Tony & Wendy's Travel Blog

Wednesday – hot and sunny.

After a stingy breakfast we drive into Chattanooga for a mooch around. Place looks and sounds very attractive but at $7 for 2 hours parking they can “stuff off”, we’re just not paying that. Worse than Blackburn.

Find a cheaper alternative up the hill. I suppose it’s a lot cheaper because there’s a hill to walk up.

The downtown areas very pleasant; old wooden bridge to walk across; large Aquarium, not that we bother. Don’t really have time for the Choo, Choo as it’s a good way out.

Drive up to our Tennessee home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. It’s a great log cabin in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Lovely smell of pine from the walls, no a scrap of wallpaper or dab of paint anywhere, and all very rural. By the end of our two weeks I think we’ll have seen enough trees to last lifetime. All we need is two guys from Burnley (figure it out) sat on a balcony playing duelling banjos and the pictures complete. Deck is about 30 feet up, complete with lovely rocking chairs, hot tub and of corse the obligatory barbecue, chained to the deck I suppose to stop the bears from nicking it. Our bedroom has a jacuzzi bath tub and upstairs we have a lovely airy games room with snooker table.

Mind you we’ve just driven into Pigeon Forge to the supermarket. Now this place is the complete antithesis. A cross between Las Vegas on a diet and Blackpool on steroids. At least it’s clean and not seedy.

Just nuts:

Booths supermarket is forced to remove monkey nuts from shelves – for failing to declare they may contain nuts.

Shows how common sense is a rare commodity. The new hilarious BBC comedy series “The Wright Way”, by Elton John, just about sums up the state of lunacy in the UK today.

Mind you here in Tennessee common sense seems to be as rare as a Taliban in a piny washing the dishes.

Can’t buy wine or liquor anywhere in Pigeon Forge, have to drive down to Gatlinburg. Can buy beer though, but they need to see ID. 
Wow I must be looking young these days. No have to see photo ID. Foreign drivers license not acceptable! Picture of passport on iPhone passes muster. Apparently the checkout woman can go to prison if she doesn’t see ID, or $500 fine and $1,000 fine for the supermarket. Even she thinks it nuts. 

After lunch we drive up to the Smoky Mountain National Park visitors centre to pick up all the literature on the area and plan our stay. Apparently next Friday there’s a Dolly parade through Pigeon Forge. Guy in the visitors centre, had about as much personality as a stuffed Penguin, but was bemused when we asked if it was the real Dolly Parton. And yes it is. We are now the proud owners of a signed Dolly print – head and shoulders only!

Monday – hot and sunny.

After yesterdays deluge good to wake up to a sunny day and pleasant breakfast.

Drive to the American Village which is a nationally-pioneering classroom and American history and civics education center that engages and inspires 35,000-40,000 students annually from Alabama and Southeastern states in experience-based academic programs related to American history, civics and government.

Students “step into history” and discover the power and drama of America’s journey for independence, liberty, and self-government.

Wendy steps into the Oval Office as the first foreign female President. Is this a British comeback? 

A great morning. Personal tour for just the two of us with actors in period costume and in character. Full of useful little facts. The major attacking the British lines with his musket and Mercy Warrens narration was absolutely brilliant. Mock up of the Oval Office was realist and we got it to ourselves for a 10 minute browse and picture session. Martin Sheen wasn’t there though, nor was the Obama geezer. A thoroughly enjoyable morning. Not quite up to Williamsburg standards but has the potential.

Then drive to Downtown Birmingham to visit the Civil Rights Institute. Alas like most places in Birmingham it was closed on a Monday and then people ask “why is it that nobody just comes to Birmingham, Alabama they’re always just passing through?”. Well get some places open on a Monday – have they not heard of staggered openings – and you might improve your tourist industry. Went on the signposted and narrated civil rights walk – mind you police officer did advise us to be careful as there are some aggressive beggars around, yet another downer for tourism. Really interesting and quite galling to consider that the “Jim Crow” laws on racial segregation were enforced here up to 1965, in our lifetime, with appalling treatment of blacks only ended by the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King. 

They use the term blacks here quite freely, doesn’t seem to be at all non PC. It’s probably just the Loony Liberal lefty thought police in the UK that get uppity about it. Mind you I did here that Mark Twains books were being re-written / censored because they used the nigger word – how bloody stupid.

Call in for a Starbucks on the sidewalk (pavement) and then visit Vulcan Park and museum. Yes, it’s yet another US “biggest in the World”. This time the biggest cast iron statue. Now there’s something to be proud of!

No doubt you’ll be amazed to know that there’s one area where the good old USA isn’t number one, nor biggest and best, when it come to religious whackoos. US Religious fruitcakes are just minor league when it comes to Muslims.

“Surely the time is now for all Muslim clerics of good will to band together for a massive public campaign aimed not at convincing non-Muslims of the clerics’ own good intentions, but at telling all their fellow Muslims that violent jihad, terrorism, and forced “conversion” (or punishment) of non-Muslims is always and everywhere unacceptable and evil.

If they will not do this, then they are morally complicit in the continuing crimes against humanity represented by the Boston bombing, by 9/11, and by so many other acts of cowardly, sub-human viciousness done in recent years supposedly in the name of Allah.

It is not enough for Muslim clerics to meekly protest that, well, Islam is supposedly a religion of peace and that they themselves aren’t guilty. It is even worse for clerics and other Islamic leaders to spend more time protesting against the “mistreatment,” via “profiling,” of Muslims than they do to squash the evil in their own midst.

What’s necessary now is an open, public, enthusiastic, organized, energetic, emphatic and long-lasting effort by Muslim leaders to eradicate the very idea that their faith, understood correctly, calls for violent jihad or murder. Without such an effort, it is at least arguable that, by their silence and inaction, they in effect become accessories to evil.”

What profiling? If only they would profile. it’s just common sense, stuff the loony lefty liberal PC brigade.

Birmingham seems like a typical US City, no real soul or character.

Tuesday – hot and sunny.

What is it with old balding Harley Davidson riders with pony tails, or in this case a plaited pony tail, bound to be a Bob Dylan fan. And what is it with Harley riders who think they have a god given right to shatter everyones ear drums or wake the whole neighbourhood up at the crack of dawn with their nosy growling macho machines – phallic extensions.

It’s goodbye Alabama today as we head North to Chattanooga on our way to the Smoky Mountains. 

