Marvel at the fiery shades of Fall before they're gone ... four top places in the Northeast to go leaf spotting:

Mount Greylock [Appalachian Trail]
Lanesborough, MA

Killington, VT

Mount Monadnock
Jaffrey, NH

Rhinebeck, NY

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Yesterday I had my annual eye exam and it sounds like I'll be needing those reading glasses in about two years. Dr Nachum says my eye sight for distance is perfect [amen!], but my eye sight for reading et al has deteriated since my last visit 1 1/2 years ago. Sigh! Plus I'm having some troubles with my right eye, which he said dries up [or irritates easily] alot, so gave me drops for that. Oh joy!

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You may not know it ... but I've been a subscriber to THE NATION weekly periodical since the Peace Rally back in February. Fascinating reading from a progressive periodical and I highly recommend it to others. In a recent issue [Oct 6, 2003] there were some "In Fact" bits I wanted to share with you all. . . . . . .

ANOTHER WIN FOR MEDIA DEMOCRACY

Take that, Rupert Murdoch! Invoking its authority to "veto" decisions of regulatory agencies, the Senate voted 55 to 40 to overturn FCC moves to loosen controls on media ownership. "What Americans see, hear and read is increasingly controlled by a few people. That is not in the public interest," declared Senator Byron Dorgan, sponsor of the measure that the White House, Senate leaders and the broadcast conglomerates sought to derail. Before the vote, Dorgan accepted petitions from 342,000 American calling on Congress to kill the FCC rules. "Broadcast stations operate on airwaves that are owned by the public ...The FCC seems to have forgotten that, but the American people have NOT forgotten," Dorgan said. Next step: Pressure House Speaker Dennis Hastert to let his chamber follow the Senates lead.

RUMSFELD MUST GO

"The Defense Secretary should resign ... now," we wrote back in April, and we believe it even more strongly now. That's why we support the Move On/Win Without War "Change the Team" campaign. As we noted in our bill of indictment, Rumsfeld, together with his deputy Paul Wolfowitz, his adviser Richard Perle and Vice President Cheney, were the principal architects of the Administration's Iraq venture "in pursuit of which they have deceived the American people, misled US soldiers whose lives are at risk, scorned the UN and defied international law."

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Several websites I heard about this morning on WBAI [free speech radio - 99.5 AM] while getting ready for work. Check them out, if you wish:

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.iraqwar.ru [click on English icon to view site in english, not russian]
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
http://www.ccr-ny.org