There's lots of noise in the msm and in the blogsphere about two related things. One is the James Cameron exposé of the supposed tomb of Jesus and his assertion that Jesus had children with Mary Magdelene. There's no reason why Jesus couldn't have fathered children but there is something awfully unlikely and foolish about Cameron being the one to make this determination. As The Anchoress points out, Jesus was perceived as a trouble-making rabble-rouser by his enemies and they would have been eagerly trying to find a way to prove to his followers that they had succeeded in killing him. They'd have looked high and low to find his tomb, leaving no stone unturned if you'll pardon the phrase, so doesn't it seem awfully unlikely that it took two thousand years and the less-than-intellectual director of schlocky romance/adventure films to find this tomb and 'evidence'?

In addition to Cameron, there is Mr. A.Gore. I mean, whatever may or may not be true of global warming, why is it that he believes it is he who is the annointed one to sonorously admonish everyone to drive slower and walk when we can and use less electricity? And why do his admonitions not apply to his family and himself but only to the great unwashed rest of us? My general thought today is that some people take themselves a tad too seriously. And that the rest of us have to remember to listen and block out the noise, and watch behind and around the spotlights before deciding what we think is true and important.

Labels: headlines, huh?

Again there is a problem, as witness the hundreds of messages at the Google help group about people like me who can't access their front page because of those heinous bx- error messages. Evidently I can write posts but I cannot view them nor access my blog. Doesn't it seem that there have been an extraordinary number of problems in the last 4-6 months, far far more than before that?

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

You know how they recommend that you test things in a test blog? Well, let this be a lesson to you. I figured I'd mastered things by now and didn't need to do that. Ha. And I can't do much work on this right now. My blogging - not to mention my readership - will plummet the next few days, logically enough. Sorry, all. (Update. Was able to grab a little time and did some remedial work so at least what's here is readable - I think. I'm considering being a little less design-y now, partly for readability's sake, but we'll see how long I can stick with that idea.)

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

Back from my drive and family weekend. The elder of ttcgitw is now officially 3, although how that happened I'm not sure since none of the adults are any older than when she was born. The drive was downright fun, with my new manual Honda coupe. It was even fun (and quick) today, in the lingering snow that I left and the smaller amounts of snow to which I returned. The birthday girl seemed to have a great time, receiving many fabulous presents and having a terrific party with gym and school friends, as well as family. Thanks for the good wishes, by the way!! A good time was definitely had by all.

Labels: about me, anniversaries, family

Apologies for the slight color tweak (all white beneath the posts) but I got to see this on a computer other than my own this weekend and much of the text was unreadable because of how it crossed the background. I begin to understand the block-y color schemes . . . but I shall try to resist.

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

I'll be away from most things blogging for the next few days on account of a birthday shindig 300 miles away. I get to drive my new wheels on the wild and open highway and party hearty with a whole bunch of toddlers and hang out with family and friends. With any luck it will be a pleasant and, dare I hope, fun three days. Til Monday . . .

Labels: about me, anniversaries

1. Stepped off at present simple. Sporting two rather attractive blackbirds atop the banner, one seemingly pecking curiously at the other, it's written by "Badaunt" (bad aunt?) who says she's "from NZ, and now live[s] in Japan, teaching English to reluctant university students". Her tale today of visiting a Japanese hospital and learning about breast cysts. Like many of us, she decided to leave well enough alone, adding that "anyway, I'm thinking that if I grow these things big enough maybe one day I'll end up with cleavage!" Good luck with that. (I had horrible bronchitis one year and the doctor assured me I'd end up with a nice sexy gravelly voice. Ha.) Her tales of New Zealand and her ruminations on it, and on many other things, as well as her photos, make for a good visit. Besides, I have to love anyone who manages to write about doilies interestingly and ends up saying "I adored my grandma".

2. After trying three links that were dead, very old and dead, I hit on Letters from the Editter, described as "self-indulgent opinion pieces. Also an expat - logical, since birds of a feather probably do hang out together - Editter is in New Zealand where, one assumes, she is an editor plays riffs on her job. The header photo is a charming pile of big colorful letters, reminding me of the banquet in The Phantom Tollbooth when they eat their words. The photo tour of South Island is absolutely stunning and makes me want to buy a plane ticket right this second (except that it's one of ttcgitw's birthdays Saturday). Not sure if I like the sea photos or the four-leggeds better, though. She covers a wide range of observations, almost all of them hard to leave.

3. Next to petite anglaise, written by - you guessed it - another woman in Paris. Her story is startling (casual blog writer > fired for writing on her blog > front page story in U.K. newspaper) and her attractive blog definitely drew me in. Since one of her favorite books (she spells it 'favourite', of course) is by Enid Blyton, and since she lives in the center of Paris, I figured it had to be fun at least. Actually, it turns out to be terrifically written and another one of those blogs where you start reading and find yourself paging through lots of days' reports. I particularly like her dissertation on writing.

