March 31, 2006
Triggering Resonance Daily
I was curious when I saw referrals from ChinaDaily in my stats. Below is the Google translation of the entry...I appreciate the link but I'm still not sure what it's all about.
The Boke of household female compatriots, should be very welcome! For housewives, how to handle the relationship between family and career is an eternal topic. The Boke of the main elements that started around these topics.
"Random Thoughts", the Boke indeed do this, the author can be found in real life constantly surprised enlightening point about people, and the resulting number of Legend, by word record; Although a person's world, it can trigger many resonance!
But, I AM Normal
| Your Quirk Factor: 46% |
 Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them! |
My response to statements such as - You openly express opinions that are unusual, controversial, or just plain old strange and You have many unique hobbies and obscure interests - my have been a bit subjective and thus skewed my result. I certainly don't think my opinions are strange, it's the rest of you all that have weird ideas.
Dumbest Headline I've Read Today (So Far)
Moms Debate: To Stay Home or Work?
As if not going out and earning a paycheck is the same as not working.
March 29, 2006
It Wouldn't Be a Problem if I Drove a Tank (With a Turret)
When Trevor was first learning to drive he did not like other vehicles anywhere nearby, especially ones coming from the opposite direction. I could understand this, the main road near our house is a two lane affair that hasn't changed much since this area was mostly cow farms (they've been replaced by subdivisions now).
His reaction to these cars and trucks was to yell, "Get off my road!". I would tell him to calm down, that the cars coming from the other direction were less likely to be a problem than the ones pulling out in front of him or the ones coming up too fast from behind. I would say that yelling at them doesn't help.
I was wrong.
I've tried it when someone rushes to pull out in front of me and then goes 20 mph under the speed limit or a car coming the other way decides to take their half of the road out of the middle. It doesn't make them drive any better but I feel better after telling those who think the road belongs to them that it really belongs to me!
March 28, 2006
This Would Have Been Done Earlier If I Had a Longer Attention Span
I got tagged by One Happy Dog Speaks.
1. Choose a search engine (e.g. Google), click "Images".
2. Pick 5 random blogfriends.
3. Think of a word or phrase that you feel describes each friend.
4. Do an image search of that word or phrase.
5. Pick an image that makes you say, "Aha! That's it!"
teebee at Guide to Midwestern Culture:
Gaijinbiker at Riding Sun:
Beth at She Who Will Be Obeyed!:
Gnotalex at The Blog Quebecois:
Allan at Allan Thinks:
March 22, 2006
ETA: Ending Terrorist Attacks?
The Basque separatist group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) has announced a permanent cease fire to begin on Friday.
Many Spaniards believed that after the March 11 2004 terror attacks in Madrid, carried out by Islamic extremists, ETA had effectively been stymied. The idea is that popular revulsion over terrorism made deadly violence politically unthinkable for the group.
The last "permanent" cease fire declared by ETA was in 1998 and ended in 1999.
March 21, 2006
One of Each, Please
How many cars can you buy for $1,192,057?
One, if it's a Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which made the #1 spot in Forbes list of the 10 most expensive cars. #2, the Pagani Zonda Roadster F C12S 7.3, Clubsport version is a bargain at only $667,321. Coming in at #10, the real moneysaver of the bunch is the Maybach 57 S at only $367,000 (slightly higher in Europe at $430,355.)
Keeping Our Fingers Crossed
On most school days it is a challenge to get my younger son up and out of bed. Today he got up more than an hour before his "usual" wake-up time. It's not happenstance, it's a snow watch.
So far we haven't gotten any news about our school system being closed or having a delayed opening. We're both still hopeful...but not necessarily for the same outcome.
Update: There's a two hour delay. I guess we both win a little.
March 18, 2006
Time: Jumping to Delusions
From Time Magazine - On Scene: How Operation Swarmer Fizzled
The press, flown in from Baghdad to this agricultural gridiron northeast of Samarra, huddled around the Iraqi officials and U.S. Army commanders who explained that the "largest air assault since 2003" in Iraq using over 50 helicopters to put 1500 Iraqi and U.S. troops on the ground had netted 48 suspected insurgents, 17 of which had already been cleared and released. The area, explained the officials, has long been suspected of being used as a base for insurgents operating in and around Samarra, the city north of Baghdad where the bombing of a sacred shrine recently sparked a wave of sectarian violence.
