout. They are stunning! We watch some 8-10 albatross soaring in the strong winds. Words can’t express what we feel watching these massive but gracious birds.

From here we drive along the hills and low tide bays to the next stop. We park on top a hill surrounded by sheep and walk down to the green/dark blues heavy seas to observe a colony of Fur seals. Some of them just rest while others ars a bit more active. We see a young cub only few hours old bothering the mother tired from the birth. We walk back up the hill in chilly winds and then walk down to another beach where we see sea lions playing in the waves and one of them just goes ballistic and swims “butterfly” style for good 100m. We watch a yellow eyed penguin walk right by us. They are the rarest in the world with only 5000 of them left. Then we hide in a shelter on the beach and actually witness “landing” of other 6 of these cute little birds. To see them swim out, stand up, rearrange and re-waterproof their fathers and then walk towards us is just awesome. They actually follow through and climb the hill behind us all the way to their nests. The hill is good 200m high! Amazing. This tour is not cheap by any means (NZD 258,- for the two of us) but it was worth every penny. We thank Warren as he drops us back at the van and after short drive park for the night in Portobello. What an amazing blessing to be able to observe animals an birds in their own habitat!!!

Since when was the idiotic complaint of a terrorist more important than supporting the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way so that we sleep peacefully at night?

From Fox News:

Awwww. The poor little Islamic jihadi who beheads non-Mohammedans and kills women and children got his feelings hurt because someone punched him!

Whoever is running this investigation and pushing these chages needs to be thoroughly investigated and when wrong-doing is discovered (i.e. prosecutorial misconduct) they should be hand-cuffed and frog-marched off to prison!

You can access the complete story on-line here:

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist
Rowan Scarborough
FoxNews.com
November 25, 2009

Basking sharks

Where to go: Falmouth, Cornwall

Talk about charisma. The basking shark – the second largest fish in the world, after the whale shark – can grow up to 11m long and weigh 4.5 tons. It swims with its enormous mouth agape, filtering 2,000 cubic metres of sea water per hour in order to trap plankton in its gill rakers. This summer, The Wildlife Trusts are offering the opportunity to see basking sharks off Britain’s west coast. Colin Speedie, a leading marine conservationist and the skipper of the yacht Forever Changes, will take volunteers out to help collect information on basking sharks, as well as monitoring the effects of climate change on marine species. Speedie has been studying basking sharks since the 1980s. “During 2007 we will be re-surveying known basking shark hotspots and other new areas to establish their distribution and habitat use,” he says. As well as the sharks, you might also see whales, dolphins, turtles and a wide variety of seabirds.

http://baskingsharks.wildlifetrusts.org/

Bottlenose dolphins

Where to go: Moray Firth, Scotland

There’s something magical about a wild animal that comes to you voluntarily. Watching dolphins is exhilarating, especially when they leap and dive alongside your boat. The Moray Firth is an excellent spot to see them – around 130 are thought to live in the area. Dolphin-watching boat trips leave from the village of Cromarty. On dry land, the best spot to head for is Chanonry Point on the northern side of the Firth. Twice a day, fish surge through the channel and are ambushed by waiting dolphins.

www.wdcs.org/mfwc; www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nkhtl/cruise.html

Glow worms

Where to go: Arnside Knott, Cumbria

Wordsworth called them “earth-born stars”. Rather more prosaically, a balmy summer’s night lit by glow worms makes you feel as if you could be in the Med. Glow worms are actually beetles and it is the females who do the glowing. The key to their fluorescence is a protein called luciferin. Adding oxygen and water produces a chemical reaction that results in a pale green glow. The female can switch her light on and off by increasing or decreasing air to the luciferin layer. Females glow to attract males, who have larger eyes to help them pick potential mates. The National Trust runs glow worm walks at some of its sites.

www.glowworms.org.uk; www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Seals

Where to go: Blakeney Point, Norfolk

If you’re looking for sheer cuteness, you can’t go wrong with seals. Both the grey and common species frequent our coastline. From Blakeney you can take a boat three miles out to the tip of Cley Beach. In July, the samphire is as lush as the grass at Lord’s and interspersed with the purple, papery flowers of sea lavender. This is one of the most popular spots in the country for common seals to rest after a few days’ fishing. Although largely solitary creatures, seals do gather in large numbers at certain sites: at Blakeney there are sometimes as many as 600. Summer is a good time to see them because they’ve just had pups. Their mothers bring them here after they’ve been weaned; the youngest are about four weeks old. Intermingled with the common seals are grey ones. The key to telling them apart is that the common seals look rather like Labradors, with their round faces and snub muzzles.

