No, really...All I wanted was to order my Subway value meal#2 the Cold Cut Trio(TM) on honey-oat with salt and vinegar potato chips and pink lemonade and to be able to eat in seclusion at the corner table. It was right after work and I was beat, I sat down for some peaceful caloric intake, well till it started to happen. In the middle of the spacious dining area a college aged Indian couple seemed to be at odds. The young man was lecturing sternly in Indian to his girlfriend with wild hand gesturing and fist thumping on the sturdy Subway tables. She stared hard back at him for about ten minutes of his antics then crumpled up the remains of her sandwich, got up and left him. He seemed stunned for a bit, ate the rest of his Veggie Delite(TM), then also left. I still had a little lemonade to finish off.

Tonight's after work movie was Gamera vs Guillon. Fine science fiction fair with giant butter knife monsters, cannibal brain eating female aliens, head shaving of an advanced alien technology variety and Gamera doing high bar gymnastics and go-go dancing. Highly recommended.

You're One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!

by Ken Kesey

You're crazy. This has led people to attempt to confine you to a safe
place so that you don't pose a danger to yourself or others. You feel like you pose a
great danger to the man (or maybe the woman) or whatever else is keeping you down. But
most of the time, you just end up being observed. Were you crazy before you were
confined?


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

That vermin had better not see anything tomorrow. I'm tired of this Ice Age look.

Comics, oh yeah...Comics...
Just back from a frozen trek from the pharmacy, needed to buy some Neosporin for my deteriorating skin condition caused by this horrible cold spell. On the way back I pass the museum's Diplodocus Carnegii with is icicled in a big way and Shakespeare is covered in snow, but he's still reading. Stop for some Pho soup at the local Asian food joint and plan to snack later on the holiday gift that never goes bad, the Lynchburg masterpiece, theTipsy Cake. Super cold walk back home, ice coating just about everything, tires spinning is the thing to do on the street.

Comics, oh yeah....comics, this past week has another Top Shelf winner The Octopi and the Ocean and check out the hep retro action with Silver Comics, fun stories and nice art from Juan Ortiz.

More later, now to do bedtime dental hygiene and then some time with my newest addiction.

I've been very cold/flu sick lately, but it's good to know they're craking down on these things in Malaysia. Politicians are a fun bunch just about everywhere across the world.

I'm walking down the hill to my house, on the other side of the street there is a SUV of some type that has four small dogs that appear to poodle's of different varieties in it. The dogs catch sight of me, bark and carry on uncontrollably till I pass their field of vision, then they stop. Once in my house I walk upstairs, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, trying not to be as hard on the gums as my dentist intructed. Finished I leave the house and walk back up the hill, the dogs catch sight of me again, go completely bananas until I crest the hill and their line of site.

Geezes fuck people, don't call me at 4:30 am to tell me that they captured fucking Saddam Hussein...like my current events happy buddy did...fuck...call me at 4:30 am when they capture the Loc Ness Monster or when the Illuminati Minitizes the Eskaton or when the Ancient astronauts land in Peru...not that they found some Iraqi jackass who still thinks he is the President of that country...I'm going back to bed now....fuck people use your head...

A Good Day in Seville
Started the day with a curtains/rugs/blinds and shelving project which meant a lot of tugging/sawing and hammering. Walter was in the kitchen going to town cleaning with the old boxes of Arm and Hammer baking soda in the sink. Finished jobs but probably could have used an hour more to complete more thoroughly, but had to get to work. Before I ran out the door Elizabeth and I sang happy birthday to each other and had coffee and slightly stale chocolate Pepperidge Farm cake. Spent first third of day at the workplace, pretty busy actually then escaped to attend matinee of the opera season opener Barber of Seville. Customary Dots were unfortunately sold out and I instead settled for a box of Lemonheads. You can't miss with Rossini and the stage designer used French surrealist, Rene Magritte as an inspiration. I've forgotten how if you eat a bunch of Lemonheads in a row it seems like you're chugging Lemonade, but I guess that's what they intended. Nice performance all around, I think Flying Dutchman is next month which is good because I haven't seen it yet. I hope they get Dots back in because Lemonheads are so much more cinema fare.

Full of Confidence
More China in Space..

McDonald's is still not very good
After work adventure to Campusland to buy some Meow Mix for the cat that lives with me. Along the way I see the local McDonald's I haven't been to in probably three years or so and decide why not give it a go for the evening food event. I decide to get value meal#2 which is two cheese burgers with fries and drink. The friendly girl taking my order asks if I want to "super size" it and after a brief period of indecision I decide to live large like the rest of America. As she works on getting my meal in order she tells me that there is a bomb at the gas station down the street, I laugh and downplay her concern, bomb scares seem to happen around here every few months. As she places the full tray in front of me I notice she has the forearm tattoos of a sailor, and that the "super sized drink" is something I could take laps around, oh, the fries portion is fuckin gigantic. However the two cheese burgers are the same little size they have always been. I grab my napkins, straw and pump three small ketchup cups and find a neutral place to sit. The food is what you would expect and warm, and I have way too much Coke to drink. They are busy the whole time I am there...people love McDonald's, no doubt about it. I manage to finish the small burgers and the multitude of fries but I pitched the reservoir of Coke in the garbage. I'm good for three more years till my next visit and on the way out notice no fleet of fire trucks and police so I guess the bomb was a fake.