This huge troop movement began on Thursday and within only one day Time has decided that it "fizzled"? Was that because "there were no shots fired at all and the units had met no resistance"? Thirty-one suspected "insurgents" who remained under detention wasn't enough?
With the Interior Ministry's Samarra commando battalion, the soldiers had found some 300 individual pieces of weaponry like mortars, rockets and plastic explosives in six different locations inside the sparsely populated farming community of over 50 square miles and about 1,500 residents. The raids also uncovered high-powered cordless telephones used as detonators in homemade bombs, medical supplies and insurgent training manuals.
Over half of the 1500 troops were Iraqi (about 800 Iraqi, 700 U.S.). They found weapons and other equipment and, according to the L.A. Times, they captured "a leader of the group responsible for the bombing of the Golden Mosque".
It makes me wonder what it would take for Time to consider this a success. (Other than a complete change of editors and writers.)
March 15, 2006
Debit Card Fraud
About two weeks ago I got a letter from my bank telling me that my debit card was going to be replaced due to the possibility of a security breach. I checked my account and didn't see any unauthorized charges. This was good, especially since I had already been through something similar with another account a year earlier.
The letter said that I could continue to use my card for almost a week and that a new one would be mailed out later that day. I don't know why I was allowed to continue to use the card if the risk was great enough to need to replace it. At least it gave me time to withdraw some cash so I could make it through the weekend since my new card didn't arrive until Monday - a week and a half after they said the card would be mailed out.
CNET has an article about the debit card fraud. What made this case different was that PINs were stolen along with the card data. This let the crooks use cards they made to get cash from ATMs.
Why would a business need to retain PINs? I wouldn't be surprised if it had been someone's idea to keep this information in order to protect the company/companies in case of charges of fraud. Whatever the reason, it was a short-sighted one that led to more problems than it could have solved.
This has made me consider cutting down on the use of my debit card and just withdrawing the cash that I think I'll need for the week. It would lessen my risk and might just help me stay within a budget. (Assuming I actually sat down and came up with a budget.)
Performancing Metrics
Just added this (free) blog stats service to this blog and to Mom's Kitchen Blog. It's "aimed at Professional Bloggers and caters to high traffic blogs, bloggers with multiple blogs and even Blog Networks." The only part of this that might describe me is "bloggers with multiple blogs", but just barely since I only have two.
It tracks visitors, post views, comments and categories. That's all very good but one of the best features for many bloggers will be the ability to track AdSense clicks, referrers, drill down data for search engines, and outbound links. You can then check your metrics at their site or receive it by RSS feed.
Another Source of Stem Cells
This is certainly good news but it may have a bit of a "yuck" factor for some people.
Japanese researchers have harvested stem cells from human menstrual blood, a medical conference has heard....They were able to obtain about 30 times more stem cells from menstrual blood than from bone marrow, Miyoshi says.
The stem cells were then cultured in a way to induce them to become heart cells.
After five days about half of the cells contracted "spontaneously, rhythmical and synchronously, suggesting the presence of electrical communication" between the cells, Miyoshi says.
PS*
PS3 and PSP news from 1up.com:
...Sony plans to release the system in Japan, North America, and Europe simultaneously this November. That's right, the PS3 will be in stores before the end of the year - within the first 10 days of November, to be exact. According to the company, it will have a production capacity of 1 million units a month to attempt to keep up with the demand. 6 million units are estimated to be shipped by the end of March 2007.
The PS3 will be backwards compatible for PS1 and PS2 games and with its online service, it can serve as a wireless access point for the PSP.
The PSP will drop in price to $199 at the end of this month and there will be a browser upgrade that will include Flash support sometime this spring.
Kutaragi gave details on some later technology enhancements to look forward to this fall as well: RSS support, video and voice-over-IP, and a USB GPS receiver that will interface with new games (a version of Hot Shots Golf was mentioned for this). A PSP EyeToy camera will release in September and will feature a version of EyeToy Play and video chat.
March 13, 2006
At Least It Isn't Whistling Clair De Lune
There is a bird that I can hear from my bedroom that has a song very similar to a phone ringing. If I'm fully awake and hear it, I can tell that it is a bird. But the pitch, interval, and duation of the note that it sings are all very similar to a phone's ring. The sound is close enough to wake me from a nap and make me think the phone is ringing.
The only good part is that the bird sounds like a home phone and not like some of the ringers that come with cell phones. If he develops that talent he may find himself going the way of the Norwegian Blue.
