March 2009 Archives

President Obama publicly claimed Irish ancestry during yesterday's St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

"People help you discover a lot about yourself when you're running for president. As has been mentioned, it was brought to my attention last year that my great-great-great grandfather on my mother's side hailed from a small village in County Offaly," Obama said. "Now, when I was a relatively unknown candidate for office, I didn't know about this part of heritage, which would have been very helpful in Chicago. So I thought I was bluffing when I put the apostrophe after the O. I tried to explain that 'Barack' was an ancient Celtic name."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Ireland Brian Cowan called Senator Ted Kennedy "our most special Irishman."

Yes, very special. Lots of Irish get drunk but so few let a woman drown. Despite all the premature memorials in his honor, including knighthood, due to his brain tumor, I will always consider Ted Kennedy to be a blight on the Irish.

I'm so sorry to hear about Natasha Richardson's ski accident. I really enjoyed her in the Parent Trap remake. It was also nice to see a happy Hollywood marriage, as it seemed she had with husband Liam Neeson. It's terrible that her children, ages 12 and 13 (about the age of my daughter), have lost their mother.

It seems we hear about ski accidents all the time. Famous people keep running into trees; other people get lost in the snow. I'm taking skiing off my list of sports to try - it just appears to be too dangerous.

Last night, we watched a new pilot, "Kings". It aired last Sunday night, but NBC lets you watch the two-hour premiere online. I really enjoyed "Kings" and hope it continues. What makes "Kings" different than other shows is its source material: 1 Samuel. I started rereading at 1 Samuel 14 onward after the show and it was humorous to find just how much the show paralleled the Bible. 

From executive producer Michael Green (NBC's "Heroes") comes a riveting new drama about a modern day monarchy. "Kings" is a contemporary re-telling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances -- and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom.

"Kings" stars Ian McShane as King Silas Benjamin (Saul) and Christopher Egan from "Eragon" as David Shepherd.

Today, the children are learning about Limerick poems.

A limerick is a poem of one stanza and five lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have eight or nine syllables and rhyme. Lines 3 and 4 have five or six syllables and rhyme. Limericks are often humorous. This poetry form was popularized by Edward Lear.

As a good teacher, I forced the children to write their own limericks. And, yes, there were some tears. You would have thought I was pulling teeth the way some people were acting. After a bit of a struggle, each child popped out a limerick.

Here is D's:

A good mouse said to a cat, "Beware,

A cat catcher has travelled from Grare!"

     When the danger was past,

     The old cat broke his fast

And ate the mouse who shouted beware.

Here's S's:

There was a dog from Houston who begged

And by a man named Harry was egged.

     Soon he was more wary

     Of bad men named Harry.

And never again did the dog beg.

And, to complete the humiliation, here's mine:

There once was a housewife online

Who was plugged-in too much of the time.

     She blogged and she tweeted

     And liked to stay seated

On her rapidly growing behind.

Ahem. It's a good thing I'm heading to the YMCA this afternoon. Otherwise, I'd be entirely too sedentary.

We went to see "Race to Witch Mountain" last night. You might remember the original movies: "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975), "Return from Witch Mountain" (1978), "Beyond Witch Mountain" (1982, TV), and "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1995, TV). I'm not spoiling the plot by telling you that each movie involves alien siblings with amazing abilities. The remake stars Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, AnnaSophia Robb, and relative newcomer Alexander Ludwig.

It's difficult to find a Sci-fi action movie that's family-friendly, but "Race to Witch Mountain" fits the bill. It was very clean, though parents should be warned that there are guns and shooting in the movie, along with many nail-biting scenes. The alien children and their cab driving guardian spend the entire movie in peril.

We all enjoyed the movie and suspect a sequel might be planned, especially since the movie shoved "Watchmen" from the #1 position at the Box Office.

I give the movie 3 out of 4 stars.

I never thought I'd have to say this, but some people need confirmation. Yes, my daughter is indeed thirteen-years-old.

Okey-dokey?

Just compare the Brown versus Obama gifts.

"Mr Brown's gifts included an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President.

Mr Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute.

Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolize Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.

Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert."

They give us presents with class and forethought; we give...some DVDs. Ouch.

...and you might wonder, as I did, where is Guinea-Bissau or if there is truly a country called Guinea-Bissau?

Yes, it's a nation on the west coast of Africa and, according to Wikipedia, it's really hot:

Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3°C (79.3°F).

As I said last week, the world needs more air conditioners.

I don't mean to be glib. (Though I am, aren't I?) I truly feel sorry for President Vieira. My theory, nevertheless, stands true.

Saturn moon found hiding in rings.

The notice was issued by the IAU, the same group that demoted Pluto, so take it with a grain of salt. These IAU folks are wacko.

...yesterday.

Thanks to Melissa for letting me know.

Alas, I was too busy to celebrate. It was, however, a good opportunity to introduce square roots to my son.

If you missed it, don't worry, the next day is on 4-4-16.

Experts trying to decipher ancient language.

More info on this script, also called Tartessian, is at Wiki.