Gnu Migration

Gnu Migration, originally uploaded by mainelife240.

Yet another of Dad's photos that we selected for the book.
This is the gnu migration in the Masai Mara Game Preserve in Kenya.

Thought For the Day

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
---C.S. Lewis

Amish School

Amish School, originally uploaded by mainelife240.

Another of my dad's photos, taken at the Amish school in our little Ohio county.

True Lies?

James Cameron, director of Titanic and creator of Terminator and True Lies is holding a press conference today in New York City to announce that he's got DNA evidence that shows one of the bodies in the Talpiyot Tomb is that of Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph.

Discovery Channel will air Cameron's 90 minute documentary on this discovery on March 4th.

According to Cameron, there are six boxes, inscribed in Hebrew, Latin or Greek, bearing the names: Yeshua [Jesus] bar Yosef [son of Joseph]; Maria [the Latin version of Miriam, which is the English Mary]; Matia [the Hebrew equivalent of Matthew, a name common in the lineage of both Mary and Joseph]; Yose [the Gospel of Mark refers to Yose as a brother of Jesus]; Yehuda bar Yeshua, or Judah, son of Jesus; and in Greek, Mariamne e mara , meaning 'Mariamne, known as the master.' Mariamne was Mary Magdalene's real name. (The boxes were taken from a 2,000-year-old cave discovered in 1980 during excavation for a housing project in Talpiyot, south of Jerusalem.)

So here's the rub: If Cameron is correct, the bone boxes, and the DNA found inside, is the first archeological evidence of the existence of the Christian savior. But given that Christianity was founded on the belief that

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. (Nicene Creed)

what proves Jesus lived (which neither Jewish faith or Islam denies--they simply deny that he was the Messiah or the Son of God), then invalidates the entire Christian faith. Faith being the operative word here . It's all been taken on Faith. We can't prove that Jesus lived. We can't prove he was born of a Virgin. We cannot prove He rose from the dead. We simply believe. And for those who believe, this won't provide compelling evidence to debunk the Christian faith. We'll continue to believe. Whether Jesus' body ascended with His Spirit doesn't invalidate His teachings any more than evolution does.

But not every one will see it that way. Remember the hullabaloo over The DaVinci Code? The work of fiction? How about the fury over Darwin? That's nothing compared to DNA evidence that supposedly proves Jesus did not bodily ascend. Thousands of angry Christians will be burning their Titanic DVDs, boycotting Avatar and calling for a Constitutional Amendment to ban Canadian born film directors from working in the US.

If nothing else, Cameron will provide us with weeks, maybe months of great entertainment, watching the apoplexy of the Fundamentalists.

I Feel Like a Mushroom

Reflections, originally uploaded by mainelife240.

I spent the entire weekend in the basement with my dad, helping him select photos for a coffee table that he's publishing. He's quite a talented guy and the book is going to be really lovely--he takes wonderful portraits (like this one of my nephew).

Video of the Day

Unfortunately, the accent isn't quite right--it's kind of like Holly Hunter trying to do the Boston accent in Once Around

Yowza

We have a 200 gallon fuel oil tank in the basement. The fuel oil man just delivered 145 gallons of fuel oil. ($2.30 a gallon, I'll let you do the math).

Sad thing is, the furnace doesn't heat the whole house, it heats the downstairs (partially) and supplies our hot water. We have electric baseboard radiators in each of the upstairs rooms, for which we pay Central Maine Power. We also heat a portion of the downstairs with wood (fireplace in the study) and propane (gas burning stove in the living room), for which we pay AmeriGas.

Keeping us warm with -15 windchill is not an inexpensive proposition, but it's a small price to pay for living in Maine.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, a British film about William Wilberforce and his efforts to end slavery, had some help from York resident and historian, Kevin Belmonte. Belmonte wrote a biography of Wilberforce, entitled William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity. Based upon that work, he was asked to be the lead historical consultant for the film, working with the screenwriter and director to ensure the story was historically accurate.

Over the last year, Belmonte has been consulting on two Wilberforce related documentaries -- one for the BBC and another U.S.-based documentary. He has also been speaking to various governmental and civic groups in the United Kingdom and the U.S.

The film is playing in Portsmouth at the Regal Cinemas (stadium seating, y'all), and around the country.

Number Two Defeats Number One

Alternate Heading: Number One Defeats Number Two (Depending On Which Poll You Choose)

Number one or number two Ohio State defeated number one or number two Wisconsin 48-49 yesterday in Columbus to claim the Big 10 Championship for the second year in a row.
It was an ugly, ugly game (the Buckeyes haven't won a game scoring fewer than 50 points since 1982), but it's much better to win ugly than lose pretty.

