Bare Metal Install

Another bare-metal install of Snow Leopard. This machine is getting old, and it was losing connection to the Airport/Wi-Fi far too often. After the debacle of iPhoto 11, it was particularly bad. So... I decided the solution might be reloading everything. It would also give me a chance to clean out my Documents folder, and also my email.

Here's hoping it works - because right now, we can't afford a new machine! (We really need two: one for the Mrs, and one for me.)

Carolyn Ann

Rubbing salt into the wound...

It seems that Chris Lee, the disgraced NY representative has something else to explain to his wife. Apparently he made contact with a "pre-op transgender woman[...]".

Yeah. Right. Who sodding cares? The man has quit his job. His marriage probably isn't going as well as it could be if he were an honest man. And now someone has to be sensational and broadcast that a "transvestite" was also involved?

The point of the story? Well, everyone likes a good gossip, and this story actually is news.

Okay. Carry on. (Added: Can they be any more neanderthal in their wording, though?)

But talk about kicking a man while he's down?

Carolyn Ann

A letter to the editor

This evening, I bought ".net" magazine. It's a British web design magazine; usually quite good, but this edition is, well, lacking. $16 for what is essentially filler. I was in tow minds: Racecar Engineering, a magazine I love and haven't bought for months (because it's expensive at around $10.50), or this one? Well, I have an immediate concern: the contact form of a website I'm building. .net said they had a section on contact forms. They had three designers doing whimsical stuff, some of which resembled a contact form.

I had to go on the strength of their reputation, and the "teasers" on the cover. Because some halfwit had figured it's a good idea to wrap a very expensive magazine in a sealed plastic envelope. But, based on what I know of the magazine, I decided to purchase it. More fool me.

So I decided to contact the editors. And to my annoyance - I found they insist on "Mr", "Mrs", "Miss". If you're a Dr, Prof, or whatever: tough luck. You just got demoted. If you're a modern girl and insist on "Ms", tough tiddlywinks: welcome to the 1960's. I was annoyed before. That got me steamed. As one might put it.

So, after registering, I wrote a little missive to the editor.

To whom it may concern:

Two points: you need to include "Ms" in your salutations. And perhaps "M.", for your transgendered readers - such as myself?

Only the antique insist on 'Miss' or 'Mrs'!

Onto the actual point of my email.

I want my damn money back! $15.99. For drivel.

I relied on your reputation in doing something I rarely do: buying a magazine, sight unseen. Sixteen bucks might not be a lot to you, but it is to me.

Here I am, putting together a website and, so far, valuing the information your magazine provides. It's expensive - more expensive than the other speciality British magazine I buy, Racecar Engineering (it comes in at $10.50, these days). I don't have a lot of money, so I weigh these purchases carefully. Because I felt your magazine would be more immediately useful than Racecar Engineering, I purchased it. Sight unseen. Because someone decided that putting it in a sealed plastic folder was a good idea.

Let me put it this way: if I had seen the contents, I wouldn't have bought the magazine. I'd have spent my money on Racecar Engineering, instead. And had enough left over for a good cup of coffee and a cream pastry.

It will be the last time I purchase your magazine sight unseen. I will also be thinking very hard about any subscription. You might say I was "disappointed". And you'd be right.

As I can't take the magazine back - thank you for wasting my money.

Here's hoping they don't have typical British service.

Carolyn Ann

Are the Wisconsin Democrats losing their resolve?

It seems that the Wisconsin Democrats are losing their resolve. A deal has been struck in the State Assembly.

I'm not sure how this is going to play with the State Senate. Especially as the Republicans have gone ahead and implemented a frankly stupid rule change re Senatorial pay packets.

The Republicans are mad because they can't immediately help the rich get richer. I doubt Scott Walker will be happy until the Wisconsin worker is living conditions the Robber Baron's would approve of.

Carolyn Ann

Conservative = Bigoted

It increasingly seems that to be a "conservative", and not a RINO (Republican In Name Only; the derogatory term for those deemed not conservative enough...) you really have to be racist, homophobic and more than a little misogynistic.

Conservatives the nation over oppose gay marriage; they want to preserve the "sanctity" of marriage. Even if it means denying an entire group of Americans the rights they enjoy. Oh, they don't oppose anyone's life style - it's a choice, right? - but they want to ensure that any homosexual or lesbian is denied the same rights they enjoy.

In many states, being conservative means you support Arizona-style "immigration" laws. These laws single out one class of person for special attention from cops. They don't do anything, but they codify racial suspicion and prejudice into law. And then there's the usual discussion about how illegal aliens are livin' large, at the expense of the rest of us. Never mind that they're usually doing the jobs no one else wants, for pay packets that defy basic humanity. The myth is more important than finding out the reality, I guess.

And now the House Republicans are well into an assault on women's rights, women's health, that would be breathtaking if we were in the 1970's. Considering that we're in 2011, it's actually stupefying. Basically these conservatives want to remove any possibility a woman might get sensible family planning or sexual advice or help. They seem hell bent on making sure women are not in charge of their own bodies, and that they live chaste lives. Because, you know, women are weak or something.

One thing that strikes me is how uniform all of these conservatives are. They have pledges politicians have to sign, outlining exactly what they must believe. It seems there's a playbook for dealing with all sorts of idiocies, from not denying that Mr Obama is America but leaving the discussion to those who want to have it, all the way to often indefensible and downright confusing "discussions" about the Federal budget.

It's quite stunning how audacious these conservatives are. What is more perplexing is how they've taken hold of the national dialogue, and turned it into a 16th century inquisition.

Carolyn Ann

Intellectual honesty. A rare thing, indeed.

So Anne deleted my comment on her blog. I have no idea if she's deleted any my other comments; I rather suspect she has. Intellectual honesty isn't one of her strong points.

(Added: She can dish it. But she can't take it. I wonder if she can spell "honesty"?)

Anyway, here's a screenshot where I lament her lack of honesty:

Perhaps this one will survive her caustic knife? I doubt it, but what's the point in debating someone who is willing to delete comments?

Anne might notice I didn't delete her diatribe.

Update: You might notice that Anne has 1 comment on the post in question. It's not either of the ones I left her. :-)

Carolyn Ann

There's a difference...

There's a difference between Anne and Queen Emily.

It's not in their particular political aspirations. Its in the honesty. Anne has the decency to respond to those who challenge her. Queen Emily? Oh, she writes blog posts that she hopes her target won't find. On a platform that encourages reblogging, guaranteeing that I would find it. Queen Emily has the decency not to delete comments; her cohort, Lisa, isn't so certain: she deletes entire discussions. Anne simply deletes the comment. (Darn! I wish I'd taken a screenshot. I thought about it, and figured Anne was honest enough to let it stand. I was wrong.)

On the other hand, I left a comment on Anne's blog - and she's deleted it!

Ah well. One can hope for honest discourse.

Carolyn Ann

A definite "oops"...

Scotland Yard's bigwigs must be feeling a little, well, 3rd world? Nah. Chagrined? Yeah.

That's the problem with democracies and a free press: they find out the darndest things. Like the police having a snack with the people they're supposed to be investigating.

Carolyn Ann

There's dumb and then there's the Tea Party...

I doubt I'll ever figure out the Tea Party. They shout how they're for the common man and then work very hard to subvert the rights and privileges the common man has won over the last few decades.

Some things aren't enigmas, or wrapped in mystery, or whatever. Some things are just plain dumb.

Carolyn Ann

Yeah, whatever

Earth to Mr Ghadafi: I don't think the protestors care how you go...

Carolyn Ann

Can you keep a secret?

MacRumors reveals that Apple is having a secret meeting. Apparently Apple is making all retail store personnel sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA's). MacRumors reported that their sources told them of the meeting, and "other sources" informed them of the NDA's.

... ... ...

Doesn't take more than a second to figure that one out, does it? :-)

I guess Apple had better release the information they're telling their employees to the press at the same time!

Three things are deemed newsworthy: a larger trackpad (yawn), OS X might have a new memory architecture (that's interesting for the curious; for everyone else it's a yawn), and the MacBook Pro might be a full half a pound lighter. That's interesting if you carry a MacBook about. On the other hand, the way Apple laptops seem to be getting lighter, it won't be long before they're lighter than air. Or they're so light we'll suspect they've got negative gravity or something.

One thing I do know: there will be lots of Apple watchers cultivating their sources right about now. Will MacRumors trump them all - again? I can hardly wait. (Zzz... :-) )

Update: Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic tells us some interesting news that might be pertinent. Or it might not be. We'll have to wait for the various sources to reveal all. :-)

Carolyn Ann

I think Anne has finally lost it...

"It" being any connection to reality. In a recent piece, Anne asserts some strange facts and rewrites both history and historical fact. It's along the lines of Michelle Bachmann's recent rewriting the intentions of the slave-owning Founding Fathers (she said they worked to eradicate slavery, which they didn't).

Anyway, I usually ignore Anne. Her hero, Glenn Beck, whom she mimics, in accuracy, belligerence, bombast and hysteria, rather accurately is quite enough uniformed right wing wailing, lamenting and hysterical hate for anyone. (Ever notice how the right wing punditry is full of doom, gloom, hysteria and (otherwise) generally malarkey?) And Anne has gotten herself involved in a debate about gender that's got to be read to be understood, and probably not even then.

