Monday Links

Some things going on out there:

From the Sporting News, Major League Baseball hands out 50-games suspensions to 12 players, and a much longer one to Alex Rodriguez.

From the Washington Post, a 15 million-year-old whale skull has been found on the banks of the Potomac, near the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.

Speaking of the Washington Post, it will soon be sold to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com.

From Bare Naked Islam, Egypt has banned Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan from entering Gaza.  (via Barracuda Brigade)

From Frontpage Mag, the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir admits their belief that Sharia law is imposed on Christians.

From the Washington Free Beacon, the new Iranian president Hassan Rowhani has appointed a holocaust denier as his country's foreign minister.  This, of course, makes his no worse than Rowhani's predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  (via Pat Dollard)

From the Daily Caller, a conservative group has given their support to the Justice Safety Valve Act.

The American Thinker presents "The Dependably Unfaithful Colin Powell".

From Fox News, the U.S. military is spending $772 million on aircraft for Afghanistan, for which the Afghan military does not have the capacity "to operate or maintain".

From Reuters, a unit of the Drug Enforcement Agency is funneling information to authorities across the United States to help them start criminal investigations.

From the New York Post, the new owner of the Drake's Cakes brands has announced that Coffee Cakes, Devil Dogs, Ring Dings and Yodels will return next month.

And to finish with some humor, my blogosphere buddy Holger Awakens presents the Dem's poster boy.

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More Green Paint Vandalism, Woman Arrested

Three days after the Lincoln Memorial was vandalized with green paint, two chapels in the National Cathedral and the base of a statue next to the Smithsonian Castle have likewise been vandalized.  In the Cathedral, green paint was found on an organ in the Bethlehem Chapel, and in the Children's Chapel.  D.C. police have arrested Tian Jiamel and charged her with one count of defacing property in connection with the vandalism at the Cathedral, but have not said anything about any connection between the incidents at the Memorial, the Cathedral and the statue.  The National Cathedral is still undergoing repairs from the earthquake that happened two years ago.

Read more at the Washington Post, USA Today, CBS News, WJLA and NBC Washington.

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Lincoln Memorial Vandalized

The Lincoln Memorial was partially closed today because some time during the previous night someone splattered green paint on part of the statue of Abraham Lincoln and on the floor.  Police have started investigating the crime, including looking at video footage from cameras mounted near the statue.  Tourists can only walk up to the top of the stairs because the level area around the statue has been cordoned off.  No words or recognizable symbols have been found within the paint.

Read more at USA Today, the Washington Post, CBS News, CNN and NBC Washington.

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"Master Suite" Being Phased Out

When staff reporter Michael Neibauer of the Washington Business Journal surveyed ten major homebuilders in the area of Washington, DC, he found that six of them would no longer refer to a house's largest bedroom as the "master".  These builders will no longer indicate a "master bedroom" or a "master suite", but instead will replace "master" with "owner's", because the former term "has connotation problems, in gender (it skews toward male) and race (the slave master)", as Neibauer puts it.

This begs several questions.  Since slaves were considered to be property, why wouldn't the term "owner" likewise have "connotation problems"?  Will Master's degrees have to be re-titled?  Will sound amplifiers no longer have a "master volume" control?  Will automotive braking systems no longer have a "master cylinder"?  In craft guilds, after spending time as an apprentice and then a journeyman, will a full-fledged craftsman no longer be called a "master"?  Will PBS be willing to change the name of Masterpiece Theater?  And what about that major PGA golf tournament held every spring in Augusta, Georgia?

Read Neibauer's article at the topmost link.

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Dr. Ben Carson At The NPB

Dr. Benjamin Carson is the head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a devout Christian, the author of four books including his autobiography Gifted Hands (which has been made into a movie), and the founder of the Carson Scholars Fund.  Here is his speech at this year's National Prayer Breakfast, in which he lambastes political correctness and fiscal irresponsibility, and which has been praised by conservatives and dismissed by liberals.  During the speech, the president, seated near the podium, appears to become somewhat uncomfortable.  (There's more info at the Blaze.)

Over 20 years ago, I had the privilege of attending a speech by Dr. Carson, not far from where I live.  Naturally, I don't remember very much of it, but in what I can recall, he spoke about how during his childhood, his mother Sonya Carson turned off their television and had him and his brother Curtis (who grew up to become an engineer) read books, and then report on them.  Ben and Curt only later realized that with her third grade education, she couldn't even read the books herself.  As a result, the grades the two boys were getting in school improved dramatically, which eventually led them to success in their respective professions.  As the saying goes, behind every great man (or two) is a woman.

