and now for something completely different

watch

yeager

So, Scott Yeager is asking the Supreme Court to not permit the government from retrying him on Enron fraud, since the first trial was deadlocked on multiple counts (fraud, money laundering, insider trading, etc. etc. etc).

I respect Justice Breyer and, in the interest of protecting civil liberties, I think his position is valid. The problem with protecting civil liberties, is that it protects both the innocent and the snakes.

Yeager cashed in $54 million of Enron stock and options before bailing. He was at the top of the organization, and, if this wasn't insider trading and fraud, he was a manager completely out-of-touch.

Maybe I'm naive, but I thought the philosophy of work is that you get rewarded for bringing your organization success. Yeager was fabulously enriched and his justification for keeping the loot is that he had no idea that things were going to utterly crash and burn.

What am I missing? Good thing this attitude is nowhere to be found nowadays - we have sure learned our lessons!

Here's the classic 'Enron Communications' photo (i.e. the predecessor of Enron Broadband Services) in the very early days, when this group was most of the entire company, and we were all going to be millionaires. Some of the people in this photo actually did.

That's Yeager in the middle of the Big Three (and me, two heads away, in the back row, with the gargoyle on my shoulder).

want to make your blood boil?

read it and weep.

I'm currently reading a history of Spain, covering the period about 1450-1750. Right now, I am in the 1560's, a time of political and financial unrest, as Philip II dealt with the absurd Empire he inherited from his papa, the remarkable Charles V.

It's a story of an economy ruined, banks failing, shifting political alliances, finger-pointing, and public frustration, totally different from our time.

Yeah.

work shortage

Talked to another former client yesterday afternoon, an ecology center in Sonoma, CA. They are laying off folks and cutting hours, so it's the end of that road, too.

That makes two clients pretty much gone, and my main contact at my main client is so swamped with work that, although there is stuff to be done, I have not received the specs to get started.

Thanks to the amazing folks at Friends of Trees, though, I still get a couple of hours of little changes every week. It's barely enough to keep me sitting here at my computer, surfing around political sites, Spain tourism sites, and craigslist.

Currently reading Imperial Spain 1469-1716. I've just finished the age of Ferdinand and Isabella and am moving into the world of Charles V.

Most amazing factoid to date: F&A, as you know, mandated the expulsion of Jews and Muslims in 1492 (which deprived Spain of some of its most creative and clever folks, including my Toledo ancestors, but that's another story).

However, did you know (ready?) that Ferdinand's mother was Jewish? I always knew that Isabella and her Castile buddies called the shots in that uneasy partnership (Aragon always got a raw deal), but that's pretty creepy, eh?

Don't forget to listen to This American Life this Sunday morning, so you don't have to hear me doing my very first hosting gig on the Portland Yiddish Hour on KBOO. If you don't live in Oregon, you definitely wouldn't want to stream it live at http://kboo.fm/listen at 10 am PDT.

Cheers!

powers of 10

Yes, the AIG executive bonuses are a prime example of hubris and insiders gaming the system - we knew that already - and recovering that money would be nice (especially from those who are no longer with the company, which shoots down the 'retention incentive' argument).

However, let us keep in mind that we are talking about a couple hundred million dollars. Although that sum might make a difference in YOUR life, and the lives of 50 of your friends, don't forget that:

We have poured hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars into AIG, and 1 Billion = 1,000 Million. Think about it and you'll realize that the sums over which the punditry is expending all its moral outrage this week is 1/10th of 1 percent of the actual money (OUR money) being forked over.

Remember, any time The Media repeatedly says 'Hey, Look at THIS!", it's a sure sign that it's a diversion.

Pranav Mistry

remember that name. Why?

Go here.

a beautiful day in Portland

yet, I am filled with the sense that the American Dream of endless consumer delights has been a Matrix fantasy, fueled by our own eagerness to accept the illusion and the accumulated momentum of scientific and technological progress over the past 200 years (which, like a giant wave, is about to come crashing down on us surfers).

I could be wrong. Maybe we are on the cusp of a transformational wake-up.

However, considering the new Britney video, maybe not.

Still, it's Spring today, and I have no paying work to do (times are lean).

At least Jon Stewart speaks truth.

and so, it begins...

52 degrees and sunny today, with rain coming this weekend - the perfect opportunity to do what needs to be done: 3 varieties of peas, 2 varieties of spinach, 2 varieties of lettuce, and a few leftover arugula seeds are now in the ground.

Will plant another couple of rows in a couple of weeks.Also, forgot to mention that, last week, we finally completed a project we've been talking about for many years - an asparagus bed that, providing the 20 crowns you see here survive, should last for 15 years. Now, to wait 2 years until the first harvest - I'll let you know if anything comes up.

t-shirt of the day

the joke's on me

ha ha ha ha ha...

laptop battery totally dead today! it appeared to be charging, but stopped at 34%.

Now, the power meter says 'unknown'.

you learn something new every day

At the risk of appearing stupid, I must confess that, even though I've owned various laptops for several years, nobody ever told me that it's very bad to leave your laptop plugged into the AC charger all the time, with the battery inserted.

Who knew?

I had bought a new battery when I got my most-recent used laptop, and was frustrated when, a year later, it would never charge more than 4%, and always appeared to be on the verge of running out. Likewise the battery in Karen's laptop (again, always plugged into the AC), which also, should you unplug the power cord, showed little juice remaining.

I recently did some googling on laptop batteries and charging problems, and came across a site that offered a suggestion for laptop batteries that appear to be virtually dead and unable to recharge. It seemed preposterous.

1) Remove battery from laptop.
2) Slip it inside a ziplock plastic bag.
3) Wrap a dishtowel around it and place in your freezer for at least 13 hours.
4) Remove from freezer and let it slowly come up to room temperature.
5) Insert battery back into laptop, plug in the AC cord, and power up.
6) Go to 'Control Panel | Power Options | Power Meter' and prepare for a shock.

My battery, which never showed more than 4% charged (9 minutes remaining), immediately showed 97% charged, and charging.

I let it sit for a while and when I looked back, it was up to 98% charged!

I unplugged the AC and the control panel updated, to inform me that 'Total time remaining' is now 3.57 hours.

Amazing.

can you find the twins?

