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Archives
Images Another image scanned. Gas Works Park is an industrial ruin turned into friendly urban park. It was much more interesting as an industrial ruin.
More of my images. Only one more, but it's more!
War Against Some Drugs
War on drugs can't be won, says U.S. lawman But he had a change of heart a few years ago when he made a trip to the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia, for help in a grisly murder case. There were no shortage of bright young recruits on the campus. But most were being trained as drug agents, not murder investigators.
"We care more about catching pot-smokers than child murderers," said Sheriff Masters, whose book, Drug War Addiction, Notes From the Frontlines of America's #1 Policy Disaster, was published recently. "We spend $50 billion a year on drug enforcement," said Sheriff Masters. "Maybe we should be going after terrorists and child abusers. Or spending it on cancer treatment." thanks to Unknown News Noam Chomsky on the Drug-Terror Link US domestic drug policy does not carry out its stated goals, and policymakers are well aware of that. If it isn't about reducing substance abuse, what is it about? It is reasonably clear, both from current actions and the historical record, that substances tend to be criminalized when they are associated with the so-called dangerous classes, that the criminalization of certain substances is a technique of social control. The economic policies of the last 20 years are a rich man's version of structural adjustment. You create a superfluous population, which in the US context is largely poor, black, and Hispanic, and a much wider population that is economically dissatisfied. You read all the headlines about the great economy, but the facts are quite different. For the vast majority, these neoliberal policies have had a negative effect. With regard to wages, we have only now regained the wage levels of 30 years ago. Incomes are maintained only by working longer and harder, or with both adults in a family working. Even the rate of growth in the economy has not been that high, and what growth there is has been highly concentrated in certain sectors.
If most people are dissatisfied and others are useless, you want to get rid of the useless and frighten the dissatisfied. The drug war does this. The US incarceration rate has risen dramatically, largely because of victimless crimes, such as drug offenses, and the sentences are extremely punitive. The drug war not only gets rid of the superfluous population, it frightens everybody else. Drugs play a role similar to communism or terrorism, people huddle beneath the umbrella of authority for protection from the menace. It is hard to believe that these consequences aren't understood. They are there for anyone to see. Back when the current era of the drug war began, Senator Moynihan paid attention to the social science, and he said if we pass this law we are deciding to create a crime wave among minorities. thanks to wood s lot
Extreme Sports
Welcome back to the home of extreme ironing - the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt.
 thanks to The Liberal Arts Mafia
Israel/Palestine This is the sad part of the Israeli government's policies in trying to displace the Palestinians. They are destroying themselves. They are destroying Israel.
Escaping the Hell of the Holy Land
It is no longer unmentionable, but people are still careful. Young mothers at the playground whisper about it so the kids won't hear. People test their friends at dinner parties by casually mentioning the "worrying" trend. Many Israelis are "preoccupied with a subject no one likes to talk about . . . ways to get the hell out of here," columnist Yoel Marcus wrote in Ha'Aretz the other day. "The main reason we are thinking about going is that we have no hope for the future for the kids," she said. "We work very hard and pay so much income tax. The government's priorities are not my priorities. They give my money to religious families with 10 kids. And we don't see things getting better.
"Twenty years ago it was taboo, shameful, for Israelis to leave the country," Tali said. "Today we hear that there are 300,000 Israelis just in New York City. No one is ashamed anymore. Even the older generation is not ashamed to tell their kids to go and to urge them not to come back." "Once there was a sense of Zionism here. My grandparents came because this was the place Jews should be," Tali said. "Now the mentality has changed, people have changed. Everyone is in it for himself. People have become very aggressive. This is no longer a nice place to live; there is no quality of life.
"Some of our friends have already left," she said. "All were educated, middle-class professionals, the kind of people Israel needs. One friend, a doctor, moved to Boston. I doubt he will ever come back."