March 12, 2006
One Thing Leads to Another
First I read the letter from Joseph W. DuRocher to President Bush. It made me wonder who this guy was. Writing a letter is one thing but for it to show up so many other places makes it seem more of a publicity stunt. So I Googled him.
I found he was a public defender in Florida and against the death penalty. He was also a signer of a statement by The World Can't Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime. FIRE also expressed concern about the same event. Doesn't seem like there's much of interest here regarding his letter other than his affiliation with a group who wants to "drive out the Bush regime" but one paragraph in the World Can't Wait statement caught my attention.
The attacks on the student organizers at Hampton University, a historically black college with a mostly Republican administration, is an ugly harbinger of the “dissent-free” future the Bush regime is trying to lock into place.
A college with a mostly Republican administration! Now, that's exciting news.
And the Winners (?) Are...
Web Pages That Suck, the Worst of 2005
Since I spend a lot of my time reviewing sites for JoeAnt, I have seen some sites that have excellent design and some pretty poorly designed sites (most fall somewhere in between). Many of the award winners are typical of sites that annoy me most.
Sites with poor navigation are among the worst offenders. I spend a lot of time online and have done so for years. If I have to search around to figure out how to find what I want on a site, how well would someone new to the Internet do?
I think that some site designers (or their clients) forget about the potential visitors to the site. Not everyone has broadband and those of us who do may not want to sit through a Flash opening. Even without Flash, some sites seem more set up to show all the designers skills and knowledge of various new techniques than they are for providing content.
While I don't like sites that force me to listen to their choice of music (or turn off my speakers), the site that is a leading contender for the 2006 awards does just that and is a "must visit" just for the humor of it. Unfortunately, it's not intended to be funny. The site is The Association of International Glaucoma Societies. Glaucoma is a serious disability, nothing funny about it at all. But the site has a song!
Glaucoma, Glaucoma, Glaucoma Constricting vision slowly Halted by progress of science Vision of a world united Beyond all science knowing
Between their "Glaucoma Hymn" and the bobbing heads in the upper left corner, I couldn't help laughing. The fun doesn't stop there though. If you click on the words "Glaucoma Hymn" at the lower left of the page (also making it a potential nominee for obscure navigation) you can change the music to Chopin, Callas, or Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds.
A Lie Isn't the Same as a Secret
From the Duluth News Tribune: Plame's identity, if truly a secret, was thinly veiled
According to the article, anyone with a computer and an interest in her identity may have been able to figure out who she was and what she did. While I think that exposing truly covert agents should be severely punished (Aldrich Aimes, for example), I doubt that exposing Plame's identitiy fits in that category.
If simply lying to friends and neighbors about where she worked and what she did is enough to consider her "covert", then bars and nightclubs must be teeming with secret agents.
Once she was transferred to CIA headquarters it didn't matter what she said she did. Either maintaining her cover was no longer important or she (and the CIA) were inept. For the sake of our intelligence, I hope it's the former.
It's Not Easy Being Green
| You Are Olive Green |
 For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know. |
I like wearing olive but with this color and description, I can't help thinking "drab".
March 11, 2006
It's a Sign
It's raining. It has been raining all day and is supposed to continue raining for a couple more days. Most people see this as nothing more than dreary weather, I see it as a sign from the heavens that I should go back to bed and take a nap*.
* While I tend to be skeptical when it comes to believing in messages from God, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief when it comes to naps. And trips to Florida. I can see signs that I should do one or the other in pretty much anything...sometimes the reasoning is a bit convoluted but it works for me. Actually the rain could be a sign that I should go to Florida and take a nap on a warm beach. Unfortunately my finances don't allow that right now so I'll settle for a warm bed.
March 09, 2006
I Can Tell My Life is a Circus...
because everytime I get up to walk anywhere in my house, one or more cats rush in front of me so we can have a "parade".
March 07, 2006
Havarti Cheese Spread
What to do with some of that havarti you bought when you decided to "buy Danish".
March 06, 2006
Review of Set 19
Set 19 (pdf) contains seven Tribunal hearings (summaries are in the extended entry).
In each case unclassified evidence or accusations are presented. In some cases a request is made to present classified evidence at a closed tribunal at a later time. After the presentation of the unclassified evidence the detainee is allowed to make a statement if he chooses and to answer questions from the Tribunal and his Personal Representative.
