"Dad's going after donuts."

We are retired now and all our children are past 50. And I have a sneaking suspicion that all four of them have fond memories of when they were little, and donuts. All I had to make was the announcement above and the two boys and two girls threw on last night's clothes so they could go along. The opportunity meant that they got to pick out the fancy flavors of the decorated or filled donuts at the little shop near the barbershop where their dad and the boys got buzz haircuts. Note that this was long before the Krispy Kreme brand took over the world.

Picking out the flavors meant a different one for each child. That way their siblings would not likely eat the ones that each individual preferred. E., the oldest girl, liked white frosting with colored sprinkles. M., the oldest boy, liked chocolate frosting with chopped nuts. T., the youngest girl, liked lemon creme filled, and F., the youngest boy wanted maple frosting and a few of the dozen donut holes, free with an order of two dozen. I liked the vanilla creme filled donuts and Dad like white coconut on white frosting. So the order was, naturally, for two dozen.

With everyone gone, I got a bit of quiet time to set the table with dessert plates, glasses of cold milk, OJ or cups of cocoa, and lots of paper napkins. Donuts for little guys are sticky and bound to end up on church clothes if we had waited too late. In any case, there were glazed donuts with coffee after the service in the parish hall.

We do not go out and buy boxes of donuts any more, I say sadly, as they are so not-good-for-us. But this morning we were craving them. This vicarious return to those old times, in a little piece of prose, is what I am giving myself as a substitute. And this Father's Day our youngest son dropped in early with a box of donuts in hand. It was just like those old times. Good times!

See also "Behind the Links."

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: [tagname]

Catching up with Twitter faves

Image via CrunchBase

"The six top conservatives Obama listens to," is by Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic (6/10/09). Ambinder's list includes Senators Collins and Snowe, Lugar, McCain; columnist David Brooks, and Professor Jack Goldsmith. Read this interesting post for the reasons why. Thanks to Twitter (5/15/09), too for, "marcambinder Atlantic Politics: Tribunals: An Excuse To Exhaust Habeas Rights For Indefinite Detainees?: Th.. http://tinyurl.com/ohonea." Ambinder also reports (5/14/09), "marcambinderAtlantic Politics: Americans Feeling Good: More Americans say they are "thriving" (50 percent).. http://tinyurl.com/pmlhcf."

Speaking of lists, "TIME See the 10 biggest tech failures from the past decade (via @247wallst) | http://tr.im/lo5G," (5/14/09).

Here is why I follow pourmecoffee at Twitter (6/10/09): "pourmecoffee --Now a good time to get aggressive with your Priceline Palau vacation bidding. http://bit.ly/198mww". Regards the Guantamo detainees going to the island of Palau). And (5/16/09): "pourmecoffee Working on my book this weekend, "Pink & Blue," story of Code Pink lady who falls for Cheney but IT CAN NEVER BE.

John Dickerson at Twitter is often good for a smile (6/10/09): "jdickerson -Power out which let's us enjoy a simpler time when people had to hunt and gather for their morning coffee." And on (5/13/09), "johndickerson on Obama's view that the presidency is like parallel parking. http://www.slate.com/id/221...."

It was exciting and fun to follow "Astro Mike (Massimino) while he was in orbit. He tweeted (5/20/09), "Astro_MikeFrom orbit: Enjoying a day off in space, taking photos, enjoying the view, having fun." And, "Astro_MikeFrom orbit: As I closed my eyes to sleep last night I thought “these eyes have seen some beautiful sights today.” And (5/16/09),"Astro_MikeFrom orbit: My spacewalk was amazing, we had some tough problems, but through them all, the view of our precious planet was beautiful."

I identified with The Nation's Chris Hayes as he shared this: "chrislhayes Office cleaning day is a historical tour of defunct technologies: old fax machines, floppy disks, rolodexes." On (5/12/09), he asked, "chrislhayes Most maddening thing about dynamics in Washington is that evry convo about progressive policy, I ask myself: "will Ben Nelson go for this?" Chris is one of the smartest young progressives around: "chrislhayes Funny how the left and right own certain words; when you get a press release fr Institute for Liberty, you know right away it's rightwing," (5/12/09).

