Month: July 2006

  • SUNDAY GOOD NEWS

    The
    good news is that he apologized (well, in general but not specifically
    for anti-semitic remarks) and that he seemed to put two and two
    together about the connection of his reason for apology with the
    disease of alcoholism. The bad news is that early Friday morning the
    Malibu fuzz picked him up for way speeding in his 2006 Lexus and quoted
    him as saying (among other things in an 8-page report) “Fuck Jews. The
    Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” He then asked the
    deputy, “Are you a Jew?” The Anti-Defamation League
    said in a statement on Sunday that his response was “unremorseful and
    insufficient” and that his tirade “finally reveals his true self.” So
    he’s out on $5000 bail from his DUI. In the meantime, all the wars in
    the world continue, religions are invoked in many, and belligerence and
    alcoholism are doing their best to keep children from dying of natural
    causes in old age. This popular and wealthy actor will buy his way out
    of his fate – they can’t.

    Deep Thought: “One time I don’t think you should listen to your body is when it says “I’m dead.”
    Today I am grateful for: nth degrees
    Guess the Movie: “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” Answer: Star Wars, 1977. Winner: buttermelon.
    Just Hot Air? Bush and Blair Refuse to Call for Ceasefire
    by Colin Brown and Francis Elliott in Washington
    Tony
    Blair and George Bush defied the growing anger across the world
    yesterday by seeking a UN resolution that fell far short of a ceasefire
    to end the killing of Lebanese civilians. (Rest of article here.)

  • SUNDAY GOOD NEWS

    Whenever I do this piece, it strikes me how big the proportion of bad news is compared to good in today’s media. It’s kind of hard to imagine that while bombs are dropping in the Middle East, the G8 is supposed to be considering energy disasters in Moscow, and another Indonesian tests positive for bird flu, in one tiny corner of the world, the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in South America, an old old point is being proven by a tiny bird. Here’s the deal – back in the day (1830’s), the Darwin’s Finch was used by Charles Darwin to help develop his theory of evolution. The Galapagos Islands was a super place to study anything because of its size and isolation and huge variety of wildlife that arrived by air and sea. With finches, the major feature was their beaks. And this week, an article in Science magazine announced that the Darwin’s Finch is still proving the theory of evolution and natural selection. You see, in 1982 some bigger finches arrived on the islands and proceeded to grub up all the seeds the Darwin’s Finches were eating. This was followed in 2003-04 by a drought. And all this caused the food source to disappear. Lo and behold, in just 20 years the Darwin’s Finch developed a smaller beak that could take advantage of the smaller seeds of other plants so it wouldn’t have to compete for the Big Bird Seeds. Pretty amazing that in one part of the world the whole focus is on killing and maiming, and in another species in another part of the world the focus is on survival and progress.

    Deep Thought: “If you ever feel like you’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown, just follow these simple rules: First, calm down; second, come over and wash my car; third, shine all my shoes. There, isn’t that better?”
    Today I am grateful for: Being Here Now
    Guess the Movie: “Will you look at that! Look how she moves! It’s like Jell-O on springs. Must have some sort of built-in motor or something. I tell you, it’s a whole different sex!” Answer: Some Like It Hot, 1959. Winner: buttermelon.
    Israeli Bombs Fall Near Syria as Ripples Grow
    by Greg Myre
    METULA, Israel, July 15 — In wide-ranging airstrikes, Israel continued to hit Beirut and other targets in Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least a dozen people in a civilian refugee convoy in the south. And Hezbollah forces continued their rocket barrage into northern Israel, striking the resort city of Tiberias for the first time. (Rest of article here.)

  • TUESDAY POLITICS

    As I was riding in to work listening to Air America like usual, they were discussing the astounding development that the Pentagon is going to release new guidelines for Gitmo (including suspected Al-Kaeda folks). And then they said that because it is now on the records that Bush ignored one of the Geneva Convention rules about prisoners (calling them instead enemy combatants) and those rules say defiance of them amount to a war crime, it could be expected that when this comes up in Congress some Democrat is going to bring those words up – Bush & War Crime. Of course, they followed by saying that won’t make a bit of difference except to just get those words out there on the air waves. A month ago three men killed themselves at the camp, and remember how the Bush news folks tried to spin it as an act of war against the U.S.? Apparently, that accomplished more movement than all the efforts of all the human rights groups so far. However, now that it has happened, Amnesty International has issued a statement: “By rounding up men from all over the world and confining them in an isolated penal colony without charge of trial, the United States has violated several U.S. and international laws and treaties.” Stay tuned.