Philip K. Dick The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick by R. Crumb This feature about Philip Dick's "Valis" experience was published in Weirdo comic #17 from summer, 1986.
It is an interesting graphic interpretation of a series of events which happened to Dick in March of 1974. He spent the remaining years of his life trying to figure out what happened in those fateful months.
 thanks to follow me here...
Photography
The daguerreotype is a visual wonder. Let us share with you a number of galleries of stunning 19th century imagery as well as the exquisite work of modern daguerreians.
 thanks to Unknown News
They Should Have Known Department FTC Says Psychic Hot Line Is Fraud The Federal Trade Commission says the psychic Miss Cleo's crystal ball is shady. In a court suit filed yesterday, the FTC said the psychic hot line promoted by Miss Cleo is "permeated with fraud." The hot line charges for services that are advertised as free, bills customers for services that were never purchased, threatens to report consumers who challenge their bills to credit-reporting bureaus, and harasses consumers by repeatedly calling their homes, the complaint said. The FTC is seeking a temporary restraining order, asking that the two companies that run the psychic operations be placed in receivership to make sure the deceptive and fraudulent business practices are immediately stopped and the assets are frozen for possible future consumer redress.
"I'm not a psychic but the only crystal ball I have says the FTC will continue to stop unfair and deceptive practices," said J. Howard Beales III, the director of the agency's bureau of consumer protection. "It's a mystery to us why Miss Cleo and her employees haven't seen this coming." thanks to Unknown News
Dave Van Ronk My favorite Van Ronk story (and a long one!)
This is a story about the greatest performance I ever saw Dave Van Ronk (or damn near anyone) give, and the exceptionally difficult circumstances that gave rise to it. A true triumph over adversity. With Dave's passing, I figure it's safe to tell it one more time. If I was invited to speak at his wake, this is the memory of him I'd choose to share-- Van Ronk at his worst and best, all at the same time: thanks to Robot Wisdom
War Against Some Terrorists
US split with allies grows
Robert Fisk : The Arab nations are lost in a pit of desperation
FRENCH JUDGE GIVES TALIBAN WIN Despite making what most observers agreed were "obvious technical errors," such as surrendering, the Taliban were awarded victory in the Afghanistan war last night after the French judge said they won on presentation. The decision snatched triumph away from a U.S./U.K. pair who most agreed put on a magical, career-defining performance last month. It also stirred an immediate controversy, as analysts questioned how five judges — from France, Russia, China, Poland, and Ukraine — could have scored the Taliban higher than the American/British fighters.
"When the Americans and British finished, I thought, 'That's it. They've won,'" said Abdur Muhammed, a former Syrian general and now color commentator with Al Jazeera. "But when I saw the scores last night, frankly, I was embarrassed for our profession." George W. Bush keeps flash cards in his top deskdrawer with thumbnail pictures and short bios of certain specific evildoers he wants to kill. We know this because, in his wisdom, he has in fact shown them to reporters. They’re not actual cards per se; they are color printouts on white paper. George likes to have a face he can see when he puts someone to death. George’s goal is to put a big black X through each picture (there’s only one X so far - and another one with an X that had to be erased, because the bombing victims turned out NOT to include the individual targeted). George says he likes his flash cards - they remind him of playing with baseball cards when he was a kid. He says: "I'm a baseball fan. I want a scorecard." Scorecard? William Tecumseh Sherman, a man who knew a thing or two about war, once said: "It is only those who have neither fired a shot, nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded, who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation." It’s the perfect quote for George W. Bush.
Protected in his private office, far away from the blood and flesh and pain and suffering of the innocent men, women and children he has maimed and killed by the thousands, George can sit and peruse his flash cards and imagine himself as the commander in chief of a great army. His self-delusion is so complete that he actually believes he has been to war. In fact, he has told us flat out that he would rather go to war, than deal with his twin daughters. "I've been to war. I've raised twins. If I had a choice, I'd rather go to war." This is your president folks. Killing people is so much easier, and so much less trouble, and causes George so much less personal anguish, than dealing with the awful, real-life tribulations of raising daughters. So George sits safely at his desk and keeps score with his flash cards. thanks to Unknown News
Mariners Mariners report for spring training Trades are done. Free agents are signed. Arbitration cases are history.
