Halloween Dress-up

I have always enjoyed playing dress up. My mom used to let me clop around in her high heels and square dancing petty coats (pink and blue). I also took tap and ballet dance lessons for most of my grade school and middle school years which means I had loads of costumes for recitals.

That's why I adore Halloween - not for the silliness - but for the fancy dress. This holiday is not really celebrated as hard core as it is in the US. Last year, Kingsley and I celebrated by going out to the local Chinese food joint Friends in Putney, SW15 (fab food don't miss it). The year before that I went to the University of Westminster campus pup but did not wear a costume.

This year - I have been invited to a gathering. Thus, I need a costume. I've given it a trial run and laid out the pieces. Wanna take a guess as to who or what I'll be? (Nothing naughty!)

Obama - His Speech on Race

Los Angelos Times
Article by Gregory Rodriguez March 24, 2008

In some ways, Barack Obama's speech on race last week was as brilliant as it was nuanced. But for all its rhetorical beauty, it was also an enormous step backward and, in the end, a rather self-serving call for more discussion about racial grievance in a country that has already done way too much talking.Until last week, so much of Obama's appeal lay in the fact that he was not asking us to talk about the racial divide.

Instead, he offered himself as a living and breathing symbol of racial reconciliation; his very origins pointed to the goal of unity and, from his own account, created in him a desire to bring together opposing sides.Throughout the campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton's surrogates repeatedly tried to bait Obama into talking about race; they worked to pigeonhole him (and marginalize him) as the "black candidate." But in the end, it was Obama's own alliances that tripped him up and obliged him to directly address a subject (one that he now says we "cannot afford to ignore") that he had so deftly avoided -- or as the Obamaphiles had it, transcended. For all the kudos the Illinois senator has received for his candor, the very act of delivering Tuesday's address was a defeat.

Obama was a much more powerful force for racial progress when he so effortlessly symbolized it, rather than when he called on us to address "old wounds."Those who praised the speech did so in part because it acknowledged the grievances that lie on both sides of the nation's most intractable racial divide. But that's also what was so wrong with it. The discussion of racial grievance -- and other group grievances -- has long since become an institutionalized part of American life, literally and figuratively.

There are advocacy groups, think tanks, foundations and scholars who sometimes have produced groundbreaking work but who also have served to reaffirm the idea that American society is a federation of opposing, static and permanently aggrieved identities. Rather than push us beyond race, the institutionalization of racial identity as defined by grievance perpetuates the divisions of the past.

The one new thing Obama's speech added to the dialogue was the inclusion of whites to the list of aggrieved (and angry) parties.For all the "complexities of race" Obama sought to grapple with last week, his explicit equivalence of his white grandmother -- who he said had sometimes expressed fear of black men and uttered racial stereotypes -- with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his race-baiting former pastor, was the most unfortunate."I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother," he said. But the comparison obscures the fundamental difference in the relationships. Forget the casual moral equivalence he makes between a pastor's provocative public rants and his grandmother's private utterances; what's more important is that grandmothers are inherited while pastors are chosen.

At least one way to explain that choice is that by allying himself with Wright (who presided over his wedding and baptized his daughters), Obama sought to anchor and legitimize himself in Chicago's black community, which might not have otherwise welcomed an Ivy Leaguer raised in Hawaii by his white mother and grandparents. Without challenging Obama's claim that Wright "helped introduce [him] to his Christian faith," his choice was also invariably a political one, and a very bad one at that.It's all fine and good that Obama has "condemned" the worst of what he calls Wright's "wrong" and "divisive" comments, but his refusal to "disown" his former pastor is academic. Part of Obama's seductive appeal is that he sees political action in terms of sweeping gestures and crusades.

Idealistic young people in particular like the idea of being caught up in a wave of change. Obama even ended his race address with yet another of his patented calls to "come together." In his vision, whites and blacks (and the rest of us!) would move beyond racial discord by fighting common injustices.But just maybe the complexity of race in contemporary America no longer requires the massive collective action it did half a century ago when blacks in the South were living under Jim Crow, a legal apartheid.

