New York City flyby ill advised, to say the least

Via CNN.com, Official who OK'd N.Y. flyby accused of 'felony stupidity'

After a YouTube video showed panicked New Yorkers scrambling as a Boeing 747 flew frighteningly close to the lower Manhattan skyline, a former Homeland Security adviser questioned whether the man who approved the flyby should remain in his White House office.

Fran Townsend, who advised President George W. Bush for more than three years, called the move "crass insensitivity" in the wake of 9/11.

"I'd call this felony stupidity. This is probably not the right job for Mr. Caldera to be in if he didn't understand the likely reaction of New Yorkers, of the mayor," Townsend said Tuesday on CNN's "American Morning."

Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, quickly apologized for Monday's incident after the planes prompted workers and residents to evacuate buildings in New York and New Jersey.

I have to say that I agree, felony stupidity is an appropriate descriptor here. If it is not stupidity on the part of the person authorizing it, then it is sadistic. Let's hope for stupidity.

Quote of the Day

Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.
-- Leonardo da Vinci

As a college instructor that teaches only general studies classes, I can vouch for the truth of this statement. When people are disinterested in a subject, they are not likely to learn much or retain what little they did learn.

I wish that as a culture we actually valued education and knowledge. Instead, what we value is the piece of paper that we get after paying for 4 years of college and the job that we get because of it.

Speaking of Jumping the Shark...

Apparently JumptheShark.com has jumped the shark. What was once a great site full of user comments and feedback on tv shows, etc. is now just another page on tvguide.com. It is nothing like the old site. The good news is, there is a new website out there is picking up where jumptheshark.com left off. It is called Bone the Fish. It is just starting up, so go check it out, sign up and starting adding content to make this a great site like the old Jump the Shark used to be.

The Joys of a New Landscape

Last fall we moved into a new home, but the house is not actually new and the yard has a good bit in the way of established landscaping. I'm trying to figure what all I have and what I want to plant and where. It is an interesting discovery experience. Currently I have a small shrub (or I suppose it could be a small tree) blooming in one of my beds that I have no idea what it is. The blooms look a lot like honeysuckle, but it is definitely not a honeysuckle vine. If anyone knows what this is, I would really appreciate the info. Here are some pictures of the shrub and close-ups on the blooms.