Silver-studded blue butterflies

Where to see them: The Great Orme, Wales

The Great Orme is a limestone peninsula with views of the sea and Snowdonia; the south-facing slope is covered in butterflies. Silver studded blues are tiny – about the size of a thumbnail – but there are half a million in the 60 hectare site. When the sun comes out they open their startling blue wings and flutter in small clouds, the males vying with each other to impress the females. The peak season is late June through July. They have an unusual life cycle: the caterpillars exude a sticky substance that attracts ants, which in turn milk the caterpillars and help protect them from predators.

www.greatorme.org.uk

Red kites

Where to go: Gigrin farm, Powys, Wales

Red kites are a rusty colour, with a wingspan of almost 2m. This beautiful bird was pursued by game keepers and egg collectors and, by 1903, Britain’s kites were down to just five breeding pairs. In 1989, conservationists brought kites here from Spain; there are now 3,000 of them. At Gigrin, meat is put out every day, so you can get within a few metres of the birds – close enough to get a good look at those impressive talons.

www.gigrin.co.uk/

Orchids

Where to go: Park Gate down, Kent

Orchids can be irresistibly fascinating, with a whiff of the illicit about them. We have 56 species of native wild orchid in the UK and the warm chalk downland of Kent is one of the best places to see them. Park Gate Down, a reserve managed by Kent Wildlife Trust, has 10,000 orchids growing in a tiny area. You’re likely to see fragrant, greater butterfly, late spider, musk, pyramidal, common spotted, early purple, lady, as well as the very rare monkey orchid. The latter is only found in three sites in the whole of Britain and, when you look closely, the flower really does look like a gangly spider monkey.

www.kentdowns.org.uk; www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uK 

Natterjack toads

Where to go: Ainsdale, Merseyside

This nature experience is not so much a case of seeing, but listening. Ainsdale is one of the best places to hear natterjack toads calling. Although smaller than the common toad, this little beast is the loudest amphibian in Europe. In spring and summer, the males call to attract mates and their chorus of croaks can carry for a mile. Natterjacks are nocturnal, so one of the best ways to hear them is to go out at night. It’s a magical experience standing by a pond, the jet-black surface shimmering with the moon’s reflection, the sea whispering on one side as all around toads sing their throaty songs. The toads have fairly flat bodies that are warty brown, olive or grey (the males can lighten or darken their skin in order to camouflage themselves better), with a distinctive yellow stripe that runs all the way down the middle. Males have nuptial pads: hard patches on the inside of their forefingers that they use to grip the female during mating, and large vocal sacs. They’re not very good at jumping, only doing it if they are alarmed. Surprisingly, they’re poor swimmers and can drown in deep water.

www.naturalengland.org.uk/regions/northwest/

Puffins

Where to see them: the Farne Islands, Northumbria

Who doesn’t love puffins? There’s something comical about their plump bodies, parrot-like bills and dapper, plumage. Puffins nest in large colonies on cliffs with grassy slopes, where they dig burrows. A puffin normally lays one egg in its burrow at the end of May; the chick hatches 43 days later. At this time of the year chicks will still be reliant on the parents for food. Their main diet is sand eels, the over-fishing of which has led to a decline in puffin numbers. On the Farne Islands, though, they are doing well: there are around 55,000 pairs, and you’ll be able to get quite close. The islands are one of Europe’s most important seabird sanctuaries, home to more than 20 different species, including eider ducks and four species of tern – some of which will dive-bomb you , so wear a hat.

www.farne-islands.com; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-farneislands

Ospreys

Where to go: Rutland, Leics

Ospreys feed exclusively on fish. Their underparts are white, with dark brown above, and their legs have thorny hooks to help them hang on to fish. With a wing span of 150cm, they’re impressive birds, especially when hunting. At this time of year the adults will be feeding their young. Ospreys are endangered, because they were hunted by fish farmers and have been affected by pesticides. There are now more than 130 pairs in Scotland, and we finally have the first English-born ospreys for more than 150 years.

www.rutlandwater.org.uk 

Source: The Independent, Sanjida O’Connell, 26 July 2007

This is a good book, and I’m recommending it, but it isn’t at all like Julia Glass’s first two novels, Three Junes and The Whole World Over, both of which I reviewed favorably. I See You Everywhere is much darker, and more serious, than Glass’s previous work. This isn’t a criticism, but it’s important information for anyone who might read this book.

It begins lightly, however, and at first I thought it was going to be one of those novels about sisters that makes me glad I have brothers instead (thanks for not being girls, John and Steve!). With rather unexceptional parents, Louisa is the older daughter who is expected to be good at everything (been there), who wants a more conventional life, and who’s not much of a risk-taker. Clem, short for Clement, is 4 years younger, wilder, uninterested in settling down despite the occasional love interest, and a devoted animal lover. Louisa becomes the editor of an art magazine after giving up on being an artist herself, and Clem makes her career as a field biologist, starting with oceanic mammals and ending up following bears in Wyoming.

So they have interesting lives, they bicker, and they turn to each other for comfort even though they don’t understand each other very well. Eventually, the bickering turns into their way of communicating, and they understand each other all too well. It’s an intriguing psychological journey. It’s also very sad throughout most of the book. Both sisters will break your heart at different times, one more than the other. Books don’t make me cry, but if that’s ever happened to you, it’s entirely possible here. You are warned.

And this is a beautifully written, well-told story with great depth. I strongly recommend it, but not for when you’re already blue or want something light.

As for animals, it’s heartbreaking on that front as well. When I read books for this blog, I stick tape flags on the pages with relevant animal activity. I ran out of tape flags while reading this book. Animals die in I See You. Some are mentioned in passing, a few are characters. And yet there are some lovely passages relating to wildlife, like the injured hawk whose mate was there waiting for her when she was released after wildlife rehabilitators helped her through a broken wing. There are cats, horses, seals, birds, animals grown for food, and bears. One of the few light sequences has to do with foxhounds, a devoted caretaker, and puppies, in which Glass shows her characters’ capacity for warmth and compassion. But the bears — oh, the bears will tear at your soul. That’s not to say they all come to a bad end, but they will break your heart nonetheless. After considerable thought, I am declaring this book MOSTLY UNSAFE for animal lovers. I still recommend it for animal lovers, but go into it with your eyes open. This isn’t a beach book.