Decide to take the scenic route. It’s called “Lookout Mountain Parkway“, that’s if you can find it? Then if you can find it you start to realise it’s been sign posted by some lunatic who’s 3 points short of a compass. Then we have the luny speed limits. It seems that speed limit is inversely proportional to the value of the homes in the area. The rich can obviously get the speeds slowed down, even though the roads just the same as a 55MPH road.

But despite that our 160 mile journey takes 6 hours it’s worth it. The Parkways very beautiful; great stop offs with views down the river gorge; waterfalls. Stop off in Fort Payne for lunch in a quaint restaurant come antique shop like something out of the 1950’s. Accents are getting stronger. Waitress asks me if I’ve been to see the henteks, pardon, henteks, sorry I didn’t catch that, henteks – antiques, we get there in the end.

Nip into Georgia for 30 miles, that’s another state to tick off the list, and then we’re in Tennessee – they’re into double letters in their spellings around here.

Finally get to stay at a Clarion Hotel, free breakfast, good wifi, very comfortable suite, separate bedroom area and even a jacuzzi as well as a normal bath – excessive. All for £70 a night.

AAADD – KNOW THE SYMPTOMS…..

Thank goodness there’s a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even
though I have it!!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. – Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests itself:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I head towards the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I picked up from the postman earlier. I decide to go through it before I wash the car.

I put my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the recycling box under the table, and notice that the recycling box is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the recycling first.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the post-box when I take out the recycling paper anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my cheque book off the table and notice that there is only one cheque left.

My extra cheques are in the desk in my study, so I go into the house to my desk where I find the cup of coffee I’d been drinking. I’m going to look for my cheques but first I need to push the coffee aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.

The coffee is getting cold, and I decide to make another cup.. As I head toward the kitchen with the cold coffee, a vase of flowers on the worktop catches my eye – the flowers need water.

I put the coffee on the worktop and discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers..

I put the glasses back down on the worktop, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote control. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realise that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote, but I on’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I put the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:

The car isn’t washed. The bills aren’t paid. There is a cold cup of coffee sitting on the kitchen work-surface. The flowers don’t have enough water. There is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book. I can’t find the remote. I can’t find my glasses. And I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all bloody day and I’m really tired.

Don’t laugh – if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming.

Thankfully these bumbling Islamic terrorist we’re a few nails short of a nail bomb:

Six Islamic terrorists facing lengthy prison sentences after admitting plot to bomb EDL rally causing mayhem and mass injuries
They arrived at rally at 4pm – only to find it had finished at 2pm
Extremists’ car stopped on their way home because it had no insurance
Vehicle is towed with a cache of weapons hidden inside
They had a nail bomb, two shotguns and swords – but they weren’t found at the compound for TWO DAYS
Group didn’t take mobiles with them on day of the attack to avoid detection
Jewel Uddin was involved in another bomb plot which could have been ‘bigger than the 7/7 atrocities’

Saturday – hot and humid. It’s 78 by 10:00.

Breakfast is back to normal with waffles. Black guy (not PC I know) comes into the breakfast area to ask the receptionist how to tie a tie – no this isn’t the start of a joke. Receptionist has no idea either so I end up giving tie tiring lessons and tie two ties for this geezer. Good to know that usBrits and empire are still good for something.

Check out of our Quality Inn & Suites. Nice hotel; a really friendly greeting on arrival; great wifi; Ice cream, cookies and popcorn in the evening; hot breakfast in the morning; large suite all for $80 a night.

Drive over from Vicksburg to Jackson – the state capital. 

Check in early to another Quality Inn & Suites. Another large suite, great wifi and all for $60 a night.

Drive down to the Farm and Agriculture museum. A interesting indoor museum  along with original farm buildings; village store; gas station (petrol); church; masonic lodge and cotton mill to name but a few. A pleasant 2 hours strolling around on a self guided tour.

Then decide to drive into Jackson to stroll around the Froden shopping district. Best described as a dump.

Visit a giant outdoor shop complete with 100 foot waterfall; giant aquarium and trout stream – only in America. But there the amazement with Jackson ends.

We’re still trying to find a supermarket. It seems the whole state has been monopolised by Walmart. That’s it you have Walmart, Walmart and perhaps a Kroeger. Choice? There is none. Should this be a wake up call to us?

I think I may have mentioned that the dominant cuisine in Mississippi seems to be frying. If its edible then before ŷou dish it out, fry it seems to be the rule. Breadcrumb it and then fry it is the ultimate golden rule.

Well tonight we’ve had enough. Yes we’ve enjoyed all the new exotic dishes, but tonight it’s something simple thats been no where near a frying pan. So we search high and low. What do we have in the end? A salad, the only thing they can’t fry. “Oh I’m sorry we can’t serve wine sir, this is a dry county.”

You know friends think this travelling is all fun and pleasure. Little do they realise the deprivations us pioneer travellers have to suffer. Here we are in the 21st Century in Jackson, Mississippi a dry state. NO WINE. How do people survive here? Has the place been infested with Mormons? It’s like going to a 3rd World country. No doubt some local tin pot religious fruitcake Christian fundamentalist clown of a politician has decided to inflict his views on the rest of the inhabitants.

Certainly not impressed with Jackson in particular and Mississippi as a state seems a bit basic and backward.

A guy goes in an adult book store and asks for an inflatable doll.
Guy behind the counter says, “Male or female?”
Customer says, “Female.”
Counter guy asks, “Black or white?”
Customer says, “White.”
Counter guy asks, “Radical Christian or Muslim Extremist?”
Customer says, “What the hell does religion have to do with it?”
Counter guy says, “The Muslim Extremist blows itself up.”

Go on have a good laugh at yourselves. It’s really not that bad.

Sunday – clouds and rain, but very warm.

Breakfast is a waffle training session for one of the locals who doesn’t have a clue. Followed by a discussion with some red neck who has the solution to the Korean situation. Bomb the little bastard, it’ll only take an hour and those poor blighters don’t look very happy anyway. 

Swap cars at Jackson airport. “A full-sized Chevy for you sir.” “Please can I have a mid sized Chevy Cruze?” She looks at me as if I’m some sort of half wit out of a shack in a Bayou.

Chevy Cruze it is.

Drive up to Birmingham, Alabama about 3 hours drive.

Check into a lovely suite in a Comfort Inn just outside Birmingham. All of $75 a night including breakfast and wifi.

