Another work week is coming to a close here in bustling, noicy, crowded Times Square. When leaving the office at lunch time or to go home, one has to deal with crowds of tourists, theater-goers and other office workers like me. As one of my co-workers terms it ... a constant parade of humanity & never a dull moment. As to work itself ... its been interesting, busy and a few hiccups along the way. I'm glad its Friday ... amen! Other bits of gossipy office news ... lots of attractive men in this firm ... woohoo! Plus, I also notice many married, pregnant gals who work for the firm. Yep, lots of couples are populating the NYC area with newborns. Getting a better handle on the elevator workings, office layout and routine of the large cafeteria.

Yesterday evening, after my one-hour session with personal trainer, I'm walking to the subway down Lexington Avenue when I had a brief "celebrity" sighting. Well, she's not a big celeb, but relatively known on television since the early 1970s. I'm waiting at an intersection for the light to change, so that I can cross, when I hear three people chatting behind me. Nothing wrong with that, but I recognized the one voice. So I casually glance around and did a double take, cause I recognized the woman. She's got one of those voices that is, as far as I'm concerned, very distinctive. Talks that way onscreen and off. It was Georgia Engel, who played Ted Baxter's wife [Georgette] on the hit 1970s tv series "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Nowadays she's no longer the bubbly looking blonde. She seems more matronly with short honey colored hair. Have no idea who the two people were that she was with or talking too.

Other news ... awaiting my order of Pearl Jam MSG CD boots from 10 Club. And tomorrow its ferret shelter day up in Yonkers. Hurray! On that note, must sign off and get back to work, as lunch hour is complete.

Pearl Jam Concert
Madison Square Garden
July 9, 2003

Following an afternoon of touring Wall Street/Battery Park area, stopping by my office and a brief visit to Times Square [saw radio DJ Cousin Brucie] … Josee, Michelle and I headed down to MSG. We placed voicemail messages to Erica and Andrea’s cell phones in hoping to meet up before entering the venue. We heard back from Erica, but couldn’t find her outside, so went in about 7pm. Again we agreed to meet up after concert in MSG lobby. This time I went with Michelle and Josee went her way. Shortly before entering the venue, Josee sold her extra 10 Club tix to a nice chap from NJ. Michelle was hunting down a particular t-shirt. So we hit most of the vendors, but sadly the t-shirt she wanted was sold out.

At our seats, which were pretty decent, we spotted Josee in her seat across venue from us and waved. We also spotted Erica in her front row seat and called her on cell phone. Michelle asked her if she would stop by Josee’s seat and inquire about t-shirt, then she walked over near our area and we talked abit on the stairs. She went to see “Phantom of the Opera” matinee with her step mom earlier. Which she enjoyed. Still no word from Andrea and I was getting concerned.

It was close to 7:30pm and Sleater-Kinney was the opening group. Their okay … personally I thought the Buzzcocks were more entertaining. Anyhow, 45 minute set later and done. Now comes the 30-minute wait, while the roadies set up the stage for Pearl Jam.

Lights go down, 19,000 fans rise as one, as well as letting out collective screams of joy and its show time! Hell yeah!

OMG! They started the concert with CRAZY MARY. We fans get to hear this cool song again, as they’d played it the night before. As Boom Gaspar starts ripping into a groovy keyboard solo, Michelle and I are hoping that Mike [lead guitar] would stroll over and do a musical duet or duel. We flipped out when he does stroll over, cause he didn’t the night before. Next song up is the fast paced SAVE YOU. The next few songs [ie: HAIL HAIL, WHIPPING & CORDUROY] have the whole venue going berserk. Totally! Michelle and I are dancing our asses off. We be in happy mode! Next up is one of those Pearl Jam songs I’ve been wanting to hear in concert ever since I purchased “Live on Two Legs” cassette back in 2000. RED MOSQUITO! WooHoo! Next up was DISSIDENT and I AM MINE, which had many from the crowd singing along. Then another song from “Riot Act” called GET RIGHT, followed by one of my favs … GIVEN TO FLY. It was breathtaking. They kick into EVACUATION, which isn’t a fav of mine, but the next song is … EVEN FLOW. Long, killer guitar solo by Mike, who is again on fire this evening.

Eddie called Johnny Ramone, but he wasn’t home to hear the next song [Ramone’s I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES], so we left him a message. [ie: “Johnny, its me Ed, why the fuck aren’t you home.”] That was amusing, seeing Eddie on a cell phone during mid-concert. The next two songs [MFC & DEEP] were a great addition to the gig and kept things rockin. This was followed by two fav songs of mine from the Pearl Jam catalog, PRESENT TENSE and NOTHINGMAN. Especially the latter song … it was sooo good. Sigh! Couldn’t tell what next song was by its intro, but knew it was a rare good song cause Michelle was going nuts. She yells in my ear … STATE OF LOVE & TRUST. Wow! Then rounding off the set the ever-popular PORCH. The guys played a great jam set during it with Eddie wandering around the stage.

Then the guys depart stage for a “break”. The crowd [us devoted fans] wants more and we scream and stomp up a fuss. MSG is vibrating! This crowd was just as intense as the night before. Long live rock! After about five minutes or so Eddie comes out on stage. He talks for abit about different stuff, reads fans signs [ie: “Play LEACH U Pussies”] before singing a Beatle tune … YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY. Then the rest of the band came out on stage and jumped into another fav song of mine … ELDERLY WOMAN IN A SMALL TOWN. OMG! Can’t believe it … they did GLORIFIED G! Another 10 Club fan fav. Eddie does abit more talking and they do ALL OR NONE. Which they first performed live up at the Albany show I attended back in April. This time around it sounds so much better. It’s a slower, blues type of song. Several folk in the crowd head out to concession stand for beer during this time. Makes no sense to me … I wouldn’t want to miss any moments of the show. Next up is DO THE EVOLUTION … which seems to be another crowd pleaser. And finally … last song of 1st encore … ALIVE! Yeah baby … this song totally kicks ass in concert and the whole crowd is responding in loud unison. Gives me goosebumps! Plus I try to imagine what it’s like for the band on stage when entire crowd is screaming YEAH on the backbeats of this awesome song.

Another break, only abit shorter than last one. And they come back out to do a 2nd encore and start with GO. Hell yeah! Then Eddie talks briefly about the Clash and late Joe Strummer, before the band does a groovy version of KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Right-on! OMG! A song I’ve been wanting to hear live for quite some time … KEEP ON ROCKING IN THE FREE WORLD. The band [ie: Jeff is jumping, bouncing & spinning all over the stage] and crowd are whooping it up. If you stand still for about 30 to 60 seconds you can feel the floor vibrating. Whoa! Its an event and we’re all totally into it. And finally, the closing song of the evening, yep, you guessed it … YELLOW LEDBETTER. During the closing guitar solo that Mike rips off, the rest of the band sit around watching and listening. An awesome moment, to be sure, then they all line up on stage and bow to the audience. Sweet! What a terrific show!

Michelle and I make our way down to the lobby to meet up with Josee and Erica. We’re all happy, smiling and chatting with others. After awhile Erica takes off for her hotel and we all stroll outside to locate Andrea. Using cell phones we finally hook up outside MSG. Andrea is with her friend Tieran and they showed up 10 minutes or so into Pearl Jam set. We’re all standing around on sidewalk chatting, gossiping, drinking soda/water from a street vendor and taking group pix. Lots of fun! We part company shortly after 12:30am and head to our respective transportation. There is talk; even Eddie mentioned it, that the band will do a mini tour next summer. Damn … I sure hope so!

US NOBEL LAUREATE SLAMS BUSH GOVERNMENT AS WORST IN AMERICAN HISTORY. Article from Der Spiegel magazine, which is based in Berlin. Here is the link ... check it out if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0729-06.htm

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

"Will Congress Impeach George Bush over WMDs?"
By Mark Dunlea
The Albany Times Union
July 9, 2003
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0709-04.htm

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

HOLD BUSH ACCOUNTABLE

If President Bush won't stand up and take responsibility for himself, then the American people will have to do it for him. If you haven't already signed the petition calling for an independent, bipartisan investigation into President Bush's statements in the State of the Union address, sign it today.

http://mailer.democrats.org/rdr/002L701IMo0001F

And be sure to forward this message on to your friends to help spread the word that it's time for President Bush to stand up and take responsibility for the words that come out of his mouth.

http://mailer.democrats.org/rdr/002L701IMo0001G

Click the link below to read the full UPI report on how Bush's claims about the connection between Iraq and al Qaeda contradicted U.S. intelligence.

http://mailer.democrats.org/rdr/002L701IMo0001E

More interesting articles on current events and news:

AMERICAN REBELS
by Jack Newfield [The Nation]
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16262

MY COUNTRY - THE WORLD
by Howard Zinn
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/7726

MATRIOTISM FOR MOTHER EARTH
by Elouise Bell [Earth Island Journal]
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12918

TOUGH LOVE
by Michelle Chihara
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11930

A PRAYER FOR AMERICA
by Dennis Kucinich
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12477

Get Involved - Write Your Vision for 2020 America
http://www.2020democrats.com

MISREPRESENTATION
http://www.moveon.org/r?458

POWELL & BLIX HAVE THEIR DOUBTS
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,968581,00.html

