Obama

Weighs Quick Undoing of Bush Policy - NYTimes.com

Can you imagine the excitement? Whoa! I would love to be there just to feel it!

From James Nachtwey

Horrors
of war

Disturbing photos. I posted something on this site over a year ago and had forgotten about it till I received a comment on it this morning. Made me go back and look....

Green olives

These are so good! Rebecca, of Plant Barn fame gave these to us the other day. They are from our two small olive trees. Rebecca did all the hard work of picking, rinsing and soaking in lye and then rinse and repeat many times. You can't see the cloves of garlic that are on the bottom of the jar, but you can taste them!

Odds and Ends

Clear and cold. It's getting wintry around here. Lucky for us that we now have some indoor games for the duration. Yes, we gave ourselves an early Christmas and bought a Wii and a Wii Fit. Let the games begin!

The Wii Fit is more than a game of course; it's really a fitness machine and well thought of among physical therapists. The most difficult exercise? That would be standing on the Wii Balance Board and letting the machine reveal your weight and BMI in LARGE numbers upon the television screen. After you've done that, everything else is fairly easy.

Sad news. Miriam Makeba died while on tour in Italy. What a voice and what a woman! (Somewhere in my garage is an LP of hers.)

More odds and ends: I was reading the other day that President Obama was denied a floor pass to the Democratic Party Convention in 2000. Irony?

The rest of the news this morning is simply 'the news' and I will have to wait for something to attract my attention. Perhaps some news about President Obama's cabinet decisions? I'm really hoping to see Bill Richardson among the intellectuals that will be shaping the future of our country.

And I hope the rest of the country found it to be tiresome when the Republican's immediately attacked Obama's choice for his Chief of Staff; accusing Rahm Emanuel of being 'hyper-partisan' before the man even had a chance to demonstrate what kind of tactics he would employ in his new job. Wouldn't you…shouldn't you - wait for an actual demonstration of that 'hyper-partisanship' before you accuse? But that would require fairness, something that has been lacking for the past 8 years.

About The Changeling --

Changeling -- Part X | The Daily Mirror | Los Angeles Times

Lots of posts/photos here in this blog all about the original 'Changeling'. I think it's a movie I want to see...

You may have to search a little to find all of the posts.

Time out

I think I will do like so many other bloggers are doing these days; I'm going to take a break and post only as I'm moved…

From Joe Bageant: (And John Brown)

Sarah Palin is the Future of Conservatism

Consider these words... a well written piece on the demise of the old Right and the birth of the new Right.

Who Said That?

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
  - Jack Handey

I know the quote says that Jack Handey said it…but it sure sounds like Dick Cheney. A typo?

Japanese Bar Codes

From Dinosaurs and Robots:

Who knew? And why don't we see more of them?

(Something was wrong with the Dinosaurs… link so I replaced it)

More on taxes

A state sales tax jump could backfire - Los Angeles Times:

"California's tax system is among the least friendly to businesses, according to the Tax Foundation, which ranks it 40th among the states."

What is not mentioned here is the fact that over 70% of the large corporations pay no tax at all. Which...somehow...seems unfair. And the Tax Foundation? With a name like that, I'm sure they are fair and impartial.

A state sales tax jump

could backfire - Los Angeles Times:

"Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal for a temporary increase"

First; have you ever seen a temporary increase in taxes that didn't become permanent?

Second; the sales tax falls heaviest on those that can't afford it. The poor. Always does. That's why Republicans always suggest it first.

Something new

Since it is quiet here this morning, amongst the political blogs, I have new posts on my other blogs. Working and Short Laps

Very Quiet

Apparently all of the blogs I read on a regular basis are taking some time off. Mission accomplished. Nothing much more to say until the cabinet positions are announced. And although my Presidential pick didn't make it through the primaries, I think Bill Richardson will end up with a role in the new government. Secretary of State would be the smart choice. And Bill is smart.

FromShorpy Photo Archive

J. Edgar Hoover: 1924

Now imagine him in a lovely dress... Oh go ahead, he won't mind.

A Few Minutes Ago

I was listening to NPR and they were talking to listeners from around the world. (web listeners) And as I listened I felt pride, once again, in what this country can do. Our simple act of electing a man of intelligence and caring, and rejecting the alternative… did more for our image abroad than anything else we could have possibly done. We should all be humbled by how we are perceived by others. And vow to never let it happen again.