Just maybe we don't have to suffer through yet another national debate on race -- President Clinton launched his fruitless Initiative on Race in 1997 quoting, as Obama did, the preamble to the Constitution. Just maybe more progress will be made if average, fair-minded, decent people simply chose not to associate with -- and lend their credibility to -- haters, extremists or sowers of racial discord. Obama could have taken that simple path any time over the last 20 years. He chose not to. Now it's too late.

McCain Supporters?

The New York Times' Nicholas D. Kristof reports:

John McCain isn’t boasting about a new endorsement, one of the very, very few he has received from overseas. It came a few days ago:

“Al Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,” read a commentary on a password-protected Islamist Web site that is closely linked to Al Qaeda and often disseminates the group’s propaganda.

The endorsement of Mr. McCain by a Qaeda-affiliated Web site isn’t a surprise to security specialists. Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism director, and Joseph Nye, the former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, have both suggested that Al Qaeda prefers Mr. McCain and might even try to use terror attacks in the coming days to tip the election to him.

“From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,” said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.

An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits.

During the cold war, the American ideological fear of communism led us to mistake every muddle-headed leftist for a Soviet pawn. Our myopia helped lead to catastrophe in Vietnam.

In the same way today, an exaggerated fear of “Islamofascism” elides a complex reality and leads us to overreact and damage our own interests. Perhaps the best example is one of the least-known failures in Bush administration foreign policy: Somalia.

Today, Somalia is the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster, worse even than Darfur or Congo. The crisis has complex roots, and Somali warlords bear primary blame. But Bush administration paranoia about Islamic radicals contributed to the disaster.

Somalia has been in chaos for many years, but in 2006 an umbrella movement called the Islamic Courts Union seemed close to uniting the country. The movement included both moderates and extremists, but it constituted the best hope for putting Somalia together again. Somalis were ecstatic at the prospect of having a functional government again.

Bush administration officials, however, were aghast at the rise of an Islamist movement that they feared would be uncooperative in the war on terror. So they gave Ethiopia, a longtime rival in the region, the green light to invade, and Somalia’s best hope for peace collapsed.
“A movement that looked as if it might end this long national nightmare was derailed, in part because of American and Ethiopian actions,” said Ken Menkhaus, a Somalia expert at Davidson College. As a result, Islamic militancy and anti-Americanism have surged, partly because Somalis blame Washington for the brutality of the Ethiopian occupiers.

“There’s a level of anti-Americanism in Somalia today like nothing I’ve seen over the last 20 years,” Professor Menkhaus said. “Somalis are furious with us for backing the Ethiopian intervention and occupation, provoking this huge humanitarian crisis.”

Patrick Duplat, an expert on Somalia at Refugees International, the Washington-based advocacy group, says that during his last visit to Somalia, earlier this year, a local mosque was calling for jihad against America — something he had never heard when he lived peacefully in Somalia during the rise of the Islamic Courts Union.

“The situation has dramatically taken a turn for the worse,” he said. “The U.S. chose a very confrontational route early on. Who knows what would have happened if the U.S. had reached out to moderates? But that might have averted the disaster we’re in today.”

The greatest catastrophe is the one endured by ordinary Somalis who now must watch their children starve. But America’s own strategic interests have also been gravely damaged.
The only winner has been Islamic militancy. That’s probably the core reason why Al Qaeda militants prefer a McCain presidency: four more years of blindness to nuance in the Muslim world would be a tragedy for Americans and virtually everyone else, but a boon for radical groups trying to recruit suicide bombers.

A VERY Blind Date

All identities have been changed to protect those involved in this embarrassing story:

One of the photographers that works at KVAL had a funny story to tell this afternoon. He says his fiance's mother (divorced) was trying online dating so she responded to an ad on Craigslist (online forum). She emailed back and forth with the man and chatted about her likes and dislikes. They finally decided to meet for a blind date (at the local Taco Bell). When she shows up ...there's her son, wearing a fake mustache.

It seems she answered her own son's dating ad. He wore a fake mustache because she told him she liked mustaches. They were both shocked to learn the other's identity as they had been emailing each other for a few days and shared personal details.

