For Suzanne

who wanted to see more of Uncle Chang's Paradise:

Watch the rain...


Marina teaching the local girls to play Chinese Checkers after she learned the game from young Swiss women who had just finished a work contract in United Arab Emigrates.
Falcom singing at the bar for Uncle. This is right as he was 'getting owned' by Uncle Chang.
Marina feeding her monkey friends.

Today Willie takes his drivers permit.

I testified in the Senate Committee of Education about the elimination of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam. In case any of you wondered, I said they should get rid of it! Then the senators made the mistake of asking me if I thought there was a replacement and I said, "Yes, Good Teachers. Who give inflated grades. Good Principals who actually walk through the classes and see what their teachers are doing. How is it that we managed to get through high school without a qualifying exam and managed to have a successful life? And that work keys exam! I think the ACT has created for itself a fantastic market niche which will fill their pockets with our tax payer dollars! If I'm going to nail tech school why do I have to take the work key test? If people are going into a career that requires them to take the test, let them take it the way we let kids take the SAT or ACT, don't make us pay for it."

I think I got their attention. Even if it was just for 5 minutes.

Oh, and I did say that the ACLU was getting involved with the case of the Russian Old Believer Community.