E-mail from a relative

It’s funny… my much-better-half’s aunt sent me an e-mail today, one that had been forwarded in the form of a petition with her name way down at the end of a list, some several hundred names long.

These kinds of petitions I always delete, but coming from her Aunt, I gave it a read.  Politics, on my side of the family, are discussed in the same way some families treat sports.   We’ll sit across a table and shout at one another and still be in perfect agreement.  On my much-better-half’s side, the subject of politics was always touchy, and I learned early on not to rock the boat.    That I and they were polar opposites politically was always a tough road to hoe, but we managed (not in any small part that traditional Democrats are not terribly unreasonable, and her family was very reasonable).  

So her Aunt’s petition was addressed to President Bush, asking him to override a move in Congress to allow Social Security benefits to illegal aliens.   When I reminded her Aunt that Senator Santorum and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives agreed with her, she was a little bent out of shape.

On the upside, she probably won’t send me any more forwarded petitions… and who knows, she may see the light and vote Republican.   Change can happen!

illegal immigration, Social Security,
President Bush, Red November

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A well deserved hat-tip, even for Sen. Kennedy

Jay Tea at Wizbang points out a genuinely decent act by the senior Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachuessettes;

Senator Edward Moore 'Ted' Kennedy did something decent, something right, and I am compelled to point it out.

An Army Reserve unit based out of Keene, NH had returned home from Iraq. But the Army, in its infinite wisdom, plopped them back in Indiana, then offered them bus tickets the rest of the way home.

But then Ted Kennedy stepped in.

Although the unit is based in Keene, it has a lot of Massachusetts residents among its members. And Ted, never one to miss an opportunity to help some constituents, arranged for a chartered plane to bring them to Boxboro, Massachusetts.

Now I can't help but remind everyone the oxymoron that is government efficency. While I cannot find much to ever compliment Sen. Kennedy, either for his personal of legislative record, I can't help but give props when they are deserved.

US Army Reserve,
Keene NH, Ted Kennedy

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Book Meme

Maidink at Life, Family, et al did a blanket tag on a meme of hers, so I stepped up.

I don't read for pleasure... never did enjoy reading for the sake of reading. I read technical books all the time, but rarely cover-to-cover, just what I need to know now and that's about all.

I have purchased several political titles over the years, and only a few I've managed to even open. The few times I ever have insomnia is when I'll open any book, and before I turn a page I'll be out.

That much said:

1. One book you have read more than once: The entire HOBBIT series, and 1984.

2. One book you would want on a desert island: Never had an answer for this one, so I'll borrow Maidink's idea: Boy Scout and SAS guide.

3. One book that made you laugh: When will Jesus bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin... a title he described as certain to piss off just about everyone.

4. One book that made you cry: The IRS Tax Code.... sorry, never read one that made me cry.

5. One book I wish I had written: Anything which earned loads of royalties.

6. One book I am currently reading: Heh.

7. One book I have meant to read: Too many to pick from, and most on my shelf to be read: How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) - Ann Coulter, John Paul the Great- Peggy Noonan, Black Rednecks And White Liberals - Thomas Sowell...

8. One book that changed your life: The Dictionary... at least I know how to spell.

Your turn... consider this a tag to all who read.

meme

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Schools to emmesh themselves more into the lives of kids

Taken from today's Pocono Record:

This year, pressure will continue to increase on schools to do their core jobs — teaching students — even as they get more deeply enmeshed in nearly every aspect of their students' lives, from their bodies to their psyches.

This struck me as somewhat frightening. I think a child's psyche belongs not in the hands of teachers, but of families.

This is another reason I am glad my son is in a Virtual Charter School!

school, VCS

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$2.729!

OK, I know I shouldn't jump for joy over paying more than $2.00 for a gallon of gas, but tonight I filled my much-better-half's RAV4 with regular, unleaded and paid $2.72⁹, the lowest price in quite some time!

I had been paying around $2.80⁹ for more than a week, but this is a new low.

