This is a blog for lovers of international travel. Two years ago, I quit my job, moved to London and used the city as a base for travel. Now my journeys fit in between full time television news assignments but I'm always scheming the next adventure.
Showing newest 25 of 29 posts from September 2008. Show older posts
Showing newest 25 of 29 posts from September 2008. Show older posts
I enjoy living in Oregon. There is an abundance of trees, wildlife and perfect weather. I'm told that will be thwarted by the rainy season so I'm treasuring these early days of Autumn.
The leaves are already bleeding from yellow to orange in their race to decompose. It is truly calming to look across the Willamette Valley and see the hills responding to the waning pattern of the sun. Soon the time will change and it will become dark around 5 o'clock. Until then I'm trying to remember to worship (in a word) what's left of this glorious warmth and sunshine.
Life is a mix of seasons as well. Spring is the glorious time in life when everything is going our way - new opportunities arise and the elements feed our success. But before spring comes winter. The bleak cold freezes our attempts to grow and the winds snuff out the fire of ambition but take heart - even when the snow seems too deep to melt, the seasons will change. The sun always peeks through the clouds again.
For this election to make any sense at this juncture it must challenge the assumptions of the past 30 years that have led America to this place. They are assumptions that have been aggressively promoted by the Republicans in general, and George Bush in particular. But to gain traction they had to be first conceded and then embraced by the Democrats. The result is an American self-image rooted in unrivalled military superiority and economic might now stands in stark contradiction to a more tawdry and tattered reality. Add the credit crisis to defeat in Iraq and problems in Afghanistan and what you are left with is a sub-prime nation - overextended both militarily and economically, living large and beyond its means.
It will be the task of whoever wins on November 4 to manage America's decline in status and power and a consequent further deterioration in Americans' standard of living. This process will be painful and could be protracted. Little wonder, then, that nobody wants to talk about it. Instead they keep talking of America as the shining city on the hill, without realising that the city they are referring to is bankrupt and the lights are about to be cut off.
It was clear from Friday night's debate that neither John McCain nor Obama really know what to do. The little that they will commit to are things they agree on. Both stand at the mercy of events and the market.
What do you think about this perspective? When I've had conversations about the negatives some might say about America, a few peeps are quick to say something along the lines of : "The rest of the world is just jealous."
I love living in the U-S and try to never take for granted our rights or my privileges and quality of life as a citizen. However, I think awareness as a nation, learning from mistakes and contemplating our world reputation could be useful in times like these. After all, do we ever really notice we're getting it wrong unless we listen when someone else politely mentions it?
If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin. To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president — and possibly president — is to risk being labeled anti-woman.
Or, as I am guilty of charging her early critics, supporting only a certain kind of woman. Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick — what a difference a financial crisis makes — and a more complicated picture has emerged. As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion. Yes, she recently met and turned several heads of state as the United Nations General Assembly convened in New York. She was gracious, charming and disarming. Men swooned. Pakistan’s president wanted to hug her. (Perhaps Osama bin Laden is dying to meet her?) And, yes, she has common sense, something we value. And she’s had executive experience as a mayor and a governor, though of relatively small constituencies (about 6,000 and 680,000, respectively). Finally, Palin’s narrative is fun, inspiring and all-American in that frontier way we seem to admire.
When Palin first emerged as John McCain’s running mate, I confess I was delighted. She was the antithesis and nemesis of the hirsute, Birkenstock-wearing sisterhood — a refreshing feminist of a different order who personified the modern successful working mother. Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it. It was fun while it lasted.
Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League. No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted. Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.”
When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?” If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself. If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true. What to do?McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden. Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country.
What do you think? Will Palin ultimately cost McCain the White House?
WASILLA, Alaska - Though Sarah Palin depicts herself as a pit bull fighting good-old-boy politics, in her years as mayor she and her friends received special benefits more typical of small-town politics... an Associated Press investigation shows.
When Palin needed to sell her house during her last year as Wasilla mayor, she got the city to sign off on a special zoning exception — and did so without keeping a promise to remove a potential fire hazard.