The Moon is Red

They have been dubbed "taikonauts" in English (pronounced locally Ty-Koo-Nawts). In Chinese, they are "yuhangyuan," or travelers of the universe.

Too heavy to lift
The Russian press denigrated her with headlines such as "Not even
bears could hold her" and discussed her ability as more suitable for pop-ballet performances than the graceful Russian tradition associated with greats such as Maya Plisetskaya and others.

While sipping on my steamed milk, I noticed the young university accountants still in shirt n' tie at this late hour working diligently on their laptops with stacks of paper every which way. Delivery pizza was on the menu as they crunched numbers to make it all work. It's very cold as I walk pass their street level office.

Diving for Serpents
"I've been told the big copper helmet could give quite a big headbutt to the monster, so it will be quite nice to make his acquaintance," he said, referring to the heavy headpiece of his diving suit.

More Apes
Orangutans , like other great apes, are close relatives to humans. Researchers have learned a lot about them in recent years.

Eighteen-year-old Courtney Roberson worked at the zoo and was taking 2-year-old Nia Scott, her friend's little sister, for an outing when
Little Joe escaped, according to family members.

snakefish.bmp

Lost and Found

The creature looks like a brownish woolly badger with a long, pink-tipped snout and can measure up to about 19 inches, according to Prensa Latina's Monday dispatch.

The British hanged the next morning, Sept. 22, 1776, at an artillery park near Dove Tavern. Historians place it near what is now 66th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan.


It was there Hale is reputed to have uttered his famous line: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" — likely a paraphrase of a line from a popular play by British writer Joseph Addison.

Despite Hale's failure as a spy, a life-size statue of him inscribed with his famous last words occupies a place of honor at the CIA's headquarters in McLean, Va.

nkorea.bmp

One step backward for mankind....its gone to hell after all the German rocket scientists died...

"I want a granite token..no, I want a cucumber...no, I want a Grape!"

I asked him if that was a Pop Tart in his shirt pocket. He responded that it wasn't, even though it clearly was, and not in any type of wrapper. He then preceded to walk upstairs and unpacked small pieces of cardboard and rulers to conduct a simulation of a small part of the Battle of Jutland. After an hour or so he started to pack up and I then asked him if the cellophane wrapped powdered doughnut left behind was his, to which he admitted to.

Oh..the Space Orks were having a having a hard time of it while the above was going on....

The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, as the religious police are officially known, lists the dolls on a section of its Web site devoted to items deemed offensive to the conservative Saudi interpretation of Islam.

go Barbie go

"Olympia won best film in the 1936, defeating, among other contenders, Walt Disney's "Snow White."

"His key role in the development of thermonuclear weapons (the hydrogen bomb) is well-known, but he made extraordinary contributions to the development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (the cornerstone of nuclear deterrence) and missile defense," the statement added..

Long and interesting lives these two who left on the same day....

I just had a Snapple Go Bananas drink on the hot walk after work to home. I highly recommend it to those who like banana popcicles like myself.

I have defeated the worm...I think. Nice article about Jack Kirby in the Times, long overdue recognition. The Spanish have the best time and the Nigerians need to chill out. However, I say a mighty thrashing should be in store for the Uruguayan Toothfish pirates.

I'm so pissed off, my computer has the fucking blaster worm virus..damn..however in far off India they have discovered Rajasaurus...beautiful...

I cleared it with the higherups....Zagnut is now the official candy bar of this hang out. Apparently, Chip-A-Ritas are now the talk about town snack in Cleveland. I can't wait to pick up a bag at the local 7-11 along with a mellow yellow slurpee. The candy baron has highly recommended Pixie Stix to some of my associates.

ooi

Slipped out of work at lunch to finally see the Panopticon exhibit at the Carnegie. Very quick look-see, at first glance my favorite was #390, Jean Metzinger's Man with Pipe. The nineteenth century feel of the Gallery was beautiful and I will return with more time to appreciate
the display.

Chinese lake monsters.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you "Octopus Giganteus." Be careful where you beach this summer...