4. Thence to Le Blagueur à Paris, mostly because I like the name (a joker in Paris) whether or not one thinks it's oxymoronish. There are many amusing raconteur-like posts, all worth perusing. One is brought up rather short by a post about whether her blog's name should be feminine (la blagueuse) or masculine, as it is now, but be warned that there is a startling photo - one might even say it borders on pornographic - but it turns out that it's a Courbet and is in the Musée d'Orsay, so be offended if you want but accept that it's not what it seems at first. And it certainly gets a reader's attention. As do the food pictures (yum!) and comments about delicious things like galette de rois.

5. Final stop for today is The Paris Blog (hey, might as well make geography the common thread, right?). A "blog with Gaul" (get it?!), it's visually attractive (ecru background, simple graphics) and includes a sidebar with apartments to rent by the week or month, so this one has to be tagged, that's for sure. Turns out this blog is a group blog about life in Paris, written in English, and with more than two dozen contributors most of who are expats although a few apparently are French. Laurie is the blog's editor and she's doing a terrific job if my excitement means anything. It's been written up in the Wall St. Journal, This French Life, and even posted on about.com. The photos of various people and places, and the snippets of thoughts make it a grand guignol though without anything horrible happening. In particular, check out the post on ghost metro stations or the one on a new film about Edith Piaf or the hilarious short piece on nasalness in speaking French and English.

So that's our trip for today. It was very European and I'm dizzy from the quick rides, but it was fun. See you next week!

Labels: blogs (others'), france, places, reflections

Interesting article on Guiliani by John Batchelor (who made it seem fantastic to stay up late and drive somewhere so you could listen to his radio show - which is on hiatus and I wish would come back really soon). He adds to my sense that Guiliani would certainly be an interesting candidate. And he looks at an undercurrent of tension between Guiliani and Clinton which I will not do justice to, if I summarize, thus the link.

Labels: 2008 election, politics

I'm ecstatic! I figured out how to put in the expand/contract feature that Annie outlines at Blog U. I have no idea what I did wrong the other times, or right this time, but it works now. It's so cool and does just what I want it to because it reduces the clutter on the page unless one wants to see more. Thanks, Annie!!

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

One of the reputable members of the MSM is reporting the usually-overlooked point that animals contribute more to global warming than suvs and hair spray. The redoubtable Christian Science Monitor includes this article, picked up by several wire services, which should be read and absorbed before more of the ridiculousness runs even further amok. (Of course they feature a piece about the price of dealing with gw vs. not dealing with it, amusingly enough concluding that it will be an earth-shattering (pun intended), whopping enormous . . . 5% difference in the GDP worldwide. Forgive me, but that sounds miniscule especially when you consider that some places will have improved crop production, meaning a possible further lessening of that figure. And last week the CSM ran an article about adapting to a warmer globe, something I've been wondering about. Whether warming is temporary or permanent, whether it's short-term or long-term, geographers and business planners and engineers need to plan for its eventuality, from an adaptive point of view. We are not babies waiting for a bunch of Universe Parents to take care of us, after all. Or, anyway, we shouldn't be.

Labels: good ideas, headlines

While I'm b*ing and moaning about things internet, I wonder if anyone has a suggestion as to how to actually really and truly remove oneself from Yahoo calendars. Several years ago I set one up for a multi-person engagement. It served a useful purpose because we could all log into it and make changes or comments. After the occasion happened, I said bye-bye and clicked all the apparently requisite things to disassociate myself from it. Every Tuesday, however, like the reliable clockwork that it can be when you want it to be, I get a reminder. I'm incredibly sick of it and tired of deleting it. Besides, surely technological space could use that little piece of memory for someone who actually wants it. Any ideas?

Labels: web design, whining

Do employees at Blogger go away when there are tons of problems even though millions of bloggers are out here feeling frustrated? Comment dating/feeding isn't working and neither is mail-to posting nor the navigation bar search feature nor updating the front page and seeing text (for some) and a whole slew of other things that become apparent when you read the help group. Many of these have been ongoing since last Thursday with not a whisper of a response from TPTB. Makes you wish for a smaller more personal corp. or at least one that gives a hoot, doesn't it?

Labels: web design

Don't miss today's birthday writers at Semicolon, including Copernicus and Louis Slobookin.

Labels: blogs (others'), books, writing

Our local newspaper featured an article yesterday purporting to help readers discern the real meaning of candidates' statements, on account of most of it being encoded, they said. There were large head shots of Obama, Clinton, Guiliani and McCain and interpretations from, among others, Christopher Dodd, whose should not be taken seriously about anything. The article's contention was that candidates feel it necessary to hide what they really think rather than say so out-and-out, in order to woo voters on all sides. Hillary, for example, wants both those who oppose the war and those who don't, so she utters ambiguous statements that leave it up to readers/listeners to decide what she means and therefore decide she agrees with them. Guiliani, for another example, has said he personally supports abortion choice but is unsure of a public position, and, hoping to gain favor with those who want abortion banned altogether, expressed admiration for Chief Justice Roberts and Judge Alito because that supposedly was code for expressing support for future right-wing agendas. (In fact, Dodd stated that much of what McCain and Guiliani say is meant to ingratiate themselves with right-wingers.) Candidates certainly do want to be seen in a favorable light by absolutely everyone, since they need lots of votes, but occasionally one or two of them do mean what they say. Sometimes a cigar comment is just a cigar comment.

