Some people really do prefer to have the snowdrifts and short days and long nights...

For the rest of us, it's always a countdown toward spring.

So why would I choose to travel to the place pictured below in a couple of weeks, when I still have roses blooming in my back yard?

No answers today, just questions.

Madison, November 20 2004 

Warsaw, November 20 2004

Poland is asserting herself and she has the swing votes to make a difference

For the American reader, it’s a small issue really: whether the EU should incorporate a certain patent directive (read here, via FistfulofEuros). But the important thing is that when Poland said “no,” the directive fell short of the needed votes and had to be scrapped.

As I understand it, companies pushing for it suffered a lost opportunity to basically patent any and all computer software. Internet users and innovators who build on existing programming models were the beneficiaries. But what really tickled me was to see Poland championing the public interest. A statement to be proud of:

"The questionable compromise that the EU Council reached in May was the biggest threat ever to our economic growth, and to our freedom of communication," said Wladyslaw Majewski, president of the Internet Society of Poland. "The desire of the patent system and the patent departments of certain large corporations must never prevail over the interests of the economy and society at large."

Looking cool and feeling crappy

Oscar over at ColumnistManifesto analogizes cell phone patter to cigarette puffing. Both fill a void, both create an impression of connectedness. One is disgusting. The other is, a replacement for what medicine has forced us to reject.

But wait. Does anyone ever actually enjoy talking on a cell phone? I never really took to cigarettes and I don’t really take to cell phones either, but still, I did so want to love cigarettes (this is before studies labeled them as Certain Death, even in instances where the smoker is 100 feet removed from you). They were such great pauses in life – they transitioned you from one event to another, they let you take stock, to inhale not so much the smoke, but the moment…

Too bad they always made me feel so crappy. I was glad (some 30 years ago) when they went into disfavor. I was no longer torn between the love for the sport of it and the hatred for the physical effect.

But cell phones – who will take these instruments away from me and tell me they should be banished? Sure, I love them, indeed. There are people whom I would rarely talk to if it weren’t for the cell. But at the same time, I feel ill when it cackles and dies, when it rings at inopportune times, when I pass through areas where it seems just not to work.

Clearly I need a replacement. Should we reconsider chewing gun?

A peachy predicament for our man Tony

The Guardian is reporting (via Europhobia) that a motion has been put forth before the Parliament to impeach Tony Blair for his "gross misconduct" in Iraq. Chances of its success are small, but it is a strong statement, given that no such motion has been entertained in Britain for close to 200 years.

And if you are not a member of Parliament but would still like your voice heard on this, you are directed to an online petition (at impeachblair.org) where you can sign the following statement:

"I wish to see Tony Blair impeached and required to answer in the Court of Parliament that he repeatedly and substantively misled the people into the Iraq War of 2003 while choosing to remain in office when he is in clear violation of the traditional convention of ministerial resignation."

While the British are debating the propriety of impeachment based on misleading statements that led the country into armed conflict, we’re debating the propriety of not including more materials and evidence of the Lewinsky scandal in the “impeachment” exhibit of the Clinton Library.

I knew it: the reason airfares have gone up is because there’s too much junk food out there

As if there weren’t enough reasons to promote healthy eating and proper exercise, here’s another: staying with a sensible diet will reduce the cost of flying and cut back on fuel emissions.

From the IHT today:

[A] report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine … said that "an obesity epidemic" among Americans has had "unexpected consequences beyond direct health effects." Throughout the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds, or 4.5 kilograms, causing airlines to spend $275 million on an extra 350 million gallons of fuel just to carry the extra weight, the agency says. The extra fuel burned caused an estimated 3.8 [million] tons of carbon dioxide to be released into the air.

[UPDATE: The numbers are editorially corrected by me thanks to the very clever reader who did the math and determined that the IHT article had missed the word "million" in the transcription.]

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé !

So scream today's headlines across France's vineyard-studded landscape.

Oh, the rituals to get us through the hefty, dark, dank months of winter! Let’s play! –say the French. It’s the 3rd Thursday of November. We are allowed to uncork the 2004 Baujolais vintage.

Over the years I have responded to the call. I mean, why not? The wine is so young, so damn fresh! So UNprofound. Simple. Playful. I go over to Steve’s on this Thursday and have the same conversation: so guys, which one has the best color, the nicest tones this year? And they whisper conspiratorily – this one! (I wonder how they know? You are not allowed to open it before this day… were they nipping at the bottle while I was brewing my café au lait in the morning?)

To play games and engage in frivolity! How appropriate. How utterly harmless. How French.

If it hadn’t been for my entry into the world of blogs…

...I cannot emphasize this enough:
Much about this day in my life would be different.
Much of my food intake would be different.
Much of my social life would be different.

For one thing, I would not have two blogger dinners in one week (one last night, one ahead).
What does this say about me? That I only eat with people who blog? That I only meet people who blog? That there is a shadowy, sinewy connection between the keyboard and a dinner plate so that blogging, eating and talking all inevitably converge to form a harmonious and agreeable experience?

Did I say harmonious convergence? Consider last night, when Althouse, Brito, Camic and Freese set out to chomp and chat and huddle in a booth at Griglia T. There was a bit of a muddle over the huddle as we had a Freese-near-no-show (only Brito threats of a Freese expulsion from the tight circle of Bascom Bloggers caused him to reconsider and make an appearance, albeit without a repentant attitude) and a delay in the start of the evening (Althouse hair was at issue, as was Camic's declining insider- status at Griglia T., which, together, resulted in almost no food for Freese who was in a hurry to leave -- he had a singing engagement elsewhere, and almost no booth for all of us).

And how amicable was the evening anyway? I would say that all generously partook of punching at each other over pasta. Such phrases as “Stop saying that!” “Shut up!” and “Don’t you know how to tell time?” were bandied about with abandon.

What do bloggers talk about? Well, I have the reputation of introducing steamy elements into any conversation, but I think it’s safe to say that the three donnas were well behaved until Freese left at which time we did, momentarily, focus our attention on the waiter. It was hot in the booth, wasn’t it, Brito?

As to the blogger dinner later this week? I’m aiming for tame. Really truly. Though I may be out of practice.

Since November 2nd, every morning I read something that attests to the growing rift between my home continent and my adopted country

Today is no exception. In the IHT alone, I read this (emph. my own):

PARIS Ensuring that relations with the United States and Britain will remain cool, President Jacques Chirac of France said in a televised interview Wednesday that the world was a more dangerous place because of the American-led invasion of Iraq … The unvarnished tone of Chirac's remarks surprised many people in normally discreet diplomatic corridors of Europe. … His strong words are likely to resonate with people in other European countries, particularly Germany, where frustration with American foreign policy runs high. … Chirac's disdain for the Bush administration was striking.

One could argue that Chirac is seeking to align Europe behind France and that anti-Bush statements are the easiest method of accomplishing this. How wonderful that we have given Chirac fodder for his political agenda! Bush, as the force behind a more unified Europe, in addition to the more unified (in their opposition to us) Islamic states... And who said the man doesn’t have international appeal?

And lest you think that it’s only the Europeans who are muddying the diplomatic waters, you can find ample evidence that we, too haven’t lost our edge in addressing the problems of those across the ocean. Why should we lift a finger to assist the Euro after all? They wanted a unified Europe, let them eat their baguettes! Read (also in the IHT) this:

LONDON U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow on Wednesday warned Europeans not to expect help from Washington in slowing the ascent of the euro, whose rise to a record against the dollar added pressure on a wobbly Continental economic recovery. … In a speech here, Snow appeared to rule out any prospect of coordinated intervention in the currency markets and suggested that Europe ought to address its own economic problems, rather than looking to Washington.

I am so glad we have a uniter and not a divider here at home.

It's better to give...

You can tell the holidays are around the corner by the quantity of paper in your mailbox and by the friendly email reminders from retailers with whom you do business.