It's time for the Mariners' 2002 season to begin. Pitchers and catchers, who reported yesterday, work out for the first time today at the Mariners' spring training camp. Many have been on hand for a week or two, getting ready to get ready to get to work. Let the games begin.
Firesign Theatre a not so brief history of the firesign theatre
The name The Firesign Theatreevokes many mental images. A nostalgic warmth for the good old days that never were. Of thousands of Americans gathering around their citizen radios listening to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's weekly fireside chats. Zodiacal puns for the pot smoking patrons of the psychedelic sixties and seventies, trying to escape from a club swinging world gone mad with war and political upheaval. Guerrilla Theatre in the streets, humorously deprogramming a populous from the narcotic of pop culture. Fighting clowns against the powers that be. Of Shakespearean comedy in a time of Orwellian tragedy. A Theater of the Mind, built with the bricks of politics and poetry on the solid foundation of the golden age of radio. The images pile on and on, and on, with double, triple, quadruple entendres and non-sequiturs, layering a baklava of subconscious surreal and blatantly silly humor acting as a political poultice for the wounds of a sick society. The Firesign Theatre is all of things and none of these things. thanks to wood s lot One of the Firesign Theatre almunus, David Ossman, happens to live here on Whidbey Island. He came over to my living room one night last April for a TestingTesting show to read some of his poetry with the TT House Band.
 I need to get hold of him to come back on TT soon.
Dave Van Ronk Dave got a second obituary in the New York Times. This one written by Jon Pareles, New York Times music critic. Dave Van Ronk, Folk Singer and Iconoclast, Dies at 65
Mr. Van Ronk had three essential qualities for his role in the folk revival of the 1950's and 60's: a sense of history, a sense of humor and a gift for making fellow musicians feel at home. He was nicknamed the Mayor of Macdougal Street, and his apartment became a gathering place for folk musicians of his own generation and the ones that followed, among them Tom Paxton, Janis Ian, Christine Lavin and Suzanne Vega. For more than 40 years he worked the folk circuit of clubs, coffeehouses and festivals, and he made two dozen albums. From Christine Lavin's web site: Dave Van Ronk radio tribute Sunday February 17th On Sunday February 17th from 8-11 AM Eastern Time on WFUV, 90.7 FM (wfuv.org streamed live on the net) DJ John Platt and former guitar student of Dave's, Christine Lavin, will host a 2-hour tribute to Dave Van Ronk on the "City Folk Sunday Breakfast Show," playing lots of music from his long and illustrious career: "You's The Viper" with Danny Kalb & Barry Kornfeld (the jug band years), a hilarious live performance of "Jersey State Stomp," a very early recording of Dave doing Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," his inimitable version of Brecht & Weill's masterpiece "Mack The Knife," the whimsical "I'll See You In My Dreams" from his most recent stellar album "Sweet And Lowdown," plus lots more. You'll also hear some of Dave's best friends in music reminisce about him: Odetta, Nanci Griffith, Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow, David Massengill, Frank Christian, and Janis Ian. To find out more about the late great Dave Van Ronk, visit folkloreproductions.com. Dave was unique. Tune in on Sunday morning and you'll hear why. Also from Christine Lavin's site... Saturday, the 16th, Pete Fornatale will be playing lots of Ronk tracks, and probably Vin Scelsa after that at WFUV 90.7 with live streaming audio. And... [Disclosure: Zoe, my LOML, does Christine's site.]