B.O.B:

The Change We Need

So here's the B.O.B website... now what I would really love to see, would be an Obama website AFTER he takes office. Not some 'official' government creation, but a real one. FDR used the radio for his Fireside Chats; it would nice to see our president of the 21st century using a blog.

From MichaelMoore.com

Pinch Me ...a message from Michael Moore

Sure, I know... Michael Moore is usually way over the top. But not here.

Who Says?

Yesterday, I learned something to be true that I always suspected was… President Obama writes his own speeches! Yes, he can string meaningful words together. Even big words! Something that has eluded the current resident of the White House.

For me, this is a big thing. I have always felt that writing a speech was part of the president's duties. That was, among other things, what we paid him to do. To hand over that job to a committee was shirking his duty. We actually paid a staff of writers to tell the president what to tell us. What?

OK, maybe things are different once you have the 'big job' and perhaps our new president won't always have time… no, I don't think so. No matter what, the president's words to us must be his words; not a committee's.

Read It!

I'm still looking for the definitive website for California election results and I suppose ballots are still being counted in many places. But, it seems that Prop 8 was narrowly decided in favor of those who don't believe the Constitution applies to everyone. And this measure will go back to court and will be overturned as being un-constitutional. Again. Because it is. The lawyers have to love it!

Here’s One

Speaking of opinions, as I was. Most of my favorite blogs are silent once again this morning. I'm presuming it's because of the election results, after all, what do you say once your goals are met? Yippee? And now that Bush is calling for the moving company to give him an estimate, (one truck, one way, to Crawford) he is basically irrelevant. And he will remain that way until it comes time to issue the Presidential Pardons, just before he hands over the keys. Wanna bet that he outdoes himself on this one? If you thought that Signing Statements were a stretch, wait till you see the logic he will use for Pardons. If he's smart, he'll issue a retroactive pardon to himself. But, that's a big 'if'.

Going, but not gone

That 'light' feeling I had when we learned of Obama's victory is fading. Not a bad thing. Because we now have a serious leader for serious times. And I feel safer now that we have someone intelligent in charge. I may be wrong, but as always, perception is reality.

Apparently the rest of the world feels much the same way. It's so very humbling to see citizens of other countries celebrating what we did on Tuesday night. Yes, 'humble', contrary to the neocons' opinions, is a good thing. Makes you strong! It's also biblical…

Freedom; to be…

Obama won and it's a wonderful thing, but… since I have no false expectations that the Democrats' will become the liberal party that they should be, I'm going to be looking for a new political home. But I've been doing that for years now, so I don't think I will find what I want overnight. Since the statement that 'All wealth comes from labor' resonates with me, I may just join up with the Democratic Socialists of America. Or not. Isn't America grand?

Caution

I've been browsing most of my favorite blogs and things are pretty quiet out there. I think most are still digesting the good news and trying to figure out what it all means for the future. One blog, Blue Ridge Muse is really getting hit by the 'commenters' for his thoughts on the election results. Be careful when reading the comments, or better yet – don't.

A Plan

I listened to both candidates making speeches last night and once again, I was mystified by their ability to say nice things about each other. I know; that's their job. I'm glad they have it and not me. After the things that McCain and Palin said during the campaign, I wouldn't have been that gracious.

And I was gratified to hear a reference to the book, Team of Rivals; The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I highly recommend the book and if anyone nearby wants to read it, let me know. It sounds like President Obama already has…

What Do You Say?

Superlatives come to mind but I can't decide on which one to use. I do know that I 'feel' lighter. And that's a good thing. I also know we'll never be able to re-create the feeling that swept over us last night; the night that Senator Obama won. Now it's over and the hard work begins.

But… I can't help but take the time this morning to remember the early morning in 1960 when I arrived in Jacksonville, North Carolina. I was in the Navy; just out of boot camp and Hospital Corps School and on my way to Camp Lejeune to begin my work there. I stepped into the bus depot to get a ticket for the local bus that went to the Marine Corps base. Once inside, I suddenly realized that there were two identical bus stations under one roof with a low wall separating them. One was for 'Colored'. And outside, along the wall, there were two drinking fountains, side by side. In 1960, that was 'normal' in North Carolina.

