text:
Saturday, September 30, 2006

has the Bai article about the Mouth up.

It appears his vaunted "50-state strategy" is sucking precious amounts of money away from electing Democrats with a chance to win:

This conflict between the party’s chairman and its elected leaders (who tried mightily to keep local activists from giving him the job in the first place) might be viewed as a petty disagreement. But in fact, it represents the deepening of a rift that has its roots in the 2004 presidential campaign — a rift that raises the fundamental issue of what role, if any, a political party should play in 21st-century American life. Dean ran for president, and then for chairman, as an outsider who would seize power from the party’s interest-group-based establishment and return it to the grass roots. And while he has gamely tried to play down his differences with elected Democrats since becoming chairman, it seems increasingly obvious that Dean is pursuing his own agenda for the party — an agenda that picks up, in many ways, where his renegade presidential campaign left off. Now, at power lunches and private meetings, perplexed Washington Democrats, the kind of people who have lorded over the party apparatus for decades, find themselves pondering the same bewildering questions. What on earth can Howard Dean be thinking? Does he really care about winning in November, or is he after something else?

The mere fact that Democrats would consider a “50-state strategy” to be novel — as if a national party might reasonably aspire to something less — says volumes about the rapid deterioration of the party that was, for most of the last century, America’s dominant political force. Back when Democrats were the established majority, the state parties were run by bosses who doled out jobs and delivered votes, while the national party, functioning as a subsidiary of whoever happened to occupy the Oval Office, worried about electing presidents. For decades, the party claimed a sizable majority of the nation’s governors, senators and congressmen, and in every one of the states where it controlled those seats, there was a centralized organization — a party “infrastructure,” in the parlance of today’s activists — whose job it was to recruit candidates and make sure voters got to the polls.

The strategy sounded good until our dictatorship started going into freefall thanks to Iraq and Katrina, and as a result, for the first time in years, the Democrats now have a chance of taking at least one house of Congress. Realizing this party bigwigs then began to think the Mouth once again screwed up, just as his campaign was mismanaged. However, he didn't need Joe Trippi to screw things up.

In the end, the GOP is going into the fall elections with a huge financial advantage, an advantage that didn't need to happen:

For Democrats, the fund-raising environment has improved over the last two years, as Bush has blundered from one legislative or foreign-policy disaster to another and as Democratic donors have seen the prospect of controlling at least one house of Congress — a notion that seemed unthinkable in 2004 — become a possibility. The Democrats who lead their party’s Senate and House campaign committees, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, respectively, have done their parts to make the party competitive. The Democratic Senate committee, which narrowly outperformed its Republican counterpart in 2004, has opened up an even wider margin in this election cycle. The Democratic House committee, which raised only half as much as the G.O.P.’s committee did two years ago, has closed that gap somewhat and, at last count, had virtually the same amount in the bank as its rival. Over at the D.N.C., however, it’s a very different story. In 2004, the D.N.C., under McAuliffe, actually raised slightly more money than the Republican National Committee. Since Dean has taken over, however, the R.N.C. has taken an almost 2-to-1 lead in fund-raising, and going into the fall campaign it had more than $39 million stashed away, compared with just over $11 million for the Democrats. For Schumer and Emanuel, this discrepancy between the two parties is like a train coming down the track, and they’re the ones sitting in its path. The R.N.C. will dump tens of millions of dollars into individual House and Senate races in the closing weeks, through TV ads and get-out-the-vote operations, and Democrats won’t be able to counter it.

Thanks loads, Mouth, and the people who backed you for the job.

Chaz Higgs cannot believe that anybody would think that a fine, upstanding citizen such as himself could possibly have killed his wife, Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine, much less her second husband, Charles. (Steve Timko, Reno Gazette-Journal)
It Seems

like it's been around forever, but Fox News turns only ten this week. And Democrats are celebrating the occasion by going on the attack.
The Foley Follies

are just the latest in a long series of screw-ups by some of our most esteemed officials.

Quite honestly, the media and the blogosphere are focusing way too much on this story. Foley is gone from Congress, and frankly, there are more important stories to cover.

Such as the Augustine murder case.
Barbaro Watch.

Barbaro's story continues to inspire.

He still has six months to a year before he can leave the hospital, assuming no complications arise.
Dina Titus

is the underdog in the gubernatorial contest against Dipshit Gibbons, but she's going to come out fighting and hoping to pulverize him at the polls.

If the voters don't pulverize him, perhaps she will.
As the Mouth Yaps.

Matt Bai of the NYT has an article coming out tomorrow (or tonight) about the Mouth and whether he is trying to destroy the Democratic Party in order to save it. He has been kept on a short leash since he "won" the DNC post by default, but to some Democratic honchos, it's not short enough.

I always felt the bigwigs of the party let the Mouth have the job in order to hang him and the nutroots who have been so destructive to the party.
Here are a few pictures I took on September 27 when former President Jimmy Carter and son Jack Carter were at the Manzanita Bowl at the University of Nevada, Reno:

As the World Turns.

Thanks to the dubious arguments of the bioethics crowd, disabled people's status is more precarious than ever.

It was a disability rights case, after all, if one is openminded enough to cut through the media distortions and outright lies.

Seven hundred people attended the services for murder victims Jimella Tunstall and her children.

Just because somebody is a judge, that doesn't mean he or she always exercises good judgment.

I am looking at MSNBC Reports right now, and there certainly are a lot of goddamned sickos in the world.

This bastard ought to rot in hell.

more about the Augustine murder case.

Chaz Higgs is certainly an idiot if nothing else. If you're going to kill your spouse, you don't go around talking about committing the perfect crime beforehand:

Chaz Higgs spoke of committing the perfect crime.

If he wanted to kill somebody, he told a fellow nurse in July, he would use a paralyzing drug that he believed would go undetected after death, according to a police report.

The next morning his wife, state Controller Kathy Augustine, was rushed to a Reno hospital. She never regained consciousness, and three days later she was dead.

And what about Charles Augustine, Kathy's second husband?

The arrest also renewed interest in the death of Augustine's former husband of 17 years, Charles Augustine, who died in 2003 at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. Higgs had taken care of Charles Augustine at the hospital, and three weeks after he died Higgs and Kathy Augustine married in Hawaii.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger said Friday evening he had been in contact with both Washoe County authorities and Las Vegas homicide investigators regarding the Augustine case and in particular, the fate of her former husband. He said he will meet with Las Vegas police Monday to discuss whether the body of Charles Augustine should be exhumed.

Friday, September 29, 2006

are more details of the Kathy Augustine murder case:

According to the affidavit, the coworker said Higgs also stated he was having marital troubles and "intended on ending his relationship" with Augustine.

Higgs told the media that Augustine died of a massive heart attack. But the affidavit says an initial examination "had not revealed evidence of heart disease that would have typically been associated with a sudden and unexpected heart attack."

The document also says a doctor who conducted an autopsy found "a suspicious needle injection injury on Ms. Augustine's buttock."

I wonder if another woman was in the picture. Or a fat insurance policy. In any case, it appears he wanted to ditch his wife quickly.

the fact it doesn't work, despite the fact schools should set examples of not practicing child abuse, and despite the fact schools become open to lawsuits if they permit it, corporal punishment is alive and kicking in many school districts in the country.

How in the hell can people seriously argue against child abuse if they are practicing hitting their own kids?
Who Would

ever see the day Bob Woodward would himself be scooped?

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 25, C&P 49
This week: Kurtz 117, C&P 146

Will our dictator or Woodward come out the winner in terms of a (more) shot reputation?
It's Discrimination,

not biology, which accounts for women's lack of participation in the hard sciences.
The Top Political Story

in Nevada may not be the Carter campaign, the Titus/Gibbons race, or the Heller/Derby race. No, the political story of the year is the arrest of Chaz Higgs, who is charged with the murder of his wife, State Controller Kathy Augustine.

Expect this story to get major play.

Chaz Higgs was arrested in Hampton, Va., on a warrant issued in Reno charging him with first-degree murder, Reno police said. He apparently was driving there to visit his father and stepmother.

The warrant was issued after a coroner’s autopsy and results of toxicology tests found a powerful drug in Augustine’s system that would have paralyzed her, police said.
As the World Turns.

Another illustrious political career is shot to hell because of Republican values.

Rick Santorum becomes one of Bob Casey's biggest supporters.

The Derderian brothers get slaps on their wrists in connection with the horrible West Warwick, Rhode Island, fire of February 20, 2003.

One hundred people died in the tragedy.
The Booming Economy Casualty List for 9/22-9/29.

Middle class families are doing worse than ever so the filthy rich can do better than ever.

you get a dead tree version of the Sparks Tribune, there is a very nice picture of former President Jimmy Carter at the UNR rally yesterday.

All three events I attended were wonderful, and I should have some good photos from the UNR rally when I get the pictures processed in a couple of days. The pictures should be better than the pictures I took in Carson City back in February.

The Reno Gazette-Journal has a report of yesterday's event at UNR.

This is good:

Retiree Pat Ball was thrilled when the former president reached out to shake her hand.

"I was just dumbstruck, and I was so happy," said Ball, 73, of Roseville, Calif. Ball was in charge of the Democratic headquarters in Belleville, Ill., when Carter was running for president.

She arrived in Reno on Wednesday when she heard Carter was going to be in Reno. The former president turns 82 on Sunday.

"I adore him, I love him, he's my favorite president," Ball said. "I don't think I'm ever going to wash my hands."

Here is an interview the former president gave in Fallon.

Question: When you ran for president in 1976 and 1980, you did not carry Nevada. So, has anything changed to make you think that a Carter can be a winner in Nevada in 2006?

Carter: Then, it was a hopeless cause for a Democrat. There was not any hope for a Democrat to carry Nevada.