However, sometimes Anne's malodorous mutterings do attract my attention. This one did:

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana: - The tyranny of the Progressive Left operating on the False Flag of DEMOCRACY

So read the heading on T-Central. "This has got to be interesting..." I mused. Let me see: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain: I get those. Two have had revolutions, two are going through what people hope are revolutions; people have staged popular uprisings that are intended to better their own lot in life and have a little freedom while they're at it. But Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana? Are the people in those states throwing off the yolk of evil strongmen dictatorships as well? (Well, they do have Republican governors...)

First, the grammatical consideration: you operate under a flag. Not on it. On the other hand, I've never noticed Anne being particular about either the English language or being factually correct. And that would be "progressive left"; it's not a proper name and shouldn't be capitalized. (Progressive is an adjective, it's modifying the noun "left"; all of which highlights that the progressive left is derided by the reactive, or perhaps reactionary, right... :-) Just sayin'... )
So what has DEMOCRACY done wrong, now? Apparently America is not a democracy. It's a Constitutional REPUBLIC [sic]. Who knew?

Is anybody reading this little blog AWARE that our form of gov't. in the USofA is NOT a democracy?  It is a Constitutional REPUBLIC,  NOT a democracy.

That's definitely in dark "WTF?!?" territories. I can just picture Rooster Cogburn warning us all not to venture into those dastardly hinterlands. Either that or it's a nice ice cream sundae. I'll let you decide.

Word to the wise, and I hate to break it to Anne, America is a democracy. The democratic bit of the founding is clearly laid out in the Constitution. Hang on, let me grab my copy... Ah, I knew it was in there:

Article. I.
Section. 1.
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. [...]

Section. 2.
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, [...]

(My emphasis.)

Ah. And then there's that 17th Amendment thing:

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; [...]

Oh dear. It does seem like America is a democracy.

Let's see what The Constitution of the United States says about strongmen dictators like Mr Mubarak and that other chap, the Tunisian one:

Article. II.
Section. 1.
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, [...]

(My emphasis.)
Oh dear. A limit to the length of term, and then there's the 22nd Amendment:

Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. [...]

Oh well. I guess America really is a democracy. Sorry, Anne.

Here's the thing: the whole "Constitutional Republic" thing is a canard of quite an egregious sort. While affirming that no monarch can sit over the US, it undermines any claim to democracy. Myanmar is a constitutional republic; it has a constitution, and it's a republic. China is, too. How arbitrarily the constitution is abided by isn't important when you're asserting what form of government exists for a nation.

In America there are these things called elections. Anne might have heard of them. They're a mechanism that lets people voice an opinion about their political leadership. Having free and fair elections is one sign you're living in a democracy. America has free and fair elections. When someone is tossed out of office, they pack their bags and go home.

Okay... That's the first paragraph of Anne's misinformed diatribe dealt a mortal blow. What of the rest of it? Anne's second paragraph is basically irrelevant to anything, including any discussion about what form of government America has. It's also so confused I'm unwilling to wade into its waters. Those waters are a shallow puddle...

The rest of Anne's diatribe is conspiracy laden; cherry picked facts that actually have nothing to do with the topic being discussed, and a dark warning that the end of the world is upon us. I almost got whiplash: I thought Glenn Beck was Anne's favorite bigot, not Mel Gibson. Oh well, small matter. A bigot is a bigot; they just have slightly different ways of expressing their bigotry.

And then Anne ends with a bit of progressive wisdom, from a chap no one could ever call "right wing", indeed, he was the man who gave voice to the progressive liberalism of the 1960's, Bob Dylan.

"Ohio and Indinana? [sic]  Well....just wait and see.  "The times they are a changin'"

Yes they are. But I'm not sure what quoting Bob Dylan has to do with anything.

Overall, I think Anne's eternal, eternally righteous and ever condescending anger has finally overflowed; it's no longer a puddle, it's a slightly larger but shallower puddle.

I think I'll go back to generally ignoring her. Her dubious, irrational, hatred has clearly taken its toll.

Carolyn Ann

A lot going on...

There's a heck of a lot of stuff going on. In the world, and in my life. The world is going to hell in a hand basket, as it always does. And my life is trying to figure out how to climb into the hand basket. At least it seems that way!

On the other hand, it's mostly good. So I'm not complaining. (Much.) :-)

Ah well. I'm so tired I can barely focus on the screen. I'm still typing, though! (I'm making a lot mistakes, which tells me it's time for bed.)

G'night (yawn...)
Carolyn Ann

Citadel, John Ringo

Lately, it seems that every book of Mr Ringo's has an age old quote from Publisher's Weekly on it: "[Ringo  is] sure to satisfy the most demanding action junkie". All I can say is that the publisher should change this: "Mr Ringo is sure to satisfy every Glenn Beck-oriented, Tea-Party supporting, ill-read in Ayn Rand, American Exceptionalist, politically naive action junkie"

Mr Ringo's latest offering, Citadel, commits the worst sin an action novel can commit: it gets boring.

I don't mean "there are a few quiet bits". I mean boring. As in "tedious", "monotonous", "tiresome", "dull". He goes off on tangents that, if you like reading Glenn Beck, hate reading Ayn Rand but adore her work, and generally think that political polemic has a place in an action-thriller, you'll love. The rest of Mr Ringo's surely declining audience is going to be bored. B. O. R. E. D. Bored.

Noting that Mr Ringo gets two significant principles not only mixed up, but doesn't even see the contradiction he himself puts forth is astonishing. He asserts that unions are capitalistic. They're not, but we'll leave that to the side for the moment. If unions, labor unions, were capitalistic, then his animosity toward them wouldn't make sense: Mr Ringo is all for capitalism. So if unions were a form of capital, he shouldn't mind them. He minds them. Oh boy, does he mind them. Unions are the only method the working man and woman has to protect themselves from avaricious bosses.

Speaking of such bosses, the all-powerful boss in Citadel turns out to be a kind-hearted, benevolent soul. Ms Rand often claimed something nonsensical along those lines. In Citadel, a subtle problem is discovered in a critical component. Let's ignore the decades of experience the US armed forces have in such components, and note the interesting bit about the boss. If the boss created a company that cared more for profit than the lives of the servicemen and women who used its equipment, the fault that Mr Ringo puts forth as happening - basically wouldn't. You don't create a company of grey companymen if you don't want to. The novel is rife with not-very-subtle contradictions like that.

Mr Ringo also proudly displays his complete lack of understanding of international politics. I'd go into it, but to say his understanding of it seems to be either "American Exceptionalism", or "don't all nations have America's interests at heart?" is a fairly accurate rendition of his exploration of the subject.

Overall, Mr Ringo would be well advised to read Robert Tressel's Ragged Trousered Philanthropist instead of Glenn Beck's latest tirade. He would also be well served by thinking about large corporations. They tend to be global - not American. They also tend not to be too attentive to paying taxes in the US. Quite the opposite, really. Mr Ringo might buy into the fiction that the rich and wealthy are our benevolent overseers, but not all of us do. Personally, I'm downright suspicious of people with that much wealth - especially if that wealth comes from minerals, oil or any other exploitation of the environment.

Overall, Mr Ringo's latest effort is not that different from his output of recent years: preachy, condescending, rife with contradictions and generally quite predictable. And to think: the man can actually write a good yarn. I wish he'd try that, again, someday.

Carolyn Ann

My new lace dress :-)

The Queen and I
Originally uploaded by carolyn_ann_grant

I got a new lace dress! :-)

It is, to be honest, far cuter than me... :-( So this evening, the Mrs and me listened to old records, we danced a little and I generally felt glamorous (and a little bit pretty :-D).

The Lace Dress set on Flickr. :-)

Carolyn Ann

PS Darn it. I have to go to bed. Which means I have to take the dress off. :-(

Forget what I said about Egypt's military...

I recently wrote that Egypt's military wasn't as corrupt as the rest of them in the Middle East.

Oops. I was wrong. They're just as corrupt.

Sorry.

Carolyn Ann

"...a temporary and limited undocking"

David Cameron and pet poodle, Nick Clegg, are having quite a public row over the food bowl. Mr Clegg argues that an "alternate voting" system (a basic form of proportional representation) would be best for Britain. Mr Cameron disagrees; he says it would be "inherently unfair". Well he would - he wouldn't have be Prime Minister if it had been used in the last election!

The Liberal-Democrats, like the Liberal Party before them, favor proportional representation. With such a system, the big two - Labour and the Conservatives - wouldn't get as many votes, and probably wouldn't be in power as long. I'm not sure, but if memory serves, with proportional representation, Britain would have had a Liberal government since the 1970's.

Their tiff has been described "as a temporary and limited undocking". Yeah, I guess a dispute about the fundamental nature of British democracy could be a temporary and limited fracas. Somehow I think it could also be a permanent and unlimited one, too. Especially if the Lib-Dem core gets interested. :-)

What's Mr Cameron going to do? Fire Mr Clegg? That would trigger either an election, or a change of government. Mr Cameron is going to rue signing up with the Lib-Dems. Probably sooner than later!

Carolyn Ann

Caroline Spelman wants the Simple Life

I'm inclined to think that Caroline Spelman, David Cameron's Environment Secretary, has a remit to make her job as easy as possible: basically by ensuring there's no environment in Britain to take care of.

Ms Spelman seeks the simple life: no environment, no worries.

Carolyn Ann

I like simple politics

I see the Cameron Administration has (finally) climbed down over the whole forest issue. Caroline Spelman apologized and admitted she got "it" wrong. Well, yeah. She did.

