No Help available

In watching reports on CNN this afternoon I hear people in the areas ravaged by Katrina asking where the help is. Where is the Federal Government, the Army, the National Guard, FEMA? Well, part of the answer is that Bush has the Army and the National Guard over in Iraq in an unjust war instead of at home helping keep the homeland safe. The most important war is now in New Orleans and other areas where people are looting and there is no one available to put a stop to it.

Blogger SPAM

After a number of months of sailing along here without nary a bump, all of a sudden this site has been discovered by some nefarious spammers. Sorry guys but your e-mails are not wanted at this site nor do I want to buy or use any advertising that you may have to offer.

Does anyone have a NFL field to loan the Saints?

I guess this answers the question in my previous post about the N.O. Saints home opener, sort of. Right now neither the Saints nor the NFL know what will happen.

Is there anyone home?

Here is my favorite letter to the editor for today:
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"As a Category 5 hurricane was roaring up the Gulf of Mexico heading right toward the populated Gulf Coast regions, our esteemed president was safely relaxing in Air Force One on his way to Rancho Cucamonga to speak to selected seniors about his confusing Medicare drug plan, and then over to Coronado to tell World War II veterans how the mess in Iraq equaled their heroic efforts in Europe and the Pacific. He would have been better off continuing to hide out in his ranch house avoiding Cindy Sheehan.

He missed an important opportunity to meet with the governors of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi and show how he really cares and is fully engaged in addressing those major emergencies happening right now in our own country."
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One question now, where will the New Orleans Saints play their first home game of the season? That is scheduled for September 18th but with the Super Dome in disrepair and most or all of New Orleans in a shambles and being evacuated there will need to be a change in venue. The opponent on that date is the New York Giants. On that date the Miami Dolphins are playing the New York Jets at Giants stadium so that venue is out unless they move that game to Miami. I wonder what the NFL will do?

In the meantime the National League Wild Card race is turning out to be very interesting and could go right down to the wire. As this is written it is a five way race between Florida, Philadelphia, New York, Houston, and Washington. In the meantime over here in the West it is a three way race between NY, Cleveland, and LA Angels.

The A's are now in first place after having won 7 games in a row while the Angels have lost 5 in a row. I hope that trend continues.

Well, this month is about shot and it always seems like when we get to September that the year rushes to a conclusion. I don't know if it because of the dreaded Christmas shopping season or what it is but 2006 will be here before we know it.

Cheers everyone.

You saw WHAT on the bridge?

Oh, this is too much. An ostrich on the Golden Gate Bridge?

Well the Bay Area anarchists are at again. These people need to get a life.

And I wonder how many false alarms we are going to have in this age of terrorism?

Are we there yet?

I am not sure but then where are we going? Is it 1984 yet? Oh, we passed it, that is right but George Orwell had no idea what lay ahead. One aspect of Big Brother's encroachment into our daily lives, according to some people, is RFID tags in clothing, passports, drivers licenses, etc. I don't really see it that way but then that is me. The genie with information about me escaped from the bottle years ago with the innocent little demographics cards we all got when purchasing something via mail or on the phone.

Cell phone mis-use is also a hot topic but one person seems to have come up with a very good and simple idea to ward of using cell phones as detonators for bombs:

"If each cell was to dial up every phone that was tuned into that cell for a second or less every few minutes, then anyone making a bomb runs the risk of the bomb being detonated during manufacture or delivery. This would solve two problems at one go. It would stop the bomb from being planted in the target area, and there is also a chance that it would remove the bombers. Once it is known that the system is operational, it would be a keen bomber who would take the risk of using mobile phones to detonate destructive bombs. I know it won't stop the bombing, but it would remove the use of mobile phones as detonation devices." I think this is a splendid idea.

As for equal time for creationism vs. evolution, someone else has hit upon an interesting point:

"We are hearing a demand from the religious right for "equal time," with evolution and creationism taught alongside each other in public schools.
But I wonder why we should stop there? Shouldn't we include astrology to be taught with astronomy? And shouldn't faith-healing be included in medical school? What about "unexplained UFO phenomena" for physics?
And while we are at it, how about adding "crop circle theory" for UC Davis agricultural students?" Another splendid idea. Let's give equal time to everything.