But it was very close in 2004 in Nevada (in the presidential election) between Kerry and Bush, which was a pleasant surprise to us. John Kerry carried the metropolitan areas and lost the rural areas. And Jack, since he announced last October, has been concentrating on the rural areas to try to repair that damage.

And don't forget, Bill Clinton carried the state.

And how does he feel about Jack going up against Senator Blow Dry?

Carter: He knew that he had an uphill battle from the beginning. And I think that if he had to get ill, which I regret very much, that was probably the most convenient time to do it.

He still had six or seven weeks to let the people of Nevada know who he is and what he stands for.

I would say, as was the case with me, that the debates that are scheduled in the middle of October with Sen. Ensign will be the deciding factor in the campaign.

I know that when I ran for president, I was just a peanut farmer, running against the President of the United States Gerald Ford, who was a wonderful man. I did well enough in those debates that some people said, 'This guy is qualified to be president,' and I won.

Both Jack and Jimmy Carter talked with Hispanic journalists.

The Nevada Appeal has a report of the Carter visit to Fallon.
Move Over, W.,

politics has a new village idiot.

feeling pretty rotten today. I went home early from school, after I got done with the kids. In the afternoon on Fridays it's prep time, so I decided to use the time to go home and collapse.

It's awful, this shit. I don't know if it's a virus or an allergy. Whatever it is, I'm against it.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

John Kerry,

like John Edwards, has decided to pander to the nutroots by wasting his time campaigning for Nutroots Ned instead of working to help get Democrats elected to office.
I Was

at both the UNR Carter rally this afternoon, which I videotaped and photographed, and I attended the Honor Roll Dinner held at Circus Circus this evening. I have to say the speeches were good both today and tonight, but I thought that dinner was absolutely terrific. I wasn't expecting food that good; I remember the retirement dinner for former senator Richard Bryan at what was then the Reno Hilton, and the food stunk, frankly. Not this time.

Here was the menu (taken from the program):

Southwest caesar salad in an organic tomato cup
with spicy caesar dressing, tortilla crisps, aged Mexican cheese, and basil oil

Steakhouse rolls

Duet of pan seared filet mignon maitre'd
oven roasted salmon with champagne sauce
oven roasted baby red and white potatoes
seasoned melange of fresh vegetables
Chef Fidel's peanut butter cheesecake* on a sugar cookie with chocolate paint and caramel sauce

(I refuse to capitalize the names of the meals because I don't feel like it this time of night.)

The vegetarian dish looked good, too, but as a diehard carnivore, I went for the above menu.

I had to pass on the silent auction, despite there being political memorabilia I would have liked to have had, because only credit cards or checks were accepted--no cash.

Former president Carter spoke about the failures of this administration and the fact it was a "radical departure" from what every previous administration has done, both in domestic policy and in foreign policy. As it was a keynote address, Carter gave a more detailed speech tonight than he did this afternoon and last night, although what he said tonight was similar to last night's remarks.

*--My landlord noted this type of cheesecake was likely in honor of former President Carter, who was once a peanut farmer.
A Desperate Dictator

thinks anybody who is against him is basically unpatriotic, even treasonous. Now AWOL Boy has the unmitigated gall to call Democratic critics chickenshit when it comes to Iraq.
Believe It or Not,

there is actually a way to avoid World War III, short of sending our dictator and company to The Hague.
It's Time

for a roundup of commentary of the most recent leaks.

And if that doesn't matter to you, well, there's nothing I can do about it.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 31, C&P 35

I see Senator Lindsey Graham on the television, I just shut him off.

He has no credibility whatsoever, not from the time he became a chief witchhunter against President Bill Clinton during the bogus impeachment. He can go to hell.
Democratic Politicians

should have known better than to suck up to the nutroots. It appears Nutroots Ned has vitually gone invisible, and Lieberman continues to be well ahead of him, though not as far ahead as he should be.

What a goddamned waste of time and money by the so-called left. It's sickening.

But the Republicans got what they wanted, which is more time and money diverted from more important contests.

David Broder appears stunned Arnold made such a spectacular comeback.

He shouldn't be, for it was Democrats who fucked it up royal when they had a bruising gubernatorial primary campaign.

I was against that contest from the get-go because I felt the party would be depleted financially in the fall.
As the World Turns.

Stick a fork in Jeanine Pirro, who was merely doing the Republican thing of adhering to moral values.

Naturally, Bernard Kerik was involved in the sordid mess.

Not only did Terrell Owens not commit suicide, he didn't even attempt it.

Rep. Sherwood might be cooked politically.
The Gazette-Journal

was on hand for the Carters' Fallon visit.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Earlier in the Day,

former president Carter campaigned with his son in Fallon. Both were highly critical of Bush's disastrous foreign policy.

what the NIE report says, our dictator is going to do what he is going to do.
I Just Returned

from a fundraiser on behalf of Jack Carter held at a private residence. Jack wasn't there, but his dad was on hand to make his case:

"...He [Jack] was a long distance runner before he was afflicted with an unidentified virus that attacked his colon. Now he's recovered. Well today, he had ten or twelve events. He answered all the questions from the news reporters, he was making two or three speeches. He was feeling good...He was nice enough to let me fill in for him this evening...My hope is that all of you will continue to help Jack because I think that what happens here in Nevada could well be the turning point in what this country will be for the next four to eight to twelve years. In the past five years there has been a dramatic departure from some of the basic moral values that have made our country strong. In the process we have lost public--I say confidence and trust and admiration around the world... because of the ill-advised policies of the past. Not just liberal versus conservative or Republican versus Democrat...this administration has departed from what previous presidents have done in some very important aspects of life compared to George Bush, Sr., compared to Ronald Reagan, compared to Dwight Eisenhower, compared to Gerald Ford. It is a radical departure. We now have an unprecedented policy of preemptive war. And when we don't attack countries that pose no danger to us, other nations feel we are on the verge of attacking them. And it generates animosity and fear among them, so they don't comply to what America would like to see them do in the way of peace. As you know, we been embarrassed around the world to almost every human rights organization because we have resorted to abandoning Geneva Convention standards that have applied to us for more than fifty years in the obvious torture of prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and an untold number of secret prisoners around the world and when we couldn't do that, send prisoners secretly to other countries like Syria where they have been tortured. This is unprecedented in our nation's history. We also of course have abandoned a very seriously and revealed lately by the intelligence report the global war against terrorism in an ill-advised encounter in Iraq based on false premises. Whether they were deliberate or a misinterpretation, I don't know. It is those kinds of things that cause great sorrow in America, division of our country between red and blue states, almost a 50/50 split in the elections, and we need very seriously to have a restoration of all those values that I can go on and on but I'm not, so we can have a country once more that's back to those basic values that make us proud.

"I think if we can take one or two of the houses of the Congress in this next election in the next seven weeks, I think we can reverse the trend and make sure we have the right kind of Supreme Court justices, the right kind of cabinet officers, to make sure that the adminstration knows they are going to be investigated if they continue to violate American law and the Constitution, those kinds of things will be very important.

"My son Jack, as you know, is not really a politician but he is a tough, competent person. I've known him more than any one of you here (laughter). Jack is a brilliant student, he made the highest SAT scores that the third district of Georgia has ever seen. He went from there to Georgia Tech to get a degree in physics. When the Vietnam War came on, he thought it was not proper for him to be hiding with a college scholarship when other people were being drafted to go to Vietnam, so he quit college and went to Vietnam and served in the Navy and then he came back, got a degree in physics from Georgia Tech, then he went on to get a law degree from the University of Georgia. Since then he's been involved in international commerce, in agriculture, in finance, in business, he's a businessman, and he knows the country. He's absolutely honest. Jack is strong enough internally so he doesn't feel the need to mislead people. He will tell the truth, even though it might be damaging to him politically. So when he tells you something you can depend on it. He'll know the issues, he'll never give up, and with help like you, he'll be the next senator from Nevada, he'll help give Democrats the majority, and restore the America that all of you want. That's all you've got to do to help that come true."

Earlier I got my picture taken with the former president, and I hope it turns out. He seemed to be very nice and easy to be around.

The event ended at around eight o'clock. Former president Carter will be at UNR tomorrow with his son Jack giving a speech at the Manzanita Bowl. I may make it there and record that. I will be at the Honor Roll Dinner tomorrow night, and both Carters will be there.
Elizabeth Edwards

answered a few questions for Time, and no doubt some people misinterpreted her remarks about John Kerry.

has his work cut out for him as he tries to referee a dinner between the two bickering leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

After giving a stumbling, bumbling speech a few minutes ago flanked by the feuding leaders, Bush commenced to say, "Let's eat."

All Democratic Politicians

should do to media flaks what Bill Clinton did to Chris Wallace Sunday.

Hell, Clinton should have done years ago to the media what he did to Wallace. Instead, he completely underestimated their allegiance to the radical right.
As the World Turns.

Iva Toguri D'Aquino, 90, convicted for treason as being "Tokyo Rose" but pardoned by President Ford in 1977, has died of natural causes.

Wal-Mart finds new creative ways to screw workers over on health care.

Ralph Story, 86, a broadcaster who hosted The $64,000 Challenge after original host Sonny Fox got fired for his on-the-air screw-ups, has died. He had emphysema.

Things aren't so great with local television news, either.

Hall of Fame inductee and Eclipse Award winner Precisionist, 25, was euthanized today because he had an inoperable sinus tumor.

When he retired from racing, it was discovered he was subfertile, so he was brought back to the track for a few more years.

A ceremony will be held October 16. A stablemate of his, Taylor's Special, died a few days ago and a ceremony will be held on October 9.

Prominent racehorse Second of June, pointed to this year's Jockey Club Gold Cup, suffered a training injury and had to be put down.

More top horses have had to be put down this year than in almost any year in memory.

