What does an agnostic plate look like?

They are blank! Not sure of anything!

Ah, yes, the "Virgin Murray" on the dash.

These days it would have to be Dennett, Dawkins or Hitchens.

I did go back and add in the "Trinity Broadcasting" plate. Is that close enough?

Variations are possible. How about an image of a big-haired woman, with her bun done up in a....ziggurat? Phrases could vary from "Pass the Loot" to "WWTFD?"("What Would Tammy Faye Do?") to "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Use."

The purple haired woman on TBN who only owns one black skirt to wear ands a purple top, I think it is, has taken the place of poor Tammy Faye who died. This lady does own Arabian Horses and farms however, and five or six mansions and a movie studio.

Wasn't it Bush ONE'S VP who said something about a mind being terrible to use?

The son of Oral Robert's has a wife who has outdone all of them in spending and jets, etc. She took teenage students from ORU on jet rides and other kind of rides.
I don't know if the board ran her as well as the son away, temporarily, from ORU.

They have vanity plates on each jet and horse. The barns are air conditioned just as was Tammy's dog house. No stables for even the horses or dogs.

Read the CNN article.

We're not talking about "vanity plates" (e.g., on which you might put "patches," "BPR," etc.).

Rather, these are state-sanctioned specialty tags on the order of "Support Wildlife," "Fight Breast Cancer" and "Oppose Cat Juggling."

How about a beach report.

Wulf

OK. You asked for it!

In a word, "gorgeous!"

Two days ago the ocean was like liquid glass and the water was crystal clear. You could see the bottom in twenty feet of water. I paddled out a mile or more and was enjoying the serenity. Suddenly, something big beneath my boat caught my eye. I looked, and it was a school of jacks--each 3 to 4' (??) in length. I kept seeing them passing back and forth as they were after the many bait fish that are moving through the area.

A bit later I spotted a pod of dolphins out further and paddled for them. A fishing boat cut through the pod, sending half of them my way and, before I knew it, I had dolphins surfacing all around me. The only sound--stereophonic, as it was from all sides--was that of their breaking the water and blowing. I was reminded of that scene in Joe Vs. The Volcano where he is floating on the luggage and a whale surfaces and blows nearby--though it wasn't quite so, um, surreal.

There is promise of surf. I'll miss the big stuff expected towards the end of the week as the result of Hurricane Bertha passing by in the Atlantic. That's probably a good thing, as I'm not up for the big stuff these days. But the wind has come up, and there is some hope of 3' to 4' surf by tomorrow--much more my speed.

We watched the fireworks from the roof of the building and thus had a 360* view, with displays to both north and south, as well as multiple displays at municipalities more than three miles across the Banana River. I've never seen so many fireworks at once in my life.

Last year we watched a shuttle launch on the 4th--way cool! Would have liked an encore.

I've been debating on whether, or not, to take one of my tandem kayaks to Florida next week. You know...would anyone really use it? Is it worth the effort of packing it? After reading your wonderful account I've made up my mind!! It's coming!! I'll be on the gulf side (Anna Maria Is) and hopefully, like you, will get to see something beautiful. Do you usually go early in the morning? I probably will as I don't like the afternoon sun. I'm wrinkled enough as it is!!

Another license plate for you.....a prohibition symbol with the Babel fish in it. That would be for the Baha'i people.

Longboat Key, two of our favorite places in Florida. Rolling Waves cottages, on Longboat Key, are vintage 1940-1950 beach cottages that can be rented by the week.

Your own castle on the sand...

I absolutely love it there! We've been going for 5 years. We stay at a place that was built by (and still owned by) the railroad. It was built in the 1960s and best of all...it's right on the beach.

This year all of my children, grandchildren and sons-in-law will be there. My sister from Houston and her daughter will be there as well as some of my teacher friends and their family. I think there will be 25 of us!! My son-in-law recently found out that he is to be deployed and so this is going to be a special vacation for all of us.

A "must" on our list is a trip to the Sea Hagg! Every time I go there I find something that I want. I'll check-out Rolling Waves while I'm down there. Feel free to recommend any other places that we may want to visit. Thanks!

This is my ole stomping grounds. The Sea Haag is still around and has really great stuff. While you are in that area, stop in at the Bradenton City Pier and say hi to Rotten Ralph in the Pier Waterfront Restaurant. Have a beer and some oysters watching the seagulls and boats. The Bradenton Beach City Pier had damage in 2004 and has re-opened. There are arts and shops along the way to the pier. I think they spent 2 million on it and it's a beautiful relaxing place.

I'm jealous. Have fun with the family.

I've been to Rotten Ralphs! What a wonderful place to grow up. Every time we drive past AMI Elementary I think to myself about applying for a job! Unfortunately, I probably couldn't afford to buy a shed down there! One thing I really like are the glittery white cinder block homes on the main street (headed toward the city pier and all..Gulf/Pine). They look like square igloos!

Have you driven south of Longboat to St. Armands? It's a bit fancy but there are some neat boutiques there, plus, The Columbia restaurant which has good Latin food.

Also, next to the bridge that connects Longboat to Anna Maria is a point called 'Beer Can Island', named for all the beer cans that the military guys, stationed there, would toss out the windows while driving over the bridge. There is a pathway along the shoreline that takes you over there and if you go early in the morning before anyone gets there, you can find gorgeous shells and sand dollars.