I say again, Senator Chuck Grassley is unique (5/14/09): "ChuckGrassley Finally aftr 6hrs got to a really intrestin discussion in our Rdtable; public option (backdoor to Canada health system) Scares me" On (3/1/09): "ChuckGrassley Great Buy Danish Aebleskiver Dinner tonite at Fredsville Luthern at Dike. 5$ I went."

See "Behind the Links." for further info.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: twitter news news and politics politics

What's in a face?

You cannot tell me that animals don't smile. Who could argue with my take on this frog? He looks fat and happy, probably filled with errant flies.

Or maybe he (or she, who knows) is a distant cousin of my friend Kermit, The Frog, who is another one who smiles a lot.













Our dog, Scooter smiles, often. We know she smiles because we understand her context. She smiles:

• When company comes to our house -- She stands at the door and waits for her "friends," our kids and grandkids come for a visit.


• If it is play time after supper -- She brings one of us a ball, smiles and drops it for our throw/her catch.


• When she is able to engage us in one of her regular "jobs" -- Helping with coffee duty first thing in the morning is one. Another duty is to lead one of us to the other if we're separated in different parts of the house. Both are accompanied by barking notifications.
  

And, if this is not a smile, I do now know anything about critters. This great photo came in one of those wonderful forwarded e-mails from friends, that we all get. And like all such, forwards, the origin is lost in the sands of time.

Now, you smile, you're on candid camera.

Have a great day!

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Stay motivated:

Image by Paul Worthington via Flickr

"EASY WAYS TO GET (AND STAY) MOTIVATED

-- Things you can do right now, today, to get what you want most in life.

(The author of this hot-pink-colored page is unknown. It is borrowed from my handout collection, gathered from workshops I attended over the years.) I quote:

No matter what your goal -- to get a better job, lose ten pounds, learn a new skill -- motivation usually makes the difference between success and failure. These tips will help you get started:

1. Surround yourself with friends who "think positive." The beliefs and attitudes of peers are contagious.
2. Learn from your mistakes. All things of value are created from experience -- and experience includes failure. Mistakes can give you insight, so never be afraid to try.
3. Have a "Plan B." What will you do if things don't fall into place? If others don't come through? With an alternative plan, you can relax in the knowledge that even in the worse case you'll be all right.
4. Write down good ideas the moment you think of them. Keep a notepad handy. We all get good ideas, but only a few of us save them and follow through.
5. Be realistic about your work habits and needs. Are you a morning person? Do you need quiet, or do you like to have music playing while you work? Do you prefer being part of a group or going solo? Try to make sure circumstances are conducive to getting the work done
6. Bribe yourself. Think of a reward you'll give yourself once you reach your goal. Don't skimp!
7. Use your dreams. Right before you go to sleep, think about your goal. Get a strong mental image in your mind. If you do this night after night, your dreams will offer insights.
8. Acknowledge your successes. Make a list of everything you've accomplished, bit or small, in the past day. Then do this for the past week. You'll realize you're a very motivated person who does hundreds of small things every day; you simply take them for granted. Realizing what a motivated person you already are will encourage you to take on bigger tasks.
9. At the end of the week, ad up how many hours you spent working, eating, exercising, taking care of kids, and so forth. How many hours are left to work on reaching your goal? Often it's more than you think. If not, it's time to set priorities.
10. Stop sabotaging yourself. If you don't feel motivated, maybe it's because you have an internal conflict. What would you lose if you reached your goal? For example, if you took a new job, would your friends be envious? If you slimmed down, would you lose an excuse for being unhappy? Be certain you really want everything that comes with your goals, and that there are no hidden "benefits" to failure.
11. Make it fun to get started. Do you like looking at a big picture first or the details? Do you like to start with what's familiar or do you prefer novelty? Do you want to read about it first or jump right in? Organize the task to fit your style.
12. Get rid of coffee mugs, notepads, etc. that say "Life's a bitch" or "TGIF." Be careful about the messages you give your brain. Try using things that say "I'm terrific" of "Go for it," etc.
13. Catch your kids' enthusiasm. Children are sometimes short on skill but always strong on excitement. This same kind of energy could help you reach your goals.
14. Tell a friend you're starting a new project; ask them to call periodically to see how you're doing? This kind of support can do wonders.
15. Insist on at least five minutes each day of downtime. Think about what you wanted to do that day, and what you actually did. Acknowledge your achievements, forgive your mistakes, and plan for a better tomorrow.
16. Get away from the problem thinking. Rather than ask, "Whose fault is it?" ask "How can we make things better?"
    

