E. Michael Harrington

GEORGE BUSH HAS DONE WHAT HE ALWAYS REALLY WANTED TO DO - go with his people and what he knows best. He'll be able to add another wealthy white conservative man to the Supreme Court. Had he not taken the bold step to appoint a wealthy white conservative man to the Supreme Court, the real balance might have ever so slightly tilted somewhere else.

Appointing a WWCM at a time like this will also send messages to those who want to see a Court that is more representative of the diverse American public. One of those messages is that real power starts and ends with the WWCM, and that the women and other non-WWCM should calm down, and not be upset by the fact that they are non-WWCM. Instead they should realize that the WWCM has provided a good world for them - all the non-WWCM need to do is follow society's norms, and maybe even nurture the WWCM as that might really help their own condition. They might get lucky and get trickled on.

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ACT ALIKE, and try to be a white man

On the great television show of the 70's and 80's, ALL IN THE FAMILY, The Bunkers had a sweet huge-hearted drag queen friend, "Russell." Archie met Russell, who was dressed as a lovely fashion conscious big breasted 40-something woman, when Russell had fainted in the back of Archie's cab and Archie had revived him mouth-to-mouth style. Russell found out Archie's address and came to pay him the cab fare he had forgotten to pay and give Archie a large tip and tickets to his performance. Edith and the family loved Russell and they stayed in touch.

Many episodes later, Archie Bunker, after learning that Russell had been mugged and killed in their neighborhood, exclaimed, "That's why everyone should try to be just like everyone else."

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I think Bush should have shown some guts and not feared the radical right.

This morning, Gary Bauer, one of the radical right's shining lights, proudly proclaimed that "President Bush just hit a grand slam home run." Or was it a grand slam home run that did not touch the field before it left the park with its paying attendees seated below the arc of the ball? Christian non-athletes need to know a little more before they butcher things as foreign to them as sports metaphors.

If you don't remember Gary Bauer, he's the diminutive presidential candidate who when flipping a pancake he was trying to cook at a photo-op, fell off the stage. It was worse and much sillier than Michael Dukakis' driving a tank. Pro life or not, Bauer would have killed people behind the wheel of a tank.

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Now there will be only one woman on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and I think it will become obvious that when George Walker Bush had the opportunity to make the Republican Party look like the Republican Convention circus they try to portray once every four years with their colorful convention stage of black men and women, with an occasional white person as a reminder, BUSH CHOSE TO GO WITH HIS BASE. It's too bad for him that there aren't many Condi Rices or Clarence Thomases left to appoint to powerful positions.

Has the Republican party run out of conservative blacks?

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It's amazing and really condescending that while Bush spoke passionately of Harriet Miers' HEART, looking into her HEART, knowing her HEART, knowing that she is a deeply religious conservative, that she would not change for twenty years, when he spoke of Samuel A. Alito, Jr., he spoke of his extensive judicial experience, wisdom, intellect and all that is not touchy feely.

I can't imagine how women could not be really offended by Bush's 12th century-style introduction to the media of his past two Supreme Court nominees - the woman's attributes were her heart, while the man's attributes were his brain.

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And George Walker Bush, speaking in haiku, a form that is dear to his heart (after all, he married an educated librarian), stated:

I know white men, some
of my best friends are white men
I'll choose a white man

When things go wrong I
need to go to my base
My white wealthy base

The poor would revert
to their base if they had a
base like I have

I just don't want to
deny a great white man the
good fortune from God

God has made him in
his image. God too is tall
white and powerful

So too should I choose
a white powerful man to
NOT RULE FROM THE BENCH

Just because he is
white does not mean he can't be
a sensitive judge

Here's my fav'rite phrase
"Give him an up or down vote"
One more white man's up

There is still a place
for the White Man in this Bush
Administration

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More on POETS

"Whenever a poet praises the verses of another poet, you may be sure that they are stupid and of no real value." Jean de la Bruyere, 1688

Posted by EMH at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A REALLY GREAT AND TIMELY IDEA - President Bush should nominate

***** THE MAN *****

Peter Fitzgerald for U. S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Who could vote against him? He's perfect in every way - Harvard Law, brilliant, squeaky clean, someone who came from the working class, worked hard and succeeded (something George Walker Bush could never know), and everyone would look forward to the hearings as everyone wants to get to know him more. He's the American hero of 2005.

I JUST READ THE above TO A FRIEND WHO CALLED ME. She told me that that's not original (Fitzgerald for Associate Justice) and that there was talk on TV about that. She asked where I was and I told her that l've been on the streets, with a lot of visiting friends, and not near televisions I told her that it's original to me (and 47 million others) so I'll post it anyway.

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In a classic story of Davey and Goliath and the bludgeoning of a small local business by intellectual property lawyers from a huge corporation, SUBWAY, the ubiquitous sandwich chain, IS DEMANDING THAT STEAKWAYS, a small local sandwich shop in southern Connecticut, change its name. From the AP story:

"Recently, Steakways received a letter from Subway's lawyers, arguing that the names were confusingly similar and demanding the store change its name within two weeks or the company would file a lawsuit.

'I'm not following the Subway theme,'' said Brian Bowser, 30, a former auto body worker who created Steakways with his father, Frank. 'That's our theme: We do steak all different ways.'

Steakways serves Philly cheese steaks, shredded pork, grilled sausage and corn beef sandwiches. Subway serves traditional deli fare and offers steak and cheese sandwiches. Bowser's Steakways signs have white letters on a red background. Subway's signs are white and yellow letters on a green background.

'Regardless of the size, if there looks like there may be a copyright infringement we've got to protect the name,'' Subway spokesman Kevin Kane said.

Changing the name would mean throwing out the signs his wife, Jennifer, designed. The menus, promotional literature and T-shirts reading 'Steak Us Out in Milford,' would be worthless. The name recognition he built up over the past year would be gone."

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DOES SUBWAY BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN OWN the word, "way," as a suffix? Would they stop SalamiWay, SaladWay, SpanishOlivesWay, SandwichWay, PepperoniWay, RoastbeefWay, BrunchWay? If any of these IP thugs find their way to any of the New York City weekend street festivals, they will really explode as there are litle vendors who set up shop with Subway-looking white, yellow and green colors with the words, "Pita Way," and another as "Burrito Way."

STEAKWAYS is being unnecessarily jumped by these corporate rodents and due to the price of lawyers, they will likely have to give in to Subway's ransom demand. Shame on Subway.

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I'm going to start soliciting great break up lines. I usually throw in great negative quotes and I think including great breakup lines, and maybe some great intro lines, might be fun. If you are reading this, please feel free to contribute.

I have no skill at "picking up" people or coming up with pickup lines. But once a friend asked me how he should meet this beautiful woman who was across the room from us at Zelda's Greenhouse in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. He was nervous so I told him i would start talking to her as I was not interested in her and would try to help him.

So, my pickup line (I'll regret writing this!), asked on his behalf, was, "What token are you when you play Monopoly?" It worked well, but she ended up liking me more than him. In other words, it did not work well as had I gone with her, he would not have liked that, and I had other things to do - in those days, compose music.

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POETS

"Poets, like whores, are only hated by each other." William Wycherley, 1673

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Posted by EMH at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

FINALLY FITZGERALD HAS DELIVERED! Libby has been indicted on five counts including making false statements (2 counts), perjury (2 counts), and obstruction of justice. I also firmly believe that Scooter Libby pockets extra sugars when he leaves Starbucks most mornings, and has had pizzas sent to the offices of liberal Democratic senators who then had to pay for the unwanted deliveries.

