vacation's over so i'm catching up a bit...

ok, so there are a few things that need to be discussed. i was watching the news (i know, mistake) and the michael brown hearing was being shown. first off, he's an idiot - that should come as no surprise, i know. second, i was watching as he placed the blame for his organization's failure on everyone else. but when i saw the congressmen (and i think there was a woman too) rip him a new asshole, i said wait a second - he was DEFINITELY not qualified for the job, but WHO appointed him? remember, he was HAND-PICKED for this post by you know who. so ultimately, the failure - both of them - the (lack of) response to Katrina AND 'brownie's' sits squarely on dubya's weak frame, but there was no mention of that bit of truth. all they were interested in was a handy scapegoat. well, congratulations congresspeople -satisfied that you could spill all your pent-up rage at some insignificant patsy. well met. assholes, all of 'em.

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said former education secretary william bennett - mr book of virtues, indeed.

and then there's this to scare the shit out of you - just look at the estimated number of potential deaths from this new potential disaster...

just some stuff

cindy sheehan arrested - for failing to heed warnings to 'move along' at protest at the white house today. i bet george is tickled to death about that...


a lowfat AND vegan diet spurs weight loss?? - you're kidding, right? eating veggies, fruits, grains, and beans helped people lose weight - hmm...a real surprise there! whatever trips your trigger, i guess...


here's a picture of my daughter melissa and her boyfriends dog, dart

rain rain go away...

so i'd just gotten out of the pool when the loudest crack of thunder EVER made me jump, and i almost landed back in the pool. then not a nano second later, a torrent of rain poured out of the not even grey sky so i hot-footed it back to the house. 7 -no really 6 because of the rain - days of swimming and sun. a lovely vacation to be sure. first time in many years i've had more than a few days off in a row...

i've read 5 books (so far) and gotten a tan. also, many, many freckles - so many that they look like like one big one (sort of)

these are the books i've read:

1) A Storm of Swords (the third in the series of A Song of Ice & Fire)
2) The Massacre at El Mozote (a non-fiction account of the massacre in El Salvador in 1982)
3) The Nature of Water and Air (very good fiction)
4) A Rumor of War (non-fiction memoir by Philip Caputo on his time in Vietnam)
5) Witch Hunt (good intrigue/thriller by one of my favorites - Ian Rankin)

more later...

a few things of interest

11 children are found in cages in foster parents house how is it that no charges have been filed as yet? the ages of the children range form 1 to 14 - one has autism. all left to sleep in these cages that are 40 x 40.

this from davey d about the cops shutting down a benefit concert for hurrican katrina with krs 1, and dead prez in L.A.

i will get around to writing a thing on the Indian Larry memorial, but since i started my vacation, i've not been anxious to sit in front of the computer for too long. so this is all for now.

swimming and reading and relaxing are on my agenda for the rest of the week...

jon stewart said this...

about the administration's response (if you want to call it that) to Katrina:


"This is inarguably a failure of leadership from the top of the federal government. Remember when Bill Clinton went out with Monica Lewinsky. That was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for his behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now. And I will say this: Hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is that tens of thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina."

and this little exchange as well:

"While everybody else is busy setting up commissions and finding fault, through the president's leadership he'll end up building a billion dollar dam in Arkansas." --"Daily Show" correspondent Ed Helms
"Why would he build a dam in Arkansas?" --Jon Stewart
"His plan will be to fight the water there so we don't have to fight it here." --Ed Helms


also in the news: Ukraine's Yushchenko fires government
oy vey. things are getting weird again in the homeland...!


PLUS - don't forget about the memorial for Indian Larry this saturday in Brooklyn. see post below for details.

saturday starts my 2 weeks off. and this is where i'll be.

so those of you in the know, know that my car (my baby, my FAVORITE) gave up the ghost a while back. this past saturday, i got a new (for me, anyway) one. this one shall NOT have a name and most definitely shall NOT take up residence in my heart. i know people think it's weird to say that you can love an inanimate object such as a vehicle, but i did. for sure. my audi and my harley. both gone. and to think of all the dollars i've spent trying to win the lottery so i could have them rebuilt and pristine again. oh well. this one will do. for now...