A new use for mentholated petroleum jelly

Vaporub solves meerkat gang-wars, via Boing Boing.

Meanwhile, at the White House this week ...

A new dress code has been posted at the White House (Thursday); it is being applied to tourists viewing the White House as well as to other vistors and staff members. The forbidden items include jeans, sneakers and t-shirts.

I guess our current administration wanted to drive home how serious a visit to Mickey's the White House should be. Either that, or we just can't be allowing the common riffraff in.

PotW

The new picture of the week is up.

29 July 2007 Emperor Norton We recently visited the final resting place of Emperor Norton I in Woodland Memorial Park, Colma, California to pay our respects. He proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States in San Francisco on September 17th, 1859 (later adding "Protector of Mexico") and continuously used the title until he dropped dead on January 8th, 1880. The residents of San Francisco generally humored him, accepting his personal script, reserving personal seats at the opera and theater, and having him lead several parades (personally, of course). Restaurants would vie for the honor of having Emperor Norton dine there (free of charge, of course) so they could advertise his patronage. The day after his death, the city shut down out of respect, with over 20,000 mourners attending his burial. When his remains were moved in 1934 to their present location, some sixty thousand people attended the ceremony. Offerings are still found at his gravesite to this day; when we visited there were several coins and beads carefully left at the base of his headstone. Location: 37°40'45.99"N, 122°28'07.48"W

Yep, we both left a shiny new dime at the base of His Majesty's headstone. Why not; something to keep the spirit alive :)

Oh, the link is to a view of the whole tombstone, not an enlargement of just the face.