What I don't understand is how anyone thought this would be a good idea in the first place! It served no purpose other than annoying lots and lots of people. Which, last I checked, wasn't an effective way of governing.

Here's what the government was trying to do: sell 15% of Britain's few remaining forests. Or was it all of them? At this point, I'm not sure. What I do know is that when you sell something valuable, like land, it gets put to use. And the people who used to own it, the British public, are now barred from using that land. Something like a forest would become a reclusive get-away for rich folk, for instance. (It happened in Robin Hood country.) Or a hunting preserve for those that can afford the hunting fees. Or, like you see over here, large developments (estates), for the wealthy, named after the trees that used to be there.

The government stuck to its guns: the forests would be sold off as part of David Cameron's vague and idiotic "Big Society" thing. Most likely, the money would be used to help prop up some of the runaway government spending. Not that David Cameron is making much of an effort to stop that: all he's really doing is shoring up the wealthy and screwing the poor, the elderly and anyone else who needs societal support to keep body and soul together. Where Gordon Brown's Big Society was actually Big Brother pretending to be benevolent, Mr Cameron's interpretation is that society has to provide as little help as possible to those who need it, and as much as possible to those who don't.

Ah well. At least we're entering a period of "politics as usual". That is, the wealthy and powerful screwing those who aren't as much as they can. I like that sort of politics. They're simple. Like me. :-)

Carolyn Ann

Mr Obama doesn't prevaricate on Wisconsin

President Obama waded into the whole Wisconsin fiasco - he said Governor Walker's actions were "an assault on unions". This, apparently, annoyed House Speaker John Boehner. He said Mr Obama had "unleashed the Democratic National Committee to spread disinformation and confusion in Wisconsin."

As the man who can't get his own caucus to listen to him, he felt a need to give Mr Obama some leadership advice:

"Rather than shouting down those in office who speak honestly about the challenges we face, the president and his advisers should lead. Until they do, they are not focusing on jobs, and they are not listening to the American people who put them in power."

Oh dear. Mr Obama, with a 51% approval rating isn't listening to the people. So says the man with a 45% approval rating among those who have heard of him. Hmm. The Democrats get along reasonably well with the unions. A Republican Governor has launched an unnecessary and antagonistic campaign against a union and its members. And Mr Boehner wants Mr Obama to agree with Republican Governor Scott Walker? I'll guess Mr Obama's criticism stung so much that Mr Boehner cried into his milk. Oops, make that "his Merlot".

The Republicans, yet again, stand up for the interests of big business and entrenched interests. Their new motto? "Screw the working stiff!"

Carolyn Ann

Hard, brutal, men try to stay in power

So the hard men of the Middle East looked at Egypt and decided Hosni Mubarak had been too soft.

Somehow I don't think their brutal tactics will do much more than quell the uprisings, and perhaps make their second showings all the more violent. Peace worked in Egypt because the army stayed pretty neutral; in other places, the armed forces are anything but neutral observers - they're corrupt and invested in the very economies they're supposed to protect.

Besides - the west isn't watching quite as closely.

Carolyn Ann

“We didn’t get elected to worry about the politics.”

There are idiots and then is Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker. He's the one that issued that quote.

He's playing politics at a level that defies belief, and common sense, and then claims he's not worrying about the politics? Let me see... He goes straight for the jugular of the Democrats and the labor unions, and he's not worrying about politics? Either the man knows he's won, or he's a moron. I'm not ruling out both, come to that.

If the man had staged his effort, by, perhaps, demanding the wage adjustments, the pension and health care contribution increases, he could have easily won the argument. Public sector employees aren't the most popular critters around at the moment. But he all but declares "Hunting Licenses are available in the lobby", instead.

And everyone bitches and whines when the Democrats pull a perfectly acceptable stunt: leave town. Heck, leave the state! The Wisconsin State Police were charged with bringing them in: what are they going to do? Arrest them and charge them with thwarting the Governor's plans? (Mind you, it's only a matter of time before one of the Dems gets enticed back, giving Mr Walker his quorum, and a dastardly victory.)

Assuming Mr Walker prevails, and I'm not sure it's a slam-dunk he will, he's going to regret this. You don't "annoy" your workforce without repercussion! Besides, a half decent PR campaign and the man will spend the rest of his term on the defensive.

Perhaps his inspiration is Sarah? You know: quit half way through.

Carolyn Ann

Cranky Cat...

For some reason, Oliver got himself all upset and worked up this morning. At 4AM.

Copper was being his usual restless self, and jumped up on the bed; normally I'm used to this, and don't wake up. This morning he was especially "vigorous" in his athletics, and woke me up. And, apparently, Oliver. Who promptly started to get all worked up. Nothing, it seemed, would calm him down.

Considering that I went to bed at 1AM, it's quite possible young Mr Oliver is the reason I got about 4 hours of snoring in before I had to get up. 3 hours in one session, and another hour or so before the clock went off.

What's particularly amazing is that Oliver is still feeling bad tempered! And a little sleepy.

Carolyn Ann

They're kidding, right?

T-Central has done a reasonable job of being relevant to the transgender blogosphere. It lists many transgender and transsexual blogs; not all of them, there's still an unknown and definitely arbitrary gate for acceptance, but in general I'd say the proprietors of that service do a reasonable job, even if one of the administrators dislikes actual discussion.

It seems, however, they've recently branched into the pornographic:

Flagging Opinicus Rampant is a sex blog. It's a blog about how to have sex. It's about gay sex - well, more accurately, "queer sex". It seems to specialize in the more arcane, more fetishistic sex acts. I guess someone perceived the need for a manual on "flagging" (I didn't even know such a thing existed. I tell you, you can learn something new everyday!) and produced one. Laudably, it seems to have a goal of keeping its readers alive so they can go onto learn, and presumably enjoy, ever more sexual experiences. (Which is in sharp contrast to the pornographic transgender imagery on Flickr that I recently wrote about. Those celebrate bathhouse (or its modern equivalent: the motel room) sex.)

As far as I can tell, it was introduced to T-Central's listing with no fanfare. I can well understand the desire to not bring attention to what might be, correctly, perceived as a new direction for T-Central: pornography. What I really don't understand is why it's on a list of transgender blogs. Well, a list of predominantly transgender blogs. (I still have no idea what dreaming about crossdressing has to do with anything transgendered!)

Considering how opaque T-Central is, I doubt we'll ever know. It is interesting, though. Has T-Central decided it wants to be a dark corner of the Internet? Would anyone want to be associated with such a blog listing service? Is it a ploy simply to generate traffic? It's not a mistake - the blog has been on the listing service for some time, now. At this point I'm rather glad my blog isn't listed (alongside) that one: I'd be writing to them demanding removal. While I have no issue with someone producing such a blog, I applaud it, actually, that in no way implies that I want to set up shop next door to them. I'm not in a position to speak for anyone else, but I'm fairly sure that there are a few people out there who don't want their blogs listed next to a queer sex site, either!

Let's see what T-Central does next: will it start to include more pornographic blogs? Will its owners decide to cater to a smaller, but perhaps more enthusiastic, audience? Have they already made that decision, but in typical style neglected to tell their loyal readers? Who knows? Somehow, I have my doubts there's agreement between the administrators.

(Added: Its entirely possible one of the T-Central administrator's is really into "flagging", and simply wanted to anonymously share her predilection.)

What I do know is that, increasingly, T-Central is becoming more and more irrelevant to my reading and learning of the transgender experience. It's not that I've moved on from them, it's that they include the irrelevant with the relevant.

Carolyn Ann

Fuck the Tea Party

I was thinking about complexity. About how complex the world is. Getting the news isn't simple, anymore. Once upon a time, a lad or lass on a bicycle shoved a copy of the paper through your letterbox. Or tossed one on your lawn, if you're in the US. (And elsewhere, presumably.) If you were the first Sun on the delivery route, your newspaper was read - at least to Page 3 - by the paperboy. ... Well, mine were. :-)

Now? Now you need to know Windows, or OS X. You need a computer, and an Internet connection. (Who said the news was free?) Computers are machines, they go wrong. They need fixing, like a washing machine. But a washing machine doesn't have viruses, or networks, or go obsolete by the time you've opened the box.

And then there's private business. Personally, I think the Tea Party has it wrong: it's not government intrusion and interference in our lives we need fear, it's what Ayn Rand said was out savior: business. Just think, in the US, we're ruled by credit rating agencies. There are three big ones - any others don't matter. You want to insure your car? The insurance company checks your credit rating. You want to buy a new sofa? The furniture company checks your credit rating. You're just starting in life? The traditional "gas (petrol) credit card" company checks your credit rating. You want a job? Your potential employer checks your credit rating. It often seems that if you drop dead, the funeral director will check your credit rating.

And then there's Google, Microsoft, Apple, the phone companies, the electric company and so on. They all require, demand, things of you. They impose terms of service that service them, and not you. And to use their services, which you have to, you have to agree to them.

The problem isn't big government - it's Big Business!

They also, as it happens, have the money and power to pay lobbyists to keep it that way. And, it seems, they have the power to fund astroturfed political movements that seem hell bent on removing whatever protections the ordinary person has against big business.

Fuck the Tea Party and the damn ramshackle, disease-ridden horse and cart they rode in on.

Carolyn Ann

...nac I

The wife: come to bed!

Me: By god, I can't stand straight, I can't see straight, and by all that's fucking holy, I'll be damned if I can reckon straight. But I know two things: bullshit and sommat else. Wot was it? Oh yeah, I can epyt straight!