She gladly accepted gifts from merchants: A free "awesome facial" she raved about in a thank-you note to a spa. The "absolutely gorgeous flowers" she received from a welding supply store. Even fresh salmon to take home.
She also stepped in to help friends or neighbors with City Hall dealings. She asked the City Council to add a friend to the list of speakers at a 2002 meeting — and then the friend got up and asked them to give his radio station advertising business.
That year, records show, she tried to help a neighbor and political contributor fighting City Hall over his small lakeside development. Palin wanted the city to refund some of the man's fees, but the city attorney told the mayor she didn't have the authority.
Palin claims she has more executive experience than her opponent and the two presidential candidates, but most of those years were spent running a city with a population of less than 7,000.
Some of her first actions after being elected mayor in 1996 raised possible ethical red flags: She cast the tie-breaking vote to propose a tax exemption on aircraft when her father-in-law owned one, and backed the city's repeal of all taxes a year later on planes, snow machines and other personal property. She also asked the council to consider looser rules for snow machine races. Palin and her husband, Todd, a champion racer, co-owned a snow machine store at the time.
We love going to the Bald Head Island club on the island. The food is delicious and the service friendly. Our pictures turned out to be lovely because the sun was setting around dinner time.
I'm looking into buying a house! (I just blurted that out and it is a relief because I haven't told many people...) Buying a house is a very scary endeavour especially now with the market as low as it is. Here's how the process works: Find a mortgage broker, apply for loan, get a pre-approval letter. Then, you look for a realtor who you feel comfortable working with. He sends you emails daily with properties in your price range (there are not many in mine...). Once you find a house you like, you go take a look.
Looking at homes is pretty stressful because there is anxiety involved in thinking about taking out a home loan. Plus, I'm looking at fixers and I know I'm going to have a lot of work ahead of me because I plan to put in much of the sweat equity myself. My plan is to have a nice home for Kings to come to or when the time is right, we can sell and use the property as a bit of an investment. We'll see how it goes.
I've sought a lot of advice and one perspective is: Make a plan, write down the steps in your plan, educate yourself as much as possible and roll the dice. They are in my hand now...
I watched the entire Presidential debate from Jim's (the moderator) painful opening to the bitter end when Senator Obama crossed the stage to shake Senator McCain's hand. Did you watch? I hope so but if not, you can watch part of it here:
In my opinion, McCain kicked off the debate slowly and deliberately (as is his style) but he certainly seemed to know what he was talking about. Years in Washington and serving our country in the military have turned him into a knowledge powerhouse when it comes to policy and Senate issues. That shone through as he answered questions.
Obama said at least 4 times "John is right" when he answered questions but at least 6 times he said "that's just not true" to McCain's claims. McCain did not look at Obama once during the debate or address him while Obama looked at McCain while he was speaking and directed several of his answers to "John". I have no idea what these body language signals mean but they are things I observed while watching.
The candidates differed substantially on health care. Obama wants to make it public so that all Americans will have health care in a system similar to London. McCain wants to keep health care private but make it easier for Americans to get access to care - especially veterans. In London (I lived there a year and a half) you could get into see a doctor within a couple of days for free and the prescriptions were only 6 pounds each. In my view, the system worked for me as a college student from another country and I was lucky. However, I do not know how well the system works with a major illness.
The candidates also disagreed on "open talks" with other countries currently labeled as a fierce enemy by the current administration. Obama says he would like to sit down and talk to the leaders of Pakistan and that punishing countries (N Korea) by ignoring them is not working. McCain says a meeting without pre-conditions gives "credence to a person who is doing illegal things." I'm starting to understand that McCain looks at leadership differently than Obama does because of his honorable service to his country in the military. To me it seems he thinks of national security and foreign policy as a military man moving forward. True, the next President will be commander-in-chief but perhaps we need to establish - what is the goal of the strategy? Take over the world, be in control of all countries, promote a Western version of peace? Are we really out to conquer? The debate was carried live in 55 countries. I wonder what folks around the world thought of what our potenital leaders have to say yet I'm sure many Americans do not care.
Mostly the spin doctors say this was a good debate. Both candidates stayed on topic and no one made a major mistake.
