Song of the Day .....Get down off your throne...and leave us po folk alone........Steve Winwood
(dedicated to Jorge W. Bush)

In Season: Lying

I received this story in a food safety egroup I belong to. Despite the National threat level lowered to "yellow", are we really safe from terrorism? Not!

AL-QAIDA THREAT TO U.S. WATER SUPPLY
May 28, 2003
Associated Press
Shaun Waterman
WASHINGTON -- Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, a spokesman for al-Qaida has, according
to this story, told the London-based Arabic-language al-Majallah news
magazine that the terror group is planning to try and use poisons to attack
the United States, specifically threatening to contaminate the nation's
water supply, adding, "We will talk about (these weapons) then and the
infidels will know what harms them. They spared no effort in their war on us
in Afghanistan. They should not therefore rule out the possibility that we
will present them with our capabilities."
The story says that the interview was published in the latest edition of
al-Majallah, dated May 25.
Some U.S. officials play down the threat, but others point out that al-Ablaj
had communicated with the magazine prior to the suicide attacks earlier this
month in Saudi Arabia, warning that al-Qaida was about to stage a major
offensive in the kingdom.
Ben Venzke, a counter-terrorism analyst who consults with U.S. government
agencies, was quoted as saying, "The consensus (in the intelligence
community) seems to be -- and I concur -- that (al-Ablaj) is credible and
does have a connection with al-Qaida. The statements he makes should be
taken seriously, especially in light of his apparent prior knowledge of the
Riyadh bombings."
A U.S. intelligence official, who would not comment on al-Ablaj's
credibility, played down the threat to U.S. water supplies, stating, "It is
very difficult to covertly poison a reservoir. It would take many truckloads
of poison, which would make it difficult to do secretly. That is not really
a viable threat."

Song for Today: Love is a rose but you better not pick it..it only grows when it's on a vine...handful of thorns and you know you missed it..lose the love when you say the word mine.....Linda Ronstadt

In Season: roses, roses, beautiful roses

It was almost 90 degrees yesterday, while today's temperature high barely reached 70. Great weather for greens and sugar snap peas growing in the garden. The tomatoes are in. I have Big Boys, romas, yellow pears, early girls and cherry tomatos. Lots of tomatoes......some for sauce, some for salads, some for my yummy summer tabouli salads and cherry tomatoes for eating off the vines. I think two more plantings should suffice. Zucchini, squashes and pumpkins still need to be sown. Oh, and I can't forget sunflowers. What's a garden w/out sunflowers to attract birds and give them their own snacks?

Thanks to beerdrinker.org for the link to Defective Yeti and the funniest story I've read in months. Defective Yeti meets Darth Vader...go to the bathroom first .....

Enraged, furious, angry, spitting mad are just some of the adjectives needed to describe the 2003 tax bill's exclusion of minimum-wage income worker's child tax credit. Can anyone explain to me if this is legal? Can anyone explain why this is not discriminatory? Can anyone explain to me why they couldn't pull some more moula out of the higher income workers?

As the blue jean and detergent buyer in the family it is beyond reason that someone making at the maximum $12.80 an hour would be denied an increase in this child tax credit. Families are huge consumers who are always in need of toilet paper, maybe a lottery ticket or two, diapers, take-home pizza, and a 6-pack of Hamms. In fact, they are such huge consumers, that maybe they were excluded because their major purchases aren't in the stock market, but in paying off medical bills, student loans, or financing a reliable vehicle. Their taxes are already low enough, (with all them child deductions) that their consumable income has nothing to do with the immediate economy.
That is the only rationale I can make in this insane move. Freaks!! Read the NewYork Slimes article here. (treat as suspect;consider the source!).

Speaking of beer...the Hood River News reported, here, on May 19th, that Full Sail Brewing Co, my old employer, will be botttling and brewing good ole Henrys products.

Song for My Day: I hear that train a'coming....Johnny Cash

In Season: planting garden........

Life doesn't get much better than this.....sitting in my lawn chair.....dusk.....watching the Sternwheeler slip by.

