This AT&T repair truck sports a Marvin the Martian picture, cut out of
a magazine and stuck in the window.
Via: Flickr
Title: Marvin the Martian categories: moblog
By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 30 Aug ’09, 4.42pm CDT PST
David Horsey’s political cartoon on the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy is excellent.
His blog post goes on to say: Ted Kennedy’s very personal funeral pageant
So many of the personal reflections about Sen. Kennedy were similar tales about his dedication to family and friends. It made me resolve to be a more attentive friend — to make the phone calls and send the notes and be present in tough times the way Kennedy apparently was. All these testimonials were verification that the senator’s abundant personal empathy is what inspired his liberalism and infused his public life. One interview after the funeral mass was a notable example of this. The father of a young Massachusetts soldier who was killed in Iraq at the beginning of the war described how he discovered Kennedy standing behind him at his son’s funeral at Arlington. After the service, the man spoke to Kennedy and pleaded with him to do something about the lack of body armor and armored vehicles being provided American troops in the field. While the conservative administration that sent a poorly-protected army into battle dragged its feet, Kennedy, the liberal who had opposed the war, immediately went to work. He got the legislation passed to buy the armor and save American soldiers’ lives. That’s what I call really supporting the troops.
When the ceremony moved south to Washington, D.C., the the hearse and long line of black cadillac limousines made a stop at the United States Capitol. The scene there seemed unprecedented, with Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie, summoning up the grit and grace to greet a large crowd of senators, representatives and congressional staffers. The best moment at the capitol: the spontaneous singing of God Bless America and America the Beautiful begun by the crowd of tourists across the drive. The least moving moment: The uninteresting, lengthy prayer of the chaplain.
Note: the singing was NOT spontaneous – some bossy staffer lady could be heard on the live stream, an hour or more before the motorcade arrived, telling the assembled staffers that they would be singing “America The Beautiful” and they’d have to do it a cappella. I didn’t hear any practicing, and when they did sing, it started raggedly and more or less in tune, though in a lower key than it was normally sung. So it sounded rough and unpracticed, but it was definitely set up in advance. That said, the Kennedy memorials and funerals from Wednesday to Saturday were all within driving distance of each other (East Coast, at least) and not the weeklong Presidential progress that took Reagan’s body from California to Washington for a state funeral, before returning to California for internment at his presidential library.
I hope that Vicki Kennedy was able to finally get some rest last night and that she was given some time to eat during the day yesterday, I can’t imagine the stress of getting through the funeral of a husband and family patriarch under the additional stress of wall-to-wall international television coverage.
About an hour ago I booked a tentative reservation at HawaiiConnection.com. Within 5 minutes of submitting, res manager Ed called me to say the email was on its way. WOW. Service!
Hawaii Connection
Thank you for visiting the Hawaii Connection web site. Our company was founded in 1978 and 2009 celebrates our 31st year in business. We represent more than 125 condominiums and hotels on the four major Islands in Hawaii of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii.
Our website utilizes advanced pricing technology so that you will always receive the best rate, promotions and offers available.
When you call us, you will be talking with a specialist who has visited the properties and has first-hand knowledge of the properties. In 2009, our specialists average almost 14 years of experience each so you can always find someone who can answer a question from first-hand experience.
Our company has served hundreds of thousands of our loyal customers over the past 31 years in Hawaii. Since we were asked to take our first reservation back in 1978, we strive every day to make sure that the Hawaii condo, hotel or suite that you are booking will allow you to have a memorable vacation and book with us again next year.
I’ve used this website, www.hawaiiconnection.com, at least 4 or 5 times in the past to book my own vacation condo rentals. I haven’t been in vacation travel in nearly a decade, but I would totally use this site for my bookings if I were. It may look old-school with lots of text and small photos, but it’s fast, easy to use, and a snap if you really know your clientele and have a good grasp of Hawaiian hotel and condo properties, locations, and relative comparisons. They don’t require a deposit right away, although we will have to be under deposit within 10 days and prepay in full at least 45 days prior.
ALL PAYMENTS FOR ALL CONDOMINIUMS, HOTELS AND CAR RENTALS MUST BE MADE TO HAWAII CONNECTION (NOT to the properties). Payment can be by check (only if received 21 or more days in advance), certified check or by credit card. We offer a 3% discount for payment by check. Please deduct the 3% discount when sending payment. We will need a signature before we can disburse vouchers. Late booking fees may apply. Vouchers can only be mailed to the address of record of the credit card holder.
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Cancellation policies vary widely with each property. A good general rule is a three night cancellation penalty. We will let you know at the time of booking if a stricter penalty is enforced. A full refund of all monies paid is generally available if cancellation is made 45 days prior to scheduled arrival (Christmas holiday period by October 1). No shows and early departure refunds are solely at the discretion of the management companies. Condominium programs, however, are NOT like hotel programs in that the condominium that has been reserved for you has been set aside. The owner of the unit depends on the reservations for his unit income, and the management company may be required by contractual agreement with the owner to offer no refund. All refund decisions by us are final.
They offer a 3% discount to anyone paying in full by check rather than credit card – nothing to sneeze at if you are staying long-term. Popular properties, even in this economy, can book out far in advance of prime whale-watching season. I’ll know more about cancellation policies for the property we’ve selected (actually, that we’ve stayed at before) once I get the confirmation email.
Which, holy cow, has already arrived. Very impressive. I think that if I can swing the vacation bid process to convince my teammates at work to let me have the dates (I will let them know we’ll have to be under deposit) this may work. Problem is, I’m the last person to go through the bid process as the newest member of my relatively small team, so I’ll have to get their cooperation for this to work.
But, with luck, we’ll be Maui-bound in February. And as the weather this year has been cool and wet, the local lore seems to forecast a really cold and wet winter.
We went to a really fun event last night at a friend’s home – he and his girlfriend had a luau theme party and it was a great time. This, naturally, motivated me to check availability and get a gut-check; our favorite condo property wasn’t showing any availability for the time we wanted to be there on the first few sites I checked. But then I fell back on HawaiiConnection.com and of course they had the space (they must block space or something, they always have space at a selection of reasonable properties).
And of course, I did the whole thing on the iPhone. This technology still continues to amaze me.