Catfish say Happy Birthday to Buddy

May is Catfish dogs (left) birthday. It is also his best friends Buddy (right)  Birthday month. Catfish and Buddy grew up playing together much like children in nursery school. They took many trips to the ocean and love to go to fund raising events. Catfish likes this picture so he had me put it up to celebrate is pals birthday.
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Britannia Model 2nd Hull Planking

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Woo Hoo. I finally finished the second planking on the Britannia model. I have never planked a wooden ship model hull before. It is not perfect and the shape is off a bit but it came out better than I thought it might. The stern is done incorrect because I missed something in the translation – like – english. I corrected my error the best I good with my limited skills in this area.

Trying to get the shape of the bottom pieces of wood was a challenge also. The two pieces had to line up exactly with the planking strips. I am hopeful that the rudder will hide some of the worst of it all.

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NSA and Calling Patterns – No One Asked Me

President Bush ignored the court in ordering National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapping.

Congress enacted law to ban phone companies from giving out information about customers’ calling habits.

The NSA reportedly collected such phone call records.

It’s been reported that the National Security Agency has been collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans. It then analyzes calling patterns in an effort to identify possible terrorism suspects, without listening to or recording the conversations. The NSA secretly obtained the phone call records from the three biggest phone companies. One source said, “The agency’s goal is ‘to create a database of every call ever made’ within the nation’s borders.”

The Washington Post and ABC News conducted a poll of 502 Americans, and the next day reported that 63% favored the NSA’s actions.

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects” and requires the government to get a warrant based on probable cause before a search.” Congress set up the FISA court to issue domestic search orders against agents of foreign powers and terrorist groups.

With all the other lies we have been asked to swallow, I find it hard to believe that only information on the numbers being dialed is being kept track of. I wonder: is there a connection between Echelon and the data-mining programs that have recently been exposed?

Craig at Donkey Path:

“The shadow of Big Brotherism should be enough for most Americans to question Bush’s NSA domestic spying programs, particularly given that the records of tens of millions of Americans are being collected.”

“Watching Bush’s falling poll numbers may be reassuring, but at some point, the American people have to say loud and clear: enough is enough.”

Hello? It’s the Constitution of the United States of America! I guess 63% 502 citizens just do not get “it”. As usual – Nobody asked me.

Here you go George:

today I called

  • Kaiser
  • Longs Drugs
  • A Parking Garage