I cannot WAIT for the Vice Presidential debate on October 2nd 8pm (CDT). Meantime, here are clips from interviews with Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden by Katie Couric. If you have not watched interviews with the candidates, I urge you to do so and form your own opinions of who is ready to lead our country.
Will you vote based only on religion, race, gender or strictly along your party line? Would you notice if you did?
Don't miss the first Presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barak Obama tonight. McCain has agreed to be there so this thing is on! Many analysts believe the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates may be the deciding factors in voters' decision for November. You can catch it on any of the major networks...
Welcome to the story of the most dramatic moments of our trip to Bald Head Island - the dreaded kayaking adventure. We all started out pretty happy...
In fact, everyone stayed happy during the excursion EXCEPT for me and Kings.
The below picture was taken just as we got into the water. There was no way of knowing the battle that was to ensue.
Mom and dad seemed to have the gig down with no problems...
But for some reason Kingsley and I struggled the entire time to keep the kayak straight and moving. The other two kayak teams were calmly gliding across the water and we were paddling against each other. It seemed everything I tried just threw us off so Kings instructed me how to try harder. We were at each other's throats while armed with paddles - not a good thing. Oh well, along the way we saw impressive wildlife and now laugh about our failure at teamwork - at least in a double kayak.
Dannen and Kingsley met for the first time on this vacation and they got along very well. The first morning everyone was up early to get the first tee time. I went back to sleep after snapping these pics.
After a nice breakfast the girls headed to the pool. Mom and Shannon fell asleep listening to the waves. (The ocean is next to the pool.)
Nice life, hey? The boys met up with us and we celebrated the first day on BHI. Mom and Daddio - so cute.
One of my favorite parts of heading to Bald Head Island in the summer is to check up on Old Baldy, the lighthouse on the island. OB doesn't need me to check up on him. He will always be there and has been since 1817. That's comforting to me...there's always a light to lead the way.
My brother and I decided to show off our friend OB to our guests, Shannon and Kingsley. While feeling adventurous we toured the Keeper's House museum on the grounds and signed up to climb to the top. 108 steps but worth the burn on the thighs.
The view from the top is lovely. You can see the entire island including the marina.
Barbara Kingsolver was my favorite author for months after I finished her fictional work, The Poisonwood Bible. I’m a bit strange with reading in that I cannot stand to read the same fiction book twice. I remember sentences and dialogue and details before I re-read them. But I enjoyed this book so much, I actually enjoyed reading it again. That’s how wonderful Kingsolver is at weaving a plot, painting a picture with words and developing characters on the page.
So with interest and expectations for a good book, I checked out Kingsolver’s first non-fiction book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. In it she tells the true story of packing up her home in Arizona’s desert and moving to her husband’s family’s farm in the Appalachian Mountains. There, they set out on a mission to live for an entire year on food they can either grow themselves or buy from local farmers. The experiment includes researching and presenting studies on how much money American consumers spend each year to pay for out-of-season produce to be trucked to our supermarkets. This food comes processed, genetically altered to un-naturally last for weeks and may be void of nutrients it might normally have.
Now come on, who really has the time to grow food and live off the land? We’re all working full time jobs here. Well…she argues there are small things we can do to live a little greener as we buy our greens. Many communities have a co-op of local farmers who collect the produce on their farms each week and for a fee, will even box them up for you to pick up. The key is to get creative with the items available that week. The program is called Community Supported Agriculture or CSA.
For the first time, I grew plants from seeds. This year, I have a small variety of herbs and finally my tomato plant has fruit! One day while talking to my grandmother on the phone, I mentioned that I didn’t have any tomatoes yet. She asked if the plant had flowered and I wasn't sure what she meant! How embarrassing to admit but when I noticed small yellow flowers a few weeks ago I finally got it: the fruit comes after the blooms.
Kingsolver also asks readers to try a few other things. Cook more often using fresh ingredients, get everyone involved in kitchen time and eat dinner as a family sitting around a table. The book offers great recipes that are easy and include simple ingredients which are easy to stock up on…especially if you have a Farmer’s Market to visit on the weekends. Find them on the book's website.