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: self help motivation handy hints

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Study claims single ancestry for Native people

Image via Wikipedia

This story was sent to me by "Diane's thinking of you today." It is dated April 29, 2009. Diane is a friend of Betmo's. (Note: Not all the links in her e-mail are live because they are non-standard and brought up virus warnings when I clicked them).

Here are some other Internet articles on the same subject that are safe: Science Daily (4/29/09); UC Davis - News and Information; and physorg.com.

Diane's material itself is fascinating. To quote:

A study published in the May issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution claims all modern-day Native people descend from a single group.

Researchers examined the DNA from 20 Native groups in the U.S., Canada, Greenland, Central America and South America. They found a common genetic marker in all of the populations.

The genetic marker was not found in the DNA of 31 modern-day Asian groups, leading researchers to conclude that the ancestors of modern-day Native people lived in isolation before expanding to the Americas. The study estimates the most recent common ancestor lived somewhere between 7,325 and 39,900 years ago.

The marker was found in two Native groups in Western Siberia, in Russia, that are closely linked to Alaska Natives.

Get the Story:
Native Americans descended from a single ancestral group, DNA study confirms (Physorg.Com 4/29)

Get the Study:
Haplotypic Background of a Private Allele at High Frequency in the Americas (Molecular Biology and Evolution 2009 26(5):995-1016; doi:10.1093/molbev/msp024)

Previous related posts at Making Good Mondays:

1. Imagery - old - Continued - May 1, 2009
2. The First Photograph - February 17, 2009
   

See "Behind the Links," for current news references.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: science news anthropology native american DNA

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• A Neanderthal in the family: working with ancient DNA (arstechnica.com)
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Letting Go Of Anger

Today's post is intended as background reading, or for self-help. Reading it may help you understand why people, who do not have or use these coping skills, can escalate all the way to clinical personality disorders and be capable committing hate crimes.

"The Steps for Letting Go of Anger"

1. Awareness of your feelings and behaviors


2. Taking responsibility for your emotions and responses


3. Attitude -- will greatly influence your success of failure. If you have a negative attitude don't expect good things to happen.


4. Self-talk. What you say about yourself to yourself will determine how you think and feel. it is a choice.


5. Don't take responsibility for people and other things that you don't have control over.


6. Develop resources and a support system that encourages the positive changes in you and in your life.


7. Self-care behaviors. People who take care of themselves feel better about who they are, have more energy, and are more likely to be happy.


8. Develop positive self-esteem.


9. Develop positive alternative responses to counter the older anger responses.


10. Practice rehearsing the new responses. Keep a journal to track and reinforce change. A journal will also clairfy issues which require further problem solving, or dysfunctional patterns which are keeping you from the progress and change you desire.
    

This list is taken from: Therapist's Guide to Substance Abuse Intervention, a book by Sharon L. Johnson, 2003 Academic Press. It was found on Google Books.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: psychology self-help anger

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Anniversary date -- June 10, 1934

My parents, J. and L. were married 75 years ago today in Wyoming. They are no longer with us, except in memory and spirit. Today's post is a celebration of what was "their day" for so many decades.

Honoring each of them at their memorials, we had poems written by their granddaughter, Diane. The verses follow:

May We Remember

By Diane, 2003

In honor of J., father and grandfather

As uplifting notes of a Meadowlark

drift on calm breezes in the prairie,

may we remember his smile and laughter

and recall the telling of a special story.

As magnificent mountains provide shelter

in forests surrounding meadows so peaceful,

may we remember his mighty hands

full of strength and yet so gentle.

As an eagle soars over majestic pines

gliding on the ever present wind above,

may we remember his deep and honest faith

and his heart so full of love.

***********************************************

Remembering Grandma

By Diane, 2008

In honor of L., mother and grandmother

A small seed planted in the soil,

emerges in the Spring as a beautiful flower.

Great things come in tiny packages,

bundled with strength and will power.

