if you're reading this at 5:45 am...

my flight just took off for Honduras.

a group of us from HEDAC, the charity of which i am treasurer, is on it's way to work for the next week with the schools we've adopted in Morazan. i have two loaded bags of shoes and clothes for the kids.

we will be painting the two new schools we just adopted and beginning our special project - School Gardens. now that the fences we built are finished they will be protected.

besides rehabbing the schools, we built kitchens in each of them. the government, sometimes, will send beans and rice to the schools and we thought that giving each of the schools the ability to support itself, in a sustainable way, would add not only to the nutrition of the kids, but also there is a lot of teaching and learning that can go along with it.

our pilot garden at Escuela Luis Landa is a big success. i've posted a couple of pictures below. the kids are doing all of the garden work themselves. it's really great.

i know there is a bit of a political problem, if you've been reading the news, but a couple of us are already down there and saying you wouldn't know there is a problem. we'll be in the north near San Pedro Sula and most of the problems are in the far south on the Nicaraguan border and there is no violence anywhere in the country.

i'll be out of touch since connectivity is not widespread in Honduras, but when i'm back, i'll post some pictures and information about the trip.

if you would like to help, click here - HEDAC - check out our website and make a donation. the kids really appreciate all the help you give.

thanks,

mike/



kids working in the garden...


kids weeding the garden


some of the vegetables of their work...

as F.I.S.A. crosses borders...

The United States is negotiating deals with European countries to exchange fingerprint and DNA data in criminal and terrorist cases, and in some circumstances to transfer data on race or ethnic origin, political and religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.

Such agreements are a condition for granting citizens of newer European Union member states the right to enter the United States without visas, and for maintaining that right for older E.U. members. U.S. citizens already enjoy such a right when traveling to Europe.

U.S. Seeks Data Exchange, The Washington Post, 8 July 2008

all in the name of Homeland Security, of course.

when's the last time you heard of a Jehovah Witness, Black, Montengran gueer strap a bomb around his middle and get onto a Unite Airlines 777 and fly to the United States?

or...

when's the last time you ever heard of a Jehovah Witness, Black, American gueer get on a plane and fly to Montengro with a bomb strapped around his middle?

you see it's going to go both ways. they can tell the U.S. who is a Jehovah Witness, Black, Montengran gueer and we can tell them who is Jehovah Witness, Black, American gueer.

what is wrong with this picture?

just asking...

fly versus drive...

I stopped driving vacations several years ago. The only reason we drove is because my sister, who was handicapped, couldn't/wouldn't fly. We had a large motor home that solved all kinds of problems. The number one problem being she had to go to the bathroom almost every 30 minutes. The mohome had a bathroom! She wasn't stable on solid ground; trying to get her to walk on a jostling airplane would have been a trip in itself.

On the other hand, it also allowed her to see country that she had never been able to experience before. We even got her to the top of Ajax in Aspen one year in the gondola! I can't describe the look on her face at that.

That aside, for the last several days we've been hearing over and over about the all-time high cost of gas. How it is effecting budgets. How it is raising fuel prices for the airlines. How it is going to put a damper on summer travel. Got that right.

So, I decided to look at what effect it would have on me.

Right now, I am thinking about going to Quebec for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. I decided to compare what it would cost to fly or to drive.

On Orbitz, it would cost $602 for the only roundtrip flight. [Sorry, after a really bad experience, I will only fly nonstop if it is available.] For a 2-stop trip it would be $517.

On Priceline, it would be $595 & $506. Oh, and neither includes the new $15 cost for checking one bag. Going directly to United it was $595 no matter how many stops. On the Air Canada site is would cost $629.06. Where they get the $.06 is beyond me.

Now, doing some figuring on my own. I looked at driving my FX35 to Quebec and back. If you're not familiar with the Infiniti FX35, it cannot use regular. It has to run on mid-grade or high-grade. Consequently, filling up the tank with the price at $4.05/gallon this week costs approximately $72. I never let it go that low, so it usually is between around $55-$65 dollars.