IMPEACHMENT!
http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/dean/20030606.html

Some good news on the work front ... after two days at the Times Square office I've finally been assigned not one, but two assignments. Now that I'm a floater, trying to find a new permanent position here at the office, I'll take whatever assignments they give me. Yah know? So, for now, I'm covering the secretarial [admin] position of a gal who had to start her maturnity leave sooner than expected. [She's married to a NYC cop.] Seems pretty straight-forward of handling travel arrangements, timesheets, expense reports, set up meetings or conference calls, etc. The department is Tax Insurance and the other smaller assignment is also with same department, and working on audit spreadsheets. The folk in this area seem pretty decent and helpful. On that note, time for this gal to sign off and make the commute home. Remember to keep rocking in the free world. :-)

Well folks, since my last post about the work situation, much has happened. Found out last Wednesday afternoon, July 16th, that we doing the "big move" on Friday and not end of the month. Ugh! Lots of last minute work to do, calling vendors, cancelling accounts, packing up supplies and offices, etc. Much paid overtime. Then I find out in a meeting with my Administrative Manager on Thursday, that my position with STS Group was eliminated. Imagine my surprise and shock upon hearing that! Whoa! But they had good news for me, until I can find a new permanent position in the firm, I'll be a floater/temp admin. Actually, I have three months to find a new permanent position. In September the firm is doing a major restacking [hard to explain] and promotions. Which means there will be lots of openings. Yeah! So, in the meantime, I float and am now at the Times Square location.

The move on Friday from downtown office was long, but successful. My computer from downtown office has been temporarily set up in the TSS department on 8th floor. So thats why I was able to access several times yesterday and today. Felt good to deal with office and personal emails, plus check out PJ stuff on the net and IRWTpt2. Anyhow ... I hooked up with my Administrative Manager and we discussed what will be happening during this "transition". I also touched base with accounting and facilities department to go over invoices and such regarding downtown office. I also briefly connected with the secretary who's now covering for the partner I worked with. Passing on his info, emails, calendar, etc. During all this I was running into people I hadn't seen in months and they were wondering why I was up at Times Square office. Many explanations, yah know. Also, my Admin Mgr gave me the company link to the "job openings" database. At least twice a week I have to check it to see what openings in the firm are available, discuss it with my recruiter and then apply for the position. Then there was lunch in their cafeteria, which I'm not going to do often, as I'd rather "brown bag" it and save money. I already miss the nice small parks down in Wall Street area. Then yesterday afternoon I had two meetings ... one with new Admin Mgr and secretary to main partner in STS group. Have met a few cool new people. Everyone has been nice and helpful. On a good note, the commute was only 20 minutes this AM and I utilize two subways, not three. Big difference!

Lets see ... lighter news ... I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at a park in my neighborhood. The weather was wonderful! Blue skies, not too hot, and a slight breeze. Took a blanket, small pillow, bottled water, snack, reading material and ventured forth. Parked my ass under a nice, shady tree for 3 1/2 hours. Sometimes I napped, read or watched folk play softball. Last night, on the local PBS station [telly], I watched several cool programs. They were "History Detectives", "American Experience - Ansel Adams" and "Charlie Rose". Time to sign off ... for now ... lunch time.

Review Of Pearl Jam Show
July 8, 2003
MSG in NYC

OH MY GOD! What a f--king amazing show! This band blew me away at Saratoga 2000 and again at Albany 2003. Let me tell you, those two shows paled compared to the first of two MSG gigs. I'm being totally sincere in this statement. Yeah baby, its coming from the heart and soul.

Start with the beginning, which was way back in late January, when we 10 Club members first heard the tix were going on sale for North American tour. Sadly, I had messed up on my membership, which I wasn't able to renew until after the deadline for concert tix. All was not lost ... my dear PJ fan/friends Josee and Michelle came to bat for me. [A big thanks from bottom of my heart & enjoy those rumballs. More to come at Xmas time.] They were both coming to NYC for the shows and I said your more than welcome to stay at my place. Save on those pricey hotels in Manhattan.

Ordering tix via the 10 Club, upon submitting info/money, member got two tix for show of request. One could go to as many shows as one wanted, as long as one had the funds to cover price of tix. The average tix was about $40 each and thats darn good. Anyhow ... Josee offered me her first night extra tix and Michelle offered me her second night extra tix. I paid them for the tix back in February. WooHoo! As the dates were drawing nearer, we three had to coordinate on arrival times and pickup destination. Got a little bit anxious on some things, but it all worked out in the end. Michelle flew into Newark Airport, then a bus to Port Authority and Josee took a bus down from Canada to Port Authority. I picked them both up on
the evening of July 7th.

Now about the show! Yeah baby! We got thru security with no difficulties and they seemed pretty cool. In the main lobby of MSG the four of us [ie: my Texas pal Erica was with us] picked a spot to "meet up" after the show. Michelle and Erica went their way and I ambled off with Josee. We checked out the merchandise booths, as Josee wanted to purchase a poster and t-shirt. Posters were sold out, but she got a really cool black/red t-shirt. Found our seats, which were on the floor, row W, about a little center-right. I'm thinking ... holy shit ... I've never been this close to the stage in MSG. We saw Michelle [her Ticketmaster tix were just behind the stage, which she later said provided her with some interesting views] and waved to her. Erica stopped by to chat for abit and pointed to her front row seat. Her stepmom was attending the gig with her. Josee noticed Michelle waving at us again, but pointing behind us. We looked around and I saw my friend Andrea waving at me from the section behind ours. I went up to the barrier and managed to talk the security guard in letting Andrea come over to chat with me for five minutes. It was great seeing her again and she too is also a big "jeff ament" admirer like me. Sigh!

Back at my seat, we waited for 7:30pm to roll around, for when the Buzzcocks came on stage as the warmup band. Their a British punk band thats been around for about 25 years or so. They played their set at a fast pace with little breather space in between songs. Josee said its the same setlist, as she'd seen them open for Pearl Jam in Detroit, Montreal and Toronto, before coming to NYC. Personally, I thought their set wasn't that bad and better than the group SPARTA, who opened for Pearl Jam in Albany. Both Josee and I noticed Eddie standing on stage right. He was watching the set and enjoying it. On the left, I noticed Jeff trying to hide behind the speakers and then Mike joined him. For the last song ["Why Can't I Touch It?] on the Buzzcocks set they were joined on stage by Jeff, Eddie and Mike. What a treat for us fans. They ended the set and all left the stage. Now comes the suspence of waiting for the main band ... Pearl Jam. only 30 minutes or so, but it seemed like an eternity.

When they did finally come on stage, all 19,000+ fans stood up and cheered wildly. Its show time! They started off the set with LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN, then ripping into LAST EXIT [Jeffs bopping all over the stage] and SAVE YOU. Two kick ass rocker tunes. Josee and I are bouncing and dancing with absolute joy. We later learned that there were 7,000 Ten Club members at this show and 8,000 at second show. WOW! Next song was GREEN DISEASE and then a slightly different version of IN MY TREE, which I liked. Through all this one could tell that some folk were lighting up and smoking pot. Thankfully it wasn't as "thick" as it was at Albany show. Anyhow ... next up was a wonderful rendition of CROPDUSTER, followed by one of my fav songs, EVEN FLOW. This song really lets Mikey showcase his terrific guitar solo skills. Then they do a John Lennon song called GIMME SOME TRUTH, followed by the bands first single [I AM MINE] off of latest LP called RIOT ACT. What's up next, oh my gosh, a song they hardly ever do and a fav of mine off YIELD. Its a Jeff song called LOW LIGHT and they follow with another YIELD song called FAITHFULL. Both are favs with 10 Club members. Up next one of my least fav Pearl Jam songs ... WISHLIST ... but the tag is cool which is the Buzzcocks WHY CAN'T I TOUCH IT? If I remember correctly, it was around this time that some guy shows up and tries to take Josee's seat. Claiming it was his seat, we're like NO WAY DUDE! Looked at his tix and he's suppose to be in row Y, not W. Geez! Next up is the fast paced LUKIN. The next five songs [ie: GRIEVANCE, 1/2 FULL, BLACK, SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE & REARVIEWMIRROR] are more favs of mine and the band is sooooo on fire. Eddie is in fine form this evening, Mike's a live wire & playing amazing solos, Matt as always is a powerhouse on the drums, Stone is providing groovy rhythm and watching Jeff play that bass makes me sooooo happy. Plus his jumps on stage were amazing.

The arena is going nuts during the break between main set and 1st encore. The guys come back out on stage to near deafening cheers from the fans. And kick off the 1st encore with the funky song YOU ARE utilizing strobe lights. These type of lights usually bother my eyes, so I spent most of the song with closed eyes and bent head. Every so often they throw in a quiet song and this time its THUMBING MY WAY. The next song is DAUGHTER and during the tag Eddie brings out Ben Harper to help out. The tag is a Harper song called WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS. This is a terrific surprise. Harper is there with his girlfriend, the actress Laura Dern. Josee and I damn near flip out when they roll into the next song, after some chatter from Eddie, plus passing wine bottle to Jeff and Stone. We were like ... OMG ... their doing CROWN OF THORNS ... which is a Mother Love Bone song. Then to add to our euphoria ... BREATH! Great song! I knew it was bound to happen, they did another of my least fav Pearl Jam songs ... BETTERMAN. What makes it interesting is the audience sing-along response, their reveling in this song, which is about spouse abuse. [Earlier that evening I saw a young chap wearing a t-shirt that said "Betterman Club". Very strange.] They cap off the 1st encore with DO THE EVOLUTION. The audience during the next break before 2nd encore is even more deafening. Everyone is rocking on all four cylinders. WooHoo! OMG!

