Sunday, May 20, 2007

In case you're wondering

Ron Paul is Barry Goldwater. Sort of. Michele Malkin has problems with him.

That we're still asking

35 Questions about the War in Iraq, asked by Ron Paul on the floor of Congress in 2002. From Sheila Lennon.

Shedding some dark

Glen Reid: I don't like fluorescent light. It's from the "cold" end of the spectrum, and I like "warm" light. Is that okay? I guess not.

That's because The "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb Act" would ban the use of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. Instead, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) would become the norm for California residents.

Bleeding in the Bay

Sez here the San Francisco Chronicle is losing $165,563 per day. Pointage from the Los Angeles Times Pressmen's 20 Year Club.

8 turrets, mtn vu

Searles Castle is for sale. And it's not the only one. (Searles Castle, that is.) Details:

Searles Castle is no ordinary mansion. It may not have been designed to keep enemies away from a royal family, but it has all the trappings to make it worthy of Sleeping Beauty.

There isn't a moat, but the seven-floor castle has a dungeon that could be used for a friendlier purpose — a restaurant, perhaps, or an extensive wine cellar.

Thirty-six fireplaces are scattered among more than 40 rooms, one of which once contained a pipe organ and served as a mini-concert hall.

Marble is everywhere — rising in columns, carved as mantles and in slabs as flooring.

Balconies and terraces overlook the property's sprawling 61 acres, which include a T-shaped lagoon, tennis courts and a garden temple guarded by two marble sphinx sculptures.

And if the 60,000-square-foot castle seems too overwhelming, it's just a short walk from the front gate to a busy row of restaurants and shops. Think the tax bill is too high? Cross the street and file a complaint at Town Hall.

Searls, Searles, Searle, Serle, Sarles, Sarls and many variants all have the same ancestral origin, apparently. (See here.) This castle was named for its interior decorator, by the way.

Thanks to The Wizard Himself, Mike Jittlov, for the pointer.