best metaphor about Sarah Palin seen so far on the blogs

"Tonya Harding with a speechwriter".

God is sending us messages

First, He sends Gustav towards New Orleans, to let the GOP know that they have sinned and must pay the price.

Since they didn't get that message, and are now pandering to the wacko Right-wing God squad, He's (pronoun intentional) making it more clear now, by aiming the next hurricane at George Bush's (for now) house:


Meanwhile, speaking of messages...

a first for me!

my very first scam email in Spanish:

Me llamo . Me director adjunto de la empresa de .

Nuestra empresa seocupa en el desarrollo aplicado de la empresa, las sistemas integracionistas, las cadenas corporativas y otras soluciones de software para el negocio, las haciendas y otros tipos de problemas. Nuestra empresa esta situada en Ucrania. Gozamos de buena fama y somos los socios seguros y dignos de confianza. Trabajamos con exito con muchas empresas de la Europa Occidental y America del Norte haciendo el software seguro para ellos. Casi un ano trabajamos con los clientes de los paises extranjeros y no teniamos los problemas con ellos a excepcion de los terminos del pago. Transferencias financieras en sumas de 3000-20 000 EUROS van al Ucrania cerca de 3-5 dias + lo mismo termino para la comprobacion por el Banco. En total, junto con los dias de descanso, este termino puede ser desde 10 dias hasta 2-3 semanas. Ahora estamos trabajando con los proyectos grandes, que tienen necesidad de los inversiones grandes de dinero y no tenemos las posibilidades para esperar el pago tan largo tiempo. Por eso, en este momento estamos buscando los socios en su pais, quien nos ayudara aceptar el pago mas rapido. Si Vds. quieren ganar el dinero complementario, Vds. pueden ser los representantes de nuestra empresa en su pias. Vds. podran recibir 8% de cada transaccion, que realizamos con la participacion de su cuenta. Su trabajo consistira en la aceptacion del capital en la forma de los giros postales a su cuenta y la salida del dinerom a nosotros. Esto es un metodo muy comodo y rapido de recibir los ingresos adicionales. Ademas, estudiamos la posibilidad de la apertura de la oficina en su pais en el futuro proximo y entonces Vds. podran tener los privilegios de recibir el trabajo de plena ocupacion. Si Vds. tienen interes trabajar con nosotros, entonces, estamos en sus ordenes.

Pueden contactar con nosotros con ayuda de E-Mail:

y envien a nosotros la informacion siguiente: Su nombre y apellido Educacion Direccion Numero de telefono/fax Conocimiento de la lengua Inglesa Su edad

Por favor, respondan a nuestra carta y nosotros daremos los datos adicionales sobre la cooperacion. Este colaboracion no vale nada para Vds. , pero esto la posibilidad de recibir los ingresos adicionales muy comodo y rapido. Si Vds. tienen algunas preguntas, no tienen escrupulos en contactarse con nosotros.

better and better every few hours

hmmmm

i'm lovin' it

Since the GOP has declared that a candidate must surely be held responsible for attending a church whose pastor makes 'controversial' comments, guess what?

I'm expecting audio and/or video to be hitting YouTube quite soon, and the MSM will surely not overlook this, right? The link on the HuffPost piece to the Pastor's recorded sermons is here. Better grab those files before they disappear!

hot off the presses!!!!!!

Consider this:

'Sarah Palin' is an anagram for Sharia Plan

The International Muslim Conspiracy is far more devious than we ever suspected! My brother must be right, after all.

a diverse weekend

We drove over to Lincoln City Saturday morning, to join a group of 6 others on a kayaking romp up the Siletz River and then out into Siletz Bay. Amazingly, it was timed with the approach of high-tide, so, for the first leg, all you had to do was point upriver, and the current hurtled us along.

Beautiful day - I was in t-shirt and swim-trunks. Once we turned around and headed downstream to the bay, the wind was a factor, and, out in the bay, we frolicked among the pelicans and sea-lions. The final push back to the marina, although the wind was at our backs, was tiring due to the swells. Fortunately, the organizer had made reservations at a wonderful restaurant in Depoe Bay, where we feasted on many wonderful things.

After a walk on the beach at sunset, we retired to our motel room, which I felt darn lucky to have been able to get. I slept like a baby - Karen, not so well.

Sunday morning, though, I had a life-changing experience - my first ever restaurant experience ordering off the Senior menu (55+). The waitress didn't ask to see an ID, which was disconcerting, but the portion size, reduced from a giant omelett to a smaller one, turned out to be just perfect. Uh-oh.

More shopping at the Outlet Stores, then back to Portland by 3 (stopping briefly at the Dollar Store in Newberg to buy a couple more pairs of $1 reading glasses). I see a trend here.

The, last night at home, we watched this sweet movie - highly recommended.

Happy Labor Day, everyone.

oh, the irony!

When I first heard that McCain had picked Palin for Vice President, I was thrilled, thinking that this is a person who can really bring something new to American politics.

Once my hopes had been dashed, I reflected on the thinking and this is what I think:

I believe McCain fell victim to the Right-Wing Noise Machine meme that millions of Democrats are utterly disenchanted because the majority spurned a woman, and, buying into that Rovian-generated fantasy (that had significantly-limited validity), he made his decision accordingly.

I could be wrong (uh, yeah!) but wouldn't it be delicious if this was indeed the case.

Still reeling from Pat Buchanan's praise of Obama's speech last night. I never thought I'd live to hear anything like that.

Heading to the beach tomorrow to go kayaking, and spending the night in Lincoln City. Back in Portland Sunday afternoon.

Then, off to Sisters for the Folk Festival next weekend. Busy days (not including the three hours I spent on the phone and web this morning, modifying our travel itinerary for the return from Turkey).

an unusually-optimistic note

Went out for a walk in the neighborhood with The Dog. He had a splendid time, as always.

Four years ago, there was ONE house in our neighborhood that had a Bush sign. This year: Barack.

Watched the convention this evening. Clinton was good, Kerry, shockingly, was *great*, Biden was OK (he really did flub a couple of statistics, but his McCain wrap-up was well done), but I think the star of the night was Biden's son.

And, when Obama appeared on the stage at the end, that was pretty darn cool.

All in all, this has been a great week for Dems - it's almost enough to make me believe they can pull it off.

In other news, I must say that the first five words in this headline gave me momentary pause.

gustav projected track

uh, oh!

kucinich at the DNC

amazing

synchronicity

Simulatneously, as I opened an email from Joe Biden, the phone rang and it was the local Obama campaign loooking for volunteers. So many people working on this, how can it possibly fail?

Let me count the ways: fraud, theft, lies, corruption, fear...

Karl Rove strikes again?

this sure sounds like one of his stunts - he's done this sort of thing many times before.

Meanwhile, as we are immersed in the trivialities of the political/media circus, there's this minor detail. Oops.

the earth may be doomed, but this is pretty cool

Microsoft has a new product called 'Photosynth'.

Here is the National Geographic video of Stonehenge, using this tool.

astonishing news from Thom Hartmann show

Mark Crispin Miller was on, discussing recent developments in the civil case currently working its way thru Ohio courts, that is about to blow the whistle on Karl Rove's election frauds, going back to his involvment with George HW Bush's races.

A reputable GOP-connected cyber-expert is publicly acknowledging that, at a minimum, the 2000 and 2004 elections were stolen (duh!).