Actor Edward Albert, son of actors Margo and Eddie Albert, has died of lung cancer at the age of 55.

He spent the past decade or so caring for his dad, who died last year.

A lethal combination of drugs is reportedly the cause of Anna Nichole Smith's son's death.

"You're no body until some body wants you," as some Chinese death row prisoners are finding out.
I See

the right has decided to use the Clinton "confrontation" with Wallace as a campaign issue.

It's almost as if the entire thing was a set-up for that reason, if I were conspiratorially-oriented.

The blogs found the interview worthy of discussion, to say the least.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Thanks to state Democrats not getting their collective shit together and running a bruising primary campaign, Angelides hasn't a fucking chance in hell of beating Arnold.

I knew this was going to happen. Arnold has the built-in immunity of celebrity despite his mediocrity and unpopularity, but Democrats totally fucked up the opportunity to beat a vulnerable incumbent.
When It Comes

to campaign ads, if you don't have anything bad to say, just don't say anything at all.

who is the darling of the nutroots can't be worth a shit.
Barbaro Watch.

Barbaro continues to improve, but it will be many months before he can leave the hospital:

Richardson said the catastrophic injuries to Barbaro's right hind leg were nearly healed, but it could take six months to as long as a year for the 3-year-old colt to grow back the 80% of his left hind hoof that was removed to combat the laminitis.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it's a minimum of six more months before he has a hoof that might hold up to being out on his own," Richardson said. "It could take a year."
The CBS Suits

are happy that their Fluffmeister is doing okay in the ratings.

Which means network news has scraped the bottom of the barrel.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 23, C&P 47
If George

is losing the war on terra, that is all the more reason he would impose a police state here.
The Review-Journal

has a better report of last night's debate than the Gazette-Journal.

Dina Titus was like the cat that ate the canary last night. The debate wasn't even close.

Republican flak and university professor Herzik tried to put his best spin on the debate beforehand by saying debates don't matter much in the grand scheme of things, which is a chickenshit way to say he knew his boy would get the shit beat out of him.
As the World Turns.

Famed golfer Byron Nelson has died at the age of 94.

Just because there are a shitload of scandals involving GOP politicians in Ohio doesn't mean they can't win elections there.

Fastow got a slap on the wrist.

I hope this asshole gets what he deserves.

The last survivor of the fabled "Million Dollar Quartet," Jerry Lee Lewis is still going strong at 70.

I'd love nothing better than to see a backlash against scrawny models, especially those with the fake boobs, being held as a female ideal.

However, such a backlash seems incompatible with the current hysteria over "obesity."

Speaking of which, "obesity" is considered less deadly than diabetes.

Songwriter Paul Vance, best known for his hit, "Polka Dot Bikini," has died at the age of 68.

He battled lung cancer for two years.
Forget Lieberman/Lamont.

The interesting slugfest is between flaks Gerstein and Sirota.

Whatever Gerstein's flaws happen to be, they pale in comparison to Sirota, an individual who has a tough time with the truth and twists history to suit his own purposes.

Not everybody on the so-called "left" is trustworthy.

RG-J, knowing their golden boy Gibbons got slaughtered last night, went out of its way to find people who thought "nobody won" the debate because it was too "nasty."

The paper also overplayed Titus's gaffe.

Monday, September 25, 2006

For the Record,

here is Keith Olbermann's commentary about the Clinton Fox interview.

He hit it out of the park.
John Nichols

liked Clinton's latest performance.
The Oregon

governor's race is considered competitive, despite the fact Kulongoski is leading in the polls. Some big shots, including President Al Gore, will be coming to the state.

Our dictator, on the other hand, isn't very welcome there and won't be doing any campaigning.
As the World Turns.

George Allen denies he put his foot in it in college, only afterwards.

An exam has been ordered for accused killer Tiffany Hall.

Do ivory-billed woodpeckers exist in Florida?

Things are getting tight and testy in the Montana Senate race.

When all else fails, Republicans will resort to what they do best, and that's sling shit.

just returned from the first Nevada gubernatorial debate between Congressman Dipshit Gibbons and State Senator Dina Titus. It was a packed audience of 600 inside Nightingale Hall at the University of Nevada, Reno, campus. Apparently the hall was divided between Titus supporters and Gibbons supporters, but I ended up sitting with the Gibbons supporters. I couldn't really tell, of course, but it seemed to me the audience was more pro-Titus than pro-Gibbons.

This is the first political debate I have attended in person. Unless one is there, one doesn't realize just how nerve-racking it can be to get up on stage in front of hundreds of people and have your views broadcast to hundreds of thousands of households. Anyway, both Titus and Gibbons were visibly nervous at the outset, and Dina damned near blew the whole thing when she accidently called UNR UNLV. (That was repeated all over the media, by the way.) After a chorus of boos, she corrected herself and soon got over her nervousness and hammered the Dipshit hard--and I do mean hard. As for Gibbons, I don't think he was ever fully comfortable during the debate, but he spent most of his time talking in generalities and trying to play it safe (since he is supposedly ahead in the polls). He tried, but Dina was like a goddamned pit bull throughout. All Gibbons could do was talk about taxes and how "I will save you money. She will cost you money."

Gibbons talked about the importance of funding education, but he sure as hell wasn't going to talk about merit pay, something he's been touting in the past. He kept bragging about his constitutional amendment for the 2/3 supermajority for tax increases, which DIRECTLY caused the budget mess of 2003 and which caused the Nevada Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional because it conflicted with the constitutional requirement that schools be funded. It was the fucking REPUBLICANS in the legislature (though Gibbons' wife Dawn was not among them) who held up the goddamned budget with their stupid pandering to business interests. And when Gibbons wasn't talking about taxes, he was talking about how much work he was doing in Washington on how he has helped keep Nevada safe from al-Qaeda or however the hell it is spelled.

The candidates REALLY got into it when it came to ethics. Gibbons tried to talk about how allegedly corrupt Titus is with her campaign finances, but she came right back at him with his own ethical lapses. She also got a dig in about his plagiarism and said as a college professor, if a student plagiarized anything in her classes, she give that student an "F."

Dina was far more specific in what she planned to do as governor. Gibbons simply wouldn't go there, for I think he is afraid if he revealed what a wingnut he really is, voters in Clark County especially wouldn't cross the street to vote for him.

The way I saw it, Gibbons was hopelessly overmatched, but it'll be interesting how the media spin the debate. Will they merely fixate on Dina's gaffe at the beginning of the debate and ignore Gibbons' obvious intellectual shortcomings, or will they just call it a rout for Titus, which it was?

Who knows?

Interested readers can watch the debate video here. Perhaps C-SPAN will carry it.
Nevada Secretary of State

Dean Heller is in deep, deep, DEEP shit, according to the most recent Mason-Dixon poll.

He is only three percentage points ahead of Democrat Jill Derby in Nevada's second congressional district contest.

Remember, this seat has NEVER gone Democratic. That could change, for Derby is a terrific campaigner and sharp as a tack.
According to Wittmann,

the future is in the middle.
Chris Wallace

is a liar, a fraud. He and his network purportedly invited former president Clinton to be interviewed on his Global Initiative, but instead of that, they used the occasion to try to smear him over 9/11.

Kurtz demonstrates his bias by referring to Clinton's "finger wagging," the same gestures he made during the phony baloney "Monicagate" nonsense. He and his ilk in the media can't let that go even as it becomes increasingly clear they were handmaidens of the radical right's power grab.

Compare that "sex scandal" (which was a nothing) to what has happened on our dictator's watch. That bunch should have been run out of town on a rail, but they and their corrupt party are in control in Washington.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 38, C&P 15
Hugo Chavez

isn't the only one engaging in name-calling.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Is There

any doubt at all George Allen will be the next president of the United States, if our dictator is polite enough to step aside?

Some trivia worth noting:

Shelton also told Salon that the future senator gave him the nickname "Wizard," because he shared a last name with Robert Shelton, who served in the 1960s as the imperial wizard of the United Klans of America, a group affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. The radiologist said he decided earlier this year that he would go public with his concerns about Allen if a reporter ever called. About four months ago, when he heard that Allen was a possible candidate for president in 2008, Shelton began to write down some of the negative memories of his former teammate. He provided Salon excerpts of those notes last week.

Hell, David Duke could be his running mate.

from the book by Diana's butler, it's the same shit, different week.

The Superdome reopens tomorrow, a year after the Katrina tragedy.
The Next Assault

on women's rights is contraception, as some goddamned stupid fools want to try and scare young women into more traditional roles by making pregnancy a punishment for "illicit" sex.

Some "evangelicals" will no doubt get onboard with this.

What kills me about the so-called "evangelicals" of the dominionist/fundamentalist type is they can't seem to understand that not everybody believes the way they do, and most people in this country, while they claim they "believe in God," also believe religion should not be shoved down their throats.

The dominionist types will ultimately fail in their quest to wreck this country; the only problem is they are going to create a lot of heartache along the way.

Do they ever entertain the thought they might be wrong?
Is There Any Doubt at All

Jerry Falwell is at least as nutty as Pat Robertson if not nuttier?

Won't it break his heart when Hillary decides to forego any run for the presidency? Then he and his filthy ilk will have to smear somebody else.

I can't stand these con men for Christ.
RFK, Jr.

has another expose on the electronic voting machine racket, this time from the viewpoint of an insider in the business.

