Elucidate

Our worst nightmare…

2006-06-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

So our worst nightmare has happened - two US soldiers have been captured by al-Qaeda. Let's hope that they're treated with respect, as required under the Geneva Convention. Let's hope they're not sexually humiliated, terrorized by dogs, subject to water-boarding or any other forms of torture. Let's hope al-Qaeda isn't that depraved.

National Tartan Day

2006-04-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today is National Tartan Day according to the United States House of Representatives Resolution 41. Which is fitting as Dad arrived early this morning. So we're celebrating in true Scottish style - with shock and horror.

Alan Black over at Salon has an amusing take on it:

Being Scottish, I am easily insulted. Scotland was recently selected by a group of so-called European experts as "the worst small country to live in." It's top of the charts for manic depression, alcoholism, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, heart disease and yellow, plaque-infected teeth.

At least the they didn't call it "National Plaid Day".

Stumping

2006-03-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

Maia saw two men dressed in business suits riding on bicycles today, and she said, "Why are those presidents riding bikes? They look so silly."

We're not so far removed

2006-03-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

In his fascinating book, The Moral Animal, Robert Wright states (on the subject of female choosiness),

… male turkeys will avidly court a stuffed replica of a female turkey. In fact, a replica of a female turkey's head suspended fifteen inches from the ground will generally do the trick. The male circles the head, does its ritual displays, and then (confident, presumably, that its performance has been impressive) rises into the air and comes down in the proximity of the female's backside, which turns out not to exist. The more virile males will show such interest even when a wooden head is used, and a few can summon lust for a wooden head with no eyes or beak.

Food for thought when you check out the Shock Absorber's bounce-ometer.

Vely nice

2006-03-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Found in my fortune cookie:

A kind world will warm someone's heart.

It's a knee-jerk reaction for them

2006-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

After hearing Dr. Andrew Weil say on Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! that dark chocolate is so good for you that you can eat as much of it as you wish, I decided that my one New Year's Resolution would be to acquire a taste for it, and kick the habit I have for milk chocolate, (hereafter to be referred to derisively as simply "candy").

Last year I kept so much candy in my desk that I gained a reputation as the go-to guy if you were jonesing for a snack. But I've cleared out my desk, although people still occasionally come sniffing for treats, as Lee did yesterday.

He thought I was holding out on him and to my surprise I did find a stash in my bottom drawer of M&Ms, left over from Halloween. I grabbed a handful (hey, I'm not completely cured), and gave him the rest of the 52oz bag for his pod, far away from me.

Within five minutes I'd received an iChat from Bryan.

Bryan: did you leave that bag of M&Ms? you chocolately trickster?
John: I told Lee to take it to your pod and get it away from me
Bryan: *sigh*
John: you are very welcome
Bryan: It's in retaliation for the teriyaki sticks, isn't it
John: well, now that you say it…
Bryan: this could mean war

Not that I'm particularly worried. I've seen how lousy Americans are at waging war, so I fully expect to find they've retaliated with a box of Ghirardelli Squares.

Jas, Political Operative

2006-01-31T15:15:00.000-08:00

One of my colleagues became a BMOC* on Monday, when his uncle became a Canadian MP.

Sukh Dhaliwal is the Liberal Party's newest Member of Parliament for the riding of Newton-North Delta in British Columbia. Sukh is the second Dhaliwal to have entered Canadian politics, as he follows Herb Dhaliwal, the former Liberal MP for the riding of Vancouver South-Burnaby, who was the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (during the Chrétien era).

Now when Jas opens a bank account here he gets to answer yes to the question, "Are you a senior foreign political figure or a family member or associate of a senior foreign political figure?"

I've always thought it would be kind of cool to be able to say yes to that question, but so far my relatives have let me down. (Although not from a lack of trying.)

*Big Man on Campus

Having second thoughts

2006-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

While Julie was reveiwing the details of our freshly minted Will she commented, "So you're giving Anne Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?"

"You know she will so pull that plug."

Julie's reading Memoirs of a Geisha…

2006-01-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

… and I think I can be forgiven for doing a double-take when I walked into the bedroom this evening.

Just shoot us now, please

2006-01-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness the vet arrives in April.

Teddy Tucker

2006-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

I got a package from Dad in the mail yesterday with a 2006 wall calendar produced by the St. David's Island Historical Society. It contains many pictures of Hamilton and St. David's during the 1930 & 40's. It's great to see the pictures of Bermuda before motor cars, when bicycles were a common form of transport and railway tracks ran down the center of Front Street.

However the real treat was the DVD he'd also included.

Teddy Tucker, Adventure Is My Life is the fascinating history of a Bermudian "born at the right time, in the right place," as the narrator so accurately points out at the very beginning.

For this is the story of a life blessed by good fortune. Good fortune to be born with a fascination of shipwrecks on an island whose waters are infested with shipwrecks, good fortune to be working at the Aquarium at a time when recreational diving was in its infancy and they were experimenting with taking tourists helmet diving (this predated scuba), and good fortune to be able to make a living doing what he loved most - salvaging and surveying shipwrecks.

He is also a talented watercolourist of old sailing ships and indeed it was his interest in preserving and annotating the wrecks he found that first brought him to the attention of scholars and scientists. What really made him famous though was his discovery in 1955 of the Tucker Cross. This earned him an article in Life magazine and working relationships with archaeologists around the world.

His friendship with Peter Benchley (begun before Jaws had been written and Benchley was a lowly hack working for the New England Aquarium), has only helped to magnify his fame.

My favourite line in this biopic is when Benchley asks him if he remembers his first meeting with Robert Shaw, the actor who played the part of the seadog Romer Treece in The Deep, a part based upon Tucker himself.

"Well," he drawled in his Bermudian slang, "course he was full hot at the time. Oh yes, he was a real rummy." He paused for just a second, then continued, "I recognized a fellow traveller."

Anne was here

2006-01-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

After Anne left Aiden walked around the house for an entire week saying, "Say no to yayas!"

And recently, after Julie had apologised to Maia for making her late for school (thus causing her to miss an eagerly anticipated event), Maia said, "That's ok. I'll cut you some slack."

A yaya is a pacifier in Aiden-speak.

Putting your life on the line

2006-01-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

The first time I parachuted I was extremely nervous. I must have visited the bathroom 10 times in the five minutes before we piled into the Cessna, and my heart was in my mouth during the entire climb to altitude. I was sitting backwards on the floor (in jump aircraft the only person to get a seat is the pilot), next to the exit so the instructor had to lean across me to open the door, which flew open very dramatically to reveal a stunning view an inch to the left and 3,500 feet below the bare white knuckles of my left hand. The noise of the rushing wind was deafening. The instructor spent a few moments peering over my lap at the ground, then called to the pilot to cut back the engine and signaled me to climb out.

That jump and every one of the 49 that followed were exhilarating, even though the first jump of the day always griped me with apprehension. But I learned to overcome my fear and handled myself pretty well during the two malfunctions I experienced (an AAD misfire under a good main at 2,000 feet and a horseshoe at 10,000 feet).

Pretty intense stuff, but in the past. My last jump was the day I found out I was going to be a dad.

But I'd do it again in a heartbeat before doing a Keynote with Steve. I got sweaty palms just reading the article.