Is it just my imagination, or is there a distinct resemblance between these two schnooks?

saw 'gran torino' last night

not perfect, but very entertaining and frequently moving.

worth seeing - nobody snarls like Clint.

uh, oh

yikes - What does he know that hasn't been previously disclosed?

mind-boggling

here's a thought

since the US taxpayers are about to embark on a multi-year incredibly major drain, to mend the mistakes of the greedy, arrogant, and incompetent, wouldn't this be an opportunity for The People to get organized and mandate an end to the Defense Department's (sic) stranglehold on over half of our GDP?

just sayin'...

what an amazing world

As some of you may know, my main work project is a database application for the US Dept of Agriculture. My development contacts are in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A couple of days ago, I sent them a new build of the database, for them to test the latest new capability (pull GPS data from an attached device directly into an Access form). It was working great for me, and I needed them to test it on their hardware.

Alas, they saw weird problems that I could not reproduce in Portland. We had a number of phone conversations - finally, it occurred to me to set up a screen-sharing session, so I could see exactly what they were seeing (and even control their machine to diagnose things).

A quick Web search led me to Adobe's free 'ConnectNow' application, which works GREAT. Highly recommended.

So, there I was, in my computer dungeon here, taking over a laptop connected wirelessly to a network in New Mexico. After messing around and thinking it thru, I figured out my problem (I needed to *register* a DLL, not just add it to the Access app as a Reference - doh!).

I grabbed some code from another application, pasted it in and tweaked a tiny bit, then uploaded a new build for my contact in NM to install on the laptop.

Then we set up another screen-sharing session in her office, and I was able to watch as we got beyond the previous brick-wall. It was very cool.

Then, Ericha took the laptop outside, to get a real GPS fix. Amazingly, she was still in range of their WiFi, so I was able to witness the final test. When the good results came in, it was a moment of sheer delight.

Here's a screen shot of what I saw (it's the numbers in the Latitude/Longitude that signal 'SUCCESS'):

i need a drink

hmmmm

Peak Water?

just watched Obama's speech to Congress

If there was ever any doubt that this is a remarkable guy, that doubt is ended now.

Isn't it great to have a President again?

UPDATE: is this the kind of innovative thinking that BHO was talking about?

but Al Gore is just trying to make money off of fear...

uh, no.

you know you're short of work when...

...the task of cleaning your desk makes it to the top of the daily to-do list.

One of my major clients for the past seven years has been The Nature Conservancy, for whom I have contributed to several interesting database projects, notably the Invasive Weeds application.

Last week, I heard from my primary contact that TNC is abandoning support for the Global Invasives initiative, and that she is losing her job next month. This probably translates into no more work for me on the project, unless they can get the NRDC, USGS, National Parks, or BLM (all of whom use WIMS) to take on ownership.

I hope it's not the BLM, since my dealings with them over the years has led me to conclude that they model their office regulations and procedures on the Byzantine Empire.

Now, the big decision of the day is going to be, which side of the desk do I attack first?

You think I'm kidding?

feb 18th will never be the same

My mother, who died on December 11th, would have been 95 today. My brother is taking a cake over to the folks at her assisted living place in Wisconsin.

Here she is with a young Dylan in our kitchen in Portland, on her last visit here, a few years ago.

conspiracy theory of the day

This just hit me. The price for a barrel of oil continues its incredible slump, and appears to be headed to $32, less than one quarter of what it was a year ago.

As these prices for oil, the urge to move to (i.e. fund) renewable energy development decreases significantly, just as the Obama Administration needs to rally political support for the Green Economy.

Coincidence?

quick quiz

Q: at what point in World History was the Earth's population half of what it is today? 1400? 1700? 1800?

A: 1963. Yes, the world in which I learned to walk, talk, appreciate Ruff and Ready, watch Lee Harvey Oswald get shot on live TV, and prepare for my Bar Mitzvah had less than half the number of people it does today, and it's expected to double again before you know it.

Maybe that's one of the reasons why the world economic condition is deemed more a security threat to the world than the 'GWOT'.

This issue dwarfs all others. Too many people and not enough Earths to go around, when everyone expects a 50 inch television, not to mention something to eat every day (with a glass of water).

broken record

not just me.

Cokie Roberts did it again on NPR this morning. They play Lindsey Graham's hissy fit about the 'Democratic lack of bipartisanship' and she says, "he's correct". Uh, Cokie, the measure of bipartisanship ultimately is not the degree of compromises that get made, but the final vote tally.

The House significantly diluted their original stimulus outline, bringing in ridiculous tax-cuts and trimming of the stimulus features that put the most money into the economy the fastest (i.e. food stamps, unemployment assistance, and infrastructure repairs) and, in the spirit of bipartisanship, they received NO GOP votes. Ditto in the Senate, except they managed to eke out 3 out of 48 votes.

Finally, Cokie mentions that the new stimulus programs that the Democrats now 'own' are likely to produce some stories of waste and corruption, and the Democrats will 'own' that responsibility, to the Republicans' benefit.

Uh, what about a trillion Iraq dollars, that have vanished with incredible waste and corruption? Who owns that? Who even mentions that, Cokie? What about the looting of the Social Security trust fund that has happened during the Bush years? Military contracting under Bush? KBR cost over-runs and shoddy work (that actually took the lives of American soldiers?

Cokie, you are a hack now, and NPR is a whore. As Barbara Bush famously said to Al Franken once (you can look it up), "I'm done with you."

UPDATE: how timely

UPDATE 2: hey, Cokie, look here

UPDATE 3: try this

saturday morning

Had a fun evening last night, listening to a jazz duo at RiverPlace and chatting with two delightful ladies who happened to share our table.

It was the opening of the Portland Jazz Festival and I suspect we'll be sampling a lot of the offerings over the next few days. The problem, of course, is that I spend too much time envisioning myself sitting at the keyboard, rather than concentrating on the professionals up there creating good stuff.

Finally, I have to say a few words about how distressing it was listening to NPR this morning. They repeat the GOP talking points as if they are reasonable arguments (instead of the disingenuous, evil balderdash they are) then, for commentary, they have on Jonah Goldberg, someone from The New Republic and Juan Williams. Sheesh! I turned it off in disgust.

slavery in the 21st century

Yes, it's great that slavery is a thing of the past, but the need for slaves has not gone away - we just don't have humans in that role.

Case in point: at the moment, machines in this house are washing and drying my clothes, washing my dishes, baking some bread, simmering some soup, and heating my house. These are all functions that, 200 years ago, I would have employed someone to do.

No wonder our economy is so screwed up - it evolved from a time when there was plenty of work for humans to do, and now, in this credit economy, there are many more people needing to make a living, but fewer things for humans to do.

There's only so much new employment that technological advances can be expected to create (or is it unlimited?). Seems like a dilemma.

