Jay Maynard

Comedian Albert Brooks made a movie. In it, he imagines himself being sent to Pakistan and India to see what makes Muslims laugh, as a way to understand them better. It's supposedly a pretty good movie that stays completely away from religion.

Sony Pictures was happy with the film, and did all of the usual preparation - making posters, trailers, and the like - and then, suddenly, backed out.

Why? As John Stossel tells the story, because they decided they couldn't release the film with the title it's had the entire time it was being made: "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World". They objected to the use of the word "Muslim". Never mind that Muslims themselves do not object at all (among other things, they were invited to have the world premiere at the Dubai Film Festival).

Sony wimped out. Fortunately, Warner Independent Pictures has agreed to release it with the title intact.

Godfrey Cambridge, the pioneering black comedian and actor, once said that "we won't be equal on the screen until a black actor can play a villain." (Which he did, in an episode of I, Spy.) The same goes for Muslims: sanitizing them is as ultimately demeaning as is portraying them all as villains. They're people, dammit.

A squirrel has taken up residence in our garage attic. It's nicely enclosed, and at least somewhat insulated, so I can see why he would find that an attractive place. Nonetheless, it's time to evict him.

The animal control officer just dropped off a live trap. Now, all I need to do is bait the trap. He suggested corn, peas, and other vegetables. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Once it's done, we'll have to close up the hole in the eave that's letting him in. I think a small piece of wire mesh over the hole, stapled down, should do the trick, as long as it's well secured the whole way around.

Not President George W. Bush. Lots of other folks did, but Bush acted on the best information available at the time.

Don't believe me? Go read Norman Podhoretz's dissection of the whole issue.

Of course, that won't stop the Democrats from trying to make political hay out of it all.

One Christmas present vakkotaur and I decided to give ourselves was freedom from freezing pipes. We only have one pair of lines that are problematical, the hot and cold water lines to the kitchen sink and dishwasher. They run along the back wall of the house, at the top of the basement. In the finished part of the basement, there's some sheetrock that covers them and makes them completely inaccessible. There's also a gas line that runs out to the garage, through a hole in the back wall right by the water lines. When it gets below zero degrees F, enough cold air comes in that the pipes freeze.

We had enough of dealing with that. So far, they hadn't burst, but we didn't want to take the chance that they would at some point. Today, a plumber came out and ran new lines, away from the back wall, of PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) tubing. He also removed the gas line to the garage, since we are not going to replace the heater out there (it's got a cracked heat exchanger). While he was here, he also fixed what we thought was a bad faucet in the shower. Whee.

This winter, we won't have to worry about any pipes freezing. It's going to be nice.

I spoke to Stacey Leigh a little bit ago. We discussed my experience level, and knowledge, and it looks like I'm not as hopeless as I thought...basically, I need to get a good serger (she said a White or Pfaff, about $500 worth ("you can set fire to $300 and say you've got a serger"); she uses a $1200 Bernette, but then she uses it all day every day, too) and get some experience using it.

So, that one goes on the list of things to buy. No, not the Bernette...but I don't mind paying good money for good, durable tools, and that's what a $500 serger is. Maybe, when it comes time to buy, I'll drive down to Des Moines and drag irpooh along. (Or go up to the Cities and get rillaspins, or Sioux Falls and melissasutton...decisions, decisions.) In any event, that doesn't have to happen right now.