Back on stage Eddie mentioned to us that they were told the stage only bounced up and down that much [which freaked them abit] for three other bands. Can you guess? Well it was the Grateful Dead, Iron Maiden and Bruce Springsteen. That last mention got a Bruuuuuce chant from the crowd. They start off 2nd encore with CRAZY MARY. Love this song live and Boom Gaspar plays a great keyboard solo. At this point I mention to Josee ... how will the band top this fantastic show tomorrow evening. It boggles the mind. Eddie brings Ben Harper out again and they duet the next song ... INDIFFERENCE. So sweet! Then Tony from the Buzzcocks comes out on stage to play bass for the next song, while Jeff sits this one out. Another fav
cover song of mine ... SONIC REDUCER. Did I mention the band was on fire this evening? Hell yeah! They close out the evening with an amazing rendition of The Who song BABA O'RILEY. And the show closing number is another fav of mine ... YELLOW LEDBETTER. Which again showcases Mikey's guitar prowness. They played a 2 1/2 to 3 hour show with such energy and enthusiasm. Everyone was excited and pumped afterwards. Josee and I met up with Michelle at our designated spot. We got to chatting with other cool fans ... mostly those that Michelle knew via Synergy BBS. We were all hot, sweaty and dying of thirst. Found a vendor outside the venue and quenched our thirst. One of the best concert experiences I've had in a long time.

Finally getting around to posting a new entry in my journal that is not politically related. This entry is based on some fun stuff I've been doing over last two weeks. Those of you waiting for reviews on my Pearl Jam MSG 1 & 2 experience, will have to wait abit longer. Sorry, still working on the reviews. For now ... the latest tidbits.

First of all ... work news ... it may not be "fun stuff" but its interesting. Its officially confirmed that the downtown E&Y space I've been working at for 2 1/2 years will be sublet by another company. That means in a few weeks we are moving to the Times Square offices. [Over 3,000 people in that one location. Whoa!] I'm actually looking forward to the move, as its been sooooo slow at current location for 2 1/2 months and I want some challenging action. NOW! Lately we've been busy with packing a few Senior Manager offices and shipping out lots of computer equipment to other E&Y locations. Stay tuned for more updates.

Back on June 29th I went up to northern Yonkers with my good friend Debbie to visit friends of ours. It was a delightful day trip. Judy and Don have a charming apartment overlooking Hudson River. Last time I saw Judy was on my b-day back in October and last time I saw Don was at their wedding in May 2002. Judy and Don drove us around the area [lots of nice houses et al] from Yonkers on up to Tarrytown. Weather was sunny, warm and abit hazy. We had ice cream at a charming place in Tarrytown and also strolled along part of "the trail". Next time I'm wearing sneakers instead of fashionable sandals. Band-aids and blisters on my feet ... not a pretty sight. Back at their apartment we watched some "Buffy" and "LOTRs" DVDs. Judy whipped up a yummy middle eastern dinner, followed by drinking wine on the terrace and viewing the sunset over NJ. Overall a most enjoyable day.

Headed up to the family homestead for the long July 4th holiday weekend. Left the office Wednesday afternoon on July 2nd, as E&Y was officially closed on July 3rd & 4th. Sweet deal! Weather was warm, humid and occasional breezes. Spent most of the time relaxing with Mom on the screened in porch doing pastels, chatting or reading. Did I mention that I finished reading the Harry Potter book and gave it to Mom to read. Loved the book! Highly recommend it to others. While upstate NY I did some shopping, cooking, reading, pastels, sketching, chores around house, watch some cable tv, out to eat a few times, cut & color, etc.

This past week was fantastic. Got to see my fav band, Pearl Jam, perform two gigs at MSG. I'll be writing up a review to those shows soon and posting it here. Worked on July 7th then went up to Port Authority to pick up Josee and Michelle. Josee came down by bus from Canada and Michelle was flying in from Seattle. They were staying at my pad for a few days and we were going to the Pearl Jam gigs together. We've met online, chatted back and forth via email, talked on the phone and now finally meeting for the first time. Their both terrific gals and we hit it off right away. Got back to my place in Brooklyn around 8pm, settled in my place, hit the grocery store and then picked up dinner from the local pizza joint. Sat around my livingroom chatting away that evening. Next day we headed into the city and got off subway at 34th Street Penn Station. Got some lunch there and hooked up with my TX Pearl Jam fan friend Erica. This was my first time meeting her, tho we've been emailing/phoning each other since October 2000. She's also one terrific gal and been a big fan of the group since the early days. We strolled over to Southgate Towers and got on line to pick up 10 Club tix for both shows at Garden. No troubles there ... long line ... tix showed our seats to pretty decent. [Erica had front row! Lucky girl!] Thanks 10 Club! After that we jumped on the subway and headed up to the westside to do some sightseeing. I showed the three of them the Dakota [where John Lennon was shot in 1980], Strawberry Fields ["Imagine" memorial] and a fun stroll thru "the rambles" in Central Park. Man oh man ... it was a sunny, warm, humid day. Then it was back on subway to head to Erica's hotel on 31st Street, but I accidently got us on the uptown subway. Silly me! We switched at Cathedral Parkway stop and went back downtown.

We hungout at Erica's hotel to cool off, freshen up and talk until close to showtime at Garden. Left another voicemail with my Pearl Jam fan friend Andrea, who was also going to the gig that night. We headed into the arena at 6:45pm. Erica went to her first row seat, Michelle had a tix for behind the stage and Josee and I were sitting in fan club section, which was in row W from stage. We waved to Michelle in her seat and then Erica stopped by briefly to chat. She had a primo spot right in front of Eddie. Then Michelle waved at Josee and me again, then pointed behind us. In section behind us I could see Andrea waving at me, as she was on her cell phone chatting with Michelle on her cell phone. In cases like this cell phones are a beautiful thing. I went up to the barrier and managed to persuade the security guard to let Andrea over to barrier so we could chat for a few minutes. She was at the gig with her sister. Sadly we wouldn't be able to meet up after the gig, as she had a train to catch back to NJ. I'll talk about the Pearl Jam gig in another post sometime this week. All I got to say for now is it was an awesome show. They are a great rock band. Afterwards we met and chatted with some cool people in the arena lobby ... Dan from Brazil, Melanie from Toronto, plus several others. Our throats felt like cotton fields, so we headed outdoors to picked up drinks from a street vendor. The three of us made it back to my place, via subway, at around 1:30am. Took showers and went to bed exhausted, but very happy.

On wednesday, after placing several voicemails to Erica and Andrea [plus a late breakfast], the three of us headed into Manhattan for more sightseeing. Todays weather was cooler and not as humid. I took Josee and Michelle to lower Manhattan. Showed them Ground Zero, St Pauls & Trinity Churches, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Stock Exchange and Federal Hall before we picked up a late lunch to eat at my office. While at office we checked out emails & posts on IRWTpt2 Yahoo Group. Then we left my office, jumped on subway and headed up to Times Square for a quick visit. Then back on another subway to zip down to MSG for the gig. Waited outside for awhile in trying to locate Erica and Andrea. Josee had an extra fan club tix, which she sold to a nice chap on the street. I was sitting with Michelle this evening. This time we all had decent seats, but Josee's seat was abit closer to the stage. We called Erica on her cell phone, as we saw her sitting in her front row seat already. She stopped by to briefly chat with Josee and then over to our section to chat with me and Michelle. She went to matinee that day with her stepmom to see "Phantom of the Opera". [Whoa! This entry into journal is turning out longer than I thought. Hope I'm not boring anyone.] Will provide review of show later on this week, but suffice to say, it was another awesome gig and I danced alot to the music. WooHoo! Afterwards we hooked up with Erica, Melanie and her friend Rita in MSG lobby. This night the Garden security was kicking us out soon than evening before, so we hungout outside arena. Melanie and her friend took off, but we finally located Andrea and her friend Teiran. Much chatter going on about show et al. Erica took off for her hotel ... she's a terrific gal and lots of fun. So the five of us hung out on the street corner, sipping drinks from vendor and gossiping until after 12:30am. From there we jumped on our respective transportation.

Back at my pad I called car service for Josee, as she had to head into the city at 7:30am to catch an 8:30am bus at Port Authority. Set my alarm clock for 7am, woke up Josee and got her on her way at 7:30am, then I went back to bed while Michelle slept thru it all. Didn't wake up again until 10:30am! We took our time getting breakfast and dressed. Finally left my apartment around 2:15pm and subways didn't get us to the Wall Street area until 3:30pm. Michelle had to be at Port Authority at about 4pm to catch bus to Newark Airport for a 6pm flight. So we decided to forgo the downtown area and made a beeline for midtown. Her bus was waiting upon arrival to Port Authority and I saw her off. I then picked up a late lunch and hoofed it to my Broad Street office to utilize the computer for a few hours. Then back home to tidy up the pad. Wow! What a fun and exciting 3 to 4 days. A major highlight of my summer, so far. Gotta jet.......................