A needle and thread, guided by the right hands,

become a warm quilt made with love.

Great things come in tiny packages,

gifted from a Higher Power up above.

A ray of sunshine bringing joy to all,

inspires the beautiful voice of a songbird.

Great things come in tiny packages.

That's how Grandma will be remembered.

********** The end **********

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Promise Yourself

Promise Yourself, by Christian D. Larson

I used this as a client handout for years when I was doing counseling at a womens' center. Quoting from the website linked above:

"The Optimist Creed was authored in 1912 by Chistian D. Larson, appearing in his book Your Forces and How to Use Them. It was adopted as Optimist International's creed in 1922. Many have found inspiration in The Optimist Creed. In hospitals, the creed has been used to help patients recover from illness. In locker rooms, coaches have used it to motivate their players.

The following version, without the title "The Optimist Creed," is quoted from Science of Mind 71 (June 1998):"

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.

To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

To continue the website quote:

"A somewhat different and shortened version of this is the one adopted by Optimist International, which publishes it on the Webs.

When Ernest Holmes' two-year-old magazine changed its name to Science of Mind in 1929, Ned L. Chapin became editor, and Christian D. Larson was associate editor and a frequent contributor.

In short, Christian D. Larson was an important New Thought leader in his own right and in influencing the founder of one of the major branches of New Thought, Religious Science, which also is known as Science of Mind. New Thought has influenced many, such as Norman Vincent Peale and numerous other inspirational, self-help writers far beyond the bounds of New Thought in its organizational forms."

Carol Gee says, Hope you had a good Monday. And promise yourself to have a good week, huh?

See "Behind the Links." for further info on this subject.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: optimism famous prose

Space News Update

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the midst of great change these days, and yet many of its ways are remarkable and wonderfully the same. In a very quick turnaround, the space shuttle Endeavor will launch June 13 with Mission STS-127. It was moved to a different launch pad after being readied for a rescue if needed ot the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope, a landmark mission completed recently. To quote NASA News on STS-127:

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.The STS-127 crew members are [Commander Mark] Polansky [@Twitter], Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.

A panel of experts is beginning an independent review of NASA's plans for the future of the space program. And the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee has invited the public to give its input via a special new interactive website, according to NASA News (6/5/09). The Committee will be chaired by Norman Augustine. About the site he said, "The human space flight program belongs to everyone. Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us." Those interested will be able to ask questions, upload documents or comment about the committee's operations. The first meeting will be held June 17 in Washington, D. C and will be free and open to the public. Members of the Augustine review committee with whom you might be familiar include former astronauts Dr. Leroy Chiao and Dr. Sally Ride. Others are all leaders in their fields associated with space flight. Quoting from the story:

During the course of the review, the panel will examine ongoing and planned NASA development activities and potential alternatives in order to present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable and sustainable human space flight program following the space shuttle's retirement. The committee will present its results in time to support an administration decision on the way forward by August 2009.

. . . The committee will hold several public meetings at different U.S. locations. The first public meeting will take place June 17 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT at the Carnegie Institution, located at 1530 P Street NW in Washington. Topics on the agenda for the meeting include previous studies about U.S. human space flight; national space policy; international cooperation; evolved expendable launch vehicles; commercial human space flight capabilities; and exploration technology planning.

. . . NASA Acting Administrator Chris Scolese signed the charter for the committee Monday, enabling it to begin operations.

New administrator to be appointed -- It was announced in late May that President Obama will name a former astronaut, space shuttle commander Charles Bolden to lead NASA, as I reported in a previous post.

Decades since we landed a man on the moon, space programs around the world are interested in sending humans back to the moon, or in unmanned lunar exploration. The NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, spacecraft are set to launch together to the moon aboard an Atlas V rocket on June 17. This exciting dual spacecraft mission will send a very sophisticated and powerful orbiter around the poles of moon, in preparation for NASA's human return to the moon in a few years. And four or five months from launch the LCROSS will slam into the moon to send up a debris plume that can be studied to determine lunar composition and the presence of water ice or hydrated minerals, according to NASA News.

