MAY 5 2008 UPDATE

 

LIFE IN THESE UNITED STATES

Inhabitants of Oak Lawn, Ill. apparently have a hard time understanding the meaning of the large red octagons posted on street corners through the city. So in an effort to get people to actually stop, the city installed smaller signs below their larger, legal counterparts to get motorists attention while providing them a half-hearted chuckle. The extra signs correlated with the "Stop" written above, with slogans including "and smell the roses," "right there pilgrim" and "means you're not moving." While residents and the town's mayor found them funny, the Illinois Department of Transportation was less than enthused and claims that the signs violate the Fed's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. That means that federal funding for projects in the city could be put on hold, so $1,700 worth of signs were pulled down. In a word: lame.

 

 

 

 

PLAY BALL THIS SUMMER IN AUSTRIA

Please post that I am looking for several college players to complete our roster to play this summer through USA Athletes International. We will be playing in Vienna, Austria from June 26-July 5, 2008. They can contact me at jconway6@slu.edu

 

PLAYERS WANTED

Please mention that I am looking for an 08 power hitting catcher/corner or a juco for this fall. I do have a partial scholarship to offer.  They can contact me at jconway6@slu.edu

 

OLYMPIC TICKETS

Michael Bastian reports that there are tickets available.  “Many people have asked me about Beijing Softball Tickets. They are for sale now to the public! American citizens will need to have a contact In China to use for the purchase of tickets to the 2008 Olympic Games. You can purchase the tickets on line at www.tickets.beijing2008.cn  Tickets are on sale today to the public at all Bank of China locations. There are some crazy lines!”  SPY logged on to the web site; don’t be alarmed; it’s in Chinese but there is a little box on the upper left to switch to English.  SPY did some scrolling; there are Bank of China branches in New York and Los Angeles.

 

THE FACE OF GOD

We would lie on our backs in the warm summer grass, watching the B-17s flying from Tinker Air Force base, to Army air force command bases and then to World War II theatres of combat – and dream of the days when my brother and I would command aircraft.  Years later Phillip would fly blimps for the Navy, but, while AFROTC gave me some student time in left-over WWII bombers, an accident knocked out my left eye and I couldn’t be commissioned.  Still, I pursued my dream and qualified for a pilot’s license.

All those memories came rushing back a week ago when I joined Biff Liddle and family on a flight to Blacksburg to watch Virginia Tech vs North Carolina.  Courtney Liddle has committed to Virginia Tech.  Biff flies a very much updated Aero Commander.  I stopped flying years ago when my depth perception or lack thereof resulted in some hard landings so I enjoyed sitting in the right seat, renewing familiarity with the instruments and the techniques.  When I lived in upstate New York, I would frequently fly down to Long Island, cross the Sound, and wander out over the Atlantic – a man, a machine, and blue sky – and every time I sailed up into the clouds, and was enveloped with a serenity you cannot imagine unless you’ve been there, I would recall the words of the pilot’s prayer – and you really did feel like you could reach out and touch the face of God.

 

RED FACES AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT

Every spring the Department of State issues reports in the name of the President on global drug trafficking, financial crime (I wrote both of them) and terrorist activity.  Each year there would be a hassle with various foreign governments who decried our listing them as havens for such criminal activity.  Beyond world-wide embarrassment, such findings could result in a loss of aid.  So, preparation of the reports involves checking by officials up and down the ladder of government.  This year, there is acute embarrassment over the listing of major terrorists – a list which inexplicably included Nelson Mandella.

 

WHEREFORE THE SALMON?

Lots of bad news on the food front – Chinese farmers claiming it costs too much for the fertilizer, tools etc to grow rice, decline in wheat production in many countries which boosted bread prices to $7 a loaf – and now a shortage of Chinook Salmon – so serious that federal and state officials in California and most of Oregon have closed the season.  To be sure, there is salmon from fish farms, which is what most Americans eat, but salmon wholesalers are warning consumers to demand wild salmon – like the Alaskan Chinooks which will be in some markets this summer.  Another price hike?  Inevitable.  I buy small packets of smoked salmon from Norway; add a squeeze of lemon, some chopped onion, a few capers.  Ecstasy.

 

SPEAKING OF MARINE LIFE

Recent attacks by sharks have resurfaced the “Jaws” syndrome.  Actually, the odds of being killed by a shark are about 1 in 280 million; about six people die from shark attacks annually.  On the other hand, humans kill about 26 million sharks a year.  Want an adrenaline boost?  Go shark fishing off Key Largo.  Great sport landing any of the bigger species – until you’ve got that monster lying in the back of the boat, frantically trying to find someone to bite.  I photographed a shark hunt for a friend;  when he had a mako thrashing about on the deck, I knew exactly the feeling of the police chief who cried out the need for a bigger boat.

 

 

 

 

 

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