Ummmmmmmm... not much to say about this...

What's Up??

Who can forget this gem of advertising:



8 Years Later...

A New Way to "Move House"

We ran this incredible story on our KVAL 11pm newscast and I wanted to share it with you. Danish artists and activists built a "walking house" as an art installation and a way to "live nomadically without much environmental impact." It has 6 hydraulic legs (controlled by a computer), cost $60k to build and moves at a "walking pace." Dwellers have a bed, kitchen, toilet, woodstove and living room.

Live Music Roulette

Natasha and I decided to meet up around 8 on Saturday evening for a vino and girl talk. We wanted to try something new so we stopped at a place on 11th avenue in Eugene: Black Forest. We went in, noticed it was pretty low key so we thought it might be a nice place to chat. I noticed a few guys bringing in band equipment so we were excited about the prospect of live music. Imagine our surprise when 10 minutes later this started (the vocals are the best):



As soon as the band finished it's first set we grabbed our things, heads down, and marched out of there. We couldn't believe it. Later someone told us the Black Forest is a known heavy metal hang out. Ooops!

Our friend Elissa called us and asked us to join her at Tiny's Tavern in the Whitaker neighborhood of Eugene. Okay. We made our way there and could hear the music from outside the pub. Inside, it was the other extreme. Two guitarists "pickin" and a woman on a harmonica. There was actually a man in overalls dancing in the front:



At least there's no shortage of bands in Eugene...

A Shout Out

My wonderful friend Thabang Motsei (my graduate project partner and roomie at University of Westminster) is presenting for VoxAfrica in London. Vox translates to "voice." I am so proud of you, Thabi! See her work here.

"White Guilt"?

Our report made national headlines! The homeowner put up a sign along Territorial Highway in Elmira, OR saying "Got White Guilt? Vote Hussein Osama-Biden." My co-worker Elissa Harrington went to interview him.

An Interesting Read

Eck. I've been home sick from work for 2 days and I'm going out of my mind with boredom. Luckily I have a good book to help pass the time in bed. "Kafka Comes to America," a non-fiction book by Steven Wax is a page turner. I just started it last night and I'm on page 187. His accounts are so alarming, educational and interesting that I couldn't put the book down.



Wax writes about his role as a public defender for two men. One (a 3rd generation American father, attorney in Portland, OR) was forcefully arrested by the FBI and charged with a terrorism in Madrid, Spain. The other man was never charged with a crime but held as a US prisoner from Afghanistan for 3 years before making a habeas corpus petition. Both men, who are Muslims, were thrown behind bars -one in Oregon, one in Guantanamo.

Wax points out that fear during 2001 led to policies where President Bush gave himself power over the justice system and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld openly allowed the torture of men in US prisons in Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan. While 35% of the men in prison were linked to actual terrorist activity the others (some of which are STILL behind bars) are innocent men profiled for being Muslim or of Middle-eastern descent.

Some men sent to prison in Afghanistan and Iraq (said to be taken off the battlefield by the US Government) were either sold to get a reward by enemies or pulled from their homes for having some obscure link to Bin Laden that had no basis or fact. There is no record as to how many prisoners are in these prisons and they were not allowed due process of law, a trial, and they wait in these prisons - not even charged with a crime.

Brandon was ulitmately released after the FBI's cover-up of an official letter from Spain was revealed to prosecutors. The FBI claimed his fingerprint was found on a bag containing explosives in Spain. It was NOT his fingerprint and before Brandon was arrested Spain sent an "OFFICIAL" letter to the FBI saying the match was "NEGATIVE". It took his defenders 2 weeks of tireless work to even get a copy of the search warrants and copies of the fingerprint while Brandon sat in jail and his family worried that he would be tried for murder. Brandon and his family were rewarded 2 million in a settlement from the government before his civil case went to trial. His reputation will never be restored.

One more point - have you heard of "Sneak and Peek" searches? This is when FBI agents can enter your home, go through all of your things, lock the door behind them and you wouldn't even know they were there. During the search they can collect evidence (not tangible) to use against you. The judicial system was given power to issue these with no limitations by the Patriot Act signed by President Bush in October 2001.