If one accepts the evidence as factual, then there is cause for all of the detainees to remain at Gitmo. If one accepts the detainees' statements as true, then none were fighting against coalition forces nor did they have any involvement in terrorist activities. Due to this conflict between the evidence presented and the detainees' testimony, any conclusions from these reports would be subjective.
ISN #457: Mohammed Gul - several of the questions in his case were about his name, whether Gul was a common name in his village and whether there were others with the same name. To me, this implies that he was known by name as a member of a terrorist organization and the Tribunal was trying to make sure that he was the correct Mohammed Gul. (There was no statement verifing this in the record.) Neither he nor the witness testified that there were others with the same name in their village.
The detainee denied the accusations but did not provide any evidence to contradict them.
Conclusion - There is enough evidence presented to continue to detain him.
ISN #1013: Name unknown - The detainee admits to trying to enter the United States illegally through Mexico but denies any relationship with terrorist organizations.
Conclusion - There is enough evidence to detain him.
ISN #686: Name unknown - the detainee refuses to answer most of the questions saying that the answers are in his file even thought the Tribunal tells him that they have not read the file and do not have it. He denies the accusations but will not make statements supporting his denials.
The report states that there is classified evidence that is not presented in this hearing.
Conclusion - Inconclusive from testimony given. Should detain pending presentation of classified evidence.
ISN #103 - Name unknown - the detainee would not participate in the Tribunal process. His reply to the accusations was made by his Personal Representative. The PR was able to confirm that the detainee traveled from China to Afghanistan but was unable to confirm or deny any accusation about involvement with terrorist groups, individuals, or activities.
Conclusion - Inconclusive from evidence given.
ISN #440: Mohammed (changed to Osama), last name unknown - The detainee denies accusations of fighting against coalition forces and of being a member of a terrorist organization. He does admit to working with a charitable organization that the United States has classified as having ties to Al Qaida.
Conclusion - The detainee has requested evidence be sent from his home. Although the evidence presented suggests cause to continue to hold the detainee, no conclusion can be made until the presentation of the detainee's evidence.
ISN #1050: Name unknown - The detainee makes contradictory statements that first seem to agree with the accusations and then to deny them. A request is made by the Recorder to present classified evidence at a later time.
Conclusion - Inconclusive from testimony given. Should detain pending presentation of classified evidence.
ISN #1043: Abdul Razak - the detainee was a government worker under the Taliban. He was first President of Customs and then Minister of Commerce. He admitted this but denied involvement in military affairs. There was a request by the Reporter to present classified evidence at a later time. According to the detainee, President Karzai excuse all former government workers who were not opposed to the new government.
Conclusion - although his positions in the Taliban government would indicate a fairly high involvement with them, his actual role and knowledge of terrorist activities cannot be determined from this report.
Notes: At least a couple of the detainees were captured by the new Afghan military. It is possible to draw a couple of different conclusions. The Afghans are aware of tribal relations and the detainees involvement with terrorist groups so one might have a reasonable assumption that there is evidence to continue to hold the detainees. Or, the Afghan military wants to be seen as being efficient in ridding their country of people with terrorist/Taliban ties and have taken people into custody on circumstantial evidence.
ISN #457
The tribunal presents the accusations (association with forces engaged in hostilities, possession of a weapon and communications equipment, he was captured with a recruiter and other Taliban members, had worked for Hezb-E Islami Gulbuddin, that coalition forces were fired upon during the seizure, and was captured near a suspected Taliban facility) and the detainee denies them all other than admitting to being in the general area (in his home in Afghanistan). Most of the questions involve asking the detainee about his living in Saudi Arabia during the Taliban rule and his return to Afghanistan.
The detainee presents one witness, Khan Zaman, who appears to be another detainee and a resident of the same village in Afghanistan. The detainee mentioned that Khan and Gul both have the same meaning and the witness said that all the residents of the village were of the same tribe so I think it's possible that there is a familial relationship also.
Many of the tribunal's questions for the witness involved asking about the number of people in the village with the name Gul and whether the detainee's name, Mohammed Gul, was common.
ISN #1013
The detainee was accused of trying to enter the United States illegally through Mexico, of using forged travel documents, of traveling on a vessel that was the focus of Operation Southern Watch, and that the smuggler who operated this vessel had close ties to known terrorist groups.
The detainee admitted to trying to enter the country illegally but denied being present on the vessel or knowing about the smuggler's relationship with terrorist organizations.
ISN #686
There is no introductory summary of the accusations against the detainee. It is noted that the Recorder requested a closed sesson at a later time to present classified information. (One question later on indicates he was arrested due to suspected ties with Al Qaida.)
