236 - The Room

Not So Fast, Pops

Isn't that amazing? His photo (Jay Dyckman) seems to be that of an adult. But when I read the text, it 's the ramblings of a 12 year old...? OK, maybe 14.

I was going to comment on his blog, but I would have to register and that would take more energy than I want to expend on a kid.

That Time of Year

When it comes to wedding anniversaries, I know you should be properly sentimental. Show some respect for the institution of marriage. After all, it’s our 45^th. But I can’t help myself; I found this quote the other day and so here it is…

“I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” - Rita Rudner

Of course, having posted this, I'm in danger of being pummeled severely.

Reading Assignment

I’m reading another biography these days; First Son by Bill Minutaglio. A biography of Dubya and the Bush family dynasty. So why am I reading about this loser? Because it’s fascinating to see his family in action and how they shaped the lives of their children. It’s too bad that not enough Americans read this book before the elections of 2000 and 2004.

Faster!

Be careful, you may get what you wish for. We were hoping to see the fence finished up yesterday and sure enough, it was. Jeekers! We’re surrounded by a blank wall! Our view of the orchard is gone and we’re trapped here...Help!

Ok, I know we will become used to it after awhile; after all, it was our normal view of the world just a month ago. And the return of the roses will help to soften the look of all of that bare cedar fencing. The roses were pruned last week and so they are just stumps at this stage, leaving even more of the new fence exposed.

While the fence is new, I will take the time to remove a board or two and fashion a hole for Boo the cat to escape through. Both coming and going.

Last night, here on the Planet Orland, it was time for the annual Valentine Dinner at the parish hall. It’s put on by the youth group of the two churches, the Catholic Church and the Federated church. Yes, it’s (Gasp!) ecumenical! And it seems to work quite well. The money raised this year will go towards their trip south to Lynwood, California. Lynwood? Anyway, they will be working on a Habitat for Humanity project while they are there. A good endeavor. And last year they went to Seattle to work at the Rescue Mission downtown.

What I find most refreshing about this group of teens is the fact that they don’t go to Mexico to build houses, as 90% of the church youth groups do. Of course they need houses in Mexico. And I’m not begrudging them that. But what I find wrong with that kind of mission is the fact that the trip south to Mexico will take them through and past great poverty right in their own backyards. California, like the rest of the nation has hidden poverty that would simply astound most of us. Have you ever heard of Ivanhoe? Lemon Cove? Woodlake? Naranjo? All are small and poverty stricken villages in California that can’t be seen from I-5 while going 70 mph.

Truth be told; the youth group wouldn’t even have to go more than a mile or so to find the kind of poverty that comes along with an agricultural economy here on the Planet Orland.

A Shame

How nice; the wind is decreasing and now, maybe, the fence guys can finish. They gave it a try yesterday, but the wind made the work nearly impossible. It took two of them to hold one board in place and that soon became a losing proposition. They are scheduled to be back this morning.

It’s been quite awhile since the fence went down, (January 5^th) and we’re both ready for it to be back up. Unfortunately, the way the new fence is configured, some of the old grapevines in the arbor portion had to be cut. I’ll plant new ones but it will take awhile before they have the look and feel of those 20 year old vines.

Time Goes By

Always something interesting here and this morning I found this...

Surprising New Longevity Research

“’It’s not just luck, it’s not just genetics…It’s lifestyle’ that seems to make a big difference, said lead author Dr. Laurel Yates of Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. ‘It’s get your shoes on, get out there, and do some exercise,’ she said.”

And start now!

A picture is worth...

a thousand words. Life on the Planet Orland.

Afterwards...

I’ve finished up with my walking for the day and just in time. The high winds arrived about 9:30 and they have been creating havoc across this part of the valley ever since. When they started I had already finished my cup of coffee at Cal-Java (My reward) and I had scanned the newspaper for any news I might have missed earlier in the day. And anyone walking by my table would have seen a well connected guy. I had my earphones in place as I listened to Fresh Air. I had my GPS unit on my wrist to record my current location and any speed I might develop while sitting and I had my Palm TX connected and receiving email from my sister in Arizona. Which I then answered. Isn’t that normal? Yes, I was reading the paper (The Bee) at the same time. The comics…

Totally Spent

From the New York Times

"...The income of a man in his 30s is now 12 percent below that of a man his age three decades ago. Most of what’s been earned in America since then has gone to the richest 5 percent."

Just as I said the other day, when commenting on Henry Ford. "Sometimes, but not always, the old ways are the best ways."