The U.S. electorate is comprised of millions of people, most of us intelligent and entirely capable of understanding complex ideas. I know it's hard to trust millions of people whom you never see eye-to-eye, but that's too darn bad since it's how our system works. I don't want anyone talking to me as if I'm not quite up to the task of understanding what's being said and I'll probably run the other way if they do. Insulting voters doesn't seem like a good way to earn their interest or support, does it? And while it's hard to imagine anyone ever matching the Clintons' agile ability to be chameleons when they present themselves and their viewpoints, I guess it's not a bad idea to stay alert lest we vote for someone who says 'down' but means 'up'. All of which presupposes that anything they say matters at all, of course.

Labels: 2008 election, politics

Borrowing Laura's tag line ("tonight's movie"), with thanks. My Father the Hero is quite pleasant, with Gerard Depardieu as a divorced father taking his teenage daughter on vacation to the Bahamas. The story is a bit thin but nevertheless amusing. The boy-crazy daughter loves to stir up trouble to prove how clever she is, so she cooks up a scheme that includes pretending her father is her older lover. Her father finds out and because he really really wants to make his daughter happy, he plays along. The little game backfires when the other hotel guests become appalled and ostracize the 'child molester'. Needless to say, many mistaken ideas and silliness ensue. And although it kind of gets bogged down in its own conceits some of the time, two things raise My Father to B+ for me: one, the scenery - which is breath-takingly extraordinary and really a silent character what with a glorious moon and hotel rooms literally beside the stunning blue-green water, and two, actors who infuse mediocre dialogue with their considerable skill and raise the quality all by themselves (that would be mainly Depardieu, Emma Thompson and Katherine Heigle (now quite the "it" girl on Grey's Anatomy)). It's also interesting how thoroughly descriptions can differ - one here, another here. I recommend this for light relaxed viewing.

Labels: movies, places, writing

I don't like to act like a "fan" most of the time but I guess I'm as susceptible as the next guy sometimes. Some actors and actresses, news anchors, writers, etc. get my attention, I guess. One has been Kiran Chetry, a newsperson on Fox. She's smart and witty and pretty . . . and may not work there any more! Yikes! She was m.i.a. from Fox & Friends this weekend and no one said a word - which was my first clue - and there was a much-too-pretty woman in her chair, apparently a former model, with an i.q. that I would doubt equalled her height, at least not if unfinished sentences and hair-shaking-out while looking in a monitor are clues. After a bit of searching, I found this thread and am crushed to think she may be gone. Why don't things I like stay as they are so I can count on them?!

Updates: Articles from Hollywood Reporter, Answers.com (bio), Wikipedia. Will Chris Knowles, her husband, continue writing and reading news at FNC? How can Kiran work at CNN after all the barbs she flung (with which I agree)? What was her objection to Gretchen Carlson? Crazy stuff.

Labels: people, tv

Something's been amiss with blogger's comments for a few days. They seem to be able to be made but they don't show up on feeds and only much older ones show in 'recent' lists. If you want to read notes from annoyed people, go to the blogger help group at Google groups.

Similarly, both Technorati and NZBear don't seem to be catching current postings since I've switched to new blogger. There's a link at Technorati, for example, that says it's from two days ago, but February 9th is 9 days prior to the 18th at least in base-10. (Update: And now (midnight) apparently the NZ Bear ecosystem isn't working either. What the heck is going on??)

Blogging and web work are a lot of fun and it's great to see challenges and then master them, but there sure is a lot of patience required.

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

Found this neat template, not very different from what I'd already done but with a big more pizzazz - and we all know I like to fiddle with it - so I apologize for yet another change, but the change is minimal and I like it a little better - and I hope you do too. I've got a little more to do with sizing the fonts especially in the footers and on the bottom of the page, but what do you think?

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

One of my newly discovered favorite reads, Semicolon, every day posts descriptions of writers born that day, and a weekly "review of books". They're both marvelous reading and SC graciously is allowing me to link to them. February 17th's birthdays include two of my all-time favorites, Robert Newton Peck and Ruth Rendell (who seem to have little in common but both spin wonderful characters and stories). Today's Review of Books' readers' reviews include children's books and classics. Read on!

Labels: anniversaries, blogs (others'), books

Too busy yesterday so Thursday's hop is a day late. As this is entirely self-directed, though, that's all right. Right?!

1. Started at Lori Byrd, self-described as "Commentary on current events, entertainment and everyday life delivered with a Southern drawl" and written by a verbal, energetic, interesting woman. Her perceptions are often quirky with a slightly different twist than others have, and there's almost always a good dose of humor in her observations. Highly recommended.

2. From there, on to Daddypundit, literally chosen by fate because when I flipped over to Lori's site, the mouse had already selected it. This blogger describes himself as "A man who desires to be the husband and father that God has called him to be. Worship leader, guitar player, and avid reader." I'm enough of a dyed in the wool northeastern schoolgirl that my back starts to arch at that description, but I've learned that prejudging often deprives me of interesting and perceptive writing and insights. I enjoyed reading Daddypundit's discussion of teaching his daughter to play golf and, even more, his thoughts on C.S. Lewis and Calvinism, and of the Screwtape Letters as a movie (good idea!). He writes about family and work and politics, among many other things. (He mentions how much he likes Fred Thompson which is interesting to me since I was thinking of him only the other day (and it turns out we're not the only ones - check this out!) .) Daddypundit is a little too religious for me but he's very interesting and definitely worth checking in on for reasoned, calm writing on a wide variety of subjects.