Is the Sea Hagg on the main strip through Anna Maria? I'll have to check it out next time we're down there.

We almost sold our mountain house to buy a beach house on Longboat/Anna Maria, as a retirement home, but we got cold feet and backed out. I think we've realized that our hearts are still out west and we'll most likely end up retiring in the mountains someday. But Longboat and Anna Maria sure would be a great place to retire to as well. No snow shoveling, which is a plus.

Your upcoming trip sounds fantastic, especially with all that family. You're 'miss-placed' mom, aren't you? I believe that I saw her and her baby at the Dem meeting this past spring.

btw - do you really kayak?

I have driven south of Long Key, but thought I was in Sarasota. I'll have to check the map. It certainly was a fancy place! That's funny that you mention that because last week in an e-mail to River I mentioned the exact thing and wrote to him that I wasn't dressed nice enough to get out and walk around. All the ladies had on their nice outfits and big hats!

The Sea Hagg is on the other side of the Cortez bridge. I have taken pictures of her entrance gates so that I can, one day, duplicate them down at the pool. She usually carries a lot of work from local artists.

I will research "Beer Can Island" and we will look for the pathway. Mornings are my favorite time and I love walking. Thanks for that information.

Yes, I do have two tandem kayaks, but I don't kayak as much as I anticipated that I would. We've been out to the reservoir a few times and I've used the kayaks to teach the small water craft badge (GS). One time, I put one in the pool at a GS meeting to meet the requirements for a water safety badge! It was easier than loading them up and taking them to the reservoir. I'm going to take one to FL with me this summer. We'll see how much it's used and that will determine as to whether, or not, it goes next year!

Yes, miss.placed is mine!

I don't know the other coast very well, but here, in the summer, the mornings tend to be calmer. The wind will typically come up and turn onshore some time after noon, and then, of course, the water is stirred up. So, yes, mornings tend to be best.

But, having said that, I should add that I got clobbered going out yesterday a.m. There were perhaps 2' glassy waves coming in with the shore pound, and I had some trouble punching through to get outside. Got swamped at first.

Then, as I was paddling up the beach just outside of the small surf, I looked up to see one rogue wave that might have been 4 or 5' headed my way. None of the surfers were prepared for it and so were too far inside to catch it. I turned toward the horizon and paddled hard up the face and over the back, else I would have capsized. I have no idea where it came from, but the surf never came up to that for the rest of the day. I did have a bit of fun using the kayak to come back in, as I caught a small wave to ride in.

Now the question is whether this predicted swell will make it in by tomorrow. If so, time to break out the longboard.

I will go out in the morning, but I don't know if I'll go out for a mile! I'd be afraid of a current sucking me out into the middle! On most days the water looks very much like the water on the Corona commercials. Not too many waves!

Sounds like you guys are having a great time.

Be safe and watch out for those pesky sharks.

Wulf

It sounds like a Denise Connerism: "you're either pro-life, or you are a baby killer." Those were jolly times, on the blog, (remember baby-Hacker)

Let's do this like I do with students. Ok class, here's what the dictionary says:

killed, kill·ing, kills.
v.tr.
1. To put to death.
2. To deprive of life: The Black Death was a disease that killed millions.
v.intr.

1. To cause death or extinction; be fatal.
2. To commit murder.

Spin the above quote all you want to, but the Truth is that you condone a procedure that puts to death a human being.

I guess that is a "jolly times" experience for you, but for a lot us it represents that which is morally wrong.

Stop the Torture (of the American people)

Ifn ye aint wif me ye air agin me!

Reckon Jesus said sich a thing or did the writer of the Bible Chapters misinterpret? I thunk he ment thy wuz ignorante meybe---not agin him. Heck most didn't evn know who he wuz!

Bush probly dint invent the phrase, Cheney told him thet. Cheny even siad he agred some reportr wuz a "first class" a......--agreing wif Bushs simpl a.......! Thety may have bin a Iraq comment to.

Vot fer SAGE fer sherif.

Ifn ye aint wif me ye air agin me!

Reckon Jesus said sich a thing or did the writer of the Bible Chapters misinterpret? I thunk he ment thy wuz ignorante meybe---not agin him. Heck most didn't evn know who he wuz!

Bush probly dint invent the phrase, Cheney told him thet. Cheny even siad he agred some reportr wuz a "first class" a......--agreing wif Bushs simpl a.......! Thety may have bin a Iraq comment to.

Vot fer SAGE fer sherif.

"Vot fer SAGE fer sherif."

Sage, I may have to vote for ye (just because of yer Billy Bob Thornton/Sling Blade impersonation).

Early voting starts today and it's time to clean house - incumbents have got to go.

I think I'll forgive Jesus here.

After all, if he is who he claimed to be, then we are talking about ultimate commitment that makes sense of the either/or.

"I think I'll forgive Jesus here.

Me too. Jesus was cool.

Apparently, Hillary and George Orwell also used that phrase.

btw - I love your plate ideeears! Could you come up with a neo-pagan one for me, please? Or a Pantheist one.

(p.s....PZ Myers will be at Manuel's Tavern this weekend. If I were in town, I was going to sit in and listen to his rants.)

How's this?:

A picture of a hot dog accompanied by "Make Me One With Everything"

How about the phrase: "Koan Head"?