As we were coming out of our local Costco this weekend and climbing into the truck, we heard a strange honking. I thought to myself, "That sounds like an indignant goose. But we're in the Costco parking lot.." As it is the time of the year when the Canadian geese migrate, I looked up. Meanwhile Manthing, being better at noise direction than I am, looked down thinking there might be a goose in the lot getting ready to be flattened. Then we both looked at the Volvo parked directly across from our truck and this is what we saw (click on the pic for a larger view).

Since we use the disabled parking we found this quite amusing. Luckily Manthing had his trusty camera with him and I asked him to shoot some pics for you all because I know you'd never believe me. Though he couldn't get a shot of Ms. Goose in mid-honk, initially I think she was honking because she was miffed at being left alone in the car. Her indignation changed to annoyance though when Manthing started snapping her picture and people who were arriving for their own Costco shopping experience got out of their vehicles and began bringing their kids over to see the goose in the car. People even stopped traffic in their cars to crane their necks to look at the goose. We thought there was going to be an accident.

It wasn't a hot morning so the windows were down and she had goose refreshments: a salad to munch and a glass of water. She was even sitting in her very own plastic box. And believe me, if you know anything about geese, NO ONE was going to attempt to steal her or the car in which she was sitting. I've been bitten by dogs and cats. Cat bites are painful but they really have nothing on a goose bite. As a teenager, I worked for a woman who had tortoises, rabbits, chickens and geese and it was my job to feed them all. Her male gander, Henry Asshole, bit me on the ass so many times I bet I still have the scars. I doubt my ass was so tasty he had to bite it every time I turned my back on him. Geese are just extremely territorial.

So as we got into the truck, we wondered :


What are y'all's thoughts?

I'm thinking of Columbia University here. I'm thinking that if I were parent with a Freshman or maybe even a sophomore at Columbia, I'd have to at least consider paying tuition to another University next year. I am mot interested in supporting the the kind of bullshit that went on there over the last few weeks.

With tuition costs at Columbia University ranging from $17,000 to $34,000 per year, I think I could support an educational institution elsewhere that wasn't headed up by a board of dumbasses and a complete idiot at the School of International & Public Affairs at Columbia . Another thing to keep in mind is that most speakers and lecturers are paid by the institution that invite their lecturers. I don't know if they paid him to speak but I would not be at all surprised if they had.

Remember, a committee had to approve giving Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a platform in which to try and pull the wool over everyone's eyes, use the opportunity to further blast and impune the US in Iran and the Arab world by giving him a forum in which to share to his insanity.

If you read his introduction, he makes it pretty clear that disagreed with John Coatsworth's (Acting Dean of the School of International & Public Affairs) decision to invite Ahmadinejad but it was not an especially bright or effective strategy to invite him and then insult him especially if the goal is to persuade Iran, Syria or the world of the case against him.

I wish people would think for themselves instead of blindly swallowing the rhetoric and bullshit the media throws at the public at large about most everything.

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Stinkerbelle

Schmoo

Tchotchke

Birdwatching: Schmoo, Fred, Barney

Mr. Stubbs on Manthing's knee

Chessie & Fred