MikeL

Cool? Cruel is more like it. I'm telling you, this goat is not to be trusted. Who ever heard of frogs' legs for Thanksgiving?

Hope you've had a great day too, Steve. I also hope to see more of you on GA and to read more of your work soon.

It's not too early. We've already started cooking for tomorrow's big family get-together. I hope everyone realizes how much they have to be thankful for. We are blessed with friends and family. I wish everyone a...

It appears Williams is a very exclusive college and not an easy one to gain admission. See article from Williams Alumni Review. Superior grades alone are far too little to assure a place in the freshman class. Extra curricular activities and the essay have to reveal an "intellectual spark". We know you have it, Camilo. Here's hoping Sean has to settle for Harvard.

Live TV is always risky. You never know what a "free spirit" performer will do. A more frequent problem is a perfectly refined news anchor mispronouncing a word so that the audience hears something that is not permitted on TV. Just a little spoonerism is all it takes. Big production numbers should always be prerecorded so that embarrassing events (falling on stage, engaging in controversial behavior, etc.) can be edited out. With multiple cameras running, there should always be a closeup of a musicians hands available to insert so that the sound track is not interrupted. I realize this doesn't respond to the question of censorship. If certain things are going to be censored anyway, TV producers could exercise a little caution and be in a position to not have to cancel an entire performance. If they want live, spontaneous programs, they have to take some chances. I just hope this incident doesn't damage Adam Lambert's career.

I think I get the gist of what you are saying. There's a lot of name calling at your school. You were fortunate not to be the target. How would you respond to Mr. A's question? "But what do you think someone who is gay would feel when they hear you say that. Don't you think they would feel intimidated?" Are you ready for that, Cammy?

Great picture, Camilo. Thanks for sharing. Keep smiling.

Congratulations, Robert, on the successful return to work. There's nothing like getting things back to normal to make you feel normal. Hope you continue to improve.

High schools would at least smell better.

He does indeed. Now I'm beginning to wonder if "circumcision" was actually only a typo.

I have to agree with you on the beauty of Eurasian girls. I have known several...gorgeous is absolutely correct.

Thanks, Nick. Happy Thanksgiving and a safe trip to you. I have it easy. All the grandchildren are brought to see us.

Circumcision? I haven't seen that one and am not sure I want to.

I agree. While the goat has been out of public view, he has been hard at work. Everyone is in store for a couple of gems.

Bonsoir, Cammy! That's bad news indeed about Sean wanting to go to Williams. Of course, he may end up changing his mind. Did he know you were planning on Williams? Could he possibly have a crush on you? I hate to suggest this. Please don't reject the suggestion out of hand. Could you consider swallowing your pride and setting your sights a little lower? I mean, really, is Harvard all that bad?

It seems academia is a lot like the business world. A usually collegial atmosphere can be destroyed in an instant by someone who feels he must perform anytime he is in front of a audience. There are also plenty of people who are always negative, who don't want any change to the status quo. It's always best to discuss your misgivings about a proposal with the advocate. You may have an influence you will never have through a confrontation. You may even be credited for your contribution.

"Dick" is an old fashioned slang word for a detective. Check Wiktionary.org. I guess I'm sort of old fashioned (maybe just old). I remember terms like private dick, store dick, and railway dick being widely used at one time. In the movies: The theme from Shaft (1971): "Who's the black private dick / That's a sex machine to all the chicks? / SHAFT! / Ya damn right!" John Doe (2002): "Are you some sort of private dick, or what?" Farewell, My Lovely (1975): "You a private Dick?"

If you are legally married, husband or wife is preferred and the most accurate. The term spouse isn't incorrect, but it is gender-neutral and non-specific. Significant other and better half are cute little expressions that also lack specificity. For those who are not married, an entirely different set of descriptive names and phrases are appropriate.

So, you are a store dick? That's what we used to call them. I once worked for a major department store chain. One of our stores had a little old (about 60) lady who could throw a 200 pound man over her shoulder if required. Just keep plugging away. Confidence will come with experience.

Congratulations on the progress you are making, Eric. When you finally have school and financial problems behind you - when you are working at a real full time job - a lot of the pressure you feel should go away. Don't ever work for an uncaring slave driver though. There are plenty of good places to work. As for Chrome, I was surprised to find when I went to download Google Earth to my new PC that you have to download Chrome at the same time. After I got over my agitation, I downloaded them and then uninstalled Chrome. Google Earth works fine without it. I am using the M/S Windows 7 OS. I like it, but it is absolutely the only Microsoft product on my PC. SeaMonkey 2 browser and Open Office are great with Windows 7.

Now you've done it, Steve. That is gross. It is more than "wrong somehow". No more blogging for you buddy. Got it?

I agree with you, Steve. There are plenty of operating systems and software that work well enough to satisfy some people. Let each one make his own choices and let him live with what he has chosen. If it's not what I chose, it doesn't affect me. There's no need in me telling someone else they made a bad choice.

The use of "enhancers" is not so unusual. I have personal knowledge of a clinical trial which uses a fowlpox (chicken pox) vaccine to enhance the effectiveness of a vaccine for prostate cancer. If tests are successful, it will be because the enhancer led the way for the trial vaccine to boost the immune system. The use of an enhancer in the H1N1 vaccine isn't necessarily a nefarious scheme by pharmaceutical companies; it may be a positive factor in the efficacy of the vaccine.

I heard some expert on the NPR radio news this morning saying that the number of new H1N1 flu cases in the southeastern US is declining, but is still increasing in the rest of the country. I still plan to get the vaccine when it is available since I am in a priority group. He also said the flu is spreading from western to eastern Europe.