The debacle of the 2000 presidential election made it all too apparent to most Americans that our electoral system is broken. And private-sector entrepreneurs were quick to offer a fix: Touch-screen voting machines, promised the industry and its lobbyists, would make voting as easy and reliable as withdrawing cash from an ATM. Congress, always ready with funds for needy industries, swiftly authorized $3.9 billion to upgrade the nation's election systems - with much of the money devoted to installing electronic voting machines in each of America's 180,000 precincts. But as midterm elections approach this November, electronic voting machines are making things worse instead of better. Studies have demonstrated that hackers can easily rig the technology to fix an election - and across the country this year, faulty equipment and lax security have repeatedly undermined election primaries. In Tarrant County, Texas, electronic machines counted some ballots as many as six times, recording 100,000 more votes than were actually cast. In San Diego, poll workers took machines home for unsupervised "sleepovers" before the vote, leaving the equipment vulnerable to tampering. And in Ohio - where, as I recently reported in "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" [RS 1002], dirty tricks may have cost John Kerry the presidency - a government report uncovered large and unexplained discrepancies in vote totals recorded by machines in Cuyahoga County.

There's a whole lot more in the article. Georgia during the 2002 election was extremely suspicious.
The Big Story

of the day is former president Bill Clinton's interview with Fox flak Chris Wallace, who no doubt got to where he is through his family connections.

The video is here among other places.

I didn't watch the entire interview, just bits of it, but what I saw of it Clinton handed Wallace's ass on a platter. He deserved it; indeed, I wish Clinton had done that to the media when he and Hillary were under constant assault during his presidency.

Back then, though, Clinton had NO idea what he was up against. Perhaps the biggest mistake he made in his presidency was underestimating the ruthlessness of the radical right.

Al Gore also made that mistake.

there is a drastic change in the attitude of corporations and in Washington, young people can forget about ever having a decent retirement and can count on working until they drop dead.

That's what they do in workers' paradises such as Bangladesh, so why not here?
I Don't See

the endorsement in the online issue of the Washington Post today. Either it's in the paper edition, or the editorial will appear in a day or two.

In any case, Lamont has all but disappeared in the general election campaign. I think he's dead in the water.

A newly-discovered cave in Sequoia National Park has some terrific rock formations. Unfortunately, the cave, called Ursa Minor, will probably never be open to the public.
As the World Turns.

That East St. Louis, Illinois, murder case is just horrible beyond words.

Crater Lake National Park is always worth visiting.

For the vast majority of people, taking Interstate 5 to Medford, Oregon, at the Crater Lake Highway (62) exit is the easiest, most direct way to the park. It's about 70 miles from Medford.

Susan Butcher's widower says thanks for the support.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

GOP Honcho

Ken Mehlman thought he had everything in the bag for his political party when he first had the job, but now he is trying to come up with new and more clever ideas for the Republicans to retain control of Washington.

Short of canceling elections, of course.

officials say they aren't terribly confident about the electronic voting machines, Republicans sense they might actually bounce back in the midterms.

Not that the two are related, of course.
Jack Carter

has agreed to a series of debates in October with Senator Blow Dry, starting on October 15.

Today I went to the Java Jungle on First Street and met Sarah Carter and her husband. They are very nice, down to earth people. I talked with them about her dad's campaign, the polls (which are all over the place), and some upcoming events.

Afterwards, I went to Tivoli's at the Eldorado. That was a mistake, for I ended up having diarrhea by the time I got home. Worse still, I didn't drive downtown but walked, so the gas pains just about killed me off. Eventually I took a tablet of that awful Immodium Advanced, but it did work, perhaps too well.
The Blood Horse

has a special section devoted to Lost in the Fog. The champion was euthanized last Sunday from complications of cancer.
Is Osama

dead as well as been forgotten?
As the World Turns.

Rembrandt embarks on a U.S. tour.

A southern Oregon flea may be added to the endangered species list.

Bush's Reading First program fails to make the grade.

Paul McCartney was such a mess after wife Linda died, he couldn't write music for some time afterward.

Presumably following wife number 2, he has plenty of material.

Things are looking up for lung transplant patients.

Nancy Grace is sure to go apeshit over these horrible killings.

Fans of some illegal aliens will rally to support their legalization.

Myself, I prefer a cat or a dog.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Dina the Underdog

is taking on the Dipshit with both barrels.

is yet another corporation whose reputation is now shot to shit.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 19, C&P 31

For the week: Kurtz 128, C&P 149

Arnold has a new mistress in Big Insurance.
As the World Turns.

I REALLY like this idea.

I'd even go further and have a bike path going the entire length of Oregon from Ashland to Portland.

Southern Oregon has some nice country roads, even when there aren't always bike paths. I enjoy riding up there. On top of that, there isn't a lot of broken glass and other debris.

This week is the annual Excedrin Week in Reno, but I am going to stay away this year if I can help it.

Thanks to an enthusiastic endorsement, Noam Chomsky has gone from being stuck in the fringes of academia writing for fringe magazines like Z to now being a bestselling author.

This sick killing is getting some play.
While the RG-J

and the LVRJ claim Senator Blow Dry doesn't even have to get out of bed to beat Jack Carter, the latest Rasmussen poll shows the spread down to the single digits and within striking distance for Jack.

However, the poll of Dina and the Dipshit is more troubling to me. At least for now.

Yes, I plan to attend the debate Monday night at the University of Nevada, Reno, between the two gubernatorial candidates.

spent a good part of the day trying to catch up on my schoolwork. I finally got paid today, and I went to the bookstore and bought my textbooks, some $150 worth of books for a single class. At least the class is paid for with a grant.

However, my assignment was due tonight at midnight, and I scurried like hell to try and do it before the deadline. I also had to "participate" in a class discussion, but my comments were so sparse, I will get little or no credit for it. Oh, well.

It's just a bitch because I have so much work to do and not enough hours in the day to do it.

has praise for Rangel and Pelosi when the two of them criticized Hugo Chavez for being a buffoon.

It was bad enough when Pope Benedict XVI put his foot in it the other day about Muslims, but Chavez's remarks only made people more sympathetic to George.

In other words, it's one thing for a nobody like me to go around and call our dictator what he is, but it's quite another thing for a head of state to go in a so-called neutral forum and make a total ass of himself.

It's called decorum. Chavez blew it.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Booming Economy Casualty List for 9/14-9/22.

Just in time for the election, Americans allegedly feel more upbeat about our shithole of an economy.
Just as Christians

await the second return of Jesus Christ, the rest of us out here await the resurrection of the village idiot with the messiah complex.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 31, C&P 23
If You're

not a billionaire already, forget about ever making the Forbes 400 richest Americans list.

Meanwhile, tens of millions of people are losing economic ground.

Of Nevada interest is Sheldon Adelson, the casino bigwig. His obscene fortune of $20.5 billion makes Steve Wynn look downright impoverished.
As the World Turns.

Danny Flores, composer of the 1950s hit "Tequila," died at the age of 77.

Elfrida Rinkel says she was as nice a lady in her youth as she is in her old age.

Reno will be inundated with Carters next week. Sarah Carter, daughter of Senate candidate Jack Carter, will be in town Saturday morning. Her grandfather, former president Jimmy Carter, will be with Jack at a fundraiser at a private home on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the former president will appear at UNR in the afternoon before being at the annual Honor Roll Dinner at Circus Circus that evening.

I am going to have mark my calendar next week.

Golden Gate Fields will host a tribute to Lost in the Fog September 30.

What a tragedy exploiters in the agricultural industry can't get enough illegals to work for dirt wages.

Dr. Pou insists she didn't knock off four of her patients during the Katrina disaster.
The Frauds

Bennett and Paige continue their lying assault on American public education still pushing the garbage our schools aren't good enough and now want a NATIONAL test.

Can they be more obvious they are tools of industry? We already have kids who are being funnelled into failure because of schools shoving subjects like algebra in seventh grade instead of waiting until high school as in the old days.

No, these bastards want a two-tiered educational system if they can't have it privatized altogether, with one group allowed to graduate with a regular diploma as a prep for college (and in turn preparing for jobs that don't exist), while the other group is forced into dropping out of school so as to take the plentiful shitty jobs that are available.
Our Dictator

is itching for a bloodbath in Baghdad, according to this piece.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Barbaro Watch.

Barbaro's hoof, the one stricken with laminitis, is doing well.

the right to vote isn't guaranteed by the Constitution--at least the fascists say it isn't--they can do anything they want to keep their power.
Our Dictator

is by far the most radical "president" in the history of the United States, and this is not a compliment. This means he is so far afield of the normal political spectrum he should be considered the worst president who ever lied and stole his way into the Oval Office.

It's bad enough to see him on television, but to see and hear him in person is something else again. One doesn't realize what an extremist he is until you actually hear him and see him in the flesh, and note the reaction of the audience to his extremist words. It's downright scary more than contemptible.

the usual sons of bitches in the "right-to-die" movement had a powwow in Toronto to concoct a propaganda campaign tarring their opponents as a bunch of right-to-life, theocratic nutjobs.

Doing so makes it SO much easier than to tell the truth their sick movement is all about denying a whole sector of the population THEIR civil rights, whether it's due to a desire to save health care costs (for the disabled, the sick, and the elderly ARE expensive), a desire to procure a ready supply of organs for transplant, or just a simple sick desire to exert power over people who are weaker than they are.

And naturally, all too many "liberal" and "progressive" people think this sick pile of shit of a movement, a throwback to the old eugenics of yore, is nothing more than a "choice" movement, and never mind the fact the "choice" is almost ALWAYS forced on people who AREN'T in ANY position to make choices, i.e., are wards of unscrupulous guardians.

The loving husband's New Age nutjob lawyer and the despicable Jon Eisenberg were at the conference spewing their horseshit to a receptive audience.
John McCain

deserves every bit of criticism that comes his way.

I've been sick of him ever since the media started whoring for him back in 2000. It was all because of the access his campaign gave the media, nothing more, nothing less.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 20, C&P 40

This doesn't surprise me one bit.

If they're guilty, they should get what's coming to them.
In Spite

of the fact few people will pay through the nose to read Krugman, Rich, Brooks, et al., the NYT says its TimesSelect subscription service is a "success."