Campaign Finance Reform It looks like something good is coming out of the Enron debacle. The Republicans can't fight too hard to defeat it. It looks like it will pass both houses. House Passes Campaign Finance Bill The House early today approved long-stalled legislation aimed at squeezing special interest money out of politics, marking a critical step toward enactment of the most far- reaching overhaul of campaign finance laws in a quarter-century. The House vote to pass the bill was 240 to 189, with 41 Republicans joining all but 12 Democrats in supporting it.
The bill, which would curb unlimited "soft money" contributions and restrict electioneering ads by outside groups, now goes to the Senate, which passed a somewhat different version of the legislation last year.
Still earlier in the day, Fleischer had suggested that Bush deserves credit for any bill that passes. "If campaign finance reform is enacted into law, I believe that you can thank President George W. Bush, because he changed the dynamic of how this phony debate has finally ended in Washington, D.C.," Fleischer said. Bush has been fighting this tooth and nail and now he is taking credit for it?!?! The scum-sucking swine. Ask me how I really feel about this lying piece of shit. Sorry, shit is too good to be compared to Bush. Daschle Vows Prompt Action in Senate on Soft Money Ban Just hours after the House approved an overhaul of the way campaigns are financed, putting the nation's political system at the brink of its most sweeping change in a generation, the Senate majority leader Tom Daschle promised today that his chamber would take quick action on the measure.
"This is going to be an historic week in the country and in Congress in particular," Senator Daschle, Democrat of South Dakota, said at a news briefing. "Just as soon as the bill comes back to the Senate, I will ask unanimous consent to bring it up here and, under a time agreement, to pass it and put it on the president's desk."
War Against Some Terrorists
Can the US be defeated? Those who have argued that America's war on terror would fail to defeat terrorism have, it turns out, been barking up the wrong tree. Ever since President Bush announced his $45bn increase in military spending and gave notice to Iraq, Iran and North Korea that they had "better get their house in order" or face what he called the "justice of this nation", it has become ever clearer that the US is not now primarily engaged in a war against terrorism at all. Instead, this is a war against regimes the US dislikes: a war for heightened US global hegemony and the "full spectrum dominance" the Pentagon has been working to entrench since the end of the cold war. While US forces have apparently still failed to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, there is barely even a pretence that any of these three states was in some way connected with the attacks on the World Trade Centre. What they do have in common, of course, is that they have all long opposed American power in their regions (for 10, 23 and 52 years respectively) and might one day acquire the kind of weapons the US prefers to reserve for its friends and clients
With his declaration of war against this absurdly named "axis of evil", Bush has abandoned whatever remaining moral high ground the US held onto in the wake of September 11. He has dispensed with the united front against terror, which had just about survived the onslaught on Afghanistan. And he has made fools of those, particularly in Europe, who had convinced themselves that America's need for international support would coax the US Republican right out of its unilateralist laager. Nothing of the kind has happened. When the German foreign minister Joschka Fischer plaintively insists that "alliance partners are not satellites" and the EU's international affairs commissioner Chris Patten fulminates at Bush's "absolutist and simplistic" stance, they are swatted away. Even Jack Straw, foreign minister of a government that prides itself on its clout in Washington, was slapped down for his hopeful suggestion that talk of an axis of evil was strictly for domestic consumption. Allied governments who question US policy towards Iraq, Israel or national missile defence are increasingly treated as the "vassal states" the French president Jacques Chirac has said they risk becoming. Now Colin Powell, regarded as the last voice of reason in the White House, has warned Europeans to respect the "principled leadership" of the US even if they disagree with it.
US targets Saddam
The Pentagon and the CIA have begun preparations for an assault on Iraq involving up to 200,000 US troops that is likely to be launched later this year with the aim of removing Saddam Hussein from power, US and diplomatic sources told the Guardian yesterday.
