After lots of last minute uncertainty, I ended up in Newport Friday night. What a good time! SB and I never run out of things to say to each other. Even though we talk almost every day.....it's still wayyyyyyyy better face-to-face. He had to work Saturday, so I had some good down time to boot. Although we did get to have lunch together. The weather was perfect for the end of March. I was flipping through the channels at one point trying to find FoxNews (that and CSPAN are the customary soundtrack of my life) and came upon a little John Wayne film festival on AMC. So while I did stuff, there was "Blood Alley" and "McQ" on in the background. You know, I have to be perfectly honest here....."McQ" was not a good movie, lol. I can remember pestering the living daylights out of my father to take me to see it when it came out. He did. What a good guy. When I was in Seattle this past summer some parts of Route 99 looked familiar. At the time I thought it must be because there was an elevated highway like Boston. Now I realize that it was because of that movie.
I got some reading done, including a depressing article in Boston magazine about Republicans in Massachusetts (but it gave a well deserved shout out to Matt and Aaron Margolis of HubPolitics and DevalPatrickWatch) and an even more depressing one about an identity crisis that the author believed Boston's Irish American population is experiencing..........I'm fine.
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I've not said much about the situation in Iran. I've commented elsewhere, but haven't really felt that I had much to add. However, I want to respond to people who are questioning the statements made by the British sailors and marines over in Iran. They are being compared to American POWs. That's not fair. They are not American. Their training and their military philosophy are completely different. It's also not fair to bring up Nelson. The Royal Navy is a different entity now. The attitude is different. I found an interesting take on it over at the BBC. NPR is a marvelous (if madly liberal) thing!
'To fight would not be clever'
Admiral Sir Alan West was First Sea Lord in 2004, when Iran detained eight British servicemen after they allegedly strayed over the maritime border
Here he comments on the current detention by Iran of 15 Royal Navy personnel and compares it with the earlier incident.
What training would the personnel have been given to help them in the event of capture?
These particular people would not be trained in counter-interrogation techniques because they are not expected to be captured. But I think our guidance to anyone in that position would be to say what they want you to say, let's not be silly about it. Don't tell them secrets, clearly, but if they tell you: 'Say this', well if that's going to get you out, then do it. It means absolutely nothing, what they say, to be honest.
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This morning was CCD. Palm Sunday was discussed and somehow I got off topic (lol, shut up!) and we strayed to the subject of how the date of Easter is determined. Here's one of those utterly useless things I know. First you determine the vernal equinox (which usually occurs on my birthday, but this year occurred on the 21st). Next you find the next full moon, which is tomorrow at 1715. From this point, the next Sunday is Easter.......the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Needless to say, my class ends up knowing more history and geography that religion.....although I think I hit the basics.
Then I popped in to see the parents before heading home.
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The New York Times has an interesting article about a website that urges people to vote for the worst contestant on American Idol. I have never watched "American Idol", but I am well aware of how passionate their fans are. Anyway, the hits on this guy's website have tripled since sock jock Howard Stern interviewed him. Many people feel that's why a particularly bad contestant is still on the show. The hate mail on "Vote For The Worst" is hilarious.
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