Nom de Plume

Every time I see that one photo of Saddam Hussein in the papers, all I can think is that he looks like someone’s grandfather.

The Calligrapher–Edward Docx
Funny and erudite. Womanizing Jasper Jackson has been commissioned to do the calligraphy for 30 of Donne’s poems. The poetry–and analysis thereof–provide the one thread of constancy throughout a book of inconstancy. Complete with labrythine surprises. Recommend highly.

Brick Lane–Monica Ali
The last few lines made me teary. Very funny and wry, lots of heartbreak. One of the better diaspora-themed books I’ve read.

Growing Up Hard in Harlan County–G.C. Jones
Not bad for what it was: this book gave lots of details about how hard life was in Harlan County. Had a bit of a hard time following some of the story since he jumped around a lotLots of bragging too, but hey, if I came out of a background like that and did as well as he did, I’d be bragging too. The main reason I read this, of course, was to glean anything I could from my grandfather’s life. There was a Sailor, presumably a descendent of the Sallier/Saylor/Sailor tribe (from which I am descended); however, I would prefer not to claim kinship as he was a corrupt judge around the time of the Harlan riots.

The Time Traveler’s Wife–Audrey Niffenegger
What a great idea. Henry has Chrono Displacement Disorder, popping into different times–usually in the past, sometimes in the future–at times of extreme stress. He meets Clare when he is 28; she meets him when she is six. Not a bad book, although there were some unpolished edges, way too much detail about unimportant things at times. All in all, it was nicely executed.

Oh the excitement of putting in an offer on a house.

You go, Gore!

Alas, the people who really need to read this won’t understand a word of it.

These are all statements from the White House:

1) The Administration has eliminated regulatory and policy barriers that have kept faith-based organizations from partnering with the Federal government to help Americans in need. It has also worked to put into place regulations to ensure that faith-based organizations are able to compete on an equal footing for Federal funding within constitutional guidelines, without impairing the religious character of such organizations and without diminishing the religious freedom of beneficiaries.

2) President Bush understands the importance of conveying America’s message to the world. The Office of Global Communications (OGC) was formed in 2002 to coordinate strategic communications overseas that integrate the President’s themes and truthfully depict America and Administration policies … Countering propaganda and disinformation is an important role for the OGC.

3) The PATRIOT Act has played a vital role in protecting the homeland, enabling the Federal government to better track terrorists, disrupt their cells, and seize their assets. By breaking down unnecessary barriers between intelligence and law enforcement officers, the PATRIOT Act is helping to ensure that the best available information about terrorist threats is provided to the people who need it most.

4) America is safer today because of the decisive action and leadership of President Bush. The President will not allow the nation to return to a sense of false security and complacency.

5) The challenge of harmonizing our economic, environmental and social aspirations has put the national Environmental Protection Act at the forefront of our nation’s efforts to protect the environment.

6) [picture] President George W. Bush takes a working tour of The Adirondack Park near Wilmington, NY, Monday, April 22. “We had a great time in the Park, and I want to thank you all very much for giving me the opportunity to hammer and stack, place gravel — (laughter) — in a beautiful part of the world. This is quite a sight for a fellow from Texas,” said the President in his remarks about Earth Day at Whiteface Mountain Lodge. “We have a duty in our country to make sure our land is preserved, our air is clean, our water is pure, our parks are accessible and open and well- preserved.”

7) “One thing we’ve got to do as we think about how to make sure America stays on the cutting edge of technology is always remember good tax policy helps innovation. See, if we want to be a nation of innovators, we don’t want to over-tax industry and commerce and the entrepreneurial spirit …

“Secondly, if we’re going to have an innovative society, we’ve got to have good legal policy. Frivolous and junk lawsuits make it awfully hard for people to feel comfortable risking capital … We need tort reform. And Washington, D.C. is a good place to start with tort reform. We need class-action reform, asbestos reform, and medical liability reform now.”

From the inbox

How many members of the Bush Administration does it take to change a light bulb?

The answer is seven:

1. One to deny that any light bulb needs to be replaced.

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb.

3. One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb.

4. One to arrange the invasion of any country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs.

5. One to get together with Dick Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries $1 million for the new light bulb.

6. One to arrange a photo op showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in an electrician’s uniform.

7. And finally, one to explain to George W. Bush the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

“I didn’t have sex with that woman.”
“I never approved torture.”

I think Bush needs a little couch time.

Mother’s tickled pink because I’ve registered her domain name and will be getting her tours for the intrepid, courageous and just plain insane site up there.

Well, eventually. It’s all eventually.

Couple of decent-looking houses, keep your fingers crossed.

I want to stay here.