FBI TO ISSUE 5-DAY TERROR FORECASTS Abandoning the last-minute, panic-inducing warning system it has used until now, the FBI today said it will begin issuing regular, five- day terror forecasts. Today's outlook: light, scattered terrorism early, tapering off by noon. Tomorrow: Clear, and seasonably dangerous. According to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, the forecasts will serve as a more consistent, and less frightening, reminder that Americans should stay vigilant, while the familiar, five-day format should make it much easier to plan ahead.
"We in law enforcement are duty-bound to report inherent danger, so we will continue to alert the public to serious threats," said Ashcroft. "But we also understand how frustrating it is to organize a family picnic or corporate event, only to have it washed out by the late-breaking specter of impending doom. So before you venture out, tune in to us."
WTC
How To Build a Memorial to 9/11
Israel/Palestine
More Jews Saying "NO" to the Occupation
The principles formulated by Peres and Abu Ala are essentially no different from those formulated many times in the past. The basic elements for the most part are agreed on - a full cease-fire under American auspices, implementation of the Tenet and Mitchell documents, the disarming of Palestinian militants, a freeze on settlement activity, the transfer of funds owed to the Palestinian Authority, and the establishment of a centralized Palestinian security authority. The second stage would include Israel's recognition of an independent Palestinian state on the lands included in Areas A and B, and Palestinian recognition of the State of Israel on the basis of UN resolutions 242 and 338. The third stage would be negotiations on a final-status agreement, which would deal with borders, the future of the settlements, Jerusalem and other issues. All of these stages would implemented according to a detailed timetable, with the entire agreement to be fully implemented within 18 to 24 months.
The proportion of Jews living in Israel and the territories is today 53 percent, but it will be between 43 to 48 percent in 2020. This forecast is included in an extensive study published this week by Professor Sergio DellaPergola, chairperson of the Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The conclusion to be drawn from this forecast is clear to anyone who wants to live in Israel as a democratic state with a Jewish majority - an end must be put to the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and there must be a return to borders based on the 1967 lines (with agreed-upon adjustments). In the area between the Jordan River and the sea two states must live side by side - Israel and Palestine. Only those who dream immoral and impracticable dreams of transfer, or those who cling to the anachronistic and dangerous vision of a bi-national state, can question something so obvious.
Sharon’s dilemma Keep him covered so he doesn't catch cold Remember the famous Hungarian joke about the soldier who wrote to his mother from the battlefront saying: "I captured a Turkish soldier, but he won't let me go"?
That's more or less what is happening today with Arafat. Since we imposed a siege on him, or locked him up in Ramallah, to be more precise, and he goes to sleep at night and wakes up in the morning with the barrel of an Israeli tank staring him in the eye, it's hard to say who is holding whom. During Sharon's visit to Washington, the U.S. administration did not make the special attempts it has made in the past to demonstrate "how much it is with us." Nor did it imply that Sharon, who arrived without any new initiative or plan for political dialogue, is an easier client to deal with than Arafat. What was made clear to the prime minister, in no uncertain terms, was that he has no green light - direct, indirect, or implicit in any way - to harm Arafat or take military steps that would shake the stability of the region and spoil the sheriff's fearless fight against the forces of evil across the globe.
The bottom line is that we have set a trap for ourselves. Aside from the fact that all our military options are gone, we have created a tragic-comic situation in which no matter what happens to Arafat - whether he dies of pneumonia or slips on the stairs - we will be held responsible. Better keep him covered so he won't catch cold.
I'm back from Zoe's mom's house. Zoe's mom is getting better (Labyrinthitis) but she still needs someone with her. Elliot is bailing us out for the next couple of days. First to catch up on sleep. Tomorrow to catch up on blogs and work. Good night.