Granted, with hurricane Ernesto and its unknown effects to the Gulf coast, this price will likely rise early in the upcoming week. This, in addition to news from Reuters that China is still increasing it's oil consumption:

Demand Demand in China rose 12.2 percent in July from a year earlier, Reuters calculations showed on Friday, a fourth month of double-digit expansion fueled by a hot summer and booming car industry.

So with the predictable results of a free-market system, the price will likely rise again before it falls. Just think: had we begun drilling in ANWR years ago, had we drilled elsewhere in our own territories, had we built a new refinery in the last 25 years, much of these high prices wouldn't be so bad.

Still, the Republican Controlled Senate should get off their collective arses and repeal the infamous 1993 Gore Gas Tax, named for then Vice President Al Gore who broke the 50-50 tie in the Senate, and whose boss, President William Clinton, later signed into law. I've posted about this ridiculous tax before, and have written to my pols to push for it.

Just imagine: if the Democrats vote against repealing the tax (and you know they will), the Republicans look good to the all Americans. It's a no brainer, and yet they refuse to act.

gas prices, Ernesto,
ANWR, Gore Gas Tax

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Plan B

Lots written and spoke about the FDA's decision to permit the sale of emergency contraception over-the-counter to adults, something colloquially called Plan B, a term which has been since trade-marked by Barr Pharmaceuticals.

Anyone who has read this blog (or even the title of this humble blog) would expect me to have any opinion on this issue, and they would be right. Not being one to shy away from controversy, I will avail myself of this space to expound why I don't think this is as big an issue as many (on both sides) are making it out to be...

Read More...First and foremost, I am not going to debate how contraception is equated with abortion. That's another debate altogether, one for which i don't have the time this morning to entertain. Secondly, while a company has trademarked Plan-B, I will be discussing the generic term used for the emergency contraception.

Let's stick to the fact: at the risk of over-simplification, Plan-B is merely a larger does of contraception than is normally prescribed, and is provided for cases immediately after unprotected sex.

For many years, doctors would advise women to take several days worth of their daily contraceptive pill in such cases. The manufacturing of a single pill to do the work of several does, in fact, make sense. So the entire debate over whether it should exist or not ignores the underlying fact that it's always been available.

Another issue is that Plan-B is available over-the-counter to adults only (presumably women, natch); this issue can be debated along the lines that females under the age of majority, perhaps, ought not to have access to an item which is ordinarily available only by prescription. It can be argued that minors (read: children) may require counseling, guidance, what have you about the dangerous of unprotected sex, and as such should not be able to make a such a purchase without a prescription. This is a grey area, to be sure: how many other items are available over-the-counter, but only to adults? Until that can be satisfactorily answered, I can't have an intelligent discussion here.

The bigger issue not being discussed, in my view, is not that Plan-B is available at all, but at whose cost? Now that Plan-B is OTC, why not make the Pill just as accessible? Many have advocated this before the Plan-B/OTC came to light, but now that Plan-B exists it will, of course, bring the debate to the forefront. If a mega-dose of contraception is available OTC, why shouldn't a typical dose of contraception be available OTC as well.

But once we argue the OTC availability for birth control, the next debate will be the cost.

Anyone whose health plan includes a prescription plan knows that birth control is generally covered (I say generally for I know well the likelihood of someone saying 'not mine'). But these plans don't usually cover OTC meds; so where that leave those needing Plan-B, which has been reported to cost between $25-40.?

Naturally, anyone with an employer-based health-care savings account can draw funds from it to pay for any OTC item -- tax free, mind you. (Note: an HSA is one of the health-care proposals put forth by President Bush; a pity so many critics derided it). And, for those who itemize their taxes, unreimbursed medical costs can be deducted each year as well. So there is relief for all who would need to pay for Plan-B, but that will not likely calm any debate over the cost.

Give it some time: we'll read people complaining Plan-B isn't available free of charge (or at reduced cost, at least). And then mark these words: once we make the logical leap to OTC birth control, there will be demands for free birth control, because we've gotten used to someone else paying for this item, which then leads to the argument why it has ever been covered by insurance at all!