DENNIS KUCINICH SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER. And the word is getting out about what Dennis is doing on the campaign trail and in Washington, where he co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus with the courageous Barbara Lee. If you have friends and relatives who still haven't gotten the news, please, send them this link today:

http://www.kucinich.us

This is just a quick, and I mean quick, post on my journal. I've been meaning to write in here sooner, but have been busy with work, enjoying the past weekend [more on that later] and getting ready for July 4th weekend. Can't believe the great summer weather we've been experiencing since Monday, June 23rd. Awesome! In less than a week I'll be seeing Pearl Jam at MSG and my friends Josee and Michelle will be visiting me. More news on Monday, July 7th, when I'm back in the office. Until then ... hope everyone has a wonderful July 4th and remember to keep rocking in the free world. Yahoo!!

The Ruckus Society's "War Profiteers Card Deck" sell for a $10 donation and are available at the group's Web site:

thhp://www.warprofiteers.com

Came across this interesting, political tidbit on a Pearl Jam chat group I sometimes frequent. Check it out, if you like:


Weapons of Mass Hypocrisy ... Posted: Jun 26, 2003 1:33 PM Reply

"While U.S. military personnel searched for weapons of mass destruction in Irag, an international team of weapons inspectors began touring the United States to draw attention to America's stockpile of WMD. ADBUSTERS magazine reports the Rooting Out Evil coalition (www.rootingoutevil.org) says the U.S. satifies all of President Bush's criteria for a dangerous state: It has a stockpile of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; it has refused to sign and honor international treaties; it has ignored United Nations directives; and its leader was not elected by popular vote. The campaign hopes to highlight the hypocrisy of the Bush administration by confronting U.S. weapons manufacturers in the months ahead."

http://adbusters.org/magazine/46/articles/rooting_out_evil.html

[Duchess Note ... If anyone is interested ... read on]

WHY KUCINICH? He's the candidate promoting a bold progressive agenda and building a winning coalition of activists committed to peace, economic justice, civil rights and liberties, the environment, women's equality, gay rights, workers rights.

ENDORSEMENTS ROLLING IN: Kucinich has just been endorsed by environmental hero Randy Hayes. Over the weekend, legendary civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs endorsed. Last week, it was Ben Cohen and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. Former FCC Commissioner and author of "How to Talk Back to Your Television Set," Nicholas Johnson, has also endorsed.

DONATE: Send your endorsement in the form of a contribution, and have the federal government match it. Help us amplify our message.

https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php

For more information: http://www.kucinich.us

Yesterday, from 5:30pm to 7pm, I participated in a big Rally near Sheraton Hotel on 7th Avenue and 52nd Street in protest against Bushie. That jackass cowboy who calls himself president, was in town grovelling for campaign donations from greedy, selfish, narrow-minded millionaires. If you saw the Rally section, on the telly, with protesters showing banners about the "Child Tax Credit", well then, I was in that group. Did you know that Bushie's recent $350 billion tax cut will provide an average of $93,500 to every millionaire, but doesn't give a dime to millions of children [800,000 here in NYC] in hard working families with incomes between $10,500 and $26,625 per year?!? My cousin & his family [wife & three children] in upstate NY [he served in first Gulf War] are one of those "hard working families", so is a good friend of mine in CT with two teenage daughters. The insanity of the Bushie Empire must be stopped. Make a difference when the 2004 Presidental Election comes around and make the right choices. Our future, as hard working Americans, depends on it.

One of the chants from yesterdays Rally:

Soak, soak, soak the poor
Tax breaks for the rich,
Terribly, terribly, terribly, terribly
Workers feel the pinch!

Grow, grow, grow the debt,
Tax breaks for the rich,
States are strapped for spending cash
Services, you wish!

Strip, strip, strip our rights,
Innocents must pay,
But the Constitution still exists,
And we won't go away!

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The VoteToImpeach campaign is a critical effort. As Ramsey Clark stated in his May 12 address at the National Press Club that was broadcast nationally on C-Span: "When people vote to Impeach it is important. It reminds Americans that the Constitution provides the means for removing an Imperial President and officials who commit high crimes." To help support the impeachment campaign, please consider making a donation at:

http://www.VoteToImpeach.org/donate.htm .

The administration's crimes, including its lies and deceptions, are becoming increasingly exposed in the public discourse and media. Pressure is growing for Congressional
hearings on the Administration's lies and deliberate manipulation of "intelligence data" related to the much ballyhooed connection between Iraq and Al' Qaeda and the patently false claim about the "grave and imminent threat" posed by Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction. Under these circumstances it is all the more important to expand the grassroots VotetoImpeach campaign.

Participate in the Each One, Reach One initiative, and by visting:

http://www.VoteToImpeach.org/eachone.htm

You can send an email inviting one or more friends, family members or colleagues to join the Impeachment movement.

Let's keep the pressure on!

Damn good article from the "San Francisco Chronicle" by Harley Sorensen and brought to you via Common Dreams website. We all need to pull together, in a non-violent manner, and stop Bush and his bloody empire in DC. Right now! Not tomorrow ... today! Don't hide behind a flag like some whimp ... be a true American and patriot. Rally together and do what we can to keep Bushies from destroying our beloved country. Check out this article.............

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0623-09.htm

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Rolling into this past weekend I thought the only excitement I’ll experience will be purchasing and commence reading the new Harry Potter book, plus going to the gym. Well, I did pick up the book yesterday at BORDERS bookstore and saved 40%. So instead of paying $29 at one store, I got the book for $19 and that made me happy. So far I’ve read up to Chapter 9 and it’s wickedly good. Proud to say I love the whole Harry Potter series. Its fun, interesting and a fast read.

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Saturday morning at 10:30am I received a phone call from an acquaintance of mine, whom I met through a Pearl Jam IRWT club pal [ie: Melissa]. Jodie was on her cell phone and calling me from her car in Pennsylvania. She also had three other friends with her and they ALL reside in Detroit. They were heading to NYC for a 24-hour whirlwind tour of the city. OMG! They had been out at a bar until 1am drinking and decided to go see NYC. Just like that! Whoa! Said they’d be pulling into NYC and Brooklyn [where I live] in about 3 hours or so. We discussed some plans, travel tips and I hung up the phone. This left me 3 hours to get the following things done … color my hair, shower, dress, makeup, do laundry & dishes, go to the cleaners and tidy up the apartment. And yes … I did all that in 3 hours! Must be a world record for me.

Between 2pm and 2:30pm I received another call from Jodie and they had just gotten thru the Lincoln Tunnel. I gave them directions to Midtown Tunnel and told them to call me once through that. Which they did … gave further directions to my place and ran out of apartment with umbrella [plus my house keys] to meet them at corner. We met up at corner [two blocks away] at the same time. I’m like … OMG there is Jodie driving the car and their all waving at me. Wild! I point them in the direction of Keyfood parking lot. Jodie introduces me to the others … Debbie, Richard and Matt. Then she calls Melissa [she lives in Arkansas] on her cell phone and hands it to me. We chat for a few minutes and Melissa can’t believe that they’re in NYC. She’s totally wigging out. Its softly raining at this point and abit chilly outside. You wouldn’t know it’s the first day of summer. Anyhow, we head up to my apartment to chill for abit and the two fella’s run to local Deli to pick up beers. Debbie and Jodie also go, as they want to get film and tampons. Back at the apartment their drinking beer and we’re discussing the agenda for the days outing. Yep, I’m going with them to be hostess and tour guide.

We head out at 3:20pm and took my two good umbrellas. I’m using one and Debbie [for now] is using the other one. At the subway station they purchase one-day fun pass Metro cards for $7 and we hop on the subway. Need to take three subways into Manhattan and head up to the upper Westside. First stop on agenda … the “Dakota”, Central Park & the infamous “Strawberry Fields” with “imagine” memorial to John Lennon. Yep, it’s still raining. Hum … what did you expect … sunshine on the weekend. Yeah … right! After that we took the subway down to the lower Eastside, as Richard wanted to check out a tattoo parlor for supplies et al. While on subway riding downtown I take some pix of the four of them. We’re having a good time … lots of laughs. They’re a fun bunch.

We get off at Second Avenue and try to locate a tattoo parlor. I finally asked one of the “locals” and he points us in the right direction [off of East Houston]. We find the tattoo parlor, but the three dudes were not at all helpful, even abit snotty. We were being nice and polite too. I felt badly for Richard, but he seemed to take it well. A few doors down from that place was a neat Italian place. We were all hungry at this point and wanted pizza. The place had a groovy atmosphere and the food was good, plus reasonably priced. From there we walked several blocks to Delancey Street to catch a subway. The third item on our agenda was next … they wanted to see “Ground Zero” at WTC. We got off at Chamber Street stop and walked west, stopping at Starbucks, as they wanted coffee. By this time the weather outside was getting worse. Rain was coming down heavier and the wind was really picking up. Not a good sign! We made it to Ground Zero and stood at the viewing area not far from Millennium Hotel. Lots of other people are there as well, mostly tourist. We also stopped at Century 21 department store to buy socks.