The clearing-house for this case, with materials and interviews, is here. So many elections have been compromised over the past few years, that my head swims with the wonderment that this story has been so successfully suppressed for this long.

3rd time's the charm

Left the house at 7:15, with Ben driving, to go to the Sherwood DMV office, where he took and passed his behind-the-wheel driver test. We left there significantly happier than the previous two times.

the critical importance of a vice president with experience

I see this meme everywhere: Obama must pick someone like Joe Biden, to calm 'fears' that his inexperience on the international stage is tempered by a Vice President who has been a public figure for many years.

Hmm - wasn't this same argument advanced to argue for W? Cheney had been a fixture of inner circles since the Ford years, and his supposed cool head and big-picture awareness was supposed to compensate for a President whose foreign experience was limited to a Spring Break in Mexico.

I kinda like Biden, and think he'd be fine.

Meanwhile, McCain panders to the crazies by, at yesterday's religious forum, proclaims his belief that a 'baby' begins at the moment of conception. What year is this?

the united states of hubris

This guy was on Bill Moyers' show last night, and it was refreshing to hear his plain-spoken message, that the US public and military and government are delusional, as far as our place in history.

Rather than being Rome in 20 BC (the unchallenged military master of the known world), we are really the Rome of 450 AD: overconfident, broke, corrupt, living far beyond our means, and on the verge of joining the endless parade of collapsed economies and empires.

Read all about it here and here.

dog day

hot, hot, hot in Portland. Neither of us slept well last night, me due to a lingering cold and the heat, Karen because of the residual effects of her colonoscopy prep and the heat.

taking the day mostly off. I drove her to the facility this morning, then went to Powell's in Beaverton to sell some old books and buy more. Then, at the nearby coffee place, with WiFi, plugged in my laptop and actually did billable work.

Now I am back at the medical facility, waiting for her to be discharged. She hasn't eaten in a couple of days and, depending on her energy level, we will go out for lunch and errands soon.

I am finding free WiFi wherever I need it, and it's great being a high-tech nomad.

I told my New Mexico client (the BLM office in Carlsbad) that I don't think I can complete their project in their budgeted amount (it's turned out to be a rats-nest of embedded forms, table-based audit rules and queries-upon-queries-upon-queries). They like what I've done so far and want me to tell them how much it will cost to fulfill their vision. I don't think they are going to like the answer.

my unblemished track-record of financial acumen

So, back at the beginning of July, I read somewhere (on the internets, no doubt) that it was expected that the Dollar would plummet in relation to the Euro, by the Fall.

Since we are going to Turkey in October, I figured the VERY smart thing to do would be to buy a bunch of Euros, at the low, low price of about $1.60, and then laugh all the way to the bank, as they visibly appreciated over the next 3 months.

Here's the story since then.
Hmmm - that graph is beginning to resemble my Enron options. I see a pattern.

why I am not thinking about John Edwards

there are bigger issues

John Edwards had an affair

Made you look.

why does this keep happening?

Several months ago, I was contacted by a BLM office in New Mexico, asking if I was interested in assisting with some programming work. Naturally I said 'yes' and awaited the details.

Time passes.

Then, while on vacation at the beach last week, I get an email from the contact there, outlining a very specific programming need to a database. I analyzed what she sent, and said that it could probably be done in a day or two, and quoted her $750. She thought that was great.

Before anything could be signed, though, I asked her to write up a document, outlining in as much detail as possible, EXACTLY what she needed, so that there would be no misunderstandings. That document arrived in my inbox Monday morning, shortly followed by copies of the FOUR tightly-interlinked databases that are affected.

It didn't take too long for me to realize that the scope of what they want is FAR beyond a 2-day quickie. They are changing the fundamental plumbing of two major data components, that affect virtually every form, query, and report in all databases.

Oh, yes, they forgot to mention that they also want to amalgamate the data from three prior years' databases, and the various table structures have 'evolved' over the years.

Oh, yes, they forgot to mention that they need to go live October 1st, and that their programmer is still making changes to prepare for Oct 1, so the files they sent me earlier this week (to which I have been making my proof-of-concept changes) are not the final versions that my changes would need to go into.

So much for my original estimate. I am advising them to defer implementing anything I would write until their new Oct 1 version is installed and stable. Besides, I wouldn't want to be arriving at my hotel in Turkey, in mid-October, and receive a panic email that things are broken and need immediate attention.

Now, the only question is if they want me to go ahead and build what I can now. That would be OK with me. What a world!

----------------------------------------------

And now for something completely different.

I am currently advertising on craigslist my iPaq (no longer needed because of my SmartPhone) and a digital camera (no longer needed because I bought a better model that takes AA batteries, rather than needing an AC charger for its weird battery). Here's the best scam email received to date:

hy,

i want to buy your phone, i have 40$ , if you are agree with my offer !! please reply to me ,with your phone number to call you

thx

Gives you real confidence, doesn't it?

BTW, here and here are the craisglist items. I think I have a buyer for the iPaq this morning.

call me paranoid

so, yet again, the Government announces 'case closed' on an investigation (the anthrax letters) that did not produce a definitive conclusion.

once again, we are asked to believe in the 'lone bug-man' theory.

sorry, but it's too pat, and 7 years too late.

they say this sort of thing is happening all the time...

We are in Manzanita for the week and the weather, at least for today, is delightful. I am sitting in the driveway of our rental hourse, poaching WiFi from one of the neighboring homes (not sure exactly which), and there is clear, blue sky and the mass of Neahanie Mountain rising up to my left and the sound of the ocean, two blocks away, at my back.

We are here, as every year, with a bunch of Portland friends, Karen's Mom (Sylvia - 97 but still feisty), and her best-friend-from-junior-high (Barbra, in a wheel-chair with MS for many years).

Karen and I slept late this morning. When I got up, Sylvia was nowhere to be seen. I figured she went out for a walk by herself, but knowing her limited eye-sight, was sure she was lost and, indeed, she was nowhere to be seen on the street. Moments later, my cell phone rang, and it was her attendant, from Pasadena, calling with a cell-phone number of someone here in Manzanita, who had picked Sylvia up.

I called that number and, naturally, they were only a few houses away. Sylvia could not recognize our rental house from the street, and didn't know the address. All was well.

Now here's the amazing part. The woman who picked Sylvia up and returned her to us had happened to mention that she had been living in Manzanita for 6 years, but was shortly about to move to Yachats, Oregon, where she didn't know anyone.

Sylvia then told her that one of her old friends has been living in Yachats for years, and gave the woman her name and contact information, and now she has someone to call when she moves there, who will no doubt welcome her and introduce her around to her network.

Maybe there are no 'coincidences' after all.

tee hee!

I had to laugh.

what they think

the other world.

Here's another web site of interest, along the same lines.

Incidentally, my Hebrew name is Baruch, which, obviously, is identical to the arabized Barack. It means 'blessed' (and 'Hussein', as well as being a reference to the early islamic martyr, means 'handsome'). Draw your own conclusions.

revised colonoscopy photo

Sitting around with friends, so I had to show them my innards. It took less than 20 seconds for someone to suggest that Raquel Welch be photoshopped into the image, a la 'Fantastic Voyage', so...

andy borowitz today

for your daily dose, see: http://www.borowitzreport.com/

Obama Releases List of Approved Jokes About Himself

Bid to Help Late Night Comics

Saying he is "sympathetic to late night comedians' struggle to find jokes to make about me," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) today issued a list of official campaign-approved Barack Obama jokes.