And so here it is, a little note this morning from J.Crew, taking me aside and whispering, hey, between you and me, we know why you give presents. The subjeact line reads thus:

Give more, get more this holiday season!

Cuts to the chase, doesn't it?

What redeeming qualities does one find in someone who avoids the law by hiding out abroad, and then uses the law to file a claim of slander?

BBC is reporting that Polanski, who is living in France to avoid facing a sentence for a conviction for a child sex offense in the States, wants to appear on video in a law suit, filed on his behalf in Britain against Vanity Fair. The 71-year old Polish-born director sued the magazine for libel. He has been on the run since leaving the States in 1977. If he travels to Britain he may face extradition.

His lawyer states: This leaves the case in a mess and a situation where a defendant can get away with libel scot-free.

Get away scot-free? Nice argument, Mr. Polanski.

The important things in life

I was working out this morning at the gym, reading a FOOD magazine (crazy, I know), and I came across this question (see poll below). It hit me right there in the gut. Because I really do not know how I would, myself, answer it. Right now I'm thinking I need every point to get me through each day. I'm thinking -- maybe I would even give up eating altogether for two extra points. I could have used them, for example, last night at around midnight when the brain was working at reduced speed. But what about you? Be honest in your answer, please! I've never done a blog-poll, but I am supremely curious as to what my readers would say.

Extra extra: the Daily Show does…NOT scoop anything

Tom Brokaw is interviewed on the Daily Show tonight.
Tom Brokaw reveals that he was surprised by the popular vote.
Jon Stewart misses an opportunity. Brokaw is about to give his opinion on the candidates and Stewart cuts in to tell a lame joke. Dang!

Tom Brokaw mentions bloggers.

Tom Brokaw says to Stewart: You were absolutely right to say what you did (on Crossfire).

I would so rather Rather were leaving network news than Brokaw. Life is not fair.
And it is, I suppose, unfair that I love Stewart anyway, even if he did miss an opening for a Brokaw political revelation.

If it wasn't so funny, it would be scary: I am a New Yorker. At least to an extent.

Thanks to that screaming New Yorker in our building (TB), I found myself taking the "Are you a real New Yorker" quiz on the Time Out NY website (here).

I have only one comment: you indeed have NY in your blood (whether you've been there, lived there, rotted there, or bypassed it altogether) if you can check this one off:

[] You find this quiz hilariously funny for no good reason and you recommend it to all your friends.

I applaud Hardee’s for having the guts to market a silent killer to indulge our penchant for slow death

I’m so glad I had the news on tonight. I would not have otherwise known that corporate ingenuity would steer a company to create something that would pander to the most vile cravings harbored by man, woman and child.

Why else introduce the “monster thick-burger," with slabs of bacon, cheese and mayo, all worth a hefty 1420 calories (basically my needed daily intake if I am having a slow-moving day, or, as is reported here, enough calories to feed a family of three in many countries) and that’s before the soda and fries. One person commented that what we have is quintessential food porn. The SUV of burgers.

All we need now is to pack it up and ship it off to Europe (along with our SUVs). Maybe offer it as a food snack in high school cafeterias in France?

Make new friends ... keep the old ... one is silver ... other is gold

I could use a couple like that: friends that could be trusted to say "you are so cooooool, Nina! Yeah! you know those chumps who call you a lazy bum? What do they know? You want to stay in bed all day and skip class? Go for it! You want to kick ass and call your neighbors pigs? Yeah!" no matter what I did, they'd be there breaking champagne bottles over my chosen path, no matter what, no matter when. Mmmmmm... old friends. Friends that can be counted on to never question my superior knowledge of the world and my fanciful behavior. Gonzalez-type friends. Rice-type friends.

Half-listening to NBC news, I hear the usual about Condoleezza Rice’s nomination to the position of Secretary of State (all emphases in post are my own):

[She is] America’s face to the world. … Chosen to serve the president. …
She is charged with cleaning out the moderates … [She has] a chance to build on what [Bush has] already done…

And then on the Lehrer News hour I hear her shower GWB with praise. Did you know that under his leadership, "we have widen[ed] the circle of prosperity in every corner of the world" ?

Meanwhile, I read (here) this letter posted by her former colleague at Stanford back in 2002 (he received no response):

Dear Condi,
I'm 99.99% sure that my writing this letter will have no effect, but my conscience tells me to write it anyway. Danziger's cartoon has pushed me out of my lethargy. [His cartoon shows her banging on a grand piano, saying "War! War! War!"]

When I knew you at Stanford I had the greatest admiration for your abilities and good sense. (And I was disappointed that we never were able to get together to play four-hands music.) But now I cannot help but express to you my chagrin that the warm feelings I once had have basically evaporated. I hope you can pause to try to understand why this might be the case.

Fundamentally I don't see how the government of my country has done anything whatsoever to address and correct the root causes of international terrorism. Quite the contrary; every action I can see seems almost designed to have the opposite effect --- as if orchestrated to maximize the finances of those who make armaments, by maximizing the number of people who now hate me personally for actions that I do not personally condone.
...
And worst of all, I find that my leaders, including you, are calling for war against a sovereign nation that we suspect to be corrupt, thereby (even if our suspicions are correct) undermining all precedents against unilateral action by other countries who might in future decide that our own policies are wrong. If we peremptorily strike country X, why shouldn't country X have a right to do the same to us, and to our children and grandchildren in future years?

On my trips to Europe all I can do is hope that my friends there can help their governments try to make somebody in my own government act responsibly.

Sincerely,
Don Knuth

P.S. This is the second time in my life that I have written a letter to a U.S. government official. The first time was during the Vietnam war.

Now Knuth, notable and respected author that he is (eg. The Art of Computer Programming) -- he's no friend. He's more like my band of friends, ready to speak up whenever I misbehave. What fun is that??

My shoulders are sagging

I was a senior in high school in Poland in 1968, a mere 23 years after the end of World War II. The history teacher who taught us the Nuremberg Trials that year had her own personal accounts of the war to insert into the lesson. I wonder if I can express how it feels to have the following appear on the Net (via HS -- thank you), circulating now, 36 years later, to demonstrate historic parallels between then and now:

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." Hermann Goering, Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe (the second man in the Third Reich), at the Nuremberg Trials.

For better or for worse, my generation ofPoles has always lived in the shadow of the war. After all, it was a war that ransacked our families and destroyed more than 90% of the city where I was born. "Never Again," I heard it over and over again during my Warsaw years.

There was still rubble in the Warsaw of my childhood, but there were no war planes threatening our safety. My generation was taught to listen: we would be the keepers of history, we needed to hear what had happened moments before we were born. And we were good listeners. We remember it all: every last story, every last reason offered for the horror that swept over the European continent and especially Poland.

And so I really cannot emphasize enough how shaken we are -- we the keepers of history, because I think we did not properly recount that which was taught to us. We did not link the past into a future for our children. Instead, we became members of a voting public that did not hear us, but instead, through a democratic process, elected a leader who chose to go to war, without apology, without reconsideration, without remorse.

Coincidentally, also today, I received an email from another friend. She is reading William James (on the subject of the Spanish-American War) and finds that he has this to say:

"The deadliest enemies of nations are not their foreign foes; they always dwell within their borders. And from these internal enemies civilization is always in need of being saved. The nation blest above all nations is she in whom the civic genius of the people does the saving day by day, by acts without external picturesqueness; by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly, by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them, and by preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans or empty quacks. Such nations have no need of wars to save them."

Shake a few trees and out flies local talent

I went to eat dinner at Crescent City Grill with Chef O from l’Etoile and a bunch of summer L’Etoilers to celebrate the end of the most successful season ever (on a ripe summer Saturday, they would sell 1700 croissants and I may have lugged 1700 lbs of fruit, though the latter is probably only in my perception of things).