Just 200,000 people have bothered with it since the paper launched it a year ago. An additional 300,000 or so automatically get it when they pay through the nose for a regular dead tree version of the paper.

The paper admits there are a few problems with the web subscription service:

During its first year, TimesSelect has had its share of controversy. Some of the Op-Ed columnists have admitted that they were less-than-thrilled with having limits placed on their Web availability. A number of readers, meanwhile, complained that they cannot e-mail the columnists as easily since a special TimesSelect e-mail process has been instituted and their e-mail addresses are not published along with the syndicated columns in other newspapers. In addition, some of the columns have been pirated and placed on other Web sites without permission.

People still pirate columns, especially those of Rich, Herbert, and Krugman. If I find them without much effort, I post the links; otherwise, fuck it.

I am too old for this shit.
I Plan

to miss our dictator's visit to Reno to campaign on behalf of Republican congressional candidate Dean Heller.

The October 2, 2006, event ain't cheap: It costs $250 to get in and for $2,100, you can get your picture taken with him.

When he's not campaigning for other candidates, he's at war trying to suppress his inner punk.
As the World Turns.

Personal Ensign, the Racing Hall of Fame inductee who was the first major racehorse to retire unbeaten since Colin during the first decade of the twentieth century, has been pensioned by Kentucky's Claiborne Farm.

The mare's most famous race was the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff, one of the best races of recent memory, whereby she came from way off the pace to catch 1988 Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors at the wire.

According to a noted expert on the subject, drugs ain't what they used to be.

A sweetheart of a lady got herself deported, thanks to her Nazi past.

Oh, sweet Jesus, what in the hell is this?

Mike Drabik, a longtime member of St. Hedwig Catholic Church on Lagrange Street, could not believe his eyes when he picked up the church bulletin Sunday.

Listed between announcements for a polka night and a prayer service was an item from “Friends/Supporters of Fr. Robinson” announcing a chicken-dinner fund-raiser for Gerald Robinson, the Toledo priest convicted in May in the ritual murder of a nun 26 years ago.

Chalk up one for the environment and one against the administration.

Former owners fondly remember Lost in the Fog:

Karen and Greg Dodd first developed a relationship with Gilchrist and Aleo when they sold them a stakes winner named Beyond Brilliant. They since have become close with Lost in the Fog's connections, and received daily updates on his condition after inoperable tumors were discovered on his spleen and near his spine.

Karen said she initially struggled to accept Lost in the Fog's death, but found solace knowing that Aleo and Gilchrist did everything they could to save him.

"We were all praying for a miracle," Dodd said. "They've done a tremendous job with him, and even though this is a difficult time for everyone, I think they made the right decision. The horse wasn't just a commodity to them—he was part of their family. He laid it down for them every time, and when it got to be a time of crisis for the horse, I think they did the same for him."

And this is the perspective from his breeder:

Seper had not heard of Lost in the Fog’s death when I called her Monday.

“He meant everything to me,” Seper, the first human Lost in the Fog laid eyes on, said. “I led his mother by the halter into the foaling stall and foaled him. When I heard they were going to do chemo, I was apprehensive. I didn’t want him to suffer.”

The Ocala resident said Lost in the Fog had people looking after his well-being from his birth until his death.

“I often said he was the luckiest horse on the planet for everything that happened to him and the people he went through in his life,” Seper said. “Kelly (Mitchell) bought him from me and took good care of him, and then the (Greg and Karen) Dodds bought him and they were very careful with him, getting him through the 2-year-old sale. Then, when Greg bought him for Mr. Aleo, they managed his career magnificently for him. They took the utmost care of him and that made me happy. They did what was best for the horse.”

Gee, even Art Caplan has trouble with so-called sex selection of embryos.
Nutroots Ned

explains his positions to the editors of the American Prospect.

Nothing notable except for his stupid remarks about the loving husband.
The Fix Isn't In,

which means that it is.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

"A horse like that doesn't come around very often. He was a special horse, and I was happy to be associated with him. Even though we all knew it was going to happen, it's sad to hear it out loud."--Jockey Russell Baze, on Lost in the Fog.

how are the Katrina and Iraq messes alike?

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 22, C&P 32
As the World Turns.

Stakes winner Taylor's Special, 25, has been euthanized.

Daniel Smith was not the victim of a homicide or a suicide.

A 90-year-old man was stung to death by bees.

has had a history of petulance when he doesn't get his way.

If he doesn't like the rules, he tries to change them for his benefit.

Monday, September 18, 2006

A Shitload

full of new books proves beyond any doubt Turd Blossom isn't the hot shit everybody thinks he is but rather is a man with shit for brains.

Just like our dictator.
I Knew

there was a reason why the Business Roundtable and similar education "reformers" are NEVER satisfied with how well students are doing on standardized tests and want to up the standards even higher.

Corporations WANT an ignorant labor force, for an ignorant labor force doesn't get any ideas about organizing and bettering themselves; they would also be too busy for civic participation.
If Sherrod Brown

gets elected to the Senate--and remember this is OHIO we are talking about--will he be good enough for the nutroots and other alleged "progressives" despite his solid liberal record?

I give him a week if he makes it to the Senate before the nutroots start calling him a pink tutu and all of that shit.
The Great Thing

about the internet is that any piece of bullshit one wants to spew is often widely believed, and thus can wind up getting all kinds of media play.

There is more mention in this column about Nancy Grace, which reminds me that she will be appearing in Reno for a talk next April. If I can remember, I will get a ticket to the event.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 36, C&P 23

John McCain doesn't have a chance in hell of getting the GOP nomination in 2008, it doesn't surprise me one bit he's pissing off some Republicans.

has its report of the death of Lost in the Fog.

The popular Bay Area racehorse will be cremated and his ashes sent to the Florida farm where he was raised.
Champion Lost in the Fog

had to be euthanized yesterday:

We accomplished what we wanted to do," said trainer Greg Gilchrist Sept. 18. "It was all about giving him quality (time). We did everything we could for him. He was happy and content right up to the end. He went quietly and easily."

Gilchrist had just finished grazing Lost in the Fog outside his barn at Golden Gate Fields on the San Francisco Bay Sept. 17, which he did twice daily, and was heading to the paddock to saddle a horse when Lost in the Fog went into distress.

During a teleconference held later in he day, Gilchrist said it was tough to say goodbye to Lost in the Fog.

"It was very emotional," said Gilchrist. "I probably won't ever get over it. I always said when it got too bad, Lost in the Fog would let me know. I think he did yesterday. If he was a person, he would have said, 'It's time.' That's life and we have to deal with it. People come and go. I'll just see him on the other side."
As the World Turns.

Jack Carter finally got home from the hospital.

Senator Chafee is in deep political shit.

Our dictator was among the dignitaries too chickenshit or too unwelcome to attend the final farewell of former Texas governor Ann Richards.

One-time Mr. Universe and Jayne Mansfield ex-husband Mickey Hargitay, pictured here with bride Mansfield in 1958, has died at the age of 80. He was suffering from multiple myeloma, according to his wife of 38 years, Ellen. After his bodybuilding days were over with, Hargitay became a successful investor and businessman.

He had three children with Mansfield, including actress Mariska Hargitay, another from a previous marriage, a stepdaughter, and ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

I mention this trivia because it doesn't seem possible that many years have passed. (Ray Graham, LAT)
Getting Rid of Homework

may be a worthwhile goal, but there are bigger fish to fry.
Wall Street

is demanding the American auto industry screw over its workers.

No doubt some on the "left" welcome the fact that the "trashy" American companies are going under and with it a huge portion of what is left of the middle class lifestyle.

They're idiots, but these people tend to hyperventilate over people from halfway around the world rather than people here at home.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

The Texas Futile Care Law,

signed by our dictator when he was governor, is under justifiable attack:

"When a loved one is dying, none of us wants to let go of that situation," said Garnet Coleman, the state legislator who co-authored the law, formally titled the Texas Advance Directives Act. "But ethically, a physician should not be forced to do harm to a patient by continuing treatment. With this law, they have the ability to say, `I can't do any more for this patient, and it's wrong to do more.'"

To the growing ranks of critics, however, including disability-rights groups, right-to-life organizations and family members of some of the terminal patients, the Texas law is an outrage that grants hospitals immoral power over life and death and forces beleaguered families into an 11th-hour scramble to save their loved ones.

Such a law is an outrage as long as we have for-profit and managed health care. The pressure to cut costs is too much for some hospitals to resist killing their patients.
Restlessness is Afoot

in Scarborough country:

How exactly does one convince the teeming masses that Republicans deserve to stay in power despite botching a war, doubling the national debt, keeping company with Jack Abramoff, fumbling the response to Hurricane Katrina, expanding the government at record rates, raising cronyism to an art form, playing poker with Duke Cunningham, isolating America and repeatedly electing Tom DeLay as their House majority leader?

How does a God-fearing Reagan Republican explain all that away?

Easy. Blame George W. Bush

You KNOW it's bad when your former supporters turn on you.

is little doubt in my mind the Republicans will not only retain control of Congress, they may actually increase it.

Everybody should save or bookmark this article for November 7. We were treated to similar articles in 2004.

Barry Goldwater were alive today and saw the state of the GOP, he'd go back in his grave.
As the World Turns.

Bernadette Noe has no intention of ditching her husband anytime soon.

Dipshit Gibbons has the edge in this latest poll, but with the MOE being four points, the Nevada gubernatorial race is still considered a toss-up.

Not only that, but the Titus campaign hasn't put in a barrage of ads yet.

In my opinion, zillionaire George Soros NEVER should have gone on Wolf Blitzer's program today. Blitzer tried everything in his power to twist Soros' words and to try and get him to back down.