Quebec City is 879 miles from Chicago. I'll round it to 900. On the highway, I usually manage 250 miles on a tank of gas. (sob) Using that as a figure (I know it will be closer to 300 on the open highway), it will probably take 3.5 tanks of gas. At $4.05, that would mean it will cost $252 one way and $504 round trip. I wouldn't use the FX in Quebec because it is really a small place and public transportation is available.

That is $2 cheaper than the Priceline lowest cost and $125.06 less than Air Canada. Except, I would not have to pay for an airport transfer that usually costs around $25 without tip. Of course, then there would be parking; except most hotels in this continent don't charge for that any more. I would have to buy food whether I drive or fly. (They only serve food in first/business class. For fun, I looked at business class. It would be between $1,938 - $3,044. The FX is as comfortable and I can stop whenever I want.)

Some may ask about the time it takes to drive. Doing a search on the iPhone to a specific hotel, it would be approximately 17 hours & 45 minutes. That would mean an overnight stay somewhere. However, time is not a problem for me. I don't work. The scenery would also be quite beautiful. The route follows the St. Laurence Seaway part of the time, though I don't know how close to it the roads are.

That brings up other possibilities. The drive would go by both Toronto and Montreal. I've been to Toronto and loved it. Stratford on Avon is on the way with its Shakespeare Festival, and I don't ever remember if I've been to Montreal. Of course, that would all cost more.

I've go to think about this. It has its plus and minus attributes.

The initial point I was trying to make was about the cost of flying versus driving. It would seem that driving would cost less, all be it not very much. So, I think I'll call it about even in price.

i love metaphor...

because it is intended to provide imagery about something or someone to provoke emphasis and add color. Sometimes it is used as a double entendre - having a couched meaning.

In today's Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg wrote about a trip he and his family took over spring break to the capitol of Illinois - Springfield. While looking for a hotel in the area to stay, he called an acquaintance at the local newspaper to inquire about lodgings. The person spoke of the main hotel in the city - the Hilton in metaphor -

"The Hilton is the most horrific piece of Freudian architecture you'll ever witness,..."

It is an apt description. Judge for yourself. Here is a photo.



Having stayed at the hotel quite a number of times in working for the state education department and attending conferences and conventions, I can, with great enthusiasm, tell you that the locals and those of us who have been to Springfield have a different metaphor for it. We refer to it as -



The Penis on the Prairie


needless to say, i prefer the local methaphor...

amazing...

St. Martin Airport -

i flew in and out of the St Marteen/Martin airport over the last two weeks. there are always people standing on the beach at the end of the runway when planes land and take off.

it is also one of the scariest airports to fly in and out of in large jets. i did it once in a 747. scared the s*** out of me. i try always to fly in/out on one of the turboprops that fly all around the Caribbean.

if you have never flown in a propjob, you don't know what you're missing. you feel like you're in a real plane, not in a cigartube.

needless to say with the weather here in Chicago lately, i want to go back, even if i did just come back - and with a disasterous 2-day return flight nightmare.

i discovered when i came back that Jasper Johns' winter home was just down the road from where i was staying. i would have loved to visit and talk with him.

maybe next time...


"Map" - 1962 on display at the new exhibit entitled Jasper Johns: Gray currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

this is one reason for no posts this past week...

The lagoon at Baie Nettle on the island of St. Martin, la Caribes Françaises.

the other reason is, "i don't feel like it!"

miles to go...

problem is, all i ever want to do is be in Paris...

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Carl Sandburg

there is unique beauty in the world...

...a scene we will probably never get to see in person.

This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest point. You also see the sun below the moon.



awesome...

off again...

Though I normally would never post anything with Pavarotti*, this video really is apropos. I'm headed to New York for a long weekend to see opera (Turandot, il Trittico, Guilio Cesare) at the Metropolitain Opera, to do some shopping (Barney's and the new Tom Ford store are calling) and to visit friends. Though this video was made at Carnegie Hall, it's close enough to the Met.

I will post if I get a chance.



*Why would I not post Pavarotti? It's a preference thing on my part. I really don't think that he is that great of a singer, in technique especially. He had a great sound that is masked with power and charisma. Yes, he continued what Maria Callas put into place with bringing opera back as a major art form in the world and for that I am thankful, but...