3. Next I wandered to Coffee with CrankyBeach which is described as "a hoot" by at least two commenters. The Valentine photos of Star and Cricket (a fluffy dog and a sleek cat, respectively) are charming. On the other hand, the Gila monster - actually, it's a gecko - is not. It's interesting, certainly, but definitely not cute. Her subjects range from personal observations to politics to tv and movies to cars to scifi to . . . well anything that catches her interest. Fun.

4. Over to Life Under the Sun which is visually lovely although it doesn't display very well in I.E.6 (I'll have to try in 7 tonight) in that most of the sidebar flashes and eventually stays put partway down the page. I loved her serious, funny and same-to-me top 10 reasons why she loves blogging - definitely a meme waiting to be spread far and wide. A divinity school student and a stay-at-home mother of two girls, she used a nice template by Gecko & Fly who are right up there in the pantheon of blog designers, I must say.

5. So Gecko & Fly is logically the next stop. These folks have some very nice new-blogger templates as well as a slew of Wordpress templates. Also they have comments and observations on all manner of things blogging. Their techie quotations and cartoons are really funny (most of the time) but I especially like that they mention and casually review all manner of techie things like Windows Mobile 6 and that they discuss Google-and-Mozilla, for example. This is a site that deserves joining my Blog Angels list since it clearly often has useful info and remarks.

Now back to the crazy work week and looking forward to rare readers' observations of these sites - and/or suggestions of others that I should include while hopping.

Labels: blogs (others'), gk1, politics, reflections

Last night was the final whittling down to 24. The utter goofballs are out so, in theory, the real singing begins. I have to say that my first reaction is that only one or two have anything remotely like a really good voice. One of the winners actually sang off key - or at least so it sounded but maybe that's tv amplification for you. Also the songs they have to sing in the Hollywood cattle call are often icky so that's part of the problem. (Actually, I'm not crazy about a lot of the song choices but that's another subject.) So onward. Predictions, anyone?
(Cross-posted and available for comments on aup with AI.)

Labels: a.i., a.i.6

Laura at Wide Awake Cafe wrote about favorite love songs, yesterday - hers and Jim Farber's. Her selections are spot-on, as they say across the pond, including Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately". That reminded me of another of Morrison's which totally did its job on me a number of years ago. A charming man pursued me intensely and used many tricks of the trade - such as various tuneful and meaningful melodies - and then disappeared almost immediately upon winning me over. (It's probably no surprise that I don't remember the name of the song.)

Labels: holidays, music

Update. Surprise! The morning's mild mannered ice storm morphed into quite the explosive snow storm, mid afternoon. By the time I got home, there was almost a foot on the ground. Okay, nothing like the insane amounts upstate, but plenty deep enough to sock us all in. There were trucks and generous truckers who helped dig us out at the train station but our driveways were a whole 'nother story. Last year a neighbor plowed my drive for the price of a few bottles of wine but he didn't do it today and just finished doing one of my neighbor's but not my sidewalk for some reason. I got into my driveway thanks to a passing generous trucker who took pity on the goofy lady shoveling in her raincoat. Still had to shovel from the driveway to my house, and clear off my porch and steps, so my forearms hurt, but it's a good hurt when there's something to show for it. Right. Anyway, I guess I'll be doing a whole lotta shoveling on Saturday.

I have to say that the ice storm today is interesting. A huge snow storm is what we've become accustomed to, now and then. This is much less expected. Sure am glad I have my standard gear car today!!

Labels: about me, weather

Today is the 54th birthday of Paul O. Zelinsky, creator of the book The Wheels on the Bus - a fantastic book that many children of my acquaintance absolutely adore, and memorize. He also has illustrated several beautiful fairy tale books, winning the Caldecott Award for Rapunzel. (h/t Semicolon)

Labels: anniversaries, books, children

Is it December or February? Is it Valentine's Day or the feast of Noel? Rather charmingly, Google replaced its second "g" with a cute little chocolate-covered strawberry for today -- ah the power of suggestion! -- but are they perhaps confused about which holiday it is? Do you notice something missing to the right of the redrawn gee? And lest you think it is I who doctored the image, go see for yourself. (h/t Dustbury)

Labels: holidays, web design

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Blogging has brought me the good fortune of 'meeting' some verbal, interesting, smart, perceptive, nice, exciting and overall great people. I wish you all a love-filled, smile-drenched day.

Labels: blogs (others'), holidays

There are several perceptive and thoughtful comments at yesterday's post which provided fodder for my thinking here. I guess it's pretty much inevitable that at least two people will run for president for the 2008 term and one person will win, even without zillions of votes or a majority percentage. Looking at the wild and woolly group assembling at the moment, no one is likely to match all or even many of my points of view. At least not if past continues to be parent to the future.