When the sun comes up this morning, I'm still going to be in a 'Red' county that voted overwhelmingly for McCain. And, despite the nice words of the candidates, these voters aren't going to get over it and get on with their lives. These people like the 20^th century and see no reason to change and move on. They voted Wally Herger back into office and that tells me all I need to know about the good citizens of this county. It also tells me all I need to know about the Democratic Party that abandoned their candidate here. Without support from the Democrats, Jeff Morris didn't have a chance. Join the Democrats again? Not on your life!

Electoral College

for dummies - CNN.com

The title says it all...the Electoral College is for dummies! (And they have no football team...) Isn't it time for a change?

Google Gadget

Get one!

Business As Usual?

I'm worried. Yes, I voted and I know that polls show that Obama is leading McCain. But when you live in a 'Red' region, like Glenn/Butte/Tehama counties, you certainly can feel like a minority. Agriculture is the economic force in these counties, as it is throughout the Central Valley. And wherever you have agriculture, you have poverty. That means that political power is in the hands of a few; the farmers and ranchers. They have the power of the 'purse' and they use it to perpetuate their hold on the region. They aren't necessarily evil people; agriculture requires lots of land and it doesn't require a lot of skilled workers to labor upon it. And last; I chose to live here.

 So I was glad to read this article this morning. It's nice to know that Obama does understand agriculture and agribusiness and that there is a difference between them.

From the Shorpy Photo Archive

Women Voters: 1917

Not even 100 years ago...

Election Results

Poll Closing Times, Electoral College Result Widgets, Live Election Coverage (VIDEO)

Everything you need...

I’m Through

I just read the headline, 'Daring to dream of a black president'. OK, that's it. I'm through with all reference to the color of peoples skin. I don't know any 'white people' and I don't know any 'black people'. Or 'brown' people. I only know people from now on. Some would say that I'm simply denying reality when I ignore color, but I think I was perpetuating a myth by paying attention to it.

I've always felt this way, but only vaguely, so I joined in with everyone else and categorized my acquaintances by their color. And no matter how liberal you might think yourself, you're perpetuating division by your speech. 'My black friends…' doesn't do a thing to end those tribal divisions that plague us as a society.

Could be

We've been waiting a long time for this day. It seems like forever. And although I already voted some time ago, today is when it will be counted. OK, I know that it might be the end of the week before that particular cardboard ballot will be shuffled through an optical scanner, but symbolically, it all happens today.

And I couldn't help but think that with any luck at all, our grandchildren and their grandchildren will look back on these past years and know them as the 2^nd Dark Ages, beginning with the election of Reagan and ending with the election of Obama.

Those living in the 1^st Dark Ages didn't know how unenlightened they were until the Renaissance occurred. The same could begin to happen today.

All about the White Spaces Coalition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Be still, my heart!

Vote Obama or McCain

Global Electoral College | From The Economist

Somehow I knew it. And it was fun... but now the real work begins; electing him for sure!

Sad

I was struck by this image this morning… Now download the picture and use an editing tool to crop the image. (I use IrfanView) Select the little girl and her surroundings. Amazing photo.

Who Knew?

I may have a deep seated dislike for 'corporate coffee' but I have to admire and praise Starbuck's for giving away a free coffee to anyone who tells them they voted on Tuesday. I can dislike them again on Wednesday.

Maybe? Maybe Not

I may be wrong, but I think I read that over a third of the Americans eligible to vote – have. How cool is that? With any luck at all, we may just join the 21^st century during the next decade. Next we need universal registration for voting. It should come with your Social Security number when you're born and then validated at age 18. You're worried about 'states rights'? Get a grip! States are an anachronism. Who needs them? What do they define? Besides your address, that is.

And when the shouting is all over next week, I hope I hear that more citizens have dropped out of the political party system and voted as independents. It's time for both parties to start paying attention to those who think and aren't simply lead.

(Truth is…I can hardly wait till I get a chance to criticize President Obama and the Democratic Party)

  

From the Washington Post

says Bush, 'My Heart and My Values Didn't Change':

"'When you're inside, and the president is so optimistic, you're not paying as much attention to the noise outside,'"

The 'noise' outside? That would be 'us'. The citizens.

From Time Goes By

Full Up to Here With Politics:

"you can't say this hasn't been the most interesting, exciting and surprising campaign of our lives."