If you notice in the video he is constantly looking at the stand while he is singing with Liza Minelli. It's not to read the music. He can't read music. He doesn't remember words. So his performances are either memorized, punted or cribbed.

I saw him do his first Otello at the Chicago Symphony with Kiri Te Kanawa. It was a concert version. He should not have been singing it. The opera is one of the most difficult in repertoiry.

In front of him was a giant black box. Afterwards, speaking with friends in the orchestra, they informed us that in the box was Pavarotti's little man. His own personal prompter who was not only helping him with the lyric but also the music because it's not easily memorized. He also spit eucalyptus all over Te Kanawa when they were doing the duets. Our friends told us that when they got to New York to do Otello at Carnegie, she finally blasted him in front of everybody.

I was one of the people who cheered when the audience at La Scala booed him when his voice cracked during a Don Carlo, another opera he should never have sung. He was well past his prime and the La Scala fiasco finally made him realize that he should retire and only do concert.

Yes, most everyone loves him. everyone except...

back...

poorer, but back. What stays in Las Vegas is your money. If you go there realizing that it's what happens, you'll have fun. and we did.

My friends and I finished off my month-long birthday/retirement festival with a little jaunt to Las Vegas and it was great. We all had a ball.

The start was a little auspicious for me: couldn't find the laptop power cord, found it but forgot the computer (hence, no posts for the entire week!); forgot about rush hour traffic; barely made the flight (5 minutes); the luggage didn't make the flight (it got there 2½ hours later); forgot the iPod's earbuds; forgot my book to read on the plane; sat between one guy who hacked and coughed all the way there and another one who spilled a full cup of coffee everywhere; and I had to take the most enormous dump of my life and couldn't do anything about it until we reached 36,000 feet. It was 78℉ when we left Chicago at 7:30 am. When we got to Las Vegas at 9:40 am, it was 43℉ and very windy! The descent was really rough because of the wind.

It was a real adventure.

We stayed at New York New York. It's a fun hotel/casino. The slot machines are a ripoff though. We didn't see anyone win any big jackpots the entire time.

They taught me a new compulsive game - three-card poker. It's more addictive than the roulette wheel.

The Wynn is an experience. It's beautiful and very welcoming. I noticed that the dealers and the pit-bosses aren't really like those at other casinos. They're actually friendly and helpful. When they were teaching me three-card even the pit-boss was helping. She looked at my second hand and said, "Ohhh. The curse of the queen-nine!" She then proceeded to explain the game in more detail and what things to look for while playing. The other places are poker-face [pun intended] and give no reaction. They'll even tell you that they'll get into trouble if they don't follow the rules exactly. The Wynn will be the next place we stay, I'm sure.

The best part of the trip was the new Cirque du Soleil's The Beatle's "LOVE". Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and the Octopus's Garden were my favorite parts. I forgot how great their druggie, druggie music really is.

I've seen a number of their productions, and though each one seems to outdo the previous, this one is by far the best one! Here's a little video I found on youtube.



If you're going to go to Las Vegas, I highly recommend LOVE.

Now, I have to decide what my life is going to be like from here on out. Well, at least for the immediate future. Time for me is #1 on the agenda for at least 6 months...

whattaya think...?

off again...

first thing in the morning. here's more than a hint as to where:



we have tickets for the cirque du soliel's new show, the beatle's love. it's based on their music.

would love to try to get tickets for the producers just to see david hasselhoff as roger debris, the drag queen director. it's supposedly more difficult than getting celine dion tickets. and to think, david hasselhoff always hated being shown from the waste down on baywatch because he thought his legs were too skinny? [they are.] wouldn't that just blow your skirt up?

this retirement business, so far, is fun...

i wonder why?

cruisin'...

the ship...



the scenery...



the surprise...



the disco t-dance



the beach ball...



the best comments...

- You all really know how to have a good time.

- You guys drink a lot. We sell more booze in the first two days of this cruise than we do on an entire regular cruise!

- Weren't you wearing pants when we left San Juan?

the end...


[no, it's not me. i wish i could look this good. i wish i ever looked this good.]