We chatted with the Crescent City chef afterwards and I have to put in a plug for the place. You can go there on a Monday and get a degustation menu (the chef serves you whatever he damn pleases) of many fantastic courses for a price that would make a New Yorker gawk in amazement. And the food is far from ho-hum boring or conventional. Forget good manners: run your finger through some of the sauces on your plate (or on the plate of your neighbor) and give it a good lick: sensational! The preparations are cool and creative. [You think that's just standard food talk? I don't think so. 99% of eateries around here are anything but creative. Tasty? Sure. Creative? Not so much] And, just to keep my favorite descriptors in place -- it's all so fresh and honest.

I also talked to someone (Gail) who has been paying her bills as a L’Etoile baker (yes, a familiar pattern), but who has recently opened a chocolate shop of her own – the realization of a life-long dream. You absolutely must visit her website and/or her small little retail outlet and buy the stuff now, before the limos from distant places pull up and beat you to it. Her chocolates are like no other chocolates you’ll find on this side of the Mississippi. Sophisticated and clever, the Ambrosius will (I am certain of this) eventually knock the socks off the other (Seattle-based) chocolatier of choice (Fran’s). Someone did you a favor lately? Send them a small box from GailAmbrosius.com You’ll be forever their hero.

Steamy notes on quiet nights

Last week I was telling my senior colleague how much I loved my Astor Piazzola CD (you know, the tango guy from Argentina). Did I ever read the album notes to some of his records and CDs – my colleague asked. No, can’t say that I have. I just like playing it in the background, especially when I am writing – it is so sensuously moody, a melancholy kind of music.

Today I opened an email from my colleague and there they were: program notes from some of the albums I did not have. They came with a suggestion to drink wine, listen to the music and read them out loud (presumably to someone). I am alone at the moment and if I drink wine I wont be able to work or do whatever I have set forth for myself tonight, so I’ll just share the notes with the blog readers. Remember the dry language that typically accompanies classical recordings? Piazzola is every bit a classical artist (this recording is from the 1960s I believe). But read this and tell me if you find it boring (if you are prudish, skip this post):

Album notes to Astor PIazzola y su Quinteto Tango Nuevo: Hora Zero (listen to it here)

Strip to your underwear if you’re not in black ties. Get obscene if you want, but never casual. You feel an urge? Touch its pain, wrap yourself around it. Don’t put on airs. What you seem must be what you are, and what you are is a mess, honey, but that’s okay, as long as you wear it inside. Look sharp! Don’t slouch. See anyone slouching here? Stay poised, taut. Listen to your nerves. It’s zero hour. Anxiety encroaches, wave after wave, with every squeeze of the bandoneon. Already twisted by the contraposto of uprightness and savagery, this new tango turns the screw even tighter with its jazz dissonances and truncated phrasings. No relief. No quarter. At zero hour only passion can save you… It’s all a game. You’re going to play too. You’re going to dance with the tiger. Don’t worry, your life is in danger. Remember your instructions. Listen up. And suffer, m*****f*****, this is the tango.

Man, they don’t write them like they used to!

"They are a symbol of power without responsibility, and that's what we feel about you guys right now"

This statement about SUVs (and Americans) was made by a professor of transport psychology at a university in Edinburgh (IHT story here).

SUVs are a fairly recent phenomenon in Europe. Driving around tight spaces in old cities and the astronomical cost of gas do not, for the most part, invite large-car ownership. But slowly, SUVs are making their way into the automobile market across the ocean amidst the protest and dismay of many. Read this (emph. my own):

European wariness of SUVs is expressed in different ways. In Rome, the city government has proposed charging SUV owners triple the regular rate for permits to drive in the historic city center. ... [T]he feeling goes, there is just no room for the unwieldy and intimidating SUVs.
The city's transportation commissioner, Mario Di Carlo, said that, if he could, he would put up signs saying, "Please don't come here with these cars."

"I don't want to be like Freud, but SUVs are a projection, a compensating thing," Di Carlo said in an interview. "They're when you want to show how rich, how powerful, how tall, how big you are."

..."SUV drivers are less respectful of other people - you can tell by the way they drive," Di Carlo said. "They park on the sidewalks. Mobility is freedom, but these cars in cities mean immobility, and someone has to have the guts to say it."

...In London, where SUVs are known derisively as "Chelsea tractors," after an upscale neighborhood in which they are especially thick on the road, Mayor Ken Livingston recently dismissed their drivers as "complete idiots."

Drivers report having rude things shouted at them by pedestrians, and a group called the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s has taken to slapping fake tickets on parked SUVs, citing them for poor vehicle choice... "People who see Hummers driving around think, 'Oh, disgusting Americans,"' said Sian Berry, a founding member of the group. "We're saying that what happened in America must not be allowed to happen here."

I sense a lot of displaced anger in this charge. In general, the more you read the international presses, the more you sense that the relationship between the US and Europe needs a nice long session on a shrink's leather couch. Of course, as in a dysfunctional marriage, it'll be the children of both who will be paying the price for years to come.

Starting the week with an up-beat story

Several of my friends are dating these days. Looking to find a partner in life, they turn to me with questions that I find difficult to answer: should I call him if he hadn’t called me? Should I bother, given the fact that he is shorter than I am? How should I interpret his email behavior, or lack thereof?

Recently everyone has been talking about the book He’s Just Not That Into You. Amidst the cacophony of reactions I hear one that stands out: since the beginning of time, men like to be the chasers. Do not bother calling: if he wants to see you he’ll call back. Add a few other conventional wisdoms: men don’t like smart women and women don’t like short men and you’ve limited your universe of acceptable dating behaviors considerably.

It’s all good advice I’m sure. I mean, what do I know about American men anyway.

Yet, last night, someone pointed me to a true story that breaks from the gaggle of noise about the one right way to date. (You can also find it if you follow the link from the salon.com story on dating short men here.) Sure, you can adhere to the *sound* advice of He’s Just Not That Into You. Or not. Here is an excerpt from a wedding announcement appearing in the New York Times:

The bride and bridegroom met two years ago at a dinner party. It was a few days after Ms. Schonfeld had taken the bar exam, and she was so exhausted that she fell asleep on a couch, awakening only after everyone else had left.

Even asleep, Ms. Schonfeld, stretching to 5-foot-10, made an impression on Mr. Leib. He made an impression, too, not only, she said, because he is ''notably short'' -- he is 5-foot-6 -- but also ''notably smart,'' with a disregard for small talk.

Even when she told him she thought she recognized him from a high school hockey game, she said, he seemed to have his mind on other things. ''I thought it was kind of neat,'' she said.
Mr. Leib acknowledged that he can seem brusque, adding, ''I have a tendency to be that way upon first impression.''

Two months later, through their dinner party host, a date was arranged.
''It seemed almost experimental to date someone who was four inches shorter than me,'' Ms. Schonfeld said with a laugh.

Mr. Leib said he wore his ''tall shoes.'' And as their first date extended to six hours, they discovered they had something in common worth talking about: both had engaged in comically bad behavior in previous relationships.

With that kind of history, Mr. Leib recalled, he was not certain either of them would want a second date.

Rather than call, he sent her an e-mail message, concluding, he said, ''Of course I should never see you,'' and ''of course I'm way too short for you.''

But she was not quite ready to walk away, she said.
''He was so emotionally intelligent about where he was coming from and what he was thinking,'' she noted. ''We were both so incredibly frank with each other. That was quite impressive to me.''

So she called him.

So ends the wedding announcement, so begins their life together. Sweet and unconventional, just the way it should be.

Taking heart in being part of a decadent majority

It’s odd to feel pleased in reading that we are not, after all, moving in a direction of strong “family values” and good “clean” fun. We are, according to Frank Rich of the NYTimes (Arts&Leisure Section), as decadent and coarse as always, whether we live under a Blue or Red sky. Rich writes:

There’s only one problem with the storyline proclaiming that the country swung to the right on cultural issues in 2004. Like so many narratives that immediately calcify into our 24/7 media’s conventional wisdom, it is fiction. Everything about the election results – and about American culture itself – confirms an inescapable reality: John Kerry’s defeat notwithstanding, it’s blue America, not red, that is inexorably winning the culture war, and by a landslide. Kerry voters who have been flagellating themselves since Election Day with a vengeance worthy of “The Passion of Christ” should wake up and smell the Chardonnay.