Sea of Faces:

1908 Shorpy

Hmmm? 'Mostly skinny faces'...or so it seems. I wonder how many people would fit in that same space today?

And I only see one woman in the photo...the one with a hat that has to be blocking the view of at least 10 men.

Scalia Says

He Sees a Role for Physical Interrogations - New York Times

This guy is unbelievable! He defends the Constitution? Whose? He says it is OK to abuse a SUSPECT. Since when does the word 'suspect' mean guilty? He makes me so mad, I would like to 'smack him in the face'...and that's OK. With him. But I won't. I'm actually a classier guy than he is.

That's Old!

And speaking of the internet; as I was earlier, I’m connected to Usenet (directly related to the first internet) this morning, to download some flamenco music from 1964. Whoa! Good stuff…and there’s more from the 70’s as well. My collection grows. I doubt that I’m in jeopardy of breaking the law; my collection of music is almost completely filled with music from 40 to 50 years ago. Nothing current and most of it is unavailable commercially.

Science Debate

2008

Yes, the candidates should debate and reveal their plans, in public, for the role that science will play in their administration. It's as important as the economy...in fact, it is the economy.

Ari Emanuel

My Brother the Superdelegate and Why I Don't Trust Him to Pick the Next President -

If those Democratic candidates really are the 'Candidates of Change', they will insist on the removal of the Superdelegate system. Now.

(See what I mean? Look at the two parties and how they operate and you simply have to be an independent voter. Why would want to be identified with either one of them?)

I hope, I hope

I suppose that yesterday’s early post made it appear as if I were happy, happy, happy about my aging. Not necessarily so. More realistic than happy. Those who know me wouldn’t say that I’m the most upbeat person they know; in fact, I’m quite critical about lots of things. But, those are things that can be, might be and should be changed by complaint and education. Aging is not one of them.

And I sometimes get wistful when I realize that I cannot run a race; that I must walk it instead. Yes, when your body fails you, you can’t help but take it personally! But…your mind can thrive by exercising it, by full engagement with the world. And since I can’t travel everywhere I would like, I use the internet to make that connection.

If you were old enough to remember the first few years of television, you can see some similarities between the internet and early television. And this internet, the one we all use right now, is heading towards gross commercialism. Will it become the ‘television’ of the mid 21^st century?

But, the good news is that we’re not stuck with just one internet. Another one could appear. Any time. Here’s hoping!

This might be

a call for 'super delegates' -

Super delegates; what a dumbocratic idea! You couldn't design a better way to turn off the voters...

I need a Bandaid...quick!

I must get busy this morning. Lots to do. I have to get in my training time in the park, followed by chores. The longer days are helping, as I can get into the park earlier.

But, on a different note; this morning I was reading Time Goes By and a posting all about aging…surprise! Anyway, I had no great wisdom or advice to give. I think it’s all very simple. You can approach aging (elderhood) with curiosity, or with fear and loathing. It’s a choice. I’ve chosen the former and that works for me. And in my volunteer work I deal with lots of elders that have chosen the latter and they are usually quite unhappy.

Sure, there are wrinkles and gray hair or no hair. There are aches and pains. But, if you can learn to view those things as natural; putting yourself in the role of an observer of life and not as a victim of it, it’s really quite fun! Wow! Look at that face in the mirror! How am I ever going to shave around all of those wrinkles without needing a transfusion when I’m through?

Patchwork

Reflections: ask not...

So, when's Mother's Day?

More from cab drollery

Wrecker Friendly Economics at Play

True story...I forget about it and then I'm reminded once again. Henry Ford paid more than the prevailing wage to his workers. Jobs in his plant were the most sought after in the early part of the twentieth century. People lined up by the thousands to be hired. Why did he do that? Because they couldn't buy his cars unless they made a decent wage. Duh!

Sometimes, but not always, the old ways are the best ways. This is one of those...

Auto-Warranty

-scam-leads-to-a-solicitation-pile-up

Have you been getting these? I have. It started about 2 weeks ago and I just ignored them, thinking they were wrong numbers. Wrong!

My opinion?

"My opinion is, if the death of 3,000 people isn’t sufficient for a death penalty in this country then why do we even have the death penalty?"
DEBORAH BURLINGAME, whose brother died in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, on the government’s decision to seek capital punishment against six Guantánamo Bay detainees.