Plan B, birth control, FDA

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Not getting enough fiber?

I know I am supposed to get more fiber in my diet, but this is ridiculous...

Wegman Bread Recall: "Wegmans is recalling 22-ounce loaves of its 'Food You Feel Good About' Country Wheat Hearty Sliced Bread with a 'Best Used By' date of August 22.

A Wegmans spokesperson said the bread could contain pieces of cotton and
could pose a choking hazard. The company received several complaints from customers who found cotton baked into the bread.

Wegmans believes the cotton came from a pot holder used when the bread was made."

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Class of 2010, your list is here

Beloit College has prepared a Mindset list for incoming freshmen since 1998. These lists include the many things that many people take for granted but for having been born after a certain year.

Beloit College: "Beloit, Wis. - A rite of autumn is under way with the arrival of first-year students at thousands of colleges and universities for registration. Most 18-year-old students entering the class of 2010 this fall were born in 1988. They grew up with a mouse in one hand and a computer screen as part of their worldview. They learned to surf the internet as they learned to read. While they were still in their cribs, the 20th century started to close as the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet bloc disintegrated, and frequent traditional wars in Latin America gave way to the uncontrolled terrors of the Middle East. "

Read More...

1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2. They have known only two presidents.
3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.
4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.
5. They have grown up getting lost in big boxes.
6. There has always been only one Germany.
7. They have never heard anyone actually ring it up on a cash register.
8. They are wireless, yet always connected.
9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents'.
10. Thanks to pervasive headphones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.
16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
19. Google has always been a verb.
20. Text messaging is their email.
21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.
26. Boogers candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.
27. There has never been a skyhook in the NBA.
28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.
29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
31. They grew up in mini-vans.
32. Reality shows have always been on television.
33. They have no idea why we needed to ask ...can we all get along?
34. They have always known that In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups.
35. Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.
36. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
39. "So" as in Sooooo New York, has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else
40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
43. They are not aware that flock of seagulls hair has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.
45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.
47. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
48. Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
49. They have always been searching for Waldo.
50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.
51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
54. There have always been live organ donors.
55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.
56. They have never put their money in a Savings & Loan.
57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.
58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.
61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
62. Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.
63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
68. Outing has always been a threat.
69. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.
70. They have always "dissed" what they don't like.
71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
72. Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.
73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

Now some of these made me say 'oh, of course' but yet others had me saying the opposite. For example: I had to Google (there's that verb) Sara Lee Underwear because I had never realized the holdings of the Sara Lee Corporation, and I'll wager the majority of people wearing Bali or Hanes don't know -- or care -- either.

So tell me, dear readers, which of these items had you scratching your head and why.

Beloit, Mindset, 1988, 2010

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Anyone for PONG?

While I recognize many who visit this humble blog aren't old enough to have actually played PONG, I am. In fact, my first 'video game' was a Magnavox Odyssey 200: in spite of its obvious flaws (compared to contemporary games), it was one of the ground-breaking devices of it's day.

The game console had 2 pairs of three knobs: one controlled horizontal movement, one vertical and the third provided spin on the ball; in that day (1975), the chips had yet to evolve to the point that let the console dictate any english on either the 'ball' or the 'puck' in the hockey game.

Notice the cool scoring sliders; on-screen scoring was still in its infancy, as well.

Magnavox Odyssey 200,
courtesy of pong-story.com

This device was a major improvement over the competitor, Atari: it featured 3 games (Pong, Hockey, and Smash - which amounted to hand-ball), and could accommodate 2 or 4 players. The idea that the ball could be spin in 'flight' made for some pretty improbable paths, which inevitably led to arguments with my brothers and I; having a ball travel horizontally and then turn almost 90° is a bit hard to return. Click the image above for more on this gaming marvel.

So why this trip down memory lane? American Express is running an ad featuring Andy Roddick competing against PONG. You, too, can help him defeat his nemesis:

Incidentally, having grown up in zip-code 11368 I can attest to the fact that the USTA National Tennis Center is in fact located in the borough of Queens in Corona, NY. So is Shea Stadium (home of the first place NY Mets).... keep that in mind when you're watching coverage of the tournament and they keep mistakenly referring to Flushing, NY.