I understand the desire to get even with someone. By trying to _____ a guy's wife who happens to be a CIA undercover agent (complete with the cool acronym, NOC), these guys just went so overboard as they have harmed American intelligence efforts in a lot of places and are on the long road to getting themselves nailed and their families and friends hurt and embarrassed.

Maybe they should have graffiti'ed some bathroom walls on Capitol Hill, sat on a copy machine exposing their cheeks and writing nasty stuff about Mrs. Wilson the NOC and mail it to those who will be upset, written INSULTING HAIKU about Mrs. Wilson the NOC, and spread some gossip about her having an extramarital affair with Strom Thurmond a few years back.

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I WROTE A WATERGATE OPERA. I MIGHT NEED TO WRITE ANOTHER OPERA and not about Monica and Bill but about Dick, Valerie and Scooter - the love, the lies, the lust, the passion, the secrets, the revenge, the fall and that's only the overture.

Karl Rove is not out of the woods.
Much more will be learned about Karl Rove and his role in these shady actions.
Much more will be learned about Scooter and his role in these shady actions.
Much more will be learned about Dick Cheney and his role in these shady actions.
Much more will be learned about George Walker Bush and his role in these shady actions.
Dick Cheney will have to testify against Scooter.
We Americans deserve some new court room action.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND HIS HANDLERS ON HAVING HARRIET RESIGN the day before the ax fell on The Scooter Man as this Supreme Court flop fiasco is now on the back burner. They threw her out just in time.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX - their sweep ended just in time for Harriet's withdrawal and the 5 counts. We sports fans will not be distracted this week! YEA!!!

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Will G. Walker Bush now cave in to his friends on the right and give them the red meat they so crave? If I were Bush, I would say to hell with them as they destroyed Harriet, not the Democrats, and have wounded their BEST HOPE. Why not do the right thing and look for a Sandra Day O'Connor - dare I say the obscene word - MODERATE?

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Posted by EMH at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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THE 27TH IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE GREATEST DAY OF THE MONTH but this 27th is really odd and for one who loves POLITICS AND POLITICAL SPECTACLE, the underdog and the oppressed, this 27th is not so great. Harriet's withdrawal is shocking. I learned about it in an elevator in the Empire State Building by means of a patented news service delivery system by means of a color screen - a very cool way to spend time iin a long elevator ride.

I would have loved to have seen heated, dramatic and intense hearings and a defeat of a Republican by other Republicans. Democrats eat other Democrats - Ted Kenney's foolish challenge of Jimmy Carter in 1980, Howard Dean's mauling by 7 or 8 other Democrats (depending on how you evaluate Mosely Braun), etc. And....

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That's what I wrote quickly before I left for NJ.

Much more to say including the beginning of these haiku. I was a daily blogger but am now behind due to too much fun in too many places today and tonight. I've been gone from 8 AM - 3 AM and will now send what was there.

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We've lost one very
strict constructionist
No more Harriet

I WISH HARRIET
would return to the White House
She is needed there

If she is on the
Supreme Court she will still be
one you can count on

Harriet is gone
she played lawyer til the end
She stuck by her Bush

Had she answered the
Senate questions she would have
Damaged her client

Her man her client
Her friend her Godly partner
Her man among men

Will George Bush be hurt
by Harriet's withdrawal?
Who's the next woman?

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Oh yeah. Robert Bork must be quite satisified, intellectually and possibly sexually, over the Harriet withdrawal. I need to find what he had to say about this.

Tomorrow comes the indictments. How will I be able to sleep tonigh?

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Posted by EMH at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I wish my friends, and friends I have not yet met, in Florida the very best, and hope you get your power and lives back soon.

I FEEL LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS EVE WHO CAN'T WAIT FOR THE GIFTS THAT ARE COMING. Only this time, the gifs are probably from Patrick Fitzgerald, that most special Special Prosecutor who could indict the sneaky and deserving of prosecution.

HISTORY

ON THIS DAY in 2004, the Boston Red Sox beat the St Louis Cardinals, 4-1, in Game 3 of the World Series. The Red Sox lead the series 3 - 0, and had just won their 7th game in a row (four in a row against the hapless New York Yankees and three in a row against STL).

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COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, that ever sexy subject

In my not humble opinion on this subject, THE NEW APPLE iPOD COMMERCIAL with a silhouetted Eminem does not infringe the copyright of a 2002 Lugz shoes commercial that can be seen here:

http://www.lugz.com/timeline/subevent/2002/video.html

The only way that the Apple iPod Eminem video could infringe the shoe video would be if a court were to foolishly rule that Lugz OWNS THE IDEA of a moving silhouetted figure with an orange-red urban background while rap music is being heard. I have never read a copyright law of any nation that stated that IDEAS were protectible or that ideas could be owned. To the contrary, every copyright law I have seen states that the EXPRESSION OF AN IDEA is what can be protected and is something a creator can own.

The differences between the two commercials are substantial - the choreography, lighting, appearance of the figures and buildings, one is of an iPod - the other of shoes, and music. This is not copyright infringement. Those who think it is would be well served by learning a lot about the subject and the law. I can recommend great books, legal decisions (Judges Alex Kozinski and Learned Hand for example), articles, and even, the law.

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JUST SAY NO TO KILLING THE VERY WEALTHY POWERFUL WHITE MEN

I agree with AL FRANKEN who was just interviewed on CNN.

Even though Cheney, Libby and Rove are likely guilty of treason - at least what many Republicans would call treason if the subversive characters who outed a CIA agent for political gain were from the Clinton Administration - they should not be executed as others who have committed treason against our great nation have been in times past. I also am opposed to capital punishment.

We are in a war - so says George Walker Bush - and especially in times of war, no one should be able to threaten our national security. There are CIA agents whose identities need to be secret. Why would this White House employ such men who have no respect for our country and its war efforts? Shame on these men of low morals.

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TIME FOR NEGATIVITY

HAPPINESS: "Happiness, noun. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another." Ambrose Bierce, 1906

Posted by EMH at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR FUTURE PASSPORT TO BE ELECTRONIC WITH A BUILT IN CHIP THAT COULD TELL A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AND TRACK YOUR WHEREABOUTS? If the U. S. State Dept. gets its way, this will become a reality in 2006.

From Declan McCullagh's CNET article - http://news.com.com/Passports+to+get+RFID+chip+implants/2100-7348_3-5913644.html?tag=nefd.top

"...passports... will have tiny radio frequency ID (RFID) chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitized photograph of the passport holder. Eventually, the government contemplates adding additional digitized data such as 'fingerprints or iris scans.'"

The State Department must not be happy that of the 2,335 comments on the introduction of the
electronic passport, 98.5% were NEGATIVE! Check out the State Department's own analysis:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-21284.htm

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Dick Cheney himself ratted out CIA Officer Valerie Wilson. This differs from Libby's account. Oh good. Let the heads roll!

"I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003..."

http://nytimes.com/2005/10/25/politics/25cnd-leak.html?hp&ex=1130299200&en=7bbb562f916d73cc&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT and its MOST SACRED SANCTIFIED SEAL

Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to the President, is upset that THE ONION, that publication of humor, satire, parody, criticism and other fun, has used the PRESIDENTIAL SEAL to accompany its parody of George Walker Bush. From the NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/business/24onion.html?ex=1287806400&en=b40eb239c3b34014&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

"It has come to my attention that The Onion is using the presidential seal on its Web site," Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to the president, wrote to The Onion on Sept. 28. (At the time, Mr. Dixton's office was also helping Mr. Bush find a Supreme Court nominee; days later his boss, Harriet E. Miers, was nominated.)