It may have been freshmen Greg Oden's final game at Value City Arena. Oden (number 20 and the oldest looking 18-year old on the planet) is expected to be the first player drafted this year should he declare for the draft. Retired Guy would like to see him playing in Celtic Green next year. I think he looks smashing in that little scarlet and gray number.

Aye-uh. I'm Ah Mainah

Good old fashioned shopping spree.....for most women that might mean new Jimmy Choos or an ensemble like this (lovely, isn't it? And I do look good in black):







But my shopping spree consisted of pillow shams for the guest room, 2 wool cable knit sweaters. Being a woman and all, I believe that no shopping spree is complete without some new shoes:




Or a beautiful new coat:



Retired Guy keeps asking if I'm ready to fix the Chevy or when I'm going to cut down that tree in the back.
What can I say? Some women are especially suited to living in Maine and it seems I'm one of 'em.

Good Morning

A light dusting of snow overnight and a cold, windy sunrise. Happy Friday to you.

Hammer and Coop

Have you seen the 2007 Mini Cooper?
It's so hot, it's got its own movie.
Lucy is so proud of her little brother.

A Happy Ending....

Remember this sad tale?

Well, after spending about eight total hours pulling together all of the documentation that the State of Ohio needs to be convinced that I didn't live or work in the state from 2003-2005, writing a cover letter, photocopying all of it, driving through a blizzard to Express Mail the package, and then another hour on the phone this morning with the IRS to try to get my tax transcript for 1995-1997 (I ordered them on February 1 and the IRS shows that they were pulled and mailed on that day, but they never arrived--so I requested a duplicate this morning).......

So after all that, my phone rings this afternoon. It's the nice lady who wrote me that letter from the state.
She tells me she's received and reviewed the 2003-2205 information and it's clear that I did not need to file in the state of Ohio for those years and given the information that I've provided and the explanation in my cover letter, she is going to close this file. I do not need to provide them with the transcript for '95-'97. Great news!
BUT....
there is just one more thing. It seems that the Great State of Ohio has lost my tax return for 2000. She sees that I've paid them, via credit card (it was e-filed) the correct amount and there's not a question of me owing them any money, but they've lost a lot of e-filed returns between 2000 and 2002, and this appears to be one of them. Can I please send her a copy of the state filing for 2000?

Uh. Huh. Now the nice lady and I specifically discussed 2000 when I called her on February 1 after receiving the letter. 2000 was mentioned in the RE line of the letter, but not in the body of the letter, so I asked her if she needed documentation for that year. She said no, so I didn't send it to her. Now she tells me she needs the tax return. Can you guess how quickly I'm getting that to her?
Goodness. It's almost enough to make me a Michigan fan.

Honey, I'm going Out For A Cup of Coffee

This story leaves so many unanswered questions and is wrong on so many levels:

Claude Van Tassel doesn't want to come home.

It was nearly five years ago that the well-known auctioneer from Lyman, Maine, and father of 12 went missing while shopping at the Dover Ames store with his wife. Van Tassel told her he was going to get a cup of coffee — and was never heard from again.

"He has asked that his location not be given out because he does not want to be found," said Interim Police Chief Anthony Colarusso. "In essence we have a person who has been missing of his own volition since 2002, but he is healthy, he is alive and well in Pennsylvania. At this stage the case is closed, the family's been notified."

Seems he's done this once before, as well:

"We then began to dig into the history of Mr. Van Tassel and learned that he did a similar thing and was missing in another part of the country a year previously," Colarusso said.

Van Tassel told his wife he was going for coffee before that disappearance as well. His abandoned truck was found weeks later in Ohio, and Van Tassel was found 72 days later at a homeless shelter in Iowa.

His wife isn't buying the story, but since Mr. Van Tassel doesn't want to be found, the authorities won't tell her where he is. Wouldn't that drive you crazy? All those unanswered questions, like don't you miss your 17 grandchildren? Why not just ask for a divorce? My curiosity would be killin' me....

The Weather In Maine

It was 36 degrees F today. I didn't ever put on a coat, as it's positively spring like....considering how I felt at 36, I thought I'd share the true Maine Guide to RealFeel temperature (it's not original):

60 above zero:
Arizonans turn on the heat.
People in Maine plant gardens.

50 above zero:
Southern Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Maine sunbathe.