From Wax's book, published 2008:
"Fear is a corrupting force in government, distorting and being used to distort the decision- making process."

Election Day - Getting Close

Seems someone killed a bear cub, stapled Obama signs on its head and dumped the carcass on the Western Carolina University campus. It is a horrible, shocking shame that our country is so full of ignorant, hateful bigots. This election has gotten disgusting.

I already received my ballot in the mail and I successfully cast my vote TODAY. Thank goodness election day is close. I don't know if I can bare the shock politics and negativity much longer.

Weddings Can be Rough

Worst Best Man Ever @ Yahoo! Video

Cuba Avant-Garde Exhibit

I went to the Cuba Avant-Garde Exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the University of Oregon campus. It is one of the most beautiful college campuses I've seen...especially with the leaves changing and the air turning a bit crisp in the evenings.





The museum has impressive architectural style. The arch entry is full of intricate detailing. I felt like I was in Europe walking through the front door.

This is my favorite sculpture in the Cuba Avant-Garde exhibit. Entitled Matrimony this shows the joining of two, symbolized by the shoes becoming one style.

Protocol by Yoan Capote, cast aluminum and velvet. This piece symbolizes "the voice of the powerful" in reference to Cuba's government. Part of a larger scene, this chair's structure is held together by microphones. In another installation, a cd which played unintelligable voices played with 2 chairs and a glass table.



The Sons of Water, Talking to a Fish by Manuel Mendive Royo, acrylic, wood, metal. The piece speaks to the important coexistance of people and animals.





Autopsy by Alexis Esquivel, fabric, wood, metal, photographic print. This sculpture is racially and politically charged. The artist hopes to capture the stereotypes about black men and women that are not publically discussed. Esquivel placed a "subtle" photo of an autopsy from the 1912 killing of 4000 black people in Cuba on the backboard of a basketball goal. The basket is sewn shut, making it impossible to play.



The Sacred Heart by Lazaro Saavedra Gonzalez is a symbol of the conflict in Cuba between wanting the capitalist democracy of the US and the socialist ideals of the revolution. The Sacred Heart is a picture usually of a young man offering a crown of thorns. It has been changed in this rendition to resemble Jesus in contemporary art. He is thinking about the United States' way of life while talking about Cuba's socialism.

Girls Night

L-R Annette, Denae, Denise, Annie, Melinda, Jeanine, Annette, Natasha, Jodi

We went to Jo Fed's in Eugene to listen to a bit of Brazilian jazz and sample the red wine flight. Then...to Davis' to listen to a DJ.

Welcome to the Weekend

I was inspired by the Autumn temperatures last night to order a Pumpkin Martini with my friends Natasha and Kim from Agate Alley Bistro. It is made with pumpkin puree, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon and Stoli Vanilla and rimmed with graham cracker crumbs. Delicious. Like pumpkin pie in a glass!

Do You Live in An "Anti-America" State?

From the Washington Post:
By Juliet Eilperin, who was writing about a Palin speech at a rally in North Carolina...

Palin also made a point of mentioning that she loved to visit the "pro-America" areas of the country, of which North Carolina is one. No word on which states she views as unpatriotic.

(Yikes! I live in Oregon and might not vote for McCain - according to Palin that makes me "anti-America." What!?!?! Palin has proven herself to be narrow-minded yet again and not afraid to alienate Americans if they don't agree with her politics.)

An obvious candidate might be California -- a state Palin has campaigned in -- because, as she told the audience, she and McCain have encountered problems enlisting famous performers in their cause.

"In fact, we were on the bus today, we were making a list of who are some celebrity singers who could come out and help us and gosh, for the life of us, the pickins were slim there," she said. "Who's quasi-conservative out there in the celebrity land?"

Palin proceeded to then thank country singers Hank Williams Jr. and Lee Greenwood for appearing on her behalf: Greenwood had belted out "God Bless the USA" at her rally in Bangor, Me., yesterday morning, while Williams sang his "McCain-Palin Tradition" tune in the afternoon in Elon, N.C.