OK, it's true, I have to stir the soup myself, but the bread machine is starting to send out some wonderful aromas...

happy 200th birthday

Abe and Chuck - thanks for everything.

attention, folks who are ignorant about money and credit

which includes me. watch this. It's a pretty darn interesting 47 minutes.

attention, armchair travelers...

watch this

republicans have been screaming about 'voter fraud' for years

...without successfully finding any actual evidence - until now.

heh, heh.

exactly what i've been thinking

Isn't it about time to concede that it's time to downsize the American military Empire?

Finally, there is some growing recognition (not yet in the highest circles, apparently), that the Cold War had two losers, rather than one supreme Winner, and that every army that ever marched confidently into Afghanistan has inevitably marched back out humbled and bankrupt.

Our hubris has, as it has Time and Time again, to Empire after Empire, led to rot. This time, though, it's difficult to predict where the next Empire will arise? Most of the rest of the world has now Been There, Done That.

I say shut down the American military-industrial complex, re-tool the factories to produce the hardware for widespread solar electricity and wind electricity, train a million folks to install and maintain the above, and train another million to give medical care to Baby Boomers, and educate the rest of us on how to grow beans, tomatoes, squash, and potatoes.

And garlic.

Also on CommonDreams this morning is this important post on climate change. Here's the take-away sentence:

"There is a profound disconnect between actions that policy circles are considering and what the science demands for preservation of the planet."

Think about it.

anyone need tickets to Winterfolk?

See my craigslist ad. This generally sold-out concert is THIS Saturday night.

We go every year, but this year we were invited to a friend's special birthday party that night, so we can't go.

We have 2 tickets and other friends have 2 more they'd like to sell. We paid $30 (admission + $2 service charge) each - asking $28 (face value).

There is a guy in Vancouver who is interested, but, if you act now, and don't make me drive to Vancouver, I'll knock off another couple of dollars.


UPDATE: Sorry, the guy in Vancouver is definitely taking my 2 tickets, but I think the other 2 are still available. Let me know if interested.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I just don't get it. Obama appoints a Republican Senator from a state with a Democratic governor to head Commerce, and permits the Republicans to insist that another Republican be appointed to take the vacant Senate seat.

What part of "we won the election and Republicans are totally discredited" does he not understand? Seems like a GOPer in charge of Commerce would be a reasonable tradeoff for the Dems to get that magic 60 Senate seats (assuming Franken finally makes it). Instead, they get one of Their Own in a significant cabinet position and the go-ahead to continue their Obstruct-Without-Shame policies.

Yes, we are being bi-partisan, but they must think we are total patsies.

It's extremely frustrating.

something for these troubled times

watch

old news

can we finally agree that making a big deal about a 23 year-old celebrity who is photographed smoking marijuana is so 1990?

I mean, really, there are many more important issues to think about.

For example, this.

worth reading

David Neiwert's blog is always thought-provoking. Latest post has this conclusion:

"In fact, all this shouting is just cover for Republicans' greatest and deepest fear: That Obama in fact will succeed. That progressive "socialism" (as they call it) actually will make people's lives better, heal the economy, and get the nation back on its feet. That the nation's working people will finally get a clear view of which side is on their side. That the public will finally see that not only is Conservatism an abject failure, it's a fraud."

Yes, more of this, please.

boo hoo

So, every House republican voted against the stimulus bill, because it did not follow Republican dogma?

Are they totally clueless or totally shameless? I vote for a nasty combination of the two.

good news and bad news

Good:

I got in touch with the amazing people at CorgiAid, Inc. (http://www.corgiaid.org/cart) and they appear to have a cart that will fit Zacky. It he adjusts to it, it could really enhance his quality of life, as his DM progresses over the next few months.

Not so good:

yikes. For a good (not) laugh, check out the comments from the 'skeptics'.

somewhat low productivity today...

Here is our house this morning. The snow seems to be tapering off:


Went for a walk in our neighborhood park with Zacky, who loves the snow.
As I may have previously written, he has a degenerative neurological disease, that is causing him to slowly lose control of his hind legs. We just applied for a cart for him, from these amazing people.

He did pretty well today, though, and was SO happy to be out there walking with me.

Pretty slow work day for me, obviously, so I cleaned my desk. Karen returns from LA tomorrow night.

i should be working...

...instead of enjoying the snow this morning, not to mention this.

Here's the view of our back yard, with the tool shed and my car, taken with my crappy cell-phone camera...

a loud movie

Ben has been after me to see 'The Dark Knight' ever since it came out, and it was just re-released, to our neighborhood IMAX theater. We went to the noon show today.

There were probably no more than 10 people in the giant theater, watching the giant screen, and overwhelmed by the giant speakers pounding out giant sound-effects.

I have to admit that both the writing and photography were pretty darn impressive, and Heath Ledger's Joker truly amazing. It's not the kind of movie I generally love, but I'm happy to have seen it.

It's getting cold out there. Time to fix some dinner and settle in for the evening. If only the echoes of gunshots and other assorted explosions would die down in my head...

don't-do-it-yourself

There was a big wind-storm around here last week - lots of trees down and roofs damaged, mostly in East Multnomah county. However, our renters in Garden Home left a phone message that a couple of shingles had blown off the roof.

I could probably have attempted to do the repair myself, but not only would the work quality be suspect, but Karen would be angry if I fell off the roof and became a quadriplegic. I called a local roofing company and they sent over a young, limber guy, who did the repair in about 45 minutes.

Here's what I didn't have to do this afternoon:

i pass a test

During today's countless moments of significant activity, let me describe one particular minute.

THE SET UP

For months, Ben has been singing the praises of Kenny and Zuk's, a downtown deli. I took him there for lunch today, arriving around 12:10 and the place was crazy with lunchers.

One of Ben's good High School friends (Lincoln HS) works as a counter-man and cashier there. We had our fabulous lunch (1/2 of a pastrami, chopped liver, cole slaw and russian dressing and a bowl of hot borsht for me, and an impossibly large turkey-pastrami sandwich with a mound of fries for Ben), paid, and got ready to leave. On the way out, we stopped to chat with Ben's friend.

Noah asked me if I'd like a complementary dessert, as a Dad-of-a-friend. I instantly turned my eyes to the plate of familiar objects, labeled 'Hamantaschen'.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

Noticing my obvious interest, Noah (not a Jew) asked me, 'poppy or prune'?

I PASS A TEST

Without having to think, I instantly replied, 'poppy, of course'.

THE PROOF

Noah said, "everyone who knows what those are always chooses 'poppy'".

QED


THE SHOCKING EPILOGUE

nice buttery cookie, but too dry

ever get the feeling that your life is boring?

I guess so, compared to these guys.

how sweet it is

Finally reached Zero hour/min/sec.

nice speech

Simultaneously, at its conclusion, I received three phone calls (none of which related to Obama) and one text message (that was).