Let me answer that. One; the death penalty is morally wrong. It’s all about revenge and does nothing to deter crime. But that’s just my personal opinion. Two; it’s wrong because the bush administration has made a mockery of justice with the existence of that prison in a foreign country; Cuba. Here it is, almost seven years after the crime and without evidence or judicial hearings, the powers that be are talking of death sentences handed out by a military tribunal. That’s the kind of justice that is found in dictatorships. (Speaking of Cuba…think Colonel Fulgencio Batista) Let’s shed some light on that prison!

Weekend's over

I must get back out onto the trail in Bidwell Park this morning. Gotta get the heart rate up and the burn those calories!

Wishful thinking; as we were driving in Chico the other day, I spotted a girl, college age, running down the sidewalk. Exuberantly! No, she was not in fear of her life, she was running for the sheer pleasure of it and it showed. I wish I could still run like that. OK, racewalking is where I must be in this stage of life and there’s certainly no shame in that. But I still appreciate the sight of someone running for pleasure. And wishing I could...sigh.

Fear in the orchard

The weekend has passed and it was a beauty! T-shirt weather all day. And that gave me a chance to do some pruning out in the orchard. I’m not through yet, but I do have the remaining trees in a state of high anxiety.

I’ve read books and gone to seminars on pruning and slowly, over the years, I’ve learned to do more than just a light trim. I’ve become bold in my technique, slashing and hacking. Of course I do all of the normal pruning; cutting out crossing branches and opening the middle to allow the sun in. But, if I climb the ladder and a branch gets in my way…off it goes! On the ladder, any branch that tries to get above my 9' height rule is brought down to size. And on the ground, with loppers in hand, I circle the tree as if I were riding my mower; any branch that might spoil my day by removing my hat and a portion of scalp is quickly removed. The ground is soon littered with debris. If trees could talk?

Obscure thought; life is always just like life on the school playground. Always! (I don’t know if it’s an original thought, it could be borrowed.)

cab drollery

Dissin' The Decline-To-State Folks

"...according to a GOP official, independents can't be counted on to vote for anything but president, and besides, they can't be trusted to remember there's an election coming up. How's that for the philosophy of "the Big Tent Party"?"

Ya gotta love those Republicans!

I really wouldn't make fun of them if it weren't so darn easy!

Bush:

McCain a 'true conservative' -

Well, that's not quite true; John is a lot smarter than that!

Back to Ronald Reagan

Way back! Please, go...

...The nation can no longer cope with billions more for the Pentagon, ever more fanatical Christian zeal against abortion and gays, and more tax relief for the wealthy at the expense of already impoverished communities. More of this kind of drastic remedy à la Ronald would drive the country to ruin. The popular desire for change, long rumbling amongst the people, is beginning to rumble in the Republican ranks as well. A good third of party supporters call for a strong state - not only as a guardian of law and order - but also as a guarantor of social and economic security at a time when Americans fear recession more than they fear the situation in Iraq...

The present and the future of the Republicans as seen from outside our borders.

Book Sale

Before we had a chance to Wii last night, we had our chores to do. We picked up 37 boxes of books from the Chico Library and brought them back to Orland. It looks like the Friends of the Library will have another large Spring Book Sale. I’m always amazed at the number of books that we transport. It’s usually over 20 boxes a week and with about 15 or more books per box. And we see lots of hard cover fiction. I easily identified and pulled two books out of the boxes yesterday that had never been opened; never read. My guess is that a lot of people just buy them at Costco. It’s a habit. I suppose for some people it’s easier to buy a book at Costco than to check the same one out at the library. It baffles me. But…we’ll take the books!

Up The Mainstream

From the Center for American Progress

"Climate Change Deniers"

You want to know where they are meeting? Right over there, next to the edge of the world. Watch your step!

Whee?

Now that was fun! Last night we were at our Middle Daughter’s house and both before and after dinner, we joined that large crowd of folks who have Wii’ed at least once in their lives. We’re veterans now. And as an elder, I can recommend it for those over 65. Want to get your heart rate up? Do a couple rounds of Wii boxing! Too aggressive a sport? There’s Wii tennis and baseball. And if you’re really sedentary; try Wii bowling. It can be played while seated if necessary. It’s even good for you!

Middle Daughter’s family has the perfect setup for the game; large screen TV at one end of a lengthy living room. You have all kinds of room to throw the perfect strike…baseball or bowling.

The programming is great; I would love to see the logic charts used to control the flow of the games. And I wonder how many lines of code were used to make the baseball player glance upward after hitting a foul pop up over his head? The graphics are good and I can imagine that they will only get better. I can only imagine what they might be with HDD and a High Definition monitor. But, Nintendo doesn’t have it available…yet.

