Thursday, March 11, 2010

Book Recommendation

I just finished reading this book.  It was published in 2009 and, in my opinion, is one of this author's finest books.  It was a riveting "page turner".  Here's the blurb from the book jacket: 

In the heat of the Arizona desert, a raging fire pushes temperatures to a deadly degree, and one woman is left to burn. Pulled naked and barely breathing from the fire, the victim has no idea who she is, let alone who would do this to her -- or why. In her hospital bed she drifts in and out of consciousness, her only means of communicating a blink of the eye. And then an angel appears.




Misguidedly known around town as the "Angel of Death," Sister Anselm has devoted her life to working as an advocate for unidentified patients. To her burn patient, she is a savior. But to this Jane Doe's would-be killer, Sister Anselm's efforts pose a serious threat. Ali Reynolds is on the scene as the new media relations consultant for the Yavapai County Police Department, keeping reporters at bay and circumventing questions about arson and a link to a domestic terrorist group called Earth Liberation Front. But her job quickly becomes much more.



As Ali struggles to help Sister Anselm uncover the helpless woman's identity, they realize that by locating the missing relatives they may be exposing the victim once more to a remorseless killer determined to finish the job. Faced with the possibility of putting all three of their lives in jeopardy, Ali fearlessly pursues justice -- and what she discovers is a secret even darker and more twisted than she ever could have imagined.



About the Author

J.A. Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Ali Reynolds series. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona. 













Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sonic

I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so we decided to go to the Sonic drive-in restaurant which is not too far from our house.  I had a hankering for a hot dog and Sonic's extra-long chili cheese dog fit the bill.  Too many calories, but very yummy in taste. 
Doesn't this just say "eat me"?

Monday, March 8, 2010

Enhanced Driver's License

I needed to renew my driver's license and decided to apply for the new "enhanced" Washington State license.  It costs $15 more than the regular license and can be used instead of a passport for all land and sea travel between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.  It cannot be used for air travel.  They told me it might take 45 days to get the hard copy, but I got it in 12 days.

Here's the website describing the Enhanced Driver's License (EDL): http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/edlfaq.html

Why is Washington State using EDLs?
The federal government recently passed the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which requires a passport or other federally-approved identification or proof-of-citizenship document for all travel into the United States. To preserve travel, trade, and cultural ties with British Columbia and increase security at the border, we are offering EDL/EID Cards to Washington residents who choose to participate. The EDL/EID meets federal requirements, and is an approved alternative to a passport for re-entry into the U.S at land and sea borders between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.

What is Radio Frequency Identification:
Radio Frequency Identification is a wireless technology that stores and retrieves data remotely. An RFID system typically includes an RFID tag with a microchip and antenna embedded in a card or other item, an RFID reader, and a database.


Friday, March 5, 2010

Current Events

How informed about current news events are you?  Click Current Events Quiz to take a short (12 questions) quiz.

Sponsored by PewResearchCenter Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Pastini Pastaria

Yesterday was our daughter-in-law Kiersten's birthday.  We joined Tim and Kiersten for dinner at the restaurant of her choice, Pastini Pastaria at Bridgeport Village in Tigard.  I had a butternut squash ravioli dish.  I don't usually eat ravioli, but this dish was excellent. Yummy! 

They have four restaurants in Portland, besides the one in Tigard and one in Beaverton.  And they also have a branch in Bend and in Corvallis.  None in Vancouver, which may be just as well since we would go there too often.  Maybe I'll try this dish next time we go there:

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

From Gene Veith's blog Cranach: The Blog of Veith:

In more archaeological news, the wall that Solomon built around Jerusalem has been discovered.


“The city wall that has been uncovered testifies to a ruling presence. Its strength and form of construction indicate a high level of engineering”, [Eliat] Mazar said. The city wall is at the eastern end of the Ophel area in a high, strategic location atop the western slop of the Kidron valley.

“A comparison of this latest finding with city walls and gates from the period of the First Temple, as well as pottery found at the site, enable us to postulate with a great degree of assurance that the wall that has been revealed is that which was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the tenth century B.C.E.,” said Mazar.

“This is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem,” she added. “The Bible tells us that Solomon built — with the assistance of the Phoenicians, who were outstanding builders — the Temple and his new palace and surrounded them with a city, most probably connected to the more ancient wall of the City of David.” Mazar specifically cites the third chapter of the First Books of Kings where it refers to “until he (Solomon) had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
This is especially significant because a whole line of liberal Biblical critics maintains that David and Solomon were mythological. Added to that are Islamic scholars who deny any and all historical claims of Jews to the Holy Land.

Elian Mazan next to Solomon's Wall:

Monday, March 1, 2010

Undercover Boss

Now that the Olympics are over, we can get back to watching other TV shows.  We love Amazing Race and never miss an episode.  A new show that we just discovered is Undercover Boss.  In this show, CEOs work undercover in their companies for a week or so.  This week we watched one of the owners of White Castle hamburgers go undercover.  It was fun to watch someone at his level struggle when he had to do some of the factory jobs and store jobs.  It turned out to be a heart-warming show when he later honored some of the people that he met during his week in the field.  The show is on CBS, Sundays at 9 pm PST.  Check it out here.