For once in my life someone gives me a nickname, and then in the next breath gives it to someone else. Good grief. Craig, it’s all yours, I didn’t like it anyway.

Speaking of shivs, though, I wonder how Steve heard in advance about the incident later that afternoon. The gatekeeper at the Paramount (where I had an errand) was having trouble with a package, and I offered him my pocket-knife; he said, “Whom were you planning to kill with this?”

Bon mot from newcomer Bruce Baugh (whom I’ve sorta known for yonks):

I was doing my usual Heisenberg-like walk through blog links (I either know whose page I’m on or what topic I’m following) . . .

Steven Den Beste attempts a taxonomy of weblogs.

Short Attention Span Blogger vectors this list of airline maintenance log notes, allegedly from Qantas.

Left inside main tire almost needs replacement
Almost replaced left inside main tire.

Test flight OK, except autoland very rough
Autoland not installed on this aircraft.

Something loose in cockpit
Something tightened in cockpit.

Dead bugs on windshield
Live bugs on backorder.

Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-fpm descent
Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
Evidence removed.

DME volume unbelievably loud
DME volume set to more believable level.

Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick
That’s what they’re there for!

IFF inoperative
IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

Suspected crack in windscreen
Suspect you’re right.

Number 3 engine missing. (note: this was for a piston-engined airplane; the pilot meant the engine was not running smoothly)
Engine found on right wing after brief search.

Aircraft handles funny
Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

Radar hums
Reprogrammed radar with words.

Mouse in cockpit.
Cat installed

CNN.com – Greek mystery virus spreads

“It should be considered blasphemous, to say the least, to consider it possible that epidemic ailments could be transferred through holy communion and endanger human life,” the Athens diocese said in a statement released to Reuters news agency.

Déjà vu, anyone? Can’t put my finger on why it rings a bell; maybe I read too much scifi.

I’m a bit puzzled that the recent powwow in Rome was attended by all the American cardinals rather than all the American bishops.

As I misunderstand it, bishop is primarily an office, but cardinal is primarily a personal rank; a cardinal may or may not also be a bishop, in charge of all the churches of a diocese (territory), just as a prince (member of a royal family) may or may not also be a duke (ruler, once upon a time, of a duchy), and vice versa.

How many cardinals are not bishops? How many dioceses have bishops who are not cardinals, and thus were not represented?