Are we there yet? Well, August is almost over and there are less then four months until Christmas. We might get there, wherever that is, as we race downhill to the finish line. That is, if one even exists.

Big Brother Has Arrived

Get this...two nights ago somebody rings my doorbell at dinner (Is there any other time to be disturbed?) claiming to be taking a census survey, not the census which is not due until 2010, but a survey, and I have to participate under penalty of law. I don't believe this yokel but I get him to agree to send some information to me. It arrived today by FedEx of all things. I still don't believe it however the United States Code, TITLE 13 - Census, Chapter 7 - Offenses and Penalties, Subchapter II - Other Persons, contains the following:

Paragraph 221: Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined no more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be find not more than $500.

Can you believe this intrusion of privacy by Big Brother. Since when is the census or anything related to is mandatory especially under penalty. What the hell has this country come to? I know one thing, I am copying all of the documents sent to me and forwarding them to my elected representatives and will protest in the strongest possible terms. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!

You don't say

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police have arrested a 31-year-old man they caught vandalizing two cars by scratching large penis-shaped gouges into them and said they believe he may be responsible for similar markings found on hundreds of others.
A police spokesman in the western city of Bochum said on Friday the man was under investigation for vandalizing around 330 vehicles in the region over the last few months, most of which had also been marked with the same penis insignia.
The total damage may near 350,000 euros, he said.
"Nearly all of them had this special motif," the police spokesman said. "He said he did it because he was mentally disturbed. I don't know if that was just a pretext."
The suspect is now undergoing psychiatric treatment, he added.

Friday morning tidbits

Finally I know what to call George Bush's appearance: a bewildered monkey stare (Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/26/05) . Mr. Morford also helps me anwser that question about belief in God when I must first ask the question "What or who is God?" His definition is that "god" is nothing more than a raw hot energy that permeates all things at all times in all places. So true as it is the creative force that exists in everything but it is not some bearded old man sitting up there somewhere watching over everything. This "life force" is not supernatural, it is just that part of life which we are examining and seeking to understand and better utilize in our quest to become better individuals. We can make the electrons, protons, neutrons, the "dark matter" and everything else that exists in the universe personal but supernatural they are not. We just don't yet understand all the properties of these things. We may never but that doesn't give us reason to create a religion and then try to cram it down everyone's throats.

Deplorable Youth

I have often worried about the future of this country and while I am not a supporter of military conquests, etc., this letter from a retired Army officer sums up the problems of today's youth very well. He writes in a letter to the SF Examiner:

"The academy at West Point is having some difficulty filling annual class quotas. Would you be surprised to know that 58 percent of all American youth between 16 and 21 absolutely cannot be considered for West Pointy admission due to substance abuse problems, extreme obesity, criminal records, etc? West Point reportedly has never previously faced this problem."

Well, if these kids can't make it into West Point, where can they make it? Are these the sort of people that are going to be our future CEO's, doctors, lawyers, etc. I don't think so. They will undoubtedly work for Wal-Mart during the day and drink beer at night and get even fatter while the American Taliban rules the roost. The outlook for this country is bleak indeed.

Half Hearted Apology

Oh great, so Pat Robertson apologizes for suggesting that President Chavez of Venazuela should be assassinated. He even tried to say that he did not use that word. He is really a sad case. And did you see him make his "apology" while he was smiling and laughing like he was at a garden tea party. I guess he takes his cues from President Bush who can never look serious. Bush always looks so pained, so frustrated, like a little kid who could not get what he wanted. It would be nice to have a president with a serious and professional demeanor something but that is something Bush apparently knows nothing about. I wonder what other world leaders think when coming face to face with this grinning fool?

Here are some snippets of letters to the editor this morning regarding that madman Robertson...

