The Best News of All for Illinois
Barack Obama 2004 Campaign Weblog: New Tribune Poll: Barack leads by 22 points:

In their first post-primary Tribune/WGN poll, Barack is leading in the Senate race by 22 points. The poll reinforces the view that Barack's appeal transcends political, racial and geographic boundaries:

-Overall, Barack leads 52 percent to 30 percent
-Barack leads among independent voters, 46-27 percent
-Among voters who consider themselves 'very conservative', 31 percent intend to vote for Barack
-Among white voters, Barack leads 46 to 34 percent
-Among black voters, Barack leads 91 to 4 percent
-In Chicago, Barack leads 74 percent to 15 percent

I wish I had a magic wand. I wish the election could be held today. If you haven't registered to vote yet, please do. Links on the side will tell you what to do. Barack Obama must get to Washington as soon as possible.

It finally stopped raining [checking out the window]. True, not raining. All I got done today was one little drawing done out the window as the rain started this afternoon. Still trying all the endless possibilities with the new camera, certain that 98 percent of them are merely better ways to take bad, out of focus pictures.

But plodding on, nonetheless. Made a little movie about my slippers, however, and thinking about laying down a soundtrack to it. I will be getting all heroin-skanky and dyeing my hair two-toned frog-green and purple-haze soon. Have a feeling that what you can do with the default Windows Movie-Maker is pretty primative, but, ah well. Baby steps.

- posted by Cynthia @ 8:46 PM | | | Link |

 
Contemplating a Canoe
I looked away for a minute from the lovely blue skies and saw this:

Issued by the National Weather Service at 10:32 am CDT on May 31, 2004

At 1025 am...showers and thunderstorms were in a broken line from Lake Bluff to De Kalb were moving east at 30 mph...with other showers scattered about the Chicago Metro area. Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms will continue across the Chicago Metro area into early afternoon. The stronger storms will produce brief heavy downpours and small hail. There is a chance of additional showers and thunderstorms later in the afternoon.

I better get out and do the lake-walk and pictures, though I had planned to tell you all sorts of things. Later.
- posted by Cynthia @ 11:07 AM | | | Link |

 
Creepy
Yahoo! News - Bush Keeps Saddam Gun at White House

Bush shows Saddam's gun to select visitors, telling them it is unloaded, both now and when Saddam was captured, Time reported.

"He really liked showing it off," Time quoted a visitor as saying. "He was really proud of it."

Am I the only one who finds this disturbing? Even more disturbing, possibly, is that the writer of the article finds it necessary to inform us that the room the gun is kept in "... is the same room where former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) had some of his encounters with former intern Monica Lewinsky."

Cue late-night hosts.

Now I really will say good-night.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:41 PM | | | Link |

 
Ho hum...
The New York Times > International > Middle East > Abuse Investigation: Military Completed Death Certificates for 20 Prisoners Only After Months Passed

WASHINGTON, May 30 — Twenty death certificates for Afghan and Iraqi prisoners who died in American custody were completed in a 10-day rush only after the investigation into the notorious abuses at Abu Ghraib became public last month, even though some of the deaths occurred months — in some cases many months — before.

Officers from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the headquarters of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, signed the certificates between May 12 and 21, including one certificate for an Afghan prisoner killed at the American military base at Bagram on Dec. 10, 2002, in what an autopsy found was a homicide.
...
There is already ample evidence of a confusing array of investigations," said Eugene Fidell, the president of the National Institute of Military Justice in Washington. "I believe the situation has already lost focus. It has all the makings of an investigative debacle."

Another debacle? Aren't there enough already? And check this out:



Notice anything at the bottom? Is this a breakthrough? The NYT is actually calling it "torture" and not "abuse"?

Good evening all. It's been busy here, what with artmaking and watching the level of "water" in my basement rise.

Thinking about the people who say they are for Bush to pollsters leads me to believe that they've kidnapped a thousand people, stuck them at Guantanamo or some isolated place in the desert, and periodically stop "abusing" them long enough to ask them who they're planning to vote for. And even so, more than half are still insisting it's Kerry.

Sorry for being tasteless. I'll reform sometime in November, promise.
- posted by Cynthia @ 11:15 PM | | | Link |

 
The Usual
Raining out, thunder, wind.

Good morning, folks. Am getting used to this, so got out to the lake for my walk and dune pictures early. Not much to say right now, since haven't accomplished much today except to drink coffee and listen to purloined music.

So will check out the world and be back.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:03 AM | | | Link |

 
Nothing Stretches

Nothing Stretches

Nothing stretches
to the outlet near me
from the table with no crap on it,
to surfaces clear, unpiled
with crap from
art and crumbs and boxes from Amazon.com
a year ago
and yarn from sweaters worn and worn and worn
this cool spring,

so the music is tinny,
the computer may go dark,
because of surfaces,
and electricity,
and the WI-FI not strong enough
to reach where the electric flows
and the surface is calm.


--------------------
Good morning, all. Decided to throw the morning notebook writing at you because I've been trying to reconfigure my working areas this rainy morning, but is frustrating. Basement is afloat and plumber can't come until Tuesday, and it's raining again and I have been warned not to flush and perhaps I could shower elsewhere and maybe not do the dishes.

The last was a delight to hear, of course, since I so love to wash the dishes on a weekend.

Spent much of yesterday night d**nl**ding M?3s frm the *****net so wanted to hook into the good speakers and listen. Mama mia! Advise everyone to follow links from your favorite blogs to places you've never been before. I suppose I can be thrown in jail for advocating this, but am utterly convinced that the record companies should be rewarding the bloggers with huge amounts of money rather than trying to chase people down and throw them in jail. The best blogs I've found have a little music history, a lot of opinion, much good taste, some geekiness and nuttiness, and thrill of the chase. Some recording companies seem to get it, like Sub Pop Records, for example, where nothing I downloaded had no merit and I contemplated buying several of the CDs they publish, and may, come the revolution. So may be adding some links, though perhaps this means I'm getting a little dilettantish. So what, it's my blog.

So will get on with my day, and let you get on with yours. Haven't checked the news yet since, as I just said, nothing stretches.
- posted by Cynthia @ 11:57 AM | | | Link |

 
Disinformation
MSNBC - Terror threat source called into question

"....After the March 11 attack in Madrid, Spain, an al-Qaida spokesman announced that 90 percent of the arrangements for an attack in the United States were complete."

But terrorism experts tell NBC News there's no evidence a credible al-Qaida spokesman ever said that, and the claims actually were made by a largely discredited group, Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, known for putting propaganda on the Internet.

"This particular group is not really taken seriously by Western intelligence," said terrorism expert M.J. Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, an international policy assessment group.

Good evening, folks. Found something worth snickering about, if it weren't so tragic. Since I don't know one person on the face of the earth who actually believes anything coming out of the mouths of this administration, why are we even surprised, except perhaps that it's an "exclusive" on MSNBC, former home of the reprehensibly abhorrent Michael Savage.

And here in online Newsweek Eleanor Clift asks,

What was the subliminal message of John Ashcroft’s stepped-up terror warning earlier this week? It’s that if the terrorists want to disrupt the presidential election, that must mean they’re for Democratic candidate John Kerry.

Scum. And for those enjoying the juicy, back-stabbing side of politics, she says,

The real story this week is why Attorney General John Ashcroft held the press conference on the new terror warnings and not Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

Indeed.

On the home and sweater front, I am so cold. It's about 48 degrees and a steady draft is coming thru my recently un-plasticked windows and I'm wearing my big blue sweater. Must go find and put on my pink slippers, and perhaps will be back soon. Perhaps will make a cup of herbal tea.


- posted by Cynthia @ 8:51 PM | | | Link |

 
Friday Morning
Good morning all, or I guess it's actually noon. It's 48 degrees out, though the sun is as bright as a lovely day in mid-winter with skies the deep ultramarine you only see in Northern Italian paintings of the Virgin, because the skies in Southern Italy are too milky blue.

Went out and did the lake-walk-with-coffee bit (must stop eating maple scones -- think I've put on 10 pounds in the past month). And a few digi shots. But it's odd how beautiful clear weather seems to inspire less than anxious skies and brooding heat.

Will try to get some work done around the house, and maybe tackle (shudder) the basement, which after all this rain has become somewhat scary, on top of smelly.

And am sure I'll find something for us to snicker over in the news later, but don't feel like prowling just yet. Must also go out and get another Obama sign to replace one that got rained out, and a Kerry sign, because he's my guy too.

But here's a little drawing:



- posted by Cynthia @ 12:13 PM | | | Link |

 
Bush Flop Flip #23,452.1.2 Section A, 2004
Army Orders Environmental Cutbacks to Save Money - from TBO.com

The Flop:

A May 11 e-mail from Maj. Gen. Anders Aadland, obtained by The Associated Press, had directed garrison commanders to "take additional risk in environmental programs; terminate environmental contracts and delay all non-statutory enforcement actions" until after the new fiscal year begins in October.

The Flip:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Army reversed course Thursday, saying it found money to avert dropping some environmental protections.

Under the money tree, perhaps? Good thing they didn't cut it down because it was littering the environment.

If you click on this link, however, or apparently any of the AP news links from TBO.com, you'll see a prominently placed "special message" from Bush/Cheney starring Laura that is quite, quite nauseating.

Sorry, Laura. You're not running. Your incompetent husband is. Just like Hillary wasn't running, though maybe someday, when we're all old and gray or dead... Didn't the press wipe the floor with her when she put her two cents in?

Good midday, folks. I've been like my old cat today, first I want to go out, then I want to come back in, then out, then in again. Going to stay in for a little longer, since the batteries on the camera gave out and I had to stick them in the recharger and load up a fresh set. I guess this means the honeymoon is continuing.