The poet is speaking now, and nothing seems to rhyme, but it was short.

Just a benediction to go and I can get to work...

finally, it's official

yea!

Actually, Katie Couric just reminded us that Joe Biden was officially the acting president for about 5 minutes.

musical interlude

You can just imagine the millions of people, around the world, thinking to themselves, "c'mon, get on with it", and the folks standing in the cold in DC wondering if they have time to make it to the port-a-potty.

joe biden is in!

May he never be president.

aretha! all right!

Sing it, girl.

rick warren speaking now

Sorry, but the image of all these folks, bowing their heads in apparent prayer to a Big Guy in the Sky is quite embarrassing. What year is this?

Thank you, Jesus.

live-blogging the innauguration coverage

CBS just cut to a shot of the unloading of the moving van, by the White House back door, with the information that folks are hurriedly moving the Obamas' clothes and furniture in right now.

Now that's a change of underwear I can believe in.

the perfect headline as Bush leaves town

Sums up the W years pretty well, I think. Watching the TV coverage now.

i challenge you

watch this without tears in your eyes.

didn't think you could do it.

UPDATE: well, what do you know? Corporate America is not amused.

LATER UPDATE: Here it is, with Italian TV intro.

good shabbos

a chilly Saturday morning, but golden sunlight is streaming into the kitchen, where my first cup of coffee is finished, the kitchen is cleaned, the cornbread is just about done, the dog and cats are fed, and I can go food-shopping later this morning, and buy anything I want.

And it's the last weekend where George Bush can do damage.

It doesn't get much better than this, or does it?

three oaxaca photos

One of the hundreds of displays at 'Noche de los Rabenos':


Interior of Santo Domingo:


Along the trail on the 2-day mountain trek:

humans are often stupid but...

Can't argue with this poor approximation of the incredible sunrise, visible from my driveway right now:

that voice

The first thing I do EVERY morning, before getting out of bed, is to reach for my little earphone-radio, plug in, and scan both KPOJ and KOPB for any significant news. Yes, it's compulsive, this behavior dating all the way back to Watergate, when every morning just might bring some new tidbit.

This morning, I hear George W Bush holding what must surely be his last news conference. The questions, as always, are lame, and the responses, as always, are shocking in their cluelessness, distortion, and "aw-shucks, we're all friends and insiders in this room" attitude.

And that voice. That hideous, smug, self-confident voice. His crazy way of enunciating multi-syllable words, aside from the distorted perspective the words convey. It's so grating, so insulting, so infuriating.

Begone, I say, and never darken our towels again.

israel

I have NEVER commented on Israel on this blog. Having never been there, I always felt totally unqualified to voice an opinion.

That being said, what the hell are they doing over there? Have they never opened a history book? You can't oppress and bombard a people and expect any reaction other than hardened resistance.

I don't get it - are they really that arrogant, that blind?

he's baaack

OK, OK, I know h0w tiresome it is to hear someone else moan about being depressed.

All it took to get me beyond it was a couple of phone calls and emails yesterday morning, from my two primary clients, throwing several complex programming challenges at me.

I spent most of the day tweaking a bunch of code I had previously written, to handle arcane data situations, inscrutable user requirements, and, yes, previously-introduced little buggies.

It was, again, totally fulfilling, and there's more to come today.

So, what is the antidote for depression? Being useful to someone. As St. Vonnegut so often reminded us, the purpose of human beings is to simply help each other get thru this.

In other news, my oldest son, Ben, came over for dinner last night. The two of us cooked together, using a jar of black mole that we bought in Oaxaca, and the chicken mole was good, as were the mashed potatoes, broccoli, avocado salad, and, yes, whole wheat fig newtons.

After dinner, Ben sat us down in front of the tube, and insisted that we watch the entire first season of 'Arrested Development', which I had never seen. I have to admit, I had to laugh out loud.

Back to the Visual Basic editor now, to work more magic. We all do what we can.

it's the weather, stupid

depressed.

adrift

feeling very disconnected. there have been three family deaths in a row, over the past month.

getting work and life back to 'normal' is turning out to be more difficult than I expected - so many loose ends still to be resolved.

not only that, but I have a dentist appointment in a half-hour.

is bush still president? what's wrong with this picture?

home

Woke up in Oaxaca Saturday morning, and, three flights and a scant 17 hours later, I am in my familiar computer dungeon in Portland.

It's kinda amazing, but I am too tired to appreciate it fully.

Night, night.

winding down in oaxaca

New Year's day and all is reasonably well.

Sylvia, my 97 year old mother-in-law, has been under the weather the past couple of days, and today is my turn to stay with her while the others are checking out a couple of neighboring villages.

Today is the last full day, then we have a full day of travelling on Saturday, before arriving home in Portland late Saturday night.

It has been a relaxing interesting trip, with several odd coincidences, many surprising sights, and a lot of corn tortillas, eggs, refried beans, avocados (especially wonderful) and chicken. Last night, at dinner at a local place, we ordered a bottle of wine and it (a Chilean Cabernet) was actually quite a delightful change from the frequent beers.

We've made a number of interesting purchases, and I have taken hundreds of photos, one or two of which may end up here soon.

Two weeks is a long time to be away from home, staying in the same place, but, coming after the hectic and stressful events of the past 4 months, a welcome trip. The day spent at Monte Alban was especially perfect, a major surprise being the incredible chicken-and-garlic platter we had for lunch at the airy, quiet cafe, overlooking the distant mountains, valleys and clouds.

Nothing more to say right now, except that it's another beautiful sunny afternoon in this ancient place, and my half-hour on this computer is about up.

I have not disappeared

Into our 2nd week in Oaxaca and all is well.

The first week was spent in spanish classes. I am still a beginner.

The food has been largely great, except for one notable disaster dinner. The sights are fascinating. Highlights include the fiesta of the radishes (look it up) and eating fried grasshoppers (never again).

We did a 2-day trek in the mountains north of Oaxaca and that was amazing. Photos and anecdotes to follow at some point.

This afternoon we hope to visit a neighboring village where the specialty is colorful carved wooden animals. Tomorrow we hope to make it to Monte Alban.

We have encountered an amazing number of folks from the pacific northwest, and Portland in particular.

Will write more at some point (access is difficult and this mexican keyboard not quite as confusing as in Turkey).

Adios for now, everybody.

countdown

Our plane to LA leaves at 6:50 Saturday morning. The Portland forecast is for snow hitting in the afternoon, so we should be OK.

We change planes in LA and Mexico City, and should arrive in Oaxaca later in the evening.