"Robertson will be pilloried as a screwball but, for me, he's just a more transparent, less scheming, less deceptive, less powerful version of Bush. Both share the mind-set that scorns international law while elevating power and military overkill to punish unbelievers who block their God-given missions..."

And if he had ever been nominated for president and won: "I can envision bands of Christian Fundamentalist death squads roaming the East and West coasts of the U.S. searching out openly gay and lesbian people, Unitarians, French chefs, "Hollywood types," poets, writers, artists, evolutionary biologists and anyone else who they feel is an "elite."

Yes, as one letter writer said, this is a good reason to have "complete separation of church and state." If we don't, the American Taliban will bring this country down in flames rather quickly.

We need to right the ship of state but I fear that with so many no-nothings (of all ages) who have no reference to past presidents and to history, we are now doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past but in an even more violent manner.

Anti-Christian attitude

Some Christian Pat Robertson is! Now he is calling for the assassination of Venuzuelan President Hugo Chavez. President Chavez may not be friendly towards the USA and others but this is ridiculous. Robertson is sick, sick, sick!

Heavy

Isn't there something wrong here when a person weighs 330 pounds as did Thomas Herrion of the San Francisco 49ers? Yes, they say his weight was not unusual for NFL lineman even though medically it would be for anyone else. So now people do not understand the reasons for his untimely death. Well, duh, shouldn't this be a wakeup call for all people who are overweight? Not only do we have overpaid CEOs in this country but we have a lot of overpaid professional sports stars a lot of whom are seriously overweight. No, I don't expect any team in the NFL to suddenly set a weight limit of say 250 pounds for players as that would put them at a defensive or even offensive disadvantage, but this super sizing of everything has got to stop. Where will it end if at all? Not, one hopes, in the early demise of other young and vibrant people who have a whole lifetime ahead of them.

Merola Grand Finale

The Merola Grand Finale last night was excellent. They just seem to be getting a better group of singers each year. One highpoint from last night was the duet "Si, fuggire: a noi non resta" from Bellini's I Capuletti e i Montecchi which featured soprano Allyn Perez as Giuletta and mezzo-soprano Michele Losier as Romeo. When the scene started Allyn sounded like a mezzo so we were not sure who was playing which role. Ha! Anyway, she hit the most powerful high notes I have heard in a long time. Delora Zaijeck was ready for the big time when she came through the program but few are. These two can be added to that list. Mezzo Losier is tall and slender and was reminding me a bit of Tatiana Troyanos along the way. Allyn appears to be of average height and she has a powerful and well focused voice. Another high point which followed an exuberant duet from The Elixir of Love was bass David Crawford's rendition of "Over the water, over the ocean...O Beauty, O handsomeness", Claggart's scene and aria from Billy Budd. It started on the lowest note possible so was in stark contract to the preceding Donizetti but it built in power, intensity and vocal range as it went along and gave me goose bumps. I think he got the loudest applause of the evening also. Another beautiful moment featured Andriana Chuchman as Zdenka and Melody Moore as Arabella in the duet "Er ist der Richtige nicht für mich!" from Strauss' Arabella. They were exquisite. I would like to hear them in Der Rosenkavalier sometime. Ronnita Miller sang "Oh, don't say that...I shall find for you shells and stars" from Menotti's The Consul. It was not a spectacular piece of music but seemed to prove that she is very versatile and has a large rich voice. At Yerba Buena Garden recently I hear her in a scene from La Cenerentola (as Tisbe) and from Dialogues of the Carmelites (as the old Prioress). It was a very enjoyable evening and there were very few clunkers so we felt like we got our money's worth and now can look forward to some of these people developing into the stars of the future. I will place Allyn Pérez, Michèle Losier, and David Crawford at the head of that list. Even though the regular opera season does not begin until Sept. 17th for me, I have always considered this concert to be the beginning of the season and last night it did not disappoint at all.