I cannot emphasize how relieved I feel. The idea of Democrats pandering to the Fox-news watching anti-same-sex marriage and stem-cell research banning moral absolutists turned my stomach. It is so heartening to read that, at least according to this commentator, there has been no real shift: nothing has pushed these people into a statistically prominent forefront. They remain a small (albeit vocal) minority.

I’m on a new campaign: let’s lobby for the “old biddies,” shall we?

Is there a person on this planet who hasn’t yet heard that I am 51 years old? I am on a campaign to infuse with pride the adding of deliciously complicated and brimming-with-experience years to one’s log book.

So I was somewhat disheartened to read in the NYTimes today that the Academy is, more than ever, dishing out Oscars to the dishes and I don’t mean of the type you put in your Whirlpool at the end of the day.

It has not always been thus. Even though lovely young things have always gotten their share of Academy accolades, we’ve also had the occasional “mature” stars recognized (Shirley Booth and Jessica Tandy come to mind). But as the article points out, since 1990, only one woman over 50 has won an Oscar and that was for her role as supporting actress (Judi Dench).

Why raise this now? Because the last two movies that I saw featured absolutely sublime performances: Annette Bening (a mere 46) in “Being Julia” and Imelda Staunton (48), absolutely brilliant in “Vera Drake.”

I will not be a happy movie-goer if these two get pushed out by the little ones (Rossum, Moreno, Swank or the cute and loveable little Winslet). Step aside, young things, and give the luminous "older" actresses a chance.

Swing day

It was so good not to have to work this morning.
I climbed up on the roof and cleaned gutters this morning.

Friends got me moving early on with a walk in the woods.
After that I hardly moved all day.

We were to eat at Greenbush, the old basement Italian place on Regent.
It was too crowded, we couldn’t get a table.

We ate at Nattspil instead. I’d never been there. It’s a cool, homey bar with food.
The food was slow in coming.

We caught the last showing of Vera Drake.
One of us was a doctor who saw this as an ominous and timely movie.*

* The movie is about a backstreet abortionist in post-war London. The acting, combining improvisation and script, is unimpeachable. I’m still shaking.

Now that I’m done guest-posting (for a while), am I a changed blogger?

Yes I am. It was great fun to react to the good, the bad and the ugly too. Like in politics, you can never be as clever pushing your own agenda as you can knocking someone else’s, or defending your choices against the attacks of others. [The blog where I guest-posted invites anonymous as well as registered comments and the commentators are sometimes thoughtful and sometimes, shall we say, quick and dirty in their responses]

Of course, banter without slander is even more fun, but I have yet to figure out how to get that without also getting the gratuitous nastiness that often makes people say and write things that are mean-spirited rather than sumptuously witty.

I do think that blog-versations are just in their infancy. Within a year, we’ll have fashioned more options and formats that fit our great desire to create something out of the mess of thoughts thrashing about inside our skulls. And when these blog-versations come out sounding intelligently funny or sardonic, or even poignant, or pensive, whew! they can be a thrill to read.

Adrift

This is the first Saturday morning at home for me since early April. [For those who are new to Ocean, I occasionally moonlight at the restaurant, L’Etoile, and this past season I did Market shopping for them every Saturday.]

I cannot get myself to look at the news. I’m sure I’ll read something like "Can Bush Deliver a Conservative Supreme Court?" and I’ll wish I were talking to the farmers instead of sitting with a computer perched on my lap.

Maybe I should revisit old allies (that word!) over at the Progressive. Here we go – Molly Ivins has posted her December piece in which she writes:

Of course, I'm devastated by the news John Ashcroft is leaving. Do you think we'll see tits on statues in Washington once more? [referring to Ashcroft’s prudish request to not be photographed by a statue that had a certain degree of nakedness about it]

Unfortunately, Ivins gets graphic in her speculations on what the next years will feel like for Americans. Consider this excerpt:

My friend John Henry Faulk always said the way to break a dog of that habit [of chasing and killing chickens in the yard] is to take one of the chickens the dog has killed and wire the thing around the dog's neck, good and strong. And leave it there until that dead chicken stinks so bad the dog won't be able to stand himself. You leave it on there until the last little bit of flesh rots and falls off, and that dog won't kill chickens again.

The Bush Administration is going to be wired around the neck of the American people for four more years, long enough for the stench to sicken everybody. It should cure the country of electing Republicans.

That’s a tough one to take with your breakfast granola and café au lait.

Maybe I could just go outside and shut the yard down for the winter. Good idea.

Where in the world is this?

I’ve written that I spent this morning in the Dells. And I’ve reminisced about a winter sun gently touching Polish river banks. So where are these photos from? Can you guess?

river banks... 

...and winter light 

Correct, it’s Madison. This afternoon I took a long walk with someone I hadn’t seen for a long time. We hiked along the Wingra creek – just a short stroll from downtown Madison. Lovely. And so peaceful after another uncomfortably stressful week.

Board of Directors is Stumped

I attended a meeting of a Board of Directors of the State Bar. It was brought to our attention that Wisconsin will also have a referendum (either this April, or, strategically, when Doyle runs for reelection) on the same sex/civil union issue. It is believed that the 11 states that have already passed measures prohibiting same sex unions have created a momentum and that there is a good chance that Wisconsin may join the pack of blood-thirsty wolverine states.

We were asked for our input on this. It was clear that just about everyone in the room wanted to give a resounding “no!” to the ban. But we are elected representatives within the Bar and so we must weigh all arguments.

Our charge was to come up with ways in which these unions may affect families and in particular, children. The pro (union and/or marriage) side was easy: if you give a legal standing to relationships where children are being raised and cared for, then the couples will have tangible benefits available to them and their children. Moreover, the highest courts in Hawaii, Vermont and Massachusetts have already rejected state arguments that such unions are detrimental to the child’s well being, finding that children are better off living in stable, state-sanctioned family units.

Okay, but what’s on the other side? In what way are children hurt by these unions? Come on, Camic, the directors implored (more formally of course). You teach the stuff, give us some reasons to weigh here. No one, Camic included, could come up with any.

We agreed to have a special meeting where a lawyer from “the other side” will be invited to educate us. Then we will be able to issue a statement acknowledging that we will have fully considered both sides before reaching a decision.

Sadness, one person at a time

Thursday conversation with a guy who was holding something sharp over my head:

So, have people been talking about the elections here?
Not much. People talk about odd things when they get their hair cut.

How about you, did you watch them with your partner?
Yes, we stayed up half the night...

And?
And at the end of it, I called my mother, of all people, and cried, really hard.

The gentler Dells, as seen in November

When I wrote earlier about the pleasures of “escaping” for a while in times of stress, I did not exactly count the little sojourn to the Wisconsin Dells that I had on my calendar for today. But I am glad I came (there is a State Bar meeting at the Kalahari Resort that I have to attend). Not only did I get to see a large formation of geese heading south on my way up, but I also saw something that so reminds me of the Polish countryside in the winter that I had to choke back on nostalgia: hoarfrost. I think that is the correct English word for it. It’s not unique to Poland, I know. But it is something I have woken up to repeatedly, because Poland has moist winters and the freezing layer of wetness creates a beautiful landscape on a snowless winter morning. Picture it: farmsteads, narrow strips of farmland and meadows, a birch forest, a riverbank, all muted by a white veil, to be dispensed with when the sun approaches the eleventh hour. So beautiful.

“They don’t think like we do”

European commentators are scrambling to interpret the American elections. Unfortunately, the sobering reality is that many are skeptical about finding common ground with us in the immediate future. Jonathan Steele (at the Guardian) has this to say about us (emphases are my own]:

In the wake of the huge support given to George Bush last week, it's time we realised how different America's majority culture is, and changed our policies accordingly. ...