My herb garden grew by leaps and bounds this year. Besides, the fennel, parsley, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, cilantro, Mexican oregano, basil, calendula, and valerian plants I have establshed, a friends gave me transplants for scullcap, monkshood, another valerian, milk thistle, lemon balm and a few more medicinal herbs I forget. I can't believe I don't even have echinacea. Put that on the list for the next nursery run. I still have a lot more to plant in my garden and the weather is cooperating by staying dry. My back isn't liking this bending over, but alas it will soon be done. I must keep gardening....

Song for Today: Legalize it...don't criticize it....Peter Tosh

In Season: Roses

How civilized...Canada will decriminalize marijuana soon. Read the New York Times
story here.

Ha! Should we believe it? I mean....consider the source and treat as suspect.

God!!..... I love computers, I can sit here and see that my 18 year old son is online and can instant message him anytime.

Song for Today: Taps

In Season: white shoes

The cemetery was so colorful as I drove past it yesterday. It seemed like every grave was adorn with bright flowers and American flags. Wondering if all the grave sites were for veterans, I assumed that it was probably a mix. Memorial weekend is a time to remember those who passed on. Besides honoring brave soldiers, I have a purpose in my life's work; to honor and appreciate anyone who put their lives in jeopardy for "the common good". Nonetheless, this work comes every year, ready or not, since my Dad passed away in police service, also. One of the things that helps me honor my loss is associating with other families of fallen police officers. In the mail last week, I received the annual Police Memorial Day Special Edition, a thin magazine honoring officers who died in the last year. I have a morbid fascination in reading how each officer died, their ages, survivors...and especially the circumstances. I read how many kids somone had, while sending out my secret blessings. A lot of officers were killed in automobile accidents. Some, fatally shot. A few were downright tragic and a few bizzare. Let's remember a few of them.....

Officer David Mobilio, 31 Red Bluff CA was fatally shot on November 19, 2002. He was at the gas station the department uses to fuel up cars when he was ambushed. Survived by wife, son.

Sheriff Samuel Catron, 48 Somerset, Kentucky was fatally shot on April 13, 2002 after completing a campaign speech for his fifth term as sheriff. Survived by mother, brother, sisters.

Deputy Elizabeth Magruder, 30 Landover, MD was fatally shot when attempting to serve a mental health warrant. Suspect hid in a bedroom and opened fire when confronted.

Federal Software Package Sucks
A new required federal software program, to track foreign students is laughable.....read the whole story here in the Corvallis-Gazette Times.

How pathetic...

Song for Today: Just call my name and I'll be there......Jackson Five

In Season: snapdragons

I have an uncle who has a depressive disorder, thats why this post on Ornicus, dated Friday May 23, touched me. But, more importantly his post assists the willing reader to delve into their own soul and prompts the reader to do one's own self-evaluation of their awakening. Who opened your eyes......? Who allowed you to be a free thinker? What risks have you endured? Was it a book? Which One?

For me it was extensive reading as a child, and growing up in a liberal, trusting environment, where I was allowed to think for myself. When I turned 18, and studied (partied) at SUNY at New Paltz, my words became actions. My first rally was a No Nukes gathering in W.D.C. in 1980. A college roommate and I hitchhiked to D.C from upstate NY on the NJ turnpike. (Oh...Lord...thank you for letting me live). I was determined to sleep in front of the white house and I did, despite the rain. Nonetheless laying a sleeping bag down and trying to get any rest was hoping for the best. Steady drizzle turned to heavy showers and I did not have a Glad trash bag to use as a poncho. I survived the night, however, the next day was tough. Shelter was found at a nearbye Smithsonian museum, where the bathroom was packed with women activists, soggy to the core.

I have yet to sleep in front of the white house again, but being amongst the power of so many people, for a good cause, accelereted my activism more onto a community level and "live by example" mode. Regardless of mode, whether it is a person like Uncle Bill or a series of experiences, or a book, or an idea, we are so fortunate to have that experience in and of itself. I think that is what we were put on earth for.