Citing the United States Code, Mr. Dixton wrote that the seal 'is not to be used in connection with commercial ventures or products in any way that suggests presidential support or endorsement.' Exceptions may be made, he noted, but The Onion had never applied for such an exception."

With all that is wrong for the Bush Adminstration these days - the outright LOVE rejection of Harriet Miers, Bush's pals - Cheney, Rove, Libby, DeLay and Frist - in ethical troubles, FEMA and their failed responses to real emergencies, the price of oil, etc., the attorney for the White House has the time and money to waste on a parody publication!?!?!?!?! Damn fools - cover your heads in shame and apologize. It's not too late and it would be very appropriate.

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TERROR THREAT WITHOUT US being informed?

IT'S RAINING WILDLY HERE IN NEW YORK due to the commingling love connection of hurricanes Wilma and Alpha. We just survived another terrorism scare and today it looked like we have some real thing going on as there were many more police in the subways than I've seen at any time other than the Republican Convention here in 2004. Today at my always quiet and not-special-target 50th Street subway station, there were four uniformed police officers where there rarely is one and never more than two. At the Lincoln Center stop, there were also many police officers, although that is a much more substantive target type of location.

What's up? They had serious looks to them.

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No one called me any term of endearment today so I've reached no conclusions.

I went to buy the film, SEVEN, for its copyright infringement issues. Instead of just buying that, I bought the double DVD release of George Harirson's "Concert for Bangladesh," and four DVD's of films by the Coen Brothers - a bargain four-pack. Instead of one DVD, I bought seven including SEVEN. Synchronicity of seven and seven? Shopping/feel good issues on a rainy day? Buying seven DVD's is what to do after Indian buffet and when one has anise in one's throat? Is this my reaction to no terms of endearment and no amor?

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Posted by EMH at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

If all goes right, I'll catch my train to my train (MBTA to Amtrak) and Starbucks to ticket store for the MBTA train. And shower to wearing clothes to the car to Starbucks.

Enough of this pre-caffeine thinking. To be continued.

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The people of Houston must be a bit angered this morning with the terrible call last night - the ball hit the batter's bat and not him. Dye got to go to first base rather than have two strikes on him and stay at the plate. We will never know whether the Astros would have gotten Dye out and ended the inning with the Astros leading 4-2, but we do know that Konerko was up next and hit a grand slam giving the White Sox the 6-4 lead. Sad for Astros.

Baseball been berry
berry good to the White Sox
They'll win the Series

Still no caffeine but at least I smell good. End of PART 1.

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PART 2

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It's so exciting aboard a train - the backyards, the foliage, in greater Boston building new apartment buildings by the tracks, the changing style of graffiti, people shopping in Shaw's supermarkets, more foliage and so on.

The conductors are very professional, courteous and funny and business class on the train is just a thrill.

It's cloudy but the sun's been breaking through.

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And whenever a woman calls me honey, dear, sweetie, love or any other endearing term, I take it the wrong way. I get a bit nervous and embarrassed and a bit warmer as I think they mean it! I've always been this way and I always will be this way. I think my favorite thing about the South is that women there are more likely to use endearing terms on me than women in other places ("I wish they all could be Carolina Girls" - maybe maybe not). Love love love hot hot hot and the pounding faster pounding of my helpless heart.

Interestingly though this is Amtrak way up North (Connecticut and she was this way to me in Massachusetts). Yes her tip keeps going up and due to nervousness, I'm going to keep me and my laptop safe and I'll just stay in my very wide seat in front of my very wide window and my very wide 17 inch Mac screen in front of the very wide Atlantic Ocean, drink and then try to forget.

I know - they probably don't mean it (Muddy Waters said "these womens they won't let me be") but my physiology tells me differently. I guess with my physiology I must now think. I'll have to go hunt and bring back killed carcass for her and the rest of the family to enjoy. Or is this a train ride gone nuts? I was writing about legal issues in film and now I am back on the fictional Jurassic range hunting and providing for the fictional family.

Back to film and the ocean.

Now we're in Avis, Connecticut. No it is really called New Haven because there's a school here that tries harder than Harvard.

Nice New Haven woman. Now, back to film and the ocean.

Penn Station can't be far away.

Now I'm in my apartment with many messages. Old girlfriend getting married and her friend tells me about it. Yea for her! Some very long messages on a machine with bad fidelity. All of these messages are good and not the 877 we want your money type.

I've not seen CNN yet so I don't know what's what and what's happening at this moment But I bet Iraq is still fighting over who can best welcome us, the hurricanes are getting more empowered, the Red Sox still have Manny Ramirez, the Special Prosecutor has not annnounced his captures, the food is still overpriced in Times Square, there's not been a cult mass suicide, and the RIAA are only a few days away from the next round of customer suing.
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Posted by EMH at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'VE GOT TOO MUCH TO DO. I'm in Boston today, was on the ocean yesterday (as well as an apple orchard and Woodman's in Essex), am going back to NY tomorrow, and have too many commitments, meetings, lectures, trips (Quebec, Boston and Nashville), fun and follies coming in the next few weeks. I could write endlessly about my personal life, feelings and experiences, and my professional life but instead I need to quickly write haiku as fast as I can and about whatever very quickly crosses my alleged mind.

I love life today despite the rain and cold. Through most of 2005 it has been hot as hell so any and all cold, wind and rain are welcome.

Henceforth I spew haiku:

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I need to write some
more haiku but what subject
politics? sex? love?

Politiics intrigues
me - the follies of these fools
Power and ego

Poltiics as show
biz for the ugly indeed
that's what it's about

I wish I had thought
of that - but I can repeat
it for amusement

This week will be fun
the leak investigation
will get wild and wild

I think Fitzgerald
is a straight shooter who will
nail the deserving

This is so like the
Watergate scandal - it is
getting to the top

The denial and
the lies are what can get you
worse than the first crime

But to look at what's
behind this shows bad hearts and
bad actions at work

They wanted to nail
a guy who thought Iraq was
deceptively done

Iraq posed no threat
to us or their neighbors - they
had no real weapons

They did not have or
seek uranium - they had
U. S. air patrols

Iraqi planes could
not even fly over their
land - no air power

No weapons of mass
destruction, no incentive
to kill anyone

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But back to sex and
gossip. This is Sunday and
I should be preaching

I'll start with the Ten
Commandments - let's whittle them
down to the REAL nine

One commandment came
about wrong - it should read "THOU
SHALT BEAR FALSE WITNESS"

If the witness was
True who would listen to it?
Gossip. Scandal. GOOD.

Truth is relative
If it gets us talking, then
it must be good stuff

And the degree of
truth is irrelevant. This
Becomes a blood sport

This is a southern
thing. To live in the South is
to have extra time

And extra time should
lead to good gossip, witness
bearing, true or false

It really is not
limited to the South - I
said that for a laugh

Some of my southern
friends might get mad at me for
that - sorry if so

It's just that I've been
near so much of it down in
the land of cotton

And thus this series
of hurried haiku must come
to a happy end

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Posted by EMH at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

ON THIS DAY IN 1966, The Supremes became the first all-female group to have a number one album. It was THE SUPREMES A GO-GO. I know of a few people who might be reading this who are not old enough to really remember when "go-go" was in the air and next to you with long white boots. Go-go. That was during "groovy," after "cool" (but cool, fortunately, will never evolve into uncool or out-of-date), and way before "have a nice day," "NOT," "too much information," and "twenty-four seven," the worst of all ubiquitous phrases.