Sort of... :-D

Carolyn Ann

You know what's really scary? ...gnikinht tuohtiw slasrever eht did I

(That particular reveral? Well, that took some effort! :-) )

A black skirt

I want a black skirt.

Simple, right?

A staple of any (feminine) professional wardrobe.

Right.

Try buying a simple black skirt. Not a fancy one. Not a fashionable, size -2 one. A real woman (person, well, chap, in my case) sized one.

Macy's? Check.
Boskov's? Yeah.
JC Penny? You're kidding, right?
Sears? You're not kidding. You're delusional! I won't buy a screwdriver from that place, these days.

Ge the picture? I'm sure Nordstrom's could help, but they aren't where I am. And their average cost is slightly more than my average annual income. Where slightly is "a lot".

Harrod's could help, but my account there was, at best informal, and at its most legalistic - nonexistent. (Which doesn't explain so much... :-) Ah, the memories...) Besides which, I live in southern New Jersey and Harrod's does business on another continent.

Ah. Deptford. Either an old area of London, or a place at the southern end of mid-Jersey. Macy's has a store there. My Mrs, my wonderful Mrs, has an account with Macy's (I do too, but I've long forgotten the details and Macy's would probably prefer to keep it that way...) So we wandered the store. She got some items, and a wonderful handbag - I got to live a fantasy while I slipped her current handbag over my shoulder while she tried on various bags - and I got a black skirt.

In the AM (or PM, it depends on when I wake up), I'll see if the skirt is for me. :-)

Truth be told, I really hope it is. I'm quite sure my neighbors would like to see me wander down the mailbox in something other than hot pink pants (with black heels and a really fun black sweater) or a blue-steel skirt and pink sweater. Not that I have that many neighbors who could see me wander down the mailbox. (1.)

Here's hoping! :-)

Carolyn Ann

US Chamber of Commerce: put on your big girl panties!

The US Chamber of Commerce decided the best reaction to being exposed trying to subvert their opponents was... A whiney blog post?

Yup. Tom Collamore - I hesitate to call him the author of the inanity in question (I have little doubt he's the person charged with putting his name to it) - whines that a progressive website is trying to undermine the Chamber of Commerce and the American Way. Especially that American Way that makes everyone but Glenn Beck (and Mr Collamore's bosses) queasy.

What a dick.

Carolyn Ann

A quick survey...

I did a quick survey of transgender blogs: how many mentioned Egypt.

Here's the number: 1. 2.

Excluding this one.

Helen, as I expected, was aware of global happenings. She highlighted the dangers of concentrating on Egypt, to the expense of women in America. Lest we not forget: there is a serious Republican challenge upon women's rights. They prefer women to be chattel, and object when those same women assert they are not!

Does the world not exist? Is the transgender world restricted to pretty stories? Are we, desperate in our politic, blind to global events? Is our world about pretty skirts and looking alluring? You'll forgive me if I neglect those for whom the world is the endless variety of cock and whether they should be photographed sucking on one encompassed by a condom, or not?

What happened in Egypt affects us all. It affects Israel (who, it's safe to say, blew it), it affects Europe, America, everyone. The world changed today because of some exceptionally brave people. They didn't throw bombs, they didn't demand this or that. What they demanded was freedom. And that's not important?

Freedom.

Imperfect. But better than the many alternatives.

Egypt will be as important as America. And I count one person writing about it. And she isn't even transgendered!

Helen, you have my respect, as you always have done.

Oops: I missed one. Zoe Brain reposted a bunch of photos from another blog, and then equated what was happening in Egypt to the October Revolution of 1917. The one that created the Soviet Union... I'm not sure anyone but Glenn Beck agrees with her.

Carolyn Ann

Alrighty, then..

Okay: who are you going to believe? A major, well known, anti-Obama syndicate or an underfunded group of enthusiastic folk?

Let me see... The United State Chamber of Commerce? Let me see. They're supposed to represent business interests. They have a vested interest in, what? Oh, yeah, business. So why do credit card consumer protections not apply to small businesses? As a consumer I now have the law on my side when it comes to avaricious credit card companies. Thanks to groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, any business credit card I have is not subject to the same rules. In fact, thanks to those morons, it's not subject to any rules whatsoever.

Because they're mad a black progressive was elected President.

Carolyn Ann

Saint Anderson

Throughout this whole crisis in Egypt, I've been watching Anderson Cooper. He's been my, well, the chap I've turned to. Wolf Blitzer is a superb journalist, absolutely superb. He's been incredible over the last few weeks - he seems to have that knack of knowing what's going to happen before it does. But when it came to the Egyptian street, to the raw emotion of the event, Mr Cooper was the man we wanted to see.

This is not to denigrate any of the journalists Mr Cooper worked with - they were all superb. They reported what they were seeing, and what they saw was a peaceful revolution. Mahatma Gandhi would be proud of what the Egyptian people accomplished. As one chap noted, in the last few weeks, more governments have been overturned by peaceful means than any in the history of modern terrorism.

Baader-Meinhoff? Eat yer sorry frickin' hearts out. Al Qaida? Go shit a brick. (If you'll excuse the profanity!)

Edward R. Murrow was there when London was being bombed. A tyrant was trying to impose his view of the world upon it; Mr Murrow reported on Londoners efforts to stand up to that bastard. They prevailed; he knocked himself off. (Can he spell "coward" in his death?)

Anderson Cooper kept Egypt Front Row Center. He didn't let up in his coverage. It didn't matter if he was taking cover in some Cairo apartment, with low light, or being beaten by pro-Mubarak supporters (thugs), the man kept reporting. The people working with him, Ben Wedeman, Hala Gorani, Ivan Watson, were fantastic. Mr Cooper was a part of their team - but I think they became Mr Cooper's team.

Without Anderson Cooper, I don't think the western press would have persisted in their coverage. Hosni Mubarak's henchmen tried to silence the press, but they reckoned without Mr Anderson. How do you reckon the contribution of the journalists? The Egyptian anchors who apologized for lying, for so long - should we believe their contrition? The Chinese, recognizing their own demise within Egypt's popular uprising - what should the world think of their official cowardice? But what of the journalists? So many reported from Tahrir Square. So many vied to be a part of the story. CNN became part of the story.

Who remembers the reporters from Fox News? We should recall that Christiane Amanpour was set upon with alacrity. Mr Cooper was, too. Like Wolf Blitzer, Ms Amanpour tells us of a world that is changing.

Anderson Cooper can honestly say he was part of it. Listening to Mr Cooper, I commented to the Mrs that the many who have appeared on his show, and been shown fools as a result, should be thanking they were not the target of his passion. Mr Mubarak insulted Egypt - and then he insulted Anderson. And Mr Cooper was not happy Mr Mubarak was lying to his own people. No sir, he was not.

Anderson Cooper kept the world focussed on the most important revolution in recent history. Tunisia was brave, they threw off their dictator. They set the stage for Egypt, for the Egyptians to have a peaceful revolution. Tunisia demonstrated it could be done. Egypt proved it could be.

This evening, we get the news that this mysterious military council has fired the entire cabinet, most of the parliament and is laying the ground for a journey to a Turkic democracy. They know that Anderson Cooper, along with the people he enlisted, called upon, or worked with, helped the Egyptian people lay those foundations. They know Mr Cooper's inquisitive eye will be upon them.

The world owes a debt to such journalists. I am certain in saying that the Egypt would not be what it is today - uncertain of its future, but bright in it - would not be the same without Anderson Cooper. He told the world the Egyptian people were important. And, by their own God, they are.

My god, what a man. What. A. Man.

Carolyn Ann

Edit: I changed the title from Saint Cooper to Saint Anderson. :-)

What does it mean...

When you look through the Flickr stream of a transgendered person and ignore the person? I wanted to see their house. :-|

Well, it did look quite nice, with some fabulous views. :-)

Carolyn Ann

PS No, I'm not telling you who; I don't want to annoy that person.

He's gone!

He finally got the hint, and left. Like someone who overstays his welcome, believing he's the life and soul of the party that ended awhile ago, Hosni Mubarak just wouldn't find the door. Well, it now seems he stumbled, ungraciously, through it.

Instead of departing with some dignity and an invitation to come back, the people are thankful he's gone, and are swearing they'll never talk to the man again!

So what comes next? Another "strongman"? Vested interests, in the form of army generals who've gotten wealthy from Mr Mubarak's tenure? Or a democracy, a true democracy? The challenges that await Egypt have only gotten more complex; I have absolutely no doubt that they can get through them. It's not, after all, all that long since Eastern Europe made its migration to democracy.

All in all a good day for Egypt, and for the Middle East. Let's hope the push for democracy continues.

Carolyn Ann

Political Pissants Parlay

So Donald Trump observed that Ron Paul doesn't stand a snow ball in hell's chance of being elected President. Rand Paul, Ron Paul's son, said The Donald had less chance than his father. (Faint praise indeed!)

The only interesting bit of CPAC news is that Sarah didn't attend. That irritated Rick Santorum, whom you might remember lost his last election by a considerable amount. 18 points, according to Gail Collins. (That's a lot of points to lose by!)

Sarah apparently had a scheduling conflict.

Added: Apparently Sarah doesn't have a very positive of an opinion of Rick: she called him a "knuckle-dragging Neanderthal".

I wonder what was more important than attending a conservative showboating rally? Why do I detect the whiff of an odd political strategy?