American majority's social and moral values differ enormously from those which guide most Europeans.

Its dangerous ignorance of the world, a mixture of intellectual isolationism [ouch!] and imperial intervention abroad, is equally alien. In the United States more people have guns than have passports. Is there one European nation of which the same is true?...

Of course, millions of US citizens do share "European" values. But to believe that this minority amounts to 48% and that America is deeply polarised is incorrect. It encourages the illusion that things may improve when Bush is gone. In fact, most Kerry voters are as conservative as the Bush majority on the issues which worry Europeans. Kerry never came out for US even-handedness on the Israel-Palestine conflict, or for a withdrawal from Iraq.

With this assessment comes a call for an end to NATO:

Many commentators now argue for Europe to distance itself.

We must go all the way, up to the termination of Nato. An alliance which should have wound up when the Soviet Union collapsed now serves almost entirely as a device for giving the US an unfair and unreciprocated droit de regard over European foreign policy.

In fact, a handful of European states never saw the need to join NATO in the first place. Holding themselves out as “neutral” during the Cold War, Austria, Finland, Ireland and Sweden declined the invitation to find security in an alignment with the US. [These countries were also the most lenient toward Poland at a time of tremendous travel restrictions faced by Poles; they permitted visa-less travel even at the height of Communist Party rule. Interestingly, the US continues to refuse even tourist entry to Poles without a visa, a source of great bitterness among many of my friends who refuse to subject themselves to the indignity of begging for permission to visit.] These days many Europeans are wondering why the stronger nations (the troika: France, Germany, Great Britain) continue to keep the pretence of a unified front alive, given the increasing chasm between what is perceived to be the American worldview and the European one. Unfortunately, from their point of view, I have to agree. From ours, here in the States, I can only hope that countries across the ocean will fight and challenge our isolationism. Ours is a dangerous path and we need friends to put as many obstacles in our way as possible.

Speaking of politics…

I was at a dinner tonight where early into the election-politics discussion, one of the guests said “I would prefer not to talk about politics.” Now, I am not certain, but I assume that he was a Kerry supporter (one can get some indication by looking at the subject matter of the research, can’t one?). As were the three others. Where then was the glitch?

It is amazing how many topics these days suddenly hinge on the mention of politics and/or the election. The minute someone says “let’s not speak of xx” you right away find that every subject you can bring forth leads you back immediately to xx. Thus, with the imposed restriction, I found myself tongue-tied and incapable of saying anything sensible for the better part of the evening. In my head, I sifted through all possible conversational insiprations and came up with nothing.

I have not become a mouthpiece for political blogs, no I have not. But I do think that now, more than ever, it is impossible to step outside the political box and fein interests in matters that have no connection to the events of the day. We don’t begin, nor do we end the day with a clean slate. I wish we did, but some things have been just too damn difficult to erase.

Overheard, pt.1

Quote of the day:

GWB: “The cost of reforming [social security] is insignificant compared to, err much greater than leaving it…”

Which one now?

Overheard, pt.2

November 10, 2004 -- SEN. Zell Miller (D- Ga.) laced into New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd yesterday on the "Imus in the Morning" radio show, saying, "The more Maureen Loud [sic] gets on 'Meet the Press' and writes those columns, the redder these states get. I mean, they don't want some high brow hussy from New York City explaining to them that they're idiots and telling them that they're stupid." Miller also suggested "that red-headed woman at the New York Times" should not mock anyone's religion: "You can see horns just sprouting up through that Technicolor hair." Dowd responds: "I'm not a highbrow hussy from New York. I'm a highbrow hussy from Washington. Senator, pistols or swords?"

Word choices

So you’re blogging elsewhere as well?
It’s temporary – maybe for a couple of days or so.

Are you liking it?
You could say that it is like jumping into a steamy bathtub and finding out that sharks are swimming in it, ready to nip at your ankles and work their way up to your derriere.

Steamy bathtub? A curious choice of words.
Don’t you start in on me! On a blog where there are open comments, you are held accountable for every word you utter. It sucks. I can say it sucks here and nothing will happen. On the host blog, I say it sucks and thirty people can be rolling with laughter at my inopportune word selection. On the Internet. Communal glee.

Why don’t you quit then?
Because life is a challenge and I love the challenge writing presents. Besides, I can, at the end of the day, retreat to my safe little Ocean, where the only threat comes not from sharks in the warm, steamy tub, but from a weapon-promoting website pointing its menacing rifles at me. I mean, it’s like coming home! Mmmmmm, I love it here in my own little Ocean.

And while I am at it – thank-yous are again in order. To the Milwaukee reader who wrote that extremely nice email about wit and women writers – so wonderful. To the Republican-voting reader who called a recent post *endearing* – thank you. To those who wrote the *cool* comments to my posts on the other blog, I know you are Ocean loyalists who are helping me out over there –thank you. To those who read this blog regularly and let me know it – thank you. Your words mean a lot to me. Especially now when I am concurrently tredding the perilous waters of another blog.

Why, Madison, why?

Last night, weary and hungry, I revived considerably after a friend suggested we dash out for a quick bite to eat. Big Bowl! I offered. Closed, said he.

Why cannot we sustain a fresh and original Asian eatery in this town – one that wont break the budget and will reliably deliver ingredients in wonderfully simple, crisp and appealing presentations?

I am tired of people responding “what’s wrong with Imperial Gardens?” Plenty, and I’ll say this much here: I have a menu that I picked up (for take-out eating) at Imperial Gardens some twenty years ago. I am going to bet that absolutely nothing has changed on it since then. And the limp broccoli remains limp, and the waiters still have to scribble on the order form “customer requests no MSG.”

Having eaten frequently at Big Bowl off of Rush Street in Chicago, I looked forward for months to its arrival on the restaurant desert that is the west side of Madison. It is no more. Shame on us for flooding turkey eateries with our business and scorning places that offer fresh and healthy alternatives to the standard fare.

The curious definition of torture

A morning would not be complete anymore without at least one story to set you spinning.
In reviewing some of the press clippings on Gonzalez (Bush’s choice for attorney general) it is impossible to bypass references to a memo written by Gonzalez in 2002 where he states that laws prohibiting torture do "not apply to the President's detention and interrogation of enemy combatants."

But even if we (gulp) had to abide by the Geneva Convention and not resort to the use of torture, not to worry, because it’s a long way, according to Gonzalez, before we cross the line and enter the world of the pain caused by torture. Thus, according to an approved by Gonzalez memo:
pain caused by an interrogation must include "injury such as death, organ failure, or serious impairment of body functions—in order to constitute torture.” (from the NYT and Newsweek, June 2004, via Center for American Progress)

I’m relieved.

Boutique guest blogging

I remember the day Ann was asked to guest-blog for Instapundit. We applauded her success and cheered her on. Posting on such a high-readership blog was a coup.

Me, I run a small little sailboat here on the vast blogger ocean. I think I would look the other way if a big tanker came my way. But I was honored to be invited tonight to do a guest post on JFW (here). True, it was an act of desperation on the part of Jeremy (the author), but one takes these little gigs as they come.

If you haven’t read JFW, do so. You’re not going to find anything as addictive and invigorating as a read through some of his posts within miles of here (yes, like Katy Couric this morning, Jeremy can have a bad hair day, though please don’t mention that I said so, since he is obsessed about his hair or lack thereof). And I might add that being asked to post on JFW is like having your professor ask you to speak in his/her class, since Jeremy’s blog was the impetus for Ocean and then shortly after, Althouse. It makes you sweat, really it does.

Let them eat Euros

With the ballooning trade deficit, the dollar slumped past the 1.30 mark against the Euro today. Bad news for American travelers abroad. Bad news for Asian economies (which are dependent on the value of foreign reserves, mostly held in dollars). Bad news for European exports. Bad news for those wanting love and respect from our overseas ‘allies.’