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JEFF GOLDBLUM who really PLAYS A SCIENTIST ON TV (and movies) was born on this day. And the other scientist (no, she might be the least likely actress to be cast as a scientist), ANNETTE FUNICELLO, was also born on this day.

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I just referred to AF as an "actress" and not an "actor." Ever since I've been watching Inside The Actors Studio (I occasionally see it when I surf and never really plan on seeing it), where every female from the audience calls herself an "actor," I've been reluctant - no, scared - to refer to a woman who acts as an actress.

I obviously am trying to be insensitive to sensitivity and act (the ACTOR in me) and seem like some old Neanderthal primitive caveman (in my case, a male caveperson) who calls women who act actresses and males who act actors.

But I recently met a New York actress who told me not to worry about such silliness. I can actually call her an actress and even play the Neanderthal polite male who walks on the outside of the sidewalk when I'm with her.

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Lately I am reverting back to polite (or old fashioned sexist to some) and have given my seat to young females on the subway, and I'm doing this even with a sprained ankle. I've thought that my father would want me to be polite and do this, it's old fashioned (and there's not much old fashioned anywhere) and it is out of the ordinary. I don't think I've ever written the words, "old fashioned," before and I better do this now before I come to the realization that the proper term is "retro" and I have to revise these past sentences.

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MY TWO NEW FRIENDS

Last week, a HOMELESS guy in the men's room at the Port Authority chided me for being impatient (although I didn't think I was being impatient) as I did not want to wait for this Stone Age slow blowing hands dryer to dry my hands. I put my hands under the interminably slowly blowing and not hot enough dryer, starting rubbing my hands, and then walked away doing the usual - wiping my hands on the sides of my shirt (where it won't show) and the sides of my pants (where it won't show). If necessary, I rub my hands on my socks (where it never shows). He then told me to be patient and just take my time and he then showed me the trick of how to rub - the main part though was to take your time and quit being in such a hurry. I smile, laughed and told him that he was right. I've thought about him every time I've dried my hands since then.

My other new friend is a knitter. She seems so retro - a beautiful 21 year old long haired hippie chick who never stops smiling and laughing and knitting. She knits scarves and has knitted about 100 scarves. It takes her about one day to knit a scarf - she keeps none as she gives them to her friends and then other people she meets. We had a very nice conversation in which we talked about knitting and sewing and things I know nothing about. Everything about her was very sweet, joyous, hippie, far-out and innocent. Then she told me what she was going to do on November 22 (not commemorate the assassination of President Kennedy) but enter the U. S. Navy. She'll be stationed in Chicago where she will learn to parachute from helicopters. They do not want her to skydive until they teach her how. I wanted to ask her more about her upcoming military service and whether she would be able to continue knitting, but then her phone rang and my phone rang simultaneously and that ended our conversation. It's doubtful I'll ever see her again or be able to receive one of her scarves. I hope to meet some more knitters sometime again soon.

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To my friends with BLACKBERRY's - I WISH YOU WELL in what could be your last days of being able to use your Blackberrys. NTP will probably ask a lower court to impose an injunction granted two years ago against Research in Motion, the company that makes the Blackberry. NTP is described as "a patent holding company." Are patent holding companies like ambulance chasers who live to cause trouble for others? I never went Blackberry as my Palm Pilot and the other PDA I got were not good enough technologies for me. The Blackberry also did nto impress me enough. Nor do my three iPods or any of my cell phones.

If a PDA is not as good as a Mac laptop, it's not good enough for me. I await a better future with better toys.

Posted by EMH at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

TOM DELAY WAS SMART and debonair yesterday as he displayed a huge friendly non-Hammer non-Leona Helmsley like smile while wearing a suit and his little House Of Representatives PLEDGE PIN ("Is that a Pledge Pin on YOUR UNIFORM?) in his very suave yearbook/arrest shot. I was expecting the usual scowl but Tom knew better. Now he'll be known as that handsome middle aged man who's pledging Delta Hammer Omega.

Here's ALBO PEST CONTROL owner and Hammer Man-Helmsley Man Tom Delay's photo from the Houston Chronicle. Notice that DeLay, unlike pulled skin Katherine Harris, is not complaining about his makeup being altered. With Tom DeLay, we will not have a Katherine Harris style Cosmetics-Gate. ("I know Katherine Harris. Katherine Harris s a friend of mine. Tom DeLay - you're no Katherine Harris.")

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3406663

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ON THIS DAY IN 2004, Red Sox nation was in shock and awe over having beaten the New York Yankees 4 games in a row enabling the Red Sox to go to the 2004 World Series. New York Yankees fans were in a polar opposite shock and awe but were still not at the point of wanting to ship A-Rod to live in the same cave as his second cousin very removed, Osama Rodriguez Bin Laden.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower, the two-term Republican President that Republicans hate to mention, signed an Executive Order transferring Werner von Braun and his team of scientists from the U. S. Army to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration. And I know the granddaughter of one of those scientists. I wonder if she read this?

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ON THIS DAY IN 1797, the U. S. S. Constitution, "Old Ironsides," was launched in Boston, Massachusetts. I don't know anyone or anyone's relative who was there that day.

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Is Carnival Cruise LInes gouging the federal government with their pricing and housing of Katrina victims? I didn't know that Carnival Crusie Lines was a subsidiary of Halliburton. http://www.halliburton.com/

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MSNBC is making noise about a possible Bush Administration wiggle out of nominating Harriett Miers. My advice to President Bush - please don't do it! Nominate her - these hearings will make for such great sport and many TiVO's are already set. Don't back down, damn it!

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Will there be big political news this afternoon? Some large bombs get dropped on Friday afternoons, especially if they occur before three-day weekends. But still, Friday afternoons can be rich for exposing crime. We could hear about the futures of

Scooter Libby
Karl Rove
Tom DeLay
Bill "I Never voted until I ran for Senate" Frist
Harriet Miers

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ANIMAL HOUSE trivia quiz:

1. What is the fictitious college where Animal House is filmed? __________
2. What is its slogan? (Harvard's is "Veritas") _______________

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ON THIS DAY in 2004, I flew from New Orleans to Chicago (American Airlines Flight 1192, 6:21-8:44 PM, seat 13 A - I can never get enough of window seats or not be amazed at the view). The pilot was a sports fan and kept us updated/told us the good news about Game 7 of the Red Sox versus the Evil Empire. When we landed in Chicago, things got even better. For several of us, Chicago was the layover and New York was our final destination, and a group of us headed to the closest television to watch history being made. The flight crew took notice of me in the bar as I was a bit animated and in Red Sox red, and did not want to miss any part of the game but there was a flight to catch. The American crew did let me get on the plane as late as possible. While flying to New York, the pilot frequently updated us on the improving news.

Then, approaching New York City, the pilot broke the final good news – that the Red Sox had beaten and eliminated the Yankees, 10-3, and were going to be in the 2004 World Series.

To make things even more surreal and beautiful, I looked out the window and there was Yankee Stadium from which was rising a shimmering mist. Stadiums and lights at night are always stunning but this was quite special. It took me awhile but I figured out what made it so special - the mist had to be from the thousands of tears of heart broken fans. It goes to show that beauty can rise from tragedy.

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AN ARREST WARRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TOM DELAY. I blogged awhile ago about wanting to see him in a lovely felony shot. I wondered whether his mug shot would look better from the left or the right. When a really nasty guy gets his due, it is a heart warming thing. A guy nicknamed "The Hammer" has been temporarily sidelined though I think of him as Texas' Leona Helmsley.

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The ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS has now sued Google for their Google Print Library Project, in which Google scans books and enables readers to better search for specific content in books. The AUTHORS GUILD already sued Google last month for the same.