Carolyn Ann

Exciting times to be a reporter

Right now, I'd hate to be a Newsman/person. Someone like Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, John King, Candy Crowley or Hala Gorani. Never mind Ben Wedeman or Ivan Watson (or Fred). With things happening so quickly in Egypt, sleep is not going to be much of an option! And they have to look reasonably alert, make sense and most importantly: communicate. Heck, even Fareed Zakaria isn't going to get much sleep! (And he's a commentator!)

I know it's exciting being so close to the action (so to speak), but surely they need to sleep like the rest of us? You can get by on adrenalin only for so long.

Still, I'm glad CNN is covering the Egyptian Revolution.

I'm riveted to the news - and I'm simply consuming it! And now I'm off downstairs to watch some more.

Personally, I'm rooting for the Egyptian people.

Carolyn Ann

Proofing in languages I don't speak?

I've decided that the time has come to install Microsoft Office 2011. (I picked the version without Outlook; I don't need it, and the 3-license Home/Student edition was $145-ish, versus $190 for the 1-license version with Outlook. Who said Microsoft makes things unnecessarily complicated? Oh... Yeah, that's right. I did. :-) )

So I set about installing it. Pressing the "Customize" button, as one does, I was greeted with:

I'm not going to assume I know better than the team of people who figured this installation out, but why would I ever want to proof in Catalan? Or Danish? Or Japanese? I don't speak those languages, never mind read or write in them! I'll stick to English, thank you very much. I have some familiarity with that language, although exactly how much is, and has been, a topic of debate. :-)

Carolyn Ann

I'm making dinner...

The Mrs gave me instructions for a Mexican pasta-thing (macaroni with a Mexican-ized meatloaf?). I'm supposed to make it for dinner.

I'm wondering how much notice the local gastronomic emergency department needs...

Get the Tums ready...

Carolyn Ann

"Obama is not..."

Hat-tip to Renée:

From StumbleUpon.

Carolyn Ann

To those who favor Egyptian stability over Egyptian democracy

At this point, after listening to an Egyptian chap chant "liberty or death!", and know he means it, I have to say that it's morally repugnant to argue for regional stability over the rights of the Egyptians.

It always was, it's just more so now.

As Anderson Cooper keeps pointing out: these people are no longer afraid. They want liberty - I think it's up to the west to help them realize it.

Carolyn Ann

PS Saudi Arabia is being helpful. They've apparently told Egypt that they'll replace any loss of aid from the US. Gee, with friends like that, do we really need enemies?

"A seriously bad speech"

Brian Whitaker of The Guardian hit the nail on the head:

It was a seriously bad speech. Mubarak seems to have totally misjudged the situation. His start, saying he was speaking as a father to his children, was shockingly patronising. The crowd in Tahrir became increasingly angry as they realised he was offering nothing more than minor concessions.

He also come out with the bizarre assertion that "the current situation" is not about his personality. Everyone else can see that it is about him.

Carolyn Ann

Oh my...

I feel quite chilled by Mr Mubarak's speech. It's not enough that he didn't relinquish power - he simply ignored what the protests are about! He totally ignored the people of Egypt!

Passing "some" power to his new VP? The same man that ran his secret police? Some "investigations"? Oh, yeah - that's going to work. He didn't say he was going to leave.

The crowds are furious. They've been let down - again - by the man who decided to become their leader. These idiots always let their people down. He did the Hugo Chavez: blame others. He did the nationalist. Heck, even did the "I'm the martyr, here" routine. He did a hell of a dance, and basically swore to bring hell to Egypt.

Who knows what will happen now?

It will not be pretty. I truly fear for the Egyptian people.

Carolyn Ann

The power of understatement...

The crowds are furious? Yeah, I'd agree with that in the way I'd agree that a hurricane is a bit breezy.

Carolyn Ann

Wake up the dead: breaking news about Wikileaks' Julian Assange

It seems that Julian Assange is not quite the "imaginative, energetic and brilliant" chap he seems to think he is. It seems that Mr Assange has "a very free and easy relationship with the truth". Wow. Who knew?

From what I can tell, Mr Assange is very clever, but he has the emotional intelligence of a (squashed) squash. This is news? Hardly.

Okay. Leave the dead alone. They don't need to be awakened after all. I'm inclined to a nap, myself. :-) Zzzzz

Carolyn Ann

Mr Mubarak's speech...

While we're waiting for the man, let's see what he might say:

"I'm going on vacation! I'll be floating along De Nile... Ha ha, it was joke, folks! A joke! Remember those? No? Oh. I'll have the secret police teach you about them. ... Calm down! That was another joke! Like my concept of justice: a joke! (Who put that in?) Okay, you want democracy, I'll give you democracy. How about that? All you had to do was ask. I gave. In September, you will be able to vote for whomever you want. There will be two candidates on the ballot: my son, Gamal.

"I have to ask you if you want an Israeli-style democracy? One where a leader who puts himself before both the will of the people and common sense can be elected? You want that? You want a leader who values his power more than he values the people? Do you? (If not, my secret police can be very persuasive, know what I mean?)

"Democracy is hard, just look at America - they keep electing people to office who shouldn't be allowed the title of dog catcher! No, Egypt is not ready for democracy. We need 30 years of practice before we can transition to a full democracy. Perhaps not even then, it depends on who insists on standing for election! How about this? The regime will give you elections in September, and a full democracy when you're ready for it? No? It's a generous offer, you know!

"All in all, I think I will take that vacation. I'm going to my palace, sorry, place in Alexandria - what? You don't expect me to leave the country while there's so much turmoil, do you?"

Let's hope that's not a reasonable guess at his speech.

And the thought of either the army or the Muslim Brotherhood achieving power is starting to make me feel a bit queasy. Not that I have any say in any of it, of course!

Carolyn Ann

Mubarak to go?

Good news, indeed. If it's right!

Hosni Mubarak, it is rumored, will step down tonight (Egypt time, obviously).

The army is said to be waiting to step in. Here's hoping they'll guarantee a secular, democratic, state. A Turkic democracy. One where they take on less and less of a role, although that happening quicker than it did in Turkey would be nice! A few months, not a few decades.

Strong-men of the Middle East, and around the world take note: two of your own have taken flight. Get out now, while you can! (I hear Saudi Arabia has a special deal going.)

Carolyn Ann

Prisoners' rights are in the news, again

I see prisoners' rights are in the news, again. Across the Atlantic, the issue is whether prisoners get to vote or not. In Wisconsin, it's all about the 8th Amendment.

If you commit a crime, you prove yourself incapable of abiding by societal rules. You lose the right to have a say in how society manages itself. (If you can't abide by the rules, why should you get a say in what those rules are?)

And while I nominally agree that what transpires between a doctor and his or her patient should not be subject to needless legislative purview, I'm not sure that the Wisconsin ruling means that a transgendered prisoner is entitled to a sex change if they want one. Here's what happened: some twit decided to target one particular group of prisoners: the transsexual ones. He introduced a law that was basically one of attainder: it denied specific medical treatments to a specific group. While it's debatable whether the 8th Amendment applies, it is certainly unarguable that you shouldn't set a precedent of picking on one group for special treatment, especially if you're set on ensuring a deleterious outcome for that group. So the law was struck down.

Now comes the tricky part. It's not an automatic right for a transsexual prisoner to get hormones. What the judge did was basically say the state had no role in deciding someone's treatment. If the doctor decides hormones are required, the prisoner gets hormones. How far the treatment should be taken was not decided; that is, the judge didn't say that the transsexual prisoner should get a sex change on the taxpayers' dime.

We will have to see if this is taken to the Supreme's, and if they will accept it.

Undoubtedly, some will be annoyed with me. My stance on transsexual prisoners is not, erm, sympathetic. You break the rules, you do not get to decide what is reasonable. Society gets to decide that, along with the usual caveats and protections that society has decided to put in place to ensure some fairness.

Once upon a time it was suggested to me that transsexual prisoners have a right to hormones and other gender treatments because they might kill themselves if such treatment is denied. It's a popular argument. It's also wrong. The potential for something to happen is not the same as it happening. It's a very popular misconception, and is used in all sorts of moral arguments. I have no particular objection to a prisoner receiving hormones if that's what the doctor prescribes. I have no particular objection to a some prisoners arguing they're in the wrong jail; if you're a rapist, only an idiot would argue that you should be housed in a women's prison, no matter what gender they argue they are! (The one exception: a female rapist goes in a women's prison.) What I object to is the assumption that the transsexual prisoner is deserving of rights they never supplied their victim with.

For instance, the murderer who wants to become a woman: no deal. Arguing that you, the murderer, are entitled to some basic respect you never gave your victim is facetious. While the murderer can argue about the quality of their life, and seek to improve it, the victim gets to lie in a grave.

Harsh? Sure. Kill someone and as far as I'm concerned the death penalty is a societal cop-out. Rape someone and I think you should be locked up for life, and I mean life. Get buried in a prisoner's potters field, for all I care. So while I'm a fan of rehabilitation - I think it's fairly well proven to be an effective crime-stopping strategy - there are some crimes so heinous their perpetrators deserve nothing but the minimum required to sustain life.

Obviously, getting the right to vote isn't something a prisoner should ever have. If you've committed a felony, society has a right to deny you the privileges it awards the law-abiding. It's not unfair to deny you the right to vote, to have a say in determining the rules you live by. It's not unfair for society to argue that some medical treatments can't be fully extended to prisoners. The argument is about those limits; it shouldn't be about the absolute rights of the incarcerated.