A country ripped in two. Wait a minute, who is kicking out whom?

Following the elections, the email and blog worlds became jammed with bitter descriptions of a northern-coastal political unity, split geographically and ideologically from a burning-red south and mountain-state region. I alone must have received a dozen emails with the word secession embedded somewhere in the text. And I played into the dark humor of it as well (with a post of a popular among left-leaning blogs cartoonish map of a country split into a southern Jesusland and a northern US of Canada), as a consequence of which I got placed on the hit list of an assault weapon website (hi, fellas, I know you’re still readin’ – move on already!).

I assumed that the impetus for a breakaway came from the frustrated Kerry supporters who saw no chance EVER of appealing to the Red states with reasoned arguments about social policy issues and economic agendas.

But then I came across the Human Events – a national conservative weekly (via Europhobia.blogspot.com, of all things). The former chairman of the Florida Conservative Union quotes Barry Goldwater --" Sometimes I think this country would be better off if we could just saw off the eastern seaboard and let it float out to sea," and then has this to say about divisions within the US (emphases are my own):

Instead of wedge issues like slavery, federal subsidies for regional business, and high tariffs, society today is sundered by profound, insoluble Culture War conflicts (such as abortion and gay marriage), and debate about our role abroad (shall we remain the world's leader, or become an unprincipled chump for the cabal of globalist sybarites who play endless word-games inside the United Nations and European Union sanctuaries?).

Can we ever hope for unity? According to the article, not so long as the country has to deal with the likes of these:

As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions.

The conclusion?

The truth is, America is not just broken--it is becoming irreparable. … That is why the unthinkable must become thinkable. If the so-called "Red States" (those that voted for George W. Bush) cannot be respected or at least tolerated by the "Blue States" (those that voted for Al Gore and John Kerry), then the most disparate of them must live apart--not by secession of the former (a majority), but by expulsion of the latter.

How do the conservatives view the lay of the land?

The demographics revealed by the two most recent presidential elections are radically different and have resulted in "Two Americas" (but not the simplistic "Two Americas" [one rich, one poor] envisioned by Kerry'sMarxist-tongued running mate, John Edwards):

BUSH USA is predominantly white; devoutly Christian (mostly Protestant); openly, vigorously heterosexual; an open land of single-family homes and ranches; economically sound (except for a few farms), but not drunk with cyberworld business development, and mainly English-speaking, with a predilection for respectfully uttering "yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir."

GORE/KERRY USA is ethnically diverse; multi-religious, irreligious or nastily antireligious; more sexually liberated (if not in actual practice, certainly in attitude); awash with condo canyons and other high-end real estate bordered by sprawling, squalid public housing or neglected private homes, decidedly short of middle-class neighborhoods; both high tech and oddly primitive in its commerce; very artsy, and Babelesque, with abnormally loud speakers.

An interesting perspective. As liberals take heat for casting aspersions on the motivations behind the red vote, some right of the right conservatives are having a fine old time posting their thoughts on where the superior beings reside. Though in truth, if these were at all accurate portrayals, isn't it slam-dunk obvious that the choice place to set your roots in would be Gore/Kerry land? Of course, that's just me and my spiteful liberal take on things.

Downing the perfect espresso

I read with interest the NYTimes article today about the new coffee machines that are trying to overcome the “home” factor in coffee making. All those fancy espresso makers that have been made available for home use for some time now? Not good enough: they produce coffee that lacks the depth and frothiness of the professionally brewed cup. What’s a cappuccino devotee to do?

To me, trying to bring that cup from the coffee bar to your kitchen misses the point. Here’s what I use (retail price approximately $20; accompanied by a pot of heated milk for an instant caffe latte):

an Italian tip on the best machine for home use 

I’m not an expert on coffee at all so when in doubt as to how to brew at home, I follow the advice of those who really fuss about their java (the Italians and French). Their take on this? The cheap little stove-top espresso takes care of the cup you need to serve up when a visitor knocks, or when you’re house-bound. For all other coffee, there’s this in the morning:

Venice: a shot of strong stuff at the corner cafe-bar

Paris: starting the day right 

This in the afternoon:

what's the rush...

And this in the evening:

It’s never going to taste right if you’re drinking it in the quiet solitude of your own home.
 

Can the highest court shut down a political party that becomes too far-right in its beliefs?

It happened in Belgium. BBC reports the following:

Belgium's highest court has ruled that the Flemish far-right Vlaams Blok party is racist.

[Now please, readers, I am not advocating any such measures here, and since I am still getting tons of traffic from the wonderful people from the site that advocates the use of assault weapons, I do not want at at all lead you to believe that I am out there promoting any ban on far-right political agendas. Uh-uh, no way! Free speech and all that, go 2nd Amendment! --or whatever it is that you are seeking to protect.]

Back to the Belgians then: With the ruling comes an end to federal funding and access to TV airtime and so the party has effectively been run out of business. Note that this wasn’t just a fringe movement. The BBC notes that recent opinion polls indicate that the Vlaams Blok party is the most popular party in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders. Where did it run into trouble? In taking a strong position on immigration (toned down recently from advocating the return of immigrants to their home countries, to saying that non-European immigrants can remain in Belgium so long as they adopt Belgian rules and values).

I’m sorry for every short cut I ever took in teaching law

This afternoon I had to attend a hearing and listen to a lawyer present an argument on behalf of a client. To say that he was a sleazy, crass, lacking in civility to say nothing of intellect – would be an understatement.

How did he ever ascend to the status of “primary litigator” in a local law firm? More importantly, how did he ever make it through law school?

I am determined to get tougher, to tighten-up in the classroom and demand even more of my students at every turn.

Am I scaring my one-L’s yet? Not to worry. Every single one I have right now is already better suited to practice law than the attorney I dealt with this afternoon. Ever try directing questions to a horse’s rear-end? I did, today.

Now, if the Republicans would like to pluck this character out of the ranks of trial attorneys and send him packing, it would be okay by me.

2 soon 2 B 4-got-10

An elementary school buddy wrote that in my autograph book (so ‘hot’ in the early 60s). She was bad at arithmetic and she made it out to be equation (2+2+4=10) that of course failed to be very convincing.

This morning a WashPost article describes a re-energized Kerry who not only is intending to be a powerful force in the Senate in the next several years, but is currently also assessing the possibility of running again on the Democratic ticket in 2008. Other faces: Howard Dean is considering becoming chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Let’s be honest here. How excited about these developments are we? I myself did not vote for Kerry as merely an anti-Bush statement. Although initially an Edwards supporter, somewhere along the way (try: first debate) I became convinced that this guy was running on a pretty decent platform.

But now I want to say “step aside, fellows. I loved you when you were up (in the polls), I mourn your fall, but I do not want another ‘come up from behind’ election.” It’s not only about electability, but electability is a minimal prerequisite. I have toughened my position here. I don’t want the possibility of success. I want surefire success. The Democrats have lost to the Republicans in 5 out of the last 7 presidential elections. Enough already. Don’t we have a Karl Rove-type among our ranks (cunning, evil, effective)?

Uhhh, welcome almost all?

Pssst!

What do you do when your blog gets linked to by a site that promotes the sale and use of assault weapons and makes references to prayer and belief in a mission (of sorts)?

And what if that site then generates a flood of readers who come to you because the site author has posted your blog, along with Michael Moore’s as ones deserving of…attention?

Hmmmmm, I’m thinking about the answer to the above.

All I need is an ashtray filled with cigarette butts and a plate of sushi and I’d feel complete

Yesterday I spent the day writing a paper that summarizes interviews I had conducted over the years in Japan. Basically that means I sat in front of my computer in flannel pajamas, hair pulled back messily, stacks of papers (did I really take notes once on a napkin? ..how me!) spread in varying degrees of orderliness, and pounded at the keys of my laptop all day long.

