Mt Laguna

Took a drive today out to Mt Laguna in the Cleveland National Forest. There was snow on the ground and thick fog rolling in over the mountains. Beautiful.

I stopped to take a few pictures at an overlook that looks down into Storm Canyon towards Vallecito Valley. Click here to see a map of where I was when I took this shot with my Treo.

- T

Ali: Muhammad's 'Best Teddy Bear Friend Forever'

If you've seen a news program, newspaper or news website in the last two weeks, you know about Gillian Gibbons. She is the elementary school teacher from England who accepted the challenge of moving to Sudan to teach children, only to be sentenced by the Muslim-ruled government for letting her students name a class teddy bear Muhammad / Mohamed / Mohammad / Mohammed / Muhammed / Mahommed / Mehmed / Mahomet / Mehmet -- you choose your favorite transliteration. (How could there NOT be a standard translit for such a common name?!)

Somehow, what is supposed to be such an "important", "proud" and "holy" religion (Islam) felt SO threatened by a TEDDY BEAR that they had to IMPRISON a 54-year-old teacher and threaten her with lashings and execution!!!!

I would laugh and laugh at the silliness of such a religion and at any follower who felt this way - - if the situation hadn't been so dire.

And don't think I am only pointing and laughing at Islam. Recently the Catholic Church and its "Catholic League" have been imploring people not to see the new movie "The Golden Compass". Is their mythology SO weak and tissue-paper-like that the mere viewing of a fantasy movie will tempt thousands or millions of devout Christians away from god?

Wow. These religions have set up some pretty unstable Potemkin Villages that can be destroyed by a teddy bear and his CGI polar bear pals....

["See, ya got yer American League, yer National League and yer Catholic League -- they play the worst baseball of all, what with their cassock baseball uniforms."]

- T

Laughlin and Oatman

Work is getting in the way of my blogging and photo-posting.... I've got hundreds of new photos to sort through and post to my Picasa site -- in the meantime, here are two shots from our trip to Laughlin, NV / Oatman, AZ last month. Loved it and looking forward to going back sometime!!
- T