Pop out in the pouring rain for some dinner and a bottle of wine, 

Here in the Bible Belt there’s another form of Religious fruitcakes, it’s the Christian fundamentalists this time, mind you, in the main, they don’t go around trying to blow you up or stone you to death. Instead in Shelby county it’s no alcohol on a Sunday, yet 2 miles down the road in Jefferson county you can buy alcohol. And of course you can buy a gun anywhere!

Apparently many states prohibit selling alcohol for on and off-premise sales in one form or another on Sundays at some restricted time, under the idea that people should be in church on Sunday morning, or at least not drinking.

Yet the 1st amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion….”. So here we have a law respecting the Christian religion and ramming it’s archaic doctrines down everyones throat.

The Supreme Court of the United States held in its landmark case, McGowan v. Maryland (1961), that Maryland’s blue laws violated neither the Free Exercise Clause nor the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It approved the state’s blue law restricting commercial activities on Sunday, noting that while such laws originated to encourage attendance at Christian churches, the contemporary Maryland laws were intended to serve “to provide a uniform day of rest for all citizens” on a secular basis and to promote the secular values of “health, safety, recreation, and general well-being” through a common day of rest.

OK sort of makes some sorted of warped sense. In which case why aren’t the supermarkets closed?

21st century and this lunacy prevails in a supposedly civilised country. Yet another argument in favour of banning religion. God bless the agnostics and atheists!

Buy 6 bottles to be on the safe side as who knows what Christian lunacy prevails in Tennessee.

Thursday – hot and sunny.

Good breakfast followed by coffee in the room watching the Mississippi roll on by. Massive barges plying their trade, fast down stream but walking pace upstream against the current. 

Drive down to the Frogmore Plantation for a guided tour around an original plantation and slave quarters. Superb guided tour. Knowledgable guide tells us all about cotton picking then and now and slave life. Even get the chance to pick some cotton. All supported by two great videos. Can’t believe it took us 2.5 hours. Well worth the money.

After our lavish lunch, a banana and water, we visit Melrose an original Antebellum Greek style plantation owners house. Operated by the National Park service and as its National Park week entrance is free. As usual with NP there’s a great guided tour. All the original furniture is still inside and it’s been lovingly restored.

Then we have a stroll around downtown Natchez. Stop for a beer at a local “pub” by the river.

Stop off in a local gift shop run by the black equivalent of Arkwright. A real sales women. Mind you not that we could understand her, our “teach y’all American” certainly dint prepare us-all for this Southern drawl. I’m sure it’s getting broader as we move further North!

For tea it’s Fried dill pickles, Muffalattas and hush puppies complete with jalapeños – yes they’re fried but not a shoe. For Wendy it’s shrimp and crawfish chowder followed by a catfish po-boy. Thankfully I had half a Muffalattas, a real cholesterol special. How anyone could eat a full one defies anatomical logic – you certainly wouldn’t be able to walk out, probably need a 911 call to carry you out on a stretcher.

Another action packed day.

According to one of his family members Tamerlan Tsarnaev was, among other things, ‘angry that the world pictures Islam as a violent religion.’ His efforts to refute this charge included planting bombs in the middle of a family sports event in Boston, killing – among others – an eight year old boy.

The case brings to mind that of Muzzammil Hassan from western New York. Hassan was the founder of Bridges TV in the US – a station set up to help ‘non-Muslims overcome the negative images they may have of both Muslims and Islam.’ Mr Hassan was subsequently convicted and sent to prison for beheading his wife.

It seems like the religion of peace has really been at it this week, two Muslim Canadians are on trial for trying to blow up a Canadian passenger train to New York. Three Muslim men – including a convert – are on trial at the Old Bailey for plotting to blow up a number of UK targets including the town of Wooton Basset. And at Woolwich Crown Court a cell of radical Muslims from Birmingham are being sentenced for attempting to detonate a set of rucksack bombs and carry out ‘Mumbai-style’ attacks in the UK at targets including synagogues.

Fortunately we in Britain have many politicians willing to address the issues surrounding this. For example, there is Baroness Warsi who was on the television only the other day presenting a short film on ‘Islamophobia’ and declaring that ‘the good news is that government is finally dealing with the issue [of ‘Islamophobia’] and it is now a priority.’

I’d have thought the priority was stopping these fundamentalist attacks and ensuring that we retain freedom of speech, including the right to criticise or mock any religion. “Sticks and stones!”

Q. How many Muslim extremists will it take to destroy America?
A. None, American Liberals can do it all by themselves, thank you.

Friday – another hot, sunny and humid day.

Take a short drive up the river to Vicksburg, scene of famous civil war battles and long siege. Vicksburg was a key Confederate stronghold that controlled the Mississippi. Many battle as the Union tried to take it but all were repulsed. In the end they lay siege to the town and eventual the Confederates surrended. That’s the history lesson over.

Place is run by the National Parks Service so as usual there’s a good visitors centre with a great movie on the battles of Vicksburg. Then you do a +90 minute drive around the battle fields and visit the Ironclad paddle steamer Cairo. All very well done and informative but for the battlefield you can’t help feeling it lacks that something. More of a pleasant drive around a monument filled cemetery. Not the sort of place that would excite or engage young children. Perhaps that says it all about the age of my mind. Would have been really good if at least one area was set up “as it was at the battle”, Disney style, complete with trenches, shell craters, mud and gore etc. You don’t come away with any feeling of the true horrors of war, especially back then.

Tuesday – hot, very humid and sunny.

Another action packed day. Off on an airboat swamp tour and then a stroll around the Barataria Park park of the Jean Lafitte National Park.

Get to see an Albino crocodile. In captivity as it would not survive in the wild – no camouflage. Also get to see Albino fire engines, They’re all white, freaky, now there’s a first.

It’s a 2 hour tour all very interesting. Before we start, what does raw chicken, human fingers and marsh mellows have in common? Answer: Alligators love them. Don’t ask how they discovered the passion for marsh mellows!

Our guide throws marsh mellows and the gators come. Interesting tour but the gators are no where near as impressive as those we saw in the Everglades, but at least we got to hold one, poor thing was terrified and peed itself – mind you some of us weren’t so comfortable. Make a lovely pet this ones just 2 years old and will easily grow to 5 foot by the time it’s 5 and then slow down to an inch a year.