So I started looking around the gaming world this morning, trying to learn a little more about it. Very complicated. ‘Gamers’ seem to control the direction and focus of the programmers and most of the games seem to be of the violent shooter genre. I didn’t spot many friendly games out there. Nintendo seems to have the best of those. For computing power, it looks like Sony (Play Station) has the best going, especially since it can use Blu-Ray technology and that appears to be the winner in the DVD wars. If I were going to guess, I would say that Nintendo might/should use some of that cash they have generated with the success of Wii to bring out a more powerful version that would compete with Sony.

From outside the box:

Is it getting warm in here?

Mike Huckabee:

'Am I quitting?... No, I am not'

The Huckster! What a guy...

Notice that he and McCain and the Mittster; all are for winning the war! Yet not one of them can or will tell you what that looks like. Will there be a formal 'surrender' ceremony? With diplomats passing ceremonial pens out to other diplomats? 'Sign here, here and here. Press hard. There are 5 copies.' Generals handing over swords to other generals? And then the parade! That's what they would like you to believe. But if they win office, they will have another story and then another to follow that one when the first one doesn't pan out. Ad infinitum.

The Revenge of Seamus

Looking for a laugh?

Guaranteed.

That's Me!

A slow day. Sure, it’s Saturday, but I’m retired and that shouldn’t make a difference any more. The days of the week should be the same now, but it’s an old habit and hard to break.

I have been wandering about the political blogs this morning, plus the news feeds, and I found this article from the Washington Post. The author has captured my feelings exactly. Well, almost exactly. I have to leave myself some wiggle room if he goes off the deep end somewhere along the line. But yes, I’m a ‘disaffected voter’. He refers to us as, "restless and anxious moderates," or RAMs. Most come from the third of the electorate that identifies itself as independent…”

He goes on to describe ‘change’ and how the candidates seem to miss what that means. Of course that makes me think of how I see change as compared to others my age. And it’s a real quandary for me; I welcome change, I love it, and yet I also love the security that comes with everything being the same. So, I know it’s a battle…sigh.

In my opinion, fear of change is what distinguishes the elderly from the elders. The conservative from the liberal. The bright from the dull. Fear of change cripples you mentally. Think of all of the American ‘heroes’; we don’t revere one that was afraid of change. Who are the movers and shakers in the world? Those who change things! There are no statues of people who wanted to keep the status quo.

I do not know which makes a man more conservative—to know nothing but the present, or nothing but the past. - John Maynard Keynes

Wal-Mart's

Brave New World

Once again, Jaime does a number on the giant of retail. Wal*Mart is too big to even notice...for now. Perhaps if more of us were to... oh, never mind. 'A sucker is born every minute' is a true saying and there's no fighting that.

And on that same subject; suckers. An acquaintance told me that he tried to get some of his fellow workers (Firemen) to watch the film, Sicko and they all refused. He had the DVD and was trying to lend it to them. "Oh, no! I'd rather be stupid!" So how about this; let's all buy a copy of that DVD and pass it on to someone, anyone at all. It might take you awhile to find a willing recipient, someone not afraid of being educated, but it would be worth the effort.

Where's the Thermostat?

Cold turkey. It’s that time; we stopped feeding logs into the woodstove yesterday as the daytime temperatures were back into the low 60’s. We’ll start the fire again if we have a sudden change, but for now the mornings are going to be a little bit chilly without that comforting radiance from the stove. (The cat thinks we’re crazy!)

During the past two months, we probably burned close to a cord of wood (almond). That’s $275 worth of comfort, just memories and ashes now. Lots of ashes.

I have this odd feeling that the Economic Stimulus Package that Washington/bushco have approved will turn out to be a dud. First, it’s a government program. Second, it’s a government program and last…yes, it’s run by the government. And I’m seriously worried that the politicians will use this opportunity to ignore the bloated bushco budget. Like all serious conservative Republicans, this president has grown the government at an incredible rate while sticking the middle and lower classes with the bill. Same thing that Reagan did. Right now, our defense budget is larger than ALL of the rest of the worlds countries…COMBINED. And he wants to increase it.

