"Station Fire" Moves Away From Pasadena

Scott provides the following account of the fires burning in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles ... and very near Pasadena! The fire has already burned nearly 242 square miles, making it one of the largest wildfires in southern California history.

"Bush Derangement Syndrome" Redux

"The more things change, the more they remain the same."
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

For some reason, recently I've been thinking about "Bush Derangement Syndrome" more than I ever did while George W. Bush was President. According to Wikipedia, Bush Derangement Syndrome is

"a pejorative political neologism coined by the American conservative political columnist, and psychiatrist, Charles Krauthammer in a 2003 column. ... Krauthammer defined Bush Derangement Syndrome as 'the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency — nay — the very existence of George W. Bush.' While Krauthammer's column was somewhat tongue-in-cheek ... the term indicates a belief that some extreme criticisms of President Bush are of emotional origins rather than based on facts or logic."

Charles Krauthammer's 2003 observation was just a single example of a more general phenomenon.

Berkner 49, South Grand Prairie 19

Opening kickoff returned for a touchdown!

From 2009 Football

The 100 degree temperatures have moderated to the low nineties in north Texas. That can mean only one thing -- football season! Berkner High School opened its season with a dominating win over South Grand Prairie High School at Wildcat-Ram Stadium. The team looked sharp on both offense and defense, scoring on the opening kickoff and pushing their lead to 42-0 score after three quarters. The experts were impressed, voting Berkner into the D/FW area rankings in 18th place.

"Johnny Macau"

Our very own "Johnny Macau" traveled to Macau, China, to compete in the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Season 3 Main Event at the Grand Lisboa Casino. The following account combines the event's own news reports with John's personal account.

Window to Bulgaria

From Brian's blog:

"For the next two years I will be serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria, where my primary assignment will be teaching English as a foreign language. I hope to meet the first of the Peace Corps’ three goals by proving to be a competent English teacher and getting involved in secondary projects such as environmental education. I hope to meet the second goal through my teaching and by integrating into the community and making new friends. What about the third goal? Well, that’s where this blog comes in. This is primarily for friends back home who have never been fortunate enough to visit Bulgaria. Maybe it will inspire you to visit. Maybe you will be content to live vicariously through me. Either way, the hope is that, if you follow along, you will gain a better understanding and appreciation of Bulgaria and its people."

Read more of Brian's blog at WindowToBulgaria.blogspot.com.