Confront Ignorance

This report is by an Al-Jazeera reporter. He interviewed people in a small town of Ohio at a Republican rally. To me, the comments made by the interviewees are horrific and shocking. Keep in mind they are all American citizens with the right to vote.

See who's heading to the polls on election day...

Role Model?

"She's a role model to women." - Senator John McCain, on his running mate, Sarah Palin during the final Presidential debate

Sarah Palin is not my role model. A few reasons why:

1. Instead of focusing on her family during this tough time (a newborn with Down Syndrome and a pregnant 17 year old daughter) she has decided to run for Vice President.

2. She invited her husband to be an active, daily part of her executive decisions as Governor of the State of Alaska through emails, phone calls and meetings in her office. That is against ethics code and to me, does not show a strong leader.

3. She is anti-choice. I do not admire a woman who fights to make sure women in America cannot make decisions for themselves. This includes women who have been raped by family members and became pregnant.

4. Palin does not make seeing the world, or our own country a priority. I believe in education through discovery and exploration of other cultures. It breeds tolerance, understanding and can dissipate prejudices.

5. She doesn't seem to be well read on world current events or geography. To me, that's an important aspect to intellectual growth and leading a country.

6. Palin shoots animals for sport. I do not see how this hobby makes a woman a better person, a compassionate leader or more in-tune with environmental issues. I've seen pictures of her daughter Bristol proudly holding a pistol and a rifle with her mother.

7. As Mayor of a city of 7000, Palin tried to push her religion into her policies. She is on record asking the city librarian Mary Ellen Baker about banning books which contained "inappropriate language." News reports also said Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving full support to the mayor. Book banning!?!?!???!?!

8. Palin does not speak out against violent threats called out during her rallies and in fact encourages them. She is running to be a world leader but cannot ask someone to stop yelling "kill him" about her opponent?

A Conundrum

The torture of it all. I am at my ultimate wits end as the Matron-of-Honor can attest to. I do not know where to host our wedding.

Bald Head Island, while a great idea initially could be tough because there are several other weddings on the island at the same time and the venue seems like a revolving door when it is supposed to be special.

So, I thought - why not have it in South Africa so Kingsley's brother and sister can attend? Okay, good idea. Then, I started pricing plane tickets and the cheapest I can find during the year 2009 is $1700 per person! It is very expensive for my family to fly to South Africa and it is even more expensive for his family to fly to the United States!

This morning Kingsley suggested - just the two of us - go to Paris and spend a romantic week and get married under the Eiffel tower but then our loved ones would not be able to celebrate with us!

My neck hurts because of tension, I cannot sleep, am having trouble thinking at work and feel this should be easier. We're in love and just want to get married! Behind the scenes we're dealing with other major issues related to Visas and jobs...

Sorry, I needed to vent. Isn't it strange that I turn to my virtual best friend, the internet?

Supporting A Candidate in Creative Ways

He says he's not anti-McCain but he is pro-Obama. Check out "The Obama Dance:"

New Reporting Clips

Halloween Dress-up

One of the sportscasters I work with has 2 precious little Yorkies. They already have their Halloween costumes - do you?

"Troopergate"

If you really want to form an opinion of what Sarah Palin did or didn't do as a governor, then I ask you to read the Legislative Committee's report for yourself. After a lengthy investigation with dozens of interviews, collected emails and phone conversations, the committee found that Palin abused her power as Governor of Alaska.

I have read the report and here are some of the shockers:

State employees testified that Todd Palin spent "50% percent of his time" in Governor Sarah Palin's office. He had a "table with a phone" and would answer her calls. He would call state employees to tell them when Governor Palin was to arrive somewhere and also read and follow up on her emails. One employee testified that if he needed to get in touch with Gov. Palin, he would also just call Todd since he could never reach Sarah.

Todd Palin called a meeting in the Governor's office in 2007 and presided over it with the only topic being Trooper Wooten. Todd made it clear that Wooten only received a "slap on the wrist" for things he did as a trooper and wanted Commissioner Walter Monegan to re-open the investigation of Wooten illegally killing a moose.