Atlantis knows how to throw a party. I had a ball...

and so did 2000 other guys...

nowhere to be found...

i'm in the middle of the caribbean sea right now on a ship headed for aruba! have already been to san juan, st martin, st kitts. after aruba then to curacao. temp is 87 degrees - a far cry from the 25 when i left chicago last saturday. two guys just walked by wearing pink and yellow afros and platform shoes! i need to get on deck for the classic disco t-dance..................................

wouldn't you rather be here?

just asking.

[pictures will have to wait until after i return.]

what's going on here (part XVIII)...

can someone explain...

Furor on Rush to Require Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Racing to embrace a new vaccine, at least 20 states are considering mandatory inoculation of young girls against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

But a roaring backlash has some health experts worried that the proponents, including the vaccine’s maker, Merck, have pushed too far too fast, potentially undermining eventual prospects for the broadest possible immunization.

Groups wary of drug industry motives find themselves on the same side of the anti-vaccination debate with unexpected political allies: religious and cultural conservatives who oppose mandatory use of the vaccine because they say it would encourage sexual activity by young girls.

The backlash from the point of view that it is happening too fast has an excellent point. Couple that with the fact that the immunization costs around $400 right now and there is grounds to question the expediency of the effort by the drug manufacturer. A little price gouging perhaps? The stand by the religious and cultural conservatives is a little questionnable. What is their real motive? Could it be continued subjugation and control of women? I have yet to find anyone needing encouragement when it comes to the flesh. As far as the religious and cultural conservatives aren't they the group with the highest divorce rate because they had to get married at a young age because they couldn't keep their collective pants on? just asking...

Exta, Extra, Inventor of the Remote Dies - Turn Your TV On and Off 21 Times as a Salute

Robert Adler died this week at 93 years old. He invented the wireless tv remote a little over 50 years ago, finally giving men an important responsibility around the house

There are just too many places to take this story - and so many jokes - but the fact is that Robert Adler probably had an impact on life equal to the invention of the light bulb. I'm serious. There's just no other comment that I can make. Well, before you do the 21-click salute, make sure the batteries in your remote are not almost out of juice. I wonder if he died with a remote in his hand?

2 Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 56, Injure Scores

Two car bombs exploded in an outdoor market in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 56 people and injuring scores in the deadliest attack since U.S. and Iraqi forces began a major security push around the capital last week.

Of course, just yesterday the MSM and Washington was reporting how the last two days had been so quiet in Baghdad that it was a sign that the surge was starting to work. Is there supposed to be some sort of timetable that the insurgents use in planning their attacks? Can you hear the planning sessions now, "Oh, let's not bomb for two days. That way the infidels will think that their surge is working. Then we'll blow up a huge bomb and kill lots of people when they let down their guard." Yeah, right. It's probably more like, "Bomb the f*^@ers as soon as the new shipment of explosives arrives. Inventory is kind of low right at the moment.

Flier bill of rights in works

Malkin: “I’m skeptical of anything that has ‘Bill of Rights’ tacked on to it”

Lawmakers in the House and the Senate are drafting bills that would create a new "airline passenger bill of rights" that, among other things, would require planes delayed on the ground more than three hours to allow passengers to get off, compel airlines to provide passengers with frequent updates about delays and mandate disclosure of information about chronically delayed or canceled flights....

If the suggested legislation takes off ...

Provisions in a proposed passenger bill of rights include:

- Give passengers the right to deplane after a flight has been held on the ground for three hours.

- Require airlines to frequently update passengers at the airport and aboard aircraft on the cause and timing of delays.

- Require airlines to disclose information on chronically delayed or canceled flights at the time of ticket purchase.

- Require airlines to make every effort to return checked bags to passengers within 24 hours.

- Require airlines to draft and prominently display a Passenger Bill of Rights, which either meets or exceeds the standards in this bill.