Anyone I vote for is highly likely to have many points of view with which I disagree. I know that. I suppose I might be surprised by a knight or a brilliant statesman who suddenly appears on the scene, but I'm not expecting anything close to that. I know some people have 'deal breaker' viewpoints with which they want their candidates to concur. Sometimes I wish I needed candidates to have points of view a, b or c because it would make picking one much easier. In the absence of knights and deal breakers, I choose a candidate whose basic philosophy is somewhat like mine and which philosophy informs actions and decisions when political machinations, and all else, fail (as they do and will, from time to time). I also really like candidates with intense personal strength which allows them to block out pollsters and popularity concerns at such moments. What about you?

Labels: 2008 election, politics

Is it just because the panting Democrats are making a lot of noise, or has GWB been very very quiet recently? I am among those who prefer a President guided by his principles to one driven by polls or personal urges. But part of what I've liked is that he has spoken up, clearly, often. (I suppose this speaks of Rudy, for me, doesn't it.)

Labels: 2008 election, politics

Haven't had a different browser display problem in ages but this morning the layout of the headers and footers of my posts was all messed up. Everything overlapped everything else a little bit. Weird. My work browser is I.E.6 and my home browser is I.E.7 but I'm surprised there's a functional difference. Anyway, I hope all is well now.

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

File this under "I wish I had time to read or write anything interesting but I have to search through all my papers to find just the one I absolutely need for tomorrow morning and which wasn't where it was supposed to be". The good news is that a Bollywood spoof is on USA right now and it's perfect background for looking through papers - it'd be good for wrapping Christmas presents all night, too. The bad news is that I haven't found the paper yet. The fun news is that I came upon the (not surprisingly) misfiled wedding announcement of a good friend from 1993 (egad). Times like this I wish I were as organized at home as I am at work. Yeeha! I found it!

Labels: about me, whining

Cool idea: 5 non-fiction books to be read in 5 months (details here). My list is on my sidebar. Can't wait!

Labels: blogs (others'), books

There's a new member of my family, in a manner of speaking. Rare readers may remember that I've been desultorily looking for a car (more accurately, avoiding looking for a car) for quite some time (as related here and here). Last month, my Dodge Shadow started stalling on corners and at stoplights, leading me to accelerate the car-buying enterprise before an on-road crisis. After much internet research and "shopping" under the tutelage of my son-in-law, as well as a couple of physical look-sees, I found a 2005 Honda Civic with standard steering (which I love). Assuming the dealer didn't work slight of hand, it's in good shape with <19,000 miles and a reasonable price as far as Edmunds, Kelley and my standards go. Of course the Shadow started without a pause this morning, despite three icy weeks, and drove without a single hesitation the whole 40 miles, making me feel guilty for thinking it was done, but since it wouldn't pass inspection, I think it really was. Anyway, I'm home now and it was lovely to drive a bright blue smoothly functioning Honda, five gears and CD players all working just swell. When I relax from the experience, I'm sure I'll be glad about the new resident of my driveway.

Labels: about me

Just watched Obama's official jumping-in speech in Springfield, Illinois. His passionate light rhetoric is pleasant, and he sprinkled on some policy ideas without getting too specific. I have to say I loved that he never uttered the words 'democrat' or 'republican', positioning himself as he is as being everyone's candidate. A bit contrived, but a relief. He's non-vitriol and optimistic. He asserts that he can propel the country forward in good and productive ways, apparently seeing himself as a "vehicle of hope". That sounds touchy-feely but he also claims to be practical. I'd love to see him nominated - a notable contrast to youknowherwho - and it sure would be nice to see him shake up long-established, rusty things. Socialism are not us but populism is, to some extent, so let's see who he is and what he thinks in more detail.

Labels: politics

I was intending not to say anything about her here, but watching some newcasters makes me have to. You'd think she was some kind of genius or cultural icon, to listen to some of them but one wonders whom they were watching. She'd succeeded in getting away from a poor, uneducated childhood on the strength of wanting to be famous more than anything else. But she always exuded enormous sadness even thought her behavior was to be wild and crazy. Sometimes she seemed striking, almost beautiful, but at other times (with less make-up? a different dresser?) she was downright unattractive. And though her fans talk as if she were mother of the year, it might be good to remember that she indulged various appetites more or less endlessly, surrounded herself with sycophants, entrusted her business as well as her person to people with the trustworthiness of tumbleweeds, and displayed every bit of herself on a so-called reality tv show where she groped and flailed around in what sure looked like a drug-induced haze. Her fame and fortune may have seemed appealing, but her son's dead at twenty, her daughter (by an unacknowledged father) has no mother, and she herself is dead at thirty-nine. Perspective.

Labels: people, reflections

I simply do not believe that hairspray users and SUV drivers and manure-expelling cows have utterly changed the planet in such a small percentage of the planet's millions-of-years life. The planet is not that delicate. It just isn't. Besides, if it was us, then we could fix some of it but the "humans-caused-it" believers say we can't. Why aren't the changes cyclical, not man-made? Why aren't the changes simply the "course of things"? Why isn't this something to adjust to - like 100 inches of snow in Oswego - rather than a disaster that spells the end of life as we know it? Sure, it was a warm December on the US's east coast and a blazing hot summer in the UK in 2005 and a wet spring in 2004 in most of the US. And there was Hurricane Katrina (although its impact had far more to do with the Army Corps of Engineers and appalling politics than weird meteorology). The ice cap may or may not be melting and Idaho may or may not be becoming the west coast (buy your seacoast property now!) but the last weeks have been "brutally cold and icy" in the Midwest and along the Great Lakes (I'm quoting several-times-daily mainstream news reports) while the Alps don't have much snow. Is this global warming or is it climate change or is it a centuries-cycle or is it nothing? Given the heavy-handed politicos on each side, who seem to have many axes to grind and pork to seek, I don't feel that facts are at all clear (despite Ellen Goodman's nasty column today). The headlines after the UN report were released, for example, said the report was unequivocal; when you read the actual text, there was simply no such assertion. Come on! This is nuts. We really need to toss politics and rhetoric and figure out what's really happening.