Call in at Best Buy on the way home to get the new Sony HX300 camera; 50 time magnification, should be great for birding; good stabilisation, it’ll need it at those magnifications; quick focus, unlike my existing camera; doesn’t take 15 seconds to warm up. Then have a relaxing Starbucks. First of our trip. Starting to get withdrawal symptoms. Really fancy a proper DSLR but I’d need a 3 foot, 15lb lens, a gattling gun sized tripod and a Ford Transit van to tote the gear around. Not my idea of photography. Give me a shirt pocket camera.

Smoked pulled pork Po-Boy for dinner with just a few glasses of wine. What’s a Po-boy? Really nothing fancy just a sandwich served on French bread.

Well the religion of peace has exploded into senseless violence yet again with the Boston Marathon bombings. I’m sure the backlash against their religion will be horrendous. The Americans have had enough.  But what can they expect. I can also see that tightened security may even result in TSA on the streets. Now that would be a disaster, but the way the media is feeding and the potential extra profits make it a strong possibility.

Oh well it looks like Malta’s off my holiday destination list.

A report on worldwide human rights from the US Department of State has revealed that 99 individuals were convicted in Malta last year for public blasphemy , down from 119 in 2011.

Despite its popularity amongst Brits, many are unaware that Maltese law prohibits the vilification of or giving offense to the Roman Catholic Church.

It is also a criminal offense to utter publicly any obscene or indecent words, make obscene acts or gestures or in any other way offend public morality, propriety or decency.

With my blog I could well be prosecuted. Yet another attack on free speech.

Wednesday – warm, black skies, lightning and heavy rain. To top it all there’s a Tornado Watch alert.

We set off on our drive up the Great River Road on our way to the Evergreen Plantation. Alas no one, including Trevor MacDonald mentioned that you hardly get to see the Mississippi as you drive along as it’s obscured by Levies – obviously no thought for the tourists when they built them. Mind you as we criss cross the river at least you get some good, but fleeting views from the bridges. Interesting most of the bridges have no walkways, but then again this is America so no one walks anywhere anyway – perhaps they swim across.

Evergreen Plantation is a wash out. Pouring it down – in typical American fashion even the rain is bigger – and they don’t fancy doing a guided tour amongst all those oak trees and lightning. Never mind we have to stick with the Trevor MacDonald DVD.

Drive up the back roads to Baton Rouge and then onto Natchez. Call in at a Mississippi Tourist Information centre. Offered free coffee, good helpful advice from very pleasant and friendly staff, with free wifi of course.

Comfort Suite hotel in Natchez is pretty grand, when we finally find it – bloody satnav. We get a suite with a Mississippi river view. Very relaxing watching the barges.

Dinner in the hotel is best described as interesting. The fried green beens were off the menu. I venture for the Catfish, fried of course, along with everything else in Mississippi. Frying seems to be their signature dish. You name they fry it, although they were a little taken back with the thought of a fried Mars bar.

In France, the police are now taking action against people caught in public wearing a burqa.

So far they’ve arrested four Muslims and seven letterboxes.

Has the BBC finally grown some balls?

BBC: Panorama – Secrets of Britain’s Sharia Councils

Panorama goes undercover to investigate what is really happening in Britain’s Sharia Councils – Islamic religious courts. Some women reveal they have suffered domestic violence ignored by these councils as campaigners say it is time to tackle the parallel legal system which can run counter to British law.

How can we tolerate a separate legal system? Meanwhile lets wait for the toys to be thrown out the pram, the backlash, the rioting and protestations.

Birmingham rally calls for the UK to implement blasphemy laws

Up to 25,000 British Pakistani people gathered in Aston Park in Birmingham to call on the British government to introduce legislation that bars people from insulting Islam.

The participants made a peaceful and colourful mile-long march to the park where they heard speakers included interfaith leaders from Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish religions and parliamentarians from Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Hazrat Peer Alauddin Siddiqui, who is a renowned Sufi cleric, told Geo News: that the recent film, The Innocence of Muslims has caused hurt to Muslims all over the world. He added that It’s not fair that some people insult Islam everyday and preach hatred through their actions and words but the lack of legislation encourages such elements. We want to tell our government that insults are unacceptable and inflammatory language is contributing to the rise of extremism amongst youth in western countries.

Here they go again. Oh the poor wee things. No doubt the do gooders and bleeding hearts will be chomping at the bit. Free speech seems to be under attack everywhere, predominantly from religious fruitcakes. If this gets implemented I think we’ll become political refugees and flee the country.

Saturday – crisp sunny morning. Makes you wonder why we go away :7)

Manchester airport – joy. Long queue to be screened. Now there’s a surprise. It would loose its official designation as an airport if there wasnt a queue. Only 2 out of 8 lanes manned. And surprise, surprise the multi million pound terra hertz scanners are not being used. Perhaps they can’t find any perverts to man them.

Bacon butties for breakfast. Wendy hits the brandy to help her tablets go down. Then has the empty glass nerve to criticise a family who are “drinking like mad”, probably jealous or apprehensive that there’ll be no brandy left. When we set off to board the plane she feels woozy, now there’s a surprise, I wonder what caused that.

Delta flight to Atlanta. No seat back tv system; half way through the flight there’s an emergency situation – they’ve run out of red wine; glad to report that Delta seem to have managed to train their staff to smile, although by the end of the flight some are turning to grimaces.

Interesting navigation solution they seem to be following the vapour trail in the sky.

Business class seems such a rip off, but possibly makes it more comfortable on a 9 hour flight, but sleeping tablets would seem to be a much cheaper solution – perhaps that’s the answer in future.

Landed in Atlanta on time to a typical American welcome.

35 minute queue for passport control. Yellow standdee line; finger prints; smile for the camera, yes I’m really in the mood for the 6th smile this year; stamp; stamp; questions galore, but at least he had a personality. On the positive side the queue for US citizens was longer, now there’s a first, and our luggage had arrived.
Usual question “why the hell do we come to this country when they treat visitors like this?”. Perhaps their economy is so strong they don’t really need tourists.

All made up for by the concierge in the Delta lounge who let us in, even though our card wasn’t valid. He was a real Anglophile and good to see that Delta really empower their staff.

4 hour stop over then we have a 90 minute flight to New Orleans. It’s 03:00 in the morning by the time we hit bed in our hotel.

Another hotel where our rooms next to a noise plant. Vibrating walls. Joy. Fortunately we’re that tired it doesn’t make a happeth of difference. Change rooms tomorrow.

Sunday – warm and sunny.