    Deep Thought: “Whenever I hear the sparrow chirping, watch the woodpecker chirp, catch a chirping trout, or listen to the sad howl of the chirp rat, I think: Oh boy! I’m going insane again.”
    Today I am grateful for: Nonfiction.
    Guess the Movie: “A word to you about escape. There is no barbed wire. No stockade. No watchtower. They are not necessary. We are an island in the jungle. Escape is impossible. You would die.” Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957. Winner: pray14me.
    Experts: Iraq Likely to Become Major US Election Issue
    By Jim Malone
    Washington
    11 July 2006
    Opposition Democrats hope to seize control of one or both chambers of the U.S. Congress in the November mid-term elections, in large part because of voter dismay over the situation in Iraq. In the first of a two-part series, VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has more on how Iraq could impact this year’s U.S. congressional elections. (Rest of article here.)

  • FRIDAY FIVE

    Appetizer – When was the last time you visited a hospital?
    Gads, I work in one, so the last time was yesterday morning. I jump in my car about 6 am and drive for about 10 miles across the river and up a huge hill and park right in front of my building and go sit in my nice office and basically see nobody for 4-8 hours, depending on whether it’s a full day or a half day. I do frequently get up and go out for a quick outside walk though to get the fresh air and see the excellent view. Portland is a gorgeous city to look out on from above.
    Soup – On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you?
    Depends on ambitious for what. Certainly not fame or fortune at this late date. Peace of mind – now that’s what consumes me lately. Maybe once I’ve figured out my secret key to finding it, I won’t be ambitious ever again.
    Salad – Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.)
    Never ever run virtually east.
    Main Course – If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it?
    I’ve tried to start clubs of women friends several times in the last 10 years or so. They always break down and I’m always disappointed. I keep thinking we’d have all this common wisdom to share. We could never even agree on a name, so that gives you an idea. Let’s see – possible name, Nattering Nitwits.
    Dessert – What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?Hardwood floors everywhere except kitchen and bathroom. Aging linoleum there that I keep intending to replace. Various rugs in mostly browns, greens, and maroons. I had a dream once to have Persian carpet in at least the living room but it slipped on my priority list.

    Deep Thought: “I don’t understand people who say life is a mystery, because what is it they want to know?”
    Today I am grateful for: Quiet nextdoor neighbors.
    Guess the Movie: “There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn’t good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!” Answer: Sunset Boulevard, 1950. Winner: pray14me.
    Starving for Attention: Troops Home Fast, Day One
    by Cindy Sheehan
    It is midnight of the 5th of July and 24 hours since thousands of us began the Troops Home Fast.
    Some of us who will be fasting completely until the troops come home; some will be on liquids only until the troops come home; some will fast for 2 weeks, 2 days; or like me, until at least September 21st. (Rest of article here.)

  • THURSDAY WHATEVER

    The young cat next door
    slides through the slats of my
    back fence
    like a silk ribbon.

    As do all young things
    he causes trouble,
    requiring rescue from tall trees,
    needling the older cats
    who own my yard
    into hisses.

    I see my own youth
    in his gaze,
    long summer days ahead,
    and I stare back
    without blinking.

    Deep Thought: “One thing that makes me believe in UFOs is, sometimes I lose stuff.”
    Today I am grateful for: Motherhood.
    Guess the Movie: “I’m shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I’m comin’ back here to go to college and see what they know. And then I’m gonna build things. I’m gonna build airfields, I’m gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I’m gonna build bridges a mile long…“ Answer: It’s A Wonderful Life, 1946. Winner: Eliminate_the_Impossible.
    Army Charges Lieutenant Who Wouldn’t Go to Iraq
    by Hal Bernton
    A Fort Lewis Army officer who refused to serve in Iraq could face seven years in prison under charges filed Wednesday. (Rest of article here.)