Any one who has served, or is serving under, the colors of the United States of America and their families must be frothing at the mouth about this one right now. Although it fits right in with Obama’s gutless and faithless administration.

The Navy Seals are the creme de la creme of the special forces of this country, along with the less well known Marine Force Recon of which there are only a few platoons in the entire Marine Corps, some very bad dudes…ditto the Army’s Delta Force…so secret that families of these people don’t even know what they do for a living. The Air Force has its Special Operations Command. All of these people routinely perform missions all over the globe in the international war on terror that many of us would call impossible or suicidal.

Force Recon, for example, operated far behind enemy lines for extended periods back when I was in the Corps. These men don’t have the luxury of  determining whether their actions meet someone’s idea of  ‘rules of engagement’ and shouldn’t have to. NONE of our combat personnel should! We lost a SEAL team to such nonsense in Afghanistan when three goat herders chanced upon a SEAL operation. The men had to make the determination of whether or not to kill them. That indecision cost the lives of three of the SEAL team, eight additional SEALs and eight Army special forces troops. Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor and he writes in his book, “LONE SURVIVOR”, about the futility of having to second guess the reactions of PC bureaucrats both in and out of the military.

Anyone who has ever had to face that eternal nano-second of when or whether or not to squeeze that trigger knows just what I mean.
The POLITICAL CORRECTNESS BRIGADE in our government, and especially the one operating in our military, is a pernicious cancer eating away at the confidence and morale of our fighting men. It’s more akin to giving aid and comfort to the enemy than anything else I can equate to.

A Navy Seal team captured Ahmed Hasim Abed, one of the most thoroughly detestable individuals occupying space on this globe. Somehow or another Ahmed got a fat lip instead of the bullet that should have adjudicated his massacre of four Blackhawk security agents. The PC POLICE in the MILITARY, and at the ever dense and un-American State Department from whence many of these ridiculous operational restrictions originate, sent out the word to hang these heroes, or at least hang them out to dry to the ardent applause of our enemies world wide. These men refused to be humiliated at non-judicial punishment, having permanent blots placed on their records, and instead insisted on a hearing at a full Court Martial.
Shades of Haditha…the only thing missing here so far is the smarmy and detestable John Murtha.

ENOUGH!! We have to stop this monkey trial. These men should be having decorations hung on them instead of having to fight for their careers. We must stop this pathetic nonsense now!
Please take the time to write or email your Representatives and Senators now. Additionally, the addresses of the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations are below. I’m sorry I don’t have an email for them. Perhaps one of you could supply it.

Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20350-1000

Chief of Naval Operations
2000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20350-1000

Our Soldiers, Sailors and Marines are being asked to do an incredibly difficult job under far less than optimal conditions, under a leadership sadly lacking courage or integrity themselves. Please don’t let them get away with this immense injustice.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2009

 

A Robert Hefner illustration

SEAL beach! (click on photo for Jim Kouri’s report)

“All clear thinking Americans should be outraged. Is this how we treat our protectors? Is this justice?” asks a former NYPD detective and US Marine.

“Let me get this straight: we’re trying a guy — a foreign terrorist — who killed 3,000 people on September 11, 2001 in a civilian court, but we’re going to try three war heroes in a military court over a bloody lip?” adds political strategist Mike Barker.

Read more…

Well, the open mic comes as we prepare to take a couple days for Thanksgiving. I will be taking some time off the blog as well. There will be no post on the night of Thanksgiving and I will do a guest commentary if I have one on Friday night, but if I don’t have a guest commentary submitted that night I will do either an open mic or not have an article. As many of you know, Friday begins my season of madness that lasts through Christmas. I will post as often as I am able, but there may be some nights with very little. I appreciate everyone understanding, as the season really is pure madness for me. The last couple days have been good conversations, but I do have to say that I am missing JAC and BF (Hope you feel better my pirate friend), especially on that first post this week about the path forward. I may have to rehash that article again later so that they can participate. I think we need to begin formulating a plan for what we can do. Tonight’s open mic has some good stuff, so I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say.

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.

Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.

Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.

Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.

Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

See also:
SEALs charged in alleged assault of detainee
Notorious terrorist captured – SEAL captors arrested!
They should have just shot him
Theater of the Absurd

Terrorist show trials in New York and now this, bad craziness, sheer madness, FUBAR.

/as Pogo so aptly put it, we have met the enemy . . . and he is us

Welcome to Obama’s America, where there are only three truly evil acts: 1) being a conservative; 2) working for Fox News; 3) being a patriot who tries to keep America safe from its enemies.

These SEALs are at least guilty of number 3, and are most likely also guilty of 1 as well.  That’s more than enough for Obama.

And of course Fox reported on the story.  But we already know they’re guilty of Crimes Against Obama.

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges For Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
By Rowan Scarborough

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.

Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.

Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

The three SEALs will be arraigned separately on Dec. 7. Another three SEALs — two officers and an enlisted sailor — have been identified by investigators as witnesses but have not been charged.

FoxNews.com obtained the official handwritten statement from one of the three witnesses given on Sept. 3, hours after Abed was captured and still being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia. He was later taken to a cell in the U.S.-operated Green Zone in Baghdad.