Up early for a waffle breakfast. Back to airport to pick car up. Nice top of the range Ford Focus. Hang on there’s a tyre pressure warning light on – come on Mr Hertz get it right. Here we go again. “No problem sir just go and choose any of those mid size cars over there”. Boring I know but pick a brand new top of the range Chevy Cruze. Great to drive, all the gadgets and gizmos and pretty good MPG for American gas guzzlers – yes they’ve still not learnt.

Interesting listening to a rotund customer at the Hertz desk ‘How do I get to the airport?”. Clerk “just down that walkway”. Rotund “What no bus?”. Bloody hell it’s only 200 yards and she certainly needed the exercise.

Drive down to the French quarter of New Orleans. Lovely relaxing place with with plenty of street entertainment and music going on. But of course you always get one scrot.  Guy sat on the pavement with a bucket in front of him. Jackson square has so much entertainment. Try some famous beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde. They’re tasty but the coffee with chicory leaves a bit to be desired.

Seafood Pistolettes for lunch – a creamy shrimp and crawfish on golden French role.

A really enjoyable day.

Walmart on the way home for wine and other essentials. Complete free health check for me, all done sat at computer screen. Good to see Walmart  respect their customers with someone on the door inspect receipts and goods in the trolley. Wendy gave her a very pleasant mouthful about respect for customers.

Monday – warm and sunny.

Breakfast nearly turns into world war III, when some stroppy gobby wench argues with her husband and me about how the waffle machine works – her husband needs to get a grip, but she definitely wears the trousers in that household. Does she not realise I’m the Egon Ronay of the waffle machine. We win, she waffles on.

Back down to the French quarter again. Stroll around one of their ancient cemeteries with there above ground burial houses, some are even 3 stories high. Lunch is a picnic in Jackson Square.

Then we go for a 2 hour trip down the Mississippi in a genuine Mississippi Paddle steamer, complete with Jazz band – no Mark Twain though. Pleasant afternoon. 

Dinner is on Bourbon Street in the French quarter. I have Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo – name that song. Great food apart form the Jambalaya. Wendy’s not so keen on the Jambalaya.

Another great day. It’s all go though.

Really like New Orleans and especially the food. Even giving Taco Bell the elbow for now.

The famous Bourbon Streets a bit on the seedy side compared to the other streets, Royal is much nicer, but it has its compensations – see picture of the wench with the backside, enough to put you off sex for life. Alas it’s no pole dancing or Gentlemens clubs tonight! 

Wednesday – hot and sunny.

400 mile drive up to Las Vegas. Quite pleasant drive most of the way with the exception of Sun City. The traffic light centre of the Universe. Even worse than Tucson. More traffic lights on the main road than Talibans at a stoning. Unbelievable on a major road. Perhaps they have the idiot town planners we had to plan Shadsworth?

Hotel very comfortable, although they did try and put us in room 208 again. WHen I complained she recognised me from last time and had read my Tripadvisor rant. Problem solved and a note in our account to keep us away fro 208.

After 20+ years of coming to America we finally get to go to a Red Lobster. I even get to pick my live lobster that’s to be boiled to death. What a disaster, also a disaster for the lobster. Starters delivered late; food mediocre; my lobster was supposedly to be ready cleaned and excavated from it shell, but delivered whole. Ends up with the manager exacting it for me at the table. What a disaster of a meal. No one is happy. Complain and we all get a free meal. At least they put it right but it’ll be the first and last time at a Red Lobster and certainly no more whole lobsters.

Don’t you just love American logic. 20 children and 6 adults killed in Newton Massacre. What’s the response? Outright ban on all guns. Tighten gun controls. No since the massacre more states have eased gun controls and regulations than have bolstered them. Gob bless the 2nd and the masterminds of the NRA! Lunacy.

A hint of Dark Matter. WIMP’s a new form of matter may have been found which will help explain Dark Matter – one may be passing through you right now. These might help us find out whether the universe will carry on expanding ad infinitum; stop expanding at some point; stop and then start contracting. Put’s our trivial lives into perspective!

Why not to be a Muslim. Just a few Fatwas from the religion of peace:

Sleeping naked. Not allowed.

Mother day. Not allowed.

Valentines day . Not allowed.

Christmas tree up in a Muslim household. Not allowed – “It is not permissible to imitate the kuffaar in any of their acts of worship, rituals or symbols, according to the Prophet (blessings and peace o fAllah be upon him).”

Disobedient wife. Not allowed – Wives in general have to understand that obedience to their husbands is an Islamic duty that is required of them. The husband should do a good job of being in charge of his wife etc……

Shave your cheeks. Not allowed.

Women wearing the trousers. Not allowed. Pants or trousers are clothes that show the shape of a woman’s body and ‘awrah, so for this reason it is not permissible for women to wear pants, unless she wears over them a wide or loose shirt.

And just when you thought it was all abstinence, bans and no enjoyment a little ray of joy creeps in:

Stoning. Allowed. Nay positively encouraged. Almost a sin not to. Whoever takes part in stoning a married adulterer, is rewarded for that, and it is not fitting for anyone to abstain from it if a ruling of stoning is issued.

And Allah knows best.

Thursday – very hot and sunny. Really looking forward to home at 7 degrees C :7)

Leisurely morning. Late checkout. Drop car off. Hertz as efficient as ever. Curbside check in – very painless. Just the usual TSA crap to deal with and then we’re tucked up in the lounge. Wendy getting ready to down a bottle of brandy with gusto. I think it helps her tablets go down better than water. 3 half pints later I assist her to the plane.

Virgin have excelled themselves again and given us bulkhead seats – extra legroom. Wendy in her alcoholic haze spots emergency exit row seats available and arranges with the Air Hostess to get them for us. So another great Virgin flight with plenty of legroom at no extra cost.

Flight is fairly comfortable with great movie selection and lands on time.

Pick to car up only to realise that the tax disc has run out while we’ve been away. Fortunately there’s a post office around the corner from APH and with the wonders of technology manage to get a copy of my insurance on the iPhone and tax it there and then. What a major cock up on our behalf. We’d assumed it was tax for a year from when we bought it. Of course the DVLA didn’t bother sending a reminder until after we’d left. Try eating through to the DVLA to sort out the SORN issue – a major nightmare because they’re constantly too busy and hang up on you.

Back to sunny Belthorn, yes it is the same village and the sun is out with no sign of rain. Mind you to keep up it’s reputation it is only 5C with a howling gale. Bloody freezing – Joy! 

Just 15 days to go before we escape again.