This detainee said he is a student (from Yemen) in Pakistan and had no other statement to make.
When questioned about his studies he says the answers are all in his file. The tribunal tells him that they do not have access to his file but he refuses to provide any other information about whether he was studying at a University or taking religious studies.
He was arrested by Pakistanis in a house with several other people and has been at Gitmo for about two years according to his testimony.
The detainee denies the truth of the exhibits against him but refuses to make any relevant statements on his own behalf. He again answers several questions by saying the information is all in his file.
The Personal Representatve summarizes the accusations - the detainee is associated with Al Qaida, has trained with Al Farouq, that he was captured with ammunition, that he was captured with others associated with Al Qaida, that he is associated with Jama'at al-Tabligh and that this is a missionary organization used as a cover to mask terrorist activities. The detainee denied the accusations that involved his actions and claimed no knowledge of other people or groups.
ISN #103
The detainee did not want to take part in the tribunal process. His representative read the allegations and answers given by the detainee during a previous interview. The detainee admits to traveling from China to Afghanistan in August/September 2001. He stayed in a guest house in Kabul for about six weeks. The Personal Representative cannot say whether the detainee traveled with an individual who may be involved in the East Turkistan Islamic Party. The detainee left Kabul for Kandus when the U.S. bombing started. He was captured and was later present at the Mazar-E-Shariff prison uprising.
The detainee stated that the PR accurately represented his statements.
ISN #440
In November 2004, the tribunal tried to arrange for a witness named Mamar Diann to come from Yemen to testify. The Yemen government has not responded to the request so the witness was not present.
The detainee was accused of traveling to Afghanistan using forged documents. He denied this saying that the documents were real but he had changed his name to Osama. He was accused of receiving weapons training in Afghanistan but said that he had not done so. He learned how to use a Kalashnikov at age seven and did not need training with that and had not received training with any other weapons. He claims to have been employed by a charity group. In answer to further questions, the detainee denies any involvement with terrorist or with fighting against coalition forces.
Much of his testimony was about his reason for traveling to Afghanistan. He went there to earn money working for a charity to post bail for his grandfather who had stabbed someone and to avoid retaliation.
ISN #1050
The detainee had requested a character witness but this was denied since it wasn't relevant to the accusations. The Recorder presented evidence and asked for a closed Tribunal session later to present classified evidence.
The detainee admitted to being a student at madrassas in Afghanistan. He denied acting as a guide for groups committing attacks. He admits to being arrested on the battlefield after the group he was with exchanged gun fire with the Afghan Militia Force. He seems to contradict this later under questioning. He says he was arrested while walking to a village.
He denies learning about jihad in the madrassa and says he doesn't know the meaning of jihad.
ISN #1043
Detainee Abdul Razak is accused of being a member of the Taliban and working for them as President of Customs and then as Minister of Commerce from 1996 to 2001. He admits to this but denies having any involvement in military affairs.
According to his testimony President Karzai announced that former Taliban government workers were excused but he was still arrested. The detainee believes this reversal was due to the Americans entering Afghanistan. A later statement says that the announcement said that those not in opposition to the new government were excused.
The detainee says he was not in opposition to the new government but his nephew was. The detainee had been arrested at his nephew's home.
March 05, 2006
Gitmo Review
Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters is organizing a review of a study by Mark and Joshua Denbeaux and a group of Seton Hall law students on documents about detainees at Guantanamo.
I read some of a few Reprocessed Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT) documents that I picked at random. (I've volunteered to read some for the review but just sent the email and haven't been assigned any yet.)
What I learned from reading the responses to the questions by a few detainees is that some men decided to leave their homes, families, and businesses for an undetermined amount of time to travel to someplace near Tora Bora. Only one of the detainees had a clear reason for going, to fight Hindus in Afghanistan. Some others reminded me of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, they were drawn there for reasons that they couldn't (or wouldn't) explain.
In every testimony I read the detainee denied receiving any training but also said he was taught to use a rifle. Each one said that he spent most of his time building or repairing buildings.
From my random readings I have this hypothesis:
Self-described problems (lack of education, mental illness due to a fall off a mountain) along with the description of the work done in the camps indicates that at least some of the detainees may have been recruited simply to do the grunt work needed to support others who were receiving a higher level of training.