To me, there is no doubt that Wooten is a jerk. He allegedly shot a moose without a permit, although Palin's father butchered the animal and was also acting illegally, allegedly tasered his step-son, and allegedly drove his patrol car after drinking and allegedly threatened to kill Palin's father. However, the cases were all investigated, people were interviewed, facts were gathered and he was disciplined through due process of law. After reading this report, it is clear that was not good enough for Todd or Sarah Palin.

Even Palin says now her family feared Wooten might try to harm them. In the report released today, it is documented, during this time, Palin reduced her security staff from 6 to 2 full time guards and when she met with the head of her security, he specifically asked her about perceived threats and she said there were none. Why wouldn't she tell the force about Wooten if she was afraid for her life?

Both Palins made countless phone calls (dates and times on record) sent 219 emails about Wooten and had informal meetings with even the Attorney General about Wooten. The report has 263 pages of accounts by various people who were approached about this matter. However, Alaskan Statue 39.25.080 (Law) says personnel issues are confidential and cannot be discussed with citizens (Todd Palin) or other government officials (Palin).

It seems like a large amount of time and tax payer money was spent on trying to get rid of this guy. From the report, it also seems that the Palins passively pressured many people to do what they wanted.

This all came after a divorce and custody battle between Sarah Palin's sister, Molly and Trooper Wooten. The report even lists phone calls Todd made to the head of the State Troopers about Wooten dropping his children off at school during his shift. (This was investigated and Wooten had permission on that occasion from his supervisor.)

Ultimately, after Public Safety Commissioner Walter Moegan told both of the Palins he was unable to discuss the Wooten investigation, he was suddenly moved to another department. Sarah Palin hired another man, Charles Kopp, without even interviewing him for the position. He resigned 15 days later after his former employer filed a weighty sexual harassment case against him. It didn't seem like the state office was too choosy in the appointment for the Head of Public Safety.

After reading the testimonies from dozens of Palin's employees, I fear the small-town political way of dealing with "issues" was attempted in a state office. I know Palin supporters are already saying this report is the result of leftist liberal media but really, we can't blame Palin's documented actions on anyone else. The bi-partisan committee thought it was serious enough to do an in-depth investigation. The same bi-partisan committee found she abused her power for personal gain. Read the report - just read a few pages - and I think you'll see why they ruled this way.

Even an Alaskan Judge Suddock said this (pg. 53 of the report) during Wooten's divorce hearing with Molly: "It appears for the world that Ms. McCann's family (Molly McCann is Sarah's sister) have decided to take off with the guy's livelihood, that the bitterness of whatever who did what to whom has overridden good judgement."

"Human Error"...?

NY election mix-up: 'Osama' on the ballot
By RICHARD RICHTMYER, Associated Press Writer

TROY, N.Y. - Who is running for president? In an upstate New York county, hundreds of voters have been sent absentee ballots in which they could vote for "Barack Osama."

The absentee ballots sent to voters in Rensselaer County identified the two presidential candidates as "Barack Osama" and "John McCain." In the United States, the best-known individual named Osama is Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaida terrorist group behind the 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City.

The typographical terror error was first reported by the Times Union of Albany.

The elections office faxed a statement in which the two commissioners, Democrat Edward McDonough and Republican Larry Bugbee, said they regret the error but never acknowledge what the error was.

"It's human error, it's very unfortunate, it's an embarrassment to our office, obviously," McDonough said in a later phone interview. "We wish we could turn back the clock, but we can't."

When they discovered the mistake, officials shredded the remaining "Osama" ballots and mailed correct versions to the roughly 300 people who had already received them. McDonough said the "Osama" mistake was made in only one of the 13 ballot versions mailed throughout the county, located east of the state capital of Albany.

Voters who received both versions will be allowed to send in either one and have it counted, McDonough said.

Obama spokesman Blake Zeff said the campaign is "glad officials are working to correct this error and we assume it won't happen again."