We just love America but you do have to wonder about their education system. Conversation with bimbo at petrol pump. Bimbo – “Love your accent. Where are you from?”. Wendy –  “England”.  Bimbo – “Wow. How long will it take you to drive home?”. Sadly this is not an isolated incident. It’s the 3rd time we’ve encountered this cast iron believe that England is on the same continent as North America.

Just when you think everything is banned it appears that a new Fatwa Permits Rape of Non-Sunni Women in Syria, and lots of other places. Sorry it’s a bit long but it really is unbelievable:

Yet another Islamic cleric recently made it permissible for the Islamic fighters waging a jihad in Syria—politely known as “the opposition”—to rape the nation’s women.

Justifying rape in Islam’s name – a “legitimate fatwa” making it legal (in the eyes of Islam) for those Muslims fighting to topple secular president Bashar Assad and install Sharia law to “capture and have sex with” all non-Sunni women, specifically naming Assad’s own sect, the Alawites, as well as the Druze and several others, in short, all non-Sunnis and non-Muslims. Calls to capture and rape non-Muslim women are appearing with increasing frequency from all corners of the Islamic world.

A few months earlier, Saudi preacher Muhammad al-Arifi also issued a fatwa allowing jihadi fighters to engage in “intercourse marriage” with captive Syrian women that lasts for a few hours “in order to give each fighter a turn”—also known as gang-rape.

Then there is Egyptian Sheikh Ishaq Huwaini, who once lectured on how infidel captives, or to use another term from the Koran, ghanima, the “spoils of war,” are to be distributed among the jihadis and taken to “the slave market, where slave-girls and concubines are sold.” He, too, referred to such women as “what your right hands possess,” saying: “You go to the market and buy her, and she becomes like your legal mate—though without a contract, a guardian, or any of that stuff—and this is agreed upon by the ulema…. In other words, when I want a sex-slave, I go to the market and pick whichever female I desire and buy her.”

Indeed, even some Muslim women advocate the enslavement and rape of fellow (non-Muslim) women. Kuwaiti political activist, Salwa al-Mutairi, for instance, is working to see the institution of sex-slavery return. In a video she posted online, she explained how she once asked Islam’s greatest authorities living in the city of Mecca, the city of Islam, about the legality of sex-slavery and how they all confirmed it to be perfectly legitimate. According to Mutairi:

A Muslim state must [first] attack a Christian state—sorry, I mean any non-Muslim state—and they [the women, the future sex-slaves] must be captives of the raid. Is this forbidden? Not at all; according to Islam, sex slaves are not at all forbidden. Quite the contrary, the rules regulating sex-slaves differ from those for free women [i.e., Muslim women]: the latter’s body must be covered entirely, except for her face and hands, whereas the sex-slave is kept naked from the bellybutton on up—she is different from the free woman; the free woman has to be married properly to her husband, but the sex-slave—he just buys her and that’s that.

All great places for perverts and rapists to hang out, assuming of course they convert to the religion of peace and don’t sleep naked, celebrate Valentines day etc…..

Just love this (should explain that Ryanair is a cheap airline that offers flights for as low a £1 then charges a fortune for even breathing): 

Saturday.Ryanair’s Micheal O’Leary arrives in a hotel in Dublin, he goes to the bar and asks for a pint of draught Guinness. The barman nodded and said, “That will be one Euro please, Mr. O’Leary.”
Somewhat taken aback, O’Leary replied, “That’s very cheap,” and handed over his money.
“Well, we try to stay ahead of the competition”, said the barman. “And we are serving free pints every Wednesday evening from 6 until 8. We have the cheapest beer in Ireland”
“That is remarkable value” Michael comments
“I see you don’t seem to have a glass, so you’ll probably need one of ours.
That will be 3 euro please.
O’Leary scowled, but paid up. He took his drink and walked towards a seat.
“Ah, you want to sit down?” said the barman. “That’ll be an extra 2 euro. – You could have pre-book the seat, and it would have only cost you a Euro.”
“I think you may to be too big for the seat sir, can I ask you to sit in this frame please”
Michael attempts to sit down but the frame is too small and when he can’t squeeze in he complains “Nobody would fit in that little frame”.
“I’m afraid if you can’t fit in the frame you’ll have to pay an extra surcharge of €4.00 for your seat sir”
O’Leary swore to himself, but paid up. “I see that you have brought your laptop with you” added the barman. “And since that wasn’t pre-booked either, that will be another 3 euro.”
O’Leary was so annoyed that he walked back to the bar, slammed his drink on the counter, and yelled, “This is ridiculous, I want to speak to the manager”.
“Ah, I see you want to use the counter,” says the barman, “that will be 2 euro please.” O’Leary’s face was red with rage.

“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do Mr. O’Leary,”
“I’ve had enough, What sort of Hotel is this? I come in for a quiet drink and you treat me like this. I insist on speaking to a manager!”

“Here is his E mail address, or if you wish, you can contact him between 9 and 9.10 every morning, Monday to Tuesday at this free phone number. Calls are free, until they are answered, then there is a talking charge of only 10 cent per second”
“I will never use this bar again
“OK sir, but remember, we are the only hotel in Ireland selling pints for one Euro”

Awaken to glorious sunshine and clear blue skies. Are we back in Tucson? Is this really Belthorn? The breakfast on the patio test confirms we are truly back home – a bone chilling 6 degrees Centigrade.

Monday – hot and sunny.

Wendy and I are up early to do the Pima Canyon trail. On the trail head for 08:20. Kevin and Anne are doing the Tucson Mall.

Pima Canyon is gorgeous. Up hill all the way and one of the most difficult / technical walks we’ve ever done. Certainly think that coming down is going to be more technically difficult and much slower but it turns out to take the same time as the ascent. Get up as far as some of the pools and after an hour decide we’d better head back down as we think it will take us 2 hours to get back down. Turns out to be much quicker than we envisaged despite the difficult sections.

Rewarded for all our efforts with the sighting of the poisonous Gila Monster. Sadly I didn’t have my camera with me. By the time I’d got my iPhone out he’d gone. See picture from the Internet.

Well worth the early rise and the effort. A gorgeous canyon and being rocky and difficult meant you hardly had chance to notice the climb.

Wendy wanted to go to Tohon Chul gift shop – it’s a women’s thing. Glad we did as we get out the car there’s a Mojave Rattle snake (apparently one of the most aggressive and poisonous rattlers) sauntering across the car park – see pictures. Another real treat. All we need now to make the days the sighting of a Roadrunner – so far we’ve only seen the one doing what Roadrunners are good at – crossing the road. By way of compensation there’s a great video of a Roadrunner doing battle with his favourite lunch the Rattle snake – click here.

