I know I've mentioned this before, but once the wildfires start blazing out here I'm reminded of the book, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the imagination of disaster by Mike Davis. My fellow librarian, Joe Grosso, recommended the book back when we were first considering the move here. Even though the book is eleven years old at this point, it is still relevant.

The fires are still way north of us, but you can see the plumes of smoke as you drive around much of The OC. The big fear is that it will overrun the transmission towers near the Mount Wilson Observatory and cause havoc with the television & radio stations. I've heard from The Child that a number of Cox Communication customers are having problems with their phones, but the company hesitates to send work crews into the areas already being evacuated.

Speaking of Cox, we discovered yesterday that what we thought was one of our televisions going, was in fact caused by the cable box hooked up to the bedroom TV. Donna is going to be calling for a serviceman to come out. Have to be able to watch Nancy Grace and the local 11:00pm news every night! Plus, falling asleep after Letterman's Top Ten has become a Chez Chaput tradition.

Since getting Facebook & Twitter accounts I can't figure out what to update first. I've all but forgotten the MySpace page, since almost everybody I was 'Friends' with there are also on the other social networks. I'm trying to figure out if what I post in one account is relevant or makes sense in the other. There isn't a total overlap yet. Twitter seems to have many of my comics related friends or folks I have met via YouTube, etc. Facebook is where my family and Donna's are keeping tabs on us, so immediate stuff seems to fit there. It's nice to still have my blogs, and I'll be trying to post a bit more, since it allows me to rant on for a longer time. :-)

FYI, the fires raging out here are much further north, so you shouldn't worry about us. We're following the reports, of course, since the dry,windy weather continues and it's not unlikely that a fire could start somewhere in the region. We have already had a couple in the area, but they were quickly brought under control. The 'emergency' kits we have prepared, are not just in case of earthquakes.

I was sad, but not surprised to hear of the passing of Ted Kennedy last evening. The morning news shows are filled with stories about his life & legacy. Unfortunately, you can't escape the tragedy of Chappaquiddick or the mark it left on Kennedy's career. Little doubt he would have been President, had the accident never happened. It will be interesting to see if the folks at Fox can talk about anything but that, or to glory that a "rich, socialist" is no longer in the Senate. I'm sure that Rushbo, Bill-o and Beckenstein will have a field day bashing the man, his brothers and family. In their minds, and I'm sure among a certain element in the GOP, this could not have happened at a better time for them.

Just got some bad news about a cut in a service we provide here at the Library. One of the sponsors is dropping their support and we are unable to come up with that money ourselves. It is unfortunate that something we have to assist job seekers, in these times, is being removed because a corporation is trying to save a few bucks.

Ambassadors of Harmony-2009 International Barbershop Chorus Champions

A big thank you to Mark Evanier for posting this. Watch it through, even if you are not a big 'barbershop' sound fan. Can't imagine the work that went into the final bit.

Ecomomics of Healthcare

We're #1 !!! It really doesn't make sense that people are fighting this change...unless (you don't think?) they are working for the insurance companies!! Nah! can't be.

So are we all screwed on this? I mean at least those among us who would like a "public option" as part of the Health Care plan being put together in Congress. Can we actually trust (well, certainly not the Republicans!)those working on this? I mean, we still have American troops fighting two wars, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfield and that other guy from Texas (what's his name?) who was in the Oval Office not being prosecuted for 'war crimes' or even serving time for other illegal activities. What the hell did I vote for last year, if not some action on all those fronts? It is beginning to appear that those folks who said I was wasting my vote on Democrats, might have been right after all. I'm not seeing a hell of a lot of difference, to be honest.

On a more personal side, you can check me out on Twitter, if you like. You can also find both Donna & me (with seperate accounts) on Facebook, where we are currently keeping track of friends and family back east. I have heard that there may be other folks I haven't been in touch with lurking about on one or the other, so please feel free to "follow" or become my Friend on either of those networks. No grudges held on my part!

Has Obama Been Bought By Big Pharma?

Might be time for a change again! The NYT has been wrong before and so has the Huffington Post. Maybe we do need a "REAL" third/alternative party if we can't trust the Democrats. (I've never trusted the Republicans!)

I find it interesting how the networks continue to give airtime to certain right-wing columnists and fringe wackjobs. Once you start comparing Obama to Hitler and screaming about 'death panels' it's time for the folks in charge to turn off the cameras and show those folks the door. From past experience in fandom (online & in print) it was at the point that one side of an argument or the other started saying "Hitler" that it was time for the moderators to close things down.

It's also apparent that the Right can say and do just about anything and the mainstream media finds it worth covering. On the other hand, the protests against the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and other things that happened the previous eight years, really didn't amount to anything newsworthy.

I'm trying not to get all worked up about this, but I fear that there will be some real violence at one of these 'town hall' meetings. Not that Rush, Beck or Bill-o have instigated anything, mind you. These are just "average Americans" with no agenda speaking their minds.

Enjoy our new socialist state, fellow-travelers! :-)

I really hope I'm not starting to come down with something. Several of my co-workers called in sick today. Going from the heat outside into & out of air-conditioning doesn't help things. I suppose if I didn't catch anything in the petri dish that is the San Diego Comic-con I might yet escape a virus.

For those curious, we didn't feel anything from the two quakes in the Gulf of California yesterday. We had a couple of folks phone to ask, but all's well. The most recent small fires were also south & west of Ladera Ranch, so those weren't a problem either. On the other hand, the annual infestation of ants has begun, this time limited to the bathroom so far. We'll let the folks in the office know and keep an eye on Babie's water & food dishes. She seems happy to just sit and watch as they travel the tiles. Mighty huntress, that she is!