The subways in that area are closed, so we head down to Wall Street station of 4 & 5 subway. Can you believe it, the damn station is closed and the token booth clerk has no idea where nearest station is. Geez! By this time we’ve lost our umbrellas do to the downpour and strong winds. I’m getting wet and not happy about that. Still, overall, we’re having a good time. Really! Leave the Wall Street station and run up Broadway to the Fulton Street station for A train. Along the way ducking into doorways or under awnings to get away from the horrible weather. Good lord, it was nasty! Finally get a subway back to my neighbor and while walking to my apartment its still windy, but rain has stopped. Its now 9pm and we all look like drenched rats. Not a pretty picture. Jodie gets her car from parking lot and then parks it on my street. Back at my place we change into dry clothes or try to dry the ones they were wearing. I lent Richard one of my sweatshirts. They all utilized my bathroom to clean up, drink beer, I drank tea and we sat around chatting until 11pm.

While we’re talking I’m also going over subway plans with Jodie, cause the four of them wanted to check out Times Square and Greenwich Village that evening. So … at 11pm … we said our goodbyes and they headed off into the night. Said they’d be back around 5am to pick up the car and drive back to Detroit. Yep, all the way to Michigan. After they left I did some things around apartment before going to bed at 12:30am. I’m tired and not feeling too well, but I had a great time hanging out with them. And so ends my adventure this past Saturday.

Well folks, tomorrow is the big day for avid Harry Potter fans like myself. Yep, thats right, "Order of the Phoenix" [book 5 in the series] is due out in bookstores worldwide. Can't wait to get my copy and start reading it. I've heard thru the grape vine that there is a "death scene" of a significant character. Much speculation on who it could be and why. Stay tuned for more updates..............

Also came across two excellent articles from the following newspapers ... Toronto Star & Boston Globe ... yes ... its politically related. At this point in time that shouldn't surprise you all. Here are the links:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0619-11.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0620-02.htm

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Duchess Note ... Several upcoming Rally's that may be of interest to some of you. I know I am very interested & will be at the rally on June 23rd. See below for more info.]

Bush Coming to NYC on June 23rd! Help us greet him!!!
Monday, June 23rd 2003 5:00 pm
NYC, New York

President Bush will be holding a fundraising event for his re-election campaign on the evening of Monday, June 23rd at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. Please help us support a permited rally organized by Planned Parenthood of NYC at 5:00 pm. This is an excellent opportunity to join forces and demonstrate to the world our opposition to the Bush administration's anti-choice, anti-rights and anti-peace policies. For more information please contact:

UFPJNY: 212-603-3700
PPNYC: Gina Gambone, 212-274-7247

Location: Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers West 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue NYC New York

Contact:
United for Peace and Justice
info@unitedforpeace.org
212-603-3700

Sponsored By: Planned Parenthood of NYC United for Peace and Justice NY http://unitedforpeace.org

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Also, check out this website:

http://www.justiceinjuly.org/

Check out this fascinating article [if you wish] by Thom Hartmann, via Common Dreams website.

"How An Earlier "Partriot Act" Law Brought Down A President"

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0616-03.htm

We're finally getting a combination of late spring, early summer weather over last few days, plus the occasional spurt of showers. Anyhow ... yesterday was a sunny, warm, cloudy day and no rain. I headed up to Connecticut for the day to spend time with my good friend Katherine. We've been communicating via email and occasionally the phone, but haven't seen each other since January. Much has happened during that span of months in her life. First of all, over a delicious seafood lunch at Red Lobster, she tells me that her and her beau Maurice are engaged. This is great news and I'm very happy for her. The situation concerning her daughters [ages 17 1/2 & 20 1/2] isn't so good, especially in regards to the younger girl. To complicated to go into and some of the subject matter is of a delicate nature. Stopped by the cemetery to take care of my grandmothers grave, stopped by her house briefly so she could take the dog out for walk. [I do not like Pitbulls.] Then we headed over to visit her beau/fiance Maurice. I experienced good vibes when I met Maurice and one can tell how much he deeply cares about my dear friend. We hung out for awhile, chatted and watched some neat film footage that he is working on restoring for a wealthy Connecticut family. Cool stuff. Then we went out for a drive to check out [& photograph] some pretty parks/gardens and get ice cream. Overall I had a nice day and got back to NYC around 8:30pm.

Recently picked up a new Richard Bach book on the "Ferret Chronicles" series. This delightful book is called "Rancher Ferrets on the Range" and mostly takes place up in Montana [Big Sky country].

My neighbors are always saying that car accidents happen alot at intersection near my apartment. In the 18 years of living in my Brooklyn apartment, not yet has one happened when I've been home, until last night. At about 10:30pm I'm sitting at my computer typing an email to my friend Sheila down in Florida. When I heard screeching tires and major crashing. Next thing I know the people in apartment above me are running to their window facing street and people next door run out of building to have a "look". As for me ... I continue to type my email. Two minutes later I hear and see a firetruck & ambulence go up my street. I live on a one-way street and these vehicles were going in the wrong direction. So I stop typing, grab my keys and head outside. I forget to put sandals on, but since its nice and warm outside, it doesn't matter. I look up the street and already a crowd has gathered viewing the "scene", along with the firetruck/ambulence/police folk doing their thing. So I stand in front of my building trying to gage whats going on and talking to one of my neighbors on second floor [she's looking out her window]. So far, we can tell from passers-by that no one is dead or seriously hurt. Thank god! After about 5 minutes or so I walk up the street to where some of my neighbors had congregated. We talked and viewed the accident scene. Both cars were totalled, one was slammed up next to a street-light post and had also shoved two parked cars onto curb. The second car, in this fiasco, was across the street up on curb. Apparently the one driver didn't stop at the stop sign and rammed into the other car as it went thru the intersection. You know auto insurance companies will be busy with this situation. After awhile I said "goodnight" to my neighbors and headed back to my apartment to finish email, then go to bed, cause by this time it was after 11pm. What a night! Whew!

I'm telling yah ... if Bill Moyers ran for president of the USA tomorrow ... I'd vote for him. Sadly, he isn't running for president, but a recent article from THE NATION called "Bill Moyers 'Presidential' Address" was fantastic. Personally, I'd like to see Dennis Kucinich be the Democratic hopeful. We need someone to turn this nation around and for the better. He may be the one to do it. Away from the total corruption [ie: greedy liars] of the Bush empire. Check out the article if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0609-10.htm

If you wish to sign a petition for American Values and joining the fight to keep President Bush's right-wing extremist nominees off the Supreme Court, fill out the form at the link below. Plus tell your friends about the Supreme Court Action Center.

In just a few days, more than 110,000 people signed the DNC's petition. The people at Moveon. org are preparing to deliver your signatures and comments, and they want to give your friends and family one final chance to sign the petition and support Democrats in this crucial fight.

http://mailer.democrats.org/rdr/002Kt00fJ90001D

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Several interesting websites dealing with world peace, politics and other important issues. Check them out if you wish:

http://www.thebulletin.org

http://www.wagingpeace.org

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On a cheerful note, I went up to Yonkers yesterday to do my volunteer work at the Ferret Shelter. The weather was muggy, rainy and a slight breeze. Good day to be indoors doing something relaxing or fun. It was great seeing the wee adorable furballs again. Joanne adopted out several to good homes, but has also received several newbies [ie: Staten Island] and their mostly 8 to 9 month old kits. They seem to be in good healthy, soft fur and full of inquisitive energy. The little "sad story" furkid from my last visit is doing better in walking/running around, fur is getting full/softer, inquisitive, cuddly, happy, but sadly has been diagnosed with Lymphnoma. He's on medication to help him along. It was great seeing Joanne, Aliza, Briana and Toni again, as well as the two dogs and all the cats. Did my usual duties in the shelter and one of these days will need to learn how to clip furkid nails. Someday.....................

Check out this great article [remarks] published on Thursday, June 5, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
Iraq's WMD Intelligence: Where is the Outrage?
by US [D] Senator Robert Byrd

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0605-13.htm

[Duchess Note: If interested, please read on and take action, if not, disregard and believe me, I would understand completely.]

On Monday, Michael Powell and his allies on the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to authorize media consolidation. It's a sad day for democracy -- this decision will place the bulk of our country's newspapers and TV stations in even fewer hands. Diversity, fairness, and competition will decline as a result.

Luckily, democracy's awful resilient. Congress has the power to overturn these rule changes. More than 100 members of the House and roughly 20 members of the Senate asked the FCC not to approve these rule changes at this time. The members of Congress were right to be concerned, and they have the authority to act on those concerns now by introducing legislation that will undo these changes. Our friends at Common Cause have made it easy to contact your Representatives and Senators and let them know that you want the FCC's rules repealed.

You can take action now at:

http://causenet.commoncause.org/afr/issues/alert/?alertid=2446521

Click on the link below to read [June 2nd article - NY Times] about how the recent Bush Administration tax-cut benefits the wealthy and no one else. Basically Bush takes from the poor/middle classes and gives to the rich, just like his father did and of course Reagan. Check it out, if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0602-06.htm

Greetings all ... todays journal entry will be non-political. Hum ... do I hear a sigh of relief from my regular readers. For once I'm going to chat about fun things, instead of topics which depress us all. Anyhow................