Every Computer Crashes, Because Every OS Sucks

2006-01-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

Three Dead Trolls have a great little song.

The Onion Has Landed

2005-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Anne arrived last night, rolling in from the airport a little after midnight, so she was pretty tired (her internal clock being 4 hours ahead of that).

The trip over flyover country was uneventful except for one small inconvenience - American Airlines have lost her luggage again! They did this to her the last time she visited, so I think this will be her last trip out here (or so she threatens).

It's good to see her, and I know she feels the same as she actually stopped in mid-dash (through the house to see her sleeping nieces) long enough to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I hope her bags arrive today as we're all going to The Nutcracker tonight and her ball gown is in one of them.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Letter this year marks a first for us, as we've put it online* here. And when I say "our" I mean it rhetorically. It's 98% Julie's effort this year.

I think she did a fine job, don't you?

*This way we can truthfully claim that the letter went out before Christmas, even if the hard copy hasn't hit the post office yet.

Diving with Tiger Sharks

2005-12-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Neil Burnie is at it again - this time diving with Tiger sharks off Bermuda.

"It's a different world under there," added Dr. Burnie, who has surfed a giant whale shark, and watched flying fish, manta-rays and barracuda in a feeding frenzy underneath his fishing boat.

They didn't mention that he also drove an open fishing boat, powered by two outboard engines, to Bermuda from the East Coast. (That's a trip of some 700 miles, and I think he did it in 2 days.)

I remember when I first met Neil. He was a pale, pasty-faced little Englishman then, newly arrived on the island to work for Dad as his locum. Now the shoe's on the other foot, and I'm the one who's pale and pasty-faced.

Sacred Bull?

2005-12-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

They need to get a new censor at the Royal Gazette. The one they have now doesn't know good four letter words from bad.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told Magistrates' Court yesterday the defendant said to them: “This is f***ing b***shit.” He was warned twice to calm down but when two other officers arrived DeSilva continued his outburst.

And what school child can't fill in the blanks?
Around the Courts

Southpaw?

2005-12-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

One day over Thanksgiving Aiden was served her breakfast cereal by her grandfather, who put her spoon on the left side of the bowl. Without missing a beat she simply picked up the spoon with her nearest hand and started to serve herself.

After I commented on this Ed allowed that while he was right-handed, he held a baseball bat left-handed, and kicked a football (an American football) with this left foot.

Could our little peanut be left-handed? Or perhaps even ambidexterous? Time will tell.

Patience is a virtue

2005-11-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

Over breakfast this morning we spent some time compiling our lists for Santa. I put a sweater, new car stereo and a leather jacket on my list.

Later, while we were driving to the mall, I said to Julie, "I'd like to look at leather jackets while we're here."

Maia immediately piped up from the backseat, "No, you have to wait. That's on your list for Santa."

"But it's pretty cold out. I think I'd like one before Christmas," I explained.

To which bossy-boots scolded, "I want a Barbie Pegasus Head right now but I can't have it. You wait 'til Christmas."

Now here's a reason to emigrate

2005-11-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Jared Diamond's Collapse. (Something I love about holidays is all the reading time.) The description of the collapse of Easter Island society describes a tragedy that unfolded over a few hundred years, precipitated by the islander's destruction of their environment. (The island was originally covered by a dense forest and claimed the largest seabird colony in the entire Polynesian Archipelago.)

As things went from bad to worse the inhabitant's diet was reduced from porpoise and seabird to rat and eventually each other. The following passage stands out,

In case you're squeamish and consider rats inedible, I still recall, from my years of living in England in the late 1950s, recipes for creamed laboratory rat that my British biologist friends who kept them for experiments also used to supplement their diet during their years of wartime food rationing.

Dad got his MRCVS from the Royal Dick in 1955. No wonder he buggered off to New Zealand at his earliest opportunity.

Old Mesilla

2005-11-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

We picked up Auntie Joann yesterday and visitied Old Mesilla. It lies about 40 miles southwest of El Paso, and although I've been to this general area several times, and Julie and Joann grew up here, this is the first time any of us had seen this particular little town.

It enjoys a small place in the history of the area, having been for a brief time the capitol of New Mexico, as well as where Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to death. They roll the sidewalks up on Mondays so many of the shops were closed, but this was a blessing in disguise, since there were many fewer tourists than normal. (El Paso has the nation's largest Harley Davidson store, so I can just imagine the hordes of bikers that must descend upon the place during a normal business day.)

The place is an artist's community and has a distinctly up-market feel, in contrast to gritty El Paso. The few shops that remained open were generally upscale, with interesting and attractive art. We had lunch at the Double Eagle restaurant, situated in an old adobe building. As you walk in you pass through the Carlota Salon and into a (now glassed in) courtyard. The southwestern fare was quite good (and the margarita excellent) but the place wasn't very child friendly. Still, this is a type of archetecture that we find quite attractive and it is easy to see how the area has become a location for various films.

All in all a very pleasant day trip.

Nose holes

2005-11-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

My Dutch uncle, Gerhard (he's Canadian) speaks english perfectly well. But occassionally, when he's at a loss for the correct word, he'll insert a substitute that's just not quite right. An example is "nose hole" (for which he earned Margaret's scorn).

Turns out he's not the only one to use that term.

Malahack

2005-11-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

This was the word-of-the-day recently in my Forgotten English desktop calendar.

A word ludicrously fabricated which means to cut or carve in an awkward and slovenly manner.
- Rev. Robert Forby's Vocabulary of East Anglia, 1830

Feast Day of St. Martin, for whom geese served as both nemesis and symbol. Martin hid in a barn to avoid being made a bishop but was exposed by a honking goose. He died in 400, reportedly from eating goose. Since then, that fowl has traditionally been eaten on his feast day.
In pre-industrial Britain, specific verbs were employed for carving particular types of game and poultry, and in some circles use of the wrong term was viewed with a contempt similar to that shown a modern speaker of the word ain't. In his [Medical] Receipts (1696), William Salmon offered some examples, including: "rear that goose; spoil that hen; fract that chicken; sauce that capon; unbrace that mallard; unlace that coney; dismember that heron; disfigure that peacock; display that crane; untach that curlew; unjoin that bittern; allay that pheasant; wing that quail [or partridge]; mince that plover; thigh that pigeon; break that hare."

Some of these terms make me queasy. Spoil? Disfigure? Display? These are Ripperesque terms, the sort of language that might have been used to describe his victims.

But others conjure up more lighthearted thoughts. "Fract that chicken," for instance. When I worked at the Bank of Bermuda one of my staff (Shawn, Cicely's son), would say, "I'm going to fock up a chicken," on his way out to KFC. That's similar, no?

The trouble with eff

2005-11-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

Aiden can't pronounce the letter 'F'. Phone is 'pone', fish is 'pish' and so on. I worked with her on this problem yesterday because she finds it extremely frustrating when she is misunderstood, or simply unable to get even a glimmer of understanding on our desperately blank faces.

Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful (for now). She just can't form the sound, despite forcing her lips and tongue through some impressive, serpentine contortions. (When the time comes she'll have no trouble tying a cherry stem in knots. I swear I saw her form the shape of a clover leaf with her tongue. Oh, the drinking game championships that girl has in her future.)

In unrelated news, I'm trying to discourage her from riding on my shoulders. I'm getting tired of her putting a part in my hair.