Labels: politics, weather

This morning's New York Times has a book review by William Grimes of The White Cascade which is one of those reviews that's a good read in itself. (Remember when reading the book review was a daily delight?!) Anyway, the book sounds absolutely fascinating. I have a feeling I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Labels: books, weather

1. First stop, one of the outstanding Oklahoman blogs, incurable insomniac. This is a gorgeous site, all slick and sophisticated, designed by one Michael Martine, yet totally navigable and accessible. Plus, one of those mood widgets stares you in the face, right off. The author is a music enthusiast - witness the many links to Mozart and other composers and musicians. Although mainly about cooking, traveling, literature and the aforementioned music, there are also many generally interesting comments on tons of subjects. Apparently her Mozartfluegl was the impetus for her being at a recent film festival in Spokane, Wash. and maybe we'll even get to see it one of these days. Check out Wednesday's discussion of the festival - what fun! - and the utterly sumptuous pictures of the Davenport Hotel - holy cow! wait til you see the place.

2. On to Man About Mayfair, selected because I love Mayfair in London. Turns out the blog is not unrelated in that it's about literary and fashion style as best represented by Mayfair with a bit of Bloomsbury mixed in (my words, not those of "S"). I mean, how can I resist a blog that displays a trio of Scotsmen honoring Burns night - followed immediately by a photo of that most debonair of all men, David Niven. Quoting as he does from Ian Fleming, Evelyn Waugh and AA Gill, Man now joins the ranks of blogs I must check often.

3. Hard to pick where to go from here because most of Man's links looks interesting (Barbour, The Ritz, Aquascutum . . . ), but I decided on 10 Curzon Street because I stayed near there for six weeks a few years ago. It's a lovely site about book selling and searching, and about finding all manner of things right in the heart of Mayfair. How I wish I'd known about this spot when I was there. Describing itself as selling "new, old and antiquarian books as well as producing catalogues on numerous themes", they emphasize "literature, history, architecture, biography and travel as well as keeping a well-stocked children's department". And the delightful descriptions under "our recommendations" is worth the trip to the site all by itself, Brompton bike or no. (Please someone send me a plane ticket. Please!)

4. From there to Chatsworth, no more a blog than 10 Curzon Street, but every bit as interesting. Turns out that Chatsworth has been closed for renovations but is reopening in March. It's "one of Britain’s best loved historic houses and estates, offering something for everyone to enjoy, from famous works of art and the spectacular fountains in the garden to the finest shopping, food and drink and many miles of free walks." Judging by the photos, I'll say that's pretty darn accurate. Visitors can stay on the estate or at nearby hotels and inns - some of which are pictured, all of which look marvelous. It's 3 hours north of London, 90 minutes from Leeds, right near Bakewell. There's still time to get there for the Bread and pastry class on February 24th or Cake decorating on March 20th, or any of the patchwork quilt classes.

5. Unfortunately there are no outside link paths on Chatsworth, and as I'm a slave to my rule of 5, it's back to Insomniac and . . . on to Zoom Vienna. The photos are absolutely gorgeous, beginning at a fish market. One clicks front-and-center and another image appears. Very excellent design concept for a serious photo site/blog and a heckuva neat tour of Vienna. (Site design is by Moxie Design Studios; both the archives, which displays the photos in a bloggy sort of way, and the "all thumbnails" view download almost instantly. Some mighty good hosting and server-ing here.) An incredible balloon-filled hall appears at one point, a beautifully fuzzy backgrounded snowflake decoration at another. The mountain bike trail looks like New England - as Austria often does, actually - and the bronze statues, close-up, are magnificent. I especially love his description of himself and his camera equipment. Whatever you do, don't miss this.

This was more of a literal and physical travelogue than I meant it to be, but it was great fun!

Labels: blogs (others'), places, reflections

Listened to Greta Van Sustern's interview with Nancy Pelosi tonight. Greta can be a good interviewer when she gets away from missing blond girls and is quiet and relaxed with the interviewee. Nancy P. was downright relaxed and less phony than usual, even complimentary to GW Bush, particularly about his "gracious" remarks about her father during the State of the Union - which I thought was extremely touching, too. I think Nancy actually likes GWB although she often disagrees with him. Wouldn't you rather work with people you like even if you disagree with them? Day-to-day will be better and more will get done well, seems to me. Besides, our government isn't actually run by one person but by three functions, so this could work out just fine.