Song for Today: If I only had a brain...........

In Season: bachelor buttons, proms, lacrosse playoffs...Go Hood River Eagles

My Town

traffic = getting stuck behind a tractor.
noise pollution = loud chattering of birds
air pollution= dead skunk
stoplights= 3
newspaper= 2 times a week (Hood River News)
crime=one unsolved murder
nukes= east winds
daHood= Mount Hood
board= sailboard, snowboard, skateboard
malls = mauls
beer = Full Sail
Mt. Adams=the other snow capped mountain to the North
harvest=apples and pears

Alter -Abled News

The ass clowns. at Portland's radio station Jammin 95.5, don't get the message. I am a little late on this story, however, it warrants attention. These DickwadsDJ's called a developmentally disabled woman onto a stage and asked her to pull down her pants. Read the whole story, here, in Willamette Week.

No Respect.

Song for the Day: It's just another manic monday.....I wish it was Sunday.....The Bangles

In Season: cotoneaster

Teddy Roosevelt's time capsule is missing in Portland.
Read more here.

A local psychic called the Oregon Historical Society the other day, after reading an article in The Oregonian about this historical cliffhanger. She said she was sure the box was buried not under the monument, but somewhere north of it. A barber from Oregon City, who identified himself as the grandson of a stonemason, said the box must be at the monument's northwest corner, because cornerstones are typically laid at northwest corners.

Alter-Abled News

Ha!! Great job Oregon medical Marijauna patients. We did it. There were enough phonecalls and letters for House Bill 2939. Senator Morrisette (D-Homerville ), chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee said "the bill is dead and wont get a hearing in his committee". This amendment wanted to restrict caregivers to growing for only one patient and revoke cards for people convicted of a drug arrest. For me this isn't about law enforcement's convenience. My medicine is a life saver for me. Before you judge, understand that not everyone can take pharmaceuticals. A predisposition to kidney failure limits what I can ingest. Being diagnosed with glaucoma affirmed my decision. Besides, sometimes people have a moral conviction not to pop a lot of pills.

Pain in older men is the big reason they prefer to self-medicate. For people with MS it quiets muscle spasms. For fibromyalgia patients it curbs pain and helps promote a deeper sleep. For cancer patients it is a great anti-nausea medication. Although not a moral choice for some, it's a necessity for others.

Speaking of fibromyalgia, there is an article in this weeks edition of Newsweek with this counter productive headline:
Fibromyalgia: Not All in Your Head
Now that brain scans can pinpoint pain reactions in normal vs fibromyalgic subjects, and see a big difference.... I can say "You goddamn prick doctors that had me running aroung from doctor to doctor, from drug to drug, test to test, bill after bill. I dare you to use the F word to your very next patient that complains of chronic fatigue and pain and sleep problems".

Fibromyalgia is my token F word. Not very many doctors are alert and attentive enough to recognize this disorder.....but to have a doctor tell me a pain is something in my head infuriates me.

Song in My Head: One good thing about music when it hits you feel no pain......Bob M.

In Season: wildflower hikes,

Middle East Council of Churches has an interesting update here from Iraq. Security, looting and a cash famine create a climate of unsecurity. What a shame......Over 2,000 Iraqi deaths and they haven't gotten Hussein yet. Makes me wonder how it can be called a victory when the ultimatum wasn't completed. Remember when they said they think they got Saddam Hussein under a pile of rubble where his bomb shelters were. What ever happened to that? And um excuse me but don't the raided Iraqi nuclear plants alarm anyone? Hello...Am I supposed to see them as seperate and ignorable issues? Well, if you read the press you would think think they are unrelated. For some reason the Bush Regime chooses to ignore the lost nukes. Could it be such a big slip up that it has to become a "non issue". What motivation would Bush have to ignore the nukes if they can be used as a threat to the health and well being of American citizens? Because then the good ole USA would have to acknowledge health consequences and resulting liability and compenstaion issues for victims of radiation poisoning? So many questions...so little time. It's just that something smells fishy here and it aint me.

