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       « Our Life in Michigan – Chick Inn and Cold November Playground »

There are some heartbreaking photos here of the October 30 flash flood that destroyed the ground floor of the Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, wiping out the library’s map collection (numbering over 230,000 rare maps) and its government documents collection. The library’s acquisitions office and the university’s library science program facility…

David Foster Wallace wrote a long-winded review of a new Jorge Luis Borges biography in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review. And it was filled with – what else? – copious, runny, unnecessary, pretentious footnotes! When was the last time the NYTBR published a book review with friggin’ footnotes in it?

Sometimes I wonder who’s living in more of a state of denial, the right or the left. Just two examples from today’s Michigan Daily: One community activist is quoted thusly: “It’s very clear that the real public needs their voice heard. The Democrats do not represent the real people, nor do the Republicans.” Okay, so…

So the backlash mounts in intensity: evangelical Christians in Westland (just 20 miles from Ann Arbor, as the crow flies, which says nothing, really, because evangelicals interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle in Concord said the exact same thing, basically, and Concord is 30 miles from downtown San Francisco) interviewed by the Detroit News saying…

On that same subject, I think the sudden popularity of old pop standards (as in recent albums by Michael McDonald, Rod Stewart, and even Queen Latifah) is an intriguing cultural happening. Why is it, for instance, that people are ready to accept Rod Stewart as an interpreter of Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hammerstein, but…

Supposed to go down to 22 degrees tonight … I definitely felt walking home tonight the fact that I hadn’t brought gloves or cap with me … it was a quiet, beautiful, starlit night, so still you could almost hear the stillness … winter’s coming.

In news from the h.S.S. today, we see that « the first Taser stun guns will be allowed on airliners »: ‘Stun gun maker Taser International Inc. on Monday said it won U.S. government approval to use its products on some commercial airline flights to protect passengers from potential harm. … Taser, based in Scottsdale,…

I dream as much as the dog. And that’s a lot. I hate November. With a passion. I had a hypoglycemic attack yesterday after we got through messing around with the dog at Wines Elementary. Could have been brought on by my spinning around like a crazy person on the tire swing. We had to…

I rode the bike to work at the high school on Friday. It was tough getting up over the railroad pass into a fierce cold wind, but I did it. I was whooped and late when I got there, but I did it and felt better. Now that I’m no longer banned from the bike,…

As seen on « Datalounge », this sums up my feelings today: ‘The speeches are over, The debates are done; Looks like the fellow from Texas has won. Let’s let our differences be a thing of the past, I’ll hug your elephant, If you’ll kiss my ass.’

Yesterday I overheard two people waiting in line at Espresso Royale talking about the defeat of Proposal 2. One was saying to the other that he didn’t understand why the religious right felt compelled to discriminate against “those people.” Well, that’s exactly it. As long as even squishy liberals stand around and talk about gays…

I think « this piece by Garry Wills » is one of the best discussions of the state of the Empire I’ve read this week: ‘America, the first real democracy in history, was a product of Enlightenment values – critical intelligence, tolerance, respect for evidence, a regard for the secular sciences. Though the founders differed…

A note: I’m probably going to be one of the few people left who think Bush remains an illegitimate occupier of the White House. My personal viewpoint is that he wouldn’t have even been in Tuesday’s election had he not stolen the 2000 election thanks to the Imperial Supreme Court. And he has never acted…

So, what to say or think now? Remarkably, I’ve settled into a mood of sang-froid or c’est la vie rather than despair or depression. I’m shaking my head at the folly of it all, but pretty much resigned to it. I can see where this is all headed. I’ve known for a very long time….

Ambrosia was full of students yesterday morning. One was on his cellphone bemoaning the onslaught of “crazy lunatics,” presumably referring to Tuesday’s election results. A table of grad students at the back was having a grand old time. One guy had a shaved head and a turtleneck, another was lanky and wore black socks with…

For being the only counties in the state where the majority voted against Proposal 2 (60% to 40% against in Washtenaw, 53% to 47% against in Ingham).

From the brink of tasting victory to the abyss of defeat … Shellshocked. The only word to describe the feeling this morning, not only in my own head, but it feels like everywhere I look. ASquared is not a particularly happy village this morning. The skies are overcast and the chill of oncoming winter is…

After checking the ‘Immigrating to Canada’ guide, I’m off to bed. It’s looking mighty grim. Good night, y’all.

I’m tired and very discouraged at the moment. But. I’ve kept this ‘blog for over three years as a documentation of the Boy Emperor’s excesses. But I don’t know if I can continue for four more years. I’ve slacked off lately only because of my hands. I was just simply trying to get to this…

Crashed. And burned. Ohio looks gone, Iowa is teetering. Four years of fascism and extremism. 11 states completely destroyed their gay and straight unmarried couples and their families. The Freeper gloating will be extreme. Rehnquist will be retiring immediately after he administers the oath of office at the re-coronation and the Supreme Court will begin…

My mood bounces back a bit when David reminds me that Florida has a million absentee ballots and early votes to count …

TV ‘news’ drives me nuts. I discover that we can pick up the CBC in Windsor with the rabbit ears. We bail on ABC and their ultra-annoying coverage. I can only imagine what the others are like; ABC is about the best of the bunch. And that’s so very sad. Oh, Canada!