Worst flooding in 40 years

I have heard from one friend in Chiang Mai, Thailand who was not effected by the recent flooding and he is fine but not everyone has been so lucky. There are a number of photos in the two articles about the flooding in the latest issue of the Chiangmai Mail. I am familiar with many of the places mentioned as well as pictured in these articles but I am not completely certain as to what areas were not effected by the flooding as I could not find mention of the Montri Hotel which is where I stay when I am there. It is probably too far away from the Mae Ping River to have been effected. Still, the Mae Ping River is so peaceful when I go there in January that it is difficult to imagine it rising enough to overflow into the city this way.

Welcome to Fog City

It makes a pretty picture but it is not so pleasant in the city at times when this persists. Actually, my own feeling is that it is the wind that is most troublesome. When the fog is really thick and settles in on the ground and everything is still, it is quite beautiful, especially at night, but most times it is several hundred feet of the ground with a strong wind pushing it into the city. That is what I don't like. Many people do not understand why this occurs and finally there is an excellent article in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle which gives a very good explanation of how and why this occurs. Those interested in understanding this phenomenon should read this.

Robin Wiliams for governor? Yikes, who next? Apparently the Democratic party in this state is looking at a number of possibiliies including SF Mayor Gavin Newsom, actor Rob Reiner, and comedian Robin Williams as well. You can read the article here.

Dry, Dirty Sidewalks

I realize that the rainy season does not beging here in SF until about the end of October but we need a good hard steady rain now. Our sidewalks are so filthy with black stuff, brown stuff (better not step on that) and other gunk that after walking around some sections of the city for awhile I feel like I should sterlize my shoes before wearing them into the apartment. I admire the business people who will either steam clean their sidewalks or at least hose them down on a regular basis but too many do nothing and the filth builds up to unbearable amounts. Maybe there should be some sort of fine imposed on those laggardly people equal to the amount of what a company would charge to steam clean the sidewalks. That would probably end that problem fairly fast.

Some improvement

Cal-Trains new "Baby Bullets" between San Francisco and San Jose are nicer than the older train sets but still leave something to be desired when compared to European systems which generally have a silky smooth ride and go much faster. Anyway, these trains are popular and ridership is up so that is good.

Huh?

I noticed a listing in the TV Guide of the SF Chronicle this week a program entitled "Roy Orbison Live from Australia". Unless they know something we don't, that tops the list of oxymorons for 2005. Also, while shopping at my local supermarket yesterday I noticed some non-fact cheese. Is that possible???

I sure am bored today. I can't sit still but I can't get interested in anything either. I have a lot of reading to do but can't get started with that either. I need a vacation!

I guess I have come down from my raving and ranting mood of yesterday. I even withdrew (hopefully) a letter I sent to B.A.R. Sometimes I think I should just forget about problems in general and withdraw from the world by living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, away from all the craziness that exists here in the 21st Century. Life could be much simpler but then it would get lonely that way and I really would go crazy, or at least crazier than I am now. I guess that worrying about these things indicates I do care about what goes on but I feel so helpless as the world comes unglued little by little. It is too bad that whatever makes the human race tick, has not kept pace with technology. The technological marvels of this age should make things better for us but they don't. We need to be able to get along with each other better as well as ourselves. Many do but then many don't and those people seem to be increasing in numbers everyday. Violence in all forms continues to increase unabated and this is discouraging to say the least. Perhaps the twenty somethings see that and feel similarly but they are the ones who should be doing something about it as it is their future, not mine. I have lived my life in a satisfactory manner and have had a full plate most of my years. If and when the world goes down in flames, I will not be here to witness it (maybe) but the younger generation is the one in peril. It is their world, their future, that needs to be attended to and I fear that not enough is being done to save it.

Ron Sapp, B.A.R. Letters, 11 Aug-05, is quite correct when he says that people on the whole were friendlier in the Castro during the 70s and 80s. I have been in San Francisco since 1976 and have noticed a gradual deterioration in everything here. I have joked with a friend by saying, half in jest and half seriously, that this ship of state (San Francisco) is leaning so far to the left that it is in danger of capsizing and coming up on the other side, the right side. Apparently this has happened.