The five jokes, which Sen. Obama said he is making available to all comedians free of charge, are as follows:

Barack Obama and a kangaroo pull up to a gas station. The gas station attendant takes one look at the kangaroo and says, "You know, we don't get many kangaroos here." Barack Obama replies, "At these prices, I'm not surprised. That's why we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

A traveling salesman knocks on the door of a farmhouse, and much to his surprise, Barack Obama answers the door. The salesman says, "I was expecting the farmer's daughter." Barack Obama replies, "She's not here. The farm was foreclosed on because of subprime loans that are making a mockery of the American Dream."

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" Barack Obama replies, "His jockey just lost his health insurance, which should be the right of all Americans."

Q: What's black and white and red all over?
Barack Obama: The New Yorker magazine, which should be embarrassed after publishing such a tasteless and offensive cover, which I reject and denounce.

A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."

is the noose tightening on Rove?

We can hope. Here's the latest (the full story) or read the summary here.

It's long but read the first dozen or so paragraphs at least, to get a sense of what is now being revealed about vote-tampering and electronic skullduggery. As one commenter on DU said, "I KNEW there would be a few computer specialists involved".

In the meantime, do your part and go here.

got my copy of the 'New Yorker' today

funny cartoon - let's just keep discussing that, instead of this.

I've been a subscriber for decades, and do think the cover is hilarious. I wrote to them, saying that I'm sure the artist has a suitable McCain cover ready to go, and I can't wait to see it.

Keep in mind that the artist has, in the past, done *savage* send-ups of Bush and other public figures. His Ahmadinejad cover (see above link) was shockingly amusing.

just for joe...

You asked for 'em - you got 'em!

It's nice to know that, at least for a few hours, I was not full of shit.

colonoscopy day!

All over, and it was no big deal. Stopped eating solid food Sunday night, and all I had yesterday was one glass of regular apple juice and 64 oz of Gatorade, that had been augmented with an entire bottle of Miralax. The combination worked wonders.

The anesthesia was great and it was over without my having to actually be there. Karen picked me up a bit later and we just got home, after grabbing a bite to eat (at last!) and shopping for tile grout, a bathroom sink and a faucet.

I am tired, but glad that it's over. They did find another polyp (there were 3 at my first one, three years ago), and I'll get the biopsy results in a week or so. The fun never ends!

time warp

I came downstairs around 7:20 yesterday morning, anticipating a leisurely breakfast, shower and shave, before I was to meet a client at 10:30.

However, I soon heard an anguished cry from Ben, who burst out of his room announcing that he had overslept, and was supposed to be at his summer job (Pizzacato Pizza) at 8. Since he still doesn't have his driver's license, he's been taking the bus - a tortuous 2 hour commute to the utterly-inconvenient location in an upscale community high in the West Hills.

Rather than remind him of the fact that he was still rummaging around the house at 1:30 am (I was up due to back problems), I looked at my watch, mentally traced the cumbersome route to the store, and said, 'OK'.

We quickly fed the animals, grabbed the necessary work things (him and me), and sped off, and a cumbersome route it was. Amazingly enough, I got him there at 7:54. I think he was appreciative, but it's hard to say.

So, there I was, at 8 am, high in the West Hills, unshaven and hungry, with 2 1/2 hours to kill, and no specific need to drive all the way home.

I joined the slow-moving commuter parade down Cornell Road into NW Portland, and headed for breakfast at the Stepping Stones cafe. As I drank my coffee and enjoyed my Eggs Benedict (bless you, Benedict, whoever you are), I flashed on a time-warp, and shared it with the counterman.

One morning long ago (12/12/86, to be exact), I also had breakfast at the Stepping Stones, after which, while walking back to the nearby Good Samaritan Hospital, Karen leaned against a car and said "we better hurry". Ben was born a few hours later.

How time flies.

After that, I made it to my client (they loved the software change I made for them), went to the chiropractor to see if something could be done about my intensely-painful pulled back muscle (still hurts today), and continued on home to a full afternoon of other duties, too numerous to mention.

For a few minutes, though, I flashed on the passage of 21 years, thru the prism of breakfast at an old, funky NW Portland landmark. Hollandaise are here again!

home again

after many hours of traveling, I landed at PDX around 11:30 last night.

had a pretty good visit with Mom, playing piano for the crowd at her facility every day I was in Wisconsin.

my brother and I went to a crackerjack fireworks show in a very-crowded park - fortunately, the mosquitos were not a problem. except for one very testy ten-minute stretch, we stayed away from politics.

lots to do today - more later.

this might be interesting

Jack Abramoff about to sing.

In other news, I forgot to mention that my physical therapist released me on Monday, so I am now officially 'just-about-back-to-normal'. I do feel like walking is now like it was before surgery, although there is still a little swelling (another month to go) and occasional twinges.

Heading to the airport in 6 hours, for the red-eye to Minneapolis and on to Milwaukee, for 3 1/2 days with my Mom and family there. Back in Portland late Saturday night. Have fun while I'm gone.

evil or stupid?

Watching the ABC Evening News with Charles Gibson. He is reporting on Wesley Clark's comments today, questioning whether getting shot down while piloting a fighter jet qualifies you to be Commander-in-Chief (since the GOP has been a frequent raiser of 'doubts' about Obama's qualifications).

ABC wants us to seriously consider whether this "attack on McCain's war record" is dirty politics. Attack on McCain's war record? I guess that, if you say it fast enough, nobody will notice that you are being evil (or is it stupid?).

Or both?

and now for something completely different

wonder bread!

sex and the city

Never watched the show, but we were casting about for a movie on a hot night, and it was the most convenient, playing at a reasonable time in a small local theater where parking is never a problem (the Tigard Joy).

We got there with 7 minutes to spare, which didn't matter, since the entire audience numbered about 12. I think I was the only male.

I began to squirm at about the 65 minute mark, but, I'm happy to report, made it to the end.

Here's the message that I got: Most men are unbelievable jerks, but, if you give them long enough, they will eventually do what you want, and all your fantasies will come true (especially having stunning members of the opposite sex cherish your body and cater to your every whim).

This is not a bad thing, though, since the message of most summer blockbusters, aimed at men, is: most of your sworn enemies are unbelievable jerks, but, if you fight them long enough, they will eventually die horribly, and all your fantasies will come true (especially having stunning members of the opposite sex cherish your body and cater to your every whim).

So, in the end, little difference, except the clothing is definitely cleaner in girl movies.

It's all fantasy, in service to the Pax Americana, just as every other Empire's PR department has labored to produce. The best part of it all was that (thanks, American Empire!) Fred Meyer was open even after 10 pm, so we were able to buy all the food (human and dog) that we wanted, passing up anything we didn't feel like taking at the moment, simply by presenting a piece of plastic.

Now that's a genuinely amazing fantasy!

evidence that computers are not quite ready to take over

I am doing some Visual Basic coding, and needed to find the opposite function from the 'split' command (anyone know it, off the top of your head?). I use 'split' all the time, but, oddly, have never, until today, needed to do the opposite (which, I now remember, is the 'join' command).

But I digress.