Labels: history, politics

A friend of mine pointed out today that astronauts are trained to go to the bathroom in their clothes, while doing other things, so maybe that particular aspect of Lisa Nowak's nutty behavior - far from being a further indication of her instabilty, is really a demonstration of how well trained (pun sort of intended) she is. Not a bad point. I mean, can you imagine how hard it would be to pee and drive??!

Labels: huh?, silliness

Thank the gods for television! Apparently a new show will be debuting in March on FX (not sure which day or what time), called The Riches. Its description is less than alluring but it stars EDDIE IZZARD!!! Than whom there is none more clever, witty and just plain fun.

Labels: fun, people, tv

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!! The New York Times didn't have a dead body on the front page today!!! I should have been keeping score (hmm, note to self: good blog idea). This morning's print edition displayed this beautiful photo of sunlight coming through the trees in Central Park in New York City. A classic photo, a momentous day.

Labels: hypocrisy, writing

(Update: There are some interesting comments after this, including Texas Scribler's factual and logical explanation (much more so than my rant) of the SMU / Bush Library mess.)

Those who would follow he who is in the White House now had best remember that some people, once pissed off, become bees and carpenter ants and wasps only thinly disguised as adult human beings. They swarm and buzz ever louder once they feel their tiny piece of entitlement slipping away. Anyway, those noted today, are (some?) methodists who are proclaiming their disaffection for putting Bush-43's library at SMU. Gosh, why? you ask, isn't that where Laura Bush quite successfully got her undergraduate degree? Well yes it is. But these people say that they don't want the library there because GWB isn't living up to methodist principles, among which they mention that he isn't steadfastly avoiding war. Excuse me? Since when are methodists pacifists? Of course, what they mean is that they're jumping on the bds bandwagon because they're annoyed at him for not sticking hook-line-and-sinker to the agenda they wanted and expected him to follow. They'll show him, oboyoboy. Anyway, bottom line what's really being shown - as fanatical middle-easterners demonstrate and to which women can hold only a tiny proverbial candle - is that hell hath not one recognizable bit of fury like a scorned religious zealot.

Labels: gwb, huh?, hypocrisy

Miscellaneously musing Laura makes note of a post by Captain's Quarters mentioning the idea of a Guiliani / Gingrich team. The difficulty would be that they each have - er - difficult first marriage issues but maybe that's not so important in the wake of Kennedy, Clinton, Newsom, etc., etc. It could make it a more serious and historically aware campaign, by far. They're not "polibrities", at least, and they certainly evidence more intelligence than the others milling around at the moment.

Labels: history, politics

Either we made it happen or we didn't. If we did, or even if we contributed a lot, then we can change it a lot. Right? Well, no, according to the GW proponents (who have probably not noticed that their acronym is two-thirds of that of a certain head of state whom they loathe). I mean, if people did lots of this damage with cars and hairspray, then wouldn't stopping using hairspray and cars at least turn things back a bit? . . . . but those 'in the know' say no cuz we've done ourselve in and there's nothing we can do to help. Balderdash, of course.

Not surprisingly, Mark Steyn has written about global warming. Never at a loss for informative, amusing and enlightening words, this is no exception. He throws in some actual facts that support what I've suspected, such as

A thousand years ago, the Arctic was warmer than it is now. Circa 982, Erik the Red and a bunch of other Vikings landed in Greenland and thought, "Wow! This land really is green! Who knew?" So they started farming it, and were living it up for a couple of centuries. Then the Little Ice Age showed up, and they all died.

Those who hate GBW just know the heat age is here, and those who don't hate him think there may be a big millenial cycle underway. Someday it will be factually clear. I wonder if we'll be able to find out, where we are then.

Labels: gwb, politics, weather

There's a lot that's good about new blogger. Of course labels are great, as we all know. Also I've been poking around and learning about widgets and css and everything, and there are still aspects of the format and layout that are mysterious to me. But it's all less elementary and therefore in some ways more interesting. But please don't tell anyone I said any of this.

Labels: blogs (mine), web design

Thanks to edog, I've discovered Writing Passions, written by Susan Abraham who describes herself as a Malaysian Indian writer and traveller who divides her time between London and Malaysia (lucky woman!). She's writing a "first book" which ought to be wonderful considering the writing on WP. About Marianne Faithfull, for example, she says "[w]hen I hear Faithfull, I see flowers in a cafe, kisses in the twilight, glistening rain on the pavement, serenades in the streets and mannequins dancing."