Have not posted for awhile, I have been very busy at work and all of my spare time has been taken up by the Acme Correspondence School of Boxing. Also, the Time Space Gun I purchased from Acme has given me soon problems, having me to call in sick from work for a few days, but everything is alright now, I just need to wear long sleeve shirts and gloves from now on. I've been seeing way to many Ohio license plates around lately, I realize that they are the next state over but this is ridiculous, the plates seem to be new and mark the 200th anniversary of statehood of Ohio...okokok..that's nice just move on, make room for some other states..just kidding..ha..did escape last weekend to Columbus for a special mission and met some very nice people who didn't ask me too many questions about my full sleeves and gloves, I was hoping to get a chance to use my new boxing skills but no Ohio ruffians accosted me. Columbus is nice, I plan to go back.

Ahhhh..i guess i should eat somthin for dinner.. walk into favorite Mexican hangout, the staff is glued to racy Univision soap opera, villain is choking a hot Latin woman, then throws her aside and pulled out a pistol for extra south of the border tension. One staff member happily breaks contact and takes my order of grande chicken quesadilla and cranberry juice, I skip the supersweet Mexican soda I usually get....food comes quick and I am also watching the drama even though I have no idea what they're saying...very good quesadilla...walk back home to pay bills, take out the trash and try to call home(busy..twice.)

Woke up this morning feeling like I've been worked over by a baby gorilla, the results of yesterday's gym visit. Had steak and eggs on my mind for breakfast only to find out restaurant is closed for the holiday, settle for chain bagel place, have plain bagel/bacon-scallion, grape juice, coffee. Hep college guys are having bible study in front, all bibles are turned to the Book of James but now they are all outside socializing with hep college gals leaving James behind for now. Baby gorilla cuddles are fading away, glad mama didn't get ahold of me. Plan to hopefully clean some today, work on postal project and maybe see a movie.

Great With Milk
Well, its begun, soon they'll be nothing really sinful to eat. Read up on the Oreo before it becomes extinct. Damn you Trans fat for spoiling all the fun.

Visit Summary for MR#z75837112
Severe attack of stomach pains caused me to leave work early to rest and maybe see a doctor. This is a continuation of yesterday's Greek poisoning, Dale kept yelling at me for eating Greek, I probably won't for a while. Back home I make an appointment for late afternoon. Rest a bit, feel a lot better but still walk over to the hospital for the visit. After prodding, blood pressure and urinalysis the good doc finds nothing wrong and sends me off to return for a general visit in about a month. Dinner of large hot tea, pineapple guava juice and a smart looking macaroon. Back home for more rest.

Last Opera
Left work early to attend the final opera performance of the season, La Boheme. First time I have seen this supposedly most beloved of operas. Nice composition and voices, but I found myself nodding off and generally uninterested, maybe I need to sit through this one again in the future. Not nearly as well done as the Cinderella production earlier in the season. Decide to attend opening day of local Greek food festival, wait in line about forty minutes of so, tanned senior citizen couple in front of me kept doting over the several small children young family behind me, the small children kept poking me in the back despite their Mother's warnings. When I finally get to the food counter I load up with Greek chicken and rice, green beans and feta salad. Easily find an empty table where I can inhale in peace. When finished with the main event, I approach the desert line to get fine Greek pastries to go, most are unpronounceable but look yummy. Boxed up and paid, I run off to local coffee shack to continue the eatathon. Nice boy at counter automatically biggie sizes my coffee and I hole up in empty table to sip and eat Grecian baked beauties. Burrrpp, done I find myself with a abrupt tummy ache. Why am I surprised? I ate a whole bunch, maybe its Byzantine food poisoning, repayment for my past alliances with the Turks. Perhaps I'll self-combust in a ball of Greek Fire. After a little horizontal rest I feel better...I don't think my cast iron stomach is as cast iron as it was before.

Work is Hell
I've been very busy at work.....

PBEgg
After a day at work I spent some time with co-workers at Home Despot buying things for work and then a bad late night dinner at a high expectations Mexican restaurant. We spent some time talking about it and decided that I am much more White Trash than I realized. After our meal James and I split a Hershey's peanut butter egg he had left over from Easter.

Symphony No. 9 in D minor Op.125 "Choral"
It is such a great thing that the final manuscript of the 9th Symphony still exists. I hope it finds a good home.

Chinese Fast Food Take Out & Eat In
The sun bleached photographs of various selections drew me in along with the other bold signs. A few people eating in mostly Asians, an Asian girl in fount of me gives her order to the bright eyed counter guy, he then finds it on the paper menu and rattles it off on the microphone to the chef. After she's done she whips out her phone and talks super fast Chinese to somebody. I'm up next, Orange flavored chicken and Wonton soup, bright eyes looks at menu and fires off order over the man in the back, man in back gives me a look at then gets back to the job at hand. Soon the meal is up served in white Styrofoam finery. Find a place to sit, place is sorta a wreck, sit near snoopy "i ok your ok" banner. Food's good, rice a little lumpy, frumpy American women behind me is complaining about how the Styrofoam dinnerware is environmentally unkind, yeah, yeah, i guess your right, give it a rest, blah, blah blah now she's fixated on the correct pronunciation of "Lo Mein." Environmentally unkindness pushed into trash, plastic tray put on top, out i go. On way back notice once graffiti laced alley now a wild west gunslinger scene, i spend some time but leave before i have to defend myself and "draw".