Almost

This is it. The last full day of the campaign before we elect a new president. Remember that candidate from some years ago? The one that said that he came to unite us and not to divide us? The 'Compassionate Conservative'? Well, he is the reason that we are so bitterly divided today; he and the party that he represents. And today we will probably see every dirty trick that Karl Rove can find in his 'little closet of horrors'.

Hopefully, it will all end on Wednesday morning and the American people can begin to recover from the past eight years. But I know that the party of 'hate' won't stop unless the vote is decisive in its numbers. They will seize on anything to contest the results, just as they did in 2000. And with a Supreme Court that holds allegiance to the Republicans and not to the law, anything can happen.

My wife

made me canvas for Obama; here's what I learned

A great story and well worth reading...

From AlterNet

The Triumph of Ignorance: or, How Morons Succeed in U.S. Politics :

"In the most powerful nation on Earth, 1 adult in 5 (20%) believes the sun revolves around the Earth; only 26 percent accept that evolution takes place by means of natural selection; two-thirds of young adults are unable to find Iraq on a map; two-thirds of U.S. voters cannot name the three branches of government; and the math skills of 15-year-olds in the United States are ranked 24th out of the 29 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development."

Oh, yeah? Well we know how to spell 'organization'. So there.

An endorsement of Barack Obama

It's time! | From The Economist

A scooter...

To die for! (image)

Yes, it's a memory of mine. At one time I did have an all metal scooter, but not as nice as this one. And I also had a wooden scooter. Made with a length of 2x4, some old roller skates and a little help from dad. The true test of any of our wheeled creations was a trip down the 14th Street hill. Scary! Scooters, wagons, tricycles, bicycles and roller skates. Anything that could roll was tried on that hill. And any time during the day, you could spot half a dozen kids trudging up that hill, dragging some sort of vehicle behind them. All 'wannabe' heroes.

Back to ‘regular’ time

It's far too early for me to be awake. I went to bed at 9 and now it's 6 hours later. But, we had a time change and by looking at the clock it's only 5 hours later. Yikes!

It may be early but I'm already busy this morning as I try to find something of interest on the internet. I know; there's always the comics! But I was hoping for some thoughtful editorial or opinion about the election that I hadn't heard before. In these last hours before the election there's little chance of that happening. Which begs the question; why are people still undecided? I presume that these are the same people that stand in front of their closet every morning and wonder…and wonder. An hour goes by. They've picked out the belt they want to wear; maybe. But only if it goes with the shirt/blouse that they haven't picked out. And the shoes! That could be a deal breaker and then they're back to square one.

A survey of corporate IT

Where the cloud meets the ground | The Economist

Fascinating articles here on 'Cloud Computing' and why it's so important.

From the Shorpy Photo Archive

Six Candles: 1918

Happy, aren't they? Just one boy and he looks 'curious'.

And I just had a thought; my mom and dad wouldn't have been invited to this party. They were only 3 years old.

That’s It

The other day I was being introspective and came up with this thought. Or, a question which I then answered. Who am I? Well, I am first and foremost, a human. Living today. Living in this moment of time. Things I am not; I'm not my father or my mother. I'm not my grandparent's. I'm a product of my environment and how I perceive myself. And this changes constantly. I'm not a Scot, nor am I an Englishman. I have relatives that were born in those places but they were only human as well. You can't inherit 'Englishness'. Or 'Hungarianness'. Sure, it's fun to assume the role of Scotsman but it's only play acting. There are no Scottish genetic 'traits', just as there are no Chinese or Russian genetic 'traits'. You can only be human. Everything else is culture and your choices.

At Last

It's over. Officially; I don't need a newspaper any more. The only thing that still had a hold on me was the Comics page, or pages. With the GoComics widget from Google on my home page, I'm set for the day…every day.

From Pat Oliphant —

Gocomics.com:

Because we need to laugh!

Voices

An interview with Studs Terkel, May 17, 1987 | The Daily Mirror | Los Angeles Times

21+ years ago and the message still resonates. It could have been yesterday...

No on Prop. 8

If Prop. 8 passes, what about those who wed?

Well, duh! You put them in prison... that's what we do best in California.