Of course, the authors and publishers have the right to exert their rights but Google’s operation will greatly assist potential readers to discover and purchase new books.

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CONSERVATIVE: "A convservative is a man too cowardly to fight and too fat to run." Elbert Hubbard, 1911

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Posted by EMH at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SADDAM HUSSEIN'S TRIAL HAS BEEN ADJOURNED UNTIL NOVEMBER 28. Good - that way he won't detract from the World Series or the Harriet hearings, and his trial doesn't look like the riveting TV Harriet's hearings will be.

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ON THIS DAY in 2004, I was speaking about my work in music and copyright at the Loyola University Law School in New Orleans, a then beautiful but too hot city. (It's still beautiful but too hot and, fortunately, recovering.) The Red Sox had just won game 6 against the NY Yankees, 5-4, after having lost the first three. They would go on to win the next game, 10-3, and thereby win the American League pennant on the next night and make history as the only team in pro sports to have ever come from 3 games down to win 4 in a row. Such great days.

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ON THIS DAY in 2003, the New York Times did a story on Outkast and the notice/advertisement in their great double CD - "The Love Below/Speakerboxxx" - in which Big Boi and Andre announce that they are selling pit bulls, raised in kennels owned by Big Boi, and original psychedelic art by Andre. An advertising executive commended them as he remarked about the BLING BLING OF PIT BULLS.

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Will Cheney be indicted?
Will Cheney resign?
Will Bush nominate Rice for VP?
Will Harriet go on Letterman or Leno to improve her image?
When will Harriet go on Oprah?
When will Vice President Rice be on Oprah?

The ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS:

Will Cheney be indicted? I hope so but probably not. I'd rather not get my hopes up for that one.

Will Cheney resign? No, not if he is not indicted. Yes, immediately if indicted.

Will Bush nominate Rice for VP? Yes, if Cheney steps down. It will help broaden the Republican' base and make them touchy annd feel good. They'll be able to sing, "we are the world" and really mean it.

Will Harriet go on Letterman or Leno to improve her image? No, the White House can't do the humorous touchy feel good route with Harriet Miers.

When will Harriet go on Oprah? She won't. The woman appeal is over. Being a woman who made it is no longer as novel as George Walker Bush is touting and HM does not have enough appeal to the O audience.

When will Vice President Rice be on Oprah? Soon after the announcement that GW Bush is nominating her although I doubt Oprah really loves Condi.

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Do I have any other questions to impose?

Yes. Why is it so hard to listen to music these days? Huh? Well, if you buy a CD, you have to enter it into your Mac, then go to your iPod, then find the time to be able to walk and listen closely. But listening closely means having the right place, time and conditions and I rarely have them, and if I did, my damn cell phone would vibrate me out of the likely acoustic nirvana. So, one must ditch the cell to have any hope of experiencing music in a great way.

Living in midtown Manhattan means that the streets are full, busy, diverse and really interesting with their own sights, sounds and music. (Correction - all sound is music - in that example, it's redundant to use "sound" and "music" in the same sentence.) Should I walk and block out the important Manhattan environment? That's not the best thing to do. If one lives in a boring neighborhhood, like I do the other half of the year, blocking it out with great sound only improves the neighborhood, but not here.

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More on this later but I am thinking of this because I just bought the new STEVIE WONDER CD - A Clock To Heart (A Time To Love) and so far - what I heard at Tower, and the first three songs while sitting here at Starbucks - it is amazing and up to his standards.

The first song is mostly two chords - a minor tonic and dominant in first inversion (the lovely "i-V6"). The second one shocks and lays it all out immediately (Stevie's past gets quickly regurgitated) - the Brazillian guitar, the Moog bass, the funky clavinet, drums, synths, and then the great Motown strings and harp from the famed Motown arranger of old, Paul Riser, and then Stevie harmonica. Damn damn damn good.

One of the great things is that on this CD, unlike a few places in his last studio album, CONVERSATION PEACE, he does not give in to the temptation to use contemporary sounds that don't work for him. This album sonically is where he should be - there's not a gimmick to be found (at least in the 6 or 7 songs I have heard so far.

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And I got the DVD version of Fraznk Zappa's fantastic, "DUB ROOM SPECIAL" as that has recently been released on DVD with some new stuff. It features an amazing live concert recorded at Baltimore public TV from 1974 or so (the Chester Thompson, George Duke band), and a later concert with the Steve Vai, Chad Wackerman band, and then a lot of claymation and a great piece that looks like it's from a local LA television station in which Frank and his daughter Moon are interviewed and the other kids - Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva, and wife Gail are shown. Frank proudly states that at age 41 he is the father of 4.

I've had this video tape for a long time, as well as some recordings that Zappa gave me. It's great to see his material on DVD. The Zappa Trust is doing a wonderful job with his legacy.

Posted by EMH at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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What an afternoon I had yesterday. I made friends at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Met, and Whole Foods. Next I went to Rudy's. Of course it's hard to improve Rudy's - free hot dogs and free popcorn and no prentiousness (yet). Check out an earlier blog. The crowd was OK but I was more interested in everything else - my caiparinha craving, the voices in my head, etc. So I left and went to my favorite place in NYC - Brazil Grill at 48th & 8th.

Julianna, one of the bartenders and one of the main attractions at Brazil Grill, was working and something way too cool happened. A guy had just walked in and gave them some stuff. The BG employees thought I'd like that stuff and I was the first person to use the stuff.

What is the stuff?

A new invention. A new patent pending utility patent, I think.

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It is a straw - a red straw that can do a lot of things. It can stand on its cone type base, it can filter out fruit or other particles in a liquid, it can STRAW THE HELL and BEAT THE HELL out of something that is floating or submerged in the drink (for example, an olive, a cherry, a lime, etc.), it can suction something and pull it out of an air environment and place it into another air environment or better, a liquid environment and so on. Julianna and I had trouble getting it to suck a cherry or an olive out of liquid. It sucks better without the surrounding liquid to offer resistance.

And, because they know I love IP and gadgets, they gave me a three minute DVD of this invention and more on what it does. There is an improvement coming - the "casino" model as the DVD lauds. The casino model will have two longer little daggers within the cone that is at the end of the straw. (This cone has four holes to better beat the hell and stir the hell out of what ever is in the glass.) The casino model will mean one wil need not suction a piece of fruit within the liquid - one instead will be able to spear an innocent uncorrupted piece of fruit and have your way with it. (As I said, Julianna and I struggled to suck a fruit from the bottom of a liquid out of the liquid.)

This red straw device is called a "Brewser" (play on words - bruiser, I think, as it can hurt fruit, vegetables or sugar in a liquid). I found the trademark info at the U. S. Patent & Trademark Office website but have not yet found patent info.

New red straws and all the joy they bring. LOL

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And now Harriet (Harriet Miers), the subject of many of my haiku, seems to be dishonest and squirrelly as hell. Why, Harriet? I've defended you and this is what you give me in return? You tell two Texas judges one thing, and then tell Senator Arlen Specter another? And then comes the "I love you, Arlen, but talk this way" from the White House and Harriet to Specter. Specter succumbs and is now wanting the rest of us to believe that he got something as simple and straight forward as her opinion on a crucial issue wrong.

Why are these people so shady? It reminds me of President Nixon who when a statement was found to be a lie, issued another statement stating that 'THE PREVIOUS STATEMENT IS NOW INOPERATIVE." But that was just Nixon being Nixon and trying to dodge the Watergate investigation and impeachment. Harriet will serve a much longer term than any president.

Senator Charles Schumer, who met with Miers, found her to be much less straightforward, honest and helpful in comparison to his meetings with Chief Justice Roberts.