We ended up in Oregon this weekend, which was a heck of a drive, but so gorgeous along Highway 101. (At this point, the only stretch we haven’t driven is from San Francisco to the southern part of Oregon.) Found a camp site and then hit the beach at a state park where we parked along the road, and lugged the surfboards down half a mile of primeval looking forest trail (well, except for the concrete walkway.). The beach was a little cove, filled with surfers. Cold water, bit of a breeze. Lovely. After surfing, went to the Crab Festival in Wheeler.

The day is over, the week is over, and we’re headed off to Westport to surf this weekend. Haven’t reserved a campsite, so may be bit of a battle–but if we can’t find anything there, may head up the coast. There’s another spot we keep meaning to check out.

What to do when your brain feels fried?

From the inbox

>The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
>by Lawrence Britt
>Spring 2003
>Free Inquiry magazine
>
>
>Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about
>fascism (”Fascism Anyone?,” Free Inquiry, Spring
>2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany),
>Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto
>(Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14
>elements in common. He calls these the identifying
>characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the
>magazine’s policy.
>
>The 14 characteristics are:
>
>Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
>Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes,
slogans,
>symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags
>are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public
displays.
>
>
>Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
>Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in
>fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can
>be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look
the
>other way or even approve of torture, summary
>executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
>
>
>Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
>The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need
to
>eliminate a perceived common threat or foe:
>racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists;
socialists,
>terrorists, etc.
>
>
>Supremacy of the Military
>Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given
a
>disproportionate amount of government funding,
>and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are

>glamorized.
>
>
>Rampant Sexism
>The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively
>male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional
>gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is

>homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national
>policy.
>
>
>Controlled Mass Media
>Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in
other
>cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
>government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and
executives.
>Censorship, especially in war time, is very
>common.
>
>
>Obsession with National Security
>Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
>
>
>Religion and Government are Intertwined
>Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in
the
>nation as a tool to manipulate public
>opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government
>leaders, even when the major tenets of the
>religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or
actions.
>
>
>Corporate Power is Protected
>The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are
the
>ones who put the government leaders into
>power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship
and
>power elite.
>
>
>Labor Power is Suppressed
>Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a
fascist
>government, labor unions are either
>eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
>
>
>Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
>Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher
>education, and academia. It is not uncommon for
>professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free
>expression in the arts is openly attacked, and
>governments often refuse to fund the arts.
>
>
>Obsession with Crime and Punishment
>Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to
>enforce laws. The people are often willing to
>overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of
>patriotism. There is often a national police force
>with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
>
>
>Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
>Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and
>associates who appoint each other to government
>positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their
>friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in
>fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be
>appropriated or even outright stolen by government
>leaders.
>
>
>Fraudulent Elections
>Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times

>elections are manipulated by smear campaigns
>against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of
legislation
>to control voting numbers or political
>district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations
also
>typically use their judiciaries to manipulate
>or control elections.
>
>
>
>Copyright C 2003 Free Inquiry magazine
>Reprinted for Fair Use Only.

So a contractor has been indicted for prison abuse in Afghanistan. Is it just me or does it seem we’re going after the wrong people? And it’s just going to continue. I’m guessing Bush is pumped Reagan died; it gave him a respite from the Abu Ghraib scandal. But we’re back on it, and back to passing the buck.

Rumsfeld needs to resign.

Bush needs to be ousted from the White House.

And I need to get back to work.

Pretty good Greek restaurant in Eastlake (Porta) last night, and we drowned our house-hunting sorrows in too much retsina. Okay, it was only a half carafe, but I think the turpentine fumes make the stuff even more intoxiating. Now, having a hard time waking up.

Gorgeous, gorgeous day. Not too hot, not too cold. I need a digital camera.

Alas, we didn’t get the house. And there’s not a heck of a lot out there either.

From the inbox

The Perfect Dress

Jennifer’s wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement - not even her parents’ nasty divorce. Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best dressed mother of the bride ever!

A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father’s new young wife had bought the exact same dress! Jennifer asked her to exchange it, but she refused. “Absolutely not. I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I’m wearing it,” she replied.

Jennifer told her mother, Sheila, who graciously said, “Never mind sweetheart. I’ll get another dress. After all, it’s your special day.”

A few ! days later, they went shopping and did find another gorgeous dress. When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, “Aren’t you going to return the other dress? You really don’t have another occasion where you could wear it.”

Sheila just smiled and replied, “Of course I do, dear. I’m wearing it to the rehearsal dinner!”

Well, Mother found a painting in a Romanian antique store that she purchased for 50 Euros, and has now found that he’s a fairly well-known Hungarian painter.

Other than that, I’ve been inducted into chiropractic quackery. Apparently, my neck is way out of whack, which is why I can’t move it. Makes sense. I even saw the x-rays, and it’s pretty wild. Only thing is, I’m feeling rather bullied. Last night, I walked out with 50 appointments and a 45 dollar pillow. I need to find someone else.

It’s Friday, the day is dragging–and I’ve got a ton to do. Tonight, however, I am going to Harry Potter with or without Steve.

How the bee got its knees