Carolyn Ann

Misrepresenting himself...

Republican House Congressman Chris Lee (NY) was essentially fired, yesterday. Despite being elected, his party leadership decided he'd misrepresented himself on Craigslist. I absolutely agree he misrepresented himself.

He responded to an ad from a woman looking for a man. His response included a picture of him bare-chested. Here's what he said:

"Hope I'm not a toad. i'm [sic] a very fit fun classy guy. Live in Cap Hill area. 6ft 190lbs blond/blue. 39. Lobbyist. I promise not to disappoint."

Mr Lee's wife probably thinks he's a toad, so he got that bit wrong. He responded with a tacky picture of himself, so he's definitely not a classy guy. Allegedly, he's a representative, so he's not a lobbyist. However, it gets a little fuzzy around that point. As far as anyone who doesn't watch Fox News can tell, the Republicans are all lobbying for some big group or other; most of them can be called the "Representative from the Koch Brothers", but there are the occasional "Representatives from the NRA". So we'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that one: he accurately stated his profession.

So, all in all, his sins are quite minimal for a Congressman. His accuracy in describing his profession, on the hand, was far too accurate.

No doubt that's why he was fired.

Carolyn Ann

TMI, and it's not about you...

Sitting in Barnes & Noble this afternoon, we were regaled with the intimate details, problems, gripes and faults of some lass's wife. There wasn't much choice in listening - I think you had to enter the next county but one to be out of earshot. Certainly anyone within the confines of the store understood both her plight and how dreadfully selfish her wife was.

I felt like going up to her and telling her "TMI" and "it's not about you!" Apparently the young (?) lass in question was feeling a little abandoned by her spouse. Not that the spouse, the woman in the bookstore, was doing much about it all. It seems it's the wife's house, but if something needs to be fixed, the spouse won't contribute - she has a carefully planned something with her money and providing for house and home isn't in there. She's always working, as well. Sacrificing herself upon the alter of commerce, being such an important person (I'm guessing she's trying to be important, based simply on her telling us all about it), she resents it when her wife wants some attention.

And then there was the person the spouse was with. I, along with many others, got the impression the spouse wanted, really wanted, an affair with her. She all but asked permission to make a pass! (Permission was sort of granted. Let me put it this way: they almost left a trail of flame getting out of the store once that part of the "conversation" was concluded.)

At the end of it, I felt really bad for the wife. To be saddled with such a demanding spouse, and one who's quite selfish, to boot!

Sometimes what goes around comes around. And it's still unpleasant to listen to.

Carolyn Ann

Pick on someone your own size!

Speaking of the bed... Last night there was quite a fuss going on under the bed. Max, all 5 belligerent, bossy, pounds of her, was growling and carrying on something awful. A few seconds later Orange, Big Orange, so named because he's big (about 18 lbs) and orange, ran out from the under bed! He looked quite upset and wouldn't talk to anyone for quite some time.

The growling abated. She emerged, looking for a treat or ten.

Poor old Orange. He's quite gentle, and she bullies him something awful.

Carolyn Ann

Oh...

I wander into the bedroom, warbling (massacring...) "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Hamchop (aka Hamlet) looks at me, quite alarmed indeed. I render (destroy) another line of the song. She leaped up and fled to the other side of the bed, disappearing under it.

Oh well. I guess my singing voice needs a tad more work. Perhaps an ability to hit certain notes (only a few: all of them) would be helpful, too? :-)

Carolyn Ann

Is Egypt heading for a civil war?

Well, it seems Mr Mubarak is still in power. American vacillation probably didn't help; Dick Cheney's sudden announcement was probably an encouragement to his laggard supporters. (Dick's always there to "help". Way to go, Dick.) The protestors are at the most dangerous point so far: if the army or the secret police decide to pick them, or their families, off one by one, there's not a lot anyone can do: that fickle thing, the viewing public's attention span, is moving on.

So far neither side is moving. The regime continues to lie; the protestors continue laying down their lives. At some point something will break - there's no way anyone can maintain such a status quo.

If the protestors stand down, the dictators of the region, and around the world, will breath a sigh of relief. Fortunately, bullies are never ones to accept wise counsel. They always have to impose their will and in doing so always take "it" too far. So the Egyptian protestors have plenty to feel angry about, and even more to stay angry about.

It's well past the time when Mr Obama should be telling Egypt "no more money until you implement fair elections and a proper democracy!" Unfortunately he's not dong that: he's trying to please everyone. He's failing to satisfy anyone as a result. Egypt wants a democracy, that much is clear. Unlike the fall of the East Germany, the entrenched interests are clinging to power by any means they can. All that's needed is a spark. Let's hope Mr Mubarak and his cronies realize their time is up.

But I'm not betting on them doing so.

Carolyn Ann

Ebony is shouting

It's so good to hear the lad shouting. He's downstairs, I'm upstairs decompressing from the day.

If you're reading this serially (is there any other way?), you won't know the lad had quite the time of it, this afternoon. He had a stroke and I thought he we'd lost him. It took him awhile to recover, but he did, mostly. And he's spent most of the time since then sleeping. (Who wouldn't?) And eating.

He's not a young man, anymore. The boys are 13; I can still remember them as new borns. We saved Oscar - he wasn't breathing when he was born. We quickly wrapped him in a towel, rubbed him and then put him next to his Mommy for his first breakfast. He's been a fan of the meal ever since...

The last of the litter didn't make; a girl, she was stillborn. I buried her in the backyard; at that time we didn't have a cat graveyard. (We have one now!)

Anyway, normally I tell the lad to hush up when he shouts in the middle of the night. From now on, I'm going to value it. (Not that I didn't before, it's always nice to hear about Ebony's day. I have no idea what he's saying, but he loves to tell the Mrs and me all about his day!)

We love our Ebony. :-)

Carolyn Ann

Tight white skirts

I was just thinking about a moment, years and years ago, when I took a math exam. For some stupid reason, I'd taken a degree course; I say stupid because I was interested in wine (beer), women (and their attire) and song. Math was way down the list of things I was interested in. I did the work, barely passed the course and spent the exam preparation time in a drunken haze. That I turned up to take the exam was a miracle. Not in high heels; I'd worn those the night before, to much ribald comment from my fellow mathematicians. Well, they were mathematicians. I was simply an idiot in high heeled boots. Quite a simple idiot, come to that. (Oh, how so much has changed. And I really haven't... :-) )

I got amazingly drunk and "came to" sitting on some girl's bed, telling her who knows what. All I can remember is she told me her slips were in a particular drawer, and I was welcome to put one on. I still wonder what I told her. I do remember she was very pretty.

And I remember the wheel falling off my car on the way home. Not because of any misdeeds, but simply because I'd changed the wheel and had forgotten to tighten the wheel nuts. That might have been because I was in a rush to change the wheel. If memory serves, I was wearing a tight white skirt and kitten heels.

Or was that another time? I forget. Probably for the best.

Carolyn Ann

Nah, I'm not interested

I was asked, today, if I was interested in my score in that recent exam. I noted that no one in the class had failed the exam; that must mean I'd passed. Unless something changes in the meantime. It might - the department head and I don't exactly get along. And considering I completely and absolutely misunderstood the instructions about the exam subject matter, I wouldn't be surprised if I was requesting a retake in the near future.

But interested in how I did?

I can't say I am.

Carolyn Ann

Her ears were too young

Over the weekend I was drooling looking at some new Mac laptops. Not to buy; just to fantasize about buying. I really don't like the screens. "Nice and glossy" is a polite way of saying "if you want to look at it, get younger eyes!" Well, I don't - I like the ones I've got. They're not as sharp as they used to be, but they ain't too bad, and they work.

A young lass asked me if I wanted any help; I felt like saying "yes! I'd like to read this damn screen!", but I refrained. Her ears were too young for my potential profanity.

The wife really liked the iPad, though. So much I thought she was going to buy one! (She didn't.)

Carolyn Ann

Mr Cameron and Lesser Britain

I've seen Tony Blair in hostile interviews. He gives as good as he gets, and he defends Britain. The man may have his faults (and, oh boy, does that man have faulty vision. And a somewhat dodgy memory...), but when it comes to telling you that Britain has an important role in the world, by gum - you believed him.

I watched a bit of Fareed Zakaria's interview with David Cameron, the other day.

"Wheezing", "sniveling", "whining". Three adjectives that came to mind. I'll swear David Cameron squeaked when Mr Zakaria asked the Really Important Question: is Britain relevant to world affairs? (Of course it is.)

Britain, after Thatcher the Thug was through, was a shell of its former self. But it still has a role in the world.

Oh damn. It doesn't. The fleet was just called back from some patrolling because the Navy ran out money.

David Cameron is clearly on a mission to complete what Maggie the Mob Boss started: the complete and utter destruction of Great Britain. Let me put it this way: if David squeaked any more, I'm quite sure Mr Zakaria would fetch some oil.

Lesser Britain, anyone?

Carolyn Ann

Mr Mubarak is a good guy. Dick said so.

So Dick Cheney has seen fit to wade into the whole Egyptian Crisis. It's not enough that Mr Obama has ultimately chosen "waffling" as his firm opinion on the whole matter, Mr Shoot First, Get 'Em To Apologize Later, has now said Hosni Mubarak was a good friend of America.

Sure he was.

Let me see... $2 Billion in aid money. Help with weapons systems. Tear gas containers. No mention of the his secret police. We can ship our captured terrorists in for a bit of Hosni's Secret Police Torture.