The tendencies of his culture
Today i escaped work to have brunch with the Turk. I had a reconstituting steak and eggs breakfast and he had a Feta omelette. We talked about the war and the tendencies of his culture to treat women prisoners badly. After work I ran off to do laundry, whites and some colors. I thought Sunday night would have been slow but it was packed with everybody. Somehow i didn't bring the copy of Fahrenheit 451 i bought today with me, so i sat and watched some sappy women's movie on the Lifetime channel. On the walk back i noticed in the distance the bright flickering of the carousel being tested for next weeks carnival.

Last night I had a dream that I went to the next town over to attend a fair and to visit a friend. I meet my friend at the fair but the crowd was so great we were separated and never found each other again.

Crazy Woman with Axe
Morning coffee and cherry/almond muffin, joined again by the T-man, i grab quick glances of my favorite coffee people. We had to remove three doors to get that new fixture in for rearrangement number fourtyseven, it was a big rack to hold overflowing inventory. Only listened to wartime am radio for a bit, turned it off to pay attention to switching up our items for a new look, doubles and do nothings will go in the basement after i get lunch. Lunch is cranberry juice and a mozzerella sandwich, wolfboy sighting and encounter. Pushy and cute phone sales gal cuts through our barbwire and gets us to switch, the staff is so easily swayed by a smile, i guess we saved some money. Leave work a little early to don ape suite because it's an opera night. Don't shave and i take about fifteen minutes to get my red tie just right or right enough for me. Ride cuts it close time wise but after having to deal with a parking thug we make it as the curtain rips apart at the start of Richard Strauss' Elektra. Despite a valiant effort we started this one without our customary boxes of Dotts gum drops. Greek tragedy with a nice set, good voices and and a great score, no intermission so it was done in under two hours, good opera.

Why was he wearing three purple hearts on his army jacket, I not so sure about that. Hey, didn't he justrub my belly..what's that all about. Listen to am radio coverage of the Iraqi invasion all day at work, not a good day to be a Jordanian taxi driver in Bagdad. Marines and Army seem to be poised to strike hard unless the the Iraqi military throws the white flag. It seems the the most destructive military force on the planet, the United States Air Force hasn't really yet started for the same reasons. The next few days should be interesting and tense. Anti-war rally started downtown late afternoon and ended in mass arrests by eight or so, we will be seeing more of this I'm sure, especially here on campus. When giving weather reports the radio news have added Bagdad and Kuwait City to the list, it has become an immediate matter. Chicken Lo Mein and green tea for dinner.

Trying to get work done at coffee shop when T asks if he can sit at my table, of course I say yes. I put away my papers and pen and listen to T talk about war and what could happen in the next few days. I listen, he paints some horrifing pictures for here and abroad. Professional woman sitting next to us who is obviously listening is visibly uncomfortable with T's outlook. I listen, look at some of my favorite coffee shop folk and take it in. I soon leave to finish my immediate work and continue a normal day while thinking how frantic things are on the other side of the world.

Just spent some time with Colonel Dax and the spent men of the 701st regiment as they were ordered to take "The Anthill." Saw Paths of Glory for the first time, poignant anti-war film. Effective photography and Kirk Douglas was outstanding.

Yes, I am getting sick and fast. Just back from coffee shop where the nice boy let me buy a premium orange juice. I'm also very sore from yesterday's gym visit, triceps are aching alot. I think i should go right to bed, right now....sniff..

Today an oversized leprechaun gave me a gold coin and a firm handshake. Very nice weather, lacrosse players practicing, bagpipes heard from a distance...I think I'm catching the first of my spring colds though...sniff...

About two hundred anti-war protesters marched down my street today, the next few days should be interesting........

I watched some Mormon missionaries corner an arabic looking gentleman outside my place of work today. They held him captive for at least fifteen minutes or so, why can't they just give it up and stay out west.....

Work weekend, then again it's always a work weekend. Went to an experimental movie presentation with Richard and Jo last night at film makers. We were like three kids sharing our chocolate snacks and drinking our adult coffees before the start of the 16mm shorts. The older gentleman whose movies we were about to watch gave us a short lecture and then it started. I felt like I was in a class that I had somehow signed up for because I needed the "requirement." We watched a lot of bouncing black and white dots, outer space scenes, unbecoming library copying activities, family picnics, amateur poultry projects and saying good bye to loved ones. I caught Richard dozing off a few times and Jo looked at me and smiled, it was interesting, but I'm not an experimental movie guy. I think we're going to see more movies here soon, this is good because I need to see more movies in general, but not necessarily experimental ones. Oh, the man who made the movies is from originally from Ohio, but is now moving to China.