Here We Go

Stormy weather this morning with lots of wind and rain. It's definitely a good start for the month. I'm sure it made for a disappointing evening for the young trick or treaters', but do they even do that anymore? Aren't they managed, directed, supervised and guided to carefully orchestrated Halloween events?

Oh, oh! It's time for a 'memory'. Back in my day… Halloween started early and finished up late. First; there a great deal of conversation between friends as to how you would costume yourselves that night. Brainstorming. Then it was time to ask your mother for help. She had to find the pillow case you would use for your loot and she had to come up with the finished costume after you had given her the creative outline for it. 'I want to be a pirate!'. And no, you didn't go to the store for a pirate costume. Pity the poor child that was found in a store bought costume!

We started as soon as it was twilight; about 5. We might or we might not return home for dinner at 6. In fact, most times we only returned home to unload our bags of candy and go out again. And I remember that the streets were filled with children of all ages. Toddlers had parental escorts, but those were the only parents we saw. And whenever we came across some friends, we would stop and discuss the best strategy for filling our sacks and warn each other of which houses to avoid. Houses where you received an apple. Who wants an apple? Candy was the name of the game!

It was usually all over by 9 PM. And since bedtime in those days was 8:30, it certainly felt like a holiday! Then we would sit on the floor in our bedrooms and carefully count and arrange the candy. By type and size. Apples and oranges were set aside to be given to our parents to eat. Loose candy, such as Candy Corn, was eaten immediately. Then the whole stash was carefully packed and hidden away. Parents and siblings were known thieves and no one could be trusted.

From Changing Aging

I have to read this book...

John Barth, an all-time favorite author of mine has a new book at the age of 78.

Rain

I love that sound! Just as predicted, it's raining and quite steadily. So steadily that the Glenn County Sheriff's office has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the next few days. This will apply to most of the hilly areas that were burned over this past summer. Here, on the flats, we're not going to worry about any floods for awhile.

A quick look at the headlines shows me nothing much has changed overnight. A good thing. An even better thing would be to wake up and read that McCain decided to save us some money and had conceded. But…it's not going to happen. I can dream though. And I'm dreaming of a future where I can respect the president once again. I don't have to agree with him all of the time, and I doubt that I will, but just being able to respect him will be a delight! Imagine a thoughtful president. One that reads and one that listens…

(Since I'm from the era when Truman beat Dewey, despite all odds against him, I'm going to worry about this election till at least a week afterwards. And I've heard the same story from lots of elderbloggers.)

It's time for the weekly Comics!

What REAL Americans believe

Thank you, Tom!

From AlwaysQuestion:

It's Frustrating

A question for all of those that want to open up the coast and ANWR to oil company leasing and exploration; which of the 'American' oil companies did you want doing that? You see, there are none. All major oil companies are multinationals. They have no allegiance to any flag.

National Farm Worker Ministry

- Home

If you're looking for a worthy ministry to support... this is one.

Joe the Plumber

Ponders His Future, But Dismisses Country Music Star Chatter

No one could make up this stuff. The McCain camp does it on the fly and without rehearsals. Amazing.

Old Time

Color photos

About 1,600 great photos of America back in the 30's... from the Farm Security Administration. And your Library Of Congress.

From Nicholas Kristof -

- What? Me Biased? - NYTimes.com

Sorry. I won't be lead down this silly path. Barack Obama is not 'black' and I'm not 'white'. We are both human. End of story.

Bush's booby traps

for Obama - Los Angeles Times:

"We don't want a president who invites testing from the world,' John McCain warned voters."

You're right about that, John. But we do want one that can pass the test. And that wouldn't be you...

Evolution

As the debate goes on about Proposition 8… wait, there has been no debate. Lots of shouting but no debate. Anyway, the thought that just came to me was this; that it hasn't been that long ago that miscenagation laws were thought to be 'Constitutional'. Would the Religious Right still support those laws? Somehow I think that they would.

(Scary! I was doing a Google search for more information about miscenagation and some of the hits were for 'White Pride' and Aryan websites. I visited one and now I think I need a shower. Quick!)