So if I'm going to stay in because god forbid I might get wet or something, I better post this and get going on whatever I'm going to do, which I don't know yet. Later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 12:53 PM | | | Link |

 
Decisions, Decisions
Chicago Tribune | Weather

Top of pages sez:

As of 7:14 am CDT on May 27, 2004

Today...Scattered drizzle early then becoming partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the west 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Bottom of page sez:

NOTICEABLY MORE HUMID: More humid by afternoon as temps reach levels 12 degrees warmer than yesterday. Building cumulus clouds threaten potentially severe t-storms this afternoon. A severe weather watch may become necessary. Clearing, cooler and less humid tonight.

Perhaps I should go for coffee and figure it out later. Painting I did yesterday actally looks a whole lot better than what I uploaded -- I compressed the hell out of it for loading, which took away some grays and detail. Maybe I'll futz with it. Think I'll edit the entry and put it behind a link.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:14 AM | | | Link |

 
A Lovely Day
It was. Started out rainy and me whiny, but as soon as I sat down to paint, everything went just fine. Here it is.

UPDATE: Click to view. Page was beginning to take a long time to load, and painting looked too bright this morning (Thurs). It happens.

- posted by Cynthia @ 7:44 PM | | | Link |

 
Skip the Senate, Send Him to the White House Right Now
The Candidate: How the son of a Kenyan economist became an Illinois Everyman.

My heart hasn't stopped pounding since I found my copy of the New Yorker in the mailbox today. Barack Obama is wonderful. Some excerpts:

Kirk Dillard, a leading Republican senator from the Chicago suburbs, looked chagrined when I asked him about Obama. “I knew from the day he walked into this chamber that he was destined for great things,” he said. “In Republican circles, we’ve always feared that Barack would become a rock star of American politics.”
...
Abner Mikva told me, “Barack is the most unique political talent I’ve run into in more than fifty years. I haven’t been this excited about a candidate since Adlai Stevenson first got me into politics.”
...
The universal explanation for [late IL Sen. Paul] Simon’s near-universal popularity is “integrity,” and this spring I heard the word a lot from people discussing Obama. It refers to consistency and incorruptibility, but also to a refusal to resort to smear politics.
...
The sight of big white corn farmers proudly wearing big blue “Obama” buttons and lining up to shake his hand is, I must say, slightly more striking.
...
Jan Schakowsky told me about a recent visit she had made to the White House with a congressional delegation. On her way out, she said, President Bush noticed her “Obama” button. “He jumped back, almost literally,” she said. “And I knew what he was thinking. So I reassured him it was Obama, with a ‘b.’ And I explained who he was. The President said, ‘Well, I don’t know him.’ So I just said, ‘You will.’”
...
Two weeks ago, after a poll showed Obama leading statewide by sixteen points, Jack Ryan hired a new media consultant, Scott Howell—a development that, as the Chicago Sun-Times noted dryly, “could change the tone” of the Senate race. Howell, a Texan, is best known for having worked on the 2002 Senate campaign of Saxby Chambliss, in Georgia. Chambliss, in an upset, defeated Senator Max Cleland, a popular veteran who lost both legs and an arm in the Vietnam War.

This last comment explains why Ryan has been stalking Obama. However, the dems know the truth about Ryan's divorce and have threatened to reveal details if the Ryan campaign gets ugly. Please, God, let it not get ugly. People in IL hate the republicans so much, I don't think they'll let one get elected this year. If you don't know anything about this man, here's a good introduction.

On the painting front, yes indeed, I did go out painting, did a little 9 x 12 inch thing. Will put a link to it up here later. But tonight is American Idol night, if you haven't heard. Later.
- posted by Cynthia @ 6:55 PM | | | Link |

 
Hell Has Frozen Over and They're Skating On It
.... while pigs fly over herds of cows coming home:

The New York Times > International > Middle East > From the Editors: The Times and Iraq

Never thought it would happen:

Some critics of our coverage during that time have focused blame on individual reporters. Our examination, however, indicates that the problem was more complicated. Editors at several levels who should have been challenging reporters and pressing for more skepticism were perhaps too intent on rushing scoops into the paper. Accounts of Iraqi defectors were not always weighed against their strong desire to have Saddam Hussein ousted. Articles based on dire claims about Iraq tended to get prominent display, while follow-up articles that called the original ones into question were sometimes buried. In some cases, there was no follow-up at all.

Still is a very milque-toastish apology, because they should be on their knees apologizing to Iraqi families who have lost loved ones because of Bush's sham war, and to the soldiers who were duped into thinking they were fighting terrorists -- and are still being duped.

If the NYT can apologize, surely leaders from this administration can. They have been one and the same for at least four years.

I guess if you read it carefully, it isn't really an apology. It's more of a Chalabi bashing. I wonder what punishment Judith Miller is getting. An invitation to join the Bush campaign?

I thought I was going to be painting all day, but went out this a.m. and it rained, so hauled everything back and have been messing around with the camera again. Am going to try again now. I am very perturbed with Tom Skilling. I believe he should be writing apologies too.

I see sun.... going to go chase it right now.

- posted by Cynthia @ 1:09 PM | | | Link |

 
Chatter
ABCNEWS.com : Poll: Americans Angry About Iraq:

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds the sharpest change is in anger. As the war began, 30 percent of Americans were angry about it; today, asked about the situation in Iraq, 57 percent are angry -- almost twice as many. Anger is highest -- 70 percent -- among the roughly half of Americans who think that, given its costs versus its benefits, the war was not worth fighting.

Now I understand all the "chatter" about something big happening this summer. It's going to take the Rovians that long to cook it up. This is their one and only response to slumping polls.

My fear is that someone in the admin or a fellow traveller really will do something to tip the scales. However, if something does happen, it would just mean that Bush can't be trusted to protect us against terrorism. If nothing happens, Bush can claim it as a victory. I hope, as Americans, we're not that dumb.

Hey, whatever happened with the anthrax case -- it's been nearly 3 years now. Why isn't everyone screaming about it? Is it ever going to come up in the Senate hearings?

So, will it be Fantasia? Hope so. She was brilliant tonight, and blondie really stank -- showed her nerves and age and only showed she can belt out a song like it's the high school auditorium.

Still messing with the new camera. I won't force you to load it, but if you want to see a pretty flower, here's a nice one. Let this be a warning to you: I have more....

For tomorrow, Tom says:

NEAR SEASONABLE TEMPS: The first completely rain-free day across the entire metro area in 10 days. Sunny with only patchy fair-weather clouds. A cool start, then seasonably mild. Lower humidities. NW winds turn light E/NE off Lake Michigan. Shoreline highs hold to the 60s.

If he's remotely right, I will be out painting the entire day, so may not talk to you until the evening.


- posted by Cynthia @ 10:58 PM | | | Link |

 
No Imminent Threat
Defense Officials: General Sanchez Reassignment Not Linked to Prison Scandal

Defense officials say the top U.S. commander in Iraq will be replaced, but they indicate the move is not imminent and categorically reject suggestions it has any connection to the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal. Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez has been in Iraq for nearly 14 months, longer than most American military personnel deployed there.

That is why senior defense officials say he is due for reassignment and not, as some news reports have suggested, because General Sanchez has been singled out for punishment in connection with the abuse of Iraqi detainees by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

No, of course it's not because of the scandal. Torturing people for 14 months doesn't make you insane, of course it doesn't. If the Voice of America says it, it must be true.

Mid-Afternoon update: still playing with the damn camera. Spooky trees and pretty flowers will be arriving shortly...

- posted by Cynthia @ 3:42 PM | | | Link |

 
Well, Duh...
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Al-Qaeda "spurred on" by Iraq war:

Al-Qaeda remains a viable and effective "network of networks" and has been galvanised by the war in Iraq, according to the London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

But they didn't listen to us, did they, when we marched, held vigils, and told them so a year and a half ago.

A lot of catching up to do. I haven't abandoned you, my friends, you have just become "new camera" widows. Got my Canon A80 yesterday and have been snapping everything in sight -- badly, I might add. Lots of banal closeups of flowers and beach scenes and pictures of my thumb and camera strap. Am pretty sure the camera itself is incapable of taking a really bad picture unless you try hard, and I've been trying very hard. Discovered what I'm sure everyone else has figured out already, that 1) Auto mode is quite good enough for just about everything, and 2) no mode is good enough to photograph artwork.

Since most of what I do (other than my little drawings) is in oil, I've been struggling with the indoor flash problem -- glare on the painting causing weird patches of whiteish overexposure that throws off everything. Some of it can be removed in Photoshop, but it's not the same. Pretty sure I can solve this with the manual controls and better lighting in my studio (which I should have anyway) -- and maybe thoroughly reading the manual -- but where's the fun in that?

And lawn buffs will be happy to know that you can now see my house from the street -- lawnmower returned to me yesterday at a 20 percent higher so-called yearly maintenance than it cost 2 years ago -- yikes -- at this rate is becoming feasible to buy a lawnmower a year and throw the old one away.

So, onward. Will upload some of the better efforts later. Is amazing how your whole perspective on photography changes when you don't have to pay to get film developed. Like going to a buffet where they have all-you-can eat shrimp. You find you can eat rather a lot.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:09 AM | | | Link |

 
Just Give It Up, Already
Wedding film challenges U.S. on air strike

"Bad people have parties too," he said.

Very bad:

The film shows pick-up trucks racing across the desert -- some of the dead came from the regional capital Ramadi -- men dancing in a tent, children larking about and a musician playing an electric organ. The same man later appeared dead in a shroud.

At least they weren't tortured first.