Bonjour petite! Vous ressemblez au chat qui a mangé le canari!

2005-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

A man who dies without a will has lawyers for heirs

2005-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

After spending literally years talking about what a good idea it would be if we had a will, Julie and I finally sat down over the weekend and worked out some fundamentals and today I had an appointment with a lawyer in order to get the paperwork started.

Perhaps it was the defeat (as predicted) of Prop 77 yesterday, or perhaps it was that I was late with some pressing projects at work, but taking leave at 3pm just wasn't a good idea today. So when I was kept waiting for 25 minutes, with only some very poorly written literature on the benefits of various legal services, (photocopies, none less) with which to occupy myself, I decided enough was enough. These turkeys can go stuff themselves.

I'll find someone else.

Lawyers, I suppose, were children once. Charles Lamb (1775-1834)

Exercising their Right

2005-11-08T05:32:00.000-08:00

Californians are voting today on a raft of referendums, the most important (in my opinion) being Proposition 77, which would change the way voter districts are gerrymandered.

That's not a misprint. Although Americans call it redistricting, in every state but two (Arizona and Iowa), the United States, that proud promoter of democracy around the world, allows politicans to draw voter boundaries after every census (every 10 years).

As a consequence, not a single legislative or congressional seat in California changed hands last year. Since the majority of the districts in California are owned by Democrats, they have a lock on what happens here - with Arnie the exception that proves the rule. (The same thing happens in Texas, only Republicans own that state, and you see what that gave us.)

As a consequence, the only way for a fresh face to get noticed in a district is for them to appeal to the fringe of that district's party. That polarizes political argument, reducing it to the level of automatic gainsaying, with the prize going to the candidate who is most successful in driving a wedge between the voters. (This is what Jon Stewart was going on about when he famously destroyed Tucker Carlson on Crosstalk.) Sometimes an issue doesn't have two sides, and sometimes it doesn't have just two. But you'd never know it from listening to broadcast news.

This measure isn't perfect - redistricting responsibility will be given to a panel of three retired judges, who will be picked by politicans - but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Gov. Schwarzenegger is held in such low regard that the voters will probably reject every one of his initiatives.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Armchair Birder

2005-11-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

Although I'm not an avid birder, I've always had a general curiosity about the birds around me. When I first arrived in Northern California I was a little puzzled by how few small birds there seemed to be. We had brought numerous feeders with us from Texas, and I went to quite a bit of trouble erecting them around the outside of the house so that we'd have a good view of any visitors. But the seed was just left to rot, and the only birds I noticed were turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks and the startling Yellow-billed magpies (which are only native to this area of the world, and indeed are everywhere).

I became more puzzled by this (apparent) absence of birds after a friend who is an avid birder told me that the Sacramento area is one of the best places in the world to see birds, since it's on a migratory flight path, with large wetlands (mostly around Davis).

Since then it has slowly dawned on me that the birds are here, all right - I've just been looking for the wrong species, in the wrong places. Instead of the sparrows, starlings, bluebirds & cardinals (Bermuda) and cowbirds and grackles (Texas) that were common in other places I've lived, I just needed to adjust my search-image a bit, and look not for seed-eaters, but smaller grub-eating birds.

So it has been very pleasant to discover that our living room, with its great picture window looking out into a large olive tree, has turned out to be quite a fine hide. This last weekend the girls and I were transfixed by a tiny little bird that we later identified as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, as it ran up and down the tree limbs, hunting for insects, and then fluttering aggressively at its reflection in the glass.

Assimilating

2005-11-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

"Maia, do you know where Mummy is?"

"Mummies have bandages. Do you mean Mommy?"

Getting used to it

2005-11-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

"So, you wish to be cremated?"

"Yes"

"And should I put your ashes on the mantle, next to Mrs. Bailey's?"

"Ha ha. No. Scatter them on Sting's doorstep"

Have you two met?

2005-11-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

For a short period in the late '90s I worked for Wayne Carlson after Rich sold him Foresight and all its chattels. This was during Wayne's heyday, when he enjoyed a brief period as a wunderkind in the 4D world. He hosted the Denver developer conference, ran the Foresight suite of developer tools and even attempted at one point to wrest controlling interest of ACI away from Laurent Ribardière, all with the help of his right-hand man, Chuck Gronsbell.

Wayne had an odd way of mixing his metaphors (and still does I presume, although I haven't seen him in years). Two of his more famous quotes were "milk under the bridge" and "making the pie higher".

So imagine my surprise when I read this Bushism from February, 2000:

We ought to make the pie higher.

- South Carolina Republican debate;
February 15, 2000

Let me see. Both Wayne and George mangle their syntax, and both had/have support from their very own Machiavellis. Can I take comfort for this country from Wayne's departure from the scene?

Wonderful Chinese

2005-11-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

We found a great new Chinese restaurant recently, a few miles away in Citrus Heights (at 7042 Sylvan Road). I'm always amazed by how cheaply one can eat out in the States, especially at Chinese restaurants, and this place is no exception. Less than $25 for a family of four? What a bargain. (I take perverse pleasure in imagining the teeth gnashing in Bermuda when that last sentence is read, since ice-cream costs $31.89 there for a 2.5 qt. carton.)

The Hot & Sour soup was simply the best I've ever had, quite spicy but still subtle enough for some wonderful flavors to come through.

So it was really too bad when Julie reported a tingling sensation on the back of her neck and scalp towards the end of the meal.

MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as numbness, burning sensation, tingling, facial pressure or tightness, chest pain, headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness, and weakness.

Rats. We really thought we had a winner.

Helen wants me back

2005-11-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Despite recent evidence to the contrary, I am not seriously considering leaving sunny (if currently chilly) California. Still, I find it heartening to see that New Zealand is putting on the full court press to get expatriate Kiwis back home.

An advertising blitz and website to attract New Zealand expatriates back home to fill labour and skill shortages is under way.

Even though that includes me it's only really on a technicality.

Crash

2005-10-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Julie and I watched this movie a few days ago, after I had read Phillip Wells' review and heard about Oprah's "crash moment".

I don't really have anything to add to what's already been said about the movie - it's well-made, with a fast-paced script and thought-provoking (albeit profane) dialog - except to say that if the social climate in L.A. as depicted is anywhere near realistic, I don't want to ever go near the place.

I'm referring to much more than the racial issues which constitute the subject of the movie. Rather, I'm thinking of the subtle message conveyed in movies like this about lonliness. No one has a friend, everyone is on the make, it's dog-eat-dog and the devil take the hindmost.

It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.

It's the world described by Robert Putnum in Bowling Alone. If this is the logical conclusion of the headlong pursuit of individualism that seems to be the American Way, is it really where I want to raise my kids?

Why Republicans marry unimpressive women

2005-10-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

I took the Accord into Jiffy Lube on Saturday to have the oil changed. I long ago lost any sense of shame I might have had at paying people to do this. After all, we live in a highly evolved society where everyone works in highly specialized professions, and I work in one of the more rarified niches of this highly specialized economy. I am a knowledge worker. Who cares if a nerd ~~can't~~ won't change his own oil? I'm a Software Engineer, damn it!