Since it’s getting to be late in the season, growing your own and getting all local is hard to do but we can think ahead to next year – she says greens are some of the first crop to come up in April if you plant on time. The other easy ways to educate yourself on what you’re eating – check the labels of your dairy products. If it doesn’t come from close by, the milk typically contains loads of growth hormones and preservatives that make it last for weeks and weeks.
My problem with this method of eating is the cost. She addresses that too and argues - if we cook at home, even with organic or locally grown products, rather than eating out we’ll save on the waist line and keep more lettuce in the wallet.
This Saturday, Sept. 27th, folks in Eugene can go to the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art for free.
The free admission is part of the Smithsonian magazine's fourth annual Museum Day. Visitors can get in with the Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day Admission Card, for free entry downloadable at http://smithsonianmag.com/museumday.
Excerpt from U of O News Release:
The Museum of Natural and Cultural History offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the history of Oregon and cultures around the world. In addition to the permanent exhibit, "Oregon - Where Past is Present," visitors can enjoy "Walk a Mile In These Shoes - The Stories They Tell," and "If the Shoe Fits - Kids Contemplate Shoes."
Also on display is "Science in the News - The Stevens Family Cemetery Exhibit," featuring recovered items from this summer's excavation of a local pioneer family's cemetery. A science room offers children hands-on activities and Past and Presents, the museum store, features the work of local artists.
I have a 2 1/2 hour layover at O'Hare so I went to the airport bar (I know, classy) to eat. After CBS's NFL football game 60 Minutes came on (CBS News Magazine program). The show was produced to ping-pong back and forth between interviews with Senator McCain and Senator Obama. We heard from McCain first and they went to commercial break. The interview was very interesting - as he was discussing his plans for the future of America.
I was interested to hear what Obama had to say when the woman sitting next to me asks the bar tender to turn down 60 Minutes and turn up ABC's interview with Penelope Cruz. He does it and I'm thinking "You have to be kidding me." Luckily, I was able to keep quiet as two other women in the bar one mid-50s one mid-30s piped up asking the barmen to please turn the interview back up. The men didn't say a word and the other woman (21-22?) sat sulking.
Senator McCain shined in this interview but - in my opinion - he didn't seem confident when asked about why he chose Governor Palin and whether he thought she could serve as President if needed. Senator Obama seemed a little rattled by the interviewer. The guy was certainly an odd journalist. Instead of a conversation about Obama's vision for the future for the US (as the other reporter got from McCain) the talk seemed like a stilted interrogation with interruptions that weren't necessary.
The candidates differ on Iraq, how to approach foreign threats and taxes. If you make more than $250k, you will see an increase in taxes by Obama. Others will see a cut in taxes. McCain says he will not raise taxes but will decrease our record-setting national deficit (not much detail here). He will also approach nuclear threats that are "certain" with force. Obama said he would use his diplomacy skills to lead our country in foreign matters. McCain pointed out his bipartisanship and Obama's lack thereof.
Wonder if the whole scenario in the bar says something about our country. Do young voters really (late teens early 20s) care about the Presidential race?
I was pouring through 9-11 video yesterday looking for segments and interviews to include in our 11 o'clock newscast when I ran across a soundbite from President Bush shortly after the attacks. He looked so much younger 7 years ago (so did I).
So what's my point here? What struck me was in the face of such a horrific tragedy... his confidence and bravery showed through. Back then, soon after that happened, his leadership was comforting to our nation. Everyone and their dogs had American flags hanging outside homes and on cars.
This was the first time America had been attacked on our own soil since Pearl Harbor. U-S Citizens expected President Bush to react and he did...with force. We fought back even if at the time the battle wasn't quite clear.
Now, it seems the band wagon is ready to toss blame...and most agree...there are things to take the blame for. But are we confusing anger from 7 years ago with despair about our economic outlook and setbacks from those attacks?
It's kind of like a job you've worked for 8 years and you feel you're not going anywhere. Little things start to really bug you. The boss you once loved gets annoying and you question every decision he makes. You dread coming in to the office. Eventually, you just feel angry and need someone to blame for your misery - perhaps you just need a change...
Well, that's what this new presidential race is booking on. Voters' need for change. Interesting that both parties are pushing that buzz word to bring in the ballots.
