A KINKY KAMPAIGN
"In a state known for its cast of larger-than-life political personalities, Kinky Friedman may be the most eccentric Texan ever to throw his Stetson into the political ring. At the very least, he's the first Jewish cowboy to seek the governor's mansion and probably the only gubernatorial candidate in the country who boasts about never having held a real job. His campaign slogans: 'Why the Hell Not?' and 'How Hard Can It Be?' Wherever he goes, he spouts corny, populist one-liners that can make him seem like a thawed relic from another era - which, truth be told, he kind of is. 'I'm for the little fellers,' he exclaims, 'not the Rockefellers!'"
(NEWSWEEK, unearthed by Brent Gourley)

UBERPOWER:AMERICA'S IMPERIAL TEMPTATION
"Uberpower,' as the menacing neologism suggests, is a book about American overreach. But it is not an anti-imperialist tract of a by-now familiar kind. Rather, it represents the pained thinking of an Atlanticist convinced that American diplomacy is at its best when 'building an order that would advance American interests by serving those of others.'"
(NYT BOOKS SECTION)

COORS EXEC GETS DUI
"Beer baron Peter Coors' driver's license has been revoked after his arrest for drunken driving following a wedding celebration."
(MSNBC, unearthed by Joel Sogol)

RELIGIOUS OUTREACH TO CUBA LIMITED BY NEW POLICY
"The ties between Christian communities in Cuba and the United States are currently being threatened by proposed limitations on religious interchange, including stringent restrictions on travel and humanitarian aid. During the past year, major U.S. church denominations and religious organizations have experienced a number of unprecedented obstacles that impede their relationships with partner churches in Cuba. Administration actions have restricted their religious travel to Cuba and limited their ability to bring Cuban religious leaders to the United States, thus hindering their capacity to exchange, encourage, and commune with their faith partners in Cuba."
(LATIN AMERICAN WORKING GROUP)

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND LUNACY
The Department of Homeland Security has classified 77,000 businesses as part of the "critical infrastructure," a terrorist target that is vital to the operations of the U.S. and, thus, eligible for a $50,000 grant. On that list of national assets are ... 1,305 casinos, 234 restaurants, a tackle shop, a flea market and an Amish popcorn factory."
(SEATTLE TIMES)

FREEDOM FIGHTER OR VICTIM OF PLOT?
"Scholars regard Denmark Vessey as a precursor both to the Civil War and the civil rights movement, but he is among the most divisive Southern figures. In Charleston, S.C., many blacks exalt him as a freedom fighter, while some whites condemn him as a terrorist."
(ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION)

HEAD BUTT
"Italy grabbed the trophy, slid and dashed and danced as fireworks soared above.

Zidane was nowhere to be found. He had used his big head for stupidity, instead of for genius."
(SEATTLE TIMES)

ANN COULTER'S FLATULENT FIXATION
"Though she stops short of saying that the earth is 6,000 years old and Adam and Eve rode through the Garden of Eden on the backs of dinosaurs, in her quest to disprove evolutionary theory, Coulter echoes the arguments of the creationists from whom even many religious conservatives distanced themselves long ago. "
(MEDIA MATTERS)

WHAT, ME WORRY?
"From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction."
(WASHINGTON POST, GRAPHIC COURTESY OF THOSE LOVABLE RED BASTARDS AT THE NATION)

DISSIN' THE DEAD
"At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nevada, there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes. But one space is blank. There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart. That's because Stewart was a Wiccan, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion -- a five-pointed star within a circle, called a pentacle -- to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials or grave markers."
(WASHINGTON POST)

SO, WHAT'S IN A NAME?
These are the three little tiny pieces of paper that are each contained in tiny ornamental Chinese brocade boxes, proofs of the ink stones that I brought back for Zack, Carlos and me. The notations on them were written by Chris. (I'm "ba".) It seems that those little red seals that you see on all things Chinese are actually signatures of the author or artist and that each is, like our signatures, unique to its owner.

We stopped at a bookstore and had them made right there. We could have gotten them in English but I opted for a really Chinese motif. We then got involved in what it would say. This was a bookstore and the lady that was assisting us was very concerned that we should have our ink stones correctly made as they were our very first ink stones and they were for the whole family.

It is a common practice for Westerners to adopt Chinese names and you'll hear "That's my Chinese name" quite frequently. (How they got there is quite often a mystery to me.) Instead, I chose the Chinese character for "forest" because that is what Soto means. (I don't know who makes that stuff up. It doesn't mean that in Spanish any more than "Hart" means "deer" in English. It's one of the few things that stuck with me from college poetry classes.) She was pleased with that (probably thinking to herself, "Damn, I'm glad I don't have to interpret Zachary AND Carlos into Mandarin.")

"No, that's all I want," I told her when she asked about the first names. Our conversation was catapulted out of the mundane. She and Chris and the stone cutter, the security guard and the other owner of the store were now all involved in an animated and -to me - mysterious conversation about something that was obviously very wrong.

"They can't all be the same," Chris explained rather sheepishly. "They're your signatures. How about we give them some Chinese names?" I could tell it had become a matter of grave delicacy but, really, folks, it's just a souvernir. We were at an impasse because, well, my kids don't NEED Chinese names! CLICK HERE She reluctantly accepted that that was all that I wanted. Did I want them, she asked, all to be identical or would I, at least, like them different as they had them in all of the archaic styles. I told here that, yes, that would be lovely. Could she make them in three styles: the oldest would be mine, the next oldest Zack's, and the youngest Carlos'. She seemed, if not pleased, at least a bit appeased by that.

NO EXCUSE TO STEAMROLL PRESS
"The Bush administration's booming rhetoric leaves the impression that all this nation needs is a strongman at its head. That is dangerous talk for a country at war, the temptation to bend rules intense. The administration needs to stop its tired attack on the press for reporting on secret programs used in the war on terror. The debate should not be about the role of the press, but about the alarming lack of oversight of the executive.
(SEATTLE TIMES)

SEE MY CHINA PICTURES
Here are some low res photos of my trip to china.

FLYING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
"The driver was sober. The bird that crashed through the windshield of his car might have been flying under the influence."
(ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION)

SOME PHOTOS OF THE TRIP!

Chris shot these two photos. I'm not sure why some of these photos have such a bluish tint to them (it's either my photo editing or the monitor I'm using), but I thought I would post at least a few of the 1000+ photos that we took.

Here are a few links to some more photos.

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