Friends Don't Let Friends Email Drunk

After a night out on the town, it's natural to come home and check your email. But, have you ever - after a few drinks - sent an email and later regret hitting "send?" Well, not to worry. Our friends at Google Mail have a solution for drunk e-mailing:



It's almost like a breathalyzer for your computer and it's called Mail Goggles. The program works by stopping your email as soon as you send it. A box pops up with timed math equations. If you can solve them, the email heads to its destination...via virtual designated driver.

Town Hall Style

Tonight's debate - another fabulous face-off but not much friction. Both candidates used a more aggressive style. Senator McCain was truly on the war path. At one point McCain even said "You know who voted for it? (Flings an arm toward Obama): That one!" Perhaps he should have referred to his opponent by name?

Senator Obama seemed reserved and was slow to get into his points but held his own. I was interested to hear more details about his health care plan, economic fix-it strategy and how he will focus on Pakistan and Iran.

Senator McCain seemed to spend a pointed amount of time attacking Obama but I did learn more about where he will spend time fixing the nation's problems and that he believes in an absolute spending freeze.

If I was sitting in the town hall tonight I would have followed up with McCain on why he was scolding Obama about announcing potential attack plans when VP hopeful Sarah Palin did the same thing when speaking with a voter 2 weeks ago. When it was Palin speaking out about cross-boarder attacks, McCain said that she was trapped in "gotcha journalism." CBS's Couric pointed out, "Senator McCain, she was talking to a voter."

On Twitter (streaming social networking site) the talk was about Obama over-using the word "fundamental" and another favorite - drinking games where people would have to take a sip every time McCain said "my friends." On a not-so-friendly note, many voters made a point to say they were not friends of John McCain and were annoyed with his use of the phrase.

In Case You Missed It...

This is Tina Fey's best work:

Reuters Update Afghanistan

Afghan war cannot be won militarily: U.N.
By Jonathon Burch

KABUL (Reuters) - The war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily and success is only possible through political means including dialogue between all relevant parties, the United Nations' top official in the country said Monday.

His comments come after Britain's military commander in Afghanistan said the war could not be won and that the goal was to reduce the insurgency to a level where it was no longer a strategic threat and could be dealt with by the Afghan army.

Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said if the Taliban were willing to talk, that might be "precisely the sort of progress" needed to end the insurgency.

"I've always said to those that talk about the military surge ... what we need most of all is a political surge, more political energy," Kai Eide, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, told a news conference in Kabul.

"We all know that we cannot win it militarily. It has to be won through political means. That means political engagement."

Eide said success depended on speaking with all sides in the conflict. "If you want to have relevant results, you must speak to those who are relevant. If you want to have results that matter, you must speak to those who matter," he said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "We're not losing in Afghanistan, though there certainly is a recognition that there's more we could be doing there."

It looks like the United Nations and some on the ground in Afghanistan are asking for diplomacy and political talks. Please consider this when voting for a candidate who will decide how our country will go forward in this battle. To read more, head to the full story.

Rainy Day Stew

This is my recipe:

1 can northern (white) beans
1 packet ham - lunch meat is fine
1/2 red onion, sliced and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, sliced and chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 T dried Parsley (or fresh if you have it)
1 T dried Rosemary
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)
Olive oil

Cover bottom of pan with olive oil and 1/2 cup hot water, add garlic and onions and simmer. Add spices. After garlic and onion is getting soft, add beans (drained but not rinsed). Cut ham in little slices so they ribbon through the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Crying and Clubbing

It might be coming to the US...New York City first...but a new clubbing trend in Japan has some reaching for the tissues.

That's the point of these weepy nights out. Seems that wealthy business men are paying big bucks for a chance to cry their eyes out over a drink. The animation trend has now taken back seat to another fad: public displays of emotion.

I read about this in the New York Times Style Magazine in an article by Mark Ellwood. Elwood says party people are going for "tear therapy" instead of karaoke right now and paying a cover charge of approx $10 to get in. In some clubs, party-goers are handed knives and onions to chop to the sounds of the Mozart Requiem.

People who are caught smiling or laughing - gasp! -are actually fined. What do you think? Is is a good thing to have a space where it's the norm to cry your eyes out and the Positive Pattys are frowned upon?