Song For Today: The taste of love is sweet...when hearts like ours meet...I fell for you like a child. Burning with the ring of fire................June Carter and Johnny Cash

RIP June Carter Cash and Ashleigh Moore and Peter Geist (my son's science teacher)

In Season: poppies

Country music is not my favorite genre, yet I was surprised and saddened by June's death. My heart really ached for her husband.

Ashleigh Moore is an honors middle school student who is being ignored by the national press. The point of her story, is the fact that we never would have heard her story if it wasn't for Jim at The Rittenhouse Review. I mourn the loss of children equally. Could the press report the news of all missing children with the same vigor as if its their own child lost?

Song for Today: I am the egg man...I am the walrus coo cooc cachoo.........Beatles

In Season: lupines

Thanks to Freedom Lawyers of America's blog for an interesting story regarding a tank in a residential neighborhood at a predawn raid in Eugene, Oregon in late 2002. Link here.

Song for Today: Said I'm leaving you tomorrow, I'll cause you no more sorrow....one cup of coffee; then I go......Jr. Gong

In Season: Lychnis

Just Say NO! ...to...
OREOS.....I had a brief sweet love affair with chocolate stuffed Oreos. Seriously, those hydrogenated oils, added to increase shelf life, are not a cell builder in humans. Those nasty oils coat your arteries...eventually causing heart disease....heart attacks......traumatic, yet preventable, occurences. Speaking of heart attacks, Krispy Kreme will be opening a store in Clackamas, Oregon (near Portland). That place will be super busy on "doughnut day" (whichever day your office is rewarded with lard bars). Perhaps, someone should monitor doughnut parking lots for state rigs!! Ha! I worked for the county once...I know what goes on.

Practically, everyone I see is obese. The problem is all this crap that passes for food. Then again, anyone who feeds their kids fast food on a regular basis is abusing their kid's bodies to me. Inspecting kitchens has tainted my taste buds and opinions of restaurants immensely. Add on, unhealthy, instant, over-processed food, and its associated wrappings, and you've digested an embarrassment for a meal. Dribble on some teenage hands that have just scratched any body part and I don't want to go there anymore.

No tax cuts for the rich and infamous: Tax cuts and state's severe budget shortfalls. Freak! Call your senators today for a call Washington DC day. Please call and ask a simple question such as....How many stock dividend checks do you get every month?....

Half-Woman Half-Scrotum blogger....(I thought I was mutated).
Daintily Dirty ask how much of her sex life should she should reveal? Depends on how many psychos ya want
hassling you!

Song For the Day: Well the mother and child reunion is only a motion away........Paul Simon

In Season: gardening, lower back pain, hot tubs

May all the mothers of the world be as blessed as myself....for I have two sons (young men now) who have been part of my life. 21 and 18 years ago I had the most amazing life changing experiences, that I hope to never go through again. I was tired then and still yet haven't caught up on my beauty sleep. The hardest part is after a parents devotion...they leave home. So, I sit here alone smirking. My young men participating fully in their lives, elsewhere. Thats what ya get for a job well done.

Ketchup Time (a chronically fatigued, procrastinator, agnostics attempt to summarize the world news....ppphhhew..... that made me tired!)

~ I ran into this little journal today, called the Middle East Intelligence Report. Very intriguing read.

~ Asteroids Collide and Rain Fire....Let us not forget; we are but a miniscule part of the cosmos....

~ Back on Earth...Salam Pax is back blogging in Irack (Americanized). He's getting totally hosed by democracy and paying $5 bucks an hour to go on-line.

~ I found this article in New York's Newsday. Portland, Oregon advertises:Klingon Interpreter Sought for Patients Who would have thought to put tv watching in your resume.

~ Oregon Mook Alert:
Sperm donors sought: The Sperm Bank at the OHSU Andrology/Embryology Lab needs donors between the ages of 20 and 39. Compensation is provided. Call 503 418-3780 for details.