I do know that gay men and women enjoyed the proliferation of nightclubs, discos, and other venues in the seventies and eighties but now that that generation has gotten older, it can't seem to stand the thought of a new place opening up or an established one expanding. It seems like these people are saying, well, we had our fun but screw you. Then you have the gay business owner who discriminates against employees and customers while at the same time keeping one property shuttered for years so no one else has a chance to open up a legitimate business there while at the same time closing some of his other properties in an effort to destroy the client base so he can re-open with "his" people as customers.

This city is now so PC that you can't say anything about anyone or anything without offending someone or something. Also, if you attempt to put up a new building and it doesn't match the one next door, the planning commission goes bonkers and won't allow it. You can't tear down ratty looking old brick buildings (think Freed, Teller & Freed here or the South End warehouse at Second & Townsend) when putting up a new structure. You can build the new one but it must be within the walls of the old which really looks awful when the new structure is considerably taller than the original.

There is a lot of meanness around with rude and inconsiderate people practically on every corner and at every stop light. This even extends to the locker room of my gym where some people make a lot of noise by needlessly slamming locker doors and that really jars on the nerves at times.

I guess it would help if there were some purpose to people's lives and to this country. We seem to be a nation of 200 million people going in 200 million different directions at the same time with no idea who we are or where we are going.

I have had thoughts about inviting a friend from another country to live here but considering the direction this city, this state, and this country is going, I think he would be better off staying where he is and perhaps I can abandon this sinking ship and join him at home to live out my life in peace there.

There has been considerable debate recently about the BART extension to SFO, the failure of the line to attract projected ridership, and the cost to SamTrans, the mid-peninsula agency underwriting some of the costs of the two stations in San Mateo County.

First, let me say, that BART would have been better off either not building the line at all and using the money for improvements elsewhere, or, building it into the CalTrain Millbrae Station with the airport’s people mover, known as SkyTrain, operating over to the Millbrae Station. The CalTrain connection from San Francisco and from San Jose would have provided it with sufficient ridership to warrant the cost of building the line to Millbrae. In fact, it could have been operated like the new people mover at JFK known as Airtrain, that is, free within the airport and to the rental car lot but with a nominal fee charged outside airport grounds. In this case to Caltrain at Millbrae. In hindsight this looks like a much better deal with recent increases in the number of trains operated by Caltrain plus the "baby bullet" trains which have speeded up peninsula travel times.

Unfortunately BART has always wanted to "fly to the moon". That started with their original staff and the prime contractor, Rohr, a failing aircraft manufacturing company that had no experience in the rail industry. There have been some improvements along the way but basically we are stuck with a two track system containing many bottlenecks when a train fails to operate. At least BART has three to four tracks between Daly City and SFO but where a third track was needed was between 24th Street/Mission and Embarcadero and probably continuing through the Trans-Bay tube to downtown Oakland. That can’t be done now but at least delays seem to be less frequent these days due to improvement in software and hardware on the trains as well as a better train control system in BART central. Another failure of the original design was in not having full manual control available to assist when needed. Had Siemens, the second low bidder for the original BART contract been awarded the contract, we would have a much different and better system.

Another expensive mistake by BART was building their Pleasanton extension via I-580, a long stretch with nothing but rolling hills. It should have been a branch of the Concord line running down I-680 where there are several cities and many homes. That is, trains to Pleasanton would have split off before reaching the Walnut Creek Station and gone south from there. As it now stands, further expansion plans of the Pleasanton line still seems to bypass Livermore, the original destination for that line, for other nearby locations. I have one question. WHY? What goes on in the minds of BART officials or does anything? And now they want to extend the Pittsburg/Bay Point line even further into the suburbs. Will this really help and can a two track system with limited capacity and trains so infrequent and far apart that waits are excruciatingly long for those on the outer fringes of the system? We have suffered from poor planning from the beginning and faulty planning seems to plague us to this day. An extension of the Pittsburgh/Bay Point line without the capability of running express trains most or part of the way, will mean jammed trains before they reach downtown Oakland.