So when the (female) mechanic tallied the bill and informed me that the "Outer passenger side CV Boot was leaking oil" I straightened up to my full 5' 11" (and one half inches) and asked her to repeat that, slowly, so I could write it down. (What the hell is a CV Boot, and why is it leaking oil?) I made a note and resolved to call my other mechanic - the one that does everything but change my oil (talk about a specialized society) - and went on my way.

Later, while Julie and I were lying in bed and catching up on the weekend (she'd been away), I mentioned that the car needed some further maintenance,

"I changed the oil in the Accord. Its passenger side Boot CV is leaking oil, so I'll need to get that fixed."

"The CV Boot," she shot back, way too fast.

"What?"

"It's a CV Boot, not a 'Boot CV'." She didn't actually say, "you moron," under her breath, but there was a distinctly superior tone in her voice.

"How the hell do you even know what a CV Boot is?"

"Please. The Tercel needed to have one replaced, back in the day."

There are nerds. And then there are just plain losers.

Sir Elton, meet The Oracle

2005-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

I watched an interview with Elton John on the weekend. It was quite interesting, and amusing, (especially his send up of QEII, who he greatly admires).

The thing that amused me most, however, is his resemblance to Warren Buffet.

Pete's Pond

2005-10-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

We've been enthralled these last few days with a webcam set up in Botswana by National Geographic. Available day and night, it uses a video camera with a motion sensor to record any activity at a watering hole frequented by an abundance of African wildlife.

So far we've seen elephants, warthogs, ostriches, guinea fowl, wildebeest, and antelope. The image is a little pixelated, as you might expect, but the sound is very clear. (At night, the crickets are deafening.)

It's been interesting watching Maia come to terms with the concept of time zones, since dawn comes to the pond between 8-9pm PST.

Thanks to Lou for the link

If I'm sick, call a veterinarian!

2005-08-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

The King Edward Memorial Hospital has been getting a lot of flak recently.

From: "taxi1147"
Date: August 29, 2005 5:08:49 PM PDT
To: BermudaFreeSpeechForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [BermudaFreeSpeechForum] Re: anestheiologist !!
Reply-To: BermudaFreeSpeechForum@yahoogroups.com

--- In BermudaFreeSpeechForum@yahoogroups.com, "lomaxine666"
wrote:

   |This man at K.E.M.H. with no credentials put a pace maker in a
   |woman patient......and the fool put it in upside down !! I guess he must
   |have stayed in a holiday Inn....... I hope this poor women sues this so
   |called hospital...I hope the people of Bermuda see what goes on in
   |this filthy establishment.

Same thing happened to my mother some years ago. Pace maker ended up
somewhere in her stomach. Different doctor, but I'm sure the same
credentials. I told my husband if I get sick, take me to Endsmeet.
They take good care of my Yorkie and I'd trust them a helluva lot
more than those at the KEMH. Wonder when they'll get around to changing
that name too.

First Day of School

2005-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

This was Maia's first day of school. Ever been happy and depressed at the same time?
PS. I'll be offering up a donation to help them fix that sign

It's OK as long as the big guy doesn't know

2005-07-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have a little wading pool in the backyard now, which the girls love to splash around in, especially now that the temperature is getting up to 106F. I was playing around with them this evening when I noticed that Maia was doing it again.
Me: "Maia, don't pee in the pool!"
Maia: "I wasn't"
Me: "Maia, DON'T pee in the pool. I know you were. I saw you."
Maia: "Does Santa know?"

The BELCO fire

2005-07-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture taken this morning of the BELCO fire. Photog: Bald Kevin

Snooze You Loose

2005-07-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I did after moving to the US back in 1992 was to join the American Kitefliers Association. As a passionate kiteflyer and, (if I do say so myself) expert on Bermuda kites, I was keen to join a like-minded fraternity in my new home in order to spread the word amongst the unwashed plastic bird-kite heathens. (Hey, I was suddenly a bachelor again and knew I'd have a lot of time on my hands.)
I met a nice group of people, and introduced them to the beauty that is a stick-and-tissue-paper headstick kite. They were suitably impressed, and that Fall I was persuaded to enter one into competition at the AKA Grand National Kite Festival in Lubbock.
A group of us drove in convoy up to Lubbock (a story in itself), where we spent a glorious long weekend wallowing in kites of all kinds, from Rokkaku fighting kites to giant Peter Lynn monsters, to incredibly intricate appliqué kites, dual and quad kites, kite trikes and on and on. I also made sure to take time out to pay homage at the statue to Buddy Holly. (Lubbock is his birthplace.)
Pretty much since then I've been planning on making Bermuda kites on a larger scale, since I was convinced by the reception my kites got (even though I didn't win anything) that there was a large and untapped market for them in the US, if only they were more durable and more portable. (The real ones don't collapse.) To that end I began last winter (yes, only 11 years later), on my first "modern" Bermuda kite, using rip-stop nylon and carbon graphite rods. The skills and technique are entirely different, and I was stalled on the headstick as I couldn't find the necessary parts.
Then last week I read that someone else has had pretty much the idea I had.
Only difference is, he's actually been doing something about it.

Now I know why it's lonely at the top

2005-07-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

Walking through the parking lot the other day I was irritated to see that someone had parked their expensive car diagonally, taking up two bays so that no one would park too close. Rumor has it that it belonged to an executive, which annoyed me even more, since it smacked of entitlement.
Then I was reminded of a story in Freakonomics about Paul Feldman, a Washington analyst who parlayed his habit of bringing bagels for his colleagues into a thriving business. His business model was pretty simple, and relied heavily upon the honor-system. He'd leave his bagels out in the morning next to a collection box, and would come by after lunch to collect the uneaten bagels, and the money.
The reason he's of interest to economists is because he kept meticulous notes, thus creating a "beautiful economic experiment" on honesty.
He found that an "honest" company had a payment rate above 90 percent, that the rate fluctuated with the weather, national events, and how senior his clients were. (The worse the weather, the worse the payment rate, after 9/11 people became more honest, and executives cheated him more than the rank and file.)

Howzat!

2005-07-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm an avid cricket fan or anything, but I'm celebrating Bermuda's success in qualifying for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

This was Bermuda's eighth attempt at qualification via the ICC Trophy, and the this is possibly the biggest achievement in the country's sporting history.
The team clinched a berth in cricket's quadrennial showpiece after a 113-run thrashing of the USA, one of the pre-tournament favourites for qualification. This makes Bermuda the smallest nation ever, both in area (53 square kilometers) and in population, to participate in the World Cup.

Whoo hoo!

The 100 mile radius pact

2005-07-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

From Anne -

Hi John – Just got off phone with Alison and all is well. They were no where near it all.. Dad also just left message, saying he has spoken to Alison. Alison said to me today “Oh.. I hardly ever have my cell phone on”, so we have made a pact.. if any natural or unnatural disaster occurs within 100 miles of any us, our cell phones will be turned on

Sounds like a plan to me.

Ah, the Good Old Days

2005-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

On our way home this evening we drive past the Fair Oaks Tudor Fayre, and are reminded of the huge, (and hugely popular) Scarborough Renaissance Festival where an entire Tudor village is recreated every year.

And we're both wondering where this nostalgia for Medieval times comes from.

Talk about whitewashing the past.