Defense budgets make me think of the F-22. State of the Art. Expensive. Very expensive. $148 million. Each. Buy 100 and get a discount. And not one has made it to the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan. No sorties. Of course not; how embarrassing if it was to be shot down by some terrorist armed with an old fashioned rocket launcher. Don’t want to take that chance! So we have bought a bunch of very expensive planes that fly around in ‘safe’ skies and make the stockholders of Lockheed and Boeing very happy.

Some good news…Wal*Mart had a sad last quarter financial report for 2007. As did most retailers; except for Costco, which reported a 7% increase over last year’s numbers. Costco=Union workers. Wal*Mart=Non-union workers.

What a Shame! Honest...

I did my usual walk (4 miles-54:+ minutes) this morning and then some carpentry at the Plant Barn. That’s when I heard that the Mittster has given up the battle. What a shame, I said; without actually breaking into a grin. Then, on the way home, I listened to the poor confused Romney fans as they called into NPR’s Talk of the Nation radio show. It’s all over for them. They can’t vote for McCain. Impossible! He is simply not ‘conservative’ enough. They would rather vote for Clinton. (Honest! Someone said that…) There was some talk about seeing if it’s possible to find any Attila the Hun DNA and then cloning him to create an acceptably conservative alternate.

Lil Shuckers

1912 Shorpy :: History in HD

The next time you have a problem getting your kids to do their chores...spread some guilt on them with this photo!

It's been Decided

Speaking of waterboarding...as I was.

"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion." - CP Snow

A new Inquisition? How appropriate!

GOP

kills Senate stimulus bill -

Don't spend that money yet...it's politics as usual.

Election Night

Results

All you need to know...

And Glenn County hasn't gotten around to counting the 'vote by mail' ballots. Lassen has.

Bored

The good news here is the fact that the fence is being built once again. The ground dried out enough to support the ‘bobcat’ and the last of the old posts were removed and the new corner posts were set. The rest of the posts will be set in concrete today and then the fencing will go up on Friday. That’s the plan…

And while that is going on this morning, I will be in Chico, at the park and working the pain out of my joints with a 4 mile walk.

Perhaps I should listen to music as I do my racewalking practice. Skipping the news from NPR. I think I overdosed on election news yesterday; I’m finding it difficult to get enthused about much of anything political this morning. Especially after reading that piece about the Decider ‘deciding’ that torture is legal any time he feels like it. No rules. He decides. Where did America go wrong, and when?

Waterboarding is legal

White House says - Los Angeles Times

Now you know. Anytime. Anyone.

(N)Ed Almond -

- From Wikipedia

Amazing. Simply Amazing. Yes, his name comes up time after time in the book, The Coldest Winter, by David Halbersham.

Speaking of

And on another note…I was listening to NPR and all of the political chatter from around the nation as the reporters and listeners tried to make sense of the results from yesterday's voting. What I found most disturbing was the number of people who called in and reported that they were staunch Conservative Republicans and that they just couldn’t stand the fact that McCain was so liberal! McCain…a liberal? Please! And from what I could gather, the McCain crowd is going to spend a lot of time in the next week proving to the Conservatives that he can be just as narrow minded and spiteful as any one of them! Yay! Go John!

OK, that wasn’t fair. What I should have complained about was the fact that so many called in and simply repeated something they had heard in a political ad. They just parroted their favorite candidate. Or better yet; repeated something Rush Limbaugh said. No thought went into the formation of what was coming forth from their mouths. And that’s how candidates are chosen and that’s how we end up with presidents like Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2. What a shame.

May I Take Your Order?

Grim report sinks stocks

By Walter Hamilton

A sharp decline in the service sector stuns Wall Street. The Dow plummets 370 points.

The service sector. That’s what Americans do. We used to be a part of the worldwide manufacturing sector. But no longer. We only sell things these days. ‘Would you like to Supersize that?’

OK, Switzerland, Germany and Japan. Economic world leaders. They have a healthy manufacturing base (Unionized) and their balance of payments are on the plus side. They both consume and produce. They even have better health care...but you already knew that. How do they do that? It must be magic! (Or common sense)

Ouch!

More ibuprofen! The pain is with me once again. Lazy muscles rebelling against the assault on their former placid existence. I have to get in shape for the Portland Marathon; again. And I only have about 8 months to do it. That’s actually plenty of time, but I know it will fly by and I will still wonder if I have had enough training, even at the starting line.

I will also have to begin posting again on my marathon blog, Short Laps. I let it lapse (laps?) after the last few races. And I will probably begin using Utterz on that blog instead of this one.

Why Bother?