The SEAL told investigators he had showered after the mission, gone to the kitchen and then decided to look in on the detainee.

“I gave the detainee a glance over and then left,” the SEAL wrote. “I did not notice anything wrong with the detainee and he appeared in good health.”

Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January.

United States Central Command declined to discuss the detainee, but a legal source told FoxNews.com that the detainee was turned over to Iraqi authorities, to whom he made the abuse complaints. He was then returned to American custody. The SEAL leader reported the charge up the chain of command, and an investigation ensued.

The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that “Objective Amber” planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and “they had been tracking this guy for some time.”

The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq.

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September.

The military is sensitive to charges of detainee abuse highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The Navy charged four SEALs with abuse in 2004 in connection with detainee treatment.

I’d first like to thank these SEALs for their service; second, I’d like to thank them for capturing Ahmed Hashim Abed; third, I would like to thank them for giving this slimebag a fat lip.

Let’s assess the record of this administration: repeatedly attempting to contact al-Qaeda — merits a promotion; giving a terrorist murderer a fat lip — merits a court martial.

This is what happens under the Obama worldview that requires providing Miranda rights to terrorists and according them all the rights and privileges of American citizens.

It is a cancer that resulted in the Obama administration declassifying vital intelligence secrets which kept this country safe in order to use it as a political weapon

It is a cancer that resulted in the Obama administration literally attempting to criminalize the role of our intelligence professionals at the CIA for their role in desperately striving to keep this country safe.  Now, surprise, surprise, the morale at the CIA is at a 30-year low (dating back to the last time a Democrat tried to destroy the Agency).

It is a cancer that resulted in a Muslim captain who’d had regular email contact with al-Qaeda as well as “soldier of Allah” on his business card getting promoted to major before murdering 14 human beings and wounding more than 30 more at a military base – as he screamed ‘Allahu akbar!’ – while our own SEALs get disciplined for capturing such murderous bags of slime.

It is a cancer that resulted in five confessed terrorists going from requesting the death sentence at a military tribunal to getting an opportunity to plead not guilty and use the civilian trial Obama gave them as a platform for their jihadist worldview while putting America (and George Bush) on trial.

It is a cancer that has resulted in a president dithering for nearly three full months while ignoring his own handpicked general’s request for more troops in Afghanistan.  While nearly twice as many American soldiers have died (so far!) than died under George Bush.

Today Obama came out and – while continuing to criticize Bush for not having the right “strategy” – said he intends to “finish the job” without bothering to have any kind of explanation as to what the “job” even is.   Which is to say, some fat load of good his three months of “policy reviews” has done.  Meanwhile, the morale of our troops is sinking, while the morale of the Taliban and the number of the American body count is rising.

And we have Barack Hussein to thank for inflicting us with this cancer.  The sooner he is gone, the sooner our healing from cancer can begin.

Note to fools: there is no CSI Kandahar, and there is no CSI Baghdad.  We cannot possibly ask our soldiers to gather evidence and turn battlefields into crime scenes.  We are worse than idiots for demanding that our warriors on foreign battlefields act like domestic police officers.  It is a blatant category fallacy.

Prayer for Barack Obama:

Psalm 109:8 – “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.”

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist
Oh, great. The idiots-in-charge are gonna prosecute Navy SEALS for getting a bad guy. Why do they continue to treat war criminals like cat burglars? They don’t get Miranda and they don’t get lawyers. They are NOT protected under OUR Constitution. They are not citizens of this country. And, before anyone starts spouting Geneva Convention rhetoric, tell that to the families of the Blackwater security guards. Where is THEIR justice?

Those interested in legal knowledge representation or legal semantic information retrieval may be interested in the European SEALS project: Semantic Evaluation At Large Scale, a project to develop an infrastructure for the evaluation of semantic technologies. Interested researchers are invited to join the SEALS Community. Here is the press release from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). HT ACM Tech News.

SEALS, a “7th Framework Programme (FP7) under the topic of e-Infrastructures, is coordinated by Ontology Engineering Group at the UPM’s School of Computing and includes researchers from other nine European universities and research centres from Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.”

For more information, please see the SEALS Website.

If you know of law-related activities or systems within the SEALS project, please feel free to identify them in the comments.

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS SHOCKING STORY IN THE U.S. MEDIA?…..NO!

The following article is almost unbelievable and potentially deadly for our nation.  And while it poses a very serious and detrimental danger to the United States, I have not heard anything about it from the mainstream media.

The information was obtained from Israel National News and is located at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134466, which thankfully to the Lord, DOES NOT worship Barack Obama nor props him up on some sort of throne.

With that said, take a look at what they have discovered about the guy sitting in the White House.

Obama ‘Reaches Out’ by Naming ‘Devout’ Muslims to Security Posts

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. President Barack Obama continues to “reach out to Muslims” by appointing them to key security posts amid charges he wrongly ignored internal Muslim terror. One recent appointee was harshly criticized for appearing on a British-based television station whose host is a member of a radical Muslim group.

His “reaching out Muslims” speech in Cairo last June has been followed by action, the latest being this past week’s swearing-in of a Muslim rights advocate to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, shortly after the Fort Hood massacre. HSAC members are involved in expertise on national security.

The new member is Syrian-born Kareem Shora, who was the national executive director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination (ADC), which previously has called on the United States to stop providing Israel with weapons because of alleged “atrocities” against Arabs. Her background for her new security post is having been a legal counsel and advocate for Muslim civil rights.