I am looking forward to this trip - a chance for a real change of scenery and pace. A chance to reflect. A chance to begin healing.

It's about time to pack and get the house ready to turn over to the house-sitter.

This is a week unlike any other.

36 hours

Tuesday, Dec 16th 2008

Left the house in Portland at 6:15 am. The flight to Philadelphia was uneventful and I arrived at 3:30 pm, on schedule, fully expecting to rendezvous with the Milwaukee family members around 6:30.

There was a message from them on my phone. I called my brother, to learn that bad weather in Milwaukee had delayed them to the point where it was impossible for them to make the 8:30 to Elmira, the last flight of the day.

Over the next four hours, there were innumerable calls among us and friends and family already in Elmira. Schedules and options changed every half-hour, as more delays were announced, throughout the entire air-control system.

There was a magic hour, around 7:30 pm, when it seemed possible that the delayed arrival from Milwaukee would still be over a half-hour before the delayed departure of the Elmira flight. Feeling happy and assured, I had a very tall beer in the noisy bar, and settled into that comfort zone, where everything appears to be worked out in the best possible way.

Not to be. My phone rang and they were still in Wisconsin, thwarted by bad weather. Finally, I heard that they could make it to Rochester that night, and would drive to Elmira in the morning, the funeral having been pushed back from 10:30 to noon.

At that point, all I could do was wait and watch my departure slip farther and farther away, as the hours passed. I boarded the flight around 10:30 pm (two hours late), and a half-hour later, was descending to my frozen home-town, in which I had not spent any significant time since 1970.

Amazingly, my bag showed up and the complementary cab soon arrived to whisk me to the Holiday Inn. The driver was a young, pierced dude, who was happy to describe in detail the horrendous job situation in Elmira. We drove through the frozen, snowy streets I had not traveled for many decades, my remembering the landmarks along the way, him pointing out where certain places from my memories were either unchanged or obliterated. It was surreal.

He had gone to the same High School I attended. I was Class of ‘69 and he was Class of ‘96.

I knocked on my cousin Steve's door around 12:30 am. He and my cousin Carolyn had arrived together earlier that evening, he from Orlando and she from Phoenix. Steve and I chatted for a while. Allen called from a motel in Rochester around 2 am – they made it!

Steve and I settled into a night of very unsettled sleep. I drifted in and out, but had the sense of spending hour after hour, lying there while Steve snored. Curiously, Steve reported exactly the same sleeplessness the next morning.


Wednesday, Dec 17th 2008

Up at 7 am. Shaved and showered, then headed to the restaurant for some coffee and breakfast. Carolyn joined me (coffee only) as we got caught up on our lives and families. It turned out to be just about the happiest, most relaxed episode of the entire trip.

The three of us checked out and drove in their rental car thru the slushy, familiar streets, past their old house, and then to the synagogue.

This was a building that played a central role in my childhood. I spent many hours each week there, for my first 17 years. It was a true time-warp.

I found my 16 year-old self and my mother in several places in the many collages of historical photos, that my old optometrist had prepared some years ago. Memories and ghosts popped up with every glance.

I asked the office manager if there was a piano in the building and she said it was in one of the classrooms. Not only did it turn out to be the same classroom where I first learned Hebrew as a very young child (an event which, I believe, led directly to my lifelong facility with languages, both computer and human), but, as I expected, it was the very same piano that my parents had donated to the synagogue back in the early 60’s (the plaque was still there), and upon which I had played my first public piano performances, for an endless series of holiday skits and synagogue events over those years.

Soon, guests, friends and the funeral guys arrived, with Dottie’s casket. I was reintroduced to many folks I had not seen in 35 years, many of whom were as shocked to be seeing me again, as I was in seeing them again.

Here's a cell-phone photo of four old jews (Steve, Allen, Billy and me):


One of my old friends from elementary-thru-high school came by (we had been communicating off and on over the past few months, have been reconnected via Classmates.com), and we had a fine, but brief reunion. We had both experienced recent losses. I am so happy to have had those moments.

Mom's casket, simple and tasteful, was wheeled into the sanctuary and covered with a nice blue embroidered cover. I spent several long minutes with my hand on it, in that quiet oh-so-familiar room, again totally surrounded by ghosts.


Finally, it was time for the service. My brother and cousin Steve spoke at length. It was dignified and heartfelt, and the stories told nicely reflected the character of the woman. My little anecdote took two minutes max, as I intended.

We left for the cemetery - a line of ten or so cars. Across the river, slowly, along the white, slushy streets, to the old jewish cemetery, where so many familiar names are resting.

The service there was brief and moving, under gray skies and a hint of drizzle. We said Kaddish and we said goodbye, everyone adding a shovelful of dirt - a wonderful custom. I placed a small stone I had brought from Portland for that purpose on the marker that, for the moment, has only my father's name inscribed.

We lingered, but with an eye on the time. We visited other graves - grandparents and family friends. It was cold and overcast.

Our work there was done, for this visit. What had been a single grave plot for 26 years was now a double.

We got in our cars around 2:15 and headed for the airport and the 3:50 flight to Philadelphia that all six of us were to take. All cell phones went off at once. Flight cancelled.

At the airport, we improvised. Steve, Carolyn and I appeared lucky - there was one other flight to Philadelphia that *might* allow us to make our various connections. Allen, Ellen and Jeff bid us a hasty goodbye and sped off back to Rochester, where, three hours later, another Milwaukee flight was scheduled to depart.

I alerted Karen in Portland that it looked good for my arrival home that night, and got a beer and ate a couple of cookies that Karen had made a couple of days before. It was all going to be OK.

A half hour later - nope, another delay. They told me that, even if I got to Philadelphia that afternoon, there was no way I'd make the 6 pm Portland flight. I might make it home late Thursday. It was a tad depressing.

I lay down on the floor and closed my eyes for a few minutes, imagining spending the night in Philadelphia.

Another half hour later, though, came the surprise boarding announcement. An hour had been shaved off the delay. We would land in Philadelphia around 5:30 and, if I ran at full speed (and caught the shuttle to a different terminal just right), it was 'possible'.

We landed in Philly, I ran to the shuttle and pushed to the front of the crowd. Steve and Carolyn made the same shuttle a minute later – we stood together in the doorway, me poised for a mad dash.

Carolyn had, in the brief interim, heard from Ellen. They did make it to Rochester on time, but a mechanical problem came up and all bets were off. So near yet so far. They had the worst luck of all of us. As of this writing, I still don't know if they made it home yesterday.

When the shuttle stopped, I bade farewell to Steve and Carolyn and ran.

I ran up an escalator, around a corner and ran full-speed, thru concourse C, weaving my way through the crowds like a maniac.