It pleases me to know that I'm the numer one result for partially hydrated in animal crackers.

Had hot coffee and Pacski with some friends this morning...very good way to start the day.

"Stan, I want you to take your brother and go down to Mentzin's to get Paczki for us and Mrs. Zubstuch." "But mom..." "Don't but mom me, just do it, here's some money, hurry they close in twenty minutes." "It's really cold out" "Well, I guess you'll have to put on everything double...two hats, two scrafs, two coats, and make sure Alfred does the same..hurry you now have fifteen minutes..."

Walked onto campus to buy some Polish donuts only to find out that they had sold out..damn..will have to try tomorrow..and yes, it was really cold out.

Senate Floor Speech by US Senator Robert Byrd (West Virginia)

Wednesday, February 12th, 2003

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.

Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent --ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.

We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption --the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.

Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher. This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.

In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.

In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.

Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of crude Insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.

The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.

Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?

And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?

Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?

Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years. One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq --a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.

We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.

To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation, which is over 50% children, is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.

> I think this is by far the smartest commentary I have yet heard about the Iraq situation <
> a group of about 100 or so protesters marched down my street mid-afternoon, carefully watched by street officers and about a dozen police cars and paddy wagons. The group contained both young, middle aged and old and was headed towards a spot between a major defense contract building and a Catholic church.

"So there is this polish festival coming up, I don't know the name"..."Oh, it's called Dingus Day, it's the monday after Easter"..."After Easter, huh..I thought it was before Easter, well I guess after Easter makes more sense"..."Yea, you should stop by, we have water guns passed out and everyone gets wet...it's a lot of fun"...."Yea, maybe I'll do that, Monday after Easter then...yea, maybe I'll stop by then..thanks."

"If there is somebody down there who shouldn't be there, the sea lions will find them," said Lt. J.G. Josh Frey, a spokesman for the Navy's 5th Fleet.

The Navy is using sea lions to safeguard against underwater sabotage in the Persian Gulf.

"They have adapted really quickly and really well," Bryan said, adding that the sea lions are eating heartily and happily and aren't losing weight.

I'm eating animal crackers right now and none of them really look like animals..well..I guess this one looks sorta like a camel and I think this one is trying to be an elephant or maybe a rhino..hmm...crunch..but they're really crisp...

Speaking of animal crackers:

The newest animal to join the Barnum's Animals® Crackers menagerie is the koala, thanks to consumers across the country who chose the lovable koala over three other potential additions

The koala, which beat out the penguin, the walrus and the cobra, will join the 18 other animals in Barnum's Animals® Crackers in September.

Too bad, I think the Cobra cracker would have been the ticket.....crunch.....

The German defeat marked a turning point in the war, crushing Hitler's drive to isolate the Soviet heartland from the southern oil fields, and the battle remains a powerful symbol of Soviet courage and perseverance during the second world war, which is often called the Great Patriotic War in Russia.

Stalingrad anniversary

Just read a preview copy of Rawhide Kid which will be released next Wednesday. Kinda alright, Marvel is so full of shit with their Parental Advisory-Explicit Content cover tag, this book is tame-tame-tame. Very nice Dave Johnson cover and fine interior pencils from industry vet John Severin.

Hey, Syrian chicken wrap + arabic coffee + baklava = lunch...bunch of stuff to do at work..gotta go...

corn syrup, golden raisins, unbleached enriched wheat flour [flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2), folic acid], cherries, EGGS, pineapple, partially hydrated vegetable shortening (soybean, cottonseed), PECANS, sugar, fruit peels (grapefruit, orange, lemon), high fructose corn syrup, water, invert sugar, tapioca dextrin, honey, natural & artificial flavors, mono- and diglycerides, spices, salt, polysorbate 60, modified cornstarch, perservatives (sodium propionate, potassium sorbate, sulfiting agents), sorbitan monostearate, citric acid, red 40, turmeric color, yellow 5&6, blue 1. FRUIT CAKE 363 CONTAINS NUTS. MAY CONTAIN TRACE AMONTS OF MILK, SOY PRODUCTS. RBS2052 PRODUCT OF CANADA

*it's still here and festive looking*

Strawberry Bon Bons are a product of Argentina. Sour Fruit Buttons, Ice Blue Mints, Starlight Mints and Anise Buttons are a product of Mexico.