I went to one of my standard VBscript reference sites to look up 'split'. It gave me the syntax and usage (and actually pointed to 'join' - I didn't *really* remember it). This was great, but, in the upper-right corner of the page, under the heading 'ads by Google', I see...

well heck, here's a partial screen-shot (click to enlarge):

still depressed

yes, the weather is great, and tonight I picked the first pea from my garden (many more coming soon), the string beans are up, the squash, basils, and tomatoes are doing great. There is more rhubarb to cut and the plum trees are making little green plums.

So what's the problem? I am dreading news from our friend with cancer, I am dreading the future of my species on this planet, and I am bewildered that my spouse and son are in the next room watching (and commenting on) 'So You Think You Can Dance?'

We went to Costco tonight, and I was overwhelmed by the abundance. Still thinking about 'The Road' - sorry I read it.

Work is going well. I volunteered at KBOO for a couple of hours. I had lunch with one old friend today and another tomorrow. I'm going to Wisconsin next week for a few days, to see Mom and my brother and his little family.

But I am not feeling like any of this is real. Must not be getting enough coffee.

well, at least we were warned

uh oh

I took the dog for a little walk in the neighborhood this evening. There was incredible light on the trees, with a blue sky speckled with fluffy clouds and Mt. Hood gleaming on the horizon.

It was lovely, but George Carlin is dead, one of our best friends has serious cancer, and we are all living on borrowed time. My foot is almost back to normal, but my heart is very heavy. Just finished reading 'The Road', and it didn't do much to cheer me up.

It's all so very unreal.

ok, ok - here's the before-and-after composite photo

driving me crazy

All the disdainful references to Jimmy Carter's presidency from the Repubs never fails to get my blood-pressure to rise.

Not only was I younger, hairier, and slimmer then, but I thrilled to Carter's speeches on energy conservation and renewables, not to mention honesty in government (a quaint notion).

All that and more was dismissed with contempt, when the 'Reagan Revolution' (sic) took hold, and it's been a downhill slide since, in just about every measure of American leadership in the world.

When the McCain talking-heads sniff that Obama is running for Jimmy Carter's 2nd term, I say 'and about time, too!' Carter was the last president that I'd like to have a beer with (as long as it's not a 'Billy').


Meanwhile, as I approach 4 months post-Op, my Left Foot continues to approach normality. I am able to walk virtually limp-free now, and the past month of physical therapy has done wonders, in reducing swelling and pain. I even had an acupuncture session on Monday (at Karen's urging) - can't tell if it made any difference, but one never knows.

I think I am about ready to post the final Before/After photos - stay tuned.

3 posts in quick succession this morning?

I can't help it - the world is too weird. The Louisiana House of Representatives just passed a bill to 'let teachers supplement school science textbooks with other materials'.

Hmmm - what 'other materials' could they be thinking about? I'm fairly certain that the intent here was NOT to enable teachers to screen those National Geographic videos proving evolution.

The vote, by the way, was 94-3.

On one blog discussing this, a Texan wrote in 'at least the Texas legislature is no longer the most stupid in the country'.


That it for now, my friends - time to head off for my bi-weekly physical therapy. Coming up on 4 months with my new Left Foot. Still a little painful - still a little swollen - but still making progress.

Also, we just received our plane tickets for Turkey in October. That kinda makes it real (as if all the charges on our credit card were only symbolic!).

Gotta run (so to speak).

corruption at the highest levels

Astonishing confirmation that everything you always sensed about the Bush-Halliburton-CIA-Pentagon crowd is probably true. Apparently, Henry Waxman has the documents now - let's see if it ever comes to light, before the few remaining trillions in the Treasury are entirely siphoned off.

They are Pigs. Reminds me of when the rich guy was asked 'you already have tons of money, several houses, private jets, a private island, and everything a person could possible want. What more do you want?' And his answer: 'more'.

predictions are always dangerous, but...

I'm ready to predict today that John McCain will NOT get the Republican nomination.

I think, that, by the time their convention rolls around, the poll numbers will look so bad, and McCain's verbal gaffes too numerous, that he will either decide to 'spend more time with his family' or have a medical emergency, and Mitt Romney will step up to the plate and graciously accept.

Wacky, I know, but I just have this feeling.

UPDATE: I wrote the above before seeing a link to this, on the Huff Post just now.

got 40 minutes?

good

another milestone

My Enron stock and options were, at one point, worth $1.25 million. I watched them decline to the point where, for the past seven years, my monthly statement from UBS listed their value as $1.62 (not million).

I had grown used to seeing that $1.62 every month, but this month's invoice was different. For the first time, the official status on the statement showed as 'Worthless'.

There goes my last $1.62. So long, Enron stock, it was nice knowing you!

I complained to KGW TV

Watching the news last night, KGW aired a couple of 'commercials' from a group calling itself the 'Center for Union Facts'. These spots depicted Union organizers as thugs and Union members as dupes. They were truly nasty.

A teeny bit of investigating revealed who these people are, and they are truly slimy.

I castigated KGW for not refusing to air these spots, as many other stations have done.

Here's the web site of these despicable bastards, where you can see some of the ads and write to them, telling them what you think of their tactics.

I know that Unions aren't perfect, but, Jeez, this is way out of line.

obama's speech in Minneapolis

wow

website of the day

http://isbarackobamamuslim.com/

dream ticket

here's my current thinking:

Barack: President for the next 8 years
Hillary: Supreme Court Justice for the next 25 years

Remember, you heard it here first.

help fox news get the truth out!

This could be fun. Fox News has asked viewers to submit evidence of Voter Fraud (since the GOP efforts to prove it, to date, have been utterly disasterous).

Send an email to voterfraud@foxnews.com, reminding them that it is a matter of record that Ann Coulter committed voter fraud in Florida.

It's documented here: http://www.bradblog.com/CoulterFraud

worth a thousand words

this picture

back from camping

We got to Rock Creek Reservoir around 1:30 pm, after making our traditional stop at the annual Wamic Rummage sale. Alas, no outstanding bargains were to be found, although Karen, as always, managed to find a couple of odd treasures.

Incredibly, we were the first in our group to get to the campground, so we snagged the most-choice space that our group had reserved - right on the water, with a gorgeous view. We set up our camp and, one by one, our friends arrived. The traditional spectacular dinner (from Anne-Marie) followed: grilled chicken and sausages, potato salad, green salad, bread, tons of wine - did I leave anything out? Oh yes, there were also nibbles before and chocolate mousse for dessert.

Campfire with kids, of course - it was a little overcast, but a few stars appeared before we turned in for the night. Around 5 am, it started raining. And raining. And raining.

By the time people roused themselves, it was still coming down pretty steadily. We gathered under our blue tarps, made our coffee, oatmeal, and small talk. Someone came up with the notion of driving to Kah-Nee-Ta to soak in the hot springs pool. Most everyone eventually headed out to do that - only I stayed behind at the campground, mostly because I didn't feel like spending a couple of hours in a car, when I'd be happier lounging around, reading, taking the dog for walks, and thinking about dinner (which I was responsible for).

It turned out that the weather cleared a half-hour after everyone left. I had a wonderful, quiet day, doing camp chores, talking to and walking the dog, reading, and snoozing in the sun. It was so damn relaxing that I couldn't believe it.