About seven gates away, I heard the 'final boarding call' message and ran faster.

I made it with less than four minutes to spare, my chest heaving and my throat dry.

On Tuesday, I spent seven hours in the Philadelphia airport; on Wednesday, seven minutes.

A long, unreal flight through the dark, bumpy night. Landed in Portland around 9:30 pm, on the same day I had helped bury my mother. How could this be?

Karen was waiting for me at the curb with the dog. My bag is still in Philadelphia, but I don’t care. I went to bed.

--------------------------
Late update - 11:30 am Thursday

Just talked to Allen and Ellen, as they were pulling into their driveway in Milwaukee, almost 24 hours after we watched them drive away from the Elmira airport.

They did make it to Rochester, but were on an overbooked flight, which they missed. They were placed on a United flight, but it had a defective tire and was delayed. They switched to a Delta flight (to Atlanta!) but that had a defective door-latch and was cancelled. All efforts to get out of New York State had been thwarted.

They ended up spending the night in Rochester, getting up at 4 am and finally arriving in Milwaukee a short time ago.

-----------------------------------------
Final update: 6:15 pm

My bag, last seen at the US Air counter in Elmira 18 hours ago, is now with me again.

early morning in elmira, new york

Left the house in Portland at 6:30 am Tuesday, and knocked on my cousin Steve's Holiday Inn room in 'downtown' Elmira around 12:45 am Wednesday.

I spent more time in the Philadelphia airport yesterday (>7 hours) than it took to fly there from Portland. Bad weather across the country prevented my brother and his family from getting out of Milwaukee until late last night, missing the last plane to Elmira (that I was on, and that was delayed almost 3 hours).

They made it as far as Rochester, and are driving down from there this morning, hoping to arrive by 11:30. The funeral was originally scheduled for 10:30, but this has now been pushed back to noon (of course, nobody but the family knows this - not the general public).

All of us are booked on the same flight out of here, at 3:50 pm. A lot has to happen between now and then, but, first, I must have some breakfast and think about the weirdness of being here, after what is essentially a 40 year absence.

best blog comment so far, on the Bush shoe incident

What the guy shouted, was, "This is a farewell kiss, you dog!".

A poster on Commondreams said that he expected the Mainstream media to report the story as

Grateful Iraqi offers Bush shoes and calls him "man's best friend."

I have to laugh.

something to make you feel good

You may not know this, but, for the past 3-4 years, I head over to the local Jewish-oriented Independent Living facility (Rose Schnitzer Manor) every Monday afternoon, to accompany the chorus there, composed of residents.

We have performed many times, at other Assisted Living places nearby, at the nursing home connected to RSM, and in the annual Portland Jewish Music Festival.

The group likes a variety of tunes, from old Yiddish standards to Broadway tunes - we even did 'With a Little Help From My Friends' a couple of years ago (with the lyric 'I get high with a little help...' replaced by 'Eat some pie with a little help...').

Recently, we've been working on a group of tunes that mention various cities, and we presented that program last Monday, with an audience of other residents and family, plus the residents of a nearby facility.

The performance was taped and has been edited to show highlights, and posted to YouTube. What is there at the moment may not be the final version, but you'll get the idea.

Students of American popular song will no doubt notice that, in 'Chattanooga Choo Choo', we subtly replaced "...than to eat your ham and eggs in Carolina" with "...than to eat your scrambled eggs in Carolina". Dietary laws must be obeyed!

That is me playing the piano - I make a brief appearance around 5:53 (right after 'Little Old Lady from Pasadena' - don't miss it!).

All these years I've been accompanying this group, I have always thought that I was playing piano for them because I couldn't be in Wisconsin every week playing for Mom, and that the forces of karma and Cosmic Balance would insure that someone would also be entertaining the troops there in Milwaukee.

UPDATE: Saturday 9:40 pm

The original link was taken down and replaced with the new one, which should now work.

how i remember her

The webcam photo from yesterday (how is it possible that that was only yesterday?) is not what I want to remember.

THIS is what she loved best - my playing the piano at her assisted living place, surrounded by her friends. Too bad you can't see the smile on her face:



Just before I said goodbye, three weeks ago. It's funny - back in 1953 she seemed so much taller:


She loved to sit in the sun at the front entry at Meadowmere, greeting everybody. This was early October. This is what I want to remember.


The funeral is Wednesday in Elmira, New York. It will probably be a very quick trip.

gone

8:00 pm Thursday.

Just got the call from my brother. Dottie died a couple of hours ago.

The timing of the funeral is still uncertain, but will probably be Sunday or Monday. I'll be heading to my home-town of Elmira, New York, probably with my son, Dylan (who just arrived in Portland, on Winter Break, from Ashland, two hours ago).

I am so happy that I was there just before Thanksgiving. She was so proud to be sitting there while I played the piano and her buddies were gathered around.

I am numb.

mom - down but not out

Just received from my sister-in-law:

"She had more medication for her pain and agitation, so she's resting comfortably. Ester and an aide helped sponge bathe her, as she's now in diapers.

While they were doing it your mom squeezed her hand and Ester asked if your mom knew who she was and she said 'Ester'."

mom update

She's on morphine now, and unlikely to ever get out of bed again.

I just had a webcam session, where I was viewing her from across the room. It looked like this:

The odd thing was that I had two windows side-by-side: one photo editor window where I had pasted in this static screen-shot, and, right next to it, the window with the live video. The only difference between the two was that the live screen (so to speak) had small movements as she breathed. It was very eerie.

My brother and sister-in-law and Ester, her loyal attendant for the past few months, were there in the room, too, and we chatted while the view was largely unchanging.

We are just waiting now for the inevitable. At some moment, I will get the call, and leap into action making airline and lodging plans, and dealing with the Mexico reservations (now 9 days away).

Also, I'm trying to get some programming work for the Nature Conservancy done before year-end. It's nice to have something that's under my control.

Dylan is expected to drive up from Ashland tonight, and tomorrow is Ben's 22nd birthday - we are taking him out to dinner. I am appreciating these rare occasions where everyone is together.

antidote to gloom

It ain't much, in the human scheme of things, but Zacky and I walked over to our wonderful neighborhood grocery store, then walked back home thru our wonderful neighborhood 'wilderness' park.

He was happy, and, despite an occasional slip, did fine.

Then, turning into our driveway, I caught a straight-shot to a peaceful, luminous, gleaming Mt. Hood, covered in fresh snow. It was an elevator of spirits, and I needed it.