She also has been a frequent guest on the pro-Hamas al-Jazeera satellite network.

Shora, who has been described as a “devout Muslim, joins another devout member of the faith, Arif Alikhan, who was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development in the Department of Homeland Security. His qualifications for the job were listed as having been in charge of public safety in Los Angeles during his term of deputy mayor. One of his actions was to remove the plan that tracked Muslims in the city who were suspected of terrorist activities.

Americans have been jolted by several lethal attacks and confrontations with Muslims over the past year, including a plot to attack synagogues and down U.S. military aircraft, the manufacture of bombs, an alleged attempt to explode a Texas skyscraper, a plot to blow up malls in Boston, and last month’s Fort Hood massacre by a Muslim psychiatrist who was an officer in the army.

A desire to avoid the appearance of labeling all Muslims as terrorists lunged out from the shadows last month after President Obama faced criticism for not taking seriously the threat of Muslim terrorism within American society as well as in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Several months ago, President Obama appointed Dalia Mogahed, a “devout Muslim,” to his Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She quickly came under fire for appearing in a telephone interview on a London-based Muslim television station, whose host is a member of an extreme Islamic group.

She said was unaware of the affiliations of her host, whose program included questions and comments favoring the implementation of Islamic Law (“sharia”).

Mogahed explained that she did not hang up the phone in the middle of the interview because “I assumed that very few people would watch this show but that doing something more dramatic would bring more attention.”

In the current issue of Newsweek, columnist Jacob Weisberg, citing former Secretary of State Colin Powell, wrote that “Obama’s [Muslim] heritage feeds a broader suspicion that he is too casual about the threat from America’s Islamist enemies.”

The journalist added, “With the massacre in Texas, Obama now confronts something that George W. Bush did not face in the years after September 11—not just a major act of domestic terrorism, but one struck from inside our security apparatus…. America does not face a threat from the perversion of faith in general. We face a threat from the perversion of one faith in particular.”

End

I want to encourage all of you to pray and to draw ever so close to the Son of the Living God, the LORD JESUS CHRIST……THE ONLY SAVIOR.

By all appearances, judgment seems to be heading for the United States of America.  As a watchman giving warning, I am urging everyone who is reading this to please follow the Lord’s Word from Isaiah chapter 55 verses 6-7 which is as follows:

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

May we all take heed to this warning while we still have the chance, because a time is coming when we will not.

Councillors and fellow members of the Planning Permission Committee, herewith my report on the recent events occurring in Tamworth Lane: 

  There had been a complaint that three plots of land had been illegally occupied by itinerant swine, and unlawful habitations erected thereon.  I was instructed by this committee to inspect the properties. I attended there on the fifth of this month.  I discovered three small houses had indeed been built on three plots.

  I attempted to gain access to the residence at Number One, a house built entirely of straw.  It was obviously unfit for habitation, a cursory inspection proving that no attempt at securing the joists or to install load-bearing walls had been made; a strong wind was all that was needed to bring it down. 

  I knocked carefully, several times, and attempted to make myself known to the occupier, a Mr Little Pig, by calling out, ‘Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in.’ I am afraid to say the occupant was incompliant and hurled abuse at me through the walls; at first I thought he was speaking Pig Latin, but then I made out his words: namely, ‘No!  Not by the hair on my freakin’ chin.’  ‘Excuse me!’ I replied; ‘I am just a wolf at the door.’  Rather annoyed, I huffed and puffed a bit and, letting out a long sigh, I was shocked but not surprised to see the straw house collapse in front of me. 

  I dialled 999 and then attempted to ascertain the extent of Mr Pig’s injuries.  He appeared dazed and was, I think, suffering from severe hay fever.  I helped him to a seat but, somewhat befuddled, he began to scream that he was bleeding glue.  Squealing like a stuck pig, he ran into the road just as the ambulance arrived, and was hit by it; you should have seen how that swine flew.  He was hospitalised and treated for his obvious mental illness and is now, happily, a cured ham.

  I proceeded to Two Tamworth Lane: a house made of sticks and occupied by a grocer, a Mr Lidl Pig.  Again, I knocked carefully, and attempted to make myself known to the tenant by calling out, ‘Lidl Pig, Lidl Pig, let me come in.’   Mr Pig was as rude as his neighbour, replying, ‘No!  Not by the hair on my freakin’ chin.’  I wondered if they were in some way related.

  Just then, a bee landed on my nose.  I am embarrassed to admit that I am afraid of bees and wasps, and I froze.  When the bee at last flew away, I realised I had been holding my breath the whole time and I expelled it in relief.  I was horrified as the habitation before me collapsed around Mr Pig.  I immediately called 999 and ascertained the extent of Mr Pig’s injuries.  He was covered in splinters but coherent, but there was a lot of pork scratching going on.  He swore at me and ran off.  I believe he has now joined a porcupine colony.

  Finally, I attended Number Three.  I asked the second ambulance to stand by, just in case.  I was rather apprehensive at this point, but decided to go the whole hog.  The illegal dwelling was built of brick, and well built at that.  As I walked around the premises I could hear a violin being played inside.  I tried the front door and called out, ‘Fiddle Pig, Fiddle Pig, let me come in.’ When the same reply came back: ‘No, not by the hair on my freakin’ chin,’ I began to suspect a conspiracy.   At this point, I admit, I was ready to turn tail and run; it was past my home time and I had a hot date lined up with a real babe.  However, I felt it would be unethical of me to put girls before swine, and I decided to finish the job.