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And Harriet's dance before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month is bound to be more dodging. The problem is that she can only lose support from conservatives, moderates and liberals as there is already anecdotal evidence of her positions, and she really cannot be on all sides of all issues and a stealth candidate.

Her testimony has not been scheduled as of yet but will probably begin Nov. 7 or Nov. 14. That's good because the World Series will have been over and we'll need a really good sport before the climax of football season.

Of course the bext few weeks will also probably bring a few more hurricanes, more chances for FEMA to shine again (!?!), and more chances for the President to fly over ruins, do photo ops with the poor, and show us he is just a "one-of-us" millionaire.

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MIAMI BEACH: "Miami Beach is where neon goes to die." Lenny Bruce, 1972

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Monday morning in New York - perfect warm beautiful windy and sunny but it's laundry time. Even laundry went well as I timed my return to have 30 seconds for the dryer to stop so that I could quickly yank my clothes out to shake them wildly and press and rub them hard against my chest so that I would not have to iron them. It worked - my Boston and Cambridge t-shirts can pass for being not wrinkled and almost neat.

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ONE YEAR ago today, THE NEW YORK TIMES PUBLISHED ITS EDITORIAL ENDORSING SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY for President. From the editorial:

"But over the last year we have come to know Mr. Kerry as more than just an alternative to the status quo. We like what we've seen. He has qualities that could be the basis for a great chief executive, not just a modest improvement on the incumbent.

We have been impressed with Mr. Kerry's wide knowledge and clear thinking - something that became more apparent once he was reined in by that two-minute debate light. He is blessedly willing to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change. And while Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam was first over-promoted and then over-pilloried, his entire life has been devoted to public service, from the war to a series of elected offices. He strikes us, above all, as a man with a strong moral core."

Wow My Oh My how things have changed. That seems decades ago to me now.

I like this excerpt the best as this is completely unlike George Walker Bush: "He is blessedly willing to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change." I hope I have the quality to be able to re-evaluate decisions when conditions change.

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ON THIS DAY IN 2003, I was fortunate enough to speak to the Music Library Association's Midwest Chapter's Annual Meeting held at the University of Iowa. I was honored to have been asked to speak, love that organization as librarians are the greatest advocates of education, and fell in love with the university and the state of Iowa.

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This is a great sports time of year. The University of Miami won, Florida State lost and to Virginia, and the New Jersey sports teams (the Giants and the Jets) lost, although I like Testaverde and don't like cheering against him. Dallas won beating the Giants - this is my first time cheering for a Texas sports team but my Patriots roots mean cheer for Bledsoe, Dallas' quarterback, one of the great guys in sports.

The Chicago White Sox are too good and so deserving of their victories. But when a Red Sox fan gushes praise, the bad mojo might kick in - I may have just jinxed them.

It's too bad for the St. Louis Cardinals as they seem like the Seattle Mariners from a few years ago who were the best team statistically only to fall apart and not win the final 11 games after the first 162 games. Of course by saying that my mojo may have jinxed the Houston Astros.

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AND A NEW SEX SCANDAL (There have not been any good sex scandals or mass cult suicides in a long time) - some Minnesota Vikings chartered a boat and had sex and an orgy (whatever that is) on the boat. How shocking - young great atheletes with tons of money who always get their way have young women attracted to them and all engage in sex and an orgy (whatever that is). The biggest problems are: 1. the Vikings are a terrible team on the field, and 2. the Vikings have their hats out begging for tax dollars to build a new stadium. That seems like two strikes against them. OH WAIT. The potential third strike might be that Minnesota tax players might view the the sex and orgy (whatever that is) stuff as immoral and bad enough to constitute a third strike and render the Vikings not worthy of tax payer money in this great economy.

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Stevie Wonder's new album will be released tomorrow. It's only been ten years since his last studio album, this from a musician who can write music as quickly and easily as he speaks. This album is called, "A Time To Love," but features symbols instead of words as its title - "A clock 2 heart," only with a round clock and a Valentine-shaped heart.

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More valuable negativity and/or wisdom and/or humor:

MARRIAGE: "Marriage. The beginning and the end are wonderful. But the middle part is hell." Enid Bagnold, 1964

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Posted by EMH at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Chicago White Sox are amazing. They are the Boston Red Sox of 2005 but with even better pitching, fielding and running.

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For once I am cheering for Notre Dame - it's a Charlie Weis/Patriots thing. I wish they could have beaten USC as Los Angeles is too bloated, arrogant and egotistical.

There should not be a Los Angeles or a Phoenix, environmentally speaking. If you could see the Colorado River Aqueduct in the middle of a desert, with its fast rushing water flowing to enable large desert areas to have thousands of acres of green lawns (GREEN F**ING LAWNS IN A DESERT), as I have seen, you would be depressed and worried about what we are doing to the Earth. As always, we will lose and we will pay the price for our follies.

I DON'T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A GRANOLA EATING HIPPIE OF OLD WITH THAT LAST PARAGRAPH BUT GO CHECK OUT THE COLORADO RIVER, closely and over hundreds of miles. I have bicyled across the U. S. three times and seen the CRA for hours and days and can attest to the coming problems. We are living on borrowed time.

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But back to fun things....

THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC PLAYED REALLY WELL LAST NIGHT. Their guest conductor, Marin Alsop, was superb. Her website: http://www.marinalsop.com/ EVEN THOUGH she won a MacArthur Fellowship, she is a superb musician and conductor. I worded it that way as I think a Grammy is usually a sign of mediocrity (to quote the great Charles Ives) and the MacArthur cult is really a cult and many of the recipients are just a bunch of good ol' boys in that network. But she was so thoughtful, careful, respectful and brilliant in her interpretation of Prokofiev and Brahms. And MIDORI was MIDORI in the Prokofiev Violin Concerto. Intelligent, lovely, sonically captivating and bad ass.

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I've only praised a few conductors in my life and so rarely see/hear a good one. Many of my favorites are dead or have moved from their famous gigs - Christopher Keene, Kent Nagano, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein and a few others. Marin Alsop was fantastic tonight. I have never seen Brahms Symphony No. 1 get a standing ovation and five curtain calls, and this in the bitter and caustic New York City!? !Shocking! A kinder gentler NYC, or an audience packed of her family and friends, or one hell of a performance by the NY Phil and the conductor? The latter.

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The NY Phil and Alsop and Avery Fisher Hall made me remember why some Classical music is so damn good and that live music can be better than anything else one experiences in a year.

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I am going to send a fan lettter to Heather B. Armstrong as I love her observations and humor. This is her intro about herself: http://www.dooce.com/about.html And this is her blog. http://www.dooce.com. At some point I need to list my favorite blogs.

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Posted by EMH at 02:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Excellent news!

1. IT IS NOT RAINING IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY.

2. I am going to walk again. Last night I made it to 53rd & 6th to the city's best halal cart, and back, very slowly and with some pain. But that is great progress.

3. Despite the admonitions of friends, I am not going to see a doctor as I don't know what's what in this city when it comes to health and fear health insurance plans.

4. The sun has just come out! We're not in Seattle anymore, Dorothy.

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On this day in 2003, the State Island ferry crashed into a concrete pier killing 11 people.

In other anniversaries of tragedies, on this day in 1991, despite Anita Hill, "Long Dong Silver" and "pubic hair on a Coke can," Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52-48 to become an Associate Justice on the U. S. Supreme Court.