~ Andy Rooney has some excellent ideas on how to reduce your junkmail.

Andy Rooney's tips for dealing with telemarketers
Three Little Words That Work !!

(1) The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."

Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off
(instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so
much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you
know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently
completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.


(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and
records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales
person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to
immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as
quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it
kicks your number out of their system.

Since doing this, my phone calls have decreased dramatically.


(3) Another Good Idea: When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or
utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending
companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from
credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the
return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them
more than the regular 37cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50
cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In
that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in
these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. One of Andy Rooney's (60
minutes) ideas. Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American
Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else
that day, then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything
you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them
guessing!

Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin getting their own
junk back in the mail.

Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all
they're paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is
cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase
postage costs again. You get the idea !

If enough people follow these tips, it will work---- I have been doing this
for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore.

I can not wait to start sending junk mail back....LOL... Just think of the possibilities.

~ Mr. Beer Drinker just came back from Germany...listen to him describing beer.

Song in My Head: Some people call me the space cowboy.....yeah......Steve Miller

In Season: goslings

Song in My Head: Sunshine....almost always get me high......John Denver (ugh)

In Season: Windy in Hood River

Song in My Head: How can I be sure...in a world that's constantly changing....Young Rascals

In Season: Rhododendrons

From today's Salon

U.S. authorities have recovered almost 40,000 manuscripts and 700 artifacts that were missing from the National Museum in Baghdad, officials said Wednesday. Read the latest here.

Great news!!......... if it's true.

Nice crotch shot Jorge.

Song in My Head: A mule is an animal with long funny ears, he kicks up at everything he hears.

In Season: wild rose hips

Lost Iraqi Art or Not?

Today's Oregonian
Iraq's art treasures may be largely intact
05/05/03
CHRISTINE SPOLAR

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The vast majority of the Iraqi trove of antiquities feared stolen or broken have been found inside the National Museum in Baghdad, according to American investigators who compiled an inventory over the weekend of the ransacked galleries.

Okay, I'm getting conflicting reports on this. Treat as SUSPECT!! JUst one more example of the media and blowing stories out their ass. Sigh..

Singing: I want a Sunday kind of love.......Etta James

In Season: Portland Trailblazer playoffs, Spring tonics

Song in the Head: Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner. Sometimes I feel like my only friend....Red Hot Chili Peppers

In Season: snapdragons

For the art lovers out there ....An excellent slideshow of lost Iraqi treasures.

A great weekend read...300
reasons to love the Simpson's
301. Homer's invention of the make-up gun
302. Homer was a hippie

Song in My Head: Just give me the warm power of the sun give me the steady flow of a waterfall...give me the spirit of living things..as they return to clay... Peter, Paul and Mary

In Season: peonies

Alter-Abled News

Tomorrow, May 3rd at noon will be Million Marijuana March in Portland. The march is a 30 year old, international rally for legalizing cannabis. Over 200 countries participate in this protest regarding cannabis' culture, legal issues, and its medicinal qualities.

3:30 - 5:30 pm: Book signing and panel discussion: "The Future of Medical Marijuana" with
Ed Rosenthal, John Sajo (OMMA2), Rick Szymanski (OCI), and Sandee Burbank(MAMA)
at Voter Power - 333 SW Park- Downtown Portland

However, be warned. Attendance tomorrow can have serious side effects including slight euphoria and cravings for Rocky Road ice cream.

Looking for my Funky Chicken Costume

Friday, May 16 Salem
Make a Ruckus Rally to ruffle the feathers of our state representatives.

Come to Salem and yell obscenities such as "stop clucking with us, Oregon Health Plan cuts are clucking fowl, Politicians are hee haws, or education cuts are baaaaaaad.

Singing: I just called to say..I love you........Stevie W.

Happy Birthday to my 90 year old Grandma (insert long Italian name here) She has outlived 2 husbands, 1 son (my dad), and makes the best braciole in New York. She would kick your ass if you even tried to put pineapple on pizza.

In Season: over the counter Claritin, calendula