I'm just saying....

Pong, Andy Roddick,
USTA, NY Mets, Corona

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Summer Vacay

The first day of my summer vacation: I woke up. I went downtown to look for a job. Then I hung around at the drug store.

The second day of my summer vacation I woke up. I went downtown to look for a job. Then I hung around at the drug store. . . .

From "Sister Mary Elephant," by Cheech and Chong

Amidst the excitement and fun that is CUB SCOUT DAY CAMP, wherein my 10 year old joined some 106 others for a week of Cub Scout fun (and I had to lead a bunch of 8 year olds around), I had other tasks to perform that consumed time. Among them was attending a meeting via speakerphone from the middle of said camp ground some 90 miles outside of Philadelphia (the reasons why I couldn't actually enjoy my vacation free from work are too numerous to list here and now).

Besides the annoyance of work, I had some home repairs to tend to...

Read More...

A few weeks ago (29-Jul) I had a bad weekend. One Saturday night, my much-better-half realized the clothes washer failed to drain. After trying all the cycles, it was clear it wasn't going to work for us. So I break out the shop-vac and drain the tub. Gather all the clothes that have been sitting in used-laundry water, and we head to the Laundromat, some 10 miles away (isn't it fun living in a rural community?).

We re-wash the clothes while doing some shopping, and take them home wet. The dryer works, so why not, right? So she starts to dry about half of our laundry.

Around 3:00AM Sunday morning, we lost power. It was hot that weekend, so I break out our portable power supplies to run fans. 8AM we're still in the dark, so we grab the still-wet clothes and another load of dirty clothes. The plan is this: wash the dirty clothes while we eat breakfast, then dry them all so they'll be done at/about the same time. Makes sense, right?

After breakfast, I call home: the answer phone picks up (don't you hate the term answering machine? I mean, yes it is technically a machine, but its so archaic). This means we have power! So we grab the newly washed clothes, the still-wet clothes from last night, and head home.

According to my neighbor, we had power for about 10 minutes; you know ol' Murphy was laughing his ass of when I called home inside that 10 minute window.

We get home to no power.... and it remained off until sometime after 4:00 that afternoon. No one was happy that weekend (far too much to blog about).

That Tuesday, I had a free night to take the washer apart. With the laptop beside me, and having searched several sites, I determined that my Kenmore direct-drive washer seemed to have a faulty coupler (Google: washer won't spin). So I order a part and hope for it to be delivered by Saturday, the next chance I have enough free time to take the bugger apart.

The part arrived Monday, the 7th... oh great. With my planned vacation just a week away, I can't very well take another day off. So it waits for the weekend... wherein I learn the part to be replaced didn't need replacing.

Yep, Murphy had to be laughing.

So I scoured the Internet again, and found a discussion board where someone referenced a repair business that would gladly talk you through a repair. This is a good thing, although I had missed their business hours for Saturday.

Monday the 14th: first day of Day Camp. I was expecting a very similar job as I had the year before, where I drove around camp making sure the water jugs were full, if anyone needed a hand, or if any kids got lost. Important work, to be sure, but a job with a lot of nap down time.

For what its worth, I got saddled with 6 8-year-olds which kept me hopping all day. So another day passed before I could call about my washer.

Now it's Aug 15th: the man on the phone in Pottsville, PA tells me it's probably the lid switch. If you open you washer during a spin cycle, it stops; my lid switch was probably in the open position, preventing it from operating. Fine.

I dismantle the entire cabinet and find the switch; its damaged, probably due to an off-centered load that rocked the tub. I spent about 20 minutes trying to fix it, and then decide to MacGyver it with some spare wire in my tool box. The washer springs to life. I reassemble it and test it again, and it works....