Good morning. What is so wrong about saying, "Look, we're sorry we bombed your wedding, but apparently we were working off bad information, as usual, and don't understand your culture anyway and really don't want to, even though we've been there over a year. You'll love the democracy, when we get around to letting you have it, and then you'll give us candy and flowers, like we promised"?

Waiting for my camera to be delivered and my lawnmower to be returned. Don't know what on earth I did about things like this when I was gainfully employed and not (ahem) resting. I think I had to take days from work, that's what.

Here's the little drawing I spoke of last night:



Is damp and chilly today, so not really minding hanging around waiting for stuff. Am also searching for better ways to display my images than either 1) dumping a plain vanilla Photobucket page on you or 2) hand-crafting every byte for a real web page that will take every waking moment to maintain.

On with the day.

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:03 AM | | | Link |

 
Evening Report
The sweater, "Sonnet", is knit, but not yet put together. Tomorrow must get 5 little buttons, too. Beginning to feel the twitch already, the not knowing what to knit next. With my latest obsession about cold feet, I should do socks.

The last socks I knit were many, many years ago, out of a wonderful gray French wool, for my father, who also had cold feet. He didn't want to "ruin" them by actually wearing them, until we indicated we were offended, so he wore them over a pair of thin cotton socks, not wanting to get the "good" socks dirty. They came back to me after he died, and I've been treating them like "good" socks too. I should dig them out.

I know that sock-knitting has become a frenzied obsession on the "interknit", so I should be able to find some good patterns. If not, I have some old ones from about 1960, and some even older from my sweater books, the ones with pictures of college girls sitting on beds eating apples and playing 45s and wearing bermuda shorts and knee-his.

Note for tomorrow: left my notebook in car, but did a little beach drawing. Only interesting thing was how shadows from trees projected onto sand, and the color change from near pure lemon ochre (of sand) to blueish violet (of shadows from trees), then moving off to a humid gray/blue sky with flat-bottomed clouds decorated with pink from the setting sun (I was there around 7:30 pm).

But since I'm in my nightgown and still dripping from a shower, won't go out and get it.

So to bed, and onward to tomorrow and a new day of political follies and art nuttiness.

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:56 PM | | | Link |

 
Weather, Again
And as quickly as the sick air came in, it left again. Windows clear again. Barely had time to do this (battle between good and evil -- i.e., clear air vs. horrid humidity):



Another ugly pastel, because they were out. Now I really will go and paint.

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:41 AM | | | Link |

 
Weather So Strange
When I went out an hour ago for coffee, weather cool and raw. Have been messing with computer for the last hour, just turned to look out window and couldn't see out because of the condensation on the glass. Outdoors is now stiflingly humid, with a sick, mushy feel and smell to the air, and becoming hot. Hope sun does not come out until this front passes. Ugh.

Good morning. I've been up for hours, because I slept most of the day yesterday, and tell myself, no, I will not lie down just to read a chapter. Have only 4 more rows until I start binding off on the last sleeve of Sonnet -- just in time for the digi camera supposed to arrive tomorrow or next day.

Must go paint something, then tell you about it.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:13 AM | | | Link |

 
Back With the Slippers
Don't ever go upstairs to get a pair of slippers at 8:30 in the morning on a Saturday, meaning to come back down, but you lie down for a minute just to read a chapter in your book, and then the next thing you know, your feet are still cold and it's noon.

So had to spend another few hours waking up and shlepping around, a little knitting and housework, then it became 7:00 and I don't know how. I figured I should leave the house and do some notebook stuff, at least, so at the lake saw this:

4 guys apparently making a movie mostly in the rain. 2 guys had pieces of paper pinned to the front of their t-shirts proclaiming something, the other guy had a big stick. The cameraman made the labelled guys run down the beach with the stick guy chasing them again and again and again -- perfection, you know -- then they'd all come back and look at the image in the little viewfinder and do it again. I guess they eventually got it right, since suddenly they just raced across the street and left. No idea what it was all about.

But here are the colors:

Dirty yellow white
black/white, slightly green
Heavy gray
Quite white
gray-green -- thin, dark horizon
milky gray/green to shore
The usual burnt/raw sienna beach

For once I came back and did a little pastel of it -- pretty close. Then it started to rain, and now it's pouring and thundering and lightening, etc., etc., just like the last few days.


- posted by Cynthia @ 8:31 PM | | | Link |

 
Why We Can Never Believe Them
The New York Times > Opinion > An Abu Ghraib Investigation:

The Denver Post reported this week that military records documented the deaths of at last five Iraqi prisoners during brutal interrogations, only one of them at Abu Ghraib. In one especially chilling case, the former head of Iraq's air force turned himself in and was held at a "high value" prison, where interrogators appear to have killed him by stuffing him headfirst into a sleeping bag, sitting on his chest and covering his mouth. The Pentagon papered this over with a press release saying the prisoner "said he didn't feel well and subsequently lost consciousness."

And, my friends, I'm sure the NYT was the first to publish and not question this assertion.

Massive thunder this morning again, and several huge drops of rain fell on me when I went out for coffee -- like individual lakes falling, splat. To the south, sky is hazy yellow, but clear. To north, blue black. Needless to say, I am indoors at the moment though anxious to go out and paint a nice boring summer landscape without worrying about all these postmodern concerns like intent and material and method and why.

Until then, will be continuing with the Art By the Inch Challenge -- I am at 562 inches right now out of 10,000 by June 15th. I don't believe there's a prize or anything, but the discussions and measuring and recording and fretting and very good work being produced is collegial and inspiring. Check it out.

My feet are cold again. Can't think with cold feet. Must get slippers. Later.



- posted by Cynthia @ 8:29 AM | | | Link |

 
The Hand of Rove?
(via Atrios)

Barack Obama 2004 Campaign Weblog: Playing Dirty

SPRINGFIELD -- For the past 10 days, U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama hasn't been able to go to the bathroom or talk to his wife on his cell phone without having a camera-toting political gofer from his Republican rival filming a few feet away….

This is nutty.

"It's standard procedure to record public speeches and things like that," Obama told reporters as the bald, 20-something operative filmed away. "But to have someone who's literally following you a foot and a half away, everywhere you go, going into the restrooms, standing outside my office, sitting outside of my office asking my secretary where I am, seems to be getting a little carried away."

Warfel interrupted Obama several times with heckling questions, but wouldn't respond when reporters asked him about who he was and why he was filming Obama's every move.

"You'll have to speak to the campaign office," Warfel said tartly to practically every inquiry.

Who is this jerk anyway? Figures. A jerk like Jack Ryan would hire another just like him. Still wonder what the whole story about the divorce is... wonder whether Jeri is registered to vote.

- posted by Cynthia @ 8:02 PM | | | Link |

 
Fire Rumsfeld, part MMMCCCXXXIIIIIa, b, and c
New Details of Prison Abuse Emerge (washingtonpost.com):

Previously secret sworn statements by detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq describe in raw detail abuse that goes well beyond what has been made public, adding allegations of prisoners being ridden like animals, sexually fondled by female soldiers and forced to retrieve their food from toilets.

Please, let's get these bums out of office and send them to Abu Ghraib right now.

You don't want to read this article, but you must. I don't understand how any human can think it's right to torture another. I don't understand how a general can say that "no one told him it was wrong." And "just following orders" has never been a defense -- see Nuremberg trials, My Lai, etc. Even if it were, the chain of command leads to the President. It's time for him to take responsibility for this atrocity.

Good news is that Kerry Raises $1 Million a Day in April . I hate pocketbook elections, but big money gets press, people for some reason trust "big" stuff (witness all the ridiculous lists of how much money a movie makes each weekend), and it buys ads and opens campaign offices and pays for overhead and plane tickets and whatever.

The more money Kerry has, the louder he can talk (something the press has actually been grumbling about -- it's their fault, you know). And the louder he talks, the more money he will get.

Unfortunately, the office of the presidency gives an incumbent, especially this one, a free ride and slavish coverage whenever he chooses to open his mouth. And he really hasn't started to campaign yet. Scary.
- posted by Cynthia @ 11:27 AM | | | Link |

 
Roofers Here
Maryland Voters Who Requested Paper Ballots Instead of Touch-Screen Won't Be Counted

"I was not told that my vote would not be counted. That is just plain wrong," one of the voters, Helen K. Kolbe, said at an administrative hearing Wednesday in Annapolis. "By any logic, my vote should be accepted, or quite simply, it is fraud and a stain on our electoral procedures."

The Campaign for Verifiable Voting had urged thousands of its supporters to request paper ballots to create a verifiable paper trail of their votes.

But under state law, paper ballots can be used only if "the individual's name does not appear on the precinct register." State officials told The (Baltimore) Sun that county election judges erred in offering the paper alternative.

Oh Jeez. Is there nothing they won't stop at? But let this be a lesson to us all. Think personally we should go back to stoning the ones we don't like.

Yes, finally, roofers dragged me out of bed at 7:30 this am to move my car. Since I can't park on the street until 9, have been prowling around the streets like a homeless person with a car, but I neglected to bring my real notebook or take the computer, so was forced to sit and drink my coffee without anything to write on, a very strange experience for me. So had to rely on Natures's Notepad (ie, memory) until scrounging, I found a spiral thing in the trunk along with a broken pencil, on which I scribbled a drawing of a fence, like it's important.

Since I don't usually draw with pencil, also was important (drawing with pen makes me more observant, I think, tho it's just psychological), so have something that looks odd, erased, and lop-sided.



So, onward with the day. Is chilly and windy, though supposed to get hot later, says Tom:

Extensive low cloudiness, damp, cool beyond midday. Widespread haze/areas of fog, especially near the lake. But, some sun breaks through this afternoon Winds shift from NE to SSW allowing warm, humid air to return later today. 50s increase to low 80s. Several t-storms possible--shifting north of area Friday night.