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Yes, Virginia, There Are Idiots

At around 11:40 today, a man entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Strasburg, Virginia with a four-foot-long two-by-four labeled "High-Powered Rifle".  He was detained and later arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.  The school has the same name as the one in Newtown, Connecticut, where Adam Lanza killed 26 people and then himself, after killing his mother at their home.

Read the story at the Mail Online.

Full disclosure:  Strasburg is near the junction of Interstates 66 and 81.  I drive through the area from time to time, mainly to visit family members who live farther south in Virginia.

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Sandy And Its Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy, now continuing to move northward after losing its "tropical" designation, has left a "trail of devastation" along the east coast, especially in New Jersey, where the eye made landfall, and in New York City, which experienced an exceptionally high storm surge and its resulting floods.  Much of Atlantic City, NJ   has also been underwater.  Power outages continue in parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

In my part of Maryland, which is well to the west of the Atlantic coast and also to the west of the Chesapeake Bay, we got off easy.  We had strong winds and rain, but from what I can see, the damage was limited mainly to tree branches.  Power flickered a few times Monday evening, but never went off completely.  I'm grateful to be essentially unscathed, but this is tempered by the fact that many people to the north and east my location have been hit hard by this storm.

A few stories about Sandy and its aftermath:

From the Daily Caller, the president discusses some relief plans.

From USA Today, New York struggles with fires and floods.

From CNN, Sandy's trail of devastation, including 30 dead and millions without power.

The New Yorker reports on damage to the City's Upper West Side.

The Huffington Post has a running list of how to help the victims of Sandy.

From MSN News, the cleanup begins as millions remain without power.

The IEEE Spectrum reports on the shutdowns of nuclear power plants and oil refineries.

From Tulsa's Channel 8, photos of the damage in New York and New Jersey.

From the New York Post, many more photos of the damage, and a live blog with still more photos.

Some history from the New York Daily News, the east coast hurricane of 1938.

And finally, from Inga's Angle, a rainbow over New York.

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Links For A Rainy Day

Here in Maryland, Sandy is giving us some wind and rain, along with a case of cabin fever due to lots of things being closed down.  But fortunately, my cyber-connection to the outside world so far remains unscathed, thus allowing me to pass on some stories.

From the New York Post, updates about Hurricane Sandy.

From Fox News, Sandy is expected to bring a "life-threatening" storm surge.

From Yahoo News, here's one part of the federal government that will not shut down today - the Marines guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns.

From Twitchy, Sandy has produced an outbreak of fake photos (possibly including the one in the above story about the Marines, which was taken during an earlier storm).  If you have a picture you'd like to put on Twitter, please make sure it's real.

From the Huffington Post, photos (real, I hope) of the damage from Hurricane Sandy in Atlantic City, NJ.

From the Duffel Blog and the "Did I read that correctly?" department, in response to Hurricane Sandy, the Veteran's Affairs Department will close down their facilities "west of the Mississippi River".

From the Washington Post, the HMS Bounty, which has appeared in two films, has sunk off the coast of North Carolina.

From the Wall Street Journal, President Obama hints at appointing a Secretary of Business if he wins a second term.

From Life Site News, this past Saturday over 200 students from Christendom College in Virginia protested in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic not far from the White House.

From the Miami Herald, the 12-year-old daughter of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is back home after being hospitalized with a head injury suffered in a golf cart accident.

From Breitart's Big Journalism, the Obama campaign gets testy with reporters.

From the Daily Caller, a congressional report puts the blame for Fast and Furious on several senior Justice Department officials.

From France 24, car bombs strike Damascus, Syria.

To finish up, a bit of hurricane humor from StixBlog.

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A Horse Is A Horse, Of Course?

As the rains from Hurricane Sandy start to come down on our nation's capitol, causing government agencies to take the day off, one local resident decided to do a little horsing around.  From the Daily Caller:

Since he is wearing a horse's head, I wonder if he is familiar with a certain town in western New York.

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Fall Foliage

Now that fall has arrived, the trees here in Maryland are undergoing their annual change of color.  These are a few that I've seen in the general vicinity.  This one has turned bright red-orange:

Here are a few that are changing at different times - the green one on the left, the reddish one on the right, and the yellow-green one in the background.

This one has partially changed, with some leaves having turned orange and the rest still green.

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Power's Back

Last Friday evening, an exceptionally nasty thunderstorm came though my area, resulting in electric power being cut off.  It was restored only about an hour ago.  With temperatures being in the 90's, it's been pretty uncomfortable around here, but now everything has a chance to get back to normal.  While hiking yesterday, there were quite a few trees that had fallen down on the trails.  I also had to steer around some trees while driving on some of the local roads.