  I am a nervous man, Councillors – some might say a sheep in wolf’s clothing – but I know my duty and I had a warrant to enter the premises.  During my initial survey, I had noticed a ladder leading up to a hole in the roof.  Eager to get inside to get this horrible day over, it did not occur to me until it was too late that it might be a trap.  I did not know that I was, in fact, climbing into a half-built chimney stack.  If I had thought about it at all, I would have assumed that pigs are averse to smokey bacon cribs.  

  Councillors, I shudder to relate the last part of my tale.  It was ghastly.  Halfway down the chimney, I began to sweat.  Unbeknownst to me, Mr Pig had set a pot of water to heat on the fire.  The sweat made me lose my grip and I slipped.  Fortunately for me, my trajectory was feet first: I kicked the pot out of the way and leapt over the fire.  If Mr Pig had not jumped out of the way, let’s just say it would have been boiled ham for dinner.  As it was, he fell into a large vat of cola unaccountably standing in his kitchen, and drowned.  A pig in a coke is not a pleasant sight.

   The subsequent Police investigation concluded that the illegal houses were built in an attempt to lure me to Tamworth Lane and murder me.  You may remember that last year I was going about my lawful business, carrying a large case full of blueprints, when I was set upon by Little Red Riding Hoodie and the Granny Gang.  They came screaming out of nearby woods, demanding of me, ‘Big bag, wolf!  Big bag, wolf!’  I refused to give up my case and I was able to see them off with the aid of an obliging woodcutter who happened to be walking home and heard my yelps for help.  He maimed several of them with his axe.  It appears Miss Hoodie wanted revenge against me.  She did some time in the pen and met the three pigs there; she employed them to assassinate me, paying each of them £1 and one shilling each.  They seem to have been willing guinea pigs.   

  This concludes my report, councillors, but I would like to close by tendering my resignation.  Working in health and safety has become too dangerous, and I have decided to pack it in.  I have therefore accepted a commission as an amphibious scout in the American Navy, and I am off to become a wolf in SEAL’s clothing.

ZENICA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Nov 18, 2009 (AFP) – A second-half strike by Raul Meireles was enough to break Bosnian hearts and send 2006 semi-finalists Portugal through to the World Cup finals on Wednesday.

The Portuguese, once again without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, had won a hard-fought first leg 1-0 courtesy of a close-range header by Bruno Alves on Saturday and again had to be on their mettle before Meireles’ effort ensured their place at next summer’s showpiece in South Africa.

Portugal’s Pepe (C) and Tiago (R) vies with Bosnia’s Zlatan Muslimovic (L) during their WC2010 play-off football match at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica on November 18, 2009. AFP PHOTO

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession in the opening period on a heavy pitch the Boisnians failed to carve out any clear chances as the Portuguese sat back hoping to catch their hosts on the counter in their European zone play-off second leg.

Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, whose team limped through the first half of their qualifying programme prior to a late rally, had insisted his team plays better away than at home.

And ten minutes after the restart Meireles ensured there would be no shredded nerves for the visitors as he took a pass from Manchester United star Nani and slipped a low, precise shot past Kenan Hasagic in the Bosnian goal.

“These marathons are only over after the final whistle and I want to thank my players for showing such spirit,” said a relieved Queiroz afterwards.

Meireles saluted the team’s attitude.

“Our play and our attitude were the most important things out there. The pitch was cutting up badly and it was not always possible to play well – but we won, we are through and we are happy. We always believed in ourselves,” Meireles insisted.

Bosnian dangerman Edin Dzeko, whose goals had been instrumental in taking his country this far, was getting little change out of the Portuguese defence and was chiefly in evidence following the goal for getting himself booked.

Minutes earlier Nani himself had come close to breaking the deadlock at the Bilino Polje Stadium but Hasagic blocked well with his legs.

Zlatan Muslimovic tried valiantly to rouse the Bosnians, who enjoyed a late run to land runners-up spot in Spain’s group, edging out Turkey and Belgium, but his probing runs produced no end product.

Portugal sent Edinho on for Nani with 18 minutes remaining after Meireles had first sent an effort skidding just wide before Vedad Ibisevic appealed in vain for a penalty at the other end after tangling with Paulo Ferreira.

Almost immediately, the hosts then found themselves down to ten men as midfielder Sejad Salihovic was dismissed.

The red card brought fury on the terraces and the match briefly came to a halt with one of the linesmen appearing to have been struck by an object thrown from the crowd.

Veteran coach Miroslav Blazevic, who memorably led neighbouring Croatia to third place in the 1998 finals, urged his men on for a final push, Miralem Pjanic scuffing a final chance, but the Portuguese, who introduced Deco for Simao for the closing 11 minutes, held firm.