Every Monday you can look forward to another "space news update" at this website. I am a "space junkie" living not too far from NASA in Houston, and I am so very pleased to have this new blog for a more concentrated focus on our Southwest news.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. This article is cross-posted at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news space news NASA science

Heads up, science in the news --

"The brain as a significant consumer of energy and resources: Its weight may only be 2-3% of total body weight, but the brain at rest consumes about 20% of oxygen and 20% of glucose, and 20% blood flow goes to the brain," said the Hitachi guest speaker, Mr. Woolsey who is from the Washington University School of Medicine. He reviewed brain-imaging techniques and emerging treatments for brain disorders. For Woolsey, the brain is fascinating just as it is. “I think there’s nothing more exciting and compelling as a scientific frontier,” he said. “And that’s why I think the brain is the ultimate frontier.”

"One by one, Neuroscience is unlocking the brain's mysteries, speakers say at Hitachi lecture," is the headline from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS - 6/5/09). To quote more about the amazing mystery stories, this time from Mr. Koizumi:

The patient suffered from advanced Lou Gehrig’s disease and had been in a vegetative state for two years, never speaking, never showing a sign that she could hear. But Japanese scientist Hideaki Koizumi wanted to know more about her condition, and so he fitted the patient with a brain scanner—a thin cap with electrodes attached.

When he asked her to try to speak, the language production areas of her brain lit up the brain-imaging equipment. When he asked her to listen to what he said, the language comprehension area of her brain activated. As he prepared to ask her some questions, he told her that if she wanted to answer yes, she should imagine moving her hand in a certain way; to answer ‘no,’ she shouldn’t imagine anything at all.

Then, as he asked her questions, the researchers were stunned to find that the apparently unconscious woman was answering their questions. “We found that this patient has clear consciousness,” Koizumi said during his presentation at AAAS.

Larks and owls -- Most of us are able to classify ourselves by our sleep patterns, which are brain controlled. I am a lark. I always awaken early, sometimes too early, which is a form of insomnia. Here is another bit of news from the (AAAS of 4/23/09). It is titled, "the early bird's brain vs. the night owl's," To quote:

A new brain-imaging study may help explain why some people are most alert early in the day, while others hit their stride in the evening. Christina Schmidt at the University of Liege in Belgium and her colleagues report that our alertness and ability to concentrate are affected by both how long we've been awake and the time of day, since our circadian rhythms operate according to a day-night cycle.

. . . The results suggest that night owls generally outlast early birds, staying awake for longer periods of time before becoming mentally fatigued. After 10 hours of being awake, the early-birds showed reduced activity in brain areas linked to attention, compared to the night owls. They also felt sleepier and tended to perform more slowly on the task.

Patrick McGovern must have gotten up very early to figure this out -- What a fertile mind this guy has, in order to produce a "9,000-year-old brew hitting the shelves this summer." Again the news is from Scientific American (6/5/09). To quote:

This summer, how would you like to lean back in your lawn chair and toss back a brew made from what may be the world’s oldest recipe for beer? Called Chateau Jiahu, this blend of rice, honey and fruit was intoxicating Chinese villagers 9,000 years ago—long before grape wine had its start in Mesopotamia.

University of Pennsylvania molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern first described the beverage in 2005 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences based on chemical traces from pottery in the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Northern China. Soon after, McGovern called on Sam Calagione at the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Del., to do the ancient recipe justice. Later this month, you can give it a try when a new batch hits shelves across the country. The Beer Babe blog was impressed, writing that it is “very smooth,” and “not overly sweet.”

Fascinating as brain science and old, old beer are, I agree with my good friend Betmo, who sent me this interesting link, saying "gotta love science." Read the amazing headline that reports, "Stem cells cultured on contact lens restore sight in patients with blinding corneal disease." The story is from Science Daily (6/5/09). To quote:

In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.

Sight was significantly improved within weeks of the procedure, which is simple, inexpensive and requires a minimal hospital stay. . . The research team from UNSW’s School of Medical Sciences harvested stem cells from patients’ own eyes to rehabilitate the damaged cornea. The stem cells were cultured on a common therapeutic contact lens which was then placed onto the damaged cornea for 10 days, during which the cells were able to re-colonise the damaged eye surface.