13th & 14th C.	23.0
15th C.	n.a.
16th C.	7.0
17th C.	5.0
18th C.	1.5
19th C.	1.7
1900-1949	0.8
1950-1994	0.9
Homicides in England per 100,000 people. Compiled by Manuel Eisner

Discrimination, defined

2005-06-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

I was given Freakonomics for Father's Day. I'm only half-way through it, but am enjoying it tremendously. In Chapter 2, The Ku Klux Klan and Real-Estate Agents, I was fascinated to learn that:

among economists there are two leading theories of discrmination, taste-based, where a person is discriminated against because one prefers not to interact with that type of person, and information-based, where a person is discriminated against because of the perception that she has poor skills.
Using data collected (unwittingly) by The Weakest Link, Levitt is able to show that both types of discrmination were practiced on the show, the first against older people, the latter against Hispanics. Women and blacks were not discrminated against, possibly because the feminist and civil rights movements have successfully raised our awareness of discrmination against these groups.
if there is a single person who can be credited with neutralizing the Ku Klux Klan as a national force, it is Stetson Kennedy who, in the 1940's, infiltrated the organization and then fed the producers of the Adventures of Superman radio show with all their secret passwords, ridiculing the segregationists as childish schemers and bullies. (Kennedy was also instrumental in the first Politcal Correctness campaign, an effort labeled "Frown Power", in which desegregationists would frown upon hearing racist remarks.)

Oliver & Cindy's Party

2005-06-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Denis (and others) took pictures at last weekend's party. (Yes, this is Oliver of Christmas Party fame.)

Mother lode

2005-06-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

Julie made Sunday's edition of the local rag:

The Fair Oaks club formed last month and has 18 members with children ranging from newborns to 5-year-olds. Many of the moms live in the Fair Oaks, Orangevale and Gold River communities, but others, such as Johnson, have moved to the Sacramento area. They meet about once a week for play groups, field trips, dinners and discussion on topics of interest to mothers, Fair Oaks club founder Julie Steele said.

There's even a picture of Aiden (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Wish Upon a Star

2005-06-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

This evening, as Julie was putting the girls to bed, she turned out the lights so that they could make a wish upon the glo-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. Upon being asked what she'd wished for, Maia said, "That I'd be a little girl forever, and that you'd be a Mommy forever, and that no one in our family would ever die." No wonder Julie was a little dewey-eyed when she came out to the living room.

Dude! Cut it out! It's not biometrics.

2005-06-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

So, at work we have these badge scanners standing sentry at each door. They're a necessary evil and require negotiation every time you walk to the kitchen, the bathroom or even the Training Room. Some people wear their badges on a tether around their neck, some on lanyards attached to their belts, and some just tuck them in their pocket. Some of the people in the latter category apparently can't be bothered to pull their badges out of their pocket, taking advantage of the fact that you only need to hold the badge within a half inch or so of the scanner, performing an act of apparent sexual obsequience that is unsettling, to say the least. Especially when the badge is in a front pocket.

Stirring the Potus

2005-06-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

If you could ask the President of the United States of America one question, what would it be? Well, now you can ask. Send your question to johnsteele95628.onequestion@blogger.com and view it here. Getting a reply is another matter. Entirely.

What I'm listening to

2005-06-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Where's Johnny, on James McMurtry's Candyland album. (I see the lyrics are by Shawn Mullins, he of Lullaby fame. Hmm. I did not know that.)

he opened up his eyes and snapped out in a groove he saw both sides of everthing and found he could not move

Amen, brother. Amen.

There's something not quite right about that child

2005-06-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Recently overheard on iChat about somebody's children…

Julie:	There's something not quite right about our daughter.
John:	you mean your daughter.
Julie:	I moved the block and tackle back to the patio, and attached it at the beam in front of the Wendy house. Maia brought back a long, white rock from the garden, wrapped it in plastic and called it her best friend.
Julie:	I asked her why she covered the rock in plastic, and she said she doesn't want her best friend to breathe yet.
Julie:	She asked me what she should name her best friend, the rock. She said, "It's a girl."
Julie:	So I said, "Roxanne."
Julie:	All the while, Shelby is trying to ride Maia's little scooter.

When I'm 64

2005-06-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

So now comes the news that unattractive kids get less love and attention than their more beautiful peers. Which doesn't really come as too much of a surprise. There's a lot of ugly out there. Of course, anyone who's known me 5 minutes already knows that my kids need not worry, seeing as how I think that they're not only the most beautiful children currently on the face of the Earth, but ever on the face of the Earth. No, what worries me is whether this works in reverse. 'Cause if you've known me 10 minutes you'll know that my purpose for my kids is that they're my Dotage Insurance. When I become a UOG (an Ugly Old Geezer) will they still love me?

Say hello to Mr. Silverstein

2005-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our little family grew by one today, with the addition of Shelby, a Sulcata Tortoise. (Named after Shel Silverstein, our favorite childrens' author.)

How can you not love a country where this is true?

2005-06-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Stopping to smell the roses

2005-05-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Julie and I were a little groggy this morning, having stayed up past our bedtime to watch Pirates of Silicon Valley. In fact, the girls had come to our room while we were still asleep, but were persuaded to play in the Living Room for a little while so we could sleep a little longer.

Then, during breakfast, Maia asked for some music, so I turned on the classical music station. Mozart's Serenade in D major was playing, at which point both girls picked up their respective dolls (Broken Finger and Babie) and proceeded to waltz and pirouette around the kitchen, while the sun streamed down on them through the skylight.

Life. It doesn't get any better than this.

Oh, it's Biblical, all right

2005-05-17T08:57:00.001-07:00

When we bought our house, one of the features we found most attractive was just how leafy and green the neighborhood was. We especially liked all the olive trees, with their lovely green leaves providing shade over the front of the house. There were olive trees everywhere! They graced many front yards (Tim & Amy have sixteen) and Miller park was full of them. We have since been told the area was an olive grove years ago, and it does seem likely, given how well they grow here. We found something pleasantly soothing about olive trees. Possibly, its got something to do with the many references to them in the Bible. Hosea 14:6 "His branches will spread, and his beauty will be like the olive tree" and, of course, Psalm 128:3 "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table" come readily to mind. The Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane, indeed. Which was all well and good, until now. Now the bloody things have Spring Fever and are having sex all over the place. Which is never very seemly, and is down-right rude when it means histamine-inducing pollen 24/7, laying thick on the ground like a yellow carpet. When we don't have runny, itchy eyes and stuffed up noses we're wheezing like cats with a hair ball. To make matters worse, the weather is beautiful, in the mid-70's - ordinarily the kind of weather when you'd fling open the windows and doors to enjoy the springtime air. But to avoid the pollen we have to run the air conditioner. I am reminded that the Garden of Gethsemane is where Christ endured the first agonies of the Cross.

In search of a hobby

2005-05-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Julie informed me that my problem was I didn't have a hobby. (Oh, would that it were that simple.)

So I've been on the hunt for something to occupy my excessive free time, and have seriously contemplated skeet shooting, moving up to marine aquariums, or flying ultralights. Several weeks ago I went along with Richard to the Cordova Shooting Center. It's been about 12 years since I last shot clay pigeons (I used to do it occassionally in Bermuda), but I still have the glasses and jacket, so I at least look the part, if nothing else. It was a lot of fun and Richard was full of helpful advice. He's quite enthusiatic about getting into the sport more seriously too and was pumping me with websites and other information on suitable guns. (He himself bought a $1,500 shotgun the following week, so he has at least three at home now.)