This report from MSNBC states that the thunderstorms were a phenomenom called a derecho, which can produce hurricane-force winds, but in a straight line instead of a circular motion as in a tropical storm.  According to Canada.com, about 800,000 customers lost power in Maryland.  Weather.com has pictures of damage from the derecho.  Accuweather calls Friday's storms a "super derecho".

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Links For The Start Of Summer

Today is June 21st, normally the first day of Summer, although due to the quirks of the calendar, the actual summer solstice can occur a day before or after this date in any given year.   Today certainly felt like summer, as daytime temperatures exceeded 90 ºF.  While having lunch at a restaurant yesterday (which was also very warm), I explained to the waitress, who has lived in the area (DC, northern VA and central MD) for less than a year, that similarly hot days are pretty common in the summer around here.  I hope she's not too worried about what she's in for.

The Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare was expected to possibly be released today, but was not.  One possible outcome is that some parts of it, such as the individual mandate requiring everyone to buy health insurance, might be struck down while parts are left standing.  The American Thinker warns us to fear the split decision.

One decision released today by SCOTUS, as reported in Town Hall, is against the SEIU, in the process overturning a ruling by the Ninth Circus, er, uh, Circuit.

As reported by Reason, the Court also ruled against the FCC, saying that they couldn't penalize broadcast networks for violations of policy which occured before the policy was put into place.

According to Media Trackers, a California union official voted in the recent recall election in Wisconsin.

From Yahoo News, a type of agave known as a "century plant" because of the long time it takes between germinating and blooming is now blooming in South Carolina.  Its owner has been proud to show it off, even putting up a sign directing visitors to the plant.

CNS News reports that the $9 billion in stimulus funds going to solar and wind energy projects have produced 910 "direct jobs".  That's $9.8 million per job.

In Canada Free Press, columnist Judi McLeod writes about "Barack Obama, the Illusion."

The Patriot Post reports that the Commander-In-Chief has ordered the military to celebrate gay pride.

From World Net Daily, Arabs living under Palestinian Authority rule have been sentenced to death for selling property to Jews.  The reaction at the UN?  [crickets chirping]

WCNC has a video of Occupy Charlotte protestors dumping coal in front of the Bank of America headquarters.  But to their credit, the Occupiers actually cleaned it all up before they left.

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Harper's Ferry, Part 2

Two rivers meet at Harper's Ferry, and so do two railroad lines.  One of them proceeds southward, running along the Shenandoah, and is supported by a wooden tressel.  From the river, you can see the tressel and some buildings including St. Peter's Catholic Church.

As I mentioned in Part 1, the Appalachian Trail runs through Harper's Ferry.  Proceeding southward (and up some 18th-century stone stairs) from the railroad bridge over the Potomac, the trail runs right beside St. Peter's.  Here's the front of St. Peter's, which is said to be haunted.

Further up the hill are the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church.  This church building was abandoned in 1895, when the congregation moved to another location within the city.

After the ruins of St. John's, the trail continues through a wooded area.  A short side trail, which is mostly a stairway, leads up to Harper Cemetery.

Not far from the St. John's ruins is Jefferson Rock, so named because Thomas Jefferson took in the view of the valley below while standing near it, on a visit to Harper's Ferry in 1783.

The topmost rock was originally freestanding.  The red pillars, made of sandstone, were put in place around 1860.

While researching Jefferson Rock, I stumbled upon a site that has pictures of Harper's Ferry from around 1970.  The site's name is Moosic Mtn. Wild, which I find interesting since Moosic Mountain (which includes a nature preserve) and a small town named Moosic are located in northeastern Pennsylvania, about 250 miles to the north of Harper's Ferry.

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Harper's Ferry, Part 1

One nice thing about living in Maryland is the proximity to lots of historic places.  One of them is just across the Potomac River in West Virginia.  Harper's Ferry is known for John Brown's raid on the federal armory in 1859, but over 50 years earlier had been visited by Meriwether Lewis to obtain weapons and other supplies for his (and William Clark's) expedition to the west.

As Brown's raid deteriorated into failure, he and some of his men took refuge in the armory's small fire engine house, which would eventually become known as John Brown's Fort.  It has been moved from its original location, but today sits next to the intersection of Potomac and Shenandoah Streets.

On the other side of John Brown's Fort was a historical exhibition.

The Maryland side of the Potomac can be reached by a walkway attached to this railroad bridge.  The walkway is part of the Appalachian Trail, which runs through Harper's Ferry.

On the Maryland side is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath, which extends from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland.  The canal (or more precisely, what's left of it) and towpath form a National Historic Park.  Near the Maryland end of the above bridge is the remains of one of the locks.

Here's part of Harper's Ferry as seen from the Maryland side.

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