Stem cell research made the cornea regeneration news possible. And stem cell research has been freed-up by President Obama. But problems remain in this exciting field. To conclude today's post, note this headline, "AAAS response to draft NIH stem cell research guidelines," from AAAS (5/26/09). I quote:

Federal funding for research involving stem cells derived from donated, excess human embryos from fertility treatments "will provide an opportunity to achieve important progress," the AAAS said in a 20 May comment on draft National Institutes of Health guidelines on human stem cell research.

Further, AAAS is "pleased to see NIH move quickly to issue guidelines that will enable scientists to move forward in this crucial field," AAAS chief executive officer Alan I. Leshner noted in his comment letter on behalf of AAAS.

But the AAAS letter also raised several concerns related to informed consent rules, a federal registry of stem cell lines, and the challenges of conducting public and private research within the same facility.

See Behind the links for further stories on the human condition.

Blogs: My news and political blog is at South by Southwest. My general purpose/southwest focus blog is at Southwest Progressive. And Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: news news and science brain science AAAS

When Life Hands You Lemons

Make lemonade.

Recently the blogosphere has been both good and bad to me. I am blocked by Google from my old standby political website, South by Southwest, because a bit of malware code was inserted into it without my knowledge or permission. I hired a "geek to help me fix it. We have cleaned up the code and asked Google to remove the block, but it may take weeks, according to what others say who have had similar experiences. Because Google is in partnership with Twitter, I am also not allowed to tweet, though I can still read and follow those on my list of favorites. All this has made my blogging more difficult, more of a challenge, for sure. The worst thing it has done is make my readership drop to zilch.

Here's the lemonade part, however. Because I have cross-posted over the years in a few great "group blogs," who maintain good readership I still have a platform. You cannot imaging how grateful I am to have joined and been welcomed by four blogging "communities," where I feel at home:

• The Reaction -- "Liberalism unbound. A blog on politics, philosophy, science, and the arts -- featuring news, commentary, and analysis by Michael J.W. Stickings and the Reaction team."


• Talking Points Memo - Cafe -- "Politics, ideas and lots of caffeine" (Josh Marshall's blog).


• RedGage -- "RedGage gives you the power to share your blogs, pictures, videos, documents, and links all in one convenient place. But, the most exciting part is...RedGage is a website that pays you for the content you create."


• The Sirens Chronicles -- "Our Manifesto: Proudly intolerant politics, culture critiques, manners, morals & random thoughts served with hot chicken soup . . ." My friend, Dusty is the editor.
  

So, come visit me at one or all of these websites. I remain grateful for the friendship of all the dear people who frequent these varied websites.

My new blog is called "Behind the Links."

Carol Gee - Online Universe is the all-in-one home page for my websites.

Technorati tags: blogging news

Ninth Circuit Judge Vaughn Walker understands his job.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Some years ago someone in the Bush administration accidentally revealed to an organization that it had been spied upon. What resulted was a plaintiff's court suit of the government for illegal warrantless wiretapping. It became known as the al-Haramain case. It is now active in the federal 9th Circuit court of Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco, and it is not yet settled. Today's post surveys the pertinent posting activities of some of the writers in the blogosphere who have followed the case all this time.

Anthony Coppolino, Dept. of Justice, has handled defending the government's state secrets privilege claim in the case for the Obama administration, a continuation of the position of the previous administration. "The government dodges and weaves on al-Haramain," is by emptywheel (6/1/09). To quote the post's beginning and the ending:

I'm utterly fascinated by the dodging and weaving they do to try to persuade Vaughn Walker not to impose sanctions on them. I'm fairly sure that Anthony Coppolino (the government lawyer in this) ended up canceling his Memorial Day plans last weekend and has been working on this dance ever since.

. . . This is a far more sophisticated argument than they've been using (Walker's discussion of sanctions seems to have cleared Coppolino's head a bit). But it's still a beg to get state secrets back long after Walker said they couldn't use state secrets to hide their own crime.

Waiting until the last minute in this power struggle -- "Obama Says Government Sanctions Unwarranted in Spy Case," from Wired Threat Level (5/30/09). To quote:

The Obama administration refused to budge late Friday and agree to reveal state secrets in a lawsuit weighing whether a sitting president may lawfully bypass Congress and spy on Americans without warrants, as President George W. Bush did following the 2001 terror attacks.