Zoe is still over at her mom's helping her recover from her inner ear malfunction. Zoe is fading and needs backup so I will be going over there this afternoon and may not be back for a day or two. Her mom is getting better but not as better as she thinks she is. We had another TestingTesting in my living room last night. The archive of Martha Furey's show is up. Dave Van Ronk died Sunday. Dave Van Ronk, 65, Folk Singer and Early Mentor to Bob Dylan, Dies (New York Times obituary.) Zoe does Christine Lavin's website. I've been making changes for Christine since Zoe can't while at her mom's. The New Times will be doing a piece on Dave Van Ronk Tuesday or Wednesday that Christine helped with. I will link to it when I can. Christine is also taping today, at WFUV, for a show about Dave on Sunday. Christine said "It will be on WFUV from 8-11 AM, though probably on Saturday (I think at 5) Pete Fornatale will be doing lots of Ronk tracks, too. And probably Vin Scelsa after that." (WFUV streams their shows over the Internet so that those outside their broadcast area can still listen in.) Dave was Christine's guitar teacher and mentor. More later. To quote a great late 20th century American philosopher: "Wacka, wacka." (Fozzy Bear.)
Canada
CANADIAN WARSHIP SEIZES TANKER IN... WAIT...CANADA HAS A WARSHIP? Canadian television reported Friday that a Canadian warship in the Arabian Sea had seized a tanker suspected of smuggling oil from Iraq, leading many to suspect that the report was a hoax. "You're kidding, right? Canada has a warship?" asked U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "Like for war?
"Does Canada know?" he added.
General Amusement
abandonded-places.com I love industrial ruins. We used to have some nice ones in the middle of Seattle called the Gas Works. Unfortunately, they were turned into a park in the late 70s. Not totally unfortunate. It's an *incredible* park. (Some recent pictures.) I did a series of photographs in the park while it was still a ruin. Those are in the pile "to scan soon."
Shake it babe thanks to Shou?
Afghanistan
My Forbidden Face by Latifa thanks to DANGEROUSMETA!
American Empire—International
Armed to the teeth
Is America too powerful for its own good?
American Empire—National Liberty, according to John Ashcroft thanks to The Liberal Arts Mafia (They said "really cool people will link to this one.")
Criticize Cheney, Go to Jail thanks to DANGEROUSMETA!
Why Bush Won't Let Go thanks to SmirkingChimp.com
J. Edgar Hoover Lives!
GUNS VS. BUTTER thanks to wood s lot
Ronald Reagan—War Criminal
Not Too Late for a War Crimes Tribunal
But when you talk about canonizing him, you can go suck a sprinkler head. Ronald Reagan may have been a likable guy—even in the White House, he answered his fan mail, sometimes enclosing a check to a citizen going through hard times—but his administration was also flat-out the most anti-democratic, hoodwinking, lying, Constitution-flouting, despot-coddling, rich-enriching, deficit-building, environment-despoiling, health-endangering, paranoid, cynical and fundamentally corrupt one in our nation’s history. Name a strip mine for it if you must, but no monuments, please. This a long piece—a must read. As I read it, I kept thinking I was reading about Bush II. It's a reminder of the attrocities, National and International, committed under Reagan. thanks to the bitter shack of resentment
Enron The New York Times has a long piece that chronicles Enrons collapse. Web of Details Did Enron In as Warnings Went Unheeded thanks to BuzzFlash Skilling, second in command at Enron, testified to Congress to negative reviews.
Making a Skilling
Ex-Enron Workers See Little to Believe Even Skillings mother doesn't believe him. How bad is that? Enron Investigators Doubt Testimony thanks to BuzzFlash Some more on Enron in action.
Hard Money, Strong Arms And 'Matrix'
Israel/Palestine The violence continues to escalate. Hamas has started to fire rockets which Israel replies to with F16 and helicopter attacks at targets in the middle of civilian areas.
2 killed, 20 hurt in Be'er Sheva attack The Israeli leadership (an oxymoron according to Ha'aretz) made it's trips to Washington with its competing points of view.
A Middle East seminar at the White House It doesn't seem that Sharon's plan to make Arafat irrelevant is working in Palestine. Arafat's popularity is growing The Israeli opposition to the occupation seems to be growing.