Time to get some dinner cooking.

more good news

so, not only is my mother apparently dying, but I just got back from the vet, who diagnosed Zacky, our corgi, with degenerative myelopathy, a common neurological flaw in corgis, that will eventually lead to loss of hind-leg function and death.

We had noticed, over the past few months, that he was losing control of his hind-legs, so this was not a surprise.

It's just a little hard to take. Those of you who have met Zacky know him as a gentle, neurotic, loving little guy.

I am not having a good day.

mom

Mom is not doing well in Wisconsin. They had to take her to the Emergency Room in the middle of the night, and she was in a lot of pain. She is back in her room, now on morphine, and they are discontinuing some of her meds. What's the point of giving her vitamins now, when the discomfort of taking them outweighs the benefits?

We assume that this rapid decline can only continue and are trying to mentally prepare for the end. My sister-in-law has notified folks back at our home town in Upstate New York, and funeral decisions are being made.

Just now, I ended a Webcam session, where Ester, her attendant, held up her laptop so that Dottie could see me and I could see her. I did hear her say 'hi', but it was very feeble and she is obviously in some discomfort, and not very alert. It's hard to watch.

I did save a screen-shot of her from the webcam, but I don't think I will post it here.

This is bringing up too many memories of the summer of 1982, when my father died, after a lingering, horrible decline. At least, this time around, things appear to be moving faster.

We will try for another webcam session later today.

We are scheduled to fly to Mexico for 2 weeks on Dec. 20th, but I am having doubts about going on that trip. The next few days may decide that question.

atheists in olympia

Yes, the language on their sign was pretty inflammatory (if you're a Believer), but isn't it amazing to see the rabid hatred and intolerance directed at the goddless?

I guess the Believers will never understand how alternately amusing and galling it is to have God continually invoked by sanctimonious politicians and others, when they assert that the United States of America is the obvious primary beneficiary of His benevolence.

I am reminded about a recent quip from Bill Maher, who, when asked if he thought that Obama sincerely believed all his references to God blessing and protecting America: "I hope not".

I don't recall hearing the Epilogue to the "Emperor's New Clothes" story, but I wouldn't be surprised if the little boy who shouted out the truth about a public delusion was immediately torn to pieces by the angry crowd.

Blessed are the Iconoclasts, but it's a tough way to make a living.

the Chanukah miracle

here is a pretty fascinating article explaining where the amazing 'little vessel of oil that burned for 8 days' story came from. The surprising fact is that it wasn't mentioned in jewish sources until 600 years after the fact. Why?

I've always believed that this was a tale-for-the-kiddies, whose chief purpose was to mask the Winter Solstice origins that, I believe, lay behind all the holidays that tend to cluster around December 21st.

This article, however, presents a different explanation for the '8 days' celebration, that makes perfect sense, historically.

Still, that won't prevent me from thinking, as I do every year, that I am grateful that the Sun is not going to disappear, and that the annual return of Spring will start becoming certain around December 25th.

why?

So AIG gets 150 billion dollars without any significant hearings, yet there doesn't seem to be enough political will to divert 35 billion to the auto industry.

Why is this?

I think it's largely because the American people, as dense as they often are, do fully understand that the plight of the Big 3 is largely due to their own mismanagement and incompetence, whereas the mismanagement and incompetence of the mortgage industry and big Wall Street investment banks is just too complicated for Joe the American to comprehend.

We know that Detroit dropped the ball on electric cars and hybrids, but we are just paralyzed with incomprehension on how the sub-prime mortgage guys screwed everything up.

Of course, there's the alternate explanation that the Wall Street guys simply made more campaign contributions. Ya think?

better living thru technology

So, some years ago, on a whim, I bought a QuickCam at a garage sale for about $1.50. Over the years, I pulled it out occasionally, played with it, and put it away in a drawer.

On my last visit to Wisconsin, I noticed that my Mom's attendant, Ester, was communicating with family in the Philippines, using her laptop's built-in webcam and her wireless broadband connection. This gave me an idea.

Yesterday, I dusted off the QuickCam, installed it, pulled in the latest upgrades, and, last night, did a successful test with Joe and Shirley in Florida (hi, guys), where we could each see the other's video. It was pretty cool.

This morning, I contacted Ester via email and asked if she had a Skype account. She said 'no', but she had a Yahoo Messenger account. It took me a minute to properly configure it for my Webcam and add Ester to my Contact list, and, a minute later, Mom was viewing me, as I sit here in my computer dungeon.

Obviously, we had to take it to the next step. I put on my headphone/mike and placed a VOIP call. Ester answered and it worked great. Mom got out of bed and was able to speak a few words that I could hear, confirming that she could see me.

It would have looked something like this:


Then, she had to go back to bed. We will try again in a couple of hours.

posted without comment

we did it

The crowd was fed and happy. Now, Friday morning, the house is getting put back together.

All that remains is the glow from having had a wonderful evening with good friends, and a lot of leftovers in the fridge.

game over?

yikes

what are the odds that the politicians of the world will actually do anything to forestall this scenario? my guess is: pretty darn slim

Goody-bye, Miami, Manhattan, and Tillamook.

Happy Thanksgiving. It's great to be living here in Matrix-land. Don't forget to go shopping tomorrow.

no news is good news

All of the food for tomorrow is purchased and slowly being processed into dinner. The table is mostly set for 16 (rented chairs picked up this morning).

Dylan, we think, is currently on a Greyhound bus somewhere between Ashland and Portland, expected to arrive at 9 pm.

My computer work is finished, until Friday.

It's under control, except that the cats are beginning to squawk about their dinner.

Happy holiday, everyone.

wisconsin obits

For lack of something better to do, I found myself scanning the obits in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this afternoon. After the first few, it was clear that a number of euphemisms for 'died' are commonly used. Among my favorites:

'Joined his loving wife'
'Departed this life'
'Found peace'
'Born into eternal life'
'Entered in to eternal life'
'Passed into eternal life'
'Reunited with her beloved husband'
'Went home to Heaven'

and the #1 favorite euphemism:

'Walked into the Arms of the Lord'

wintry in wisconsin

Another day spent with Mom at her facility. I showed my Turkey photos to a small group, none of whom fell asleep.

Wind chill expected to get down to about zero tonight. It's definitely a change from a month ago, when we were cruising along the Mediterranean coast.

Just finished reading an absorbing book about a remarkable woman of whom I'd heard various references over the years, but really knew nothing about. The book filled in many gaps in my understanding of how the modern nations of Iraq and Saudi Arabia came about, not to mention correcting a few misconceptions that I had, from my many viewings of 'Lawrence of Arabia' (Gertrude Bell was a colleague of T.E. Lawrence, and his exploits are intimately connected with her work).