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The Harriet hurricane is not letting up. Why won't conservatives believe in their conservative President? He has delivered giving them Cheney, Wolfowitz, Chao, Norton, Rice, Bolton, recess appointments and many others who do exactly what their religious leaders tell them to do, a war, significant tax cuts, helped gut environmentally friendly laws, and told the world that he talks to his Higher Father. Why don't they believe in George Walker Bush?

Yesterday, a talking head (sorry, I forget which one _ I was still in my ankle-drug induced stupor) wisely stated that Harriet Miers is this Bush's "no new taxes" pledge. Indeed, that seems to be a dead on prediction.

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Of course Bush may have caused some of his own trouble on this when he said that Harriet Miers would think the same way for the next 20 years. Really? How can he know that she will think the same way for the next 20 years? Hopefully all people change, learn, adapt and grow in 20 years. George W. Bush himself changed from his drug and alcohol abusing days. Harriet Miers changed from being a Texas Catholic Democrat to a Texas Christian Republican. Ronald Reagan, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Bloomberg, Strom Thurmond and Richard Shelby changed from Democrat to Republican. I think all people change and some people welcome the changes. Change is normal, evolutionary and inevitable, but apparently not according to George Walker Bush.

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I am glad that BILL MAHER stated what he did during his live HBO show last night. Maher said that what really scares many of these conservative opponents of Harriet Miers is not her politics or lack of paper trail or lack of credentials but HER GENITALIA. (That's a strong word, I know, but it is not as graphic as the language Kenneth Starr uses - see my earlier blog). Maher pointed out that Miers is 60, female, never been married, and has no children. Therefore, she is hard for them to figure out. Why would she not give birth or be married or have a visible LOVE CONNECTION? Maher, and I and many others, like the fact that her personal life is no one else's business, not well known, and it is good that she seems to have not conformed to society's expectations. Having freedom should mean the freedom to live one's life the way one wants, and with a respectful degree of privacy.

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The Pentagon is issuing statements that the troops were not coached. That foolish and disingenuous (aka "dishonest") statement is such a waste of good will as the tape is long, significant and all about coaching the troops.

The troops were coached - there's a tape. Rodney King was beaten - there's a tape. Nixon obstructed justice - there's a tape. The entire coaching fiasco was unnecessary as these troops believe in what they are doing and are doing it well. Why did these fools at the Pentagon - Allison Barber, director -bother to direct, coach and brief these soldiers? They did not need it. In fact, the pressure put on them made an unnecessary mess as these soldiers are not good actors and were made uncomfortable by being in the presence of The Director and The President. Let them be themselves. The Pentagon should spend tax dollars on things other than photo ops and PR.

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The SPINAL TAP quiz returns. Because it's been so long, here are two questions:

1. How does Spinal Tap use the violin?

2. Who are the Thamesmen?

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Posted by EMH at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

ONE OF THE FUNNIEST FILMS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET. Feeling good is good. Being fooled is good if not good. More wisdom from the Common Man from Crawford:

http://www.badmash.org/videos/videos_flv.php?v=george_bush_512K_Stream.flv&t

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ON THIS DAY IN 2004, Bill O'Reilly was in trouble for having had naughty sex talk with a woman who was not his wife. He was caught as she had recorded many of their conversations and O'Reilly went on to say that today was the worst day of his life.

That night, Keith Olbermann said:

"Bill O'Reilly said that today is the worst day of his life. He may just not be giving tomorrow enough credit."

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More on Bill O'Reilly and his secret interests:

From the November 8, 2004 National Law Journal article, "Sex Harassment and the 'Extortion' Factor" by Debra S. Katz and Andrew Schroeder

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1099528831129

"...O'Reilly allegedly had numerous telephone conversations with Mackris during which he encouraged her to buy a vibrator, offered to help her use it, told her about his sexual liaisons with other women and subjected her to other vulgarities. According to the complaint, O'Reilly, a married father of two, also allegedly told Mackris that "[i[f any woman ever breathed a word I'll make her pay so dearly that she'll wish she'd never been born." He also told her that any woman who challenged him would not be believed, would be considered "unstable" and raked through the mud."

BILL WAS RIGHT. SHE WAS RAKED THROUGH THE MUD.

The good thing is that money often can make bad things go away. As any good true flag-waving American would do, O'Reilly bought his way out of it. She got a lot of money, dropped the suit, and Bill's TV viewing public kept thinking the rightist had been wronged, and more news without primary sources got to be disseminated by Bill O'Reilly the Husband and Father With An Interest In a Vibrator.

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We have another Republican actor as President but his acting skills are not as good as Ronald Reagan's. Yesterday, George W, Bush asked six questions - the six questions that Allison Barber had written for him - to a well rehearsed group of soldiers. Allison had rehearsed them on what would be asked, who should answer,, what they should say, when they should smile and warned that the President could get excited and go off script.

Then, as Allison Barber the MC left her rehearsed performers/hard working soldiers Bush entered and was nowhere near as smooth as he should have been, warring with his earpiece and fumbling with English (I give him credit - he does not fumble when speaking Spanish).

The staging of the event left so much to be desired. I love the fact that this was such a rare occasion in the usually secretive Bush Administration - the video tape exists and it is so controlled. WOW – what a fun tape. This would be so worth a trip to Limewire, KaZaA or some other peer-to-peer network to acquire this piece of history and unintentional open government.

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More haiku, this time inspired by the Bush-Pentagon version of Hollywood:

Allison Barber
made her directorial
Debut yesterday

Allison Barber
A pentagon director
I think she did well

She managed to coach
Some non-actor soldiers to
Smile and answer right

You troops can smile from
Time to time and don't go off
Script. He never does

If he stumbles or
starts to stutter, please make sure
that you stutter too

We'll pretend these are
Technical difficulties
And no one will know

It's important that
We convey the happiness
Of the Iraq War

That Iraqis want
Us there, that we'll help them vote
Help them become free

Right now they're free to
Have civil war and cheap gas
But soon they'll love us

Bush had chat time with
The troops yesterday as he
Wanted "to visit"

George's homespun ways
Are as sincere as those of
a used car salesman

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A PLEA to those Conservatives Who Don't Believe In George Walker Bush: Please give Harriet Miers a break. Her confirmation hearings could make for great television and Red Sox and Yankee fans need to have some sports to watch.

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Posted by EMH at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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GREAT HUMOR AND WHY WE NEED POLITICIANS AND WASTE - check out this site:

http://cronyjobs.com/

Bush should never live down the FOOLS he put into FEMA. They costs lives. Now a personal attorney becomes a personal Supreme Court Justice. And Democrats get to sit back and watch Republican cannibalism. This is the best brand of comedy and why we don't need comedy clubs if we have politicians.

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I HAD AN EXCELLENT TIME AT RUDY'S last night, a really down to earth unpretentious watering hole on 9th Ave. between 44th & 45th. God bless Hell's Kitchen - it's so my hood. Rudy's was full of actors, firefighters, writers, musicians, directors, teachers, professors, dancers, locals and others. Rudy's has free hot dogs and popcorn. I was there before I was to go to Arlene's Grocery to see a friend play. Unfortunately I did not get to Arlene's for the reasons below.

Rudy's - I'll be back often. If Brazil Grill gets a 98 and the Boathouse gets a 97, Rudy's gets a 96. Of course your results could differ.

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With the nonstop torrential rain and in order to get around, I take to running sometimes, and sprinting before a traffic light changes, and jaywalking like a fiend. (One of the few crimes I regularly do.) Unfortunately, my left foot went into a pothole filled with water. My ankle/foot snapped and made enough of a noise that two women asked me if I was OK. I said I was fine, but knew I wasn't. I went in to Rudy's to get off my ankle and rest before I had to walk home.