I would not like to be roofing right now. Will be 90 tomorrow, not my favorite temperature.
- posted by Cynthia @ 9:29 AM | | | Link |

 
Doonesbury Strikes Again
Doonesbury Comic Strip to List Names of Military Victims Killed in Iraq War

The names were set in 6-point type to fit in the six panels for publication on Sunday, May 30. The Sunday version is prepared weeks in advance.

"The intent is to recognize those who died," Salem said.

I'm still waiting for the names of Iraqis killed to be listed somewhere. Or we could just start with the list of those detained at Abu Ghraib.



- posted by Cynthia @ 9:33 PM | | | Link |

 
Evening Report
Would you know it, it's raining again? Roofer will be here tomorrow. And I dumped my entire box of pastels on my was-beige-in-1950 carpet and spent much of the afternoon picking bits of powder blue and deep magenta out of what's left of the nap. The one on the left is from a little notebook drawing supplemented with colored pencils. The one on the right is a much simplified verson of a very busy painting from early spring:



May do paintings based on these.

So how ya all doing? I spend so much time talking about myself, I've been such a rude hostess and haven't asked about you. So please leave comment, email, whatever.


- posted by Cynthia @ 7:32 PM | | | Link |

 
What the....?
Are they eating their own?

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US troops raid Chalabi residence:

Several armed Westerners were also seen, wearing flak jackets and using unlicensed vehicles, assumed to be American private security officers, Associated Press reported.

Some people could be seen loading boxes into vehicles, and witnesses said some members of Mr Chalabi's entourage were taken away.

Now that he isn't a friend, Rummy wants all the evidence back, I guess. He's become just a little too mouthy for their tastes lately:

On Wednesday he said in a BBC interview that Iraqis should have complete control over oil, development and property currently in US hands.

Chalabi is not a good guy -- a thief and a con-man and we never should have believed any information sourced to him. Still.... Other reports from AP add some details:

Salem Chalabi, nephew of Ahmad Chalabi and head of the Iraqi war crimes tribunal, said his uncle told him by telephone that Iraqi and American authorities "entered his home and put the guns to his head in a very humiliating way that reminds everyone of the conduct of the former regime."

Good morning people. Off to an early start today.
- posted by Cynthia @ 6:51 AM | | | Link |

 
Good Evening
So where are the sweaters, they are asking? And what about this art you keep talking about? We see words, but no pictures, no action, what's the scoop, anyway?

Well, my friends, you have no idea how long it can take to make something about 3 inches by 8 inches wide, like this:



titled, "Lucretia Says No."

Or this:



titled "Anonymous Hills."

As I've pointed out elsewhere, you may notice a (ahem) connection between the two. Couldn't make the image work as a whole, so cut it in half and voila.

On the sweater front: I have less than half a sleeve to finish, then sew it all together and document it. Perfect timing for the digital camera I've finally got around to ordering today, which guarantees all you photo phans that a brand new half-price model will be arriving on the shelves momentarily.

So will it be Fantasia? I really, really, hope so. Can't stand that little perky 16 year old blondie Diana.

Roofers coming tomorrow, or maybe Friday. Such a casual bunch of people. And lawnmower returns on Monday. I plan on posting a sign in my lawn that alerts people that I'm not really a bad person, and I really plan on mowing as soon as I'm able. Neighborhood dogs are loving it, however, and the rabbits are scampering, safe from view.

More later, perhaps.


- posted by Cynthia @ 9:28 PM | | | Link |

 
Steaming Mad
Bush Invokes 'War on Terror' in Energy Debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Wednesday he would not release strategic oil stocks to curb record gasoline prices while he was waging war on terror and accused Democrats of playing politics on energy.

All right. I've been quiet and nice for a few days hoping someone out there would make some sense about this so-called "oil crisis". It certainly isn't Bush. And he's accusing Democrats?

All he wants to do is make sure oil prices go so high that people will clamor for the so-called energy bill to get passed so he and his cronies can make mega-trillions by drilling away our planet's precious resources in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

What I want to know is where is Dick Cheney in all this? Why don't we even have an energy policy? What's happening in the Supreme Court case? These people have only themselves to blame for 1) not having a policy that balances current needs, diminishing resources, and renewable sources for the future, and 2) going to war with countries that actually produce oil in the here and now.

Maybe his Republican base will get so upset about gas prices that they'll throw him out. But this is one issue they can't remotely blame Democrats for.

War on terror, my sweet patootie... he's the only one who terrifies me right now.

And what are we doing hanging around the Syrian border slaughtering people in wedding parties?

I beg of you, even if you don't personally like John Kerry because the media has told you he's cold and remote or too wimpy, or too liberal, or not liberal enough, or has a rich wife, or has foreign wife, or was a hero in Viet Nam or wasn't or had medals or protested the war, or likes civil unions but not gay unions, or was re-elected to the Senate how many times? or comes from Taxachusetts, currently ruled by Republicans, you must vote for him, and vote in a new Congress as well. There are links on the side. Please use them.

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:29 PM | | | Link |

 
Art Wednesday
Chicago Tribune | Porn switched with school announcement

One parent who complained characterized the tape as hard-core pornography, but Chambers said she didn't view the tape and couldn't confirm its contents. Administrators were watching security camera tapes to try to determine who made the switch.

Chambers said that with this being the last week of school, a senior prank "would be my best guess at this point." [ed: oh, highschool seniors.... thought all those bad Canadian drugs had gone to the brains of our elderly for a minute]

And a very good morning to everyone from this pristine and pornless location. Weather report is even adequate today. Thanks, Tom:

Extensive cloudiness at the start. But, clouds break allowing sunshine. Milder temps especially south and western suburbs. Highs range from 57° Waukegan/lakeshore to 76° Kankakee. Partly cloudy, becoming windy and warmer with increasing humidity Wednesday night. Scattered active t-storms possible.

So will do my coffee at the lake bit and be back later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:54 AM | | | Link |

 
Barack Obama 2004 Campaign Weblog
Stop the presses! Go here right now!

Barack Obama 2004 Campaign Weblog

Brand new and shiny! Thanks, ArchPundit, for letting me know! Will be modifiying list on the side momentarily to include this really nice blog.

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:02 PM | | | Link |

 
Job Surge
(via TCF):

Jobs

Radio station, WKQX-FM, Q101 is seeking a Indecency Compliance Monitor.

Job Description: Indecency Compliance Monitor

Candidate will work from 5:30am to 10:00am weekdays listening to live Q101 broadcast for objectionable material. Candidate will have the ability to delete material that might be found objectionable or indecent. Candidate should be able to exercise good judgment, understand and interpret F.C.C. regulations and focus for long periods of time.

This is not a joke posting. Repeat, this is not a joke posting.

I think we should all apply for this. My first day on the job I would delete the entire day's broadcast, because I find it objectionable.

Good morning, nearly afternoon. Had a Barq's rootb eer (triple the caffeine of anything on the planet, I forgot) too late so was up until 3:00 even though I was exhausted. Almost hallucinatory. Couldn't stop knitting, then twitched half the night as rain continued to pound down. Basement afloat again. Roofer still hasn't come. Lawnmower lady due afternoon, but may have to put lawnmower in canoe to row it out to her.

At lake this pm with coffee, however, so here are some colors:

Black gray/white
Whiter
Grayer
Heavy pinkish gray
Very pale gray
Creamy white ... all fairly low
pale blue gray
Very thin prussian blue horizon
Violet gray/green stretching to beach
Waves rise roiled with sand raw sienna and burnt sienna)

Water violent, wind from NNE right at my hands.

Will post and paint. Am in process of shifting images over to a new host. With any luck will mean pages will load faster, so I can show you more stuff. Later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:48 AM | | | Link |

 
Illinois Numbers
Bush closes gap in Illinois despite bad grade in Iraq

I think they're demented if they think the race is this tight, but if it is, it should put a scare in us as a nation. I guess we've just been more concerned with American Idol than with American Idle (I have now copyrighted that phrase....ha ha).

Just wondering... a lot of people I know increasingly don't even answer their land-based phone any longer, and rely for voice exclusively on cells. Would think, therefore, that polling would naturally skew older, more conservative, less mobile, less urban.

Good afternoon, or evening. Class done, naked person still in car, am exhausted, so may be forced to be brainless this pm.

Still thinking about this polling report. Will have to check with Illinois political guru ArchPundit for analysis.

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:19 PM | | | Link |

 
It's About Time
... that they got around to planting the WMD. I was beginning to think they were as incompetent doing this as in everything else.

Is really bizarre, since Al Franken pointed out that they hadn't planted anything yet just this last Saturday.... weird to think that he's the one directing the war effort.

Roadside Bomb Containing Sarin Nerve Agent Explodes in Iraq

Maybe it's like the ammo they found near Baltimore from a previous war that practically shut the city down last week:

Old buried bombs have a way of resurfacing inconveniently


Ok, now I'll go off to class and stop all this snarkiness.

- posted by Cynthia @ 12:15 PM | | | Link |

 
Collage of the Day
Not great, but then I don't really do collages, anyway. Mistake was to gesso the cardboard first, then slap the little bits of paper on and watch them curl up and wrinkle. Ugh. Tried to save it with colored pencil. Ugh. But learning.



Good morning, folks. Have been up bright and early, and spent time at the lake writing, too. Will be off to last figure class soon, but felt compelled to blog about art instead of politics, which is increasingly grim. Will be like Barbara Bush soon, who doesn't want to pollute her "beautiful mind" (have the source of quote around somewhere...) with ugly facts.

Sound of lawnmowers all around me, making me feel increasingly anxious, but they're coming to get it tomorrow.


- posted by Cynthia @ 11:54 AM | | | Link |

 
So Lovely Out
... but so tired within. And listening to the drone of distant lawnmowers makes me want to nap.