Sinking feeling. 94% of the precincts in Florida are in and there is a 300,000+ lead for the emperor. Kerry is running behind in Ohio as well. If he loses Ohio, it’s pretty much all over. Not a good night. At this point, my cautious optimism has given way to quiet alarm.

The Boy Emperor announces an unprecedented event: he invites the press into the White House’s intimate setting so he can use the power of the office to address people still voting in open states and beg for their vote. First, it’s outrageous, typical of him. Second, it’s a sign, to me, that Rove et. al….

We’re at 102 for the Emperor and 77 for Kerry. A bit nail-biting, but the evening is VERY young …

And now more states are called. Kerry has 77 EVs and Bush 66. So far, so good. CNN’s coverage is beyond awful. And I’m NOT tuning in to the Fascist News Network for love or money, until it’s time to see their downfallen, crestfallen faces when Kerry gives his victory speech. Mood remains cautiously optimistic.

So. Here we go. Are we going to dump the Emperor and his fascist extremist agenda? Is sanity returning to the White House? Officially, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Georgia have been called for Bush; Vermont for Kerry. But exit polling looks good. ‘Cautiously optimistic.’

Yeah, baby. I just voted an hour ago. It totally rocked. Our precinct is at Temple Beth Emreth on Packard. I arrived at 16:00 and got a great parking spot up front; I left at 16:15. 15 minutes from start to finish. There was no one in the ‘M to Z’ line and I filled…

Election day is here … It’s amazing to me, more than anything else, just to hear the conversations around me today. The media likes to portray the American populace as thoughtless, partisan, and angry. I saw just the opposite today. There were thoughtful, reasoned, sober discussions on the bus, at the polling site, everywhere I…

Well, I guess there’s one nice benefit to all of this argument over gay marriage: better scripts from Hollywood. Riiiiight.

I was listening to some “undecided voters” whine about their conflictedness on the radio. If you’re still undecided on November 2 about who should be in the White House for the next four years, after over a year of relentless news coverage, attack ads, vituperation, vitriol, controversy, and fury, all I can say is, “Huh?”

The 40+-mph gusts this weekend have put an abrupt end to fall color, at least in my neighborhood. Almost all the trees were bare and stark this afternoon when I walked to the bus stop. The trees on campus seem to have weathered it a little better, but they’re starting to fade, too. Autumn is…

There’s supposed to be snow showers later in the week ….. All this crazy Scandinavian can say is, it’s about time …..

I found this info at the excellent site Electoral-Vote.com this afternoon that is worth distributing as widely as possible. Find out today where your polling place is by calling your county clerk or checking www.mypollingplace.com. Alternatively, call 1-866-MYVOTE1 to find your polling place. Check the hours the polls are open with your city or county…

Tomorrow is pretty much the most critical election I’ve seen in my 41 years on the planet. Voter turnout is expected to be the highest it’s been since I was a child. Fascist volunteers will be at polling sites in key states, just waiting to pounce on the unwary who are in the wrong polling…

Tomorrow is pretty much the most critical election I’ve seen in my 41 years on the planet. Voter turnout is expected to be the highest it’s been since I was a child. Fascist volunteers will be at polling sites in key states, just waiting to pounce on the unwary who are in the wrong polling…

Happy Hallowe’en from the Scary Angel Beagle, everyone!

From the crowd that brought us ‘shrink the government to a size where it can be drowned in a bathtub’ comes « a truly brilliant idea »: ‘The Bush administration is threatening to shut an airfield at Midway Atoll in the mid-Pacific that has been available as an emergency landing site for decades. The airlines…

Speaking of Ohio, « Johnny Reb Asscroft is up to his usual tricks »: ‘Bush administration lawyers argued in three closely contested states last week that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act, which was passed in the aftermath…

       « Our Life in Michigan – Strolling Around Northside Elementary School »

Wow … fog in Ann Arbor. Who knew? Reminds me of San Francisco.

Another summery (sort of) day today, though it was windier and a little chillier. It’s supposed to start storming again tonight, though, so we’ll see how long the rain lasts. Last night there was an amazing lunar eclipse, the last that will be visible in Michigan till March 2007 (seems a long time away, though…

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There was a big article on the front page of the Michigan Daily this morning about a student who got hit by a car yesterday evening as she was crossing Bonisteel and Murfin on North Campus. A Department of Public safety representative said that speeding is more rampant on North Campus because there are fewer…

It was almost muggy tonight when I walked home from campus at around 7.30. The temps were in the low 60s, but the humidity was up in the 70-80% range. It’s almost the end of October, and it’s like the middle of summer. The only way you can tell it’s autumn riught now is that…

The ASquared database was hosed last night; thank god for Google caching. If you made a comment yesterday, it’s probably lost, however. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our web host, Textdrive, is very dissatisfied with the server farm in Texas and is moving to a new provider. They’re ironing things out and it should get…

It was a busy week, one of the busier I’ve had at SI. I had a poster presentation on Wednesday afternoon based on some of the work in my summer directed field experience with the IPL (as did about 60 or 70 other SI students, based on their various DFEs), and I had a screening…

It’s official: Snow due anyday now, since Dairy Queen is now closed for the season.        « Our Life in Michigan – Rainy Saturday Afternoon | Fall Peak Colors »