I am a member of the Boston Electric Street Railway Association, the Market Street Railway Association, National Association of Railroad Passengers, and TRAC (Train Riders Association of California). I have had a life long interest in trains and transit but I see various agencies in this country bumbling along with no clear vision as to how to do anything.

Yes, BART was needed since no one seems to have wanted to continue supporting the Key System but it is frustrating when I see how efficient system operate in New York City, London, Paris, Taipei, and Singapore are and how many problems exist here.

Even the good things, Capitol Corridor trains to Sacramento for example, have their problems as they are too slow and despite recent track improvements, still offer a rough ride when compared to France, Italy, and other European countries. In fact, in those countries, local trains travel faster than most Amtrak trains. The Capitol Corridor trains to Sacramento should take one hour, not two. The TGV in France covers the Paris to Avignon run (similar in distance to San Francisco to Los Angeles) in four hours whereas it takes Amtrak all day to cover similar mileage. Only the Northeast Corridor has anything resembling European standards but even there they are hampered by archaic federal regulations which prevent them from buying "off the shelf" from Europe for "safety" reasons. I guess American trains are supposed to built like a Sherman or Bradley tank and perform better in crashes. Oh, good grief. How about preventing crashes in the first place? For one thing, on high speed lines in Europe everything is grade separated but even the local lines for the most part are protected by industrial strength gates and gantries on BOTH side of the tracks and for the full width of the street. As for the regulation about crash worthiness, this prevents the U.S. from purchasing proven technology. Witness the on-going problems with the Acela trains on the Northeast Corridor which had to built to American standards.

Another problem in this country is the freight railroads that want to super size everything. Their trains are so heavy and long that there are few sidings capable of handling that many cars at one time which in turn makes it difficult for faster passenger trains to pass. Also, the heavy weight of those freights plays havoc with the rail bed and things wear out much faster than they should. Also, in Europe and elsewhere, freight and passenger lines are kept separate where possible and even where rights-of-way are shared, there are four or more tracks to handle both modes of traffic.

To quote a friend from another country, railroads in the U.S. are pathetic and I totally agree. I have nearly given up hope that Americans will do the right thing when it comes to rail travel whether it be mass transit or mainline railroads.

Sometimes these days I get discouraged about the state of the world and most especially about the state of this country (USA) but then I read columns by Mark Morford and realize that not all is lost. That there is a least one other person who feels like I do and perhaps many more and it is these people who will make a difference in saving this country from tyranny and despotism.

One letter to the editor of the SF Chronicle this morning contains some thoughts and questions for Bush that I like:
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President Bush says he wants to "expose people to different schools of thought" on the theory of evolution. I wonder if he might also push to include in public schools' curriculums these relevant topics: Discussion of homosexuality as a normal human condition; global warming as a consequence of overdependence on fossil fuels; imperialistic impulses of power-hungry oil zealots creating wars overseas or how feminism is a reasonable way to create parity between the sexes?

While he is touting such a balanced approach to controversial topics, perhaps he'd also like to explain why no Capitol Hill or White House child is serving our country in wars abroad, and why he can visit Saudi families but not the American families of war victims.
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Of course we all know that open discussion went out the window when Bush was elected president. How sad!

Daylight Savings change could confuse gadgets but I say why bother in the first place? Just don't do it, or else put the whole country on DST permanently. I hate changing the clocks twice a year anyway.

This is one of my favorite letters to the editor of the Bangkok Post today. I did not read the article referenced by this writer but he makes some important points in this controversy.
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" I really enjoyed Paul Krugman's column in Saturday's Bangkok Post and was not surprised by the degree that the US public is conditioned by misinformation and propaganda. The US still thinks it won World War Two, despite the Soviet Union taking on two-thirds of the Nazi army, and believes the US system of democracy and justice are unparalleled, etc.

However, given the fact that a significant, organised and vocal evangelical segment of the US population is pushing "creationism" from a "literal" interpretation of the Bible, does this mean that the so-called "god-given" facts from the Bible will be treated equally with science and taught in US schools?