Coffee and Me

Ronni, from Time Goes By, was complaining this morning about bloggers who post 'information free'. That's a post with a word or two of text and then a link. Hmmm? That could be me. The Crabby Old Lady says that is laziness. I disagree… in my case. It might be true in others, but not mine. For me, it's all about how I perceive blogging. In my mind, it's as if we were sitting around a table and we each have a newspaper. A giant newspaper! And as I sip my coffee, I read articles of interest to me. Sometimes I share my thoughts about them with other people at the table. And sometimes I just tell them to look at page 7. Discussion, hopefully, will follow. But it doesn't have to. Also, there are times when I only wish to add my two cents worth. Not a quarter's worth. Any more of my opinion would only be redundant.

Simple

And to make my day, I had some 'anonymous' commenter on a previous post. Commenting that somehow it's the fault of the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals that we don't already have a law in place to prevent same sex marriages. I presume that these people who hide behind 'anonymous' are also unable to read the Constitution.

If the God Fearing were truly as righteous as they claim to be, they would be fighting to separate the Marriage Ceremony from the unclean hands of the state. But they don't; they want state and religion forever entwined and that is exactly why it's unconstitutional. Thank God for the Court of Appeals! And for those that wrote the Constitution.

Who Are They?

I'm up at the usual hour and trying to make sense of it all. Also as usual. These last few days before the election are crazy! And did I hear right? They are expecting a record breaking voter turnout? Of only 63 %?

"Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate, is predicting that between 127 million and 132 million people will cast ballots - or 60.4 to 62.9 percent of those eligible to vote."

37% of the eligible voters will go bowling or drinking or? Instead of voting. Unbelievable!

And then there is the whole ACORN thing which played right into the hands of the Republicans and the ignorant. ACORN self reported that they had a problem with canvassers collecting and making up some false voter registrations. Of course no one remembers that ACORN brought it to the attention of the voting authorities. And no one stops to think that there is big gulf between registering a voter and actually voting. If ACORN was to sway the vote, they would have to come up with a real voter for each of the false registrations. Mickey Mouse would have to be present if he wanted to vote.

This whole election year kerfuffle makes it obvious that we need a uniform voting process throughout the entire nation. And it should include e-voting. Vote at home via your pc. There is far more security available on-line than there is at a voting booth. And a paper trail!

Reading

The coffee is fine, but that's about all I can find positive about the morning so far. Yes, I've been reading the news again. I am so ready for this election to be over! Then I can take a long hot shower and get rid of the stench of the campaign. And I'm just a voter! Imagine how bad it is up close…

And if I'm reading the news correctly, it seems that the same public that despises the news media is quite willing to believe anything that comes from them. Eager to believe without ever checking a fact. Sad.

Los Angeles History

- bars & restaurants

An interesting site! I'm not sure how I got here except I was looking for a picture of the old Casa Escobar Mexican restaurant that our family used to dine in back in the 40's. I found it. But I found a lot more! Louis' Basque Corner in Reno is here, as is the old Santa Fe Hotel...lots and lots of places.

Campaign T-shirts.

White T-Shirt -

Just the thing for the McCain/Palin ticket!

The AP

McCain gains backing of Joe the Plumber

"Wurzelbacher said he feared that Obama would turn the U.S. into a socialist nation."

You mean like a nation with fire departments, schools and public works? Army? Navy? Libraries? Police? Those are all definitely 'Socialist'! (especially that library thing!)

I have to ask...how much are they paying him? He obviously isn't there because of his fine grasp of the campaign and the issues involved. Clueless!

Good stuff from the ...

Photo Gallery

Arrests

in Plan to Kill Obama and Black Schoolchildren - NYTimes.com

A strong argument for imprisonment for life without possibility of parole.

Rambling

Caution. I'm thinking about old age this morning. I really can't help myself; it's all about who or what I am these days. An old guy. But that's OK, we all need to be comfortable with ourselves as we age and denial always looks silly. To me.

I had to add that modifier 'to me' because it's far too easy to think that I have all of the answers and my opinion counts for more than just an opinion. Humility doesn't come easy to any of us, no matter what our age. And I really think it's more of a problem for elders. We need to remain important in our own eyes, so we tend to overvalue our words. Sure, we do have a rare gem of wisdom in there once in awhile; we've lived and that has some advantages. But if we were pompous and overbearing when we were 40, we didn't necessarily improve by the time we hit 70.

Opinions. Everyone has one. I guess this is mine for the day.

Suggestions?

And this just in… Ted Stevens is guilty. So, what are they going to name the airport?