"I come out of the theater with a lot of abstract little markings that I then translate into line. The important thing is that the drawing look a little bit like the actor I am drawing. There is a lot of trial and error and a lot of erasing until I can get it as far as I can, before the final inking. It is not a pretty process"

Al Hirschfeld passes on at 99

Comic Art

With a pow and a zap, cartoon imagery has recently exploded. Artists, graphic novelists, and zine makers everywhere are taking advantage of the potential to tell stories in a recognizable and familiar language. From Japan to Israel to the Americas, artists use cartoon imagery to address problematic issues that are difficult to assimilate into the mainstream through purely realistic depictions. In the process, they participate in the construction of identity in its many guises, weaving aspects such as race, gender, sexual orientation, violence and war, loss of innocence, and the commodification of identity into complex, layered tales. And at times, they make us laugh at ourselves.

Attended the opening of the Comic Release show with the Pack. Very nice, will have to come back to spend more time with less people around.

Baked Goods Talk
"So Johann, what do you think of Devil's Food Cake?"
......."I'm somewhat ambivelent".....

Beers and Polish food with the boyz at the BBT. Ride over was iffy in this snow fall and bill was higher than expected, but we had a good time I think. Dale ran off with some glassware, the scoundral!! Pierogi's were good but we have had better, needed more butter and onions!! Dollar import night, but selection picked over....Garlack was carded despite his sixteen years past the required age.

It also happens more often to fat patients, simply because there is more room inside them to lose equipment, according to the study
Nurse!! where's my pooky thingermagigger!!

A nice gentle snow is coming down here in the burgh, it's very nice.

While at work we were glued to to radio for this. Poor Brownies. I watch more mtv than i should and certainly less than i used to, today it was some type of battle of the sexes bullshit. Almost everyone is good looking and has normal or extroverted personalities, enough I say, I want to see reality programing with people like these, out with the beautiful in with the freaks! The Osbornes, only not known or rich and really really nerdy. Dinner today was number eleven spaghetti with pepperoni flavored sauce, italian bread and later vanilla, coffee.

While walking to the gym I ran into my old workout buddy who was killing time till his kid was done with ccd. He was planning a coffee at starjerks but was easliy persuaded to join me for a quick work out. We decide to do shoulder work which I have been known to ignore. Good to get through forgotten exercises, my bud's sorta a monster doing double my poundages and gettin more than a few ' who's this guy' looks from the other patrons. He had to go and I finished off with some leg presses and calf work. Faced the scale and it told me that the holiday gave me an extra ten pounds that I don't need. Plan for the first quarter of 03', lose that ten plus some more and reinstitute regular shoulder work.

Tostitos Gold Hosts First-Ever Live Halftime Challenge Event During Tostitos Fiesta Bowl As Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricane Cheerleaders Kick Field Goals For $250,000. Not only did the Buckeyes pull out a great victory but their cheerleaders whupped up their Canes' opposites during the above challenge. And while I'm at it i think tv coverage could have did a little better than five seconds of Miami's weak woodwind section marching at a catatonic pace. Seeing the traditional 'Ohio' signature with the tuba ' i ' dot would have been nice or a few seconds of the cranking Ohio snareline. God bless the FritoLay company for hosting this fine Ohioan victory over those Florida braggarts!

Late night dinner: Deer chops on kaiser roll and horseradish mustard, the deer was slain by my kinfolk out east...yeehaww....

Yesterday I went to the Museum gift shop to buy this great Karim Rashid chess set I had eyed up a few weeks ago, only to find out that they had sold out of their six copies. I was pissed, mostly at myself for waiting to long, they will try to back order it for me. Today I had to settle for a tin box of nifty "Orange" pencils by Rashid, I like them alot, hope that they can get the chess set in for me.

First Day
Roll out of bed early because I can't really sleep extra like I wanted to with a bad headache pounding away. It think it was the homemade wine at last night's New Year's eve get together that did this to me. Long shower, no shave, it sounds like it's raining hard outside. Decide to step out toward campus to scare up some breakfast, the walk is very rainy both coming down and on the ground, lots of splish-spalsh. Freda's is open and I ponder whether it should be French toast of cheese omelet, I decide to go with omelet and a side of bacon. Food comes quick and is exactly what I need at the moment..mmm..coffee. Drunken man three seats down from me tries to get my attention but I ignore him, I don't feel like dealing with that now. He later mutters toward me "asshole" and keeps staring at me attempting to recognize his existence, I don't pay attention, I think he's really pissed off at me. I don't want a strange ass confrontation or worse yet a weird brawl now, today or here. I don't look at him and he soon leaves to hopfully sleep it off. I walk back in the still pouring rain to the office to get some work done so my tomorrow will run smoother, chomp on some wonderful Chinese roll cookies friends from Philly brought me yesterday, work quickly gets done. Get home, call parents and friends to wish them a happy New Year, head still hurts.....

Just back from seeing Gangs of New York. Horribly brutal movie set in Civil War era New York City. Well done time piece but extremely violent.