Labels: blogs (others'), writing

Gavin Newsom, the handsome and somewhat bon-vivant mayor of San Francisco, had a recently revealed affair with his campaign manager's wife. A large measure of Newsom's fame comes from his support of gay marriage - which might lead one to think that marriage matters to him and that, since generosity of spirit is generally a good thing, he has some strength of character, being willing to stand up for what he believes and all. I totally don't care what Mr Newsom does with his spare time or in his bedroom, yet I am sorry to find out that he's one of the "do as I say and don't bother me about what I do because it's really none of your concern" people. Heaven knows most of us are flawed and make loads of mistakes, sometimes big ones, but when a public person's principles are part of who they are publicly, how they conduct themselves has to be part of how we decide whether to support or vote for them, doesn't it? Doesn't that make sense? If I say I believe aerosol hair sprays are ruining the atmosphere and I want you to vote for me because I will work to eliminate aerosol hair sprays in order to improve the environment . . . and you discover that I use hair spray myself . . . then wouldn't it be reasonable if you conclude that I'm dishonest? You may choose to vote for me anyway, but if a public person makes fairness, kindness, morality, etc. part of what you get if you choose him/her, then it's relevant, isn't it? Seems logical to me. But a good friend accused me of self-righteousness when I made those observations to her. She doesn't see it as a fine example of irony that such an enthusiastic champion of gay marriage is now divorced and had an affair and extended a public apology to his paramour's husband, a presumably former good friend of his. Have the Kennedy and Clinton escapades, not to mention John Updike's novels, made it so adultery is no longer on the list of not-very-nice things to do? And tell me: Am I being self-righteous? Or am I recognizing inconsistency and/or hypocrisy and appreciating irony? (P.S. For more, read Eratosthenes and S.F. Gate on the subject.)

Labels: politics, reflections

I've written here about conspiracy theories and how utterly wild they can be, and now Victory Soap has linked to a darn-near comprehensive list which is more than a little unsettling when you consider that more than one loon believes many if not all of them. It would be knee-slappingly, hilariously funny if it wasn't so scary. Furthermore, since there's a bunch of skepticism in all of us, understandably and correctly, once these ideas start wiggling into your head you have to start beating them down lest they start to have some gravitas.

Labels: huh?, politics

Groundhog Day will be broadcast on Comedy network today at 10:30 am, 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm. Also tomorrow at 7:30 am, 10:00 am and 12:30 pm. Enjoy!!! (Update. Thanks to Miscellaneous Musings: Jonah Goldberg's interesting and thoughtful article on GHD.)

Labels: movies, reflections

As if I didn't already know I'd love to know Ligneus, he wrote today about being in the RAF and using Morse Code during his service and having a thirty-something daughter who's learning to knit and dye her own wool and has two little children. . . . It's exciting to discover people who share the same combination of interests and skills as oneself. But it makes one wistful because alas so few live anywhere nearby. I'm going to go drown my sorrows . . . in a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Labels: about me, blogs (others')

Is Joe Biden insane? Is he very outspoken? Is he incapable of filtering his thoughts before he speaks (remember his Indian/Pakistani remarks last year??)? Is his campaign for anything over and done with? I think the answer to all those questions probably is 'yes' but I also think he's pathetic. I also think it's sad that people who seem intelligent feel a need to compartmentalize other people. I suppose it gives them a sense of order and control but at the price of their own self-respect. There's no way to call someone 'clean' and convincingly insist it wasn't patronizing and demeaning. I guess we have a longer way to go than I thought. How sad. P.S. and BTW, can you even imagine the fuss, the hysteria, the loud broohaha if George Bush had said this?! So Biden gets a pass tho' Bush would be excommunicated, impeached and flogged.

Labels: politics, reflections

Update 3/11/07 - After a very nice note from the "ne'er do well" proprietor of Thunder Pig, I revisited with complete success. Its banner greets you with a gorgeous panorama and it's both visually and navigationally comfy. Plus, there's bunches of interesting comments and commentary. You gotta love the internet, don't you? Seriously. I mean, you can spend lots of time with people in Oklahoma, France, California, North Dakota, Florida - to name some of my favorites - and now, South Carolina, all just by clicking a little plastic device. Anyway, do visit Thunder Pig.

1. Kicked off today's hop at Spiced Sass, one of my favorites. Ligneus is never boring, almost always amusing and witty, and frequently spot-on (as he might say). His observations about the various Democrats and Republicans currently in the running are cogent and worth musing on, though he failed to mention Chris Dodd, one of the ones I find most puzzling from a skirt-chasing point of view.

2. Tried to go to Thunder Pig because I like its name but I got the oh-so-familiar blogger.com error bX-vjhbsj, whose meaning seems to escape the helpers as much as the rest of us.

3. So off to Asymmetric which loads way too slowly for the impatient among us but is worth taking a look at. A relatively new blog (October 2006), its author says that he "found myself thouroughly fascinating [and] realized . . . that people all over the world can benefit from these same trenchant and thorough (yet pithy) observations; hence, this blog." As a matter of fact, his subjects are widely varied (computers, Cuba and religion to name a few) and the blog is definitely worth visiting. Choosing to sidestep the more controversial of those topics, I clicked on . . .

4. The Liberty Film Festival site. Apparently this is the web page for Hollywood's Conservative Film Festival - who knew there was such a thing!!? See how interesting bloghopping can be! There's all kinds of information about showings of different films that are outside the usual purview of film festivals, not to mention most viewers. And the site is kind of fun being BRIGHT red and all. Of course, like most non-blogs, this is not a good one for taking a hop from, so back to Asymmetric and over to . . .

5. a blog that I would never in a million years have gone to without bloghopping, namely, A Templar Knight. Apparently this blog was created about six months ago by someone who is "a knight within the Priory of England and Wales". I'm not sure if he's kooky, but he writes well about all kinds of cultural topics. He is a teacher living in Wales with numerous articles and poems published in both English and Welsh. He is humorous and quite observant. Give it a look.

That's all for today. Enjoy!

Labels: blogs (others'), france, politics, reflections