My first attempt at a marine aquarium was over 30 years ago, when I constructed my own plankton net and towed it behind the Boston Whaler in Harrington Sound. This attempt at keeping marine life alive was a complete failure (although the net was pretty cool), and it gave me a healthy respect for the difficulty of keeping salt-water animals. But last year I resurrected my interest in aquariums by starting up a fresh-water tank as a Christmas present for Maia. I've quite enjoyed seeing the fish flourish, but marine aquariums still beckon, despite the difficulties I've had with them in the past. Rather like Everest did to Mallory.

I've been fascinated with the marine invertebrate aquarium Jay has on his desk at work. Conventional wisdom says that the smaller a tank is the harder it is to keep, since even the slightest change in pH, salinity or temperature can cause a die-off. But Jay (whose tank is tiny), tells me that the art and science of keeping marine aquariums, and specifically invertebrate aquariums, has progressed immeasurably since the '70's when I was dabbling in it, and he's encouraged me to have another go.

Julie isn't keen that I get my FAA pilot's license, but it was she, ironically, who suggested that I try a flight in an ultralight. So yesterday I had a 30 minute flight down in Lodi. Take off involves an extremely short rollout with a sudden lurch into the sky, and as we lifted off the first thing that came into my mind was - marine aquariums! I'll take up marine aquariums!

But I settled down after the first few minutes, and very cautiously and gingerly tried my hand at some gentle S turns. We flew out at about 800 ft, but then dropped down to about 15 ft to fly through a farmer's field, then a bit higher to follow the course of the Mokelumne River (but still within what felt like touching distance of the tree tops). All at 40 mph - low and slow - exactly what I was itching to experience.

I can't claim that I've been truely bitten by the ultralight bug (the instructor says it takes many people three or four flights before they really get comfortable), but it does interest me, and I may take a few more "lessons". As far as expense, getting started in ultralights is probably the most expensive at around $4,000 (for fractional ownership in an aircraft and lessons), skeet's around $2,000 for a gun and lock-box, and marine aquariums probably $1,000. Of course, I could spend more on any one of these if I really started to develop an interest.

Can I do all three?

Ms. Congeniality

2005-05-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

We got together with Cindy, Charles and Aynslee last night for dinner at our local Thai restaurant, and then went back to the house for dessert. The kids had a blast, Cindy and Julie got lost in the garden for a while, and I press-ganged Charles into a little troubleshooting on the iMac. (I'm unable to install Tiger.) After dessert we all ended up in the TV room, where the kids played to exhaustation. At one point Aiden grabbed her pillow, laid down in the middle of the floor, and proceeded to fall asleep. At which point Maia proclaimed directly to Cindy, "I think it's time you got… on your way." We hope they'll be back soon.

Onoda Syndrome, Bermuda Style

2005-05-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Phillip Wells has an excellent opinion piece on his blog today about race conflict in Bermuda,

Clearly, racial discrimination still exists today. Economically, black Bermudians are still suffering too: the 2000 Census shows that they still earn less than white Bermudians in every occupational group. This is the legacy of the era of segregation, and it must be addressed. But this is just a mopping-up operation. The war is over. The martial spirit of Mr. Williams and his band of brothers, which once served them well, is now as useless as the rusting ships and aircraft that still litter the Pacific. They are suffering from the Onoda Syndrome.

This is a subject that has vexed me for years, and this article has helped me sort out my thoughts a little. I'm inspired to write down some of my own thoughts on this subject. Watch this space.

Theme Music

2005-05-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

This Day in Music will tell you which song was No.1 on either the UK or US charts, for any day since 1952 (UK) or 1955 (US). Using our birthdays as a guide, these are our's:

Travellin' Light - Cliff Richard and The Shadows. (John, December 11th, 1959)
Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack. (Julie, March 3rd, 1973)
Maria Maria - Santana. (Maia, June 5th, 2000)
In Da Club - 50 Cent. (Aiden, April 13th, 2003)

Thanks to Rich for the site

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

2005-05-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

Overheard while tending to our vegetable garden (a communal affair at a city-owned plot not far from the house),

"Turkeys - the ranched variety - are so stupid that they drown when it rains. Yep, they look up at the rain drops and the water fills up their noses."

You learn something new every day.

Maia's Two Front Teeth

2005-05-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

One morning about four weeks ago, Maia slipped off our bed while reaching for a tissue. She hit the corner of the night-stand with her two front teeth, and badly cut her upper lip. The lip healed quickly enough. Although it looked gruesome at the time, we had a vet in the house, (only the best medical advice for our children!) and were persuaded that it would heal quickly and the tissue shrink back into place, which it has done. However, the outlook for the teeth isn't so rosy. After about a fortnight they started to turn grey, and are still slightly sore to the touch. Both Maia's regular dentist and a specialist have checked her out, and for the moment she's to keep them in, although she's to have monthly checkups to monitor the situation. (If the tooth dies the nerve may abscess, in which case a root canal might be indicated.) At least these are her baby-teeth.

The dog has better manners

2005-05-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

On our way home from San Francisco we stopped by Mike and Karen's house in Napa for dinner. Mike and Karen work at the Exploratorium and have a wonderful dog, a beautiful black Labrador. Luke goes most places his masters go, including to work, which means that when you knock on the office door he'll open it for you. He also puts away all his toys when he's done with them. The kids love Luke. They don't know yet that their parents compare them to a dog and are find themselves wanting in the good behavior department. This was never more apparent than at dinner. Mike & Karen have a house-guest, Molly, who is visiting from London. (She was also attending the CILS conference.) While listening to Molly comment on classism in Britian (she's an American who's getting a PhD in London), a red ball comes sailing over the table and hits her square between the eyes. A ball, weighted for heft, hurled by one of our darling offspring. To which - I swear - Luke apologized. Said it was his fault for egging the wee little girl on. Damn dog.

Spring Forward

2005-05-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have just noticed that my wristwatch is running an hour slow. For someone as OCD as me, this ranks right up there with forgetting to invite Brian to my (first) wedding.

The San Francisco Treat

2005-04-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

We're just back from another micro vacation, this time three days (Tuesday - Thursday) in the City by the Bay. Julie was at a CILS conference, so the kids and I took advantage of the free hotel and used it as home base while we roamed the city. This time I wanted to explore something other than the Exploratorium and Marina/Fisherman's Wharf area, so we visited the zoo, (great, will go back) Yerba Buena, (nice playground and bowling alley) the Zeum, (designed for kids older than our's, so a bit of a wash) the Steinhart Aquarium (in temporary quarters, but still a varied and interesting - albiet small - collection, worth a return trip too), and many playgrounds in-between. Oh, and the gift shop at SFMOMA too. (Now there's a reason to live in San Francisco all by itself.) One special highlight was the trip on Tuesday evening, with Julie, to the Coit Tower, situated on Telegraph Hill. This was the site of a movie we saw recently about a flock of parrots that congregate here. Sure enough, they appeared within a few minutes of our arrival. They're pretty skittish, but we were still able to see them from only about 20 feet away. Eating out is always something I look forward too when I go to San Francisco, and this time I found the Pacific Catch while I was getting the kids a pizza next door. I had a really good grilled Ahi tuna pita sandwich. To me, this sort of fare represents one of the best things about the US. Where else can you find such a wonderful fusion of cultures?