Alpha Sandwich
Snuck out of work to do some C shopping with Jarlack, we were also lunch hungry. Decide on trying small italian import store we heard made good sandwiches. Once in we were surrounded by various pasta, olive oils, candies and cookies, spices, etc. Toward the back stood the deli section with salami of different shapes and sizes hanging from the ceiling. I ask about the sandwiches and the antler wearing help says that their Italian sandwiches are made with one whole loaf of bread with alot of meats and cheeses and lettuce and tomato. We split the sandwich and decide to go for the hot peppers, and boy were they! A totally great sandwich experience, will see if rest of staff would like this for lunch this tuesday. The best sandwich I've had for a long time, next time either sweet peppers or none at all.

Alpha Sandwich
Snuck out of work to do some C shopping with Jarlack, we were also lunch hungry. Decide on trying small italian import store we heard made good sandwiches. Once in we were surrounded by various pasta, olive oils, candies and cookies, spices, etc. Toward the back stood the deli section with salami of different shapes and sizes hanging from the ceiling. I ask about the sandwiches and the antler wearing help says that their Italian sandwiches are made with one whole loaf of bread with alot of meats and cheeses and lettuce and tomato. We split the sandwich and decide to go for the hot peppers, and boy were they! A totally great sandwich experience, will see if rest of staff would like this for lunch this tuesday. The best sandwich I've had for a long time, next time either sweet peppers or none at all.

I didn't want too but the staff convinced me to drink beer and have a few pieces of pizza with them tonight. Christmas shopping will have to wait till tomorrow.

Yes! Why don't you *! Ha!

Day started with early morning coffee and scones with friend who was coming off a twelve hour work shift. We discussed home schooling, Presidential foibles, the Olympia results, his eleven year old son's infatuation with the battleship Bismarck and other things. Later at work Dale wouldn't shut up about his fantasy football team doing so well, I could really give a fuck and wish he would just do his job and shut the fuck up, I had a lot of things on my mind and things that needed to be done, I just found it particularly annoying today. Had a short somewhat unexpected meeting with someone that I had done business with for the past few years but never met in person. The meeting went better than I expected and was able to achieve my desired goals. For many years I had a certain person in mind from what others told me (mostly negative), but found him to be very personable and friendly.
I was very happy with the overall results of that encounter. A very nice customer who remembers us each year with a wonderful tray of Christmas cookies showed up today. I can not begin to tell you how perfect and delicious these cookies are, Martha Stewart would be hard pressed to do better, Good House Keeping magazine cover material here. Currently sipping on coffee liqueur and typing this. Tomorrow, midnight showing of Two Towers with a band of geekatrons, should be well worth it.

Heard at Work
"You can't expect me to unpack those boxes...I'm an artist not a machine"
-Dale trying to get out processing large holiday product shipment while he works on his LOTR terrain project, I believe he's working on part of Helms Deep.
"I have to go...that was my wife, my son stuck a chickpea up his nose and we have to take him to the emergency room"
-I don't understand, chickpeas are not a food for kids...they should be at least 14 till they have their first chickpea...
"Never trust a straight girl"
-Gender challenged customer who never ceases to confound me.

After shift white trash pizza with the boyz and a trip for supplies to homo despot...work is real grinding this time of year as everyone wants a part of us...I'm feeling fairly rocked and not really in the mood to write shit....

The German super battleship Bismarck was sunk on May 27th, 1941 by British naval fire and torpedoes, or was it? New evidence gathered from recent expeditions to its watery grave three miles down and 600 miles west of the French coast have American and British experts at odds. The American camp championed by Dr. Alfred S. Mclaren of the Explorers Club of New York City and movie director James Cameron believe that the ship was skuttled by its crew to prevent it from falling into British hands as proven by the lack of significant damage to the armored hull of the ship. British naval experts have rejected these recent findings as much rubbish and have acknowledged the skuttling to a greater or lesser degree. Read the article, watch Cameron's Discovery Channel documentary, see the movie.

1943- Operation Galvanic the U.S. invasion of Tarawa begins.

Night at the Opera: Zip out of work for a quicko change into the monkey suit..should shave..looking a bit scruffy..don't feel like it.. pick paisley tie..in a rush, i look ok. Rush to grab coffee to go as i want one and for whatever reason the opera house doesn't serve the stuff. Picked up thirty minutes before curtain time by opera buddy, we talk about Saudi Arabia's religious leanings and religion in general, before you know it we're on the sixth story parking--slam-slam...quick pace to get there before it starts. We make it in good time, i run out to the lobby and get us both a box of Dotts, the official concession of my opera visits. Tonight it's the comic opera Cinderella by Gioachino Rossini. I've never seen this opera before but have always really liked any and all Rossini I've heard. The opening stage setting of a crooked, leaning room where Cinderella and her step sisters and father lived was great. The secret service bit that the chorus does as the Prince visits the first time is hysterical. The singers and chorus were very good, especially the step father(Don Magnifico) and the Prince's valet(Dandini). The costume design for this version moved away from traditional and used a fun 50's high school prom(yeah, how about that) look from the pastel sport jackets of the all male chorus to the giant aqua-net hair of the step sisters and father to the Elvis looking Dandini posing as the Prince. Great music, singing, costumes, staging, choreography and a great sense of humor made this the best opera I've seen in years. I may even go see this again later this week.