40 above zero:
Some foreign-made cars won't start.
People in Maine drive with their windows down (or tops down).

32 above zero:
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Maine merely gets thicker.

20 above zero:
Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Maine throw on a flannel shirt.

10 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn on the heat.
People in Maine have their last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero:
People in Miami start dying.
People in Maine close the windows.

10 below zero:
Californians fly south to Mexico.
People in Maine start looking for their winter coats.

20 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
Girl Scouts in Maine sell cookies door to door.

40 below zero:
Washington, D.C., runs out of hot air.
People in Maine let their dogs sleep indoors.

120 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
People in Maine get upset because they can't start their minivans.

459 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops (Absolute Zero).
People in Maine note, "It's getting wicked cold outside."

500 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Maine public schools will open 2 hours late.

Taste the Truthy Goodness

Coming to a store near you, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream Ice Cream from Ben and Jerry's:

The flavor, Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream is a decadent melting pot of vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. It’s the sweet taste of liberty in your mouth.

And via reader,Starfish: April 17th is free cone day at Ben and Jerry's. No limit, she tells me.
Thanks Starfish.

Lobstermen Protest Groundfishing Law

In Maine, if you're trawling for groundfish and catch a lobster, you have two choices: throw it back or take it down to Massachusetts where you can sell the lobsters. 12,000 pounds of Maine lobster ended up being sold in the Bay State in 2005--a very small fraction of the 67.3 million pounds of lobster caught by Maine Lobstermen in that year--but enough to convince many groundfishermen to sell their fish at Massachusetts piers.

So the state of Maine wants to make it legal for those lobsters to be sold here and have a bill pending that would do so.

As with many things in Maine, there isn't a clear-cut answer: the lobstermen oppose the bill, primarily because the lobsters caught in groundnets are the large female breeding lobsters that produce millions of eggs each year. Additionally, the lobstermen believe that a change in the bill would mean more trawlers targeting the lobsters and actually increase the numbers caught and sold (Federal law allows 100 lobster a day or 500 lobsters per trip to be kept in these circumstances).

Supporters of the bill say it's important because the number of boats selling fish at the Portland Fish Exchange has dropped from 250 to 110. The number of jobs at Maine processing plants has dropped to 800, down from the high of 1,700. They also contend that the lobsters caught 50 miles out to sea don't have any interaction with the lobsters caught by the traditional Maine lobsterman so there's no need to fear this bill.

Maine lobstermen have long practiced conservation and careful preservation of their fishing grounds, with the end result of lobstering being one of the few healthy fisheries left in New England. They've marshalled all 6500 lobstermen in opposition to this bill.

More information here.
The GloucesterTimes (Gloucester, MA) provides the Bay State perspective.
The Working Waterfront weighs in. (The Working Waterfront is the monthly published by The Island Institute. If you have any interest in Maine Island life, visit their museum/storefront in Rockland or on-line here).

Ashland County Amish

My dad braved the Ohio portion of last week's blizzard to see what the neighbors were up to. They were up to a little manure spreading and some blacksmithing and they were heading off to school. The English kids had a snow day, but not the Amish kids.


























He wanted me to be sure to tell you that he was in a nice warm car, not in a buggy, so he really didn't feel that brave.
Especially after he shot this picture:

Fumble

Somebody dropped the ball on this one.
Tom Brady's protection on the field is better than his protection off the field...his ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan, is three months pregnant with his child.
We wonder how Gisele Bundchen, his Brazilian super-model new girlfriend, will feel about babysitting on Friday nights.

Mountaineers to Invade the Big House

Holy Moses. Via my good blog buddy Marie --the Appalachian State Mountaineers are going to invade the Big House on September 1, 2007, and they'll get to see Lloyd Carr work (ahem) those sidelines in person.

This should be a great game--it's enough for me to re-up for the College Game Day package for next season--two time defending 1-AA National Champions versus the team favored to win the Big 10 and possibly contend for a 1-A title. Remember, last year, the UNH Wildcats (1-AA school) visited Northwestern and came away with a huge win. Now this is a little different, in that Northwestern's athletic program is the reason we're still the Big 10--we do have 11 schools but only 10 have real teams, but ASU has an amazing offense and a lot of talent. And Michigan is sure to be overly confident about this game.
We'll say it here first--we see a big heartache in the Big House on September 1. Go 'neers!

UPDATE: Just to be clear-the heartache will be Michigan's, as the Mountaineers pull off a stunning upset.