Saturday, August 9, 2008

Where Are the Salutes?

I see this happen throughout society, of course, but it deserves mention (complaint) when it happens at the Olympics. The first medal ceremony I saw this morning was for women's fencing in which the USA swept all three medals -- an amazing accomplishment, and hats off to these three talented young women.

But when they played the gold medal winner's national anthem (in this case it represented all three winners' country -- the US) none of the three girls placed their hands over their heart during the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner." (See the last photo in the series of photos at the link.)

I don't think most young people today realize that the American tradition is that every U.S. citizen salutes the flag during the playing of the national anthem. There are two kinds of salutes: one for persons in uniform (military, police, Boy Scouts, etc.) and one for civilians. The uniformed salute is what we typically see military people do -- hand raised to the hat visor or eyebrow -- but the civilian salute is the hand placed over the heart.

In the case of Olympic athletes, excuses like, "Well, I don't really respect America" seem out of place. They are personally entitled to that view, of course, but by representing the US at the Olympics you would think that respect for country and flag is a given. If a civilian in another non-representative context chooses not to salute the flag, that is their Constitutional freedom-of-speech right, which I respect.

The three young fencers almost looked like they had been told not to salute the flag with their hand over their heart -- they looked like they were doing something official since not one did it. So maybe there is some new Olympic rule that podium placers are excused from this show of respect. I don't get it if there is, but I say it just to acknowledge that I may be wrong about the lack of respect shown by the fencing winners.

These young women were very polite and well-spoken about their pleasure in winning a medal for their country, so I assume no disrespect was intended. I think they're just like a lot of young folks today who have inherited a waterered-down tradition. But having been a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and member of the military, I've been saluting the flag all of my life in and out of uniform. Just not sure why that respectful tradition shouldn't continue.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Parasitized Tomato Hornworm

Summer and tomatoes wouldn't be complete without the familiar tomato hornworm. When the systems of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are working as they should, the hornworm, which is destructive of tomatoes, will be parasitized by a tiny wasp that lays its eggs on the back of the hornworm. As the eggs become tiny cocoons containing wasp larvae (the little white objects) they draw sustenance from the body fluids of the hornworm, eventually sucking it dry and killing it. So, no spraying is necessary to control the hornworm as long as the little wasps are present to do their thing:

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

New Source for Rain Barrels

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I was driving near my house this week when I saw an elderly gentleman putting gas in his pickup at a quickmart -- and he had three barrels just like the one above in his truck. I whipped in and asked him where he got his barrels and he told me he paid $2 apiece at the AutoBell car wash on Monroe Road -- but he got the last three they had. The car wash receives their soaps, etc., in these barrels.

I came home and contacted the parent company of AutoBell in Charlotte to see if they had any barrels that had not been filled with chemicals. They didn't, but said to check with individual AutoBell locations for used ones. On my way back from Waxhaw this afternoon I passed a new AutoBell that has opened there, so turned in and the manager had two barrels he offered me for free. I had my bike in the trunk so could only fit one barrel in the car -- but that's really all I need for the moment so I can connect one more barrel to my existing one. Thankfully it's white -- identical to the ones Daniel got from Pepsi, so it will match the one I have perfectly. (It's all about the look, right?)

So -- car washes are a source of barrels on an ongoing basis. The manager said that all of AutoBell's chemicals that come in the barrel are "eco-friendly and nontoxic to the environment" -- so I'm hoping that if I give this one a good wash it will be okay for catching rainwater.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Finally

It's August 6 and I finally picked a tomato. I'm obviously not the only one who was interested in this 'mater.

Going for the face look here:

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Not sure who or what I'll find beneath these holes:

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At last count, there are now 18 (updated correction: 20) avocado trees growing in the front beds. Given our warm winters, there's a possibility I can save a couple. If not, it's been a fun experiment to watch them sprout and grow.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Best Rock Ever

I burned an audio CD today of 19 of the best rock songs ever -- that is, the ones I could think of at the moment. I'll add to the list in iTunes as more come to mind and burn new CDs. Someday if I have a car with a CD player I'll be ready to groove -- but right now it makes for good cleanin'/cookin'/washin'/hangin' out music:

Hard to Handle -- The Black Crowes
25 or 6 to 4 -- Chicago
Make Me Smile -- Chicago (maybe the best rock song ever)
Sunshine of Your Love -- Cream
Crossroads -- Cream
Listen to the Music -- Doobie Brothers
Fire -- Jimi Hendrix
Love Revolution -- Lenny Kravitz
Love, Love, Love -- Lenny Kravitz
I'm a Man -- Spencer Davis Group
Gimme Some Lovin' -- Spencer Davis Group
Magic Carpet Ride -- Steppenwolf
Born to be Wild -- Steppenwolf
Back in the High Life Again -- Steve Winwood
Roll with It -- Steve Winwood
Every Breath You Take -- Sting
Dancing in the Street -- Van Halen
I Can See for Miles -- The Who
Simply Irresistible -- Robert Palmer

Based on the list above, I welcome your suggestions for additions.