Should I bother to look at the news this morning? I watched a few minutes of ABC and NBC last night via streaming video. The ‘Talking Heads’ were in their full glory, talking a lot and saying nothing and so I turned it off. Our television antenna is still lying on the ground while we wait for the fence to be rebuilt and so we couldn’t have cheated and watched a real television even if we had wanted to. And after watching some of the commercials for the current NBC shows, it will be at least another 6 months before we watch television again. Except for Netflix, of course.

Ah, the fence. We wait and we wait. The ground is still too wet to bring in the small tractor that will pull the few remaining poles and then dig the new ones. There is a chance that it may happen later today. The fence-less wide open vista, seen from our kitchen window, is interesting, but we’re ready for some privacy again. Privacy being relative of course; the closest house in that direction is about 600 feet away.

OK, I’m curious. I must look and see who the leaders are. Oh, %/!#*@&#!!! No winners? We have to endure even more of this nonsense? And Huckabee is still in the race? Are there no limits to ignorance? Obviously not. But I should know that after watching events of the last seven+ years unfold.

But…a thought. Could it be that this particular Super Tuesday finish was engineered by the media and the political campaign staffers? This way they still have a job and the campaign advertising money will continue to pour in. It’s a perfect storm!

Fact or Fiction?

There's nothing like a fantasy filled anti-immigration video on YouTube to get me all riled up. And it's amazing what you can find when you Google, "immigration facts'. Believe it or not, you can find some facts! Thousands of them, actually, but fantasy is so much more fun and facts just get in the way when you feel like beating up on people that are different than you.

ps. Don't go to the Comment section on YouTube. It will only make you despair at the condition of our schools. How did these people ever graduate? Critical thinking? Not!

Mobile post sent by Steven using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

How Dry Was It?

Oh, the temptation!

Two boys rescued from Dry Creek
Yesterday, February 04, 2008, 12:01:35 PM
Firefighters rescued two boys Sunday night after their flat-bottom boat got stuck in the middle of Dry Creek in Galt

What would you do with a headline like that?

Paranoia Rules!

New site puts police reports on the map -

What a shame...plays right into people's fears and sanity is forgotten.

Back at it...

I finally did what I had to do. I went walking. I got in a 5.25 mile walk yesterday and I didn’t bother to time it. There will be plenty of time in the future to keep records; in the meantime I can tell you that I went fast enough. And it really helped to have the Clip along to keep me company with the NPR broadcast or music from my collection. Now I will have to re-open my racewalking blog.

Maddening!

Super Tuesday is upon us. Is there any state that won’t be involved? Why? For if it doesn’t happen today for the candidate of your choice, it won’t happen at all. Just an opinion of course. And an idle thought; Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the Dem’s candidate for president, running against Nixon, didn’t participate in the primaries the year (1968) that he was the final candidate. Didn’t see a need for it and he was right. And it didn’t really hurt him in that election against Nixon. America was in a self-destructive mood anyway and Nixon was destined to be the president.

I’m almost through with David Halberstam’s book, the Coldest Winter. It has been a great book; one that has held my attention throughout. Yes, it’s a war story, a true one, but it’s also written to reveal the truth about the players in that sad drama. And as you read it, you can see why, 50 years later, that it is truly the ‘forgotten war’. No one wants to remember the criminals or the crimes that killed so many of our soldiers. It’s one thing to die in the defense of your country, but to die for the vanity of generals? I’m afraid I can’t remain objective as I read the book; after an hour or so, I’m simply mad and must put it down.

Mobile post sent by Steven using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Blogging

~ Dummies Guide to Google Blogger Beta

Just what I needed?

More Power...

Yes, it is going to be a close race in California; after all, that’s where the votes are. And the best scenario for the primary in California? That would be the results being delayed for days as the votes are counted by hand. Perfect! Can you just imagine the frustration as the candidates stew and fume? Make em’ earn it!

Online house calls

click with doctors - Los Angeles Times

Yes! It's about time. The drawback is the price; the same as for an office visit? That's greedy! And it's because the insurance company is paying for it and they will simply pass that cost on to you. The insurance company is happy. The doctor is happy. All of the important players are happy! What else do you need?

Power to the people! Well...sort of.

Other bits of news; once again I was proven to be correct. You only have to watch the final few minutes of any sporting event to learn all that is important about it. And I suppose it’s the same for political events as well…except that they won’t leave us alone! I can hardly wait until Wednesday morning. There will be blessed silence for a day or two while the chosen candidates regroup and focus. Then the attacks will begin in earnest.