Big mistake. Soros should avoid the squawk shows like the plague.

Patricia Kennedy Lawford, 82, has died. She had been married and divorced from actor Peter Lawford but never remarried.

Her death was from complications of pneumonia.

Eunice Shriver, Jean Smith, and Ted Kennedy are the last children left from the marriage of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Nancy Grace guilty?

She's guilty, all right, but of having contempt for our justice system.
I Took

the dog back to the vet to have his ears checked. As I mentioned or maybe I didn't, Tony had a bad ear infection, which he developed a couple of weeks after he had foxtails in both of his ears and in one of his feet. I took him in on Monday, and the vet prescribed some antibiotics for him. It took a couple of days, but the pills seemed to have worked. He no longer shakes his head, and his turds are at least a foot long each when I take him for a walk.

A different vet examined Tony today. He said Tony's ears are doing very well, and he told me to keep giving the dog the pills and to bring him back in next Saturday.

After that, and my run earlier, I watched more episodes from the DVD of the first season of Rawhide. I have written about the series before, which was one of my favorite shows of the late 1950s and early 1960s, despite the fact I am not a big western fan. I wished the people who made the DVD would have done two things: not put Clint Eastwood so prominently on the box (for he was not the star of the series despite being a megastar later on--Eric Fleming was), and that the original Rawhide logo should have been printed on the box and DVD cases.

This boxed set appears to be selling well and the series will continue to generate new fans. No doubt many of those are Eastwood fans interested in his early career, but I think many others just want to enjoy television series the way they used to be before all of the sex-drenched and sensationalistic garbage began polluting the airwaves and cable. Anyway, Rawhide was good, with first-rate photography, lots of location shooting (in around Arizona, I have read), a great ensemble cast, and one of the most famous theme songs in television history. I also like the fact that in the early seasons at least, the opening and closing credit scenes were rotated weekly to show different scenes of the cattle drive while Frankie Laine (still around at 93) belted out the theme song.

I think all of the main stars of the show except Eastwood are now dead. What a shame it is Eric Fleming, who had such a sad childhood and a colorful life story worthy of a movie, died not long after he left the series in 1965. As everybody knows, he drowned in a Peruvian river almost forty years ago to the day (September 28, 1966) while on a location shoot for a film. He was to be married two days later. It was just awful; I remember hearing the news. While the packaging of the DVD leads one to believe Eastwood had the only dominant character, it was Fleming's complex character, trailboss Gil Favor, who dominated the show. And with all due respect to the legions of Eastwood fans, Fleming could act rings around Eastwood. Clint has had fifty years to catch up with Fleming, and he still hasn't come close. Fleming, for his part, had to make a living pre-Rawhide starring in B-movies like the legendary Queen of Outer Space (which I posted about some years ago on this blog) before being given a chance to show his acting chops. And it is an unfair son of a bitch that he never got to hit the truly big leagues on the big screen, despite his television success.

Life sure as hell isn't fair.

the same shit, different week.
As the World Turns.

Oregon's Diamond Lake is on the road to recovery.

Pope Benedict XVI put his foot in it, and he says he regrets what he said, but he won't apologize to Muslims.

Juliet, a carriage horse in New York's Central Park, died yesterday. Her death is under investigation:

But Mr. Provenzano had more than his grief to deal with yesterday. Enforcement officers from the A.S.P.C.A. arrived at the stable and took Juliet’s body away for a necropsy and opened an investigation into her death based upon an incident Thursday night that attracted an angry crowd and the police.

Juliet collapsed in Central Park about 9:30 and Mr. Provenzano, who said he was acting on telephone orders from his veterinarian, began striking her repeatedly in the flank with his thin five-foot whip to get her to her feet again, prompting a crowd of onlookers to begin yelling at him.

“I’m trying to save my horse’s life and all of a sudden, everyone’s yelling, ‘Stop beating that horse; you’re going to kill it,’ ” he said. “Some big guy told me to stop or he would punch me. Then a cop showed up and said to stop or he’d arrest me. He was about to pull his gun out. All this while I have the vet on the phone telling me to keep hitting her to get her up.”

He said that Juliet probably had colic and he was told to get her to walk to rid herself of gas and waste.

Hence the whipping.

Famous Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, 77, has died. She died yesterday of cancer.

"Whether it comes from a despotic sovereign or an elected president, from a murderous general or a beloved leader, I see power as an inhuman and hateful phenomenon," she wrote. "To the same degree that I do not understand power, I do understand those who oppose power, who criticize power, who contest power, especially those who rebel against power imposed by brutality."

When it comes to the war, Democrats are between Iraq and a hard place.

Anything Federalist Society hack and Starr flak Victoria Toensing says should be taken with a great big grain of salt.

Bill Clinton was among the many who paid his respects to the late former Texas governor Ann Richards, who lies in state.

Clinton led a private ceremony at the state Rotunda.

Here is yet another article sure to piss off any self-respecting dog lover.

If the pope has any sense at all, he'll chicken out of going to Turkey, now that his most recent comments are deemed too fowl.

Nevada voters favor raising the state's minimum wage.

The Nevada media are trying their damnedest to talk Jack Carter out of continuing his Senate run so that Senator Airhead can run unopposed.
I Believe

Spain has the right idea about getting rid of ultrathin models.

VERY few people naturally look like concentration camp survivors; these women either have eating disorders or they are on drugs like cocaine to get that thin. Why are boyish-looking women used to model clothes meant for REAL women?

I've heard it said that since the fashion industry has so many gay male designers, they like the boy look in their female models. However, I don't truly know how dominant gay designers are in this field or whether it's just another of those common stereotypes.

In any case, putting up an impossible standard for grown women to reach is destructive.

Friday, September 15, 2006

the Republicans have left such a mess in Washington, a few of them actually are praying Democrats take over the House so if THEY cannot fix up the mess, the Republicans will have an issue.

Or something.

Kurtz Kount: Kurtz 19, C&P 35
For the week: Kurtz 116, C&P 142
There's No Doubt

Nancy Grace and her producers screwed up badly when they aired her badgering of a woman who committed suicide before the broadcast aired.

Very unethical, no doubt of it.

And Grace is STILL obsessing over the case.
As the World Turns.

Why can't I win a thing when I visit southern Oregon?

Ney will say "yay."

Insanity continues to run in the Wallenda family, in this case one who was paralyzed as a result of falling in the infamous 1962 performance in Detroit:

At a performance in Detroit in 1962, the pyramid collapsed and three Wallendas fell. Two died, and Mario Wallenda was paralyzed from the waist down. Karl Wallenda, the family patriarch and Mario's adoptive father, hung onto the wire by hand while another member held onto him.

Ellen Goodman

would rather play semantic games rather than admit she was wrong about Schiavo and other matters.

No way will she and her ilk give the "other side," whatever that is, any quarter that they may actually know what they are talking about.

Who the fuck are you, Ellen, to decide whose life is worth living?

Goodman has gone totally batshit in her old age, or else she just wants to skirt the issue of what the judicial homicide of Terri Schiavo really was about.

Disability groups ought to be alarmed by this crap.


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Big Ten may change names of divisions when Rutgers joins

By Matt Sugam

When Rutgers joins the Big Ten in 2014, they may not be in the “Leaders” or “Legends” division. That’s because the Big Ten could in changing the names of the divisions.

According to, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said a name change is “on the table” when Rutgers and Maryland join the conference, and a name change could come as soon as this June.

“We have the opportunity to look at the divisional structure, branding, rivalries and geography all again,” Delany said. “Depending on what we do, we’ll probably influence exactly how we brand it.”

Whatever it is will probably be better then the current name, which was widely regarded as a poor choice of titles for the divisions, a criticism Delany was “a little surprised” by.

What the new names will be is unknown, but they won’t be “East” and “West,” or anything that has to do with the location of the schools in the respective divisions.

“Whether or not we change division [names], I don’t know,” Delany said. “If [the divisions] are not geographic, we are not going to have geographic names.”

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Soccer > Socks > [x] Orange > [x] Augusta Sportswear

Augusta Youth Athletic Tube Socks [E17149]

Augusta Youth Baseball Game Tube Socks [E17156]

Augusta Sportswear Color Block Crew Sock [E89008]

Augusta Sportswear Athletic Tube Socks [E17146]

Augusta Sportswear Elite Multi-Sport Socks [E88750]

Augusta Intermediate Athletic Tube Socks [E17148]

Augusta Intermediate Baseball Game Tube Socks [E17155]

Augusta Intermediate Knee-Length Tube Soccer Socks [E17765]

Augusta Youth Wicking Athletic Socks [E17142]

Augusta Intermediate Wicking Athletic Socks [E17138]

Augusta Sportswear Wicking Athletic Socks [E17137]

Augusta Youth Knee-Length Tube Soccer Socks [E17766]

Augusta Adult Knee-Length Tube Soccer Socks [E17760]

Augusta Sportswear Soccer Socks

Sock the high prices on soccer footwear and buy from Epic. Every kind and color of soccer socks you can imagine is in our online store at 20 to 60 percent off! Plus complete custom uniforms, equipment, supplies, and warm-up clothing to maximize your game, at a savings to boost your budget. Check out our discount youth soccer socks, womens or mens soccer socks, classic or fun soccer socks. We have ankle to knee-high soccer socks, white to tie dye soccer socks. With our every day low prices you can stock up on adult, boys, or girls soccer socks for the whole team for seasons to come.

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Admiral Women's Treviso Soccer Shorts - Closeout Sale

By: Admiral
Item #: E1876
5.0 (4 Reviews)
MSRP: $26.99
Price: $0.99 - $2.49
You save up to $26.00. (More Info)

Quantity: Availability: Availability & Pricing

  • Closeout items cannot be returned or exchanged.