Good evening, my friends. Weather so exquisitely, greenly perfect, the energy just poured through me and didn't stop until about a half hour ago when everything decided to shut down and made me sit on my couch and simply do nothing, not even think.

I can't feel guilty about not mowing, since the mower didn't start, so have put in a call to the mower lady to come fix it.

But went out to the park determined to see green again as blocks of complex colors, but not fussy, like the 2 paintings I did earlier this spring were somewhat fussy. So we have

Green Blue Green
Green Blue Green
Reddish Blue LightGreen
Green PaleYellowGreen Green

(the blue being sky)

When I get my digital camera I'll do some snaps. Also still looking for a better and easier to use location to host groups of images.

Did the first 12 x 12 on the new luan at the park and it was good. Some days you can paint, some you can't. Today flowed.

- posted by Cynthia @ 6:16 PM | | | Link |

 
So Very Honored
Art by the Inch Challenge | May 15th - June 15th 2004

My little collage (see below) chosen for the Navigation Piece (the first!) for Art by the Inch, and will be up in the Gallery all month, apparently. Dying to see what other people are coming up with.

So let's see what it looks like outside [prying eyes open]... Cobalt skies! And Tom says

Cool early but temps rebound quickly under a bright sun. Highs reach the lower/middle 70s but hold in the 60s close to the lake, a result of southeast winds. Partly cloudy overnight. Lows hold in the middle and upper 50s.

Starting to feel guilty already... that lawn is tall.

So better get out of bed and bring the computer downstairs and go paint something.

- posted by Cynthia @ 8:34 AM | | | Link |

 
A Little Giddy
Three Guilty of Conspiring to Buy Votes in N.C. Election:

A federal jury determined Friday that Wayne Shatley, Carlos Hood and Ross Banner conspired to pay voters to register and vote with the purpose of securing the elections of Republican candidates.

I am convinced that's the only way these idiots are going to get elected again this year. The level of fed-upness is spreading quickly. Went to 2 events tonight (and ate 2 dinners, only one set of desserts, however. Even I have limits.)

And met Al Franken. He did his act, which is funny and was very, very well received -- a cross between his radio show and his book, with some recent updates. He does bad impressions of people like Rumsfeld and Cheney so well that they're really quite accurate. Even the friend I went with got all girlish when we went for his autograph. Everyone wanted to know about when Air America Radio is coming back to Chicago, but he couldn't say. I said they should get a station in Ohio. He said "We're sending people in." Like it's a sad war-torn nation requiring a Funny Brigade to save it.

Event 2 (Benefit) not as well attended as in previous years, and the prices all the pieces went for seemed much lower (mine included). When we got parking right away I figured it was a bad sign.

So talked about Bush and the war with a lot of people. Kids just graduating now are getting shipped off, all the kids are now beginning to know someone who has been "wounded" (ie, has no legs), and they're starting to talk about the draft, and what this all means is beginning to sink in. This should be encouraged, and they all have to get registered this summer. Moveon.org is pushing voter registration very hard right now. And they're "sending people in" too.

Let's see.... what kind of art shall I do tomorrow?

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:39 PM | | | Link |

 
Art Saturday
Kinda maybe will do one of the challenges I mentioned earlier. If so, here's my first entry, a collage, which I never do, on the back of cardboard from a Pop Secret Box (I like the Homestyle):



I am still so cold, even though the sun is out, probably since I've been standing in my unheated studio for 3 hours doing this thing barefoot. When it's a bit dryer will perhaps mount on board and slather gloss medium over it, or not.

Will be busy, busy, busy most of the day, with show (with Al Franken!!) and dinner, then the benefit I told you about at the Evanston Art Center, where I have a piece.

Am only 3 inches into the second sleeve, so have abandoned any hope of wearing the Sonnet. I may very well wear my winter coat instead, since it's supposed to be even colder this pm (62/45):

8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL: Much brighter! Abundant sunshine. Cool with lower humidities/unlimited visibilities. ENE winds off Lake Michigan set up a range in high temps from low/mid 50s at shoreline to low/mid 60s Fox Valley/far south. Scattered clouds possible tonight, cool.

Tom is demented if he thinks it's going to get up to even the mid-50s today. It's 49 outside my house.

You may wonder why I'm so obsessed by the weather, but it's because I'm mostly a boring old landscape painter, so it's important to my work. Just like farming.

Will post this and put on some sox.

- posted by Cynthia @ 1:20 PM | | | Link |

 
Into The Pot With Him
Iowa Congressman Calls Iraqi Prisoner Abuse 'hazing'

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Republican Rep. Steve King says the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers was little more than "hazing."
...
"If Tom Harkin and his Democrat allies want to continue to act like political cannibals and pitch partisan hooey to anyone who'll listen, then they're eating their own," King said.

Still taking marching orders from Rush Limbaugh, drug addict, I see. I thought they'd issued the faithful a new memo, but apparently not everyone's got it yet.

I don't understand how these people can equate torture and hazing in the first place. Or even "abuse" and hazing. Doesn't anyone get it that those being hazed (i.e., if you're rushing a frat) actually want to be there, and in some sense are enjoying themselves, because they're gonna get into a cool frat? The Iraqis don't want to be in jail, for crying out loud. They aren't paying dues to get into this place. Nor are those being raped over there "asking for it," trust me. Gene Blanshan is running against this jerk in Iowa's 5th District. Let him know you love and appreciate him with cash.

Good evening, friends. You do not want to go down to my basement right now. It smells like all the sewers in town have extruded their hideous contents down there. Let's not talk about it right now.

Otherwise, I am so cold. It's 48 degrees out and I took the plastic down from my windows last week.

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:47 PM | | | Link |

 
Slow News Day, Apparently
Man Angry at Verizon Hurls Phones Across Store, Causing More Than $2,000 in Damage

Police said Perala took off his shirt and put on safety glasses before throwing around computers, phones and other items.

The glasses I understand, but why take off the shirt?

Raining steadily, but not violently this morning. A good, guilt-free day, since no one can expect me to go out and cut the grass, although I saw someone from a lawn service manicuring a driveway with a blower in full rain gear on my way for coffee. Tom Skilling says

Waves of showers and possible embedded t-storms. Heavy downpours, most frequent south sections into early afternoon. Local 1-2" rain totals there before rains diminish and N winds increase. Temperatures fall into the 50s this afternoon. Clearing, breezy, cooler, less humid Friday night.

He's already wrong, since it's just a hair above 50 degrees here and not yet noon.

Does anyone remember yarn cards? Cardboard pictures with punch holes you were supposed to sew thru with ugly yarn? Wondering what to do with all these odds and ends of yarn made me think of them, and also of whether I should join the Art By the Inch Challenge (10,000 inches in 30 days) or perhaps the Art A Day Challenge to get things hopping. Or maybe join one of those Mail Art groups...

You'll note the clever way I've introduced a few link-candidates to the discussion...

Have cast on for the 2nd sleeve and will see how far I get before I give out.

Slight UPDATE: It is now just a hair under 50 degrees and my heat has just kicked on. Must run and shut windows.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:26 AM | | | Link |

 
Sweater Alert
Friends, sleeve one is done on The New Sweater. Dare I schedule a photo shoot for her? I still doubt that even if I knit my fingers bloody and my wrists into permanent carpal tunnel agony will I finish it by 5:00 pm on Saturday. Which means that Al Franken will have to see me wearing some old thing instead of the new Sonnet.

Ah, me. Have added a few links to the side -- finally got my resume up so people will know who I am (or have been in the past) on the arts side of my being. Also added a link to E.C. Brown's index of Chicago Artists, which is an interesting group. May add a few more, too, from my wanderings thru the art shows over the weekend. Dunno. May even prune a few links that seem to have become moribund.

The other changes I warned about will likely not happen anytime soon. Blogger has come up with new and prettier formats for bloggings and comments, but it doesn't convert all the old stuff very well. If you're thinking about starting a new blog of your own, it's much easier to use than before and less finicky, however.

Am still accepting suggestions for the next sweater, so leave a comment or email me your suggestions.

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:41 PM | | | Link |

 
Liars, Part MMMCXXXXIIIb
AP Newsbreak: E-Mail From Consul Confirms Berg Was in U.S. Military Hands

To back its claims that Berg was in U.S. custody, the family showed The Associated Press an April 1 e-mail from Beth A. Payne, the U.S. consular officer in Iraq.

"I have confirmed that your son, Nick, is being detained by the U.S. military in Mosul. He is safe. He was picked up approximately one week ago. We will try to obtain additional information regarding his detention and a contact person you can communicate with directly," the e-mail said.

In two e-mails later that day, Payne wrote that she was still trying to find a local contact for the family.

So why is the govt lying? And if they aren't lying, it means they're incompetent, or were too busy torturing Iraqis, which is probably why they're lying. Wonder what Beth Payne says, or whether her memory has gone conveniently blank and her computer suspiciously has been bombed...

More and more bizarre.

And, on the WI-FI issue:

Just reboot the damn server!!

Since the big storm yesterday, my at-no-cost-to-myself WI-FI connection has gone out. I haven't been able to figure out where it's coming from, and I'm not paying for it, so I can't complain, but boy, going back to dialup is brutal.

You may wonder what I'm doing inside as you look out the window and declare it to be a beautiful day, but I would inform you that it was raining a short time ago, and no, I'm not avoiding cutting the lawn.
- posted by Cynthia @ 2:17 PM | | | Link |

 
Why Is We Not Buying Buks?
New Study Shows Big Drop in Book Sales

"We believe this is due to a variety of factors, the biggest being the used book market," said Albert N. Greco, an industry consultant and a professor of business at the graduate school of Fordham University.