This past Saturday was another wet, cool day/evening in the Big Apple, but that didn't stop certain people from enjoying a fun BBQ. No way! Party on dude! At the ELITE gym where I workout and train ... John & David threw a big BBQ that evening. I showed up at the gym at 6pm with a big tin of my freshly baked brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Andrea and her beau Tim followed me in and the backyard was totally covered with awnings, tarp and umbrellas. Not a drop of rain fell on the guests and fellow gym members all evening, tho we knew it was storming up. For 4 1/2 hours I had a wonderful time chatting with people, drinking wine, eating good food and sampling some yummy cakes. [All of this I worked off at the gym next day.] We also celebrated John's 32nd b-day [he is my personal trainer] and there were achievement awards for certain gym members. I also saw some folk I haven't seen in a year and we caught up on gossip. It was a blast and everyone in good humor. From there I took car service home.

Recently I finished reading a terrific, interesting, funny book by Bill Bryson. Its called "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" and I recommend to all. Its basically the authors observations of America, after living in England for 20 years. I found myself laughing out loud during parts of it. Which can be somewhat embarressing when riding NYC transit. As with his last book ... "A Walk In The Woods" ... I have this urge to visit New Hampshire, go to a drive-in movie, eat a Twinkie, as well as hike part of the Appalachian Trail. Yes, I know, abit odd. Definitely go purchase the book and enjoy.

[Duchess note ... this tidbit is from a recent newsletter from Moveon.org. Great organization! Check it out if you wish.]

The Democratic National Committee has now joined the fight with a "Supreme Court Countdown" and online petition, and we think it's important to support them too. We've spoken to chairman McAuliffe and he's agreed to deliver our petition comments personally to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. He'll ask Sen. Daschle to get your comments to his colleagues in the Democratic caucus as well.

To sign the DNC petition and send your comment, just go to:

http://www.democrats.org/scotus/petition.html?s=moveon

We expect chairman McAuliffe to deliver these comments next week, so add your voice today.

President Bush and the right wing are pulling out all the stops on these nominations. They've even talked about a "nuclear option" -- attempting to change the rules of the Senate to deny the use of the filibuster in the consent process. It's amazing that these politicians would consider destroying the time-honored traditions of the Senate and undermining the "advise and consent" provisions of the Constitution.

The Democrats are standing up in this fight, in the face of heavy pressure from the Bush White House. They need to hear our appreciation for this courageous stand and our demand that they hold the line. They need to hear that we understand what's at stake and will stand with them.

Go now to:

http://www.democrats.org/scotus/petition.html?s=moveon

As I'm sure you know, these appointments are for life, and these judges make decisions that impact every aspect of our public and private lives. Our actions today will affect generations to come.

Interesting article from Denver Post ... "Musicians Blast FCC Plan - Members of R.E.M. & Pearl Jam Decry Radio Consolidation". Rock on dudes! God damn government and big corporations are slowly taking away our first amendment rights et al. Down with corporate media ... let's hear it for free speech!!

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~78~1406829,00.html

On to something light and fun ... Elf Quiz! I took the quiz/test and found out I'm a tranquil elf. Cool! Check it out:

http://www.orlandobloom.co.nz/elftest.html

Even tho the weather mostly sucked [overcast, wet, cool] over the Memorial Day weekend, we did have a lovely, sunny, warm Sunday afternoon upstate NY. Did a few fun things over the course of three days ... such as: visit the Bennington Battlefield in VT, took a tour of Schuyler Mansion in Schuyler [NY], visited Saratoga National Cemetery, hit several tag sales [lots of good bargins], eat out a few times, shopping in Saratoga Springs [NY] & Manchester [VT], visit family and watch cable telly. Dad rented a car from Enterprise and it was a nice, little Mazda. Mom and I toodled around in that while Dad utilized his car and worked at golf course. It was nice and relaxing to get away for several days.

Interesting article/link from Common Dreams website and UK Times ... check it out if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0523-03.htm

Another terrific article/link from BBC News Online regarding war media coverage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/2982861.stm

Came across this link/article on the GREEN PARTY website and wanted to share it with you all. Check it out, if you wish:

http://www.gp.org/press/pr_05_13_03.html

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As promised awhile ago, here is my book review......

"The Eagles Shadow - Why America Fascinates & Infuriates the World"

By Mark Hertsgaard ... He's put out four other books, including "Earth Odyssey" and "On Bended Knee". Mark is first and foremost a journalist who's articles have appeared in New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, The Nation [current fav of mine], Die Zeit, Le Nouvel Observateur and many other worldwide publications. He's a featured lecturer at Harvard and Yale, plus a regular contributor to National Public Radio.

I first heard about this book and author after attending the awesome February 15th Peace Rally at UN here in NYC. While surfing the Internet I came across a great website called Booksense.com. The article and interview was quite fascinating and intriguing, really peaked my curiosity. Two months later I finally found "The Eagles Shadow" at Shakespeare & Co bookstore. Brilliant book ... informative, thought provoking and well researched. One that I highly recommend others to read. Remember that knowledge is power or enlightenment, especially if its utilized correctly and not abused.

"Americans rarely used to think about the outside world", says Hertsgaard and that statement is so true for about 50% of our nation. The media over the last 20 years or so doesn't help, as its more into sensationalism [ie: money profits] then truth, knowledge or vital issues. Hertsgaard gathered perceptions regarding America from people in 15 countries. Ranging from business leaders, teenagers or Islamic fundamentalists, these people felt both admiring of and uneasy about the US, also enchanted, bewildered, appalled and yes, even envy. In his book, Hertsgaard exposes uplifting, as well as uncomfortable truths that force Americans and foreigners alike to view this country with fresh open eyes. Read it today and you'll be glad you did.

Here are the lyrics to a terrific Pearl Jam song [Long Road] and seems to be appropriate [I think] for these days. . . . . .

and i wished for so long, cannot stay
all the precious moments, cannot stay
it's not like wings have fallen, cannot say
but without you something's missing, i cannot say yeah
holding hands are daughters and sons
and their faiths are falling down down down down
i have wished for so long
how i wish for you today
we all walk the long road, cannot stay
there's no need to say goodbye
all the friends and family
all the memories going round round round round
i have wished for so long
how i wish for you today
and the winds are blowin'
and the sky keeps turning grey
and the sun is setting
the sun will rise another day
i have wished for so long
how i wish for you today
how i wished for so long
how i wish for you today
we all walk the long road
(we all walk the long road)
we all walk the long road
(we all walk the long road)

Interesting BBC article on "Saving Private Lynch Story 'flawed'". Check it out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/3028585.stm

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Another interesting BBC article on Democratic presidential hopefuls for the 2004 elections. ABB = Anybody But Bush!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3017119.stm

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A snippet from the May 12th Green Party press release called "Revelation of Halliburton's Oil Distribution Deal Tops The Extensive List Of Bush's Wartime Lies"

[Greens also note that the White House and intelligence agencies are blocking the release of information about the September 11 terrorist attacks, delaying publication of a 900-page report from Congress on how the attacks happened. The blocked information includes details of early warnings received by the FBI, as well as testimony already published, such as the Phoenix memo.

"Why aren't these deceptions and evasions a major scandal and cause for investigation and prosecution?", asked Starlene Rankin, Lavender Green Caucus delegate to the national party. "Where's the outrage from the public and media? Why is perjury about oral sex cause for impeachment, but not perjury before Congress, the American people, and the U.N. about reasons for war? Why is the Democratic Party, except for a few vigilant Congressmembers like Henry Waxman, asleep in the passenger seat?"]

Here is the link:

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0512-07.htm

Came across this really good article on American versus British media today [ie: regarding Iraq war] on Common Dreams website. It is so true, one has to go elsewhere for good detailed news coverage, cause its just not happening here in the USA. Check it out ... if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0509-01.htm

Yesterday afternoon I was up in Yonkers doing my beloved volunteer work at ferret shelter. Aliza and Briana met me at the train station and we drove to shelter. Its great seeing them again and chatting. When we arrived Joanne was outside working on flowers in front and Harley was sitting in his doggie house. We talked for awhile about several things, one of which was the new 4-level cage Aliza purchased for her two furkids. Then Aliza and her daughter took off and I went indoors with Joanne. In the kitchen we caught up on "news" before going into shelter. Dear Bouncy Bear has been adopted, several new ferrets are in-house and one of the oldsters had to be put to sleep a week ago. In the shelter the first group of furkids were out ... the regulars whom I know well and love dearly [ie: Oliver, Sweet Pea, Emily, Big Willy & Spats]. While brushing their fur and cleaning their ears I put a large, empty Q-tip box on the floor. OMG! They went nuts over it. They dragged it all over the floor or tried to squeeze into it. Very amusing to observe their antics. Then it was time to put them back in their cages and go around filling up all the waterbottles. That done ... Joanne and I took out next group [10] of ferrets for play time. This included several newbies and one oldster. They too played with the Q-tip box. I brushed their fur and cleaned ears. Then it was time for a tea break with Joanne and a liberal discussion on politics. During this whole time her cat Mushy sat on my lap purring away. Back in the shelter we put away the furkids. I cleaned up poopy papers, mopped the floors and put down fresh papers, plus straightened up all the toys.