Does this mean that "facts" such as the creation of the universe by "god" in 4004 BC and the process of creation taking seven earth/solar days, will be taught?

As for the Bible representing the unadulerated words of "god", wasn't the New Testament only compiled into 27 acceptable books during the fourth century from numerous other works after the Council of Nicaea in 325AD? Further, weren't these acceptable books actually translated from Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek into Latin by St Jerome at the end of the fourth century to form the Vulgate version of the New Testament? Or is Christian history, as well as the logic of modern cosmology, astronomy, particle physics, quantum mechanics and physics in general to be thrown out to accommodate the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists.

Clearly at this rate there will be no education system in the US soon and the 21st century will be the Chinese century.
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There were many letters to the Pink section of the Chronicle this morning praising a recent column written by Neva Chonin. Only one was negative but the letters printed made me go back to see the column I had missed for some reason which is entitled London Calling and it is worth reading, or re-reading. She does hit the nail on the head with that superb column about the differing responses here and there regarding the terrorists or bombers.

The following story in the Onion tabloid newspaper really made my day. The headline reads Bush Acquired by Martian Zoo. How I wish it were true! Another funny one on the same page is headlined Frances Bean Cobain Enters Prehab. The Onion first became familiar to me on-line but now they seem to have an extensive hard copy distribution, at least in San Franacisco. Some might say that that is fitting. hahaha Anyway, unlike the National Enquirer, they seem to me attempting to make it into a local newspaper as well as the print edition carries real local advertising and moving listings. You probably should read things very closely in case they slip a funny one into the real stuff. If you read the above two stories be sure to look at the one about the missing boy scout and his publicity badge.

American's didn't flock to Canada after Bush win. I guess people just got used to it and are looking forward to 2008 when we can elect someone else. Moving to any country is not easy no matter how you look at it. I qualify for a retirement Visa in Thailand (Canada does not have such a Visa) but even with that there are a number of bureaucratic obstacles to overcome along the way and moving 10,000 miles is not easy in itself. So while I like the thought of moving to Thailand, the whole package of rules, regulations, and logistics of such a move are mind boggling for an ol' fart (that's me). Ha! What I would like to be able to afford is to maintain my current residency in San Francisco and establish two other residences in Paris and New York with frequent trips to points further east possible. [Dream on...dream on.]

Is it Friday yet? Ha! Actually it doesn't matter anymore to me however I wish I could overcome whatever is blogging, er, I mean bugging me. I seem to be in a funk today and do not really know why. I have felt tired all week and then some significant intestinal cramps yesterday made things even worse. A lingering cough is not helping either. It is the type of cough I would normally get in January or February, not August. I know one thing that would help...a nice long vacation out of the country but for that I must wait until January. On another matter, my Sony DSC-W1 digital camera was returned by the repair shop this week and yesterday I had a chance to test it out. The mysterious smudge in the upper right quadrant is gone which is great but they did not tell me what the problem was. I just hope it doesn't happen again as it is now out of warranty.

ESPN.COM needs some new clerical help as they have a dilly of a typo today for the AL-East. They have two entries for Toronto (team A and team B?) both which have the same record and are 6 games behind the division leader (?) New York which is 3.5 games behind a phantom and unamed division leader. I wonder whatever happened to the Red Sox. LOL

I do not understand how people can be so dumb when it comes to phishing scams. It is not as if no one has been talking about it. Just why would people give up personal information because of an e-mail when that is not how businesses operate. Oh well, you can fool some of the people some of the time but in this case I am beginning to think that you can fool all of the people all of the time.

This arrived in my e-mail in-box today from a former co-worker:

Bush endorsed efforts by Christian conservatives to include the teaching of "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution in public school science classes. He believes only God is capable of intelligent design; certainly no one in his administration has been capable of it in policy making.

To which I say A-men. And from the same person:

Bush said he still believes his friend, Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, has never used steroids -- in spite of the player's suspension Monday for violating baseball's anti-drug policy. Maybe the Prez can appoint him as MLB Commissioner.