From Rick Kushman

Political ads really infuriating -

"Who has that much soap?"

A Liberal Thought

What was I thinking? Oh, yes… this whole conservative/liberal thing. And the fact that 'conservatives' are intent on preserving the country in a state of suspended animation. It's supposed to be just as they imagine it. The Good Old Days. And never to change. Hello! It will never be the same! We don't live in log cabins and we have been to the moon and back. So why would we be so interested in preserving the past? The past is what we learn from, not live in. Heck, just go back a 100 years. Women had no freedom and we hated the Irish. And you had a good chance of dying quite young if you made it past childhood. Disease was rampant. Corruption in politics was the norm and your chances of getting a decent education were close to non-existent. Public schools? Only the poor went there. If there were any schools.

Now, go back 200 years. Wait! Don't do it… it was even worse. You wouldn't like it.

We're in the 21^st century and it's time we acted like it. And our form and style of government should change to reflect that. We need to be a thinking people and not a reacting people. Simply said, there are over 300 million of us now; we can't ignore one another anymore. We must take care of each other if we are to survive.

Hello Goodbye

Still more daily news 'blahs'. It's hard to get excited by what I'm reading on the internet. Perhaps I should go back to reading fiction only for a few days and see if that doesn't help me. At least my time won't be wasted.

Changes

The times, they are a changing. Weather wise. (And with any luck at all, politically as well.) It does look like we will see an end to this summer like weather later this week with a sharp drop of about 20 degrees in the daytime temps. I'm ready. For change.

GOP Candidates

Warn Voters About Perils of One-Party Rule -

"Republicans are offering a new argument to voters: the danger of single-party rule in the nation's capital."

And that would be different...? somehow from the 6 years that the Republicans abused this country when bush was president? (2000 - 2006) I'm kind of slow in understanding their logic?

From Garrison Keillor

Life is hard; we dig in, and we can spot deceit

George W. Bush

Bowl Buddy -

Notice the price reduction. Pretty soon you won't be able to give them away!

The Age of Triumphalism

- is over - Los Angeles Times

You can never go back!

Vista Recap

Things change. 10 years ago I wouldn't have bought an operating system like Vista. I wanted control. I wanted to see a white on black screen where I could type DOS commands and tell the computer what I wanted it to do. Now, as it turns out, I'm quite willing to be 'dumbed down' in exchange for ease of use. I can't find a DOS 'Box' anywhere in this computer and it doesn't seem to matter to me anymore. And Vista Ultimate has turned out to be sort of fun. It's not as quick and responsive as I thought it should be, but neither am I. Hey! Maybe that is the market that Microsoft is trying to tap with Vista?… the elders! And the soon to be.

True Story

Another day is dawning. And we have grandkids about. That's always a good thing! (Well, Boo the Cat isn't thrilled about it, but she isn't thrilled by much of anything out of the ordinary.) Karlee and Kyle are sound asleep in the other room and I'm thinking we will go out for breakfast with them this morning.

And while I was waiting for grandchildren to awaken, I was doing the usual browsing of the web and somehow I came across something (what was it?) that reminded me of a presidential election from long ago. And a Vice Presidential candidate that no one had heard of…

Has it been 40 years already? Wow! It's definitely time to remember some very pertinent history before we vote next month. It was in 1968 that the American's were fooled into voting for Richard Nixon. And he brought along an 'unknown' running mate; Spiro T. Agnew.

Think it can't happen again? Don't bet on it! There is no end to Republican trickery and with no sense of morals, there is not a crime that they wouldn't attempt. Nothing is off-limits to them. That was true 40 years ago and it's true today.

Bored?

Not much news. Or I'm simply not interested. So I posted to my other blogs, Working. Good Eats and Short Laps.

From Rainy day thoughts

Why Obama is the right leader for today

Yes, I voted. How about you?

Later, Much Later

I'm working on my second cup of coffee now and trying to get a handle on the world outside. I checked the weather and that is far too normal. It's time for a storm or two. The internet doesn't offer much in exciting news today, but it's early. I'll check back later.

3 cups later. The news is out there, but do I want to write about it? I'm having one of those mornings where it's all too depressing to think about. So I won't.

