Apparently Bush has given up on any dignified ambitions he had regarding his last months in the White House and has given himself over entirely to being a clown.
I’m so embarrassed.
Dear World,
Yeah, I know you were used to seeing composed leadership out of America’s highest office, and not the court jester antics we’re seeing from George W. Buffoon, but rest assured, we’re doing our best to come up with a respectable replacement. Please be patient with us.
Thanks,
America, once proud
UPDATE: sigh.
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This is something we saw quite often while driving out in the countryside around İzmir. Cows, sheep and goats are frequently grazed right on the roadside, with cars and trucks whizzing by. These sheep were being tended by an older man, but often I saw animals being watched by youngsters.
Have a happy weekend, everyone! And if you have a chance, check out the last Friday Ark for May!
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Oh, crap. Not another great one.
Harvey Korman died today after a a bit of ill health. Now, I know he was a brilliant comedian in his own right, but what I remember making me laugh the most about his appearances on the Carol Burnett Show were his constant (mostly unsuccessful) efforts to not laugh in the face of Tim Conway’s antics. Like this:
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Sorry it’s been quiet here today. I had a busy one. After laying low for the better part of a week (between the jet lag and an upper respiratory thing I caught on the trip home, I’ve felt pretty sorry lately), I actually had some energy today, so I got quite a bit done (the house really needed a lot of attention!) and then DD (who’s home between the spring semester and her summer travels) and I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar this evening (it was a good show — Ted Neely can still hit those shrieking high notes!).
Wow. What a long sentence! ;-D
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I was driving north on North Market this afternoon and was sideswiped by another car. It wasn’t a scary accident, though there was enough damage to the side of my car to involve the other driver’s insurance company. The other driver was pulling out from Manning and didn’t see my car, so he basically ran me off of the road.
But here’s the freaky part: remember DH’s wreck a couple of years ago? Well, guess what? He was driving south on North Market when someone pulled out suddenly from Manning and t-boned his truck.
The 10K Monkey family definitely needs to stay away from this intersection from here on out…
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Our first stop in Turkey was the beautiful port city of İzmir. From there we visited a number of ancient cities that are in the surrounding province. Our first stop was Pergamon, near the modern-day city of Bergama.
These first two images are of the Trajaneum, a 2nd Century temple.
Bergama looked beautiful spread out below us.
Pergamon’s Hellenistic theater once held 10,000 people and has the steepest seating of any known theater in the ancient world.
The views from up there were absolutely breathtaking!
And through it all were scattered springtime blossoms, dominated by the ubiquitous poppy.
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Oh, this is a tough one. Director Sydney Pollack died today, at 73. He had an incredible body of work — I think my favorite of his many acting roles were the ones that highlighted his understated, deadpan humor (like in Tootsie or Will and Grace). More here.
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I’m still sorting through my travel photos while also slogging through some blogs, getting caught up on the news I missed. There were a lot of big stories — ranging from the very sad (Ted Kennedy’s health problems) to the exciting (California’s Supreme Court sanely confirming that all people are created equal) — but those stories have been beaten to death. Here are a few links that cover some quieter events:
- Exits: Annika Sorenstam (golf) and Justine Henin (tennis) are both retiring — Justine is the first tennis player to quit while holding the #1 spot!
- Via Boing Boing is this gorgeous public spaces animation
- beep found some incredible photography
- Chris points to some beautiful underwater footage
- Cute Overload discovered some animal odd couple images
- Bush claims that he’s made great golf-related sacrifices because of his war. But he lies. And he got busted. And mocked.
- And finally, a couple of quotes. These are the kind of take-no-prisoners Democrats I’ve been wishing for all these years!
“While I always appreciate hearing the news from John McCain, he should explain to the American people why almost every single promise and prediction that he has made about Iraq has turned to be catastrophically wrong, including his support for a surge that was supposed to achieve political reconciliation. While John McCain offers his poor judgment in supporting George Bush’s war and a failed foreign policy that has left us less secure, I will continue to make the case for a new foreign policy that deploys all elements of American power — including tough, principled and direct diplomacy. It’s stunning that in such a lengthy written statement, John McCain could not articulate a single new idea that hasn’t been tried — and failed — over the last eight years.” — Barack Obama
The Bush-McCain saber rattling is the most self-defeating policy imaginable. It achieves nothing. But it forces Iranians who despise the regime to rally behind their leaders. And it spurs instability in the Middle East, which adds to the price of oil, with the proceeds going right from American wallets into Tehran’s pockets.
The worst nightmare for a regime that thrives on tension with America is an America ready, willing and able to engage. Since when has talking removed the word “no” from our vocabulary?
It’s amazing how little faith George Bush, Joe Lieberman and John McCain have in themselves – and in America. — Joe Biden
- UPDATE: one more… Bob Geiger: Dead Troops Remembered By President Who Had Them Killed (via Nicole Belle)
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