Because their answers were vague and conflicting it is possible that the detainees are lying about their reasons for going to Afghanistan and their involvement in terrorist training. Without a review of the evidence that is still classified it is difficult to determine what the detainees intentions were. One might assume that their presence in the camp would indicate an intention to receive training and take part in terrorist attacks regardless of whether they actually received any training.
I don't think that a lack of training or participation in attacks absolves the detainees any more than a driver in a bank robbery would be considered not guilty because he/she didn't enter the bank. While the men say that they do not know what was going on in the camp they do admit to providing aid and support.
Update: I have been assigned Set 19 (pdf).
March 02, 2006
Scare Call
It's been a long time since I've had a call from a "political awareness" caller-bot but the one I got today makes up for the wait. (I don't like the calls but I do like blogging about them.)
This call told me how Representative Geoff Davis of Kentucky is supporting the Dubai port deal. Not only would this endanger me, it would lead to outsourcing of jobs!
I wish I could remember the name of the group who made the call. They did give me Davis' phone number so I could call him and tell him what I thought about the port deal. I doubt I'll make the call but if I do, it will be to say thanks for not falling victim to the Chicken Little-type over reaction that so many other politicians have.
How Much Do You Weigh?
| You Should Weigh 205 |
 If you weigh more than this, you may be losing a few pounds soon! |
As accurate as a Zogby poll! It's only off by about 90 pounds (no, I don't weigh close to 300 pounds). I don't think it's right about me gaining weight soon either. I've had the same (bad) dietary habit forever and except for when I was pregnant I've weighed about the same since high school.
I Never Learned to Say "No"
From the Washington Post - Unintended Pregnancy Linked to State Funding Cuts
The problem is particularly acute for the nation's estimated 17 million adolescent girls and low-income women, because a lack of education and money are often barriers to practicing abstinence or effective birth control.
Everyone's a Critic
A 12-year-old visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts stuck a wad of gum to a $1.5 million painting, leaving a stain the size of a quarter.
The Bay by Helen Frankenthaler (sans gum).
March 01, 2006
Stuff I Left Out
Some short notes about our recent trip to Disney World that didn't fit into my earlier posts:
For most of us, taking off our shoes before going through airport security is, at best, an annoyance. For Emma it was one of the best parts of being in the airport. ("Yea! We get to take off our shoes!") Although now that I think about it, taking off my shoes for a bit after all the walking and standing in line may have been one of the better parts of the "airport experience".
Even though I researched and planned where we were going to stay myself I had AAA book the hotel and park tickets. This turned out to be a very good thing. When you book a Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Moments Package with AAA you get "Diamond Parking" preferred parking. The Diamond Parking lots are next to the handicapped parking area (close to the entrances of the parks).
I didn't use the Diamond Parking on the day we arrived and went to EPCOT. I wasn't sure yet where the Diamond lot was but we were still able to park fairly close to the entrance. I made a mental note of the section and row in which we parked. I should have written it down. I had the right section but wasn't sure of the row and we wandered around for a while before we found the rental car (which looked like 90% of the other vehicles in the lot, especially after dark). The next day we began using the Diamond Parking and never had trouble finding the car again.
While Conor and Emma both beat me by a huge amount in the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin I do want to add that I got the second highest score in the game we played in Innnoventions on our first night there and I was playing against several people then. (Conor got the highest score.) My score was probably a fluke but I was still pretty pleased with myself.
The food court in the hotel and the counter service restaurants in the parks are cheaper than the table service restaurants but for meals other than breakfast, I think that the extra expense is worth it if you can afford it. We didn't try every restaurant and I'm sure there are exceptions to this but I appreciated the variety of choices and quality of food in the table service restaurants.
Side note: If anyone knows the recipe for the barbecue sauce they use at the Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge, please share it with me. I really liked their pulled pork sandwich.
We did see some rude and cranky people and others that peppered their (loud) cell phone conversations with salty language but considering the huge number of people that were in the parks the rude ones were a very small minority. Maybe it really is the happiest place on earth.
For others that are planning a trip to Disney World (and so I can find them easlity next time) here are some of the resources I used to plan our trip:
Walt Disney World is the official Disney site.
All Ears Net has an excellent list of resort and park restaurant menus along with lots of other information.
WDW Info.com has information on discounts and a discussion board. One forum there is devoted to pictures from the parks.
All of these offer good information about the hotels and parks. The shorter your trip, the more you need to research the rides and attractions to see which ones you really want to do and which ones you won't mind missing. Even if you're staying a week it will be difficult to see and do everything.