Bookmark & Share

……Monday 26th – Thursday 29th October

Day 8

Picked up the car – a free upgrade on the basis that they didn’t have the manual gear budget car that I’d booked.  A snazzy 2l Ford Focus with air con and cruise control!  Huzzah.  Rob was well chuffed.  After a swift trip to Foodtown for essential supplies (diet coke and Cheezles, but couldn’t locate chillies) we checked out and headed over to Arrowtown for a last visit (for a while anyway).  Had a cuppa and general nattering – Rob managed to get one photo of us all paying attention and looking in the right direction.  After hugs and kisses (and snot) we said goodbye and headed off north towards Cromwell (home of the big fruit) and Highway 8.  I love the countryside north of Cromwell, especially heading over the Lindis Pass.  We just bimbled along, occasionally stopping.  It peed with rain all the way to Lake Tekapo.  We did a detour up to Mount Cook village, past the Hermitage to the visitor centre.  They’ve got a new exhibit area there (or at least I don’t remember it last time) and it was really interesting, with lots of information about the geology and flora and fauna.  They also had all the memorial books, with an entry for each person who’s died on the mountain.  Sobering reading.  Lots of people.  The coffee shop here was the only place I had a horrid coffee on the entire trip (flat white mmmmm) Disappointingly, Aoraki declined to peek out from behind the curtain of rain AGAIN.  Foiled.  I am perhaps destined not to see it.  Lake Pukaki was very blue (in the drizzle).  We headed off as the weather was turning worse and the forecast was snow down to 500m.

Lake Tekapo was also a milky blue as we drove into the YHA carpark.  Well, what we could see through the steady drizzle.  This was Rob’s least favourite part of the holiday – I made him stay in a youth hostel.  I quite liked it, and you always meet interesting people. It was basic, but fine, IMHO.  We went for a wander along the lake shore (bloody freezing) and for a wander around the main village area (the dead zone).  Following a delicious stir-fry, we and several other people settled down to watch a movie, but I bailed really early as I was knackered.  Rob stayed up and drank gin with random strangers, including a German psychiatrist who looked far too young to have qualified as a psych (clearly I’m getting old).  I’d have loved it to be a clear night, as Tekapo’s supposed to be the best place in NZ for spectacular stargazing, and you can do tours at the observatory on the hill outside town.  But it was not to be.

Day 9

Up early, brekkie and a quick wander along the lake shore.  Again, it was bloody freezing and it had snowed up at the observatory overnight.  There were loads of lupins not quite yet in flower.  It must be spectacular when they’re all out.  We also found some pine trees with ginormous pine cones (like fat pint glass size) and lots of dog rose, yarrow and mullein.  We headed off to Geraldine, which was quite a nice wee town with a reasonable assortment of shops and some nice (and not so nice) looking houses.  It also had a drive-thru post box, which I thought was the height of idleness, but kinda cool.  We had lunch sat on the riverbank below the Rakaia Gorge bridge – absolutely gorgeous views of the very blue river and cliffs.  Most impressive.

And so to Christchurch and Hotel So.  So small.  So odd.  So difficult to fit two people and two suitcases in the room (without one of us stepping into the bathroom).  And what a bathroom.  People, if you’re going to stay at Hotel So with your partner, let’s hope that you’re not shy about having a poo, cos the walls are frosted glass and the bathroom is IN the bedroom.  To be fair, I did know this when I booked it – I just thought it might be novel for two nights. And the glass shower wall next to the bed means you can do Tales of the Unexpected intro dancing whilst your partner switches the in-shower “mood lighting” through a range of colours.  Most entertaining.  Rob hated it.  He hated the sunrise lamp, which comes on at some point before your alarm time to mimic the sun rising (there’s no window) and then the TV comes on with a “natural landscapes” channel (DVD of a babbling brook or suchlike).  I was dimly aware of the light level increasing, which was ok, but was then thoroughly awoken by Rob banging about trying to work out how to turn it off and turning everything else on in the process.  Lots of electronic beeping.  Noise.  Lights.  I’m glad I wear earplugs.  We slept.  Sort of.  I think Rob’s dislike of Hotel So trumped his dislike of Lake Tekapo YHA.  I was doing well in the hotel booking stakes.

Prior to this we did go out and wander around the city centre and botanic gardens.  Loved the botanic gardens.  Hated the city centre (the suburbs on the way in had looked much nicer).

Day 10

A full day in Christchurch.  We decided to grab breakfast (flat white and raisin toast) and drive off to Sumner, Lyttleton, Governor’s Bay and across Bank’s Peninsula to Akaroa on the grounds that neither of us wanted to spend a day in Christchurch.  We just tootled along, the road curving in and out of lovely wee bays, and occasionally diverting off up narrow roads to god knows where that had HUGE drop-offs into hell and no crash barriers.  Darwinism is alive and well in NZ for the careless driver.  Absolutely stunning drive, ending in Akaroa at about 2.30pm for fish and chips, which were also stunning.  A grand day out, ending in a light dinner at Hotel So’s cafe bar, Cafe What and an early night, cos I had a sore throat and felt crap.

Day 11

Up early and out into the pissing rain heading north to Kaikoura.  Stopped and Kaiapoi for brunch and food shopping at New World.  More Cheezles were bought – they’re rather addictive.  We like them.  Noticed that New World supermarkets don’t have trolley parks, they have trundler parks.  Trundlers.  I decided that I quite liked that and that it amused me (I am easily amused).  The search for chillies continued, including a search in a fruit and veg shop, but no success.  We’d had problems finding them earlier in the trip, which was odd.

We took a detour off the coastal road on the Alpine Pacific Highway (?!) which meant that we bimbled along through countryside with beautiful scenery inland and the roads to progressively smaller and windier.  The bit back down to the main coast highway was fantastic, and we stopped just before we got into Kaikoura to look at a fat seal lolling on a rock.  Little did we know that this was the first of many seals, and that they were stinky.