Today a friend wrote – Congratulations! The first draft of any paper is always the hardest! Is it just me then who thinks that the first draft is the easiest? It’s almost as fun as doing the interviews and collecting the information. How grand it would be to now retire the whole thing and go on to something new. Spoken like a true scholar.

Still, a celebration of step one is in order. How opportune that a pal, sensing my dismal mood of the week-end had said “we should do sushi soon” and I took her up on it today. I’ve never been to the Muramoto. I’m all about escapes. Japan seems plenty far.

Afternoon conversation in the faculty lounge

So how’s it going?
It’s been tough. We had a guy from Move On staying with us for over a month before the election. He worked so hard! Fourteen hours a day, every day…

At least he was successful here in Wisconsin.
True; and he said in the next election it will be so much easier because they now have a network in place.

It’s amazing how well-organized the Republicans were though... The right of the right always delivers their busloads right on schedule, from the pulpit to the voting booth.
Do you know what my theory is? I think that Bush’s fundamentalist beliefs are just a brilliant strategy, invented by the conservative Republicans so that they could reach that strategic vote.

You mean you don’t think GWB really is guided by God and prayer?
I think he acts the part well. You see, they knew, they KNEW that in order to keep the GOP viable in the face of an increasingly economically polarized nation, they had to get 100% of the Conservative Christian vote. And so they geared him for it. They had their man – he has very convincing facial expressions and he can speak down to people and talk of God and also get away with his prior record of drinking and carousing…He has, after all, ‘seen the light.’

Do you really believe that?
Uhhh, maybe.

Another hurricane heading for Florida?

Is it possible that registered Democrats, voting overwhelmingly for Kerry in all states, chose to turn pink and eventually red under the glare of the Florida sun? How could Bush have carried, by large margins no less, these Democratic counties? Is it another instance of our endlessly squabbling over return numbers (that have been turned in and tallied) because they produced a result we cannot accept? Perhaps it is more that we cannot fathom this one.

Tom Bozzo writes this at Marginal Utility:

I can think of some potential explanatory mechanisms -- stale party ID on old registrations, incompetent reporting of the registration data by the State of Florida, more evangelical-leaning Democrats, for instance -- but on the whole, the idea that Democrats largely stuck by Kerry (89 to 11, according to the exit polls; sorry, Ann Althouse) everywhere but Florida takes my credulity and drops it down a wormhole where it emerges in the Gamma Quadrant in no recognizable form.

Interestingly, the issue is with counties using optically-scanned ballots, which is generally considered the most reliable available voting technology. Though as a result, the optical scan jurisdictions would be under much less scrutiny than those using touch-screen voting. At least it should be straightforward, in principle, to validate the vote totals from the original ballots; I fervently hope someone with appropriate legal resources does so (hello, Florida Democrats)!

Emboldened, embedded, embittered

A headline in the NYTimes this morning reads: President Feels Emboldened, Not Accidental, After Victory.

Depending on your fate, you could wake up on this Monday morning and find yourself in a state of one of the three E’s.

If I were to do a documentary-type film of this morning, I would have a three-way montage. In the first frame, there would have to be a CNN-type clip from Iraq with the word Embedded underneath, followed by the words (from CNN.com) “thousands of U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers braced for all-out urban combat;” then in the second, we’d see a refreshed, smiling, raring-to-go image of GWB with the NYT reference to his “Emboldened” state of mind and their words: “re-election has already had a powerful effect on his psyche, his friends and advisers say;” followed, finally, by a clip of me (hey, it’s my film, for my own archives), tossing aside yesterday’s Week in Review with the tables that break down who voted in what way on November 2nd. I’d just stay with the “Embittered” label underneath the last frame.

I’d leave Kerry out of my film. Bad enough that anyone can now park in front of his house (yesterday it was reported that the minute he lost the election, he lost also the security detail that kept his street clear of unwelcome loiterers), he shouldn’t have to also suffer the indignity of being in my short film.

I’d end the documentary (it would only be about ten seconds long because I have only that much energy for it) with a flash to the text of the NYTimes, this time to the passage that picks up on my posted hubris contest from the other day (a not-so-impartial panel of judges decided that the winning entry may well be “megalomaniac”):

"The big danger is one of hubris," said David R. Gergen, a professor of public service at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a veteran of the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton White Houses. "There's a tendency after you win your second term to think you're invulnerable. You're not just king of the mountain, you've mastered the mountain. That can often lead to mistakes of excessive pride."

Who says escapes don't cure an ailing spirit?

A friend boarded a plane on November 3rd and flew to Hawaii. Today she really rubbed it in with this message:

Aloha Nina,

Maybe you could use some distance from the political bog to gain some perspective. Here on Hawai'i, we don't even receive the NY Times until a day later. By then, the news is old -- so who cares? Who needs to see photos of the smarmy smirk on Bush's face? We are busy contemplating which umbrella drink to order and which beach chair to choose. Mandate? Our only mandate is to notice the gorgeous view from the hotel room lanai:

big deal, a coupla palm trees and a boat... 

Madison: Halloween party town of the Midwest, commiserate now with Prague, where things are a lot worse:

I read European blogs and papers when I think I cannot take another ounce of American political chatter. Today I eventually made my way to the Prague TV site, which is a frequently linked-to source for European bloggers.

The Prague story elicited much cheering around the Czech blogland. “About time we took charge of this!” was the common response.

What’s at issue? In the last year or two, with the introduction of very cheap intra-European airfares, British men have been traveling in hordes to Prague in search of cheap beer and sex. Here are some excerpts:

[Prague] has become the stag capital of Europe. A report, released last week by the Czech tourism office, revealed that the historic capital of the Czech Republic, famed for its beautiful architecture, is now attracting large gangs of rowdy [British] men looking for a good time.

Mr Paroubek [the Czech tourism minister] said that tourism officials were planning an advertising campaign in London that would focus on the culinary experience that Prague could offer. The hope was that it would attract more refined tourists rather than the rowdy crowds."Food here is as good as in London. We don't need nightclubs or prostitutes to attract visitors," Mr Paroubek said. …

A petition of Prague residents was handed in recently at the town hall. … "Prague is a beautiful and romantic city and they are ruining it. We do not need this kind of visitor and the council and government should act."…

[Many] Britons acknowledged that they were in Prague to party, rather than to experience the city's history and culture. Neil Wilson, 39, from Newcastle, said that he had come to Prague for a friend's birthday and had no interest in sightseeing."We've come for a weekend to get drunk. It's not really a culture visit.”

The outpouring of support for the crackdown on the “drunken Brits” has been remarkable. Bloggers, native to Prague, but also to the British Isles, have cheered the efforts to rid the city of its party capital reputation. But a note of realism came through as well in the blog comments of this Czech resident:

I really support any initiative that will rid our streets of this shameful menace but I am not sure that the tourism minister is being entirely realistic when he writes"Food here is as good as in London." I would have thought it's more a question of like the old CSA [Czech Airlines] advert used to say "OK and getting better" !!

Please, no comparison to Polish cuisine at this time. What's been happening with Polish cooking is the subject of a separate (later) post. I do like the "truth in advertising" that the CSA adhered to. I'd like to see some of our airlines take to this more humble approach.

It's not like a hang-over, it's more like a hang-in-there

A reader writes about the pressure she feels from conservative victors to “move on,” “get over it,” etc. I, too, have heard my share of comments on this. And I know readers wonder how long Ocean will remain so immersed in postmortem politics.

My answer:

There is no cataclysmic death that we are trying to cope with. There is no sorrow for a loss experienced just on November 2nd. For me, there is no retro-wallowing in a campaign that failed to bring about the desired result. The sadness in not in the event of the election, it is in turning on the news and living with the result of it each and every day. It is the daily coverage of Cabinet Meetings, of the setting of a new policy agenda, of the poor health of Rehnquist, of the loss of life in Iraq, of struggles faced by people who can hardly afford life. That is the playground where feelings of loss are tossed around.