There should be no problem with this concept. From a marketing and business standpoint it is something that the airlines should want to happen. They should be doing it right now. I once had an experience like the passengers on jetBlue last week. This was a flight from Paris to Chicago via New York. We took off late from Paris because TWA didn't want to pay for hotel rooms for passengers on a connecting flight from Cairo via Frankfort. We made up time and got to JFK only 30 minutes late. However, since we were late, JFK wouldn't let the plane go to the gate. We had to park on the tarmac and disembark using a bus. No problem except that they only used one bus and the plane was a fully loaded 747! It took more than an hour. We missed our connecting flight by 10 minutes. TWA made arrangements for another flight but... it was at LaGuardia! They gave us $20 for a taxi but didn't bother to tell Pan American that they put us on the flight to Chicago.

Thanks for a very understanding ticket agent, we got on the flight and pulled away from the gate immediately. As soon as we did the pilot came on the P.A. system and said, "I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that they are going to let us take off even with the approaching weather front. The bad news is we're #34 in the queu. I'm instructing the flight attendants to break out the Jack Daniels!" We got to Chicago 18+ hours after leaving Paris in what is normally a 9 hour 15 minute flight. Most of the time we were on a plane. TWA sent me a $50 voucher for my next flight with them. Quess what? There was no next flight with TWA. There is no such thing as TWA anymore either. It's what happens when you have shitty business practices.

As far as the second headline and its connection to the story on Passenger Bill of Rights, Michelle Malkin interviewed Kate Hanni, the woman who is behind the passenger movement, and it was her openning response to Ms. Hanni. Wouldn't you question anyone who has a problem with the concept of a Bill of Rights? If there were not a Bill of Rights, Ms. Malkin wouldn't be able to spew the evils she spits out. I also do with her as I did with TWA: I don't watch or read her s*^@! The companion to freedom of speech is freedom to not listen...


Sources: New York Times, LAist.com, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Crooks & Liars

what's going on here (part IV)...

U.S. Jobs Shape Condoms’ Role in Foreign Aid

Alabama firms were given an almost exclusive contract to produce condoms for foreign aid. The purpose was to keep jobs in the US rather than using cheaper more cost-effective condoms from Asia. They can't keep up with the number of condoms required. The federal government begins buying the cheaper condoms. In effect, it out-sources just like many American companies. American lay-offs are to begin soon. Sen. Jeffers (R-Ala) wants a law to use only US made condoms. He'll probably get it. What's the price of millions of people in Africa and Asia dying of AIDS when we can save a couple of hundred Alabaman's jobs? just asking...



GOP at a loss? Karl Rove has an 11th-hour plan to win

be afraid... be very, very afraid. Not of the terrorists but of the promised October Surprise. [There are still three more days in October!] Rather than focusing on issues, this man focuses on power, getting it, keeping it, and abusing it. No tactic is above consideration. He consistently uses tactics that scare not only little babies but full-grown adults. Anybody counting down the number of day? Can he spill over into November if he doesn't have enough time? just asking...



Relief for Nasa as Discovery makes a textbook landing

Did anyone know that Discovery had even launched, let alone returned safely? This makes the news in the UK and you can't find it in the NYT, LA Times, Chicago Sun-Times...? Have we become so inured by space travel in the US that it is now routine? Or are we being led to only read certain things in the news? just asking...



Tearing Down The Walls

al-Jazeera in English? The station may have an idea here. Many people in the US don't have an inkling on the thinking going on in the heads of people who actually live in the Middle East. Democracy is based on free speech & dialogue. Yet, we seldom hear a word, let alone have any kind of dialogue, from the people of the Middle East. Is this part of Homeland Security? just asking...



Gay Cruises Are on the Seas and in the Mainstream

They're everywhere! They're everywhere! I hadn't gone on any cruise, let alone a gay one, until this past January. My friends kept telling me I would like it. I didn't want to believe them. I had no idea that a cruise could be so relaxing and enjoyable. I venture onto a gay cruise this coming March 10-17. [shhhh, it's a secret.] Anyone else going to be there? just asking...



Une jeune femme grièvement brûlée dans l'incendie d'un bus à Marseille

On the first anniversary, the rioting returns in France with a bus being burned, damage to property, injuries to rioters, and the death of one young lady. What have the French learned in one year? Appeasement? Ignorance? Stay the course? just asking...



Sources: New York Times, Telegraph.co.uk, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine - Europe Edition, Le Monde