Israel's conscience The following article shows why the Israeli reservists are refusing to go back into the territories. The message from the high command
An 11-year-old boy was shot in the head from short range while fleeing after he threw stones at Israeli soldiers who were posted at the roadblock next to the refugee camp where he lives. That is the version given by eye- witnesses. It took the boy a week to die, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman stated: "In the course of disturbances, use was made of means to disperse demonstrations against a youth who was identified as the chief inciter- The soldier who fired acted properly." The IDF has totally shaken off any and all moral responsibility for the killing of these children. According to the army spokesman, one boy was a "chief inciter" (and therefore deserved to die?). No "complaints" were received about another (and therefore there are doubts about whether he was killed?). The third took part in "riots" (and therefore the verdict against him, death by shooting, was valid?). In not one of these cases did the IDF spokesman take the trouble to do the minimum human necessary thing - to express sorrow at the death of the children. The only conclusion is that the IDF is not sorry about their killing. That is the message to those who did the killing and to the families of those who were killed. No less grave, the IDF did not even contemplate investigating the circumstances of the deaths.
When this is the reaction of the IDF spokesman to the killing of children and when the IDF's juridical system doesn't lift a finger to investigate the incidents, the message that trickles down to every soldier is perfectly clear - killing children does not result in any sort of investigation, so no harm will come to a soldier the next time he shoots a child in the head, whether the child is throwing stones or running for his life. The wave of harsh testimonies by reserve soldiers who refuse to serve in the territories, which has inundated almost every media outlet recently - and is the most important achievement of this group so far - has again brought to public attention atrocities that are being perpetrated in the occupied territories. The fact that these testimonies come from Israeli soldiers - and not from "dubious" Palestinian testimonies, reports of "extreme" human rights groups or articles by a handful of "one-sided" journalists - has given them greater credibility. More important, the testimonies indicate that these are no longer exceptional events but policy with a clear, if twisted, goal - to embitter the lives of the residents so that they will put pressure on their leaders to fight terrorism. That is what Israel did in Lebanon and it is displaying the same behavior in the territories. The women in labor who are not allowed to go through the roadblocks, the terminally ill patients in ambulances who howl in vain in traffic jams at roadblocks, and the children who are shot - if the IDF senior command truly wanted to, it could put a stop to events such as these. [read more]
Busy weekend Busy weekend with not much time for the Internet. Saturday was spent on battery wars with my Beemer. (BMW terminology lesson: Beemers are motorcycles and Bimmers are cars. Please don't confuse the two. The cars are a recent addition to the company lineup and the BMW motorcyclists aren't sure the cars are going to stay around.) The battery has been holding a charge for fewer and fewer days. Charged it Friday night. I had to take the ferry to the other side to go to Seattle to the BMW (motorcycle) dealer. The battery wouldn't restart the bike to get off the ferry. I had to wait until the cars got off and then I had to walk the bike off the ferry. The shame of it! Fortunately the off ramp was slightly downhill and a ferry worker (bless his heart) pushed me and I was able to pop the clutch and start the bike which wasn't turned off until I parked it at the dealer. New battery and all is well. Ralph showed up, just as I got back from winning the battery wars, with 256mb of memory to install. Cool! I installed it and my computer wouldn't boot. Not cool! So I was down for several hours until I could get Ralph on the phone. It turned out I hadn't pushed the little sucker in hard enough. It booted and I have 512mb of memory. Cool again! One more memory slot to fill. This morning I was raised from slumber by a phone call from Zoe (my LOML). Her mother (who lives in Redmond, the home of a company that shall go unnamed) had fallen and was being taken to the emergency room. Another ferry ride to the other side. She has something called Labyrinthitis—I think. Something has come adrift in her inner ear and she has lost her balance. Sort of a continual sea-sickness. It's temporary, but Zoe is staying with her until she gets her equilibrium back. I get to take care of Zoe's cats. It may be a few days.
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