Around 4, I started sauteeing the onions, celery, and red pepper, and building my fishy stew, with canned clams, smoked salmon, imitation crab, canned tomatoes, and canned diced green chilies. While all this was simmering, I peeled a couple of bags of frozen shrimp and added a big jar of cioppino sauce, a big shake of Old Bay seafood seasoning, and a big splash of white wine. It was looking pretty good when the gang got back from their expedition, which saw a lot of rain.

I cooked up a big pot of seasoned rice (Zatarain's jambalaya mix) and everybody plunged into dinner. It was proclaimed a success.

Another great campfire, with lots of singing, guitar playing, marshmallows, and Jiffy Pop. Around 11, we finally called it a night and headed off to our tents. Early this morning: rain, rain, rain.

Another damp breakfast under cover, then it was time to pack up and head home. By the time we were ready to leave, the rain had stopped but the trees were still dripping. We came back over Mt. Hood, which still had plenty of snow up at the passes. Slow holiday weekend traffic - seemed to take a long time.

Now we've been home for a few hours - most of the gear is either put away or hanging up in the shed to dry, before being put away. All in all, great fun - good crowd of friends. Many of them won't be seen again until the Labor Day camping trip!

Back to work tomorrow.

hillary's assassination remark

there's no story here - it was clear she was only using RFK as a reference point, to remind us that, in the past, the Democratic nominee was still uncertain in June. The Obama people should have jumped to her defense, after this trumped-up non-controversy was manufactured by a media machine that will do anything to avoid talking about John McCain's many weaknesses.

I'm no fan of the Bill and Hillary Show (current season) but this is pathetic.

On the other hand, talking about that stuff is sure a lot more fun than talking about this.

a billion here, a billion there

and pretty soon you are talking about real corruption.

another foot milestone last night: took the dog for a long walk around the neighborhood. Doesn't sound like much, but it's the first time in 3 months, and he sure appreciated it! The best part - no recriminations for having abandoned our evening rambles all these weeks.

my Left Foot - 3 months today!

I've been bothered by the continued swelling lately - last night I actually brought out the ice-pack again. I had my first physical therapy session today. The nice attendant started out by massaging the swollen areas, pushing the accumulated fluid up the foot. It felt pretty good.
Then, he attached the electrodes and turned on the electric stimulator. It was a gently-tingling sensation - not unpleasant. It was about 15 minutes of lying on the gurney, and then I was done. Five more therapy sessions over the next three weeks.

attention: Clinton supporters

hmm - if substantiated, it appears that a major Clinton donor was trying to bribe a political youth group with two superdelegates, to support Hillary.

seems sleazy and very sad.

OR primary day!

that's actually a misnomer - it's really the 'close of the OR Primary' day, since voting's been open for a couple of weeks.

Heard on the radio this morning that only 38% of the ballots had been received as of today, but they expect to hit 60% by tonight.

Good luck, Steve Novick! Wonder if David Wu is nervous?

Heading to my first physical therapy session this morning, then to client meetings this afternoon. Busy day.

typical sunday in Portland

Karen and I did yard-work for a few hours, then went to a play last night. Not much happens in Portland on Sundays. Oops - I almost forgot:

what's this? -- more info here.

Coverage from local TV stations here.

Even made the NY Times!

ya gotta love it.

dropping off my ballot this afternoon

I voted Obama - Karen is voting Hillary (even though she knows that the Math says 'no way').

Dylan voted Obama - Ben apparently registered as an independent, so his ballot didn't have a choice for President.

Minutes ago, I got a call from a local Obama volunteer who was following up on my ballot and mentioning the big rally planned for Sunday, at the Portland waterfront. It ought to be amazing - I expect it to be one of the largest outdoor crowds in Oregon history.

my Left Foot - a big milestone!

So, before today, only one of my shoes was wide enough to fit over my swollen toes. Today, I had to dress up, to play piano for a performance of the Jewish Home choir, for whom I play every Monday.

As I was getting dressed, I thought I'd try to get on a dress shoe, and, glory be:

Yes, it was a tight fit, but this is the first time I've worn a pair of matched shoes since February 20th, when I rode the bus to the outpatient Surgery Center. This is very good.

it's right there in the copy

It seems like an innocuous feel-good story about a professional successfully achieving something that others deemed impossible (i.e. recovering data from the hard-drive of a disintegrated Space Shuttle), but right there in the copy is the plain fact that the US Space Shuttle, in 2003, had an on-board computer that was running DOS on a 348 MB hard-drive.

There is much wrong with this picture.

my Left Foot - coming up on 3 months!

My last regularly-scheduled appointment was today. We took fresh x-rays:

...and my progress was pronounced very good. It's not time to say goodbye to The Boot just yet, but I am clearly walking more and more comfortably, in a shoe, every day.

I'm going to sign up for a couple of weeks of PT, and expect that everything will be back to being fully operational in another couple of relatively hassle-free months.

Yea!

yikes

not good. the ripple-effects of this are profound.

still here

It's been a busy few days.

Sunday was our 23rd anniversary, and, after many hours of back-breaking weeding, I got cleaned up, accompanied Karen to her afternoon tap-dance class, then we drove downtown to a fancy restaurant, had a nice too-expensive meal, and went to a play ("Streetcar Named Desire" - Stanley was good; Blanche was too tall).

The next morning, Monday, I got up early, drove to Astoria, and met my cousins at their cruise ship. I took them sight-seeing to my favorite places and the weather was very cooperative. I think they liked it. Got them back to the ship by 3 (they are headed to Alaska), and got myself back to Portland around 5 pm, having driven over 250 miles that day. What gas crisis?

Tuesday, got up early and drove (there's that word again) downtown to the Convention Center, to attend a Microsoft dog-and-pony (mostly to be able to claim the prize - CDs with Vista Ultimate, Microsoft Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008 (local readers - want any of these?) and (the real reason I went) Visual Studio 2008. Nice morning - good swag.

Last night, I attended my first training session at KBOO, our local community radio station. Next training Thursday night. Stay tuned for further details.

Finally able to get back to work today. Fighting a cold for a week now, and it has been winning.

Gotta run...

my Left Foot - another milestone!

I just got back from a car trip to the library and back - total distance: less than 2 miles. So what?

I wore on my left foot the one shoe that fits over my swollen toes, and successfully drove my old, manual Subaru - the first time I've driven a stick since mid-February.

No discomfort - no uncertainty. No question - the end of this is in sight!

episode IV - A New Hope

Woke up this morning with my Left Foot in a normal-person sock, with just a small bandage. Put on one of my regular shoes (the widest, of course) and walked downstairs with it. This is the first time since Feb 20th, that I can wear a normal shoe. It's pretty tight, and my foot is not all the way in, but it's a start.

I am still supposed to use The Boot extensively the next couple of weeks, but I will try to drive my old (manual) Subaru today. If successful, I will consider swapping cars back with my wonderful friend Barbara today.

It's a busy day (4 separate events, all over town) but it feels like a watershed day.

my Left Foot - 9 1/2 weeks

That's just over 2 months. Today was the day I've been waiting for.

First, let's take a look at the inside story. Those 4 parallel lines are the pins that are today's target. The vertical thing is the external fixator. The doc was pleased with bone growth that his educated eyes could plainly see.

And here's the outside story. Got it? (Love those happy feet!)

First, whip out the hypodermic and inject a little anesthesia.