  • TUESDAY POLITICS

    Bombs Bursting in Air
    by Cindy Sheehan
    The star spangled banner has been in the news quite a lot lately. Some “courageous” Senators, including one of my own, Dianne Feinstein and everyone’s favorite left-wing liberal, Hillary Clinton, bravely stuck their necks out to support an amendment that would make it illegal to burn the flag of the USA under certain circumstances.

    I implore you, while you are enjoying your potato salad and fireworks on the 4th to reflect on what the star-spangled banner means to you. If our flag symbolizes the same thing to you as it does to the neocons, then by all means, enlist and go to Iraq to let some of our soldiers come home that are tired of suffering and committing war crimes for Halliburton, Dick and Donny.

    If, however, you realize that the flag no longer waves “o’er the land of the free” and you would like it to again, we invite you to come out to Camp Casey this summer and help us fight for the heart and soul of our nation. If you realize that while you are “oohing and ahing” over the pretty fireworks in your home town that there are real bombs bursting on the people of Iraq, killing them and destroying their nation for no reason other than Dick Cheney wanted to, then you need to digest your 4th of July BBQ and get out and show Dicky and the world that we mean business when we say we want our troops to come home to save them and our brothers and sisters in Iraq. (Full article here.)

    Deep Thought: “Many people never stop to realize that a tree is a living thing, not that different from a tall, leafy dog that has roots and is very quiet.”
    Today I am grateful for: Fixed rate mortgages
    Guess the Movie: “Short people have long faces, and long people have short faces. Big people have little humor, and little people have no humor at all.” Answer: Singin’in the Rain, 1952. Winner: ChattyCat02.
    Anti-war protesters begin July 4 fast
    Mon Jul 3, 2006 8:07 PM ET
    By Amanda Beck
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About 150 protesters sat in front of the White House on Monday to savor their last meal before starting a hunger strike that some said will continue until American troops return from Iraq.
    The demonstration marking the Independence Day holiday was organized by CodePink, a women’s anti-war group that called on volunteers to abstain from eating for 24 hours from midnight on Monday. (Rest of article here.)

  • SUNDAY GOOD NEWS

    You can tell by the photo that the two guys on the left (some Anonymous Guy on the right) were buddies years ago. What do they have in common besides being the two richest dudes on the planet? Well, they both believe in using their money now to make a damn difference in the quality of life for the rest of us instead of giving it all to their families after they die. So the Old Guy just gave the Young Guy on the left $31 billion to double the money the Young Guy already put in his foundation he formed with his wife. What are they going to do with all this money? Let’s see: malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, world hunger and inner-city education initiatives for starters. Curing the world’s 20 deadliest diseases for long-term. The foundation has already had a profound impact on world health by creating a vaccine fund of $1.5 billion, making it economically feasible for drug companies to produce vaccines for Third World countries. The Old Guy even said when he announced his gift that he was encouraging his “secret” billionaire partners to do likewise. I don’t know if this Other Young Guy with the big check is one of the Old Guy’s secret partners, but Thursday he up and announced he was inspired to leave half his fortune to charity (and he has a tidy little nest egg too). Who could be next? The Vice-President? OK, that was reaching too far.

    Deep Thought: “It’s probably not a good idea to be chewing on a toothpick if you’re talking to the president, because what if he tells a funny joke and you laugh so hard you spit the toothpick out and it hits him in the face or something.” Today I am grateful for: Lovely July mornings
    Guess the Movie: “Their fingers polish the inside of shell metal casings. How else am I to polish the inside of a 45 millimeter shell casing? You tell me. You tell me!” Answer: Schindler’s List, 1993. Winner: Twiggy03.
    Supreme Court Ruling May Ripple Through Other Bush Policies
    by Jonathan S. Landay, Marisa Taylor and Margaret Talev
    WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday that the Bush administration can’t use ad hoc military commissions to try suspected terrorists may have sweeping implications for other aspects of President Bush’s war on terror. (Rest of article here.)