The last furkid to come out for his playtime has quite a "story" ... which I'll briefly relate. Hearing Joanne tell it damn near brought tears to my eyes. She said that two weeks ago a woman called her and said she'd found a ferret, in a park out in Forest Hills [Queens]. She was walking her dog when the pooch went to sniff a towel on the ground near a tree. She thought it might have a dead animal, but then a little ferret slowly poked its head out. The poor darling was thin, dirty, couldn't walk and very shaky. Joanne said the woman made several phone calls before being referred to her. The little three year old fella is doing better these days, tho not 100% and is slowly able to get around. Whomever the original cruel owners were, Joanne says they must of keep the wee one cooped up in a small cage on a 24/7 basis. Bastards! The little ferret is very friendly, doesn't bite, gives kisses, inquisitive and likes being held. He's such a darling. Soon Joanne plans on taking him to the vet for a thorough checkup. While there I brushed his fur and cleaned his ears. It was apparent that the previous owner didn't perform these duties. Makes me so mad to hear of people who are cruel to animals and innocent pets. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Spent the rest of my Barnes & Noble gift card yesterday evening and picked up several cool books.

"I'm a Stranger here Myself" by Bill Bryson
"The Master & Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov

[Plus a pretty, blank journal to utilize as a record-keeper of my volunteer work at ferret shelter.]

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Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark......

One: Don't miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Really good article from Common Dreams website on the media verse protest marches. Check it out ... if you wish:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0507-06.htm

[Duchess note ... I will continue to participate in Peace Rallys and Protest Marches. I go to lend my support to a worthy cause and making my "free" voice heard. Whether the media covers the events or not, we must continue to go out there and fight for our democratic rights. Or we'll lose them to the evil, greedy, ruthless, destructive Bush Administration empire.]

Next on the agenda ... check out this link ... if you wish:

http://www.operationstrangelove.org/

[Be part of a national anti-war action on May 14th. Screen "Dr Strangelove" (Peter Sellers film from 1963) and raise money for groups still working hard for peace, justice and relief in Iraq.]

One of my bosses gave me a belated "Administrative Assistant Day" gift card [$50] to Barnes & Noble. WooHoo! During a late lunch I stopped by a B&N in Union Square and picked up two books. Still have $35 left on the card. Yeah!

The Buddhist Handbook by John Snelling
Daughters of Britannia - The Live & Times of Diplomatic Wives by Katie Hickman

More political news:

http://www.gp.org/documents/spoiled.html

Join the party that fights for democracy instead of empire, peace instead of endless war, working people instead of corporations, and the health of our planet!

The Green Party and its candidates take NO money from corporations.

On Sunday, May 4th, I joined my friend Debbie in going to see Cirque Du Soleil ["Varekai"] out on Randalls Island. Our tix were for the 5pm showing. Took subway up to 125th Street, where Debbie joined me and we got on special buses [$4 roundtrip] bound for Randalls Island. A short ride and a nice, sunny spring day. After leaving the bus we stroll, along with the crowd, to were the many yellow/blue stripe tents are situated. Then the usual procedure ... go thru security check, show ones tix, look at the merchandise, hit the bathroom and then find our seats. Its like a "one-ring" circus only there are no animal acts, delightful music and costumes are fantastic. Believe me, when I say, there isn't a bad seat in the whole venue. The show started shortly after 5pm, had one 20 minute break and ended close to 7:30pm. Amazing show! Fantastic! Visually appealing and all the performers were incredible. I highly recommend to all in seeing a Cirque Du Soleil show at least once in their lifetime. Worth the price of admission. No doubt about it.

A friend of mine sent me a terrific article ["My Country: The World"] by historian and author Howard Zinn. It can be viewed at:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0505-07.htm

Here is a quote from that article:

[Tom Paine used the word "patriot" to describe the rebels resisting imperial rule. He also enlarged the idea of patriotism when he said: "My country is the world. My countrymen are mankind."]

I've also finished the book by Mark Hertsgaard called "The Eagle's Shadow" and will have a review end of week. Stay tuned..............

Pearl Jam Concert Review
Albany, NY

Tuesday
April 29, 2003

Arrived into Albany, via Trailways bus, at 5pm. I checked into the Ramada Inn near the bus terminal at 5:30pm. Good thing I made reservations for a room way in advance, cause they are sold out, mostly with Pearl Jam fans. The room was on the 4th floor overlooking the thruway. Oh yeah, noise factor. Sigh! Freshened up then changed into my concert attire of jeans, sneakers and POLICE t-shirt. Then strapped on my fanny pack and grabbed my jeans vest before heading out to arena at 6:30pm. Yeah baby!

Strolled to arena and arrived at 6:45pm. What a mob scene outside! Ran into some cool Green Party dudes who were handing out Xerox copies of PEACE sign to any and all fans. I already had mine protected in plastic sheet and snuggly stashed in my fanny pack. Got to talking to one of the dudes about a few topics [ie: local cops, etc] and he gave me the number to contact Green Party here in NYC.

Went into Pepsi Arena and had no troubles with security check, plus the guard was young and so cute. ;-) After showing my tix I noticed the Pearl Jam goodie table and a huge line of fans. I was like, no way, too pricey for my humble wallet. Had a slice of pizza, which tasted like some icky frozen kind nuked. I was hungry, so figured what the hell. Yah know. Hit the bathroom, cause I refuse to leave during mid Pearl Jam gig to take a pee. By this time its 7:15pm and I go in search of my seat, which is 104 C 3. I could see the stage just fine from my seat. Totally different from what I experienced at Saratoga show back in August 2000.

Two gals [ie: Alexa & Cheryl] are in seats next to mine and we strike up a fun conversation. It’s their first Pearl Jam gig and my second. Cheryl is in her mid-30s, married with kids and Alexa is in college. They live way south of Albany and were nice gals.

At 7:30pm SPARTA comes on stage to do a so-so 45-minute set. Well folks, this band did nothing for me, though I must admit the drummer was pretty good and the bass player sucked. But hey, to each his own, yah know. I wore earplugs to tone down their noise. Took the roadies about 35 minutes to clear SPARTA stuff and do final setup of Pearl Jam equipment. By this time my stomach is doing flip-flops. Hell yeah, I’m getting that excited.

At around 8:50pm the lights dim, everyone jumps to their feet, screams and lots of applause as Pearl Jam hits the stage. WooHoo! I’ve got a piece of paper with me and pen to jot down the set list, plus other notes. Watched them come on stage, observing them closely, especially Mike AND Jeff. They all looked good and ready rock the arena. I was hoping they would start off set with LONG ROAD, but they jumped right into I AM MINE. After that they blasted into WHIPPING. Awesome! Jeff started in with some pogoing, but poor Mike was having trouble with either his guitars or pedal board. This unfortunate occurrence continued thru next few songs and kind of curbed his style. Next song was LAST EXIT, followed by an intense version of BLOOD. Ed raging into his mike and I thought his voice would go, but it didn’t. Next on set list was CROPDUSTER with Matt supplying the backup vocals. Then comes one of my fav songs DAUGHTER with several cool tags, one of which is ABITW by Pink Floyd. Mike is still having troubles, but is dealing with it and his roadie is doing all he can to resolve situation. Jeff, as always, is looking and sounding wonderful. I’m taking in the whole stage, but my main focus is on Jeff, Mike and Ed. In that order too. Through it all I’m happily dancing, bopping up and down, plus screaming “yeah baby”. The two gals next to me are also dancing and smiling. We be happy!

The arena has signs all over stating NO SMOKING and despite this people are lighting up cigarettes and joints. And damn security is doing nothing! The smell of the pot is slowly giving me a sinus headache. Damn!

Next song on Pearl Jam set list is another fav of mine – EVEN FLOW. Mike, Jeff and Ed do a jump during the song and Mike is the bomb with his solo. Wow! They follow with a fav song off their RIOT ACT cd called GHOST. This is one of Jeff’s songs and he does backup vocals. Sweet! Next is ELDERLY WOMAN, though Ed chats abit with crowd before singing that song. Audience really gets into this song, and then they do another RIOT ACT song called LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN and features Boom Gaspar [?] on keyboards. Awesome! Next is WISHLIST and I admit not one of my fav Pearl Jam songs, though at the end Ed does an interesting tag. Then they do a kick-ass version of SAVE YOU and the whole band is totally grooving. Then, to my surprise, they swing into ONCE.

Along this time both Cheryl and Alexa had to leave, as their ride is waiting for them outside. I told Cheryl, who is a Ten Club member, to order the CD boot online. That way she will hear the whole gig.

Next up a great version of CORDUROY with Jeff grooving all over the place, but mostly with his back to us, which affords me a nice view of his amazing shoulders and butt. What a fine looking man. Mike rips off a bitchin solo towards end. This is followed by BETTERMAN, which the audience sings along to and quite loudly. They end the first part of their set with a fantastic rendition of PORCH. They are really into it and if I remember correctly, Ed and Mike stroll around the whole stage waving to fans in the back. This really gets the whole audience jazzed.

They head off stage for a 7-minute or so break. This give me and hundreds of others in the crowd time to whip out our white 8x11 papers with PEACE sign on it. The Green Party asked us to hold these up when the band came back on stage for encore. Not only do I hold up mine and proudly I may add, but also several hundred fans do likewise.