Kaikoura is beautiful, with rather spectacular mountains lurking in the background.  Sadly they were obscured (mostly) by thick cloud and heavy rain.  Stayed in the Alpine Pacific Motel and I have to say, I thought it was lovely (so did Rob).  Basic, modern, clean, everything you needed for a short stay and excellent mountain views to boot (apart from the thick rainclouds).  And two hot tubs and a pool just outside our room!

We headed off for Whale Watch to book a trip – they were advising that the forecast was not good and that cancellations may occur, but we booked for the afternoon trip on Friday, and hoped that the weather gods would be kind, as we only had one full day in Kaikoura.  However, all would not be lost if we couldn’t go, as one of the other premier touristy things to do in Kaikoura is llama trekking.  The brochure promised me that I would fall in love with my new woolly friend and “Llamas – Dolphins of the Land” would be thrilling.  Now I’ve got a sneaking fondness for llamas and alpacas but not even with the greatest stretch of the imagination could I liken the woolly grumps to the most intelligent mammal of the sea.  How we laughed.  I was still chuckling about it days later.

Drove out to Point Kean and had a gander at more seals.  They reek, and not in a fishy way.  The sea was being fairly spectacular and we couldn’t tell if the tide was coming in or out, so we didn’t go wandering too far round the rocky base of the cliffs, but poked about in rockpools and looked at the seal and bird life.  Pied shags airing their wings like old rags, black oystercatchers guddling for food and petulant sounding gulls.

Kaikoura New World failed on the chillies score, but succeeded in having trundlers, so I could live with that.  Trundlers and llamas.  What more could I want?  Relatively early night still feeling snotty and shivery.

Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama again. As you may recall, the ship was attacked in April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage. Remember the SEAL sharpshooters? They freed Phillips while killing 3 pirates. Remember the nighttime headshot on Easter? GO NAVY!

This time around, guards on board the U.S.-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt.

Pirates have increased their attacks in recent weeks as the monsoon season ends.

Some, as they say, never learn…

Drink one for me,

Woody

Is there really a water crisis?

Photojackers of the world unite!

Pomegranates

OK, I do not have a photo of a Persimmon from the Farmer’s Market in the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego.  I am really sorry about that.  Because today I tasted my very first Persimmon.  And liked it very much.  Wikipedia explains that is known as the “fruit of the gods”.

After Christopher’s girlfriend arrived from one of those LA suburbs, we traveled downtown Sandy Eggo  (that’s what my friend Margo calls this fair city) and cruised the Farmer’s Market.  I have never seen such exotic fruits,vegetables, pesto, olives, fish…anything in the world one might imagine.  Our markets in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula look very tame and ordinary compared with this.

Anyone ever heard of Turkish eggplants? 

Yep, Turkish eggplants

I am still in shock at the rapid uploading-speed of these photos.  You reach for a sip of your pumpkin pie spiced latte.  Just one sip.  And the photo is uploaded before you finish sipping.  Where am I?  Does such a place exist in the Internet world that embraces such a possibility?  I may never want to go home.  You can do the dishes in the time it takes to upload a photo at times. (OK, a slight exaggeration…)

Little girl in pink with flowers

A man with a trumpet played Christmas carols for us as we wandered among the booths.  There were free samples at almost every booth!  Oh did we sample.  The kids even bought a few specialty items, including pesto and hummus which we munched with pita bread for lunch. 

The kids up ahead

They have everything in San Diego.  I kid you not.  Even…doggie playgroups???  Really???

Too bad we didn't have a dog.

After a stop back at the apartment for lunch we drove up to La Jolla and walked along the ocean.  I wanted to see the seals.  Chris’ girlfriend said the seals were not too exciting.  They just lay there.  Didn’t move.  Not too entertaining. 

“I still want to see the seals,” I assured her.  “We must have seals for the blog!”

The Pacific Ocean

We walked along the hard-packed sand above the beach.  This is not like ordinary sand.  It feels hard, like concrete.  I have never seen sand like this before.  Hundreds of people walked along above the ocean, looking down.  Dozens played in the surf.  Some lay on blankets on the ground, sunning.  A beautiful 65 degree day for visiting the beach. 

Family by ocean

Finally we saw them.  High excitement!  The seals.  There they were…or were they?  Were they seals or motionless rock-like lumps on the horizon?  We approached them from the causeway which provided tourist-like views above their heads.  Yep, sure enough.  The seals of La Jolla.

Seals!!

And more seals sun-bathing atop large rocks.  We waited eagerly for them to move.  There!  One stretched.  One curled up a bit.  One scratched his friend’s back.  (Yes, I swear this happened.  And I have at least one witness.)  We ooohhed and aaahhhed as one seal dove into the water and swam around.

Seals on rock

It was very exciting.  But then we had to go home and nap.  You know how it is on vacation.  You taste persimmons and watch seals and nap.  This is the LIFE!

The ultimate warriors….and true heroes.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Source

If someone could train one to do it on command, the Labrador would soon be out of business.

Of course, someone has to figure out how to care for a huge  predatory seal that lives by killing penguins and other seals.

In the Arctic, the polar bear fills this niche.

In Antarctica, the seal becomes the polar bear.