Survey

U.S. Doctors Regularly Prescribe Placebos : NPR

But wait...wouldn't the low price tell you that you weren't getting the real deal? Or, is the cost kept high so that you can really be fooled? And do they keep the money? Of course.

Absolutely NO

I should comment on the fact that the ballot includes a request for $10 billion dollars for seed money for a high speed train between northern and southern California. Let's see; what's wrong with that idea? Besides the fact that it's about 30 years too late? The rest of the world has been there and done that while we played with freeways. That whole idea gets a NO. Where were our legislators 30 years ago? Oh, I remember! They were busy trying to balance a budget along partisan lines, as usual.

I’m So Vain!

I was reading Time Goes By this morning and Ronni has a rant about cosmetic surgery. Good stuff! Since aging comes to us all, what's the big deal about appearing to be…gasp! your age? On a personal note; I am finding it to be quite interesting. Back in the day; I really wondered how I would be able to shave once I had wrinkles. Wouldn't I just cut myself to ribbons? As it turns out, it's quite easy to do and I haven't had to go to the ER for sutures as I once feared.

But, I'm a guy. We see things differently. Wait. I'm using a broad brush here. Not all guys think as I do. Not by a long shot! For instance, I don't care for make-up at all. On others. Not even lipstick. Hair and hair coloring isn't worth bothering with. It's only hair! Who we are exists within us and is not to be found within our appearance.

But… (there's always a 'but'.) I do like jewelry and tattoo's as a means of decorating our bodies. Why do I like tattoo's but not lipstick? I don't have a clue. And one more 'but'… I do wish there were good temporary tattoo's available. Permanence in body art requires some dedication and I'm more into making a statement for the day. This is me. Today.

Vanity. You can't live without it.

 

What Time Is It?

Early. As usual. And just as I am settled in here and getting ready to type…my computer tells me that it has been updated and must be restarted. And that I should save my work. What work? I just got here!

OK, I'm back. All is well and the latest update doesn't appear to have upset this particular program.

And now that I've read the headlines, perhaps I should turn my computer off and go back to bed. The Asian markets have fallen almost 10% overnight which means that Wall Street will follow that trend when the markets open this morning. And all of that cheaper gasoline we were enjoying will soon be gone as OPEC has decided to cut production severely in an effort to drive prices back up.

Vote For Obama or McCain

The Global Electoral College | The Economist

What fun!

Oh,oh! Macedonia just went 56% to McCain versus 44% for that other guy...

McCain = Irony Man

Yesterday, my election ad insulation failed me as I was listening to NPR and they played some them during a political discussion on All Things Considered. Yikes! I am so glad I don't have a television.

Anyway; the ad was a McCain one where he claims that Washington 'insiders' are the problem and he will protect us from them. But wait? He's been an 'insider' for the past 30+ years… Am I missing the irony here?

From Rainy day thoughts -

What it costs to look like middle America

What I've found interesting about this whole wardrobe brouhaha, is the fact that no one is denying it happened! They aren't even embarrassed.

From Mzodell's Page

A Canadian in America, attack ads and initiatives

Anne always has an interesting take on all things 'American'. Here, she comments on initiatives, that blight on our political scene. Yes, we pay politician's to work (legislate) for us and we still end up doing the work ourselves by voting on initiatives that few of us understand completely. It's not our job!

Planning, or not

Time to wake up. Time to think about the day ahead. Make plans; or not. The 'or not' option is my favorite. I have very few things that must be done, so other than those, I'm free.

Speaking of politics; I must admit that I'm baffled by those who are saying that they cannot make up their minds as to who they will vote for in November. How can that be? Apparently most Democrats have made up their minds as polls indicate that they are the leaders in early voting. Does that mean that there are more undecided Republican's? There should be. And Republicans have the hardest job to do in this election; they have to think this time. Voting the party line will be irresponsible and far less than patriotic. They have the evidence of 8 years of Republican rule staring at them from their paycheck, if they get one.

 

The 'real' America,

really - Rosa Brooks at the Los Angeles Times:

"...while 59% of us think that wearing an American flag pin is a decent way to show patriotism, even more of us (66%) think that protesting U.S. policies we oppose is a good way to show patriotism."

From Dinosaurs and Robots

Handy Painting Tools from Lee Valley

Gotta get me some of these!

McCain's reasons

to vote for McCain! (Comics)

Thanks again, Tom!