A Gila Monster and Mojave Rattle snake all in one day. How lucky can you get? Well a Roadrunner would have been a nice addition but don’t get greedy.

Tuesday – hot and sunny.

Ladies are doing the tidy up, ready for departure tomorrow, while the men explore the Romero Canyon. A lovely walk down a riparian in canyon but alas few birds and no Roadrunner. Take the car to be cleaned. That’s an experience $5 and all finished off by hand. They’re queuing up and it’s a proper assembly line.

 Nip down to the airport to pick up my hire car. Order the cheapest and smallest car with4 wheels from Mr Hertz and get an upgrade to the top of the range Chevy Cruze. Satellite radio and bristling with blue tooth, USB ports, electronics and gadgets. 

Saturday – cloudy (now there’s a first) and hot, 84F, as usual.

Highlight of the walk is we get to see a rattler – a diamond back no less. Actually would have missed it if this little kid hadn’t come running up to say there’s a snake and then proceeded to lob a big stone in its direction. Fortunately it didn’t hit the poor sleeping snake or else there would probably have been one child with a rattler attached. Amazing camouflage you would never spot it in a month of Sundays and it was only a foot off the main path. Just asleep and not bothered about all the passers by.Drive down to Sabino Canyon for a walk up Bear Canyon. Although cloudy it was quite hot and humid. Turns into a 4.5 mile walk quite a bit of it down a lovely stream.

Colorado sure seems to have more than its fair share of stupid laws, here some more:

It is permissable to wear a holstered six-gun within city limits, except on Sunday, Election Day, or holidays.

It is illegal to bring your horse or pack mule above the ground floor of any building.

The dog catcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting, for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through said park.

It is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor.

You may not drive a black car on Sundays.

It is illegal to go in public dressed in clothes“unbecoming” on one’s sex.

Now Christians are kicking off. Riots pending?

Former Bishop speaks out against Good Friday documentary suggesting that Mary Magdaline was Christ’s lover or wife

Michael Nazir-Ali, the former bishop of Rochester, said the BBC programme, The Mystery of Mary Magdalene , presented by Melvyn Bragg would be hugely offensive to devout Christians because it amounted to the sexualisation of Christ .

He said it was all the more upsetting because it is being screened at midday on Good Friday, the moment the Bible says Jesus was put on the cross.

Lord Bragg, who describes himself as no longer a believer , argues that Mary’s close relationship with Jesus was effectively airbrushed out of the accepted Biblical account by misogynist Romans. He points to a series of ancient writings known as the Gnostic Gospels which were not included in the agreed list of books which became the New Testament. They include references to Mary being kissed on the mouth by Jesus, being his favourite and even, as one passage suggests, his wife.The campaign group Christian Concern has emailed its supporters urging them to complain to the BBC. Andrea Williams, director of Christian Concern, said:

Noon Good Friday is the precise time Christians are remembering Jesus’ crucifixion. To air a programme which questions the purity of Christ is at best insensitive and at worst offensive.

Now here’s the real kicker, apparently the head of BBC religious programming is actually a muslim. Can you imagine the Muslim response to a TV programme depicting Mohamed having sex!

Anyway the good news is I would have missed it. Now at least I’ll get to see it.

Sunday – hot and sunny again.

Happy Easter everyone, or for the PC / Dhimi brigade it’s “Spring Sunday”. If you’re offended by my wishing you a Happy Easter then I’m pleased, you clearly shouldn’t be reading my blog. You can tell it’s Easter Sunday as all the church car parks are bursting at the pews. Seems like the only time people go. I’m sure no one walks.

Wendy and I drive down to Saguaro National Park East and have a great walk around the desert. A pleasant 2 miles stroll. It sure feels like the desert – great. Followed by a lavish picnic. But alas no Roadrunner.

Then it’s coffee at Starbucks – becoming quite an aficionado and can now even order a coffee using Starbucks speak, with all the gusto of a resident of Pike Place – look it up if you don’t understand. Now we know the Americans go a tad OTT when it comes to their pets, but when you take your puppy to Starbucks, along with his luxury bed to lie on, it takes some believing. I’m surprised they didn’t order it a Starbucks drink.

Talking of Starbucks hows this for common marketing rip off sense. Each coffee I buy with my iPhone Starbuck app earns me stars and stars mean rewards. Excited so far. But if I but two coffees and pay with the card I only get one star. Now it’s two separate orders; two entires on the till; two receipts; twice as long. Come on you greedy marketeers get a grip.

More Colorado stupidity:

It is illegal to have a broken down car on private property or public right-of-ways.

It is illegal to have weeds in your yard

Residents may not own chickens, but may own up to three turkeys.

It is illegal to let a dandelion grow within the city limits.

Cats may not run loose without having been fit with a taillight.

It is illegal to crash into obstacles on a ski slope.

Do not allow somebody to park less than 2 feet from you, or you will have to pay a fine.

Wednesday – hot and sunny.

Out for 09:00 for a drive down to Patagonia Lake. Visit the famous – well at least amongst birders – Patons Hummingbird site. It’s in Patons back garden; Chair under and awning; loads of bird feeders, especially Hummingbirds; full of Birders with giant phallic extensions to their cameras so big they need a tripod and crane to lift them – and then they think IT people are nerdy! Great site and loads of birds seen and amazing that it’s free.

Visit Sonita Creek Nature preserve – $5 a head – lovely walk but not a bird in site, only Javelina’s.

Meanwhile some Americanise – “Man that just up my alley”. Roughly translated “I really like it.”

Drive over to Sierra Vista and a great Hotel.

Meanwhile in case we wander into New mexico here’s some of their silly slaws:

Women may walk in public topless provided they have their nipples covered.

It’s forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public.

Persons may not spit on the steps of the opera house.

Hunting is prohibited in Mountain View Cemetery.

You may not carry a lunchbox down Main Street.