BBC World has a story out which discusses the world's hope for the future of the United States. It seems now (especially with the edition of Palin to the McCain ticket) most folks would like to see Senator Obama as the next President.
The BBC World Service poll (not scientific) says 22,500 people were polled in 22 countries. Obama got the nod over McCain in a 4 to 1 margin.
From the article:
The countries most optimistic that an Obama presidency would improve ties [between the US and the world] were US Nato allies - Canada (69%), Italy (64%), France (62%), Germany (61%), and the UK (54%) - as well as Australia (62%), along with Kenya (87%) and Nigeria (71%). When asked whether the election as president of the African-American Mr Obama would "fundamentally change" their perception of the US, 46% said it would while 27% said it would not.
I'm off on a flight from Portland in a few hours and I can barely contain my excitement. It will be a long day of traveling but well worth it. My honey is coming in from London and I'm hoping all goes well with flights and Customs.
The blog might suffer a bit this coming week but I can't wait to update you on Bald Head Island. Here's hoping for some turtle watching!
I luckily took a quick glance at my ticket online tonight and realized I was flying through Houston, TX on my way to North Carolina for my week long vacation with my family and my darling. Well...all flights have been canceled through Houston due to the monster, Hurricane Ike. I called Continental reservations and the agent politely re-scheduled my flight for next Wednesday. Um, no.
I booked another ticket at two times the price of the one I painstakingly researched for weeks (for the best price) and get into Raleigh 30 minutes before my other ticket. Not bad. I can't wait to see my sweetie, my little bro bro and my fab parents!
Kingsley and I have both had pretty rough days at work lately. So instead of giving into the life-is-awful-then-you-die mentality with layoffs, more responsibilities, higher expectations and less resources... I stopped to think about what really matters to me:
1. Love 2. Family/Friends 3. Travel
(Not necessarily in that order...)
Work is merely a way to fund these priorities. I'm really looking forward to vacation. When work gets you down... remind yourself what you're working for.
The U-S government is pumping $200 billion into mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. So, if you're thinking about buying a home, this might be the time to make an informed purchase. The interest rates have already slipped today and it is possible to get in at a fixed rate that's lower than 6% - even for first time home buyers. Talk to a broker...find out what today's news means for you. In our economic times, this kind of thing doesn't happen often. Wall Street celebrated with the Dow climbing 300 points. Wow.
It was a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine. My news director gave me a couple of tickets to the Ducks game so several of us met up to cheer on the Green! We had a great time.
Do you have more international experience than Gov. Sarah Palin?
From a Times article: "Ms. Palin appears to have traveled very little outside the United States. In July 2007, she had to get a passport before she visited members of the Alaska National Guard stationed in Kuwait, according to her deputy communications director, Sharon Leighow. She also visited wounded troops in Germany during that trip."
If you've traveled more than once outside the US before the year 2007 - you have more foreign experience than McCain's VP pick. Keep in mind during her trip, she traveled with the military.
Palin, who has really never bothered to see the world will be our President if John McCain is elected and has a health setback. Is that what the country needs? What do you think?
It's that time of year again. Time to make the (now very lengthy) journey to Bald Head Island off the coast of North Carolina. My parents have vacationed there for years and my brother and I often join them in late summer to enjoy sunsets, nature and relaxation.
As the hurricane season winds down - we always worry about our annual trek to Baldy. We've been blessed with gorgeous weather thus far. This year we are fortunate to add several to the guest list. My darling Kingsley will join us from London. My brother, Dannen is bringing his girlfriend Shannon along with mom and dad from Columbus, Ohio and my best friend Casey will travel down from Chicago. I'm still trying to work out who is traveling the farthest distance to get there...
Let the countdown begin. I will sink my toes in the sand in one week from tomorrow. Hopefully the Loggerhead turtles will be coming out of their eggs along the water. We watch for them every year and didn't see any last year but did the year before! Fingers crosses...or as Kingsley would say: "Hold thumbs."
I started my first blog in 2006 and enjoy documenting my life and sharing with readers. Your comments and opinions are important here so please have your say.
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