The look on the guys faces as they gaze out to see so many PEACE signs is priceless. Ed says something about peace, and then Jeff strolls over to mention something in Ed’s ear. Also, at this time, Ed spots someone in audience and brings up on stage. She is a young, petite gal who shakes hands with all the band members, but hugs Stone. I’m thinking lucky girl, but also what’s wrong with her. Hug Stone? Fuck that – go for the good stuff and hug Jeff. Oh well. Then Ed introduces her to the crowd [name is Rachel], asks her to hold a piece of paper and be a human music stand, which she does. One could tell she was nervous but happy. After the band finishes a great rendition of Patti Smith song called PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER, Rachel hands Ed her small camera. He takes pix of her with Stone, then Mike & Jeff and finally with Matt. Whoa! After she leaves the stage, Ed and band do a cute improv about how Rachel came to show and wished for world peace. Definitely a highlight to the evening. DO THE EVOLUTION follows this and then another fav song of mine GIVEN TO FLY. Audience is so into the show, me too, lots of energy. Then Ed says the next song is being performed for first time on NA Tour [or something like that] and they do ALL OR NONE. Sounds good too.

OMG! They follow that with an amazing version of ALIVE. I’m singing and dancing. Love it all! Throughout the whole encore Jeff is wowing us with great jumps and pogoing all over. A joy to watch. The final song of the gig is The Who’s BABA O’RILEY. Ed is whipping up frenzy on tambourines, Jeff dances a little Irish jig near Mike, and Matt is a powerhouse on drums. Towards end of song Ed runs around the whole parameter of stage, not once, but twice and flings tambourines to the crowd. Mike throws out guitar picks by the dozen. The guy’s finish the song to cheers from audience, they wave goodnight and Ed says goodbye. Awesome two hour show, though I’m wondering why no second encore. Doesn’t take long to exit the arena and walk back to Ramada Inn. The air feels so cool and fresh.

And there you have my lengthy review.

Did everyone remember that Wednesday, April 23rd was Administrative/Professional Day. Hum?!? Well, the company I work for did remember and sent all us wonderful Admin's a nice gift. Received a small box of Godiva chocolates, plus an American Express gift certificate. With this gift certificate, on Thursday, I went to the local bookstore [Shakespeare & Company] to purchase a few tomes. I ended up with two books I've been wanting for sometime:

"Ferret Chronicles - Rescue Ferrets At Sea" by Richard Bach
"The Eagle's Shadow - Why America Fascinates & Infuriates the World" by Mark Hertsgaard

I just finished the first book yesterday and loved it. Richard Bach [famed author of the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"] has this delightful series out called "Ferret Chronicles" and its inspired by his own beloved pet furkids. He's got ten of them! Lucky guy! "Rescue Ferrets at Sea" is the first in the series and last year I purchased the second book of the series [Air Ferrets Aloft}. Both are delightful books for teens on up to adults. Anyone who loves ferrets ... then get these books. The next book in the series is called "Rancher Ferrets on the Range". I've seen it in Barnes & Noble and hope to pick it up soon.

The second book I purchased with my "gift certificate" was by Mark Hertsgaard. About a month or so ago I read a cool, fascinating interview with him on Booksense.com. He was promoting his new book called "The Eagles Shadow". I started reading this last evening and so far its great. Hard to explain it now, but after I'm done reading it I'll write up a review and post it here. If your wondering if the book has a political theme ... yes ... it does.

Today I participated, along with several other co-workers [ie: Laurie & Heather], in the annual March of Dimes Walk America. The weather today is a lovely, perfect Spring day. Great for walking and walk we did, about 6 miles. Received lots of free goodies AND got to briefly meet Joe Namath [brilliant football player from 1960s/70s]. Good ole Broadway Joe has been an honorary celebrity chairman of the March of Dimes for years. Wish I'd brought my camera, so as to get a pix with him. Oh well.....................

On that note ... gotta split ... remember to keep rocking in the free world!

Check this out ... if you wish ... if not ... that's okay too. Found this little political tidbit on a Pearl Jam chat room [Sony-BBS] today and it claims to be from music artist MOBY.

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

Question for you from Moby Posted: Apr 23, 2003 2:26 PM

ok, here's a little question for you...

how would the republican leadership deal with a democratic president who:

a-had been a cheerleader in school.
b-was a documented draft dodger.
c-had been arrested for public drunkenness.
d-had lost the election by 600,000 votes, but was president after being installed by his fathers friends in the supreme court.
e-had been best friends with the ceo of the corporation involved with the biggest instance of corporate fraud EVER.
f-had invited the perpetrators of the aforementioned fraud to the white house to set policy.
g-had long standing family ties with saudi arabia and the bin laden family.
h-allowed a private jet to fly around the united states after september 11 to pick up members of the bin laden family and return them to saudi arabia without being questioned by the fbi.
i-had presided over the steepest drop in the stock market and the greatest rise in unemployment figures of any president in the last 60 years.
j-bombed afghanistan looking for osama bin laden and never found him.
k-bombed iraq looking for saddam hussein and weapons of mass destruction and found neither.
l-proposed a 700 billion $ tax break for the wealthiest americans and planned on paying for it by cutting money to the police, fire departments, education, etc.
m-had members of his administration who had long standing ties to racist and white-supremacist organizations.
n-had a vice president who had been in business with the bin laden family.

And so on. How would the republicans and the conservative media deal with george bush jr. if he were a democrat? They would roast him alive and would probably impeach him. I write this as a reminder that:

1-the democratic party in the united states is pathetic for not drawing more attention to the fact that bush and his cabinet are corrupt and inept.
2-george bush jr. is still a terrible president with a terrible record. don't forget. especially when it comes time to vote in the next presidential election.

thanks,
moby

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p.s. In a non-political comment ... I'm participating in the annual March of Dimes "Walk America" this Sunday here in NYC. Hope the weather is halfway decent. I'll be joining some of my E&Y co-workers and having a good time. If you know someone who is participating in this worthy cause, please make a donation or participate yourself. Make a difference and you'll be happy you did. Peace!

Have received some unpleasant news today regarding my Duchess website. No, not my blogger online journal, but my website called "Tea, Tales & Travel with the Duchess". If I wish to continue to utilize the services of that particular site, I'll have to pay for it, as of May 4th it'll no longer be free. DAMN!!!! Now I have to look for a new, free service for the Duchess page. This sucks!! In the meantime, I've saved all the info from my site, so it'll be easy to "set up" a new page elsewhere. Geez!

Anyhow ... enough ranting for now. Below is a listing of links to websites that I read or check out on a regular basis. There related to current events regarding democracy, war in Iraq, freedom of speech, etc, etc. Definitely check them out............

http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/

Http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

http://www.moveon.org/

http://www.workers.org/

http://www.internationalanswer.org/

http://www.notinourname.net/

http://www.commondreams.org/

http://www.copvcia.com/

http://www.wbai.org/

http://www.progressive.org

http://www.thenation.com

Some of these links have been shared with me by good friends and others I've located via articles or scanning the Internet. Quite a wealth of info, facts and truth.

Remember to keep rocking in the free world or what's left of it. Peace!

Back on Sunday, April 13th, we had another lovely spring day here in NYC. Took my camera and headed off to Central Park for a leisurely stroll. It seemed like everyone was out and about. Naturally the horse & carriage rides were doing a booming business with the tourists. It felt soooo good to be out, walking leisurely and feeling the sun on ones face. Considering we had a snowstorm only 6 to 7 days before. Weird! Then on April 15th and 16th the weather got alot warmer ... up in the 80s and plenty of sunshine. One didn't need a coat cause it felt like summer. Oops ... I'm rambling again ... anyhow ... back to April 13th. After strolling around the southern part of Central Park, I walked down 6th Avenue to 50th Street and Rockefeller Center [Radio City Music Hall]. That weekend the annual Orchid Show was being held in the Rockefeller Center councourse. For years it was always held at the World Trade Center, but since 9/11 its been relocated to midtown. I took lots of pictures of dozens of beautiful flowers and arrangements. Breath-taking, fantastic and yes, even sensual! The show was also very crowded with New Yorkers and tourists.

Recently read an article by Norman Solomon on "Common Dreams News Center" website. Mr Soloman was talking about one of America's most revered writers ... Mark Twain ... in connection with todays current events. Here are some quotes from the article:

[Mark Twain was painfully aware of many people's inclination to go along with prevailing evils. When slavery was lawful, he recalled, abolitionists were "despised and ostracized and insulted" ... by "patriots". As far as Twain was concerned, "Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul."]

["Who are the oppressors? The few: the king, the capitalist and a handful of other overseers and superintendents. Who are the oppressed? The many: the nations of the earth; the valuable personages; the workers; they that make the bread that the soft-handed and idle eat."]

[What Mark Twain had to say is all too relevant to what's happening these days. But policymakers in Washington can rest easy. Twain's most inflammatory writings are smoldering in his grave ... while few opportunities exist for the general public to hear similar views expounded today. "None but the dead are permitted to speak truth," Twain remarked. Even then, evidently, their voices tend to be muffled.]

And finally, one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes ... "I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land."