Go ahead, slam my favorite stores, the ones with 5 cats prowling around and that great unwashed nerd smell near the Science Fiction shelves. Didn't they used to blame libraries? I don't think this "industry consultant" is earning his money if he hasn't blamed the internet yet.

Good morning. Skies graying now, must check the weather report:

The 9th day of 80s for 2004—despite a heavy initial overcast. Lingering showers exit the area. Mixed sun emerges amid incr. SSW winds. Warm, humid. Building clouds threaten several scattered active t-storms this afternoon/evening. Cloudy periods Thursday night. T-storms increase, warm, humid.

Better get going.
- posted by Cynthia @ 9:33 AM | | | Link |

 
Holy Cow
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Film | Film deal for 'Baghdad blogger'

"He's like a Nick Hornby in the middle of a war," Scott Kroopf, chairman of the company's film division, told film industry website ScreenDaily.com.

Salam Pax's diary, Dear Raed, became an internet sensation during the Iraq war.

This is a very strange world.
- posted by Cynthia @ 11:24 PM | | | Link |

 
Unreal
LaToya London voted off American Idol. I don't know what this country is coming to. Maybe it's because of her singing that librul Barbra Streisand's commie gay show tunes, or something. I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, too.

Good evening. Storms still persist here in Northern Illinois. Rescued the luan drying in what had been the sun just before the deluge.

Plan to add a few more links and stuff to the blog soon, and try a few of the new features Blogger has added, so (gulp) wish me luck. Some of the changes may be invisible, but scary, nonetheless.


- posted by Cynthia @ 8:58 PM | | | Link |

 
They Have To Spin It, Of Course...
MSNBC - Pollsters: Kerry aside, Bush is in trouble
... but this is the best news I've seen all day. Maybe everyone other than me (because my opinions and predictions have of course been perfect, so far) is beginning to wake up and see them for what they are? Or are they so stupid that all he has to do is put on a flight suit and land in a swing state somewhere and listen to Rush Limbaugh tell them how brave he is and suddenly the polls will jump 18 points and we'll have four more years of death and destruction. As a country are we that gullible? I'm afraid we are. But this headline is on the MSNBC web site, not overwelmingly known for its liberal leanings. Let's check Fox... no, headline is about "Dru". Rapture Index only up 1 (Bush seeks $25 Billion More for Iraq, Afghanistan). Mark of the Beast and Beast Governments holding steady.

Have been running errands and gessoing, so catching up. Didn't paint, since didn't really have anything to paint on (well, I did, but didn't want to paint on canvas).

So have sixteen 12 inch squares and twelve 12 by 16 slabs. May do some trimming on the squares to remove some of the squareness as needed, but I keep forgetting how splintery luan is. It really is a pain in the butt to work with, and the price has gone up from when I bought it last year. Someone told me I should use Gator Board, but I checked the price on it, and I'll stick with luan or canvas, thank you.

My goal is to have enough around that it's just like reaching for a piece of cheap paper. Need to remove the "art as precious object" quality of my work. Managed to do it when I was printmaking a lot, now must extend it into painting. The fear of messing stuff up, oh poor me, I'll never do anything as good ever ever again....

Well, we just had a brief power failure, but laptop and WIFI keep on ticking.
Cancel that brief. Should save this and shut machine off. WIFI hasn't come back, which makes sense, since power out in entire neighborhood. Let's save the battery.

Later.... power out about an hour, everything more or less now back and flashing 12:00 at me. Ah, me.


- posted by Cynthia @ 4:11 PM | | | Link |

 
Fog
From yesterday. Must get more luan so I can paint. Don't feel like canvas. Must find yesterday's forecast so I can compare. More later.

May 11, 2004

Out to lake this pm, air chill and foggy. Drove past baseball diamond, ghost players rising from red dirt, foggy sprites mixed with hot dry dirt, like low clouds or absolute ghosts.

At water, the colors:

All white luminous gray, like something both behind and in front of each color
Visibility about 200 feet.

Red dog appears, then disappears, appears, disappears, just at the edge of visible.

Blue white
White gray
Yellow white
green white
ripples become vaguely water
slightly greener
slightly violet white raw sienna
sand/shore wet dull raw sienna
white sand

Eyes hurting from brilliance. Looking back toward park, the greens soft, but intense color, glowing acid yellow green, reds of new japanese maples dull, barely pigmented against fog.

Look suddenly south and see the presence, swirling ochrish intense light rising between water and land, throbs back, then toward me.

Look north, the presence is a wedge between something, some water to right, fading acid green of new trees to left, the lemony presence glows between.

Am in it, walking, but it follows. Sun is a supernova, overrhead light disperses into the light of the presence, heat, faint shadow of me walking. Airless and suffocating as it thins. People sitting in dune gone, dog gone.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:52 AM | | | Link |

 
But When Can We Send George?
Saddam Hussein to Stay in American Hands for Now, Iraq's War Crimes Chief Says

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Saddam Hussein will not likely be handed over to Iraqi authorities for trial before the June 30 transfer of power to an interim government, Iraq's war crimes chief said Wednesday, reversing a claim he made one day earlier.

Salem Chalabi [ed., what were they thinking? isn't he a nephew or something?], the head of Iraq's war crimes tribunal, told reporters Tuesday in Kuwait that Saddam would definitely be handed over to the Iraqis before Iraq assumes sovereignty and trials would begin early next year.

Those darn flip flops again. Guess we better not vote for Kerry. What? Not Kerry? Ooops.

Good morning, folks. Supposed to be mid eighties today, according to Tom:

Strengthening winds deliver unseasonable warmth to the area uniformly—no lake cooling. Elevated, summerlike humidities. Mixed sun—but puffy cumulus clouds build. A few, spotty t-storms possible this afternoon/evening? Some gusts 25-32 mph by afternoon. Highs 18° above normal. Evening t-storms, then partly cloudy, warm.

Already there's that whining sunshine coming thru that I find irritating. Either do it, or don't do it.

Which is how I should feel. Either paint, or don't, just don't whine. Later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:39 AM | | | Link |

 
Haven't You Done Enough Damage Here at Home?
U.S. Lawmakers Get Involved in Uruguayan Abortion Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Chris Smith says he hopes that he played a small part in stopping Uruguay from becoming the first Latin American nation besides Cuba to legalize abortion. Critics say he was meddling in the affairs of another country. [ed: isn't that what we do, now? they're just being pre-emptive, right?]

Smith, R-N.J., and five other anti-abortion House Republicans on April 30 sent letters to Uruguay's senators urging them not to "make the same costly mistake" America made 31 years ago and "legalize the violent murder of unborn children."
...
But Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., an abortion rights leader, said that in her 18 years in Congress she has never received a letter from a foreign lawmaker telling her how to vote on an issue. She said what also bothered her was the suggestion, because America wields so much power around the world, that "if you don't do this you'll be sorry."

Also signing the letter were Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind., Todd Akin, R-Mo., Steve King, R-Iowa, Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., and Joseph Pitts, R-Pa.

Remember these names and "reward" them accordingly.

Good day, people. I'm not ignoring you. I feel as though nothing I can say right now is going to make the least bit of difference to this administration, that the world hates us (and me personally, by extension), and that we all deserve beheading and being dragged thru the streets.

But on a lighter note, I will have 4 paintings in a show sponsored by the Evanston Art Center called "EAC On Tour," 2 largish landscapes/landscapes-with-people, 2 mediumish portrait/interiors, all but one several years old. Sounds like we're getting a tour bus, and maybe dope and groupies? Hardly. All very civic-minded. First stop, St. Francis Hospital, thru the middle of July. Don't know all the details yet, but if you email me, I'll let you know more when I find out.

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:48 PM | | | Link |

 
Magic
My WI-FI has magically returned to me. I am so happy. Watched "Wrinkle in Time" tonight and I must say, it's not how I remembered the book, except bits toward the end. Didn't recognize much of the entire first half. Like the book that was in my head a whole lot better, though Meg was pretty good.

And thoroughly messed up my knitting while watching, so will spend the next few hours trying to sort it all out. Which I guess means good night or something close.
- posted by Cynthia @ 10:14 PM | | | Link |

 
Another Fine Job Done
Contractor Says Army Pleased With Performance of Civilian Interrogators

"It's been reported to us that we're doing a fine job. That's from our customer (the Army), and those are the people who count," J.P. "Jack" London said Monday in a telephone interview.

One of CACI International Inc.'s interrogators was criticized in an internal Army report for helping to facilitate the physical and sexual abuse documented against detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison.

London said last week's congressional hearings with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others bolster the company's contention that its employees operate under close supervision and direct control of military personnel.

"Our workers have no supervisory authority," London said. "We are not in the chain of command. We never have been in the chain of command. We don't want to be in the chain of command."

Such superlative workers wherever you turn.
- posted by Cynthia @ 8:30 PM | | | Link |

 
Fine Job, Don. Keep It Up.
Journalist Tortured

Mr. al-Baz claims the guards at the prison were keen to take photographs of the abuse and turned it into a competition.

"They were enjoying taking photographs of the torture. There was a daily competition to see who could take the most gruesome picture.

"The winner's photo would be stuck on a wall and also put on their laptop computers as a screensaver. "I had a good opinion of the Americans but since my time in prison, I've changed my mind. In Iraq we still have no freedom or democracy. They are so cruel to us."

And what does the monster governing us do?

Bush Shown Iraq Abuse Photos, Again Backs Rumsfeld

Appearing before the cameras with Rumsfeld, Bush said, "Thank you for your leadership. You are courageously leading our nation in the war against terror."

"You're doing a superb job. You're a strong secretary of defense and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude," he added.

Can't anyone in this administration take responsibility for anything? I just want to scream.