Only been in the job a few days. Did he know what he was letting himself in for:

While popes have for centuries washed the feet of the faithful on the day before Good Friday, never before had a pontiff washed the feet of a woman. That one of the female inmates at the prison in Rome was also a Serbian Muslim was also a break with tradition.
“There is no better way to show his service for the smallest, for the least fortunate,” said Gaetano Greco, a local chaplain.
Pope Francis kissing the feet of a young offender
Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 inmates aged 14 to 21, among them the two women, the second of whom was an Italian Catholic. Mr Greco said he hoped the ritual would be “a positive sign in their lives”.
Catholic traditionalists are likely to be riled by the inclusion of women in the ceremony because of the belief that all of Jesus’ disciples were male.

Good for him, let’s stir it up and head for change.

Thursday – hot and sunny.

Up early for a great breakfast – waffles. Meet some Americans who have have obviously lost the plot as they think Wendy speaks the Queens English.

Off down to Ramsey Canyon, another famous birding and beauty spot. Bump into a birding walk up the Canyon. So a 1 hour birding trip turns into a 3 hour tour. Great walk; lovely canyon; informative and entertaining guide; FOC – my favourite; but alas few birds. However we do get to see the American Woodpecker – a rare sighting apparently. Add 3 new birds to our sighting collection.

Manage to make a politically incorrect howler by describing a “controlled burn”. Apparently this is no longer PC as a local “controlled burn” got out of hand and burnt down a whole town. They’re now called “prescribed burns” so that if one ever gets out of hand there is no way it will burn down a whole town!

After Ramsey Canyon we drive down to Bisbee. Everyone says it’s a must see! Worse than Jerome and that’s saying something. Best thing was seeing convict shuffling out of court in chains in bright orange and white horizontal striped uniforms. Why don’t we treat our convicts like this or send them somewhere else!

Then after the intrepid travellers have been fed and watered we set off to Tombstone.

Anne and Kevin do the shoot out at one of the 5 original OK Corals in Tombstone – well comedy shootout. Just as boring apparently as all the others. Wendy  and I have a mossy around and then break one of the sacred laws of retirement and have a beer in a saloon – forgive me for I have sinned! Nearly fall off one of the swivel chairs at the bar as a gunfight ensues, they sure wake you up even though they’re firing blanks. All the waitress’s are properly attired in basques, short belts and back fishnet tights – very tasty. One of them has a platform bra / basque with two “giant St Bernard puppies” try to escape. This time I and 2 other guys fall off their perches. Sadly none of the pictures turn out.

More laws in Tombstone:

It is illegal for men and women over the age of 18 to have less than one missing tooth visible when smiling.

Women may not wear pants.

Nudity is allow, provided that male genitals are covered.

Women may walk in public topless provided they have their nipples covered.Full text of the law.

Idiots may not vote.

State officials ordered 400 words of “sexually explicit material” to be cut from Romeo and Juliet.

They can’t even spell:

The website of topless feminist group Femen has been hacked and replaced with a page declaring the women dirty pigs. The message, in broken English, is spelt out in red and black capitals and reads:

Dirty pigs!
No fuck for you, even for your men! Come here Tunisa!
We will cut your breasts and give food our dogs!
Die sluts, prostitutes from Israel!

Femen posted on their Facebook page Dear friends, our website femen.org was hacked. Don’t trust the information that will be posted there till the moment we inform you that the website was fixed.

The women’s rights group has received international news coverage in recent weeks amid fears for Tunisian topless protester Amina Tyler after threats to stone her to death were posted online.

An international Free Amina movement began on April 4 with the news that Amina has been imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital.

Friday – very hot and very sunny.

Idle’itiss seems to have set in. Everyones either lounging around or shopping this morning after our two day excursion.

I go down to Catalina SP for a morning route march. Up to the Romero Canyon to the Montrose pools – sadly not that spectacular. Then do the Canyon Loop trail. An energetic 3.5 mile march in the gruelling sun, and it’s only 09:00. Lovely at this time of the morning.

As a reward call in Starbucks for coffee and wifi. Our cable modem’s gone the way of the Dodo, there’s a technical term for it – knackered.

Lengthy chat with Comcast who finally diagnose it as dead. Classic help desk. Can go and pick up an FOC replacement but what they forget to mention is that it’s not Comcast’s, so not FOC. Drive across Town to the service depot to find this out – typical Help desk numpty. Bestbuy next. Set it all up ok and then final step it screws up with screen that locks out. Now there’s a surprise, an IT solution that doesn’t work. Never experienced that :7). So internet not working yet I can Skype Comcast -interesting! Am I surprised? Comcast techies – note the plural – final fix it with a TOTO.

Anne and Wendy get their weekly treat with a trip to the supermarket. I have to make do with a Jacuzzi and lazy afternoon.

Tucson’s a great place but the traffic lights and lack of roundabouts does your head in. Best solution is to take a book with you to read at traffic lights!

Meanwhile Colorado has it’s fair share of stupid laws:

One may not mutilate a rock in a state park.

Car dealers may not show cars on a Sunday.

It is illegal for liquor stores to sell food or grocery storesto sell any alcohol except beer that is at most 3.

It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence.

Tags may be ripped off of pillows andmattresses.

Throwing missles at cars is illegal.

Keeping a house where unmarried persons are allowed to have sex is prohibited.

Establishments which sell alcohol must have enough lighting to read text inside them.

Catapults may not be fired at buildings.

It is legal to challenge a police officer, but only until he or she asks you to stop.

It is illegal to permit ones llama to graze on city property.

\Boulders may not be rolled on city property.

Couches may not be placed on outside porches.

UK websites hacked over religious extremism:

Two of the leading British blogs taking issue with religious extremism have been taken offline for an entire week by a large-scale cyber attack. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but by the very nature of their targeting, the sources are thought to be religious extremists.

Both Harry’s Place and Student Rights suffered massive denial of service (DDOS) attacks over the past week – a cyber attack which blasts servers with traffic in order to overload them and effectively knock the websites out.

A statement posted on the Harry’s Place website said:

We were taken down by another very nasty DDOS attack. The ferocity of this one was actually quite staggering, so clearly we’re doing something that is getting under someone’s skin, someone with a very a fair amount of resources behind them. That a humble blog like ours — written by a few amateur pundits in their spare time, and relying entirely on donations from readers for its expenses — seems to threaten forces with this sort of virtual fire-power at their disposal is as flattering as it is baffling.

Student Rights, the leading pressure group in the UK for tackling extremism on university campuses said in a statement:

Our website has been the target of a malicious and illegal attack for a prolonged period of time. Our work, as many know, is to challenge extremism including Islamist activity and the far-right. We can only imagine that the attack must have emanated from one of these two groups.

Authorities are currently investigating the attacks. I bet!