At least this ape's only flinging yayas

2005-04-29T17:10:00.001-07:00

This morning we could hear Aiden rustling about in her bed, playing with her pacifiers, which are kept in a little plastic box that hangs on the side of the crib. Lately she's taken to amusing herself early in the morning, before the rest of the house has woken. Something that I, for one, am extremely grateful for. Judging it safe to play with her, (when she's amusing herself it's a pretty good indicator that she's in a good mood) I slipped out of bed and crawled around the corner into her bedroom on all fours. As I rounded the corner of her crib she looked over her shoulder lazily, gave me a big grin, then started to jump up and down and shiver like 40,000 volts were running through her body. She then proceeded to throw pacifiers at me like they were snowballs, pelting me on the back and head. Judging by the pong coming from her underpants it was clear she'd been filling her nappy. Some people really should be given their privacy in the morning.

ANZAC Day

2005-04-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us, where they lie side by side here in this country of ours." "You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."

- Kemal Ataturk

Earth Day

2005-04-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

Julie thinks she hit a squirrel. I would call her unlucky if it weren't for the fact that she hit a pigeon in Miles a few years ago. Now I just think I should call her George.

Praise the Lord and pass the chocolate

2005-04-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes the refreshing news that,

"people who are modestly overweight actually have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight"

Make mine Hershey's, please.

Because prostate x-rays just aren't titillating

2005-04-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

The review Forewarned and forearmed of Dr Peter Scardino's Prostate Book: The Complete Guide to Overcoming Prostate Cancer, Prostatitis and BPH ends with the plea,

Buy this book for every man you know

Prostate cancer is far more common in men than breast cancer is in women. So now you know.

Squirrels

2005-04-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

As Maia and I walk past a flat squirrel in the middle of the road, "Daddy, are all squirrels soft and squishy inside?"

Micro vacations

2005-04-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

I have become quite fond of the American habit for Micro Vacations, and have given myself over to the habit with gusto this year. Instead of taking a couple of weeks off at a time, (or even one week), we've been driving all over the area most weekends this year. We've been to Bolinas three times and Tahoe twice in the last few months, and will be in San Francisco for three days in a week or so. Currently, we're down showing off the wonderful Monterey Aquarium to Dad and Kay. We're staying at the Victorian Inn again, which the kids love (it has fireplaces in each room). Yesterday was a great day, capped by a magical dinner at the Fish Hopper Restaurant. We just walked in without reservations and all six of us were immediately seated at the furthest end of the pier, looking out over the bay. We saw otters, sealions, herring gulls, cormorants (two feet away, right on the other side of the window) and even a pod of dolphins, all as the sun set. It doesn't get much better than that.

Movie Night

2005-04-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Dad, Kay, Julie and I got away for a few hours (thanks, Amy & Tim!) last night. Julie'd found a movie at the Crest that looked interesting - a little indie called, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. What a gem! It's a heart-warming tale about a flock of cherry-headed conures in San Francisco, and the vagabond who quite accidentally found meaning in his life by studying them. And to cap it all off, there's a lovely little surprise ending. I also found it marvelous to be watching something made pretty much in my own backyard.

Bermudian Thieves

2005-04-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've always held that the Westminster system of government can only work properly when there's a strong opposition, something that didn't exist in Bermuda while I lived there (1961-1992). Primarily for this reason, but also as a step towards some sort of reconciliation between the races, I've long held that the PLP needed to wrest power away from the UBP. Well, that finally happened in 1998, and the PLP went on to win a second term in office in 2003. As a distant observer I'm no longer privy to the minutae of daily life on The Rock, but I do keep in touch with the larger events. Sadly, it appears that the time has come ask whether the value of having two seasoned parties has been outweighed by the cost of a party whose members flout ethical standards, push for independence in an underhanded manner, and mismanage the public purse.

Just be grateful that you can't get good help these days

2005-04-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I prefer, when given the choice, a slight chill to my public restroom. There's something comforting in the knowledge that my seat has been long vacant. My timing was poor this afternoon, and it brought back memories of school, when a little fag would be dispatched to warm things up before the morning's ablutions. Ah, the bad old days.

My Peeps

2005-04-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home from work this evening I moved into position behind a squad car, and followed him to the traffic light at Prairie City. As we neared the light I moved into the left-hand turn lane and noticed a green Ford Taurus station wagon stopped at the light ahead of me. While nominally in the cop's lane, this car was literally perpendicular to traffic, with its wheels turned around so hard that it looked like the driver intended to make a U-turn (against the flow of traffic). Certain that the cop, having caught this fool red-handed, was going to pull her over, I stopped a couple of car-lengths short, in order to give him room to pull ahead of me, turn his flashers on, and generally give her the full treatment. She was dead meat! She was even chatting on her cell phone, completely oblivious that one of Folsom's finest was sitting right behind her. So I was a bit indignant when the cop simply sat there, let the light turn green, then waited patiently while this bozo laboriously got her car into position and drove off towards the highway. As this was the direction I was headed in, I silently bid farewell to Chief Wiggum, and pulled behind the woman-driver. At which point I spied a Darwin Fish plaque on her bumper. Have I ever told you how decent the cops are in this town?

Here's a thought. Instead of just skipping lunch, skip the whole day

2005-04-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

I was fascinated to read that reducing a dog's food by 50% can increase its lifespan by between 30% and 70%. While this has been known since the 1930's (where have I been?), a new study by Marc Hellerstein at the University of California, Berkeley, published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that a reduction of 5% of our (humans) caloric intake might increase our longevity too. (One would have to fast on alternate days.) No one really knows why this extends the lifespan of animals, but current thinking is that it simulates our early ancestors luck at foraging for food. This study shows that cell divistion slows with lower caloric intake, which in turn probably reduces the accumulation of cancer-causing mutations. Ain't evolution a wonderful thing?

And that, Your Honor, is when I killed him

2005-04-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

In this morning's mail comes a story from my friends Tom & Pam. (Tom was my Best Man and Pam the dogs' vet.) Pam says, "Tom took the boys to Home Depot Sunday afternoon. This morning he says “Oh yeah! The boys each picked out a small plant for you to put in the flower beds while we were there. I’m not sure you are going to appreciate the names.” Ryan takes me outside to show me the “pretty flowers” they each picked for me. Ryan picked a plant called “Firewitch” and Anthony picked “Impatiens”.

What I'm listening to

2005-04-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

It came as a real surprise to find out that Minnie Driver is a singer/songwriter first, and an actress second. Apparently a small role in Circle of Friends, got her that role in Good Will Hunting, and the rest is history. Which made me all the more suspicious of her debut album, Everything I've Got In My Pocket. Surely this would be just another starlet capitalizing on her fame? Not, as it turns out. Postscript: Of course, since staying at her daddy's house as Arthur & Betty's guest, I can be forgiven for being a bit biased.