There. That felt better, but it doesn't change things.

Good evening, people. This version of Blogger seems to work just fine, but my WI-FI hasn't returned yet. The phone company trucks scurried off when the rain started this afternoon, so maybe they left stuff undone. I have a sinking feeling that they've shut the door permanently. So am on the dialup connection again.

One caution: don't ever google "torture screensaver". If you think what we've been seeing this past week is horrifying, you don't know nothing yet.

"A Wrinkle in Time" is on TV tonight, and I'm afraid to watch. I must have read that book a dozen times between age 11 and 13, and then 20 years later, too. Am so sure they're going to Britneyize Meg, or talk down to us, or leave out the science stuff, or make her mother a Republican, or something.

But I will knit, oh yes I will.

- posted by Cynthia @ 6:15 PM | | | Link |

 
Testing, Testing
Good afternoon, my friends. Should be painting, but am not, so must blog instead. Trying new version of Blogger, which seems OK so far. And going thru my dialup connection, since I think they're doing maintenance to the cable that goes to wherever my WIFI lands, since I see all these trucks outside and they appear to be tunnelling.

Hope it means an even faster, better cost-free-to-me connection, and not that they're taking it away and I'll be forced to go to the public library like everyone else. Life is tough.

Still recovering, also, from 2 days of art, which is enough to turn anyone against it.

So, until I have a better thought in my head, will post this and see how it looks.
- posted by Cynthia @ 2:11 PM | | | Link |

 
Poking Head Out of Covers
The Observer | UK News | British quizzed Iraqis at torture jail

The Red Cross disclosed to The Observer that its president, Jakob Kellenberger, had personally warned three of George W. Bush's most senior officials - National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz - of widespread abuse tantamount to torture.

Whitehall sources expressed concern last night that the US was transporting prisoners from Afghanistan to Abu Ghraib for interrogation to avoid being overseen by the Red Cross.

The world continues, despite art. More later. We have to get these people out of office ASAP.
- posted by Cynthia @ 1:06 PM | | | Link |

 
You Should Go
Just got back from The Stray Show part of the Art Chicago experience and am still thinking about some of the paintings and drawings and weird stuff exhibited there.

First, if you're allergic to cigarette smoke, don't even think of going. I'd forgotten how much the young smoke these days. Yikes! The atmosphere was very much one-year-out-of-the-BFA-program in intensity and quality of the work. No MFA pretensions here. Nearly every space had a mix of the exquisite and the dreadful. Hardly any video or computer stuff or "unsaleables." Think that if you show up late tomorrow, you can make some incredible deals on quite good art. Some of the spaces had more in common with the Sunday flea market at the bankrupt drive-in than with a so-called gallery. And some of the exhibitors weren't actually galleries at all but groups of friends who basically rented the space for a one-shot project.

So here we go:

Hartmut Austen paintings on canvas and board, black near-representational shapes and washes. At Telegraph (Detroit). Wonderful. I think they were my favorite pieces in the whole show.

Michael Harrington at Katharine Mulherin (Toronto). Lots of strange, dark, 1820ish landscapes with small blurry figures. Narratives of something unknowable.

Tom Walsh at Cactus Bra Space (San Antonio). Camouflage paint cutouts on beautifully finished wood. Sense of design just wonderful.

ATM Gallery (New York) has Dave Cerne landscapes. Traditional, sort of, but the surface and brush strokes very strong and form-building, nothing mushy and sentimental about them. Very observed. Gallery guy says the painter is obsessive and works all the time.

Katy Fischer at Miracle Editions (Chicago). She does ballpoint pen drawings of landscapes, mostly, last seen at Julia Friedman, but you can get a repro of these drawings here. This space wins my prize for most-needed new gallery. They specialize in multiples of things you don't usually think of having multiples of. For example, sculpture -- water glass with titanic and leonardo di caprio. Must keep an eye on these folks. Prices are people-sized, not corporation-sized.

Just a few more. Elizabeth Saveri's tiny little paintings on wood, arranged. "My Garden," like toys, move the paintings of pots and dirt around. "Lemon Tree", a couple dozen little paintings no bigger than about 3 inches square, but different shapes and angles, from completely blue sky at top all the way to a lemon lying in the grass close to the floor. At Hudson Franklin (NY).

Julia Randall at Jeff Bailey Gallery (NY). Exquisite drawings of tongues, and tongues forming part of turkeys and chickens (for some reason). Good stuff.

And ran into Lenore D. Thomas (whose work I reviewed here for the show a few months ago at the Suburban Fine Arts Center). She was showing with a group called No Fun, and I liked it better than up in Highland Park. The bigger pieces much better, and the small pieces were down from the wall and piled and touchable on a table, where they made more sense, somehow. She said she didn't hang the work at SFAC show, and it shouldn't really have looked like that. So.

A wall of used condoms? Just reading my notes.

Finally, at the General Store (Milwaukee) are dozens and dozens of small paintings. No idea who did them, whether all by the same person or by different painters. Other stuff too, a very crowded covetous space, such quantity of stuff that the quality seemed less important. One of the 7" x 5" cheap canvases had the words, "You could have done this" printed in black on it. And yes, we all could have, but most of us don't even try or have forgotton how to just relax and do it regardless of the result.

And another final note for my knitter friends -- one charming performance piece by the guys at Western Exhibitions (Chicago). They sat in lounging chairs facing each other, crocheting a long tube, one at each end, in pink acrylic Barbie-colored yarn, just crocheting and chatting away for I don't know how long. Someone was taping it when I wandered by. And I said I'd mention it here because all you knitters would like to know.

Then picked up sliders and onion rings and a chocolate shake at White Castle, and ate most of it on the way home, one of my favorite self-indulgent dinners.

And that's it for 2004. I'm brain dead.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:51 PM | | | Link |

 
The Navy Pier Writeup
Well, I did it again. Got most of my Navy Pier thing done and then hit Esc in Blogger and it disappeared.

So [stretching] will try again.

Better than last year, is what you all want to hear, though still oh, so conservative. Lighter, fewer exhibitors, more spread out. A friend tells me that even so, I missed a good quarter of it, only tripping thru Gescheidle and Roy Boyd at the very tail end, as we were rushing to get out to other busy social calender events.

These are impressions, possibly not backed up by facts. There are some entire categories of art that I'm apparently incapable of even "seeing", such as most sculpture, unless I actually trip over it, such as these giant metal spiders some gallery had spread out in a large space, and photography.

Last year the only thing worth looking at was the printmaking, especially the giant Judy Pfaffs at Tandem -- this year, not so much. Seemed like there were fewer New York galleries, more west coast and far east, especially Korea, since the threat of SARS seems to have abated. Very very few EU galleries -- a spread from Karsten Greve in Switzerland showed nice Peter Schmersal figures. The Latin Americans seemed very disappointing, old, tired expressionist-like stuff supposed to be energetic but looking dated and dead, no sexiness.

The 3 Diebenkorn black and white drawings at Hackett Friedman had more going for them than much contemporary work. Pencil drawing into acrylic and ink, defining a seated figure's breasts was just yummy, and a simple wash with defining lines for an "Ocean Park" study made me look and look.

At Nancy Hoffman, 2 stunning Joseph Raffael watercolors, of spring and fall, giant, oversized, detailed and specific, with perfect color.

Also, gray and blue washy watercolor by Hockney at Richard Gray, portrait of Gregory Evans II. Other Hockney stuff there showed his varied interests and recent techniques (the strange globby still lifes, for example). They also had Jennifer Bartlett's map series, which I'd been wanting to see, but was quite disappointed in. Not just technique-wise, but just wanted more. The last work I liked of hers was her plaid forests.

That's just a few of the old-timers. A great Auerbach, a Picasso drawing of Le Saltimbaque from 1905 makes you want to throw down your art-making utensils, so perhaps that's what we of the 21st century should be doing, finding new and better ones.

Several spaces had a wonderful presentation of small works, on shelves, with everything mixed together. A Sol Lewitt study on paper next to a great pencil drawing by Linda Karshan at Edward Tyler Nahem. Somewhere else, small Gerhardt Richter works were casually included in a row by lesser-known artists. Made me want to own all of them -- impossible (for me, at least) since even the Karshan drawing was around $1800.

Speaking of lower priced art, at Paul Thiebaud was a wonderful drawing of "Woman in Ochre Cape," also with a Diebenkorn-like influence, by Deborah Barrett. I was so excited by this drawing that I asked for catalog, or whether images on line, but assistant said she was new with them, they had nothing, and she was self-taught, but they had a bio. So I read it and discover that her background is a B.A. in Creative Writing, not in the visual arts, though she's been exhibiting since the 90s. A fellow exile! 2 Morandis and a David Park painting there too (unless my notes are all messed up).

One problem: I think just about anyone under 30 was exiled from Navy Pier show this year, though there were a few art spaces. Roy Boyd had dozens of Vadim Katznelson acrylic on mylar "clusters" of carefully spaced palette paint splotches, which was very inviting, though in a way sterile, arranged across the spectrum, and up and down.

Gescheidle had a little plastic ducky pond, where you could choose your own Mike Lash drawing for $1000 bucks, or select a ducky and buy the numbered drawing for $100, or if you didn't like the drawing the ducky chose for you, argue with the gallery assistant for $10 and get a different one. (I may have these prices a little wrong). The assistant said that most people just wanted the ducky itself! Similar to this was a sweet "flirt booth" in the publications area, where someone would give the eye to anyone walking by, and you could buy a polaroid of the flirtation for $2. Yesss...


Finally, some recent painting worth mentioning -- at DC Moore, eerie, twisted portraits by Anne Harris, absolutely a must-see. She currently lives in Chicago, I'm told, but doesn't show here at the moment.

