Maybe I missed it

Has the army (or any other service) charged even _one_ officer in the Abu Ghraib abuse investigation? Even for sleeping on duty?

As I have mentioned before, based on my own military experience, I find the description of a PFC as a "central figure" in _anything_ military rather . . . boggling. Way back when, a PFC or Specialist had about enough operational leeway to wipe his or her own ass without command supervision....

Alarums and excursions

Sinkhole in the road a couple of houses down, big enough to swallow a VW bug -- either new or old style. The old fire system for this town included rainwater cisterns to supply the pumps -- no piped municipal water back when they developed this area. So one of the cisterns has started to collapse...

Exuent, pursued by a bear.

Saw a great blue heron out by the Humane Society shelter this morning. Hope he/she is humane to the fish and frogs in the stream.

15.3 miles, 1:05:20

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

I underestimated that sinkhole when I said "VW Bug." Once the city started playing with it, the hole looks more like "UPS Van" size. The city engineer bossing the cast of thousands says the old cisterns are 25' across, full width of the pavement. I'd guess 10' to 12' deep.