Sugar and spice, and all that's nice

2005-04-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

I continue to enjoy Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice and just finished the chapter on the evolution of depravity. Here's the good doctor's Guide to Self-Defense (for women):

Don't attract attention. Hide or be otherwise inconspicuous.
Don't leave home alone. Hire an escort or, failing that, stick with other females.
Do avoid groups of idle males. If they congregate at a place you must go to, try to time your visit to coincide with the arrival of other females.
Do carry weapons. Males tend to be servile if females are well-armed.

Now, these rules were formulated to make a point about how brutish life can be for females of many species, (not just Homo sapiens). So I guess I should rejoice that our society has progressed to the point where a young woman can feel safe enough to put on her car the slogan, "If you're going to ride my ass, you'd better be pulling my hair".

Thank God he doesn't look like me

2005-03-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

Just googling around, and I find this. An All Pro Championship Wrestling commentator? Puhleeez.

Tom DeLay, Un-American

2005-03-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

Today comes confirmation that yes, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is indeed a "little slithering snake".

While he's busy expanding the Federal Government's role like the fake conservative he is, while he's calling Terri Schiavo's death "murder", it turns out that he "murdered" his own father 17 years ago. What a hypocrite.

Is this a great country, or what?

2005-03-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago a door-to-door salesman came by, shilling on behalf of his company, a home improvement group I'd never heard of. Since we need to get the kitchen cabinets refinished I gave him my name and number, and he said someone would be in touch. Fast forward to yesterday, when I got a call from Linda at Pacesetter Corp. By this time I'd almost forgotten about the door-to-door guy, so I was a little confused at first, but then I remembered my original conversation, so I arranged to have a contractor come out at 3pm the following day (today) to take measurements. While I was talking with her something about the call-center style of the operation prompted me to google the company and, lo and behold, this was the first hit I received. The open and honest recitation of the nightmare these people were put through scared the hell out of me, so I called back immediately and cancelled the appointment. PostScript: One interesting tidbit that I got out of this was the bit about Pacesetter's thoughts on the FCC's Do Not Call registry. Clearly, consumer groups have been sucessful in frustrating their freedom to call households at will. Could we be on the threshold of a renaissance in door-to-door salesmen?

Geek Talk

2005-03-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Charles said (while showing me a Method Editor feature I wasn't aware of), "That's why God created the right mouse button." "Of course, by God, I mean Bill Gates." "And by created, I mean stole."

Good Friday

2005-03-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

This I miss. Pretty odd, for an atheist.

Words to live by?

2005-03-25T07:10:00.000-08:00

One night me with my big mouth A couple guys had to put me in my place When I see those guys these days We just laugh and say Remember when

John Cougar Mellencamp, Cherry Bomb I remember bashing Wesley's shins with a hockey stick because he fouled me (on the playing field at Warwick Academy), and I remember Michael and I getting jumped by four or five guys from Devil's Hole as we walked back up to his house after a little fishing. (Michael aquited himself with honor. I did not.) I saw Wesley years later, and he had the grace to smile and greet me. He left me with, "I still hate you", though. And those guys at Devil's Hole? I doubt very much we'd laugh and reminisce.

WLLBRID

2005-03-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

Lee bought a Honda Accord Hybrid and now he's trying to think up ideas for a witty license plate. He's plumped for WLLBRID. Geddit? No, neither did I. I thought BIG PNS (it's such a little car, there's just got to be a monstor under the hood somewhere), or perhaps even I♥OPEC were winners, though.

Sen. Jim Talent, Un-American

2005-03-21T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal rocked my belief in the fundamental goodness of American society. First I was shocked that such abuse could happen at all. Now that just seems naive, and the shock has given way to anger as bureaucrat after bureaucrat defends the indefensible. Can't they see that they hurt America every time they turn back attempts to root out the mindset that got us into this mess? The poster child for me on this subject is the callow senator from Missouri. Here he is, in this March 11, 2005, NPR story, playing to our basest motives,

"I don't need an investigation to tell me that there was no comprehensive or systematic use of inhumane tactics by the American military, because those guys and gals just wouldn't do it."

Ever heard of the My Lai massacre, sir? A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969), Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953

It's my party, I'll cry if I want to

2005-03-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

An article in the March 12th, 2005 issue of The Economist, The agony and the Ecstasy, about serotonin transporters and genetic differences that cause two otherwise similar people to react differently to the drug, contained this fascinating tidbit about depression,

"the Affective Go/No-Go test, which is done on a computer. This measures how much influence happy or sad words have on how quickly or accurately a person performs a task. Typically, healthy people respond faster following happy words, while depressed people respond faster after sad words"

Maybe that's why I like Georgia Lee.

Slinging Great Gobs of Green Snot…

2005-03-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

I was updating Anne on the health of Beagle Bailey, and she thought it blog-worthy. I agree. Bailey seems ok (I'm dropping the Mr. now that it's not needed), although I don't think we'll leave him alone like we used to do when there were two of them. (We'll board him rather than get a dog-sitter.) As far as his medical issues go, it's all very frustrating. He has this nasty phlegmy cough and often slings great gobs of snot around the room. It didn't respond to antibiotics and may be an allergic reaction to something here. (I definitely know what that's all about.) We've spent a bucket of money on trying to find out what's wrong with him (he also has these fatty lumps all over his body that the vets say are benign), but so far the vets have not been able to say conclusively what is wrong with him. Their best guess right now is Cushing's disease. Trouble with that diagnosis is that the treatment for it can kill the dog if it's wrong. We're talking to the vets tomorrow to discuss both dogs, so perhaps we'll know more then.

Anne's blog

2005-03-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Anne's got a fun blog up here. It's full of quaint anachronisms like 'whilst' and 'Fungy Bungy' (some mysterious female thing, I think). And she doesn't know that an ellipsis has three dots…

Wyndcall Brazos Bailey1994-2005

2005-03-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Bailey passed away last night, after a brief struggle with cancer. I found her this morning stretched out on her bed as if asleep, with Beagle Bailey curled up beside her, ever the devoted companion. As these two are the reason Julie and I are together in the first place, this news is especially poignant for us. May 17th, 1994 - March, 14th, 2005

Does Aiden know about this?

2005-03-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

"Maia? Are you peeing in the pool?! Don't do that! Jeesh." "But I always peepee in the pool. I mean, when I have to. And the bath."

Green-eyed Monster?

2005-03-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

Maia broke my tiki a while back - the one that I got from Mom (which she in turn bought back in the '50s). She found it on the bed and started swinging it around her head like a bolero, until it smashed into the bedframe. I still wear it, but half is missing. Julie iChatted me yesterday to say she'd found the other half. "Lee has it on a string around his neck."

Idle Hands

2005-03-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

This is an example of the terrible things that can happen when you combine fridge magnets, a photo id and too much time.

They renumbered the street. Yeah, right.

2005-03-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

I've been on a 17 year quest to find the house I was born in. 112 Studholme Street, Morrinsville, my parents kept repeating. On the first trip back, in 1988 we made a detour on a wintery July day (no easy task in a camper van), took the picture, jumped back in the vehicle, and sped away. Only to return home a few weeks later to be told we'd got the wrong house. So we tried again on the next trip, (Sept., 2003), and this time I brought along reinforcements in the form of Anne. With enough double-checking to do Pricewaterhousecoopers proud, we still got it wrong. Or did we? In what amounts to an admission of guilt in my family, I have just learned (from Dad, who is there now), that the house in question is at 106. Not 106 Studholme St. Photog: Mike