And just about anything at the London gallery, Long & Ryle. Particularly liked those by Simon Casson, largish multifaceted, classical displacements and a still life that makes you feel like you're moving quickly between centuries while taking your glasses off and rubbing your eyes. And a narrative series by Ramiro Fernandez Saus with show announcement shaped like a stalking tiger with a bird on its back.

Am off to the Stray Show this afternoon/evening. Was happy to see that it just opened for the day at [yawning] 2:00 (which is about when I got up today -- too keyed up with visions in my head last night) and will run till 10:00.

Will post this and take off. Blogger is warning us that they will be changing software tomorrow, with new unspecified features, so this may be the last you hear of Fresh Paint for some time, knowing well how "upgrades" tend to crash.

... Will make my own backup of my blogs.
- posted by Cynthia @ 4:09 PM | | | Link |

 
I Hate These People, Just Hate Them
FDA Rejects Nonprescription Morning-After Pill for Now

It is NOT a good morning, people. Women must rise up and fight this government with every tool we have available. The cynicism of the phrase "for now" says it all -- they will reject this pill unless it proves politically unpopular.

Anytime you hear

On Friday, Galson repeatedly denied that politics played a role in his decision, saying he had no contact with White House officials and considered only scientific questions.

you know they're lying. Thank god Kerry's team is on top of it. He should be as vocal as possible, and so should we all. You should tell everyone.

Snarky PS: I take it the pill isn't unsafe in some states:

To improve access, five states - California, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii and New Mexico - already allow women to buy morning-after pills from certain pharmacists without a prescription. FDA's decision does not affect those programs.

Cheeeze!

Will be out at Navy Pier much of the day, so will talk later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:02 AM | | | Link |

 
Love You Too, Daddy
CNN.com - Bushes decline twin daughters' graduation ceremonies - May 6, 2004

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the president and first lady decided to spare families the rigorous security measures that go along with a presidential visit.

This is bogus, of course. Dad only shows up at events where his advance team can guarantee a 100 percent lovefest. If it was a fundraiser, they'd put everyone in the state thru metal detectors to get that money. Bet they figure all the protesters likely to show up would make Daddy cry. For once I actually feel sorry for the girls. Imagine if the Clintons had tried to get away with this.

Good evening, my "friends". Not a particularly good send-off, was it? My bet had been that Monica would discover that she was pregnant. Twins was just dumb. And I was hoping that Ross would decide to follow Rachel to France instead of making her screw up her career and stay here. And all the airport stuff had obviously not been written by anyone who has been on this planet since 9/11. And Phoebe wanting to have a zillion kids? Have we all been brainwashed? Guess so. Ah well. There's always Joey who thankfully seems not to have grown at all.

Knitting madly along the first sleeve.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:57 PM | | | Link |

 
Eureka!
Five sweet little buttonholes now adorn a completed Sweater Front, Sides, and Back. Am starting the first sleeve right now. Am hungry, but driven. Will check news in a bit, and post the links I spoke of, etc., etc. Thought everyone would want to know.
- posted by Cynthia @ 5:43 PM | | | Link |

 
Sopranos Meets FAA
The New York Times > National > F.A.A. Official Scrapped Tape of 9/11 Controllers' Statements:

The taping began before noon on Sept. 11 at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center, in Ronkonkoma, on Long Island, but it was later destroyed by an F.A.A. quality-assurance manager, who crushed the cassette in his hand, cut the tape into little pieces and dropped them in different trash cans around the building, according to a report made public today by the inspector general of the Transportation Department.

Furthermore,

The report also noted that the official who destroyed the tape had no regrets or second thoughts: "The quality-assurance manager told us that if presented with similar circumstances, he would again take the same course of action."

I am dying to hear what Randi Rhodes has to say about this. And BTW, has anyone seen the air traffic controllers who made the tape recently? One sincerely hopes they were not chopped up and scattered around too.

Good afternoon, people. Went out for a short time, but the air was so soft and lazy I couldn't concentrate, and now is clouding up very heavily. Will try to finish the buttonhole row of the new sweater so I can cruise along the sleeves while watching "Friends" tonight, which is likely to be a bloated 2 hours of clips and ads plus 15 minutes of plot resolutions and teasers for the "Joey" show and possible special reunions and maybe even a feature length movie. So am not holding out much hope for a pleasant evening.

My last sweater photo is buried somewhere in the archives, so will post a link on the side to make it easy to find for all my Knitters Against Bush pals out there. Also, would like to find a button that has Bush's face with a pair of knitting needles crossed over it. May try to Photoshop one later on, but it may take until the election for me to get it done. So, if anyone knows of one, let me know.
- posted by Cynthia @ 12:59 PM | | | Link |

 
Blogger Gone Wild
If you were here earlier, you will have noticed that I must have fallen asleep while hitting the "Post" button and spewed duplicate entries. This happens sometimes. It's not like I'm trying to scream or anything, because this is what I do when I'm screaming.

So, I'm sorry.

George, can you say it? Can ya? Didn't think so.

And I'm sorry for doubting Tom Skilling, too, since the morning is utterly lovely, so I suppose you want me to get out of bed and go paint something. Well, I had a Diet Coke interrupted night, was up at 4 and surfing all around, then crashed again, now awake and feeling guilty for not (for example) going to the lake and painting the sunrise.

It's supposed to be 86 today

Severe weather threatens later today. Vastly warmer, more humid. Generous sun mixes with clouds. Gusts build to 25-30 mph. Strong t-storms, some with possible high winds and hail form later this afternoon and evening. Winds shift NNE Thursday night sending temps sharply lower.

So I better get going.
- posted by Cynthia @ 9:12 AM | | | Link |

 
Well, I Found It
Tucked away down at the bottom of an otherwise reasonable report about the California Senate Committee on Elections decision to ban all electronic voting for the November Election was this decision, too:

The Senate committee also passed a measure Wednesday that would lower the voting age to 14. Votes by 14- and 15-year-olds would count as one-quarter of a vote, and 16- and 17-year-olds would cast votes worth one-half. The proposal by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, passed 3-2 and is scheduled to be heard in the constitutional amendment committee next week.

A quarter of a vote???

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:20 PM | | | Link |

 
Be Careful, Or We'll Liberate You, Too
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Pentagon forced to withdraw leaflet linking aid to information on Taliban:

One of the leaflets, showing an Afghan carrying a bag of provisions, reads: "In order to continue the humanitarian aid, pass over any information related to Taliban, al-Qaida or Gulbuddin organisations to the coalition forces." The latter reference is to the renegade warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is believed to have allied himself with the Taliban.
MSF [Medecins Sans Frontieres], which provided medical services in hospitals in the city of Kandahar and nearby town Spin Boldak and in neighbouring refugee camps, said it was appalled by the leaflets.

It just gets better, doesn't it? But luckily, Colin Powell is still happy..... not:

Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, has sent the clearest signal yet that, weary and frustrated, he does not intend to be around for a second George W. Bush term if the President wins re-election in November.

Good evening, folks. I am cold. My mouse hand is like ice, since the fan for the laptop blows right on it. I see no sign of the steaminess we're supposed to get tomorrow. I think Tom Skilling has been kidnapped and substituted by a clone, who has no forecasting talent. Must hunt and find something funny to post before I go to sleep. Since I've been drinking Diet Coke all night, I may be up for awhile.

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:50 PM | | | Link |

 
Get Him
Rumsfeld To Testify On POW Abuse:

While Bush said he retained confidence in Rumsfeld, White House aides said the president let the secretary know he was not satisfied with the way he was informed about the unfolding controversy. In particular, Bush was unhappy about not knowing about the pictures before they were shown on television.

You mean he wasn't actually unhappy about the torture itself? When I saw the headline "Bush Unhappy With Defense Chief", I thought he was unhappy with Rumsfeld's role as Secretary of Defense -- his incompetence, or his warmongering, or his lying, or something. No. He's unhappy about the pictures getting out, that's all. I think he has some weird problem with pictures -- we already know he doesn't like to see coffins or dead people ("Look, nobody likes to see dead people on their television screens -- I don't. It's a tough time for the American people to see that. It's gut-wrenching.").

Well, it's a good thing the torturers won't make their prisoners wear hoods any longer...
- posted by Cynthia @ 9:09 PM | | | Link |

 
So They Could Pick Flowers For Their Liberators, No Doubt
Iraqi inmates freed, dumped at quarry

Tikrit, Iraq - Scores of prisoners released from the controversial Abu Ghraib prison Tuesday were forced to take a winding, nearly five-hour journey through central Iraq on three hot, rickety buses escorted by U.S. military Humvees before being deposited without explanation in the middle of a gravel quarry near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

It was unclear why the detainees, at least a hundred of them, were dropped off at the remote location 120 miles north of Baghdad.

Some got rides home from relatives who had frantically followed the buses in their vehicles. Others climbed into the back of a dump truck or returned to their buses and got a ride back to Baghdad.

A few were still milling about on the dirt road where they were released when a reporter and photographer left the scene.

This is the article Randi Rhodes on Air America just read. Is anyone in charge over there? Over here?

Good afternoon, everyone. Yes, I did go out and paint, and yes, I did get to the garden before the other guy. And I am still so cold. It might be 70 degrees somewhere in the nation, but on the shore of Lake Michigan it was barely 50. Painted on the last of my 12 inch luan squares, which means I have to figure out whether to buy another slab or try something else this summer. Did sky, branches, magenta trees, apple blossoms. Sky changed from brilliant cobalt to whiteish gray as I was painting, so it looks a little funky. Keep forgetting rule one of landscape painting: do not follow the light.

Came home hungry and immediately started eating store-brand cheetos, so now I feel sick to stomach. Back later.

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:13 PM | | | Link |