Similar Items by Category: Soccer > Uniforms > Shorts

Product Description

CLOSEOUT-Admiral Women's Treviso Soccer Shorts
Coordinates with Admiral Treviso Jerseys Epic item numbers E1875 and E1874

Women's cut team short. WOMEN'S and GIRL'S SIZES
100% polyester Active/Dry moisture management
performance fabric to keep you cool and dry.
Contrasting side panels. 1 1/2" elastic waistband.
Inside draw cord. 4" inseam.
Embroidered Admiral logo.

Women's Cut Shorts Waist Sizing: YS- 20-22", YM- 22-24", YL- 24-25",
AS- 25-27", AM- 28-30", AL- 31-33", AXL- 34-36".

Due to color differences in monitors, the colors on this site are for reference only. Please contact Epic Sports if you have any color questions.

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Customer Reviews

(Colorado) on October 20, 2010
5 Stars

(Pennsylvania) on January 19, 2010
5 Stars

nice selection,, easy site to use and the product is exactly what i needed, thanks!!

(New York) on September 15, 2008
5 Stars

Great product. Really comfortable! the team looked great!

(Colorado) on September 10, 2008
5 Stars

Great soccer shorts! My daughter loves them and says they are very comfortable - thanks for the great product at a great price!

Featured Recommendations

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Chelsea target Radamel Falcao dines with the Blues' fierce rivals

The ongoing saga of Radamel Falcao has taken another dramatic turn, with the £50m man spotted attending a power meeting with Real Madrid and Manchester City chiefs in a Spanish restaurant in the early hours of Thursday.

The Monaco hitman has been perennially linked with a move to Chelsea, with Jose Mourinho constantly bemoaning the lack of quality at his disposal up top at Stamford Bridge this season.

But the Blues have seemingly been left out of the loop concerning the Colombian striker, with Spanish station Cuatro reporting that the player met his agent Jorge Mendes, Manchester City director Txiki Begiristain, Monaco owner Dmitr Rybolovlev, billionaire Peter Lim, and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in the Spanish capital on Thursday morning.

This stunning meeting could be the start of a huge transfer window for the clubs represented, with rumours starting to circulate concerning a number of high profile moves as a result of Thursday’s restauraunt visit.

One such scenario could see Argentine striker Sergio Aguero ending up at Real Madrid, with Falcao going to City, and Angel Di Maria completing the chain by moving to Monaco!

Falcao, the man at the centre of it all, joined Ligue 1 side Monaco from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £50m last year, and scored nine goals in 19 league appearances, before ligament damage ended his season prematurely, putting his World Cup aspirations in doubt.

Jose Mourinho hinted at a summer move for the striker earlier on in the season in a controversial ‘interview’ with French TV station Canal +,

“I have a team but no striker. And a player like Falcao can’t play in front of 3,000 people. Monaco is a club to end [your career with],” Mourinho said.

Falcao earlier refused to comment on speculation linking him with a summer move to Real Madrid, but this latest twist will see the rumour mill go through the gears quite rapidly.

What do you think? Falcao to City? Falcao to Real? Let me know you thoughts on this intriguing situation….

Possible Arsenal Starting Lineup vs Everton
Possible Chelsea Starting XI Against Stoke City

Comments (8)

  1. Chelsea must forget to sign falcao, bcoz himself knows his fitness that’s why he always rush for money,even his performance these days not good

  2. falcao is interested in money so chelsea should forget him and look for dergo coster.

  3. Falcao n Torres ar d same.
    Falcao dat was among d Top 5 strikers in Europe can’t even score up 2 15goals.
    Falcao is nw a flop.

    D.costa plus Hulk.
    Or Cavani plus Hulk ar d only striker we want in d summer.
    Den get Marcelo in d LB.
    Cal back Courtois n Zouma den our squad wil b d Best.

  4. Falcao should not be our no. 1 option up front instead we should go all out and mak a huge summer record 4 luis suarez or diego costa or beta stil bring back romelu lukaku…Its ur boy c.c.e.e.o.o…chelsea,charles,emmanuel,emrys,okpo,odabeli…gud luck mourinho blue is the colour

  5. Mourinho! Please forget about Falcao because the money is too much like that of useless Torres. Please go and get me DIEGO COSTA or BALOTELI.

  6. Yes Adeyanju good comment

  7. falcao is nt fit @ll plz sign costa he is also young for nw costa is e best striker in e world

  8. I think falcao is not the answer to Chelsea striking problem, he is too costly,age is no more on His side and he might no be able to deliver at the bridge so, give Diego Costa or mansukich


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Louis van Gaal: Robin van Persie is very close to Manchester United return

Robin van PersieManchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that Robin van Persie’s return to the starting XI is “very close.”

The 31-year-old was with the Netherlands squad during the 2014 FIFA World Cup where they finished third in the summer tournament in Brazil. After that, the former Arsenal striker was on a holiday before returning to his club.

Van Gaal suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Swansea City at Old Trafford in the Premier League season opener, which was the Dutchman’s his first competitive match for the Red Devils.

With the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich suffering his first defeat, he is eyeing to bring Van Persie back into the first team.

“That is a question because we have lost. I think players have to be fit. But we have been training with Robin for three weeks. So the point that he can come in to the selection is close now,” Van Gaal told United’s official website.

“I could not use [Marouane] Fellaini or [Adnan] Januzaj from the first minute today because they came later from the World Cup. Van Persie was a week later than these guys. So I think always you have to be fit.”

The 63-year-old manager started with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez as the two strikers to lead United’s attack against the Welsh club. However, the Mexican international was replaced after the first half after a poor display.

The Red Devils will be hoping to bounce back in their next fixture as they face Sunderland next Sunday.

Follow us & share your reactions on Twitter @soccerlens

Possible Chelsea Starting Line-Up Against Burnley
DONE DEAL: Another player leaves Chelsea this summer

One Comment to Louis van Gaal: Robin van Persie is very close to Manchester United return

  1. Van parcie suld be back som nd still van gaal try to sign new players be fore the transfer deed line place if u want to socceid in man u nd want to collifer for next europen sign like 6 player such as dimaria,vidal,banetia,blind,turan,rojo nd sell 6 players such as nani,anderson,zaha,fellaini,fletcha,clevaly, tank u fans.


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Shea Groom Training With U23 USWNT

U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team head coach Steve Swanson has named a 24-player roster for the third training camp of the year for this age group as the squad will come together in Seattle for an event running from July 15-22.

The entire roster is made up entirely of current collegiate players or players who played their senior seasons last fall. The roster includes four players from defending NCAA champions UCLA, including Samantha Mewis, who made her full WNT debut at the Algarve Cup last March. Midfielder Sarah Killion and forward Katie Stengel (who has completed her college eligibility and will play in Germany with Bayern Munich this coming season) have also trained with the senior side this year.

shea-groom-texas-aandm-001It includes Liberty HS grad Shea Groom (remember her dramatic game-winner against Ursuline in the final seconds of the Missouri Class 3 title game in 2011?) who is a senior at Texas A&M where she has 25 goals and 18 assists in 53 starts the first three years.

Also on the roster is 2013 MAC Hermann Trophy finalist Abby Dahlkemper of UCLA who finished behind winner Morgan Brian and defender Crystal Dunn, who are both now regulars on U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis’ squad.

Brian, who has seen the majority of her National Team action this year with the senior side, was also named to the U-23 roster. She is up to 11 caps with U.S. head coach Jill Ellis’ squad while scoring two goals. Brian has started all eight games she has played for the full U.S. Women’s National Team this year.

Oregon defender Bri Pugh is the older sister of U-20 WNT midfielder Mallory Pugh who is with the U-20s training in Seattle in an event that will run concurrently with the U-23 camp.

U.S. U-23 WNT Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Bledsoe (Wake Forest; Cincinnati, Ohio), Megan Kufeld (Washington; Fremont, Calif.), Abby Smith (Texas; Dallas, Texas)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (UCLA; Menlo Park, Calif.), Caprice Dydasco (UCLA; Honolulu, Hawaii), Arin Gilliland (Kentucky; Lexington, Ky.), Kristin Grubka (Florida; Melbourne, Fla.), Jaelene Hinkle (Texas Tech; Denver, Colo.), Bri Pugh (Oregon; Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Emily Sonnett (Virginia; Marietta, Ga.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Morgan Brian (Virginia; St. Simons Island, Ga.), Daphne Corboz (Georgetown; Greenbrook, N.J.), Sarah Killion (UCLA; Fort Wayne, Ind.), Mary Luba (Marquette; Shorewood, Wis.), Rachel Mercik (UC Berkeley; El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Samantha Mewis (UCLA; Hanson, Mass.), Riley Ridgik (Wake Forest; Ojai, Calif.), Kylie Strom (Boston University; Endicott, N.Y.)
FORWARDS (6): Kelly Cobb (Duke; Chugiak Alaska), Ashleigh Ellenwood (Arkansas; Michigan City, Ind.), Jannelle Flaws (Illinois; Glenview, Ill.), Shea Groom (Texas A&M; Liberty, Mo.), Stephanie McCaffrey (Boston College; Winchester, Mass.), Katie Stengel (Wake Forest; West Melbourne, Fla.)

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Sarah + Robbie : West Palm Beach Wedding

May 12th, 2015 Permalink

Downtown West Palm Beach Florida Holy Trinity Church wedding

Bubble guns, glow necklaces, a rockin’ band, great local food from C.R.Chicks and one very beautiful, very much in love couple? You’ve got yourself a really FUN wedding!

Sarah and Robbie celebrated their vows at Sarah’s beautiful hometown church in West Palm Beach, FL surrounded by the love and support of their families and friends. Matt and I photographed the wedding with the support of another fantastic wedding photographer, Josh Kane. Being third trimester pregnant, I wanted to be sure we had lots of able-bodied talent on deck to create a collection of photographs that documented this very special day for this extremely lovely couple.