Yeah. Dick would say Hosni was a pal. Let me put it this way: I doubt Dick was ever encouraged to ask Hosni on a shooting trip.

Anyway, with friends like Hosni, I'm not sure America ever needed any enemies.

Carolyn Ann

Julian Assange is in the news. Again.

Apparently Mr Assange is somewhat concerned about his fate.

I think it would be mean to point out that he might have considered the fate of others before releasing all those cables verbatim. Mean, but not unreasonable.

Be that as it may, I'm trying to tell myself "there's not much chance of a conspiracy" by those powerful authorities he has arrayed against him. But the coincidences keep piling up, and the vitriol and hatred against him haven't damped down.

Right now, I feel a little bit sorry for the man. Not because he's reaping a small piece of what he sowed, but because his fate is in the hands of a definitely Kafka-esque "prosecutor". There are punishments that can be inflicted upon a man that don't include actual prosecution.

I do wonder if he realizes he's Josef K? And, after revealing the identities the US would prefer to keep secret, and alive, does he realize the irony of his situation?

My guess? Probably not. Conceited men rarely acknowledge their own irony.

Carolyn Ann

Ebony had a dreadful day

Our wee man Ebony had a stroke, today. Poor lad was carrying on something awful; thrashing around, eyes dead, fur all coarse and lackluster. He really didn't too well. I did what I could, and eventually he came out of it. He couldn't walk for a bit, but eventually he recovered his strength.

The whole experience scared him, and me! (And the Mrs when I told her about it.) I really thought we'd lost him. The boys (Oscar, Jeremy and Ebony) are 13 tomorrow; it only seems like yesterday when they were born, and yet it seems like a long time ago.

He's sitting by the fire in the breakfast room at the moment. The stroke definitely did something, because he doesn't seem to be quite the same lad. Poor fellow, he doesn't understand. All he likely knows was the pain of it all. We could take him to the vet, but we're not sure that would be helpful, and it would stress him more than he needs, right now.

Poor Ebbs.

Carolyn Ann

Troubles with tribbles

The tribbles got into my laptop and oh, did they ever cause trouble!

Here's what happened: I figured I'd better update my copy of iPhoto; the new one is iPhoto 11, and I have 9. (I have no idea why they jumped "X"...) You can now download just iPhoto; previously you had to buy iLife, which has a whole bunch of programs in it. And it's more expensive: $49 instead of $14.95. App Store, Apple's new store front, told me I had iPhoto installed. "Yes, I know", I told it. I eventually called Apple. They spent quite a lot of time verifying that I only had iPhoto 9. One support tech supplied the reason: iPhoto has two version numbers. The marketing one, and the one the programmers use. The About box displays both. So iPhoto 9 is iPhoto 8, and iPhoto 11 is iPhoto 9. Go that? You're doing better than me. :-)

Nothing worked. App Store kept telling me I had iPhoto installed, and it wouldn't allow me to buy the new improved version. I renamed the file: ~iPhoto. App Store asked me if I wanted to buy and download iPhoto! "Yes, please" said I.

One download later...

This morning I outlined the problem to the Mrs; I told I needed a new disk to put the iPhoto database on. Mostly because there were some reports of peopling losing their photographs when they upgraded to iPhoto 11. Better safe than sorry. Best Buy is having a sale, and I think it's only today. Go there. I got lucky - a 2TB Western Digital for $99.99! Amazing!

Knowing that the Mac file system is, well, best described as "a bit fragile", I cautiously approached the next phase of the project: making sure all our photographs were protected. We have a 35GB database of pictures; it resides on a small external drive. How to copy it? I tried actually copying it. That didn't work. I tried zipping it. That crashed the machine. I tried again, creating the zip file on a different disk; that didn't work and crashed the iPhoto disk. This is commonly called "Not Good". Then the machine crashed, and wouldn't properly come back to life. This is commonly called "Really Not Good".  Do various things to the machine; keep trying variations of the same things. (Hey, it's the Republican way: if it worked for them, it should work for me... Oh, it never did work for them, did it? Never mind...)

It's 4PM, on Sunday. The Apple store closes at 6. If the traffic is good, it's about 45 minutes; if not, an hour. Superbowl Sunday? Traffic should be good. It wasn't.

I grabbed a disk utility and headed out the door. (I did stop and pay for it, first. Of course!)

Get home. Pop disk utility in. It spends a lot of time examining the disks and then tells me everything looks fine. Okee-dokee... Try rebooting. Nothing. Do the "unplug/take out battery' routine. Try machine. It can't even see the disk. Eventually the disk appears; and then the new 2TB monster disk appears - Yippeee! I can even see what's on the recalcitrant disk. Double Yippeee! I try copying the iPhoto database to the new disk.

The machine crashes.

I try different things. The Mrs says "No Way" when I ask if I can use her machine to test an idea. I try some other things. I do incantations to any and all deities (didn't work, I'm guessing they don't exist... Purely on the basis that if they did exist, at least one of them would Make It Work. :-) ). I appeal to the Queen, Elton John (same person?..) and Terry Wogan (popular British DJ from Way Back When Dinosaurs Ruled The Land). I wave a cat over the machine, muttering dark prayers and light promises. The cat ran away. He won't come near me at the moment.

Nothing. Nada. Not a thing.

I remember the faulty disk drive has a USB port. I plug a USB cable into it. Viola! It all works! Amazing! Hysterical cackling results - I called it laughing joyfully, but the Mrs disagreed. I grabbed the iPhoto database with my mouse (that definitely sounds more dramatic than "I pointed at the filename with the cursor...") And... The machine crashed.

iPhoto is evil. I am forced to conclude that iPhoto is evil. It has gone to the dark side, and it's version of Windows' Blue Screen of Death is the endless spinning pizza, and a crashed disk.

I will conquer it! I will be its Emperor! I will rule it until its dying day! And so on and so forth. All that's standing between me and the fulfillment of those promises is making it all actually work. (This is where I break down, sobbing and crying and begging for Linux... The next stage will be tearfully acknowledging that Microsoft Windows sometimes works. I'm really hoping I don't have to go that deep.)

:-D

Carolyn Ann

PS Oh: I actually do know what the problem is: the Firewire cable connecting the disk to the computer must have broken somehow. It's causing no end of problems that go away when it's not plugged in. Ergo, that wire has something wrong with it.

Victoria's Secret ain't worth keeping, anymore

Wandering over to the Apple Store at Christiana Mall, Delaware, we had to pass a Victoria's Secret store.

How cheap, how backward, they have become.

Knickers with broad hints written upon them, bras that do more in a photograph than they could dream of in real life; these items aren't classic, or leading. They are a teen boy's fantasy of "desirable", the girl's abdication to that fantasy. These garments aren't the attire of the powerful woman - they're the garments men like to impose upon their chattel. They're not fantasy, they're a nightmare.

It struck me that Victoria's Secret, the haunt of a many a crossdresser, transgenderist, or transsexual figuring out they're transsexual, has become a playground for those who think that women are chattel. I wondered if they'd be taken over by some Russian Oligarch, such was the bad taste and awful clothing.

VS's used to be classy! They provided a fantasy, an unachievable fantasy, to a young crossdresser, hoping that by putting on this or that garment he'd be somehow feminine. Or at least more feminine than he appeared.

Alas, today's Victoria is more likely to suit him up in an uncomfortable but free thong and while applauding their own liberation show him, and many a young lass, that a woman doesn't command her own sexuality. She is at the mercy of the stylemongers of a firm that has a board uncomfortable with examining the very knickers it sells. He is at the mercy of his own fantasies. Nothing can be done for him; for her, she needs to know what real lingerie is. She should know that she doesn't need to look like a cheap tart. He needs to learn that being a woman isn't about abdication, or living out pornographic fantasies. Victoria's Secret is not the place to learn such lessons.

Victoria used to have a secret. These days she's a hooker in a store front in Amsterdam's Red Light District. Conveniently and dishonestly sanitized for the mall-going parents of America.

Carolyn Ann

Every time...

...I do some late night muttering, I always end it with "The Blizzard" by Judy Collins. :-)



(Most people think of it as "Colorado".)

We saw her perform this at Carnegie Hall; it was a magical experience. I think she wore the same outfit; she looked wonderful, I remember that. There are some women who simply take your breathe away, and she's one of them! (I assume some will think those words sexist. Pah! Beauty is as beauty is. :-) )

It's an astonishing song. There's so much going on in the lyrics, it's almost too much to sort it all out. And then you realize: it's actually not that important. The words are what they are, and the personal tale they tell is for the supermarket tabloids, if they had the wit to be vaguely intelligent.

It's one of the things I miss about living in New York and London: the chance to see people so talented they leave you breathless in admiration. It's such a treat.

Carolyn Ann

True Grit

I've never seen the John Wayne version. Apparently it was rewritten to better reflect his persona; one that Ronald Reagan, a B-movie actor and someone who should have been indicted for his crimes, assumed, exploited and enjoyed. The Right still gets confused when you talk about Ronnie; they think you mean the fictional chap John Wayne forever portrayed.

The daring remake has no particular heroism, no particular hero. It has a cast of hard men and a lass who became hard before her youth was over. I've not read the book - I most certainly will! - but this a story of America. It's not pretty, it's not glossed over, it's told as it is seen.