Then, a few twists of the allen wrench and the fixator is off! Its destiny is to be sterilized, and then shipped off to somebody else in the world, who's in need of fixation. This is a good thing.

Now, I hold my breath as each of the 4 pins is carefully unscrewed and pulled out of my foot. It wasn't bad - an odd sensation - not painful, but definitely weird.

OK, two down - two to go.

And we're done! Each little hole quickly filled with blood, which will scab over soon. I need to keep it dry for 2-3 days, but still wear The Boot for another couple of weeks.

The big news is that I am cleared to try driving a manual transmission car, as long as I wear a stiff-soled shoe. Will try that Monday.

Nice work, doc!

He wrapped it all up again, with some antibiotic creme. No more 'cage-rage'!

Next appointment in two weeks, and it may be the final visit. Then I can go back to writing about the decline and fall of human civilization. Time to make some rice.

warning - new foot photos coming soon

Finally, I am scheduled to return to my podiatrist this morning, hopefully to get the external fixator removed. I am really getting weary of this thing - still trudging/clomping around with The Boot is getting very old.

In economic news, I will need to buy gas today. On KPOJ this morning, they mentioned surveys where most people, when asked 'how much of the price of gas goes to your service station?' answer 'over a dollar per gallon'. Of course, the reality is that only about 8 cents of each dollar go to your local business owner, and the bulk goes to Exxon/Mobile, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, etc.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Ken - my college buddy. You are still older than me.

flag pins! flag pins! FLAG PINS!

oops

I made the Oregonian!

Letter to the Editor - published today. This was a campaign for the Progressive Voter Network, the grassroots group with which I have been active for almost a year. Our mission was to mobilize members to write letters, to pressure Gordon Smith to sign on to the Lieberman-Warner bill. Dale, also in the group, also got a letter published.

Will it make a difference? I doubt it.

In the meantime, this morning I picked rhubarb and greens from our garden, while it was lightly sleeting. There is nothing like Springtime in Oregon.

home again

It's a wonderful thing to wake up in your bed, and know that you will be traveling that day. It's even more special, as it was this morning, to wake up somewhere else, and know that, that day, you are heading home.

It was a little overcast in Santa Cruz, as we packed up and headed to the airport in San Jose. Flying logistics were smooth - there was no major hassle with my surgical boot, although they did carefully swipe it, looking for tell-tale signs of high explosives.

We landed in Portland and it was sunny and cool. By the time we were heading west on I-84, the skies were darkening, and by the time we hit the Terwilliger Curves, the temperature had dropped 15 degrees and it was sleeting. There was a dusting of snow on the ground in our neighborhood, with a few flurries coming down.

The house, in the care of two young men for six days, was a mess, and we've just spent three hours cleaning. I guess that was to be expected.

It is now chow time for animals, and they are letting us know it. Nice to be home.

boning up on Turkish

Did I mention that Karen and I are going to Turkey in October? We're taking this tour, from the same company that did our trip to Costa Rica, a few years ago.

I found a website from a traveler who did that same trip a couple of years ago, with photos and descriptions. The email address on his site bounced, but a WhoIs search eventually revealed his true address. I wrote and he responded with some useful comments and tips. The Internet is a wondrous place.

Meanwhile, the compulsive that I am, I am doing a lot of reading in Greek/Byzantine/Ottoman/Lycian history, which is most entertaining. The big hurdle, of course, is the Turkish language, which is linguistically related to such arcane tongues as Finnish and Hungarian (who've have guessed?).

At any rate, I found an interesting Web site titled 'Useful Turkish Phrases', complete with many sound files. Many of the standard traveler phrases are here, but I have to admit that I laughed out loud as I approached the bottom of the page, and there, after Where's the toilet?, Help!, Call the police!, and Would you like to dance with me?, the author has thoughtfully included the classic Monty Python line My hovercraft is full of eels, which, in case you're interested, renders as 'Hoverkraftimin ici yılan balıǧı dolu'. Useful indeed.

off to vacation-land

Karen and I leave for the airport in an hour, to spend a few days with family in Santa Cruz. Her 97 year-old mother is flying up from Pasadena, and we all converge in San Jose around 2 pm, hopefully to be met by Karen's brother, who will drive us all to Santa Cruz.

With my foot still encased in The Boot, my mobility is limited, so I anticipate a lot of reading and card-playing coming up. Suits me.

With the past weekend having had the most gorgeous weather in about a year, we took the opportunity to do a lot of yard-work. Although it's great to see the yard in good condition, I'm ready for a break.

Not sure what the wifi situation down there will be - the last time I was at my brother-in-law's house, I was able to poach a very weak wifi signal from a neighbor, that was barely adequate. It will be interesting to see what's available and open in his neighborhood these days. If not, there are a number of hotspots at coffee places a few blocks away.

In the old days, travellers worried about robbers - nowadays we worry about finding a strong, non-encrypted path to the Internet. This is progress.

By the way, Obama was right - bitterness is in the air, with growing consciousness of the past 28 years of successful class warfare (perpetrated by the rich).

friday funnies

Daily Show's John Oliver profiles Fox News - hysterical.

So, it might get up to 70 degrees in PDX today. Dylan is headed up to Mt. Hood to go snow-boarding; maybe I'll mow the lawn later.

The peas, rhubarb, and raspberries are under way - the beets that I planted last fall survived and have a great head-start on Spring.

Trying to get work and life loose-ends tied up, before Karen and I head to Santa Cruz on Monday, for 5 days with family. The boys stay here, to take care of animals and the house.

I visited my podiatrist yesterday, and got an official-looking note, which will, hopefully, get me thru airport Security without having to unwrap the dressing on my left foot. It will be a chance to see how much trust they place in my words, a piece of paper and my security profile (oops), versus their compelling mission to Keep America Safe.

Have I mentioned war crimes yet today? Who could have predicted that John Ashcroft would turn out to be the conscience of America?

This might be interesting...

coming soon to a city near you?

hope not, but what happens when the truckers decide that the price of diesel precludes them making their regular trips to restock the local Safeway, and our fellow citizens panic and start hoarding, and, instead, start stocking up on ammo, and...

OK, it's science-fiction. Can't happen here. Americans would always be totally generous and share whatever we have, right?

Reminds me of a line from the graphic novel Maus, where the father, who survived Aushwitz, says to his incredulous son something like, "you'd be amazed at what people are capable of, when they haven't eaten in a couple of days."

the 800 pound elephant in the room

war crimes.

war crimes.

Hello, Nancy?

new monitor

My old 19" big old-fashioned monitor ($25 at a garage sale, many years ago) has been making periodic clicking noises for the past, oh, six months. Last night, it went into a Sudden Death frenzy, clicking and flashing, and finally dying.

I plugged in an old, spare 15" monitor, popped onto craigslist, saw a 19" widescreen LCD (this model) that a guy was selling for $100 (he's moving out of state) 20 minutes after he posted it. I was the first to call, went to see it this afternoon, and here I am typing the first blog entry on this very wide monitor.

Of course, Karen wants it for her office, so maybe I'll be a good guy and swap this one for her non-widescreen 19" LCD. That should earn me some temporary good will, right?

