Happy 4th of July!

I decided I couldn't stand to look at news about George Bush at the top of my blog any more, so I'm taking that down and replacing it with some random crap, starting with:

1. Two months ago (yes, this is really just an excuse to have something else at the top of my blog), Bill Simmons wrote:

In fact, here are 10 reasons I'm happy the Rocket signed with the Yankees.
...
8. We're coming closer and closer to my dream of Clemens' Hall of Fame plaque featuring a cap with a dollar sign on it. I feel as if that's a genuine possibility at this point.

2. Meanwhile, hey, it's Independence Day! Yay, America! Even with Bush as President, we're still the greatest country on Earth! Just don't let this happen to you:

I came across that burned-out fireworks stand in Costa Mesa on July 5, 2005, while I was going to Wienerschnitzel for lunch. Photos by me.
Side note: do confused Austrians ever walk up to a Wienerschnitzel looking for, you know, actual Wiener Schnitzel? You'd think they should put it on the menu just to avoid problems like that.