Sarah was the kind of bride that just could NOT stop smiling, in the very best way, and working on her photographs has kept us smiling too. We are so honored she and Robbie chose us to be their wedding team and wish them nothing but the very best in the years to come!

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Second Photographer: Josh Kane, based in both Florida and Australia but accepting destination weddings worldwide

Venue : Holy Trinity Church, West Palm Beach FL

Food : C.R. Chicks

Leila and Randy went to the same high school on the west coast of Florida, but they didn’t know each other. Not until many years, and many miles later, when they met – GET THIS – in an elevator in Baltimore, Maryland. LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND BIZARRE. The same home town/school connection was too heavy to ignore when it came time to plan their big day, so they took it back to Cardinal Mooney High in Sarasota, FL.

The day these two planned was lovely from sunrise on. I met the ladies for some poolside yoga to set the day on the right track. The boys chose poker to get them in the right frame of mind before a classic church ceremony. As they both work in sport’s medicine and also both played basketball in high school, we had a blast doing their “romantic couple’s photos” center court! There was no shortage of thoughtful details decorating their reception party to celebrate their love with plenty of food, drinks, and dancing. Just the way a wedding ‘ought to be!

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Some couples are just so fabulous you click with them immediately and want to be friends FOREVER. That’s how we felt about Monica and Brandon from the very beginning, and what a beautiful beginning it was! You might recognize this couple from the EPIC prososal Brandon set up to ask Monica to marry him in the Columbia River Gorge, where Brandon had us staged to take pictures while he popped the big question. (This is the best idea EVER, by the way! If you missed that blog post, click HERE for some romantic proposal pictures!)

When the wedding arrived, Matthew brought along Maggie from Honeysuckle photography to take on the big day. I was sad to be missing their celebration of love, but knew Matt and Maggie were sure to make a photography dream team. Having our daughter Amelie, and now pregnant with our next, has changed my role in our business (at least for the moment). But shooting alongside other artists like Maggie has had so many benefits for all of us. Matt came home talking about how she did this or that a bit differently, what great ideas she had. Every wedding is so unique and I see it as our job to keep ourselves fresh. It’s why I love destination weddings so much; shooting in new places all the time forces you to put yourself outside of the box. You can’t repeat the same photos, you have to flex your creativity and come up with something new and beautiful every time. Matt and Maggie not only took the opportunity to be inspired and learn a bit from one another, but they also had a blast too. That’s the thing about this job, it’s fun. And especially when a loving couple like this throws such a great party out in the Oregon desert! Their beautiful venue was just a couple hours from downtown PDX, in the Dalles: The Dalles Ranch.

We couldn’t be more happy for Monica and Brandon and we wish them nothing but many glorious years ahead!

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Life has an incredible way of bending and twisting in the most delightful ways sometimes. We feel so blessed for the opportunities this career as wedding photographers has surprised us with. We set out to travel and to photograph people celebrating promising themselves to one another, and this wedding was just that. We couldn’t be more fulfilled or more grateful.

But, let’s start at the beginning. When I first moved to Portland, I joined an adult kickball team. It was as ridiculous as it sounds and a really fun way to kick around a few hours on sunny Sunday afternoons. Teamed up with strangers that would become friends, running in circles in hopes of winning a free pitcher of beer for after the game, I met a French girl named Léa.

Matthew would come to games, but he didn’t play on the team. For such an active guy, I can only assume his deep-seated memory of breaking his collar bone playing kickball as a kid is what kept him off the field. He preferred, instead, to hang out taking photographs and enjoy the show. I’d then post the photos on Facebook sometimes and this became a nice way to keep in touch with my team mates.

Fast forward a few years, and I get an e-mail from Léa. She’s engaged has been seeing some of our So Many Moments wedding photography on Facebook. She says perhaps THE most amazing thing possible: that during our kickball season Matt took a portrait of her that had been a favorite of hers since. Is that not the biggest compliment a portrait photographer could ever receive?! Then, she says the NEXT MOST AMAZING THING. She wants us to be her wedding photographers, the thing is, the wedding is in France. *jaw dropped* Yes. Yes, yes, yes Léa. YES!

This story is about to take a turn for the even more incredible. She’s getting married in Normandy, at a family member’s home, and it turns out to be less then an hour’s drive from my own brother’s home. This means two things for Matthew and I. Not only do we have a wonderful place to stay, but also that we can leave Amelie safe and sound with our family while we work at the wedding.

When I meet Ben, he’s soft spoken but confident. They both smile near constantly and clearly have a connection that goes beyond the giddy romance of a fresh relationships and into something deeper, more reasonable. When they share their relationship started as a rock climbing friendship, that makes sense to me. They feel solid like a rock and that makes me feel so happy for Léa.

We meet again in France and even on the day of the wedding, putting together my gear, I still can’t believe I am there and that this is real life. Léa’s dress is perfect on her, the family is so warm and welcoming, despite the language barrier, and everyone is clearly ready to have a great time.

Despite being 100+ weddings deep in a variety of cultures and traditions, the wedding was still quite different from anything we’ve ever photographed stateside. After the most charming backyard ceremony, we all walk over to a reception hall across a park from the house. Champagne begins flowing and the most amazing appetizers start arriving. The food at this wedding was incredible. We lost count of the number of courses, but the food had not stopped coming when we finally left past midnight.

But the generous portions of foie gras wasn’t the only difference, it was the party itself. The DJ has this crowd doing things that I’m sure would need waivers signed and liability releases for here. People were literally sliding across the floor, fighting over chairs for games. There were wigs and microphones and so much silliness, but it was all in the name of just good old fashion FUN. Everyone was having a great time and it gives me pause to realize how over-protected and sue-happy our way of life has dulled some of our parties here.

As we had already traveled across the world, we decided to plan a huge trip centered around this wedding. Our daughter was still under 2, and thus free to fly, so we took the opportunity to visit loads of family and friends across Europe. We kept a personal travel journal document our trip from glamping near the beaches of Spain to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland; if you’re curious to see more of that, it’s here.

We couldn’t be happier for Léa and Ben, and I couldn’t be more glad I signed up for that kickball team. Life is so dynamic. To many years of happiness ahead!

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Rachael and Jonathan had the most stellar view of Mt.Hood for their Oregon summer wedding in Canby, OR. Oak View Acres is officially one of my new favorite venues and this couple was the perfect fit for it! I got to know Rachael and Jonathan over their adorable Portland city date engagement shoot last Fall. This stylish couple had the most wonderful energy and the warmest smiles. They were so genuinely excited for their day and stress-free. Their families were welcoming (and hilarious), which made the party a blast! Matthew and I left this wedding just so grateful that we get to do what we do: observe, connect with people, and take their portraits on one of the most special days of their lives. It’s not only an honor, it’s a lot of fun too!

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Heather and Josh : Arizona Wedding

July 24th, 2014 Permalink

Destination wedding in Arizona

Heather and Josh tied the knot on a bright, clear Arizona day surrounded by family and friends whom traveled from all around to join them as they made their partnership official. You get the sense that these two were just made for one another, a match waiting to meet. And we were so thrilled at the opportunity to travel down to new turf to document their celebrations! We had photographed the Heather’s sister’s wedding a few years prior on the Oregon coast and were so tickled that their family thought of us again!  We enjoyed the change of scenery and took the chance to visit Sedona too after the big day before flying home. All in all, a wonderful trip with wonderful people with a wonderful future ahead of them! We wish them nothing but the absolute best!

Heather + Josh : Rehearsal Dinner in Arizona

June 29th, 2014 Permalink

wild west rehearsal dinner for a destination wedding in AZ

I know I say this all the time, but So Many Moments really does have the VERY best clients! Meet Heather and Josh. They brought us down to Arizona for their nuptials! We met up with them on a hot night (as in high of 112 that day! Did you know humans could even exist in such heat?!) in the desert for a wild west rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. The venue was incredible, with what felt like thousands of neck ties hanging from the ceiling and even a live rattlesnake inside! Lots of water, cowboy hats and handkerchiefs for guests made for a rootin’ tootin’ good time. Photos from the big wedding day celebration day up next!

Jason + Zhen Zhen : Miami Wedding

April 22nd, 2014 Permalink

Miami Wedding Photography at the Cooper Estate by husband and wife team So Many Moments, based in Portland, OR

In the 5th grade, I went to my friend Justin’s birthday party. He lived on a canal, and all the kids at the party went swimming. All the kids, except Jason and I. We had found a piano and were having too much fun playing music to bother with swim suits. All the kids that went swimming got ill from something in the water and Jason and I were the only two kids at school not sick. This was the beginning of a friendship that has stood the test of time.

Jason and Zhen Zhen have had a beautiful relationship for many years, so while it was no surprise when they announced they would be getting married, we were still thrilled for them to tie the knot. The Cooper Estate in Miami set the stage for a gorgeous wedding day. Jason is very tech-driven, so it was neat to see how he used an app to share wedding details with guests and used a collection of iPads for the seating chart. Zhen Zhen and her bridesmaids were just perfection; all put together so thoughtfully and looked so glamorous. But, the best part was this wedding was FUN. As old friends reunited on the dance floor, it was clear everyone was having a great time. Back at the hotel, the party did not stop. Matthew and I were talked into putting down the cameras and joined them and their friends for a celebratory late night beer on the pool deck.

Every wedding is such an unique expression of a couple’s commitment to one another, and that’s what makes it so much fun to document. Having some history with Jason and ZZ made it really special for us to be a part of their big day and we are so honored they chose us to photograph it.

jason zhen zhen

Photography : So Many Moments

Venue (including food + flowers) : The Cooper Estate

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