If I were to bet on Super Tuesday, I would say that John McCain will come out on top for the Republicans. And that’s a good thing because it will divide their party. If it doesn’t, then some of the Republicans will have to eat crow and they simply hate doing that! Either way, it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of people.

I think the Clinton/Obama race is far too close to call. But what a shame it is that the Richardson message wasn’t heard by the masses. His failing? He was obviously too intelligent for the job.

Which makes me think; what is the motive for these presidential hopefuls? Same question for either party. Do we really believe that they are only interested in doing good for their fellow citizens? That they are altruistic to a fault? Over achievers in the field of human relations?

Of course not! They are greedy for power. It wasn’t always so; back in the days of the ‘smoke filled room’, some presidential candidates were offered up to us as sacrifices for their party. ‘Accidental’ candidates. And some became ‘accidental’ presidents while the party retained control. But now that the stakes are higher than they ever were, the lust for power is ever more blatant. And definitely more expensive!

Take Daily

Every once in awhile the Daily Quotations are arranged in such a way that, in whole; they are pretty interesting; not just one or two of them. And they were this morning.

• Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it. - Alfred North Whitehead

• The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization.
  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Why do writers write? Because it isn't there. - Thomas Berger

• I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I've ever known. - Walt Disney

• The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action. - Frank Herbert

• A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience. - John Updike

• Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon

• A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece. - Ludwig Erhard

• How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct. - Benjamin Disraeli

The one I really like? That would be the one by Frank Herbert. Least favored is the one by Walt Disney. What a bozo!

McCain

opposes his own legislation - The Carpetbagger Report

I happen to believe that people should change their minds whenever the facts warrant it. We're supposed to do that. It's a good thing. (For an example of the opposite being a bad thing, just look at the past seven years of Bush infallibility.) But, changing your mind for 'political' reasons? Ah, there's the rub! Why did he change his mind? Well, he is a politician...so maybe?

New And Improved

Candidates' Horoscopes, Polls And More -

OK, now go out and vote and make a mockery of this...

Winter Storms

It’s quiet once again. The winds were howling last night and so it’s a relief to wake up and hear…nothing. And since it’s still dark, I can’t tell what has happened out in the orchard.

The good news is that the power has remained on overnight and I have no clocks to reset. Plus, the power stayed on for our dinner last night; right in the middle of the storm. (The pot roast was a hit, or so I was told.)

Once I had the pot roasts in the oven and simmering, I was free to watch the snow at various points near Tahoe, courtesy of CalTrans and their live video system. The camera at Meyers was focused on the ‘chain up’ area and I could watch the ‘chain monkeys’ taking money from fingers that appeared at the tiniest opening of a car window. No one was winding their windows all of the way down! I wonder what they get for putting chains on these days? Back in the day when I had to travel over the Sierra’s twice a week, I remember rewarding myself every now and then and paying $20 to sit in my car and let someone else deal with the chains. Money well spent. I would atone for my spendthrift ways by taking my own chains off on the other side and save $10.

And, after our guests had gone, it was time for some reading. More of The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam; a fascinating book. After putting it down for the evening, it occurred to me that I had been extremely blessed. Too young for the Korean War by just 6 years and my discharge from the Navy happened about 3 years before the war in Vietnam became a huge machine that fed on the bodies of American youth. A machine that wouldn’t have allowed me to leave. Years. They go by so fast and they can be so important! Who knew that your birth year could determine your fate? Duh! Well, of course it does. But, it’s only in retrospect that you can see that. And you thank God for it.

I know it has been over fifty years since the time of the Korean War, but if you want to understand what we are doing in Iraq, you should read this book. The present and the future can always be found in the past. You just have to look.

Perhaps

Darn! More stormy weather today. We have the usual wind warnings and the results of that could be quite dramatic, especially as the soil is so saturated; I will expect to see more trees down. And power lines? I hope not! We will be cooking the pot roasts at the same time the winds will be ripping.

Speaking of power lines; as I was. The News and Review had a good article/comment about the recent power outages. And they echoed my thoughts exactly. I have been looking at all of the old photos on the Shorpy website and I thought how odd it was that 100 years ago we were using wooden poles to support electrical wires and we still do that today. Is that because the pole and wire technology has never been surpassed? That they discovered the ‘perfect’ way to move electricity 100 years ago and there is no sense in looking any further? Or…perhaps it’s all about money?