At any rate, I'm enjoying it while I can!

new Al Gore video

here

wish I shared his optimism.

but I don't.

my Left Foot - 7 weeks

Time to visit with Dr. Gentile again! We took new X-rays today. He looked things over and said that he definitely sees evidence of new bone growth. This is a good thing.

Here you can see that there is still a lot of swelling, but it's nice to know that there is progress.

Uh oh - is that a mini-bunion that's suddenly more obvious over there on the right foot? Yikes! Not again!

Time to clean everything and reapply the dressing.

Now for the bad news. He felt it was too soon to remove the pins and external fixator. We are planning on a short trip to Santa Cruz in a couple of weeks. Maybe we'll get the fixator off on April 11th, before we leave.

Even so, it looks like I'm going to be wearing The Boot for another 4 weeks. I am getting a little tired of clomping around with it, but the Doc calls the shots.

the dream ticket for 2008

Gore/Obama. Think about it.

what? again with the Spitzer?

follow the money, and then think of how frequently the sins of Democrats (real or imagined - think Howard Dean) are trumpeted by the Media and result in the loss of political power, and the sins of Republicans either hushed up (did you forget about "Jeff Gannon's" 200 White House visits) or (Larry Craig) conveniently forgotten?

Whenever a high-profile sex case against a Democrat comes to light, you have to ask yourself who that person had pissed off. Can you name a single such case, where that person had not pissed off Big Money? It's so predictable.

And speaking of attempted political assassinations, I happened to hear yet another playing of Rev. Wright's now-famous out-of-context remarks on the news last night. What's the point, other than to intentionally keep the issue alive and the ignorant sheep riled up, despite the fact that it was properly and eloquently handled last week, in what 'some people' are calling the most important American speech since "I Have a Dream"?

They (you know who) are scared of Obama, and are trusting that, as so many times before, the minds of white, easily-frightened, non-politically-savvy citizens are so easily poisoned. It's a phony issue (like most of these big campaign 'controversies') and it has done immeasurable damage (Mission Accomplished).

This is how they work, and they will not give up.

However, whenever I hear someone bring up the Obama pastor issue, my reaction, to quote Dick Cheney, is 'So?'

pretty good video

here.

I didn't make it to the Obama rally in Portland yesterday, but I did watch it on TV and taped it. I thought he was pretty convincing, and a bunch of other Portlanders appeared to agree.

Beautiful spring day coming up - still chilly, but promises to be sunny and mild later. I've had piano gigs the past two nights, for assorted Purim skits (actually got paid for last night's). Next big milestone is the Jewish Choral Festival, on April 6 - I am accompanying 3 different choruses, and have a bunch of music to learn before the next rehearsal, Monday night.

Reading Paul Theroux's 'Pillars of Hercules'. I had wanted to just check out the sections of Turkey, to see what might overlap with our planned trip, next October, but, as with all his wonderful travel books, got sucked in. I actually saw him in person, at a Portland book store, many years ago when he was promoting this very book - I didn't buy a copy that night.

Gotta go check out today's blogs, for my daily outrage...

coincidences are fun

Last night, we took Dylan out to dinner for his 20th birthday. That's right, as of yesterday, I no longer have teenagers in the house!

We went to Montage, a quirky little restaurant under the Morrison Bridge. Karen and I had only been there once before, a couple of years ago.

We arrived early and there were plenty of tables. However, by the time we were finishing up dessert (an amazing cake Karen bought at Market of Choice, with chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne!), the place was packed and noisy.

We hardly noticed that two people were led to the newly-vacated table-for-two right next to ours, until I glanced over and saw -- my foot surgeon (with whom I had been, five hours before, chatting pleasantly, in his office) and (I assume) his charming spouse.

We each did a double-take - it was quite amusing. Doc, hope you enjoyed your dinner.

What are the odds?

my left foot - end of month 1

Well, here we are at the end of the first month. Time to visit the doc again.

I had my very first acupuncture session on Monday, out of curiosity. Not sure it made any difference in the swelling, or was related to the soreness I felt yesterday, but it was interesting to see all those little needles sticking out of my feet, legs, and (curiously) tummy.

Here's how it looks today - a little less swollen, right?

Check out the X-rays. Here you see the top view, clearly showing the pins attached to the external fixator, and a couple of the big screws.

Here's a side view. Sorry that it's a little blurry, but, rest assured, the inside of my foot resembles a hardware store after an earthquake.

Time to get out the Allen wrench and make some adjustments to the external fixator. My next office visit is in two weeks, and (I'm excited getting ready to type this), if things look good at that point, the external fixator and pins come out and I can drive my manual transmission car again!

There are times when I get very impatient with this recovery, but, with the next big milestone in view, I am encouraged.

Not only that, but I have my (free) ticket to see Barack Obama in Portland, Friday morning! Will have to get up absurdly early to take mass transit, but it should be amazing.

robert novak - spreading left-wing conspiracy theories again

Novak on the Spitzer case: 'entrapment'

as Roger Stone says, 'no comment'.

In the meantime, isn't is great how the same folks who say that the solution to the Health Care crisis is to simply let the 'wisdom of the Free Market' to sort everything out, are now shoveling YOUR tax dollars into profligate Wall Street firms, to protect the careers of well-connected investment bankers? God forbid that tax dollars should go to help drowning Just Plain Folks (who already pay a far higher proportion of their income as taxes, than investment bankers).

Maybe, in the interest of honesty, we need a slight adjustment to the concept of 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people'. It seems to have perished from the Earth.

walk away from the book...

As a prodigious reader, it is rare for me to begin a book and give up within the first 25 pages. Some months ago, a copy of 'The Old Curiosity Shop' (Dickens) came my way. I've resisted opening it until a couple of days ago.

I read the first 3 chapters, and a sense of dread filled me. Do I really want to devote the precious hours to these characters, when there are other history/travel books still stacked up at the bedside? This morning, I thought I'd let Wikipedia decide for me, by glancing at its summary. What I found was permission to put it aside:

Oscar Wilde once observed that "One would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing." The Old Curiosity Shop is now one of Dickens' less esteemed novels.

That's good enough for me - it goes into the 'return to Powells' box. I feel like I have been reborn. Aside from 'Great Expectations' in high-school, I haven't read very much Dickens. Am I missing anything essential, anyone?

Meanwhile, we had a fun evening last night at Tony Starlight's Supper Club and Lounge. It's an intentionally light-hearted throwback to the lounge scene/acts of the 50s and 60s. To me, the high point was 'Tony' singing, with great feeling, an hilariously-nonPC parody called 'The Girl with Emphysema (goes coughing)". Before the show started, there was piano music by an 81 year-old dapper guy - I could easily see myself in that role (except for the dapper part).

Hey - a blog entry sans politics or grisly foot photos - a first!

sex/spitzer/sex/obama minister/sex/Britney

Look over there, don't look here.

Remember, the secret of Magic is distraction.

hey, Tom, case not closed yet

If you scroll down a bit, you will see a comment thread between me and my former Enron comrade, Duffbert, where we toss around my feeling that Spitzer's exposure (eeeeew!) was triggered by a politically-motivated "destroy that guy" directive from On High.

Naturally, I took the side that the smell of the Bush DoJ pervades this affair. Tom argued that evidence of criminal actions was uncovered and that's that.