Of course, it's after 11PM by the time I get this all done... so I tell my much-better-half what I did: I shunted the switch to make it work for now, and I'll order a new one. It won't stop when you open the lid. The washer isn't exactly unsafe with the switch shunted, but we do have kids in the house, so it just makes sense to get a new one.

Aug 16th, 1 AM: I am awaken to I was doing a wash and opened the lid.... it didn't turn off!

And I'm the one accused of never listening...

Aug 16th: 9:30 AM: I called the same repair place that pointed me in the right direction. He helped me out, so the least I can do is order a part from him in return.

HE: OK, for your Kenmore model washer, you need lid switch number nnnnn ... I have 15 in stock; how many do you want?

ME: Um, well, I have one washer, with one lid.... how about one?

HE: You sure?

Even now, about a week later, I can't be certain if he was just yanking my chain or not...

On the fifth day of my summer vacation, I woke up. I went downtown to look for a job. And I found one! Keeping kids from hanging around at the drug store.

Vacation, home repairs

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Tell me why I don't like Mondays....

I know I have a lot of posting to do, and even more reading to catch up on, but
this situation presented itself around 9:30 and begs to be blogged.

A guy in my office has his last day today (why Monday? who knows?) So he brings in scads of deserts, including a WHOLE FOODS' Tiramisu, which is presented as a rectangle cake, not unlike the standard fare at a supermarket frozen case (but obviously better, being Tiramisu).

I am in the break room refilling my coffee cup when the following unfolds: Gal in my office laments that she's been eating poorly lately. She tells me of the lunch out the office had for the departing co-worker.

We went to a Chinese restaurant... Forget it.

"Um... isn't there a lot on a Chinese menu to order that isn't so bad?" I asked her, already knowing the answer to be so.

Well sure, but it was his good-bye lunch, so who pays attention??

She then tells me that she and girlfriends went out Friday to one of "those" restaurants You know, where they don't put the prices next to the menu items?

Not following how price necessarily relates to poor eating, I merely reply 'Ok.'

So I tried to order something good, but it tasted so good I knew it couldn't be.

(By the way, and for the record, this is a MOM speaking... I'd say somewhere between 28-32).

Then on Saturday I went to a wedding... well.. you know about that food.

"Let's see", I say, "Prime rib, rubber chicken, or fillet of sole"

Oh no, nothing like that: food everywhere, and none of it good for you.

To describe how much I am following her in this discussion, were I to be hanging from a ledge, I'd say my fingernails would be breaking right about now.

As she speaks, she's taking quite a large slice of tiramisu for herself, ostensibly for a second breakfast. It should be noted this gal stands about 5'8", is wearing slacks that are decidedly too small to the point that her flesh is rolling over the waistline and out of her blouse.

"So after a weekend of bad eating, you're like... what? deciding to continue the streak?"

Oh Charlie, you know how to make everything sound funny."

Am I ever glad to be back from vacation...

For the record: this post may be deleted before too long, out of fear this co-worker (or others) may one day discover this blog

diets, Office Politics

>

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Still Alive

Yes, yes, I know. It's been an unusually long time since I last posted. My so-called vacation is over, and I am getting back to work this morning. Tons worthy of posting happened (worthy, at least, in my opinion) but only some will be written about later today or this week.

And as of 0429, even Blogger is mocking me with line breaks. More later.

Vacation, Back to Work

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Quote of the day

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish. -- Robert Jackson

No matter what side of the aisle you lean towards, no one can argue with this sentiment.

Politics, Quote of the Day

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Number please...?

UPDATED: Read More on Number please....

Was finishing up in a meeting, shortly before I embark on my vacation, when my cell phone vibrated. Checking Caller ID, I saw a toll-free number: 1-866-383-0986. I have renewed my search for a new car, and assumed it was a car dealer.

Getting back to my desk, I called on the land line and found the call to be instantly disconnected. Being that I work 2 hours away from home, its not unheard of for a local business to block their toll-free service outside a certain region; a car dealer isn't one of those I'd consider to do that, but no matter. Because my cell phone was in my pocket and because I was sitting (I can be sooo lazy sometimes), I decided to forgo calling them back until I knew who was calling.