As I sat and watched the movie, I was enthralled by how accurately it tells us of America. Not just then, but now. Not the rugged individualism of Mr Wayne; but how even the most rugged individual needs help, and sometimes that assistance is provided unwillingly, grudgingly and even antipathetically. But it is provided. The stark minimalism of the photography was different to "No Country For Old Men"; the desperation of that movie was replaced by optimism. A man, Rooster Cogburn, makes some foolish decisions, but he ultimately gets around to making the right ones. America is like that; I forget who, but one of its more famous politicians observed that America will do what is right once it has tried everything else. "What is the right decision?", the movie asks us. Unlike Mr Wayne's frequently simplistic explanations, the Coen Brothers don't bother to tell us. They let us figure it out for ourselves. Gov'mint interference? The racism that prevents a to-be-hanged Indian from saying a thing? What's right? What's wrong? Can we define them? Only a fool says "yes"; it appears there are plenty of fools around.

Considering that while I love Westerns, but I'd never say I was an expert in them, I'm forced to say that the new True Grit is the best Western ever produced. It eclipses Clint Eastwood's astonishing "The Unforgiven", and that was a hell of a movie, and heck of tale. True Grit has to be one of the most violent movies I've ever seen; and yet none of it is gratuitous. There is, quite literally, not a spare moment in the film. Unlike "No Country (etc)", we're not dealt a tale of desperation, of a national metaphor that has Karl Rove as the puppeteer, with a varied cast of characters who invoke fear, we're shown a nation that is inspiring.

That's the America I know.

I loved the movie. :-)

Carolyn Ann

Anderson...

When Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffith were hosting the New Year's celebrations on CNN, some Jumped Up Tart of a drag queen insulted Mr Cooper with some immediately forgettable but mean-spirited remark about his mother. I have no doubt that particular drag queen will not be featured in next year's performance.

Meanwhile I think that when the history of the Egyptian Revolution is examined, Anderson Cooper's reporting will be considered a prime factor, perhaps even a catalyst. John King, over in Washington is providing superb support. Mr Cooper is aided by an amazingly talented and astute team, ranging from John King and Professor Fouad Ajami, Ben Wedeman, Ivan Watson, and so many others. I apologize for either not knowing, or being so lame I forget, their names.

Professor Ajami has been particularly impressive; this evening, when Mr Cooper asked him what he thought about the forthcoming weekend, Prof. Ajami basically said "the story is what you're reporting". Mr Cooper interviewed Christiane Amanpour; one reporter who should never have left CNN. I hope she returns - you can change the world on CNN. On ABC, not so much - you might get to report on it. His interview should go down as one of the best ever - we derived an impression that was both believable and, if you're in the White House, actionable. Ms Amanpour, after all, did interview Hosni Mubarak himself.

As events in Egypt unfold, I find I myself continually turning to Mr Cooper to help me make sense of them, and tell me of them. He doesn't do analysis - he leaves that for others. What he does is be a reporter and tell us what he sees.

He's not the next Murrow - he's forging his own path, thank you very much. What he is accurate, timely and unbowed. Such men shape history, even as they report tell us of it.

As stupid as it sounds (reads?), I'm inclined to consider it a privilege to be able to have such a reporter telling us of history.

Carolyn Ann

Optimism versus Conservative-ism?

Zoe Brain, the other day, published a small photo gallery displaying the gradual, or perhaps not so gradual, Islamization of Cairo University. Covering a few decades, it shows how the students became more Islamic. Her parting words were "For a guide to what's happening in Egypt, see the events of 93 years ago."

Her words have troubled me.

Not just for their inherent pessimism and inaccuracy; nor do I neglect their arrogance - what right do we in the west have to tell Egypt how to handle their future? I think Zoe misses the point of the protests, and of the Islamization of Cairo University.

The oppressed will always search for an identity.

Zoe ignores recent history.

Egypt has a secret police force; it is secular, and its sole intent is to maintain the status quo. While it doesn't pursue its edict as enthusiastically as some of history's infamous secret police forces, it's a power - it acts as a brake on anything that could threaten the here and now. In such an environment, what are people to do? Act "responsibly"? What is "responsible" in such circumstances?

So what if the people of Egypt choose a Socialist path? They are not engaging in a rerun of 1917 - to imply as much is irresponsible, and unnecessarily alarmist and fearful. We know from the last 20 years that the overthrow of a dictator leads to uncertainty and unrest; the results of any revolution can't be known: America managed something so rarely achieved, while France produced Robespierre and Danton. Who knows whom Tunisia and Egypt will produce? I sincerely hope Mohamed ElBaradei will ascend to the Egyptian Presidency; he is probably the best hope for a free future for the nation. But it's a revolution: we basically have to wait and see. The Brotherhood has no one to offer; I expect they'll implode before turning violent. Like the IRA, they are an insidious and deadly foe; but to paint them as such is neither helpful nor accurate.

No, I believe Zoe is wrong in her pessimism. She echoes the conservatives who value the world as it is; in failing to look at historical precedence, the false and needlessly facetious implication of historical precedence, she displays her own belief that the world is better off with people like Hosni Mubarak in charge of the "towelheads".

The people of Egypt will determine their own future. We don't have to like what they decide, but we do have to live with it. For myself, I think the people of Egypt want a Turkic Democracy. It's not a Western one, but it's one the west can live with. It's one that can evolve into a true democracy. When I look at the protesters in Tahrir Square, facing down their enemies, bloodied and unbowed, I have nothing but admiration. I have hope for their future. People don't usually fight for the right to replace one dictator with another, often more oppressive, one.

Zoe forgot, or didn't bother to think about, that.

Carolyn Ann

Where are they all going?

Mr Mubarak was both heartened and chastened by today's NY Times headline:

"Where are they all going?" he is reported to have asked his valet. "Never mind, I'll still be here when they get back!" he told his Vice President.

Carolyn Ann

My friend Bill...

Bill's Stuff, by Cerulean Bill, a chap I've been reading for quite some time, has been blogging for 8 years! Eight years! We came across each other through Valeria's blog, Conversation Agent. I don't know how long ago that was; a few years ago, I'm sure. Anyway, Bill's blog is one of my daily, usually a few times a day, online destinations. I still think about his introductory post; he made me laugh. (Darn, I can't find it!)

Congratulations, Bill!

You can find his blog over in my "Recommended" reading column. :-)

Carolyn Ann

Judas Priest and the acoustic version of Diamonds and Rust.

On a very light note - who would think that Robert Halford and Judas Priest would do such a magnificent job with Joan Baez's classic song "Diamonds and Rust"?




You know what would be interesting? A version with Ms Baez and Mr Halford. With the rest of Judas Priest providing accompaniment.

Carolyn Ann

Adm. Mullen

Not to be cynical, but am I the only one who thinks that Admiral Mike Mullen's appearance on Jon Stewart this evening was a very good, superb even, was "messenger"? If so, it worked, Adm. Mullen is one of those military thinkers the American military generates - brilliant, erudite, sharp and willing to do (almost) whatever is needed to preserve and foster peace.

You know: the likes of which got fired by Donald Rumsfeld.

If so, Adm. Mullen delivered a message in the sharpest terms possible: it's time for the Egyptian military to do what it does so well: garner the respect of the people. To do that it needs to "persuade" Hosni Mubarak that the shores of Cuba, Montenegro, Alaska or Siberia are quite enticing at this time of year. He really should see them. Soon. Like, "Your calendar is free tomorrow, Mr President" soon.

I can only imagine what went into getting him onto the show! Hurrah for both the Obama Administration and Admiral Mullen. With plenty of cheers to those facilitators and Mr Stewart for making it happen. And, not forgetting Justin Bieber who probably gave up an interview to do a neat bit of comedy instead. If, when, Mr Stewart retires (Senate run?), Mr Bieber could do worse than vie for that spot!

Carolyn Ann

Mr Mubarak: take Sarah's advice... Quit.

Tonight, Obama Administration officials discussed the possibility of Hosni Mubarak relinquishing the Egyptian presidency. It was reported that negotiations centered around the need to quit. In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the White House reached out to Sarah Palin to help with negotiations. She was asked to explain that wealth, TLC reality shows and lots of money-making revenue-enhancing bookings for speeches could be achieved simply by quitting half way through your term.

Mr Mubarak apparently expressed great interest in the bit about "making lots of money". It was rumored that he might stand for Governor of Alaska should the position come up. In related news, the current Governor Alaska, someone who's name no one can quite remember, said he was delighted to receive an interesting offer to be the new Ambassador to China, a position that became open when the last one - some Republican no one can remember the name of, quit half way through his term (is it me or is there a pattern here?). Apparently someone remembered his name and discovered his phone number.

Carolyn Ann

That's impressive!

I've just been reading about sukey.orghttp://sukey.org/, a British website aimed at preventing protests from being 'kettled' by the police. What a marvelous, and marvelously simple, idea!

Basically, by using information as it becomes available, the people behind sukey.org can send out tweets telling people what's happening, and helping avoid that. The cops like to kettle, contain, people, and they do it quite heavy-handidly. Well, now there's an information service that helps the protestors. This is a nice counter to official belligerence!

I wonder how easily it is to port to other cities? Cairo, Jordan, wherever there's a G20 or a G8 meeting, etc. It always seems the cops assume the worst, and then take steps to ensure it happens. That's not to say that all protestors are intent on a peaceful protest; idiots abound everywhere. They just seem to be at their worst when they wear uniforms.

If I had some money to spare, I'd give them some. Instead, they'll have to make do with my admiration and encouragement. (Sorry, guys.) What a brilliant idea, indeed!

Carolyn Ann