In the end, it becomes clear that the American experience in Iraq is eerily similar to the catastrophe of British involvement in the same region, in the 1920's. We never learn.

in 'airport world' again

Yes, in less than a month, I am back in the world of concourses. Here, in Denver, there is free WiFi, which is always a pleasure to find. I am between planes, headed for Milwaukee, to visit Mom and my brother's family for a few days.

Mom had taken a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago, with a couple of Emergency Room visits, pneumonia, and continuing heart and kidney issues. My sister-in-law related that she was sleeping a lot and eating very little and losing weight, so I figured I ought to get back there before Thanksgiving.

Since then, she has apparently stabilized, but it's still an opportunity to check in with her, show her my Turkey photos (which I have still not posted here - sorry) and, as always, play piano for her and the crowd at her facility.

Left Portland in the dark at 6 am. The skies brightened soon, and the view flying over southern Idaho's massive lava-fields was pretty cool. Descending into Denver, I was on the Great Plains side of the plane, rather than the Front Range side.

Still I did get a glimpse of the snowy peaks and maybe my next flight will have a scenic start, before heading into the featureless expanse of Middle America, where, I read, "a third of white evangelicals believe the world will end in their lifetimes."

Yikes.

so much for 'United We Stand'

Received another wing-nut mass email from the guy in Southern California who frequently sends out 'be very afraid of Obama' screeds.

This one was the familiar 'Obama is another Castro, but worse' theme. I replied back:

C'mon, Joe.

The guy isn't even taking office for another 2 months and you're already sowing FEAR, FEAR, FEAR.

I believe a clear majority has voted to give him a chance, in the most lopsided Electoral College results in recent history.

How about a little hope and best wishes that his leadership will improve things just a little?

Just received his reply. Ready?

The vote just proves there are more liberal fools with their hands out then real Americans that contribute

You're in denial defending the most vile embarrassing scar this great country has ever taken at least until ISLAM takes over

Yes, it resembles coherent English, and yet...

Any suggestions on how (or if) to respond? Here's his email address. Since he sends out mass emails, I don't feel bad about passing it on.

want some entertaining reading?

check out not only this article about the origins of Mormonism, but DO read the comments.

who ARE these people?

thoughts on 'Boogie Man'

Watched this Frontline (PBS) program last night, on the life of Lee Atwater.

This is the bastard that, up until last Tuesday, had so poisoned the Media/Politics/Religion complex since the Age of Nixon. Perhaps thanks to his own personal demons, this bald-faced liar and all-around little shit was responsible for the electoral successes of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes, and was the adored role-model of another little shit named Karl.

I have to admit that, by the end of the program, when Lee was horribly wracked by hideous physical changes from his brain tumor, I had the largest burst of schadenfreude in my life. As they carried his casket down the church steps, I shouted 'good riddance'.

With any luck, the Obama victory will help candidates, in the future, to stand up to malicious political chicanery, but, I fear, there will always be smart, twisted little men, full of hate and thirsting for power at any cost, who will look you in the eye and tell you what both you and they know just ain't so.

I will dance on Karl's grave, too, but I hope it is preceded by a long prison sentence.

Normally I am a charitable, forgiving kind of guy, but not this morning.

OK, now that that is out of the way, I can get back to thinking about the proposed bail-out of the US auto industry. Last night, somewhere in the news, there was a story about the growing auto market in India, with Indian leaders telling us that now it's their turn to enjoy the wonders and freedom of personal cars, and we have no right to tell them that it's bad for the Earth, so they should not go that route.

The argument in favor of propping up the US automakers is that 'so many jobs throughout the economy rely on cars, so this industry must be saved'. The absurd extension of this argument was best voiced by Douglas Adams, in one of the Hitchhiker books, where he described a planet that had reached the 'Shoe-Event Horizon', which was that, eventually, the rules of manufacturing efficiency and economics resulted in every shop on the planet being a shoe-shop.

Perhaps it's time to adopt an economic base industry other than cars, one whose success will produce jobs that can't be outsourced and that will have subsidiary benefits (um, like solar units on every building, like we saw in Turkey) rather than cars, whose success leads only to choked roads, gridlock, road-rage, pollution, and the scary proliferation of cup-holders.

'nuff said. Is the coffee ready yet?

Good morning.

hmmm - he *looks* rational, and yet...

who are these people?

thanks, again, Sarah

Yesterday, McClatchy posted this story about Sarah's return to Alaska. In it, she refers to all the media exaggerations about her record. Referring to the famous 'ban the books' incident, she is quoted as:

"...banning books. That was a ridiculous thing also that could have so easily been corrected just by a reporter taking an extra step and not basing a report on gossip or speculation. But just looking into the record. It was reported that I tried to ban Harry Potter when it hadn't even been written when I was the mayor."

True, the incident was in 1996 and the first Harry Potter was published in 1997.

However, let's look at a report from the ORIGINAL reporter (Anchorage Daily News). Hmmm - no mention of Harry Potter, just a clear indication that Palin DID approach the Wasilla librarian and asked about banning 'certain books', the librarian replied in no uncertain terms that this wasn't going to happen, and the librarian was informed, a few months later, by the mayor's office, that she was fired.

Popular local pressure let to the librarian's keeping the job, but I think Sarah's quote from this weekend's story is a little, shall we say, disingenuous.

here's a thought

Since we have two full months left of the now-irrelevant-but-still-dangerous Bush regime, how about putting Impeachment back on the table, Nancy?

great cartoon

obama mia!

That was the lead-off parody in last night's Capitol Steps show at the Schnitz.

When, at the end of the show, they announced from the stage that McCain had conceded, the place went nuts. Everyone poured out onto the street, where drummers were pounding out amazing rhythms and everyone was jumping.

After a while, the drummers moved up Broadway and the crowd followed them to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where the drumming and dancing frenzy continued, while passing drivers honked continuously.

I'd like to officially thank the US voters for this birthday present.

while you're waiting for election returns...

video from The Onion

yikes (not election related)

hmmm

sign of the times

Casper, Wyoming paper endorses......Obama.

get out the vote rally in SE

Karen and I dropped in at the Obama HQ yesterday afternoon, to see and hear Barbara Roberts, Kate Brown, Ben Westlund, David Wu, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkely, and Howard Dean deliver the last minute adrenalin. It was pretty exciting.

It will be a long day tomorrow. We have tickets to see the 'Capitol Steps' with friends tomorrow night. The show starts at 7:30 and, perhaps, by its end, they will be able to announce happy results from the stage.

Wouldn't that be too cool?

However, I still can't shake the disturbing image of a somber President Biden. Here's hoping past ain't prologue.