Warnings

for Greater Lake Tahoe Area

Middle daughter and family are right in the middle of this! Darn! I don't think they will get in much skiing today... hope they are staying by the fire and sipping hot chocolate.

From outside the box:

Why do TV Adds Work?

Why, indeed. The author does a good job of describing why so much money is spent on those 30 second attack ads that have no substance at all... Buy soap. Elect me. He's bad. I'm good. Buy pizza. Vote for me. Not him. Buy a new car. Film at 11.

Ah! I just had an idea...the candidates would be smart to buy time on the Home Shopping Network! Maybe they already do?

Sounds Good!

Big day today if you like pot roast. I’m going to be cooking four of them for a crowd of 16 elders. I’ll be using the recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks! Website; I think it’s a winner. I will be using egg noodles and/or mashed potatoes as a bed for the roast. And at only $1.98 a pound for boneless chuck roast, it’s really a bargain meal.

We did this a few months ago and had a Southern Style Fish Fry with Hush Puppies. But that was back when it was warm; now a pot roast sounds pretty good, considering the current weather conditions.

I’m on to a new book, The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam. It’s both fascinating and timely. If you ever thought that American generals didn’t have time for politics, you will be disabused of that thought right away after reading the first few chapters. MacArthur was a scary guy! And the fact that Truman hesitated for so long before getting rid of him was almost criminal. So while Truman dithered and MacArthur plotted…men died in a war that they didn’t understand and weren’t prepared for. They didn’t have the manpower or the equipment. And they were facing an enemy that their leaders had dismissed as being pushovers. “The war will be over in a week once those gooks meet up with American soldiers.” Does any of that sound familiar?

MORNINGS ON MAPLE STREET

Memories

A great website! (If only he provided an RSS feed...)

I got here by looking at this page

Good News/Good News

Oh, no! There goes the stock market again…

U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Sheds 17,000 Jobs

Today, February 01, 2008, 27 minutes ago MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

The decline in jobs across a broad spectrum of professions marks the most striking evidence yet that the United States may be slipping into a recession.

But, wait! Here’s the good news!

Exxon Mobil Profit Sets Record Again

Today, February 01, 2008, 5 minutes ago JAD MOUAWAD

Exxon’s $40.6 billion in net income in 2007 exceeded the company’s own record for profits at a U.S. corporation.

Of course it's all good news. If you lose your job, you won't need to buy any gas. Take that, Exxon!

The real Reagan

History Hurts

So the Republicans have undertaken to re-write it and/or ignore it. Whatever works!

Example: When Reagan took office in 1981, federal receipts (taxes) were $517 billion and outlays (spending) were $591 billion, for a deficit of $74 billion. When he left office in 1989, taxes were $999 billion and spending was $1.14 trillion, for a deficit of $141 billion. As a share of the economy, Reagan did cut taxes, from 19.6% to 18.4%, and he cut spending from 22.2% to 21.2%, increasing the deficit from 2.6% to 2.8%. The deficit went as high as an incredible 5% of GDP during his term. As a result, the national debt soared by almost two-thirds.

No Experience Needed

The day begins in the usual manner. Coffee and news. Except that this morning I’m listening to the news via my new Clip at the same time I’m reading about it. News junkie. On a new level.

OK, that doesn’t work as well as I thought it might. So I’ve turned off the radio and removed the ear buds. My brain doesn’t multi-task all that well anymore. I can listen to music (no vocals) while reading but I can’t listen to the BBC.

The news is certainly focused on the two Democrats as Super Tuesday looms ever closer. I wonder if either one will make it to the Planet Orland before that day? Somehow I don’t think so. Not that it would make much difference for us as our ballots are already sealed and mailed. Election is over.

It’s definitely a historic moment; race and gender making a statement for the first time. But isn’t that a shame? What has taken us so long to evolve? But, I have heard terrible stories about what might happen to either one of the candidates if they should win. Obviously not everyone has evolved. I know from my travels in the South that racism is alive there. And it’s alive on the Planet Orland as well. I can say the same thing about patriarchy; it’s far too prevalent.

From what I read this morning, the focus at last nights debate was on experience; Clinton has it and Obama doesn’t? That argument is misleading. And an insult to our intelligence. No one has the experience to be the president for the first time. We know that the president doesn’t do his job all by himself. Every president surrounds himself with advisors and other staff to help. We’re kidding ourselves if we think that every decision that comes from the White House has been seen and approved by the president. It simply doesn’t happen. As we’ve seen during the last presidency, it’s the advisors that we should be worried about. What experience do they have?