So today has been a bad day with strong winds and rain, every taxi occupied and one slow moving hobbling Red Sox fan. I usually am the fastest walker in Manhattan. Today was just slow, wet, painful and depressing. And I had to cancel all but my first commitment, and I should have even cancelled that.

This is the worst possible city in which to be mobile-ly challenged. Damn it damn it damn it.

The good part is that everything in New York is delivered to your door. So, I'll drug up later. I'll just need to choose my drugs and dial-a-way.

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On to better stuff.

LIFE - "Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable." Woody Allen, 1977

MANNERS - "Manners are the hypocrisy of a nation." Honore de Balzac, 1911

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I am looking forward to seeing KATHERINE HARRIS run for the Senate seat in Florida. Her pulled back hair, her pulled back skin, her MAKEUP GATE controversy, and the ease with which she gets irritable. I should run for something as I don't have things pulled back and I get irritable about once every decade and only for a few moments in private. I can't take things as seriously as some really mature and accomplished people, like KATHERINE HARRIS. But realistically, I can't be political or a politician as much as I love observing that species, especially the federal ones.

The election should be a lot of fun. Just ask any good comedian.

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Today is PAUL SIMON's 64th birthday. Will Edie Brickell still love him when he's 64?

THE PAUL SIMON TRIVIA QUESTION, and this might be very difficult - name a Paul Simon song that is primarily a 14-bar blues. Hint - it is one of my top five favorite Paul Simon songs, mainly because I nerd out on music theory and like the song for all the wrong reasons, such as its 14-bar structure.

C. Howard - do you know this, or will it at least drive you crazy trying to answer it? LOL

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Friends have requested more Spinal Tap questions and more poetry. I'll revert soon. But for now I need a nurse and narcotics. This is an open invitation. Come on by. I'm up for it.

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Posted by EMH at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

My ho hum easy life's tribulations today included:

1. the television had audio but not visual,

2. the room heat/AC unit would only blow lots of very hot air (no metphaors need apply here), and

3. I forgot my umbrella when I walked to Starbucks.

I got settled at Starbucks and torrential rain broke out. I think it's God's way of rubbing it into New Yorkers' lives - they cheered for Evil (the Yankees) and now have to deal with the consequences of their poor choices.

But life went well - there is construction on the southside of 51st St. between Broadway and 7th Avenue so I was covered for that part, and then I just "took it like a man" (I think taking it like a woman would work equally well but I have no real experiences as a woman so I'll use the "man" term) to cross 7th Avenue. When I got back, the AC/heat thing got fixed immediately (this apartment building has superb service - thanks, William, who is also a Red Sox fan!) and Time Warner cable were helpful with their service. Of course they wanted to take the opportunity to try to sell me digital TV, PVR, digital this, digital that, digital food, digital wine, a digital inflatable companion, etc. Such damn excitement and problems, huh? This will contrast with my friends' New Orleans' problems below.

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I love anniversaries and today marks the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of a great privacy and free expression event and a loss at the U. S. Supreme Court for the LAWSUIT-OBSESSED RIAA.

From the PR Newswire, October 12, 2004:

"As the result of a decision today by the United States Supreme Court, Verizon declared an important victory for the personal privacy, free expression rights and safety of the more than 100 million Internet users in the U. S. The court declined to review the unanimous decision of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that a wave of subpoenas seeking the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of thousands of Internet subscribers through a 'rubber stamp' process was unlawful. The case is known as Recording Industry of America, Inc. (RIAA) v. Verizon Internet Services, Inc. (Verizon). The Court of Appeals decision, written by Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg and handed down on Dec. 19, 2003, held that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) did not authorize copyright holders and their agents to obtain a subpoena requiring the release of the name, address and telephone number of any Internet user based upon the filing of a one-page form with the clerk of the district court."

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Wow - now to some amazing pictures and maps from some of MY FRIENDS in NEW ORLEANS. Scott & Liz are great people who have always been extremely kind and supportive. As you can read from their accounts, they were displaced from their wonderfull home, yet fortunate enough to have survived and been able to help each other and many others who needed help. I am so happy for their victory in this struggle.

http://scottfredrickson.com/

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Because I am so happy and smilling big, I will surprisingly revert to expressing VITRIOL. I love to quote unusual expression. Here comes some:

Achievement - noun; "The death of endeavor and the birth of disgust." Ambrose Bierce, 1906

Advice - "Please give me some more good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it." Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1952

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I have not written anything about Harriet Miers today. I hope I can walk away from this blog without turning back to Harriet-ize.

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Posted by EMH at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

MY PREDICTION ABOUT THE EVIL EMPIRE - that the New York Yankees were not good enough to get to the World Series - HAS COME TRUE. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, despite such enormous differences, played 162 games this year and had the same number of wins and losses, 95-67, and both lost in the first round of the American League Division Series. MISERY LOVES COMPANY. maybe. This morning New Yorkers again are not "A Number One" or "King of the Hill." Thank God, I won't be hearing as much Frank Sinatra in the months ahead!!!

And if you live here in New York, there is an entire television station, Y-E-S, devoted to recounting every granule of Yankee lore to the public. This loss won't go away anytime soon in Metro NY.

And to add to the misery of the day for some, it's raining and grey here.

But to me this is a beautiful day just like it was in 2002 when the Angels eliminated the NYY in 4 games. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I watched that game with Mean Joe Greene in a hotel bar in Charlotte, North Carolina. This game I was alone in my room with all of the right foods, beverages, emails and phone calls. PRAISE THE LORD!

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The New York Times this morning has taken Alex Rodriguez - aka A-Rod, A-Fraud (as an attorney friend refers to him), the $25 million man - to task for his disappointing play in this playoff series when the big players are supposed to "step up" and "deliver," [Insert your own sports cliches here..... and then add the name "A-Rod." and you'll see how sports journalism usually works.] A-Rod and Derek Jeter, the left half of the infield, make more than $40 million per year, more than 6 entire baseball teams. A-Rod, I like what you did as it shows that money cannot always buy happiness or success. From a perennial fan of David, to the epitome of Goliath himself - thank you A-Rod, Matsui and you other guys who let down your team. It is truly appreciated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/sports/baseball/11curry.html

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WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT A-ROD on Y. E. S. (The Mad Dog and MIke Show). The devouring of A-Rod by Yankees fans reminds me of the devouring of Harriet "All Harriet All The Time" Miers by Republicans. These Yankee fans and Republicans (hardly ever one and the same) make us Bostonians look soft spoken, unopinionated and benevolent.

"I hate his swing. I don't understand how he could have hit 47 home runs."

"I never liked him."

"He should be ashamed to accept his MVP award."

"A point on A-Rod - is he going to be Gil Hodges? Could he be traded?"

"A-Rod made a bad defensive play when he lobbed the ball over to first place."

"Jeter is Magic Johnson - he's a big time player."

Now I can finally wear the brightest red Red Sox sweatshirt in Manhattan as we - Red Sox and Yankees fans - are on a par. Their $206 million did not do very well this year - they came up 14 games short and had a record as good as the Boston Red Sox, a bunch of self described "idiots," from a small quaint village (595,000) in Massachusetts, aka God's Country.

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I get to watch Season 1 Episode 10 of the HBO series, The Sopranos this morning. It is one of the best indictments of the music industry showing how the industry used to work, still works, how the industry is like the Mafia, how to do a sitdown, what to do when the sitdown turns into a shakedown - when the black gangsta tells the Jewish gangster that he owes blacks reparations for royalties, only to have the Jewish gangster tell the black gangsta that his artist has sampled