Weekend Plans

It is supposed to rain for the next 182 days in Oregon so I have some indoor plans this weekend including: watching tv, wearing warm clothes and spending useless hours on social networking sites. The one highlight is a ticket to Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley at the Lord Leebrick Theatre in Eugene.



The 2005 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, don't miss the Eugene debut of one of the most praised American plays of the last 50 years!

When a stern nun's suspicions are weighed against the word of a well-liked priest, how does one determine the truth? "I have not the slightest proof of anything, but I have my certainty," states Sister Aloysius. A compelling parable for our times on the dangers of accusation, spin, and moral certainty, there's a good reason this play is called "the richest and most talked about piece of theatre in years."

"A gripping mystery, tightly written." - Time Out

Excerpt from Shanely's Introduction:

Let me ask you. Have you ever held a position in an argument past the point of comfort? Have you ever defended a way of life you were on the verge of exhausting? Have you ever given service to a creed you no longer utterly believed? Have you ever told a girl you loved her and felt the faint nausea of eroding conviction? I have. That’s an interesting moment. For a playwright, it’s the beginning of an idea. I saw a piece of real estate on which I might build a play, a play that sat on something silent in my life and in my time. I started with a title: Doubt.

The Band at Luckeys

We have some friends who play the rare gig around Oregon. They performed last Saturday at Luckey's in Eugene. Problem is...they don't have a name yet. I'm thinking "Bailout Boys" in celebration of the bill passing today. Any suggestions? The gal in the pictures is Sadie - she sings back up on a few songs. Evan is on base guitar (Elissa's guy) Tyler plays drums, Gareth is on keyboard and Ted is lead vocals, guitar. I cannot think of the other band member's name (guy in hat). Help!




Denae and Elissa - the groupies

Debating the Debate

I have more respect for Governor Palin now than before the debate. She clearly did a much better job tonight than many believed she could do. The training put on by the Republican team for Palin paid off - she spoke into the camera with confidence and hit her talking points but at times there was a lack of substance. On the other hand, Senator Biden can come off as a grouchy guy who has been doing this politics thing for decades but he knows the numbers, the bills, the strategies, the judges and how Congress votes.



Palin is able to inspire others because she's funny, comes from a small town, is pretty and portrays herself as "middle class." I don't know if someone who owns 2 vacation properties, a plane and is calculated to be worth 2 million is middle class but I caught on to her message and I know others did as well. A downfall was when she mentioned the "main-stream media" as an attacker. That was weak. Is it because she has to interact with a person rather than recite a talking point that throws her off? "Gotcha journalism" is not Couric: Which newspapers do you read? Palin could not name one newspaper or magazine that she reads. I really don't think that was a trick question!!??



Biden doesn't seem blue collar enough to reach out to everyone (not a good thing) however, Biden does seem ready to lead a nation. He knows without a shadow of a doubt what his party will do to move the country forward. He has experience dealing with business owners, policy makers, members of the courts, military strategists and coal miners. Although he was caught telling some story about working as a coal miner - a lie that the campaign said was tounge-in-cheek.

I truly think this election might come down to the issues. At least that's my hope. Leave race and gender, education and political background out of it: which party represents the future you hope to see for our country?

As I've mentioned, a sticking point for me: foreign policy. Now could be the time to give diplomacy a try. Our economy is absolutely wrecked as we continue to pay for Iraq with no end in sight and our military has been taxed with no end in sight. Do we really have enough current resources to be hard-core? As supposed world leaders, we drastically need to do something to improve our reputation in the world. Do not be naive enough to think our allies might lose respect and withdraw support. The European Union is a growing force and may soon have no need for a country that is bossy AND broke.

Overall, the debate was boring. Palin wasn't challenged by anyone when she got off topic or failed to answer a question. It was okay for her to just say: well, I'm going to talk about Energy when asked a question about the housing crisis. The moderator, Gwen, stuck it to Biden a couple of times but everyone seemed like they just wanted to play nice in the sandbox. Certainly not what a Vice Presidential debate should be one month before the election.

Annoying debate moments: Biden's un-natural sparkling white teeth (what was that?) and Palin's constant winks to the camera (something in your eye?).