Scott Horton, the reporter who first wrote about his suspicions that politics was at the bottom of the investigation, has refined his arguments, which are worth reading here. Yes, it's the 'New Republic', and, therefore, a partisan forum. Still, I think there is much here that merits thought, specifically:

"The IRS, according to the official line, noting that the matter related to a public official, turned it over to the Public Integrity Section (PIN) at the Department of Justice. In theory, PIN exists to avoid an appearance that prosecutions are politically motivated by insuring the application of uniform national standards. Practice at PIN has, however, been difficult to reconcile with theory. PIN has emerged as one of the most highly politicized branches of a highly politicized Justice Department. According to a study done by two university professors, under President Bush PIN has initiated 5.6 cases involving Democrats for every one case involving a Republican. This statistical data strongly suggest that PIN has a habit of aggressively pushing cases on the basis of partisan political criteria."

Read the whole thing. We don't think we are being completely paranoid here.

UPDATE: Ace reporter Greg Palast has more.

my Left Foot - 3 weeks down!

Vast stretches of the day go by without my thinking about my darn foot. I wear the Boot all day long (even sitting here at the computer, see?):


I clomp around the house, going about my business. It does feel good to take it off every 4 hours or so, and put my foot up for a while, but, really, I find myself concentrating on other matters most of the time.

My wonderful friend, Barbara S, has a Subaru identical to mine, except that hers is an automatic transmission. On Monday, she came over and we have traded cars, for the next couple of weeks. Last night, I actually drove my boys out to a restaurant (Karen is still in LA). It was the first time I drove since Wisconsin, in mid-February.

Today, I have a list of shopping, banking, and post-office chores to do, and am meeting another friend for a late lunch. Tomorrow, I begin a 10-day stretch of frequent and numerous musical/social events/activities. This is living!

Next doctor appointment - one week from today. I can get thru this.

i'm rambling again

In Albany, the NY State Republicans are yelling 'Impeachment', and, to avoid a protracted, nasty trial, Spitzer resigns. I guess those devoted public servants felt that, having a majority, they have the right to insist on the removal of their chief executive, for what they judge to be unforgivable crimes.

OK.

what about this?

or this?

how about this?

there's always this?

Yeah, I know - none of these issues are nearly as serious as hiding money spent on high-priced hookers. What was I thinking?

So, the question becomes 'why is this, Democrats'?

The only possible answer, that comes to my paranoid mind (tempered by observing how the Rove White House operates), is that the Congressional Democrats know that Rove has a file listing at least one evil/shameful act that each of them has committed, and, if they dare to attack Bush or any of his buddies (as Spitzer did), they will be destroyed.

The message is 'see, we can bring anyone down that we choose and shame them for life, so just Shut up and live'. Far-fetched? I think not. It's the way they operate - harness every facet of government to destroy anyone who obstructs their efforts to drain the US treasury.

Impossible, you say? How about the US attorney purge? Old news, right? How about this minor example, from today's Washington Post? Got it? Anyone who doesn't play along is destroyed.

"Land of the Free; Home of the Brave." Always wear your flag pin!

spitzer

Can there be any doubt that Spitzer was targeted by a politically-motivated Justice Dept, and that his principal crime, for which he must exit from the public stage, is stupidity?

Why don't Democrats realize that they need to be absolutely squeaky-clean, and that ANY human failing or suspicious action will be seized upon and publicized, by the ruthless BushCo/Media Complex?

Does it all boil down to the fact that anyone with the personality that makes them want to be a Honcho is, by definition, an ego-driven, careless, arrogant Servant of Testosterone?

Evolution has given us our Leader class - 'twas ever thus. They will always be flawed, and the rest of us will always just shake our heads and think back on the people who ran for Student Council in high school. Where are they now? Many are probably CEOs, laughing at us.

Spitzer is tragic, but he should have known the rules and he should have kept his pants zipped. It's another sordid victory for Rovism.

Barack? Are you listening? Keep 'em zipped! They are watching your every move.

joke of the week

From Bill Maher:

Q: How do we know for sure that Bush was NOT behind 9-11?
A: It worked.

my left foot - Just (Over)Do It!

Yesterday, I wore The Boot all day, clomping up and down stairs many times, as I tried to have a 'normal' work day, working in my basement computer room. Then, last night, I attended a political meeting with my Progressive Voter Network buddies.

By the time I got home last night, my foot was obviously swollen and really uncomfortable. Today, I did some work again downstairs, but, this afternoon, I am lying on the couch, with foot elevated and laptop here on my lap.

Clearly my ambitions for yesterday were a little beyond what I was ready for. When will They ever learn?

Karen heads to LA in a few hours, for 5 days visiting with her mother, so it will be pretty darn quiet around here.

my Left Foot - 2 weeks! (UPDATED - 6 pm)

Yes, two weeks ago at this time, I was just coming out of the anesthesia. Today, I had my 2nd post-op doctor visit and got the stitches out (I couldn't watch).

I am cleared to begin putting weight on my foot, as long as I am wearing The Boot. I am reluctant to take this step (literally), but I know that it's important to try. The doc seems to feel that everything is proceeding as it should.

Also, I am now to begin the once-a-day regimen of unwrapping the dressing and cleaning the pin/skin interface with isopropyl alcohol. Next appointment in 2 weeks.

Now for the latest photos:
Want a closer look? Still pretty swollen!
Dr. Gentile is pleased that he got the stitches out, without me fainting!
Let's take a nostalgic look at the 'before' photo, just to reinforce the sense that this is all worthwhile:

Update: Late this afternoon, I put The Boot on and I'M WALKING!! It's not elegant and not painless, but I am hobbling around the kitchen, sans crutches. Now, the trick is not to over-do it. Stay tuned...

no pain meds since Saturday!

Not only have I stopped taking the meds, but I actually got out of the house twice yesterday - to my normal piano-playing volunteer work at the Jewish Home (i.e. Rose Schnitzer Manor), and downtown to a lecture in the 'Brain Awareness' series.

Of course, driving is still out of the question - that will be a welcome return. I get the stitches out tomorrow, which will be an opportunity to take another photo to see what's changed. I feel a major reduction in swelling has happened over the past 3-4 days, and, although my foot is kept elevated most of the time, I no longer feel that blood-rushing discomfort when I get upright.

Meanwhile, I am thinking about the good voters in today's primary states. Can't wait for the evening news, to hear about turnout levels, demographics, and results. I don't care who ultimately gets the Democratic nomination, but am really encouraged to hear about participation levels - to me, that's the big news.

my left foot - a week and a half

Some milestones today.

Using the shower-chair that my friends Chris and Scott loaned me (along with the indispensable crutches), I wrapped my foot in a secured plastic bag and gave myself a real, hot shower for the first time in 10 days. It felt great.

Then, I got myself upstairs to the bedroom for the first time, and changed my clothes. I bumped back downstairs and got the living room changed back into a living room - stripped the bedding on the fold-out couch, cleaned up the accumulated stuff of living in this room for 10 days, and collapsed the fold-out couch back into a couch.

I am ready to move back upstairs for sleeping tonight, and this is a welcome move.

My mood is good - progress is now obvious in the externals of daily life. I offered to cook dinner tomorrow night for a family meal, while Karen is at her afternoon dance class. For the first time, I can envision an end to this recovery, although, realistically, full normality is several weeks away.

Still having the expected discomfort from time to time, and I had to go to bed for 2 hours after being out and about for 2 hours this morning. Every day is easier.