In court briefs filed at nearly midnight east coast time, the Justice Department was responding to a federal judge’s week-old inquiry on whether the administration should be sanctioned for “failing to obey the court’s orders” in a key National Security Administration lawsuit. The government, as it has repeatedly, urged U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to allow the government to appeal his January 5 order requiring the government to develop a plan – a so-called “protective order” – that would pave the way to the release of state secrets to plaintiffs’ attorneys.

. . . The Obama administration declined to comply with Walker’s order. The government is refusing to cooperate with the court’s orders because, as it asserted two weeks ago and again on Friday, that plaintiffs’ attorneys do not “need to know” the information that Walker has “determined they do need to know.”

Judge Walker, who clearly understands his role, does not seem to be intimidated. -- "Decision Day on al-Haramain (updated)," is by "bmaz" at emptywheel (5/29/09). To quote:

The obstreperous and defiant defendant, the United States government by and through President Barack Obama was, however, not treated so kindly by the court. Judge Walker, clearly fed up with their belligerence and recalcitrance, drew the blade of a guillotine over the government's head (and rightly so I might add).

Defendants are now ordered to show cause why, as a sanction for failing to obey the court’s orders . .

UPDATE: I promised an update when the government pleading hit the docket, and it has been filed. Above I opined the government would likely show up with the same repetitive arguments already declined by the court, and they did not disappoint.

The Obama administration appears to want to be in a position to appeal the decision quickly. -- "Obama dares Judge to order release of NSA spy document," from Wired-Threat Level (5/15/09) To quote:

Setting the stage for a constitutional showdown, the Obama administration dared a federal judge here late Friday to do what no judge has yet done: disclose classified data the government has declared a national security state secret.

The administration urged (.pdf) U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to order such a disclosure in a 3-year-old lawsuit weighing whether a sitting U.S. president may bypass Congress and adopt a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants. Such an order, the administration said, could halt three years of convoluted litigation and force the appellate courts to weigh in on the hotly contested issue.

The classified data in question shows that telephone calls by two American lawyers for a now-defunct Saudi charity were intercepted by the government without warrants in 2004. Without the classified documents admitted as evidence in the case, the aggrieved lawyers for
the al-Haramain charity, which the Bush administration designated as a terror group, cannot establish a legal basis to earn them a day in court.

It is disappointing, of course, that our current president's claim of secrecy rings hollow when it comes to his concurrent claim of more transparency in his administration that in his predecessor's. What is clear to many of us is that the Bush administration ran an illegal warrantless wiretapping program for years before it was revealed by the New York Times. Congress eventually attempted to clean up the mess, but the resulting amendments to the old protective FISA law were long on permissions to spy on us and short on accountability for doing so illegally in the past. And civil liberty privacy protections have all but been ignored to this day. It is fortunate that there are judges still congnizant of the constitution and the separation of powers.

Related background links:

1. "Obama's civil liberties speech" -- by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com (5/21/09). Includes link to speech.


2. "FBI Use of Patriot Act Authority Increased Dramatically in 2008" -- from Wired Threat Level (5/19/09). The use of national security letters is rebounding.


3. "Two new judges for the FISA court" -- is by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News (5/18/09)


4. "The NYT sums up Obama's civil liberties record in one paragraph" -- by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com (5/16/09) It is not a great big "thumbs up."


5. "Interim IG report on surveillance program released" -- by Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News (3/31/09). To quote: "does not present any new findings, but rather lays out the scope of the ongoing review and the division of labor among five agency Inspectors General." The final report is due in July.


6. "Again on the al-Haramain stuff" -- is by emptywheel (3/25/09).


7. "Top Internet Threats: Censorship to Warrantless Surveillance" -- comes from David Kravets at Wired- Threal Level (3/20/09). Summary of list: Warrantless Government Wiretapping; Private Censorship; Government Censorship; ISP Tiered Pricing, Recording Industry of America proposes "Three-Strikes Policy;" and Digital Millennium Copyright Act Abuses.


8. "Correcting the confused al-Haramain reporting" -- is by emptywheel (3/3/09).


9. "Some clues to what 'inaccurate' information Bush provided in al-Haramain" -- is by emptywheel (3/1/09).

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