2009 has certainly been speeding by and we are already trying to see what we'll be doing for New Year's Eve. Of course, that's assuming I'm not dragged down by crocodiles during the boat trip I have planned on our Panama Canal cruise. The Tarcoles River in Costa Rica is noted for a large colony of crocs. Donna says I can have the riverside seat. "Lean over for a close-up, dear!" :-)

Not much else to add for now. I'll try to start posting again a bit more frequently, but tend to hit Facebook & Twitter more often when I can.

So okay, the Beer Summit is over, Obama's poll ratings are down and health care seems to be doomed from Day One. Yeah, we really did change things last November, didn't we?

Between the Birthers and the Blue Dog Democrats, there really hasn't been much of a chance for this administration to get decent coverage. We expected this type of thing from the mainstream GOP, but the wackos and back-stabbing BDs came as a surprise to me.

I'm taking a short break from reading much about the political situation and hiding my head in SD for a few days seemed to help. Like going to an alternate world where these things don't matter and the only thing you have to worry about is getting from the Exhibit floor up to Ballroom 6 in time, with a stop off at Starbucks or Mrs. Fields along the way. I have more to say about the convention and some photos of other fanboys over at Shot's Shack, if you are interested.

That's it for now!

The Bad Guys Launch Coordinated Attack on Healthcare

The folks at The Young Turks nail this! I don't agree with everything Cenk has to say, but it doesn't accept the B.S.

Check it out!

Well, we had a nice fairly quiet weekend. It has been hot out here and poor Kristina's A/C isn't working, so she stayed with us a couple of nights. That didn't keep Donna and me from hitting Bingo on Saturday, where I won $250. Putting part of that towards my ComicCon funds. :-)

Speaking of San Diego, Dan is flying in on Wednesday and we almost had some problems, due to miscommunication. Despite the wonders of e-mail, and social networking sites you can't beat actually talking to somebody on the phone! Fortunately, the hotel was able to give us an extra night so we have our convention headquarters ready to go.

Hard to believe it's been forty years since the moon landing. While millions of people around the world were riveted to their television sets that day, this guy had no clue what was going on. When you are on board a Navy ship in the mid-Atlantic (at least when I was serving) you are pretty much out of touch with the 'real world'. I didn't know history had been made until the next day. It was probably a month or so later, back in the U.S., when I actually saw the footage for the first time. I'm sure things are much different nowadays.

Sarah Palin Quits! Auto-Tune the News #6

Just because! LOL~!

Donna and I are enjoying the cruise. She's up at the casino (winning, I hope) and I decided to take a few minutes to check in.

It's kind of cool, since Donna is now a "Concierge Class" passenger. We get extra perks and even some freebies in the cabin at night. Mmmm..chocolates!

Hope your 4th has been fun and you haven't blown anything up! Catch you tomorrow, back at the Library.

RIP: Harve Presnell (They Call the Wind Maria)

Even though the man appeared in dozens of films and television shows, this was what immediately came to mind.

My condolences to his family and friends. Also to those of Karl Malden. It's been a bad couple of weeks.

Darwin's Theory Of Evolution - A Brief History

Still alive!!

About time that the Senate race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman comes to an end. I really did expect Coleman to keep this going until 2010 at least! I don't believe that having Franken in the Senate is going to make an immediate change for the better, but I hope it keeps the GOP off balance for a while. Sadly, there are a few too many 'conservative/moderate' Dems for my taste still active and preventing real change.

We got confirmation yesterday that Carnival cruiseline is moving us off the 'waitlist' and booking us for a three-night cruise this coming weekend. This is exactly the same one we took last year at the same time. We know the ship is going to be filled with kids, but it is still nice to get away for a few days. Also, this brings us into VIP status with Carnival so we get preferred boarding, debarkation and other nice stuff. Can you believe that we have taken ten cruises since our first together in 1999? Averages to one cruise per year and we have another booked for our anniversary on Thanksgiving!

It will be a week tomorrow that Michael Jackson has passed away and they have just gotten around to planning his funeral. Considering how long poor Anna Nicole and James Brown had to wait, I guess it's not all that bad.

Ok, so Ol' Bernie is going to do 150yrs hardtime. Damn! I feel safer knowing this bastard is off the streets.

Seriously, I have no sympathy for this creep, but this is not going to do anything for the many people deceived by this man and his family. Why aren't his wife and children doing time or being brought up on charges? Is it possible they knew nothing about what was done? I highly doubt it! Plus, I'm not at all buying those photos of the Mrs. riding the subway. You know that the family has millions stashed in dozens of off-shore accounts where they can get their hands on it after the spotlight fades.

Hmmm...there have been American forces killed and injured the past weekend in Iraq & Afghanistan. There has been a coup in Honduras. Michael Jackson remains the top story in both national and local news. Anybody surprised?

Not a good deal I can add to everything that has already been said about Michael Jackson. For all the jokes about his appearance, his dangling babies and the court case, I believe that eventually it will be his music that will be his legacy.

I think that in twenty years kids will view Jackson much as today's youth view Elvis. He is the guy their parents always talk about, they will hear his music and perhaps see his videos on whatever passes for 'golden oldie' stations (on radio, television and the Interwebs). Maybe they will even see one of those MJ impersonators you'll find in Vegas (with a choice of the Jackson Five Micheal, the 'Billie Jean' Michael and the weird one with the glove and military uniforms).

I initially found myself at a loss when I saw how emotional his fans were, but I can remember similar crowds for Elvis and John Lennon. For me, of course, it was Lennon's death that effected me. I sympathize with his fans and my condolences go out to his family and his children.

Bill Maher: Democrats Are the New Republicans

There is not much I can add to this. I do think Maher can be a smug SOB at times, but he f**king nails it!

TYT!!