Day: March 12, 2007

KTAR => Appeals Court: No Fake Snow at Arizona Snowbowl

Operators of the Arizona Snowbowl can’t use treated wastewater to make snow, a federal appeals court ruled Monday in a decision that found the procedure would have violated the religious freedom of Navajos and a dozen other American Indian tribes.

The 777-acre resort north of Flagstaff wanted to add a fifth chair lift, spray man-made snow and clear about 100 acres of forest to extend the ski season on the western flank of the San Francisco Peaks that have spiritual and religious significance to 13 Southwest tribes.

It’s one thing to believe idiotic superstitions, it’s another altogether to waste one penny of taxpayer’s money on this nonsense…

In a 64-page decision, Judge William A. Fletcher of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the snowmaking scheme violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 and was akin to using wastewater in Christian baptisms.

And why not? It’s a waste of water any way you go about it. Might as well be treated.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Commentary, Superstition, Rant

Today is James’ second birthday.

That means it is the day we’d normally go out an take his picture with “his tree”. Unfortunately, since the deep freeze, there’s been no further sign of life in either his or Michelle’s tree.

I don’t think the tree will be there to photograph next year. Still, we have the pine trees in the back that we planted for their christmases.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Family, Kids

We stopped in a Baskin Robbins yesterday investigating the possibility of an ice cream cake for James’ birthday. The store was apparently run by an indo-pakistani family.

While we were enjoying our ice cream, the skin-head you see at the counter came in, said something to the older man working the counter, who, in turn, quite clearly said, “yes, sir.”

You can see from this cameraphone snap how far away I am from the counter. Some time passed and the skin-head said, “Don’t you speak English? Is that why you’re ignoring me?”

The counter man simply replied, “What can I get you?.”

Skin-head proceeded to point at a sign taped to the front of the counter (which is not visible to someone working behind the counter) and said, “What’s this?”

Counter man, “What, sir?”

Skin-head, shouting, “Can’t you f**king speak English?. Can we get someone at the counter who can f**king speak English?”

We left about this point, but I snapped this picture of the asshole and I hope someday it comes back to haunt him, cause he’s a shithead.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Commentary, Rant

I received a notice that someone had used one of my flickr photos in a mosaic, which is all right, but, of course, I had to go see it.

This wasn’t anything I was expecting. It’s a photo of various Cong You Bing (green onion pancakes). [Mine is center-left] Note that most of them are pan-fried, not deep-fried, which I think is the secret that makes the guy whose shop is just around the corner from my in-laws house so darned famous.

Still, now I want to visit and eat cong you bing.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Flickr, Food, Taiwan