An Enjoyable Sunday

Kate and I had a nice Sunday. We ate a nice lunch at Whiskey's which is near "the Pru" in Boston. Kate had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a cheese steak sandwich which had Poblano peppers and a spicy cheese on it. Our meals were served with great fries, cucumbers in spicy vinegar with onions, and Kate's came with Cole slaw which was nice. I had a Longtrail along with my meal which was satisfying.

Next, on a whim we rode out to Braintree on the red line and walked around the town. It was a nice walk, and it was a decent day for it as it was probably in the mid to high 40s. I went to Borders as well where I picked up the new Modest Mouse album "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". I also got the book "Flags of our Fathers" by James Bradley. This was recently made into a film directed by Clint Eastwood. I've been on a history kick with my books recently. I finished John McCain's memoir "Faith of my Fathers" (which I believe I already mentioned) and it was excellent. I'm currently reading "1776", about the American revolution, and "The Brothers Bulger" by Howie Carr.

After our adventures in Braintree, a community so quaint it doesn't seem like it should be on the Red line, we returned to Boston. We went back towards the Prudential center and had some Ben & Jerry's for desert (which really was more like supper). We walked around a bit more. We took a wrong turn heading back to Haymarket station and walked through the Financial district. It was desolate to the point of being scary, and we quickly made a U-turn out of it. (I was reminded a bit of those Jack Naiper scenes in Batman, where Bruce Wayne's parents meet an untimely end.) Kate rescheduled the feast she cooks for me from Wednesday to Thursday. Ahhh... the extra time away will be tough. I'll manage.

IN THE WORLD

On the Brewing Unrest in The World: Argentina is once again trying to take over the Falkland Islands. Bizarre to say the very least. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/30/argentina.falklands.ap/index.html

In nearby Chile, a nation which has made economic and democratic progress in recent years leftists are protesting, violently at that.

Police injured, hundreds detained in Chile protests

And since there is unrest in South America, why not tie this in, as it could prove to be a prelude, an omen per say, of what is yet to come.

Chavez's Arms Build-Up Concerns State Dept.

Taken directly from the article: Venezuela is going on a "buying spree" for military equipment that goes beyond the country's legitimate needs, according to the U.S. State Department.

STATESIDE:

Newt Gingrich is taking some flak for perhaps a poor choice of words, however I believe his sentiments are right on. A lot of people don't want to hear it but as a government we need to draw the line somewhere rather than cater to every person's needs. It will make everyone who comes to America MORE SUCCESSFUL if they learn English. There is nothing that says you can't speak English and still hold onto your culture. People who think otherwise are ignorant (I'm sorry, but I'm calling it as I see it) and their idealistic views cloud sound judgement. They are in denial of facts and statistics.

Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges

Many uninformed people may give this a cursory overview and think Gingrich doesn't want American kids to learn a second language. This is not what this is about. It is about people coming to this country and continuing to learn in their native language rather than learn English like they should. It hurts communities that have to support it, and it hurts the kids who will end up with lousy jobs because they can't communicate.

Newt Gingrich is the man. The "right" jumped the shark when they ran him out of office.

Gates calls for Guantanamo closure

From this article:

Of the 385 detainees at Guantanamo, fewer than 100 would be considered hard-core, Gates said. He said he assumes there would be room in the military prison system for them.

Gates describes "hardcore" as prisoners who would come back to the U.S. and try to harm us or our interests. This begs the question, what are the other 285 doing there? Getting training from the dangerous 100? I know I'd be pretty pissed off if I was held against my will for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.