So I Googled 866-383-0986. WOW! some 500 hits involving an apparent scam about domain-name registrations and people's fax numbers. As I've said in this blog (and elsewhere), I am way-too-cheap to buy my own domain name, and I haven't had my fax maching on a live phone line since getting DSL.

Read More...

So I hit redial on my cell phone (isn't the term redial so archonistic? My 10 year old knows what it means, since my dad still has a rotary phone on his desk). I am now thinking my call from the land-line was dropped beacause the caller-id didn't match their call list.

Again, I am disconnected in a matter of seconds. So I don't have any first-hand evidence of this scam, but I will try from my home neighborhood to find out if anyone answers.

866-383-0986, Scam

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Birthday Greetings...

This morning I heard that today is Joe Jackson's birthday. He is one of my all-time favorite artists, with lyrics full of insight, and musically he crosses different genres with comparable ease.

What the hell is wrong with you tonight?
I can't seem to say or do the right thing
Wanted to be sure you're feeling right
Wanted to be sure we want the same thing

She said - I can't believe it
You can't - possibly mean it
Don't we - all want the same thing Don't we
Well who said anything about love
No not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls
Don't give me love
No not love she said
Don't you know that it's different for girls
You're all the same

If you haven't heard Joe Jackson's work, do yourself a favor.

Joe Jackson

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Can't cram enough in

In recent weeks I've been tasked with managing a move of a fairly large data center from southern NJ to a new location some 70 miles north. This effort will not be a small one, and will be consuming a greater portion of my day as the weeks roll on.

Complicating matters, if that is the appropriate word for it, next week I am on vacation..... er, sort of. As I did last year, I will be on staff at a nearby Scout Camp. Of the 80 or so boys in my sons Cub Scout pack, only two wanted to go away to 'resident camp' for the week, and as such, the Pack could not justify paying for an entire site. The boys - one of which my son - could have gone away to camp with another Pack, but that idea didn't excite either of them, so we're doing Day Camping, as we did last year. Being a registered leader in Cub Scouting already, I was asked to be on staff again (hey, by volunteering, my boy goes for next to nothing, so why not?). Once the weather turns cooler, we'll get away on vacation to some location for the whole family.

So why is camp complicating the project? Because several decisions will need to be made by next week, and despite my best efforts they will involve my making them, and before I return. That means at least a few hours of my vacation will be spent working (and not just doing Camp stuff). On the plus side, there's no hot spot in the camp, so I can't be tempted to bring a laptop during the day.

The target end-date for this move is 31-Dec, but my goal is intended on being a few weeks sooner. Several points in the task (securing electrical and A/C) will require 12-16 week lead time... Obviously, if I don't get those signatures next week, the deadline will be in jeopardy.

And so it goes...

Vacation

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Senator Joseph I. Lieberman

My days have been so hectic of late I hardly have the time to read or write, and I've almost missed an opportunity to voice my support for one of the last of a breed of Democrats, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman.

Lest you think I am just hopping on the bandwagon late in the game, please feel free to peruse my archive and see where I've said many complimentary things of Sen. Lieberman over the years; I am consistent, if nothing else.

Sen. Lieberman has the focus that Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy had in regards to global threats, and that common sense thinking is severely lacking in the Democratic party of today. Sen. Lieberman campaigned against George W. Bush in a civil way, something else that is lacking in politics today, whereas his running mate engaged in a negative campaign.

The Democratic Party and the nation, as a whole, won't be better off if Senator Lieberman is defeated. That much being said, regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's primary, I am optimistic that Sen. Lieberman will be re-elected, even if he runs as an Independent.

Lieberman, Connecticut

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Air America: Going down...

Air America will lose their already lackluster flagship in NYC and will begin to broadcast on an even weaker station. Adding insult to injury, they'll miss out on prime drive-time audiences at both ends of the day. The Leather Penguin has more details.

Meanwhile, talk radio with talent continues to grow, as I noted in June.

Air America, Talk Radio

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