The new thing here is my cat always staring at me at about a foot away while she rocks back and forth kneading the floor and purring a monsterously deep purr.......its been happening alot and it's somewhat comical, anything for attention I guess...it works, she gets a kitty rub.....repeat-stare-bobtobobfro-purr-stare-rubrubrub-repeat-stare-.......ah, the life of the house pet.

Back from dentist, first visit in almost two years. Hygienist is totally into my teeth and my brushing habits. She tilted the mirror so I could see all the fine work she was doing and we talked about flossing and how I need to do it more regularly. Till now I've only been an every now and again flossier, but she's got me all excited about doing it every night before I go to bed. Dentist found a broken tooth, a filling missing in action and a cavity, she asked me if I have been eating rocks to which I replied no. I'm coming back next month to get this work done, I may have a root canal and crowns in my future. The hygienist gave me a travel sample of glide floss and a nice orange clear plastic tooth brush, I really think she likes my teeth.

After over four years of fighting in Belgium, north central France, all of eastern Europe, northern Italy, the Dardanelles, the Middle East, German East Afrika, Tsingtao, the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the skies over London and many other places i'm missing, with aircraft, poisonous gas, flame throwers, dreadnoughts, Zeppelins, tanks, machine guns, heavy artillery, submarines and other methods of modern warfare, resulting in some 10,000,000 dead and 20,000,000 wounded, World War One ends with an Armistice signed in a railway car, November 11, 1918.

Extra time today resulted in a spontaneous laundry run: pants, tops and socks. I usually take something to read, this time it's a small book on punctuation hoping to improve some. I load the wershers, insert payment card, water starts pouring in. Only then do I realize that I forgot to grab my book out of the laundry bag and it's now being soaked. Luckily I get it out before it's really wet. I wonder if anyone caught my most swift move? I grab my bottle of Tide and my semi-wet book and get lost reading about terminal marks, in between pages my eyes wander at the black haired hottie doing the same thing I'm doing, washing clothes that is. Close to the spin cycle a crazy man wanders in, tries to say hi to me, mumbles about having to do laundry and then precedes to take off the sweats he's wearing. I've come to accept the fact that I have a very poor sense of smell but this dude completely stank to even me, maybe he should throw himself into one of the double loaders for a few minutes. Spin cycle done, time to drydrydry for thirty minutes or so. Kids are occupied watching Shreck on video, I wouldn't mind seeing that again myself. Read more about various sentence types, slyly glancing at BHH as he folds clothes and then leaves. Thirty minutes up I follow suite, folding then leaving.

Spent the evening grading a collection of Magnus Robot Fighter for a friend at a local coffee spot. It was a pleasure to spend some time with one of the hippest comics of the 60's!

The Dutch are so smart. I knew if I kept slamming them down it would be a good thing. Beautiful warmer Fall day here today, trying to find excuses to walk outside during work.

Stone-spear-sling-arrow-ballista-catapult-bombard-field cannon-railway siege gun-heavy modern artillery-Military laser cannon.

Well, it's good to know they figured it out. Bahhh...

"I never hugged my radio so closely as I did last night. I held a crucifix in my hand and prayed while looking out of my open window for falling meteors. I also wanted to get a faint whiff of the gas so that I would know when to close my window and hermetically seal my room with waterproof cement or anything else I could get hold of. My plan was to stay in the room and hope that I would not suffocate before the gas blew away. When the monsters were wading across the Hudson River and coming into New York, I wanted to run up on my roof to see what they looked like, but I could not leave my radio while it was telling me of their whereabouts."
-Mrs. Delaney, an ardent Catholic from a New York suburb

1938: Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre of the Air present a radio adaptation of "War of the Worlds."

Martians have been on my mind lately......

Spent the evening playing the engaging Lord of the Rings card game with chums, during which we stopped to watch two police cars break up an anti-war protest of about thirty people or so. Nothing to ugly, nobody seemed to be hurt or arrested, but it was momentarily out of control, defiantly marching down the middle of the street. After the excitemnt ended we went back to our card game, drinking fancy coffee drinks and eating maryjane.bmp mary janes.

Richard and I tried a new local deli that does breakfast this morning. We both ordered tall stacks of pancakes with coffees and juice. The cakes were too large to finish and very "hot off the griddle." I think this deli has some real possibilities and was already busy with customer traffic while we ate.