I believed that we could inhabit a better world had Kerry won. I am living in the world that suffers, therefore, a lost opportunity for significant improvement. Yes, the loss of Kerry is a singular event. Indeed, on November 2nd, the air was sucked out of my lung. But now it remains oxygen-deprived. It’s hard to get over that enduring disability because you feel it at every step. Ah well, I suppose I could take one big gulp of air and hold my breath for four years. It would be a Guinness Book of World Records moment, but I could give it a try: ………………………………………no, sorry, I am a mere mortal, good for only about 45 seconds.

Reading the news: local fame and distant rumblings

Once again Ann makes an Op-Ed appearance, this time in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. She writes about the quest for peace and unity following a pre-election season marked by bitter argument and rancor. Because in the piece she graciously acknowledges Ocean, noting that I blog with still not a small amount of pain and disbelief, I am again getting the email from less sympathetic readers (much of it fueled, I’m sure, by Ann’s reference to the map that I posted that’s been going around the left-leaning blogs – of Jesusland versus the United States of Canada).

Consider this generous soul:
I will pray for your peace of mind...that oughta creep you out big time

Not really. I am more “creeped-out” by news of the day than by someone’s praying for my peace of mind.

But I also read stories that are plain old fascinating accounts of ‘politics as ususal.’ For instance, I have noticed in past days how many Bush supporters are saying that we can again engage in an honest discussion of, say, the war in Iraq, now that the Kerry supporters no longer feel compelled to take a unilateral position against the invasion. Personally, I thought it was honest all along (at least it was on my part). I, of course, say the same thing about the “other side” and I was initially tickled to read the following in the NYTimes today: “The Antiwar Right is Ready to Rumble” with the side-quote: “Conservatives like William F. Buckley Jr have begun questioning the Iraq war.”

At first glance, “questioning the war” resonated with me and I felt a surge of good will toward those who were willing to speak against it from the other side. But as I read further, I became disturbed by the Republicans who were only questioning it because it was becoming a political liability. Here’s a callous comment, quoted in the Times: Mr. Bush now has two years to “solve Iraq” to protect Republican candidates at the midterm elections, [Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform] said. His suggestions: withdrawing United States tropps to safe citadels within Iraq or by “handing Falluja over to the Iraquis and saying, ‘It’s your headache.’”

I am not commenting on the correctness of the Iraq strategy, but I am commenting on how amazing it is to keep learning about how so much of what happens in Iraq is dictated by Republican agendas that have little to do with destroying terrorism or with freedom marches.

Ah well, I did allow myself a chuckle as I looked at the NYT cartoon of Kerry standing in front of a giant heap of smoldering debris, noting: “…and to think, all this could’ve been mine.”

Simple arithmetic and mandates, another contest, and the 2008 ticket

You hear it all the time: Bush enters his second term with the largest popular vote ever recorded in presidential elections. Mandate! – says our man of great humility. Mandate! – repeat the pundits (in horror or in joy, depending on their leanings). Okay, but we know who has the second largest number of votes ever:

GWB (04): 59,459,765
Kerry (04): 55, 949,407

Followed by:

Reagan (84): 54,455,075
Gore (00): 50,999,897
GWB (00): 50,456,002
the other Bush (88): 48,882,808
Clinton (96): 47,402,357
Nixon (72): 46,740,323
Clinton (92): 44,908,254
Reagan (80) 43,901,812

Note that in addition to the 55,949,407 Kerry supporters, more than 75,000,000 did not feel compelled to demonstrate their support for a GWB Mandate (meaning, more than 40% of eligible voters did not vote). Thus the *Mandate* effectively comes from about 30% of Americans.

The other interesting statistic is that, aside from the 2000 election (which Bush *won* by just 5 votes in the Electoral College), it was the smallest margin of victory won in the Electoral College since 1916, when Woodrow Wilson beat Charles Evans Hughes by 23 votes, 277 to 254.

Mandate indeed! With this in mind, I’ll post another contest, call it the “Hubris Contest” (it originated in my neighborhood, but people are feeling stumped). Here it is: Come up with a word that would describe the way over-the-top, overarching pride Dubya now has.

Commentators say Edwards is in an excellent position to jump into the race again in 08. And who on the Republican ticket? On the other side of the ocean, where people are trying to understand how we pick our leaders, Jeb and Jenna have both been mentioned.

The otherworldliness of sleep deprivation

Where am I? What time is it? Well might I ask. I know one thing – I’m into the fourth day after the election and I have yet to sleep more than two hours each of the nights. I’ve jotted some notes from when Friday turned into Saturday and I didn’t even notice:

Friday: one hour late for a dinner party (they were on dessert already when I arrived! Hey, these were ravenously starving individuals if you think about it, but still, how rude is that on my part – ONE HOUR LATE!); an hour and a half late for the Torts section party (I’ve lost all awareness of time passing); one broken glass at said party (thank you for pretending it was just some cheap piece of junk you picked up at Sears; I know darn well the Sears does not sell delicate, long-stemmed, tinted-blue wine glasses, but it was nice of you to try to make me feel better); a late start at L’Etoile this morning (when I dragged myself in at 7, the Market was robust, the Café was already opened and Chef O had called twice leaving messages for me); and a late finish at L’Etoile. [More than six hours of picking and lugging vegetables in slo-mo; SIX HOURS! How did I survive? With the help of this:]

I needed that. 

It may surprise some to learn that today, on the last Outdoor- Market day, I ate my first L’Etoile croissant for the year (I had their pumpkin & chocolate one and it was fantastic!). If you work in a restaurant, you don’t really eat the food that is being prepared there. If you are cooking, you have to taste to adjust for flavors, but that’s all. Just about everyone I know practices this type of abstention. Oh sure, they, like me, will go to dine there now and then, but on days that they are working, there is a real separation of powers between labor and consumption.

While sipping my café au lait and munching on the croissant, I picked up a copy of yesterday’s paper. I found the front-page photo of the first post-election Cabinet Meeting quite entertaining in a sardonic sort of way. Take a look:

The gray suit and the white shirt are back in style.  

Missing is the look of people hard at work. There is not a single rolled-up sleeve at the table, figuratively-speaking or otherwise. And note the guy in the circle because he is on his way out! I have heard rumors from very well-informed sources that if he goes, half the staff at the State Department is going to quit. That, of course, would be awkward or awesome, depending on your perspective. But Donald Rumsfeld seems to feel that we want him to continue to pound his fists at everyone and their shadow overseas. So two more years of him. Two years? Want kind of a commitment is that anyway? He’s already announcing that two more years of this Administration is about as much as he can take? How about the rest of us? We're stuck with four!And aren’t we all happy happy to see that Condoleezza Rice may well be the next Rumsfeld. Such disarming people, the both of them!

At the Market today, farmers were engaged in political speculations (I only buy from Democrats. Honestly. It’s not that I disdain food coming from Red-tainted soil, it’s just that I have yet to MEET a Market farmer who voted for Bush). What now, why, where to... One young guy over at Harmony Valley was explaining to a customer how the only way this country can survive is if we take on seriously the task of providing information to people who are simply not knowledgeable about the crisis facing this country. He is sending his Bush-voting in-laws a subscription to the New York Times. I told him they either wont read it or call it a lefty rag. “No,” he said, “because I am not just a random person out there. I married their daughter. They like me. I can make inroads because they trust me. I tell you, this should be our mssion for the next 4 years: to educate those without access to hard facts. Education is huge!”

There’s a reason why it’s always refreshing to talk to farmers at the Market. They see their crops fail, they deal with droughts and flooded fields. And, if they at all can, they come back to it next year anyway.

Just two photos from the Market today – the post is obscenely long as it is. The first focuses in on the essence of a great Market: stacks of carrots, in the glow of a beautiful, sunny day. The other is more suggestive of things to come. The peppers are still there, but they are strung with seasonal pine cones. Damn. The Market changes, seasons change, but the president and vice president stay the same. Damn.